Planning For Saint Paddy's

 One of the biggest party days is coming up,Saint Patrick's day is a day for tradition but also for fun. You can combine the two into a festive feast.

  A new twist on the holiday is combining old and new. Yes you can serve corned beef but make it crisp and juicy in the air fryer.It;s pickling the brisket first in apple cider vinegar and then rubbing it with dry mustard. Cook it for one hour at 359 degree Fahrenheit. A tasty side is air fried cabbage steaks that can serve as a base for the corned beef.slice the cabbage thin through the middle. Brush with olive oil or melted butter and season with salt and pepper Air fry for ten minutes at 360 degrees Farenheit. They should be crisp and golden. Keep in mind this is also the perfect meal for vegetarians and vegans celebrating St.Patrick's Day. Colcannon is a must also  You can buy the potatoes now so you don't have to run out or just used mashed potatoes to make this Irish classic. Buy the greens for it the day before. Here you can use fresh baby spinach mixed with kale for a Spring-y green flavor. Minced garlic gives it a true flavor but you could add a pinch of garlic powder too. It can be fried into little rounds too ro turned into colcannon bombs. Make sure you have either vegetable oil and olive oil both for frying.

Of course Saint Patrick's Day is a drinking day too. do you just serve only Guinness or have different beers? Guinness can be strong and you may have guests that may find it so. There may be some guests that also find it too strong in taste too. You could have Smithwick's another Irish beer with a great following.It's a red ale that has a strong barley flavor. This ale pairs well with a variety of foods and perfect with a plate of corned beef.some may prefer what's known as a cream ale such as Kilkenny's It has a caramel flavor that people may like better than the more robust ales along with a creamy head. You could also throw ina few American ales such as Sam Adams Irish ale or even Yuengling . Another aspect to consider is dessert. Although it's not as important at a Saint Paddy's Day party as it is at others, there should be a sweet or two along with Irish coffee. decide what you want to make.it could be stout cupcakes or Irish cream fudge made with Bailey's. Another must buy is plenty of bottled water. You don;t want guests driving home drink. Give them water to dissipate the alcohol's effects.

Get ready for a fun day. Make sure you have the ingredients and beers to have a memorable st patrick's day. enjoy planning it and hosting it.

A Healthy Christmas Feast

 This is the season for tasty treats and bad choices. We tend to eat too many fatty , salty , cured and sweet foods. Yet those party nibbles to Christmas cookies can be made healthy. It's have fun while eating better.

Hosts are all over the charcuterie board. Who doesn't love salami and cheese yet there  are better alternatives.What about a veggie board? This can be fun and colorful.Cut veggies in long pieces which are perfect for dipping. Yes, you have to have celery.It's crunchy and great with any low calorie dip. Also have three kinds of bell peppers, yellow, red and green for a rainbow effect . Broccoli and cauliflower florets are musts too. There can be tomatoes, Cut the bigger ones up into wedges. Add some olives and artichoke hearts too. what about the dips.Hummus can be fun but also think a low calorie Greek yogurt  spiced up with some garlic and onion powders. You can also make a simple vinaigrette with red wine vinegar and a good olive oil. Add some thyme and oregano for more flavor. What to do about latkes for Hanukkah? They can still have that crispy fried crunch and rich flavor. Just air fry them instead of deep frying and use just egg whites instead of the whole egg. You could also use Just Egg as well which is a very good egg sub in.

Christmas dinner is another lush eating experiences. There's usually a glazed ham or a butter rubbed turkey on the table.Instead of a sugary coating on the ham, think a simple one made with  a low sodium veggie broth. Bast e it with this every twenty to thirty minutes. As for that butter rubbed turkey, think a plant based butter like Melt which will still give it a nice browned skin. Another idea is serving  fish like salmon.Try a soy and garlic glazed one for a healthy and different spin on your holiday dinner. For sides, think a healthy hot broccoli salad along with sliced carrots. Desserts can be healthy and good for you too. Since it's orange season think about air frying them for a different kind of dessert.It's slicing the oranges in half and first spraying them with some kind of cooking spray. The butter flavoreed one would work well here. Then brush the tops with honey and cinnamon. Air fry them for eight minutes at 360 degrees Farenheit. If you want cookies a healthy gingerbread fills the bill. Use more spices than sugar for a lovely Christmas flavor along with whole wheat flour and a plant butter like Melt. Sprinkle with brown sugar if you want them to have some crunch.

Healthy holiday eating can be just as flavorful as the fat and sugar laced recipes. They offer a better alternative. Try them for a good for you Christmas and Hanukkah dinners and desserts..

Fall's Other Stars of The Harvest

 This may be the season of apples and pumpkins but there are other stars coming out ofthose autumn patches.There's broccoli , cauliflower,and pears to name a few. They're great as main, sides , and desserts. Try them as a nice change up form those Macintoshes and gourds.

