Spring Excitement

 Spring is the time for trying new dishes and rediscovering old ones.Itsa time when fresh veggies are used and lighter fare is a must. Where's the question - what are you excited for cooking and baking this Spring?

For me it's the Venetian classic risi e bisi  - rice and peas with a spin.I'm not going to use the required laborious rice but simple plain white. It should taste just as good and I'm also adding carrots for color too. (there will be a how to on this as soon as I make this)

What's got you excited for this new season? A veggie based pasta sauce? Lemon cake? Maybe lamb chops with herbs?

Let us know what going to elevate your Spring baking and cooking this season.

Life With The Air Fryer

I have to admit that I didn't know what to do with the Power Air Fryer I received for Christmas.My first thought was it's too big and  I'll use it as much as I will that cookie press I bought. Boy, was I wrong!

It turns out this gadget is handy and sometimes better than the oven.I was skeptical at first, wondering if I was going to use it or would it just collect dust. . The air fryer  was what my kitchen was missing. I definitely warmed up to this huge  pod, a little bigger than a Keurig coffee maker.In actuality, it's just a smidge larger than my crockpot and fits quite nicely on my kitchen counter. Another plus is that it has a timer that beeps when the food is done or needs to be turned. To be honest I use it more than my oven now.There's no need to  empty it of the pots pans, and cookie sheets that are conveniently stored inside of my stove. . It is a snap to clean - unlike the other.
 The two "frying " baskets are just emptied of crumbs (read eaten - they're the most delicious part) and then washed in just warm soapy water. To be honest, all the foods that require oven cooking taste better somehow in this amazing machine.It may be the hot air that encircles each piece. I've noticed that Gardein's tofu chicken nuggets were much tastier and crunchier, without any grease. The Power Air Fryer turned Golden"s veggie pancakes into extraordinary golden discs, perfectly cooked with a crispy french fry like exterior.

Having it has expanded the cooking experience. I have air fried Stop & Shop's spring rolls in it. They turned out to be golden without the usual oily after taste.I've bought spanokopita , the small Greek spinach pies that can be cooked in the fryer. I do want to try homemade potato pancakes as well. There is a recipe book with it, that features the usual and not  so usual. It shows how to properly frozen onion rings and fries, along with homemade mozzarella sticks. There's also the intriguing mac and cheeses, a perfect recipe for left over baked macaroni,What's surprising is that the book - more of a pamphlet really - has recipes for beef empanadas and blooming onions.  The next model up has accessories like baking pans and you can bake anything in it.There is even a web site with all recipes air fryer, from shortbread (!) to lamb chops.The recipe for air fried breaded mushrooms look interesting and would even make a good main course. I definitely want to try the banana chips and the air fryer tofu, made crispy with brown rice flour.

The Power Air Fryer is here to stay. I really love this machine.It's versatile and a good alternative to the oven.There's so much to do with it - so much to make.

A Gathered Thanksgiving Part Two

Yesterday's New York Times Food section was full of recipes from Americans all over the country. The beauty of it  was that it came , from all kinds of Americans, some here for generations , some newly arrived. What binds them - and us together is the love of one's heritage and pride in family dishes. Yet these recipes can easily be served at our tables creating a brand new holiday tradition.

The families that the Times wrote about and were covered yesterday here were from all over the world. The beauty of American cuisine is that it is constantly changing, adding new ingredients and flavors.Take the Ling family of Junction City, Wisconsin. They were from Hmong, Laos and always celebrated the harvest around this time. Thanksgiving feasting fits in perfectly and seamlessly with their celebrating. They raise and slaughter their own turkeys, preparing them with Southern  Asian herbs such as lemongrass and kafir lime leaves. The filling is a vermicelli egg roll filling , full of shredded carrots, cabbage and cilantro doused with  a salty fish sauce. In Nashville Tennessee , one would expect traditional Southern dishes like corn bread stuffing and green bean casserole. Not so with the Tayyar family who emigrated from Dohuk in Northern Iran. They will serve the Kurdish  eprax, a carefully layered casserole of grape leaves along with stuffed cabbage, tomatoes squash and potatoes.,nsted of turkey there will be a row of lamb chops down the center of the eprax.There will also be chicken and turnip greens too, as they eat the traditional feast on a rug spread out on the floor.

