Eat
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Food. It’s All About the Food
It may have looked as if I was trying to win him over through his stomach, those few days before Thanksgiving, when I was buying ready-made foods (like Bosco sticks and frozen chicken won tons, sourdough frozen pretzels, chunky applesauce (cinnamon)) but I wasn’t. I was just thinking, and worried about standing in the kitchen all day preparing meals that just couldn’t come out of the oven fast enough, while my son, who hasn’t been home in maybe 6 weeks, would be hungry. So, I was just trying to be prepared. But of course, his brothers teased me and said, so, I see how it is. He comes home, starts…
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As Your Children Grow, Shortcuts Become More Important
One of the strangest phenomenon to plague mothers, I’ve discovered, is that as your children age, our free time shrinks. In many ways, this does not seem possible, and I have had the chance to discuss this with other moms, (for only a few seconds, as that is all we have to spare), who have experienced the same phenomenon. We are no longer tying shoes, dressing, bathing and spooning food into our children’s mouths, so, we should have all the free time in the world. In fact, only the opposite is true. Which has led me to adopt some non-traditional menu choices, which I would never even considered years earlier……
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A Cheesy Appetizer Formula That Liberates Your Pantry
Sweet or savory, there’s a “formula” to great, delicious appetizers — and the ingredients are probably already in your fridge and freezer. Recipes are great, but they can be a bit condescending — they send you to the store to find an “exact list” of ingredients when you already have perfectly good ingredients that could be used instead. And you can even make your own “crackers” for dipping out of any leftover cheese. Formulas, on the other hand, are flexible enough to give you the ingredients you already have, while ensuring that the flavor satisfies. This appetizer formula is based loosely on a Bon Appetit appetizer, which is the-best-I-have-ever-tasted Marinated Goat Cheese…
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This is the Air/Fryer Convection Oven I’m Buying
OK — I know this is not technically an Air Fryer… but bear with me — it works like one. I picked up this Bella Air Fryer on sale, as a whim — and I ended up loving it so much that I use it more than my microwave. I use it to re-heat leftovers so that they are hot and crispy and juicy, and not mushy like the microwave leaves them. The steaks cook up moist and juicy — same for seafood. I even make gorgeous mini loaves of bread. One of my hacks is to put an oven-safe bowl in the tray, well oiled, to use to cook…
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Fast, New Yummy Way to Cook Steak!
One of my most popular post is this one, How to cook cheap cuts of red meat, published way back on September 9, 2007. Ten years ago! I think the key to this method — is the combination of the high heat and the salt. It even works with turkeys! Lucky for you, Tiana, of Yum of China reached out to me, with some new information about cooking steaks, that she has gently and kindly encouraged me to share with you. I love her method — it creates a yummy steak — without the need to turn on the oven! Please check out her carefully-crafted list of safety precautions, and temperatures for…
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Perpetual Vanilla
You still have time to get some going — to have in time for a special teacher who has nurtured your child all year. This is the gift I always reach for when I want to make sure the person gets a continuous reminder of my gratitude — perpetually, like the vanilla itself. Perpetual vanilla is the gift that lasts forever… like a good friendship. People are surprised to learn how easy it is to make their own vanilla extract. They are, I think, my surprised to learn that it will never run out. The vodka preservers the vanilla, keeping it alive. All you do is top it off with…
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Herbed Tomato Ricotta Tart
I created this tart out of a desperate attempt to find a way to extend the life from this savory, the-best-I-have-ever-tasted Marinated Goat Cheese recipe from Bon Appetite. The flavors of this marinade are so exquisite — you’ll almost want to lick the plate when all the cheese is gone. After eating almost 90% of the goat cheese — spread over 2-3 sittings in less than 24 hours, I decided to turn this marinade into a meal — with what else? Tomatoes? I toned down the richness of the goat cheese, and used ricotta cheese to add more protein and make this more of a “meal.” The result was fabulous —…
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Fastest Way To Harvest Your Tomatoes
Technically, my favorite way is still, roasting tomatoes. But, since I saw this post on Epicurious about the beauty of grating tomatoes — to eat right now — I’ve been re-thinking my position on roasting. Grating, with the use of some power tools, just may be the fastest way yet to preserve the full flavor of summer-grown tomatoes. Raw, fresh tomatoes can be frozen, whole, to be used later in sauces all winter long. The tomatoes are bulky and cumbersome — so I thought why not combine the best of both worlds, and grate them, into a “sauce” so that the tomatoes are ready to be used in any form…
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“As You Grow” Pesto
There’s not quite enough basil to make pesto yet. Basil is slow, and takes forever — and I can see myself during the busy days of back-to-school in September, trying to carve out an afternoon to harvest the Basil that’s finally started to explode. But the mint is, as always, prolific — and there is that batch of cilantro from the grocery store that I must use up quickly — so for these reasons and more, I’m tuning every bunch of greens I can find into pesto — as I go. I remember, back in the days when the kids were little, and I had so much extra time, even…