Broccoli is a versatile veggie.It can be served hot or cold. A great side is steamed broccoli with melted butter and just a sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Many like it Oriental style, steamed with ginger and  sesame oil. Of course it can also be cooked with chicken or beef , flavored with soy sauce. Serve this on a bed of rice for a hearty and delicious quick meal. One of the best recipes with broccoli is broccoli salad. You may think this is a summer dish but's it's a refreshing side all year long.It's steaming the veggie in the microwave first and then dressing it. Use just olive oil and red wine vinegar along with dashes of garlic powder, sealt salt and freshly ground pepper.  You can add chopped onion for more flavor. Cauliflower , like broccoli is also versatile. Both veggies can be made into tasty homemade soups. Cauliflower soup is the perfect chill chaser and can be frozen for future use. Breaded and air fried cauliflower is a real treat and the perfect game day nibble. It's good on its' own but also served with ranch dressing.

The season has always been all about apples yet there's another fruit that's just as sweet and high in nutrition. Pears!!!! Bartlett, Clap Favorite and Orca are the main autumn ones. Bartlett's are the most popular anf have a love mild candy like flavor. A great dessert is a harvest pear crisp. This is six cups of cored and sliced bartlett pears that have been tossed with lemon juice and coated with a mix of cornstarch, sugar and cinnamon .This is well coated and then covered with a dry dough made up of flour, ,butter and more cinnamon. A mix of chopped walnuts and oats  are then sprinkled on top as a kind of streusel.It's baked for forty minutes at 375 degrees Farenheit. Serve with fresh cream or vanilla ice cream.Orca pears which are a fall favorite in the Pacific Northwest are great for canning.They're cooked in a sugar solution and then canned. Of course you can make pear jams and even syrups with them. Clapp pears are good for baking and what better than a pear cake for a nice autumnal dessert.  You could even bake a layer cake and fill it with pear compote.

Don;t forget thare are other harvest gems that are perfect for any meal or dessert. Give broccoli, cauliflower and pears  a try this season. They're tasty and nutritious, the perfect fall produce.

Four Years Without The Master Chef

 It's hard to believe that four years have elapsed since I lost my Mom, our family's Master Chef. This past year would have made her worry but amused and maybe thrilled that her kids managed.

I know she would have been worried out of her mind about my twice broken arm and the surgery that followed the first break. What would she have made of my brother's spinach salad and his successful attempt on our family's potato salad recipe? She would have liked the spinach salad and maybe the ingenuity he put into the salad. He used already boiled potatoes and a variety of vegan mayonnaise. Would she have liked the added capers and green olives? Maybe. She would have said maybe add more celery and a bit more onion, both needed for crunch and texture.She definitely would have offered input on jazzing up store bought tomato sauce that my brother is fond of having with his penne or rotelli. His Halloween barbecue would have tickled her and she would have loved bundling up in front of the fire pit munching on a "real" hot dog and having a plate of potato salad, followed by hot coffee and Halloween cupcakes.

What would she have thought of my "one arm cooking"? She would have worried that I was doing too much and hurting my afflicted arm when I made my well known air fryer portabellas. Yet she would have been happy that I was actually cooking and would have been at my side to do most of the work. My taking the right vitamins and my daily dose of calcium  would have been her top priority. She would want me strong again and healthy. I think she also would have wanted me to eat more protein, namely meat and dairy to build stronger bones. We would have had more rotisserie chicken from the Acme and may even steak sandwiches along with a snack of Brie on crackers. She definitely would have made me drink cow's milk instead of the usual almond milk and also eat more yogurt too. We would have gone the Piedmontese route with using butter to fry and saute - after all it is dairy too  - instead of relying on "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter". Greens , especially kale and spinach would have been more on the menu. These too are rich in iron and good for healing bones.

This would have been a tough year for her to witness but she was tough and could handle anything thrown her way. A kid with a twice broken arm wouldn't have fazed her. She would definitely go into Master Chef mode and created healthy, protein rich dishes for us.

The Joy Of Cooking Again

 Today was a big day >I got to cook again after a hiatus of three months.It felt good to prep and season. What was on the menu? Air fried  portabella mushrooms!!!!!

Granted these are easy to make. IT's just washing the mushrooms  brushing caps and gills with olive oil and seasoning the gill side. The seasoning is just a sprinkle of onion and garlic powders mixed with oregano , sea salt and freshly ground peppet.

The caps need to be cooked at 370 degrees for eight minutes on each side.

You could scoop out the gills and fill the caps with flavored bread crumbs but you'll miss the flavor of the portabellas. This is an easy cook with just flipping them over half way through,

They were served with a spinach salad( my brother's ) with tomato and vegan bacon bits

It was a great meal on so many levels. It signals that I'm back to cooking  and tasty air fryer meals. It's also the perfect Saturday dinner, filling but light, and full of flavor.

Yes, it's a return to the kitchen, I'm looking forward to not only air frying but grilling and roasting again. THere's a lot of lost cooking time to make up.