Jamaican food is not normally considered Thanksgiving food  yet Francine Turone uses the cuisine's spices for her turkey, The island born home chef brines the bird with a mix of cinnamon, cloves, allspice and juniper berries along with slipping clarified butter under the skin. She also serves a roast goat leg along with rice and peas in coconut oil. They celebrate her Milanese born husband Giacomo's culinary heritage. with tortellini in brodo or broth. Some recipes are handed down such as Debbie Himmler from the German influenced city of Cincinnati. Her oma's or grandmother' s rotkraut or homemade red cabbage is a family recipe from southwestern Germany.,a mix of shredded cabbage cooked with red wine and tart Granny Smith apples. Maren Waxenberg' s Scandinavian heritage shines through when she used to have gravlax and herring before the Thanksgiving meal.She continues on with blotcake for dessert. This is a sponge cake with whip cream and berries. Italians keep recipes through centuries and generations and the Conte family of  Wall, New Jersey is no different. They make a fluffy spinach -mushroom stuffing  instead of the usual bread stuffing. Their potatoes aren't mashed, rather roasted in olive oil and garlic They end not with pie but ith fennel and oranges dusted with salt and pepper.

America is a big kitchen ,full of recipes new and old. This was never more evident in yesterday's New York Times Food section. It is full of dishes, both sweet and savory that reflect our many different, cultures and backgrounds,nationalities and heritage.

Eat Complete For Complete Health

Most cookbooks are usually known for their great recipes or for the author. Rarely are they known for improving lifestyles or helping to stave off illness. Yet there is one new cookbook that not only has tasty recipes but also great advice on how to eat right.

Dr. Drew Ramsey wrote this phenomenal book, Eat Complete (Harper Press) which shows home chefs how to cook with twenty-one nutrients  that fuel brain power,boost, help with  weight loss and just transforms over all health.The opening chapters are must reads as he tells us how to eat complete  and with mindfulness. He also breaks down  what we need to eat in three categories, seven for foundation, seven for protection and seven for ignition.A change of diet even aided his  patient,
 a young man vanquish his depression and helped him turn his life around.There is also some very sound advice on how to feed our brains, since they are the organs that require the most energy.There is advice on why we should eat grass fed meat, dairy and eggs as well as adding color to our plates.The book is also a must for those suffering from gluten allergies , since all the recipes are gluten free.He also explains in detail about our vitamin intakes , probiotics and prebiotics along with our Omega 3 s and mineral intakes.There is a great section on the problems that arise with each meal and how they can be solved. Home chefs can definitely learn from the book and incorporate his suggestions for a better life for themselves and their families.

That said , one would think the recipes would be boring - they're not. Best of all,Dr. Ramsey gives recipe suggestions in the chapters about the twenty one nutrients If you want  more Vitamin E in your diet then try the recipes for clove spiked cocktail nut mix or the buttermilk strawberry smoothie. An iron rich diet  would include Dr. Ramsey's pumpkin crusted lamb chops and mussels with garlicky kale ribbons.Anybody , even finicky kids will like the dishes. Teens  and chocolate lovers will go mad for the spinach spiked chocolate cashew smoothie.Serve the sunflower-Parmesan crisps with
 navy bean -rosemary hummus at a party for a healthy and flavorful alternative to any sour cream dip.Make the sweet potato chips with the spicy Romesco sauce for a fun but nutritious treat.There are great dinner recipes such as roasted chicken with anchovies and olives along with the roasted pork loin with red cabbage fennel sauerkraut with toasted cumin seeds.Even the desserts are packed full of nutrition. There are sesame seed cinnamon baked apples , the classic dessert amped up with turmeric and olive oil to end a meal or the mouth watering double chocolate avocado (!!) mousse. Finish with a cinnamon-almond egg cream!

Eat Complete is the  must have book for any home library.It will no only provide home chefs with delicious recipes but with a template for eating healthier. Meals and snacks will no only be delicious but helpful in creating a better life, body and brain