Changing Up The Recipe

 The same old recipes can be boring. Luckily you can ease some for the mid winter blues by changing up your recipes. Add new ingredients. Switch up the spicing. Create something that s equally delicious and different.

One of the most intriguing switch ups is a fusion of Indian and Italian  - curried pasta. This is taking curry powder and cream instead of the usual tomatoes and tomato paste and coming up with a totally disparate take on traditional spaghetti or penne. There is still onion, garlic and olive oil for the sauce's body but curry powder and heavy cream give it a bright yellow color and creaminess. You could also add turmeric for more color brightness along for a boost of flavor.Curried meatballs is another switch up made with either ground turkey or chicken. This is served ina rich curry sauce as well,  redolent with tomatoes , onions garlic and ginger.Instead of pasta serve it with fragrant steaming basmati rice. Another idea for a different kind of pasta sauce is combining mushrooms and spinach in a hot oil sauce Add garlic and hot pepper flakes for some zing,Keep in mind this also would be great over chicken breasts or steak too. Berbere spice is usually reserved for Ethiopian dishes . Imagine using it in the most English of dishes  - shepherd's pie. You can easily spice up a beef or lamb filling with it and also do a light dusting of it over the mashed potato topping.

Stuffed veggies are always a good winter's dish whether on a week night or a week end. Most go for peppers stuffed with everything from ground beef and turkey to more veggies. Have you considered stuffing onions instead? This Piedmontese specialty varies from household to household in the frigid Alps northwest of Torino. Some add raisins to the mix of chopped meat and breadcrumbs. I usually made my own vegan version, using Impossible ground meat and a mix of oregano , salt pepper and just teeny pinches of both onion and garlic powders.Keep in mind that the onions should be parboiled first for a few minutes. This is just boiling the onions for a few minutes, letting them cool and then stuffing them. They're topped with breadcrumbs for a crispy finish and then placed into an air fryer for thirty minutes at four hundred degrees Farehneit.Can you do this with turnips? Yes! This winter root veggie is perfect for filling with the same tasty stuffing.It's the same method as with the onions with the eparboiling before stuffing. They do have to be peeled and hollowed out though. YOu can fill with with lamb too along with pomengranate molasses for a Middle Eastern flair.

Think outside the recipe with you cook. This provides a fun spin on classic dishes.It makes for a yummy new take and an exciting meal.

The Perfect Fall Dinner

 It's fall and its a time for lush Sunday dinners/ What is your ideal dinner for crisp weather? Do you prepare pork chops stuffed with onions and apples. A family platter of pasta loaded with marinara and homemade meatballs. A juicy London Broil served with a buttery Yorkshire pudding? A plump capon roasted with new potatoes?

Here's the question - what is your ideal fall Sunday dinner? Let us know.

Parent Dash

 Mothers and  fathers will always worry  - and cook for their young.It doesn't;t matter if your two or twenty-two, they'll be there if you need food.Yet what's good to make and to give? There are the classics and not so classic/

Most college kids appreciate and miss their mom's cooking. THis is when mothers - and even dads should think about make a double batch of sauce. A plus is that tomatoes from a late summer - early fall harvest cna be added for more flavor. If  the kids are vegan or vegetarian add in some plant based meat balls. Lidl has excellent ones from their Vendomo brand. Keep in mind if you do that the sauce then makes  for a great meatball sandwich too. Non meat meat balls can be frozen too , whether thye're in sauce or not. Add some ground beef , cumin and chili pepper to make a tasty chili. Throw in kidney and pinto beans for a heartier dish. This too can be frozen and stored in the freezer for months.Do you feel like your offspring needs a nudge when cooking? Then just send a care package or better yet - a gift certificate from their local grocery store. A care package could included canned soups , boxes of pasta and many a mini spice selection. YOu could also include a mini griddle and frying pan which can be found at any store.

