YOur Fave Snow Day Foods

 A walloping great blizzard is going to hit the East Coast this Sunday night into Monday morning. That means one thing - (well besides shoveling) - a day in to eat favorite foods. will it be a gooey grilled cheese? Home baked chocolate chip cookies Or a pit of spicy crock pot chili.

To be honest I am going to be making a big pot of veggie strew in Sunday that will take us into the next day. There will be a warmed baguette to go with it, along with plenty of oil and COuntry Crock Plant butter.  This will be perfect on Monday too. I will be shopping at Lidl for treats such as their sandwich cookies and salty snacks to get us through the day There's also going to be Lidl's hot cocoa aplenty too.

So what is your snow day favorite food? Let us know. Stay warm and keep full.⛄⛄☃

The Fun Of Cooking For One

Single people usually get sympathetic looks when it comes to the subject of cooking. even they wonder if there's more to life than just microwave meals for one and endless take out orders. There is. Thanks to a new cookbook, cooking for one can be fun.

America's Test Kitchen  that informative PBS cooking show now has a new cookbook Cooking For One: Scaled Recipes,No-Waste Solutions and Time Saving Tips (America's Test Kitchen Publications 2020), perfect for those single home chefs. This is a brilliant book, chock full of delicious recipes that can easily be doubled for two. Cooking and even baking (yes there is baking for one!) can be exciting and fun. The book has the usual chapters on sandwiches and soups , salads and one pan dinners along with main meals. The chapter on sides shows how a side can go from a supporting player to the star with some additions.A few pages are even dedicated to fun cocktails, made with ingredients found in the fridge and pantry. What is great is, like all America's Test Kitchens books , is that its' introductory chapter  tells singular chefs what to stock up on and how much. Get a smaller skillet along with a small whisk and cutting board.There are also a couple of pages on microwave's usually a single's best friend. Listed are suggestions about using it to peel garlic(!) and how to dehydrate citrus zest. There are also recipes for fried shallots and kale chips. The book will show how to shop smarter, cutting down on items  likes meats and cheese that are usually sold in larger qualities.Leftovers are also written about along with menu plans to help reduce waste and save time.

I absolutely the recipes in this book. They are truly inspiring and fun and I plan on making many , if not all of them. I love the sides and the way they can be transformed into main dishes. There's cauliflower rice that can be easily made at home.Another plus is that every recipe has a kitchen improv section that offers suggestions about how to vary the recipe. The cauliflower rice suggests adding curry or Thai curry paste for more zing.Another yummy dish is the roasted butternut squash.I can see pairing it with the roasted carrots for a tasty healthy dinner. The main dishes are also delicious. There's skillet roasted chicken and potatoes that's reminiscent of Sunday dinners along with sheet pan sausages complete with sweet potatoes and broccoli rabe.It's served with a dollop of chive mustard butter. Sandwiches and salads are also wonderful, especially if you do have to go to the office.There is the ever popular avocado toast zinged up with red pepper flakes or feta cheese depending upon your tastes. Lamb pita sandwiches are perfect for weekend eating and easy to make. Salads include a tasty quinoa chock full of different spices and feta cheese and a warm spiced couscous salad. There are several pasta dishes that are sure to become instant favorites. The desserts are also amazing. You can make chocolate chip cookies for one - honest. However this recipe may call for several batches. There are also the tantalizing haystacks - chocolates mixed with pretzel sticks and nuts and chocolate peanut butters truffles too yummy. Of course there are mugs cakes and solo sundaes , perfect for an indulgent night in.

Cooking For One :Scaled Recipes,No-Waste Solutions And Time Saving Tips is the perfect book for those single chefs wanting good, tasty food. The recipes and advice are amazing, great for one or even two home chefs living on their own. This book means good bye to those sad microwave for one dinners and many cartons of take out.

The Greatest Book Of Grilling

Despite the cold temps and occasional snow flurry , it's Spring and that means grilling season is here.It's time to get the grill ready to go.before you do , there's a phenomenal book , chock full of all sorts of on the grill recipes , from appetizers to even dessert - yes, dessert!


Char-Broil's Great Book Of Grilling (Fox Chapel Publishing 2018) is a compilation of recipes from the folks at Char-Broil Grills.The company is well known for its' wide variety of gas and charcoal grills along with electric and portable ones. Charbroil also has an extensive line of both oil-less fryers and BBQ smokers. The company is also innovative, creating a line of hybrid grills that incorporate both gas and charcoal. Charbroil is all things outdoor cooking so it makes sense that they have a cookbook all about the cuisine. Novice grillers will appreciate the first chapter which explains everything  from the difference between barbecuing and grilling( the first is a slower method of cooking),to infra-red frying.A big plus are the cooking table times for the various meats and fish. Following this , there should be no under cooked meat . There is also pages on pantry essentials such as brown sugar and ketchup and tips for creating the best tasting burgers, chops, wings and even fruit slices. A very important section is dedicated to grill safety.It's full of such wise tips as grill in a well ventilated area and wearing "safe clothes" such as no hanging shirt tails, frills or apron strings.Another  important section is grill maintenance and how to clean the various grates with different cleaning implements and soap.

