The Treat Of Bread,,OIl and Vinegar

 Sometimes a good lunch or even supper consists of just a few ingredients. You can easily just use oil  balsamic vinegar and a good hunk of Italian or French bread. 

My friend Russell gave me this lovely set for a Christmas gift,He knows I go mad for bread in any kind of olive oil.

This set came with a pretty plate. I can also use the set not only for bread but also for vegetables, I can see dipping cauliflower and broccoli florets in a mix of the oil and the balsamic. You can also do with his with any vinegar. Add hot honey to this or oregano. For some fire think a quick sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a fiery ,blood warming bite. 

This makes for a nice gift, whether for a housewarming or even Valentines or Galentine/s Day.it also is a great treat for yourself if you;re big into dipping.

Cherry Tomato Sauce New Product for A New Year

 There are a lot of products home chefs want to try in the new year.They can be an experiment to be used maybe once to try or if liked, incorporated into much loved sihes. ONe such is cherry tomato sauce. Who knew those little gems could be turned into something so rich and flavorful.

I saw Lidl's Italiamo  brand cherry tomato sauce and had to try it.It was too tempting to pass up.

This I could have fun with  was my first thought. Imagine what I could make with it.It would be a perfect addition to the Lidl sauces I already use. It's not only cherry tomatoes. There's carrots for sweetness, along with onions and basil to enhance the tomatoes flavor. Olive oil makes it smooth. I added a bit to last night's sauce

This was a wild thrown in into a pot .It was last night spaghetti with the sauce. The cherry tomato sauce was also great in making a cheese less French bread pizza for lunch.

I loved this., It was just slathering the sauce along with drenching a hearty slice of baguette with olive oil and oregano.Two minutes in the microwave produced a crunchy , saucy bite that was very satisfying and flavorful. You could also use this sauce for English muffin pizzas and regular ones too.

The new year is full of fun and products to try .Lidl's Italiamo Cherry Tomato sauce is one of them. Give ti a go for a nice variation on sauces and recipes.

French Fire

 Winter and French food tend to go together. There are plenty of rich dishes that will keep you warm when the temps drop. They are tasty and flavorful, full of protein and taste. The will warm you from head to toe - de la tete aux pieds.

If you want instant French food , then head to Lidl I love their potato gratins which are miniature pies full of cream and potatoes.

These are perfect , good on their own or with squash as I made them for a kind of Franco-American dinner.

This is a nice vegetarian option however if you want true French fire serve then with a hearty cassoulet. This is a mix of various meats and beans originating in the south of France, namely Toulouse. It can be made in a slow cooker. You can add fowl such as chicken or duck along with slabs of bacon and sausages. Use two kinds of pork for a flavorful dish, There beans too , namely both  cannellini and navy along with onions carrots and celery. Garlic is a must along with parsley and cloves. Another hot dish is pot au feu. Thisis a two part meal, with the broth cooked first and then the meats. it does take five hours on the whole, but a perfect dish to make on a snowy day. You can use beef shanks along with vegetables. It's served with a sauce of mustard and sour cream.

A wintry night in means good French food .it should be hot and satisfying. Make either pot au feu or cassoulet for a tasty dinner.

What's on Your Radar

 Everyone has a must cook or bake for the New Year. It could be a new cuisine or a different kind of cake or cookie.it could be an air fried recipe for broccoli or a new salad that involves kale/ I know I';d like to jump on what's left of last year's hot honey trend. It's something I can add to dressings and dips.O can see a hot honey vinaigrette over a grilled chicken salad or perhaps adding a bit to a frosting for Valentine's Day cupcakes.

What are you most excited to make in 2025? Let us know and include a recipe if you can.

To Be A Better Cook

 One of the most often New Year's resolutions is be a better cook. Some sign up for classes. Other pore over cookbooks and websites. hoping they'll up their cooking game. Yet it's just as simple as making simple and little improvements. These can elevate a home chef from a novice to an expert.