Homemade treats have always been sent to kids away from home. Mothers  have a lways sent cakes and biscuits for their sons at the front and for those going to college. Now moms and dads are also experimenting with breads too. Since these go stale quickly try to make the bread the day before.It's Ok if it's a day old. It cna be turned into toast . Another idea is bringing the sourdough starter and baking with kids in their apartment or dorm (if it has a kitchenette) A good  idea is bringing pizza dough with you .This can be tuned into tasty [ies along with calzones for a hot filling meal.PIzza dough can be formed into balls and then frozen. They should be fine for transport Include pizza sauce and mozzarella too.Of course a ton of homemade cookies is always welcomed. Think one kind like chocolate chip or a variety that can include sugar , peanut butter and oatmeal. If you don't feel like baking then make cow patties , those non bake cookies that are a mix of peanut butter oatmeal and cocoa. These are fun and great to share.

Forget Door Dash.There's mom and dad who can cook and bake. Create tasty meals and desserts for your kids to have a taste of home.

A Great Easy Cooking Cookbook

 Prepping for a recipe can be hard, especially when it comes to finding the right ingredients. Yet suppose you could use shortcuts that make cooking and baking that much easier.Thanks t a new cookbook HOmemade -ish you can.It's a great book for those who are novice home chefs or for those who don;t want too much fuss in the kitchen.

I really love this cookbook by Lauren McDuffie who also authors the blog My Kitchen Little which features easy to follow recipes that use canned and already made ingredients . Homemade-ish (Gibbs Smith Publishing 2024) is kind of an extension of the website. Home chefs like myself will appreciate her philosophy, She believes in ease and efficiency ,holdovers from when she worked in the government. She tells home chefs that it's OK to jazz up boxed cake mixes and buy jarred pesto instead of making it from scratch. There are also a list of kitchen must haves which are not fancy such as a blender  slotted spoon skillet and muffin pan among other kitchen basics.

There are all sorts of recipes, from breakfast to dessert here.I've had my eye on the spaghett and meatball which I can make with vegan meatballs.This is a perfect Sunday dinner meal that can easily translate to Monday leftivers

I also have my eye on the cold soba noodles with sprouts and edaame

THis is perfect for those still hot days ahead when I want something cool yet nutritious.Also on my radar are the mall pretzels, premade pizza dough  and then first  boiled in baking soda and water then baked. There is a roasted potato salad perfect for late summer barbecues. The meat recipes, too re easy and any novice home chef can try bruschetta smash burgers made with store bought meatballs along with the dreamy seared scallops and gnocchi<Yes there are great desserts and easy ones too like an apple pan dowdy made with package prepared sugar cookie dough and apples. I definitely want to make the Ritzies for the holidays. These are simply those peanut butter sandwich crackers dipped in dark chocolate. 

Homemade-ish is the must have cookbook for every home chef. These are tasty and easy recipes that will make any meal stand out. definitely make it part of your culinary library

Difficult Days Easy Meals

 Fall is one of the craziest seasons. After the lazy day of summer it;'s getting back into a whirlwind of school activities and at times increased office work. Add to that cooking along with other chores.At least there are recipes that make life easier.

Cheif editor Emily Weinstein gives some interesting and varied recipes for easy week night and even weekend cooking in today's New York Times Food section. Keep in mind that they could be doubled  and served two days of the week too. All the recipes are straightforward and can be made in thirty minutes or less. She created these recipes with kids in mind but they're perfect for adult families or just busy couples looking for a good and easy meal. One is the simplest. Kay CHun lent her recipe for meatballs which follows the classic Italian recipe.It's mixing ground beef and pork(or strictly beef if you prefer. ) and mixing it with egg and panko crumbs. Italian seasonings such as dried oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme or oregano can be added.Keep in mind you can do the same with Impossible Meat too for a vegan option. A vegetarian option is red curry lentils with sweet potatoes and spinach . This is a perfect dish for a cool autumn night because of th eheat from, serrano chiles, and red curry paste being added to a wonderful array of veggies. Another meatless dinner is chile fettucini with baby spinach. Chili crisp is what gives it it's zing.