The recipes are mouth watering. Carnivores will drool over the Bloody Mary London Broil which is London Broil with zippy Worcester sauce and tomato juice along with the Montreal Grilled T-Bone which comes with a fiery Cajun sauce. For tradtionalists there is beer-can chicken.It comes with two rub recipes, one spiked with cumin and coriander and a fiery sweet one, rich with sugar and cayenne pepper. There's the simple but packed with flavor with Grilled New York Steak.It's just brushing them with melted butter or oil. Poultry lovers will also enjoy the grilled duck breasts with sweet potato fries and BBQ turkey wings cooked over cherry wood chips. Pork and lamb are also represented Affectionados will enjoy the pulled smoked pork with the tongue seairng mop sauce and lamb chops with rosemary and cumin. For those who prefer seafood there is the delicious rainbow trout stuffed with lemon, shallots and herbs.A tasty twist on a salad is Cajun grilled mahi-mahi with avocado slices.Sides and desserts are also here, with some component being cooked over an open flame., A pool party would be more fun with  grilled and stuffed potato skins or grilled scallops with prosciutto. End with grilled peaches with raspberry puree or grill baked chocolate chip cookies.

Before you know it, warmer weather will be here and that means firing up the grill.Have the Char-Broil Great Book Of Grilling on hand. It's loaded with recipes that will keep your fire going until tailgate season!

Pumpkin Goodness

It may be too early in the year to even mention pumpkins but there is a fun new cookbook that celebrates the gourd. After all, pumpkin is not just a fall October thing.It can be eaten all year round in a variety of yummy savory and sweet recipes

Pumpkin It Up (Gibbs Smith Press)written by Eliza Cross, a well known cookbook writer, is a cookbook that celebrates all things. pumpkin. (Keep in mind that this time of year is the perfect time to plant pumpkin seeds if you want homegrown organic pumpkins in the fall).She breaks the myth of cooking the gourd in the autumn months. The dishes can be made now for any summer feasting.The chapters include basic recipes,beverages and sweets along with muffin and breads.There are also savory recipes as seen in the chapters devoted to soups and stews, sides dishes and dinners. There is even one featuring pumpkin breakfast recipes. Of course there is a chapter on dessert along with one on cookies and bars. Ms. Cross also has two pages on hints as well. They are good, especially the ones advising  when it comes to picking ones from the patch . She writes that it's best to pick out the smaller ones for making pie because they're sweeter and have a smoother texture than the ones used for carving jack-o-lanterns.Also use an ice cream scoop, a serrated grapefruit knife or a melon baller .when scooping out the flesh. One important hint is discerning between pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling. The last already has spices in it and could ruin a savory dish if used.Another good fact to know is that the puree freezes well and can last up to nine months in the freezer .

The recipes are varied with a mix of the familiar and the fun. Starbucks lovers will go made for pumpkin spice latte, true to the name thanks to the addition of a cup of pumpkin puree.A perfect beverage for even cool summer nights is the pumpkin spiced cider.Imagine have the healthy gourd for breakfast. You can, thanks to recipes like pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin waffles along with a Dutch  baby, that big pancake from Holland, made delicious with pumpkin and walnut. The savory recipes include the trendy but easy to make pumpkin ravioli along with pumpkin risotto, a mix of Arborio rice, sugar pumpkins and button mushrooms. Due to the squash's mildness it is excellent paired with different meats.It can be paired with turkey for an enchiladas or with chicken and apples for a spin on chicken Kiev.Pumpkins can be used as a side as for fries or baked with Brussells sprouts.It puts a different twist on the traditional fave baked mac and cheese..Of course pumpkin shines in pie and the book has three recipes: the traditional holiday one, but also a chiffon one and a pumpkin cream pie. Then there are the non traditional  ones like the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin tiramisu. Try the pumpkin holes or monkey bread, both livened up by pureed pumpkin. There are the tasty crispies a kind of sweet pumpkin fritter. Candy lovers will lose their gourd over the pumpkin fudge and a spin on Reese's peanut butter cups - with creamy pumpkin filling poured into chocolate cups.

Pumpkin It Up is a great cookbook for pumpkin lovers and for those wanting more nutrition in their lives. It shows that pumpkin is not just for lattes and pies but can be made into tasty pastas and rices along with candy .The cookbook is a true salute to a humble gourd.

The  book comes out in August but you can preorder on Amazon now,

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