I am always carrying around at least two Moleskine journals—they’re classy, and I love the bright red. Now I will be adding a third book to my bundle, as they have just come out with a Moleskine recipe journal. (Thanks to Brooklyn Kitchen for the early notice!) The journal pages are organized into recipe format, and organized by course. It also includes a seasonal ingredients calendar and a nutritional content guide. And that wonderful little rubber band that keeps the whole thing tidy (and holds a pen nicely).

The recipe journal is part of Moleskine’s “Passions” series that also includes a wine journal, which I should also probably get since I’m always forgetting the names of wines that I like. Clearly, I’m going to need to start carrying a backpack again.

Meet Chef Dan Coudreaut, McDonald’s Executive Chef and “Director of Culinary Innovation.” That title sounds alluring when applied to someone like Ferran Adria, but sort of menacing and Dr. Frankenstein-ish when the context is food whose flavor is imported from New Jersey. Some highlights from the Q&A with Chef Dan, the “most powerful chef in America:”

“Ray Kroc hand-picked the famous Chef René to come on board in the 1980s. He helped create the McRib Sandwich and the Chicken McNuggets.”

“My key responsibility is to help the creative team of chefs ideate and develop new menus for McDonald’s approximately 14,000 restaurants.” [Ideate? Sounds tantalizing.]

“The challenge is to create something that will taste the same in Alaska as it does right here in the Test Kitchen.”

And that, to me, is the problem–McDonald’s food tastes the same from Alaska to New Zealand because it’s more a product of the lab than the kitchen. Chef Dan, top of his class at the CIA, could really put his culinary credentials to better use than creating the next McRib.

The kind folks over at Tasting Table sent out a great piece about the Spooning shop. Check it out–and then place your order! May I recommend a fabulous vintage barbecue set for your Labor Day festivities (here and here)? Or some picnic gear for the Indian summer ahead–like park-friendly pink Texas Ware dishes? Just click on “shop” above and have a look…new items added every week!

If you are like me and almost everyone I know, Trader Joe’s keeps you alive. It’s cheap, high quality, and blessedly limited in its options. (Laundry detergent: liquid or powder? The end.) I never really wanted to know what was behind the curtain; but I assumed Trader Joe was an Oz-like character rolling around in money (in a Hawaiian shirt, of course) and that the prices were low for reasons I would rather not know. Turns out, as this fascinating if somewhat sycophantic Fortune magazine story reveals, Trader Joe’s is not in fact an evil empire–it’s just a smart highly secretive business that uses its lack of choice to consumers’ benefit. And the mastermind is not in fact Mr. Joe–he was bought out in the 1970s–but an über-reclusive German billionaire named Theo Albrecht who lives with his brother on a private island in the North Sea. Rather, he lived there–Herr Albrecht died on July 24 at 88. What will happen to his empire of trail mix and cheap booze? We’ll see, but I’m really hoping it stays on the up and up. They just introduced all-natural tater tots for $1.99. And I love tater tots.

Here at Spooning, we have explored the squirmy realm of insect eating (see here and here)–and now you can too, if you live in Brooklyn. Our friends at Brooklyn Kitchen are teaming up with EyeLevel Gallery and San Francisco’s Critter Salon to bring you an evening of gourmet bugs, paired with complementary liquors. If you ask me (and this is based on experience), the San Honesto Mezcal will help the grasshoppers go down.

Entomo-Cuisine will include a four-course tasting menu, curated by Critter’s Philip Ross and in partnership with the EyeLevel show Wurmhaus. (The dinner and exhibition are in turn part of the citywide Celebrate Mexico Now festival.)

WHERE: Brooklyn Kitchen, 100 Frost St.

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 18, 8PM

Tickets are $85 and available here.