There are meat and fishes dishes here too. Think crispy gnocchi with sausage and peas for an easy midweek supper. This is an easy mix of store bought sausage and gnocchi cooked with frozen peas. Another snap dinner is lemony shrimp and bean stew made with leeks and white or cannellini beans.  You could serve this over pasta or just dip Italian bread into it.Instread of take out make Grace Lee's kimchi fried rice which you can use leftover rice and Spam  along woth a vaoriety of spices and soy sauce. Chicken katsu  is another choice . This is like a Japanese schnitxel, with breaded chicken breasts  , first coated in eggs, flour and then bread crumbs and ten fried in oil. The sauce is tonkatsu a mix of kethcup, Worcester sauce sauce and molasses, Sugar, soy sauce and cloves are also added to this along with fresh ginger for bite. baked cod with Ritz cracker topping is another chocie and it's comfort food one. The Ritz crackers are mixed with melted butter, chive ,parsley, lemon zest and a mix of onion and garlic powders. The fish can be any white fish  from cod , haddock or halibut. The crackers are put on top of the roasted fish and baked for an extra ten to sixteen minutes. It's served with asqueeze of lemon.

Weekday meals don't have to be a hassle. Use any of these for worry free cooking. They can be the easiest thing to make during a hard and difficult week. 

Simple Love

 A Valetnine's Day meal doesn't have to be a big fancy one. A burger out, or a spaghetti dinner in can work just as well as a fancy filet mignon or shrimp. It just has to be from the heart. That's all that matters.

A Valentine's Day supper at McDonald's or Habit Burger may get some scoffs but if that's what you both like. then go for it. Sometimes it's that BIg Mac or Beyond Burger that will bring back memories of that first date or where you even met. Fried chicken fans can go all out at Popeyes where you can share a basket of fried chicken or shriimp and Cokes. End with their fried blueberry cheesecake pies. If the weather is super nice in your area then think about a picnic outside. Meet during your lunch breaks and bring a hero and even wine (if you can get away with it). If you've already declared tomorrow a vacation or personal day, then consider a beach or mountain picnic where you can enjoy the sounds of nature and a simple sandiwch. Brings chips ,soda  and even those Hostess Valentine's Day cupcakes. These are strawberry instead of the traditional chocolate and you can find them at Wal-Mart. If you;re too busy to meet ofr lunch a sweet breakfast together will work. Using a cookie cutter cut out heart shapes in the middle of toast and then fil with a egg and cook in a frying pan. Add bacon or ham along with a good cup of coffee and a rose.

If you want to have a simple night in, then think easy. Some like a rostisserie chicken with a plain green salad on the side. If you want to go an extra step then heat up Hawaiian rolls to make sandwiches or to accompany the salad. You could also just grill chicken breasts too and serve with a lemon butter sauce on top of rice.If you do want to make your beloved red meat, a simple skirt steak is fine. Turn it into a sandwich by layering it  with any kind of cheese and sauteed onions on French or Italian bread.If they're more into meat and potatoes then whip up a bowl of instant  mashed and use the juice as gravy.  Keep in mind that comfort food can be the food of love too. Nothing says from the heart than an old fashioned meat loaf served with gravy or the childhood favorite of spaghetti and meatballs. Have a lot of hot, buttery garlic bread on hand to mop up the sauce. As for dessert,  think a homemade cake with a butter cream icing.  You could also go with cupcakes as well. Top with cute candy hearts or red,white and pink sprinkles. Many stores like Walgreen's sell chocolate roses and you can easily end dinner with those.

A Valentine's Day meal should be from the heart. It can be simple or fancy. Juat show your love with the food that you both love.

Making The Most Of Lenten Fridays

 Lenten Fridays can be a bit of a cooking challenge for observant home chefs. Meat is off the table so what do you do?  Go meatless for one day. There's enough recipes out there that are perfect for the weeks leading up to Christian Easter.

