Revealing where our food comes from
During one of my first cooking experiences, I remember looking at the back of a taco seasoning packet and realizing that I already owned the spices it contained. And I didn’t know the purpose of the other ingredients. The packet only cost a dollar, but I understood right away that I didn’t need it. I…
There are very few items I consider essential in the kitchen. As a minimalist, I kept my kitchen equipment to the bare bones when I was single. My husband, on the other hand, now finds something that I must have and purchases it for me for birthdays and Christmas gifts. Some women get jewelry. I…
About 10 years ago, I moved in with my now-husband and wanted to get everyone eating more vegetables. Knowing that carrot sticks are a gateway vegetable, that was where I was going to start my introduction. Of course, I would serve them with Ranch. The classic buttermilk dressing that is now famous in the United…
I somehow made it through culinary school without cooking a pot of beans. I guess we were more interested in haute cuisine than a simple, inexpensive dinner. I did, however, get an excellent bean cooking education at Rubicon, one of the first fine-dining establishments I worked. Stuck in the pantry station for a year I…
A pan, butter, garlic, and red pepper flakes are all you need. So, I just told you the secret recipe. (If I believed in secret recipes.) When someone sees a vegetable that they are unfamiliar with, there is a typical first question: How do you cook it? My answer is almost always: Sauté it with…
Do you need to save a little money? Do you need to eat a little better? Today I’m going to introduce you to oatmeal. We as Americans are used to having choices, and the breakfast cereal aisle is the epitome of choice. So much so that in the movie The Hurt Locker, when James comes…
Since millions of people are learning to cook right now, I have felt a little overwhelmed with where I can start helping. So, let’s start with what I start my day off with every day, a cup of coffee. I have to be honest, and I would never have thought this would be necessary until…
Save money and make this healthy snack yourself. When people talk about the high cost of food, I can’t disagree. No one wants to waste money, but prepared foods at the store will start to add up fast if you are not careful. I’m not always in touch with grocery store trends, but after seeing…
Yes, you can eat eggs anytime. Most mornings in my culinary career started in the dark, with just a few minutes to go from brushing teeth and hair to running out the door. I never ate breakfast or even made coffee. Fortunately, in the food business, free coffee is a part of the benefit plan….
I am entirely baffled by the smoothie business. There are websites wholly devoted to making smoothies. Companies that will ship you perfectly proportioned frozen ingredients for a not-so-healthy cost. And $300 blenders that let you can crush ice in an instant. I can’t understand how a whole industry has been created to use up ripe…