Everything in its place

Everything in its place
The Family Facts Recipe Organizer is a three-ring binder filled with dividers and forms to help organizationally challenged cooks lasso all those tempting recipes they clip -- which somehow disappear when they're needed. The package contains six dividers, 24 plastic sheet protectors to hold various-size recipes and an assortment of forms and lists to keep track of favorites wines or cooking Web sites, menu planning, etc. The Organizer costs $20 by mail-order only; visit family-facts.com or call (914) 666-8383.
Freezer bistro
Stouffer's Corner Bistro line of frozen entrees delivers good-tasting, fresh-looking -- and even attractive -- finished dishes. Six entrees are offered; each contains about 340-500 calories and can be cooked in the microwave (5-10 minutes) or oven (35-40 minutes). Varieties include sesame chicken (breaded tenderloins with noodles, carrots, beans and red peppers in a sweet and sour sauce) and seafood scampi. Each 12- to 14-ounce package costs $4-$4.40 in the freezer case and online at peapod.com.
Living large
Given the growing popularity of warehouse stores, bulk sizes and farmers markets, Elissa Altman's "Big Food: Amazing Ways to Cook, Store, Freeze and Serve Everything You Buy in Bulk" (Rodale, $18.95) is timely indeed. Various strategies are offered, with recipes detailing what's getting put to use -- say, two big eggplants and a 10-pound bag of onions (Sicilian eggplant salad) or three whole chickens (Jewish-style chicken soup). Sometimes recipes create more leftovers in the process, but the one we tried (spicy Southwestern corn, crab and black bean salad) was gold. The book is sold at some Barnes & amp; Noble stores and online at amazon.com.
Desserts for special diets
Chicago Tribune testers were impressed with the tender yellow cake and creamy vanilla frosting we made from Cherrybrook Kitchen mixes. The products, which also come in chocolate flavors, are dairy-, egg- and nut-free. Cooks need to add some ingredients, such as soymilk and margarine. The cake mix yields one 9-inch cake; the frosting makes enough to frost it. Each box costs $4.40-$5.30. To order by mail, visit cherrybrookkitchen.com or call (866) 458-8225.
Pickles and more
That Pickle Guy products from Lisle resident Greg Frederick got across-the-board approval from tasters. The pickles were fresh and crisp; the richly flavored giardinera and muffalata enhanced the sandwiches the CT testers added them to. A 32-ounce container of pickles (original, garlic, spicy or hot) costs about $6.50; the muffalata (olive or spicy) and giardinera (hot or mild) are $5-$9 per 8- or 16-ounce jar. Find them at grocers and wine and spirits shops. To order by mail, call (630) 428-3203 or visit thatpickleguy.com.