Eating less meat is good anyway. It's a chance to infuse more veggies into the diet. A simple but flavorful meal is ratatouille. This is a classic French Provencale dish of eggplant, tomatoes and onions. It can be varied to include bell peppers and squash coins. Its zinged up with such herbs as thyme and basil. Garlic is a must because it amps up the flavor. What's great is that you can make a lot for a Friday dinner and have some left over for A Saturday or Sunday meal. Make it special with a just from the oven focaccio or a loaf of garlic bread. You could even make a ratatouille pizza for something different. It's putting  all the veggies on the dough and adding sauce and shredded mozzarella.Pizza is another tasty idea, even without the pepperoni. You can add shrimp or make it more luxe with lobster. Shred and put boiled tail meat on the dough along with the rest of the ingredients. Another way to go is healthy with spinach and kale. You could also have it with just onions and scallions for a different , more allium flavor.

If you're tired of pizza then think vegan shepherd's pie. If you're wondering about the filling.don't. You can use the plant based Beyond Beef for the filling. Add some carrots and peas along with tomato sauce. The topping is mashed potatoes used as a crisp crust. Dot with butter for a more flavorful topping. You can also do a vegan beef or chicken pot pie. All it takes is Beyond Beef mixed with different veggies like tomatoes and zucchini , baking potatoes and white mushrooms. Tamari and rice wine vinegar give it zing. Veggie broth makes the gravy that is a pot pie's signature feature. Two sheets of Pillsbury Crescent dough rolls  create the flaky top. You can also make Beyond Burgers too. They're just as good as the real thing. You can go totally vegan by adding slices of vegan cheddar for a tasty cheeseburger. Make it a fun Friday night meal by adding French fries. Another vegan meat idea is Beyond Beef meatballs with spaghetti. It's an easy make because they come already made. You can also make them into tasty subs, another fun Friday night dinner.

Lenten Friday's don't have to be fraught. There are so many different veggie, fish and plant based meat recipes out there. You can choose any of these for a great and meatless way to end the week.

British Classics For The Weekend

British food can be a wonderful mix of hearty and whimsical. It's a hearty fair of meat and mash - potatoes or sausages and savory pudding. It is a sturdy meal, easily made.

The New York Times Food section yesterday had a kind of mini salute to the United Kingdom Melissa Clark,  gave us a recipe for a sheet pan supper of sausages with potatoes,  red cabbage and onions.It's an easy  go to  meal for the English, making it as much as we cook roast chicken.It's also easier and less time consuming too.It starts with wedges of red cabbage and halved potatoes.Ms Clark seasoned the cabbage with sprigs of rosemary and thyme.along with lightly crushed caraway and coriander seeds.Next is a layer of thinly sliced onions which will soften and brown, melt into the veggies beneath them. The sausages used are usually pork, chicken or turkey but bratwurst and spicy chorizo can also be used as well. She brushes them with mustard, a practice not widely done in Britain but doing this creates a kind of gravy with the meat's juices. This is great in flavoring the veggies, Use a nine by thirteen  rimmed sheet pan.It should have some depth because the heat will steam the sturdier cabbage and potatoes.It's an easy dish but it does take about an hour to cook with a break in between to flip over the cabbage and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve a good ale with it for a true pub feel.

Famed London based chef and baker Yottem Ottolenghi loves the whimsical sounding Toad In The Hole. Like Ms. Clark, he makes this British classic his own by changing up the recipe.It's a two hundred year old recipe with meat bits being dropped in a Yorkshire pudding batter. Chef Ottolenghi combines what he loves in British cooking well cooked meat - crisp pancake and a velvety gravy.However he deviates with subbing in homemade meatballs in for the sausage. These have an Italian vibe to them thanks to the addition of pancetta., Italian bacon. There's also rosemary sprigs and garlic added along with the surprising lemon zest.Pork, onions and sourdough  are the main ingredients with milk added for moisture. The batter itself is a Yorkshire pudding zinged up Indian pale ale and Dijon mustard. The gravy itself get a boost from the pale ale but it 's mostly a chicken stock also flavored with two small onions, rosemary sprigs and  balsamic vinegar. Flour thickens it to the velvety texture Chef Ottolenghi loves.The batter is prepared first followed by the gravy and the meatballs. After the meatballs have been made, it's then roasting them before encasing them in the batter. It's then baking them in a 400 degree oven for half an hour more.