Newcomer Tanya Sychynsky, a regular editor at the New York Times cooking section created this article and tips in a how to for yesterday's New York Times Food section.She offers a variety of good advice that makes  for more efficient cooking and running a kitchen. She uses another contributor Samin Nosrat's Whatever You Want Soup. I've done this adding leftover sauteed tomatoes to a tomato soup.It's taking butter and or olive oil. Chicken or pork can be added along with any leftover diced veggies. Try cubed celery, fennel, leeks , and winter squash to name a few. You could add corn for a corn chowder or potatoes too.Chef Nosrat also recommends adding one and a half pounds of boneless chicken too for a heartier potage. For leftover herbs and greens, think pasta with a creamy herb sauce. This is like an Alfredo sauce with the addition of kale, mustard greens broccoli rabe and or mature spinach . Add  a sprig of thyme or  oregano along with rosemary to give flavor. Another leftover dish is vegetable pajeon ,a Korean scallion panckae made with whatever veggies you have in the fridge. Add peppers and kale to a pancake made with flour and potato starch, There's also a dipping sauce made from soy  and ginger mixed with garlic and a pinch of granulated sugar.

Breakfast is an important meal too.There are recipes for slow made ones along with quick ones too. A classic one is Sarah DiGregorios' slow cooked oats.It can take six hours but you could do it the night before and microwave it. There is a savory side that adds chili crisp and, shredded cheddar and pickled red onions along with peanuts. There's also crumb;ed cooked microwaved bacon mixed with marmalade or a fun mix of banana chips and honey. There is the classic maple syrup and butter to fall back on. Yeqande Kemolafe supplies the quick breakfast version of breakfast burritos. These are filled with  fried refried beans and six eggs. Cumin and scallions add flavor along with shredded Montery Jack cheese. Add freshly sliced avocados and a drizzle of hot sauce. Serve immediately or wrap in foil to be reheated in a 400 degree Farenheit oven for about eight minutes. A fun addition would be a spicy and hot cup of Mexican hot coca to round it out.

A good cook learns . Anyone can become one by learning how to be efficient in the kitchen. It takes little time and little effort.

What To Eat in The New Year

With a  new year comes new trends. That applies so much to food too. There are some novel ideas coming out of the culinary world .Will they stick? Maybe.

Regular contributor Kim Severson wrote about these trends that were also covered yesterday in todays' New York Times Food section.We covered the future rice of sauces like Chipotle's which is an easy copy. This is a spicy vinaigrette that could work well with an adobo chicken salad.It's has the kick of chipotle peppers in tt. It could also work well There was also fruit like strawberries that will have added flavors like pineapple and passion fruit bread into them.There is an incredible interest in seed development as per the director of sales Jon Hansburg of Baldor Foods in the Bronx. The company specializes in such delicacies as truffles  and microgreens. Again there was also the idea of better hospitality aimed at customers. This will be apparent as employees  such as waitstaff and cooks will get a better work/life balance.Restaurants will also be warmer to customers ,offering them a haven amiss the turmoil outside.

Another trend not covered yesterday was savory coffees!!. THose liquid desserts with syrup and cream will make way for more saltier brews. Coffees are being mixed with pureed  sunchokes and avocado and be infused with ginger ,lemongrass and rosemary. Yemeni coffeehouses which got their start in Detroit, the country's largest Arab community will be spreading to other areas, bringing their Hawaii spice , a mix of cardamon, cinnamon and ginger. Japan will share its' grab and go gastronomy as even gas stations will offer prepared meals, along with their own brands of frozen foods and salads along with creating coffee bars.Protein consumption will be on the rise as more people go for peanut butter and Turkish breakfasts which expand the first meal with feta cheese and jams. Even orgam meats which usually are ignored could be on the table this year. There are also going to drinks that give the same buzz as alcohol, but instead of being ninety proof they're infused with hemp kava and an amino acid called GABA which calms the brain.

These are some of the trends that will grace 2025. There will  probably be more as the year goes on. These trends are worth trying and should add interest to any diet.