Nothing beats a hearty British meal , whether it's a sausage sheet pan one or toad in the hole. Have it with a mug of ale and enjoy. It's the best of England at home.

Your Ultimate Beer Cookbook

Beer is a summer must have.An icy cold one is the perfect foil for barbecued ribs or even a burger. It's even great for those late night gatherings with friends or neighbors.Imagine having it three times a day or better yet, in bread or in fudge. Thanks to a new cookbook beer lovers can.

Eliza Cross has given us a neat little cookbook,101 Things To Do With Beer (Gibbs Smith Publishing) for not just for summer barbecuing but for year round cooking.Beer is one of the most versatile ingredients because there are many types and each are perfect for everything from casseroles to desserts.The small cookbook (only 124 pages!) is  packed with some big recipes. The chapters include appetizers, breads,sauces and condiments, soups, dinners, side dishes, desserts and sweets.She also give definitions of the seven different beers used in the two pages of helpful hints.Pilsner cannot be used for dessert recipes because it's too light and bitter while stout is too rich and almost chocolate-y to be used in batters.Regular  beers is excellent in baking because the yeast in it acts as a leavening agent.It also makes an excellent marinade because its' enzymes have a tenderizing effect. Its' natural sugars help promote browning and carmelizing. Also beers don't have the acidity of wine so meats can be marinated up to forty-eight hours to absorb more flavor.Home chefs should use caution in adding beers to food that will be frozen since the alcohol in it can inhibit the freezing process.

The recipes are great. Party givers and party lovers will enjoy the easy beer cheese dip made with cream cheese and beer. Of course there are the beer battered recipes,  but with a new spin using cauliflower and jalapeno chips (!). There are the beer battered onion rings but spiced up with garlic and Parmesan. Home bakers will love baking loaves with it because the en product will be not only fluffier and moister but will stay fresher than regular loaves.They'll enjoy baking soft beer pretzels. There is also honey wheat beer bread and cornbread waffles. Beer is  even in German coffeecake and a glazed banana bread as well as in foccacia and scones. The dinners include the classic Welsh rarebit, that glorious mix of beer, cheddar and Worcestershire sauce along with the new classic beer can chicken. However beer lovers will delight in the spaghetti with beer braised meatballs and beef boiled  shrimp. Stout lovers will go mad for the beef stout pie. There are also recipes for sides such as buttered mushrooms with beer and refrigerator pickles made with it. Crafty home chefs can also whip up  spicy beer mustard or best beer turkey brine. along with the beer orange dressing. Stout beer, tastes the most like chocolate and it's in many dessert recipes There are chocolate glazed stout brownies and chocolate stout ice cream.. Other beers such as lager star in apple cinnamon beer batter crepes.along with cherry wheat beer in the appropriate cherry beery Bundt cake. For a fun movie night make a batch of chocolate stout fudge or beer caramel corn.

Beer is the perfect summertime drink. Yet it's even better , saucing up meatballs or giving depth to classic Welsh rarebit. Try the recipes in 101 Things To Do With Beer. They'll elevate the brew to another level.

THe book comes out in August but you can preorder it and others on Amazon.

101 Things to do With Beer

101 More Things To Do With Bacon

Pumpkin It Up!

How D'ya Like Them Apples?

Easter Leftovers Holiday Recycling Part One

Now that the holiday weekend is over, there are the holiday leftovers to deal with. WHat to do with the leftover ham and lamb? All those pretty eggs? Recycle them into new and tasty  dishes that empty the fridge and keep the family fed for a few days. It's also a nice way to prolong Easter and keep the holiday spirit.

Ham is one of the easiest meats to recycle. It can be ground in a food processor with some mayonnaise and celery seeds for a yummy deviled ham.This can be spread onto whole wheat bread for lunch or even a Spring picnic. It can also be chunked and mixed in with chili for a more richer and earthier flavor. Save the bone for flavoring split pea soup.Lamb can be made into everything from meat balls to meat loaf.An exotic dish is making a spicy version of the meatballs, using coriander, onion and mint with a mint laced yogurt sauce. Another is a lamb loaf, a variation on  meat loaf, using chili powder, fenugreek and cumin.

What to do with those dozen or two dozen eggs you dyed on Saturday? Hard boiled eggs can be used in a whole slew of ways..They can add color to a regular salad, thanks to the dye seeping through the shell and into the whites. Add them to a Spring spinach salad with some crumbled bacon bits or to a lush salad Nicoise , redolent with tuna and olives. They can also be sliced and served  with a butter sauce.over the vegetable of the season - asparagus.Of course hard boiled eggs are their best in a tarragon laced egg salad. As for the asparagus itself, leftover stalks can be cut up and mixed in with salads. Other veggies such as spinach and celery can be cut and put into soups or even omelets and quiches.

Easter leftovers needn't be challenging.There's so many ways to recycle them. They can into interesting dishes that still have the flavor of Easter but with something more. Good dishes that celebrate the Spring season!

Healthy Teen Treats

Nowadays teens have so many options food wise. However they will be what they are -teenagers who go for everything and anything unhealthy How do parents get them to eat the proper food? Make all those veggies and fruits fun. They can still have great flavor but this time it comes with a lot of hidden antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.

All kids love crunch, They go made for anything that makes some kind of noise.Potato sticks and chips fit that description perfectly. The one problem - they're not good,thanks to all that salt, fat and starch.Think about making the healthier Brussels sprouts and/or kale chips. These are easy to make and they can be flavored with sea salt or fiery cayenne pepper for some jolt.Popcorn is another "safe" snack however researchers have found that  the air popped kind is the best because it doesn't have a coating of transfat laced product that most kernels have.Pretzels are good but instead of the regular kind think of serving whole wheat. The same for tortilla chips. Some brands offer whole wheat and with salsa, it makes the ideal snack.

What about meals? Teens have certain tastes as well, rooted in childhood favorites. Easy enough too. Think about changing over to whole wheat spaghetti and turkey meat balls instead of the regular " white "kind with beef meatballs.Pizza can be made as well with whole wheat flour. Sub in veggies as opposed to cheese for something different or even grilled chicken mixed with a rich tomato sauce. Mexican food is one of the healthiest cuisines and a teen favorite. Chicken or fish tacos are fun and easy to make.Just nix the sour cream and go easy on the guacamole.Add more of a choice of veggies like pepper strips or for something different asparagus spears. They get a fun meal but with more vitamins and antioxidants added.

Teens can eat fun and healthy at the same time.Introduce healthy foods in fun ways and they'll forget about the junk. Seriously. They will.

A New Spin On Holiday Leftovers

Even though the holidays are history, there are still remnants of them around.. some people still have their lights and tree still up. some haven;t cashed in on their gift cards.Then there are the leftovers.There are Christmas turkeys and New Year's roasts still in the fridge. Luckily leftovers can be recycled into yummy dishes for the week.

This was the subject of an article in today's New York Times Dining section. The piece, written by Dining regular, Julia Moskin, gives advice as to what to do with what's left of your main course. Keep in mind that this is not just advice for holiday roasts. This can be applied to leftovers from a big Sunday dinner as well. The chefs she had interviewed say that any leftover meat, can be used over again in any dish. How to make it tasty combine it with raw meat to give it more flavor and juice. this can also help stretch dishes like meatloaf or even stews.

One dish mentioned is the particularly lush dish of veal Pojarski, this favorite of  Czar Nicholas I is chopped vela , mushrooms and butter and revamped into a kind of meatball.It is then stuck with a roasted bone so that it looks like a chop. Chefs add bacon , ham and duck livers, all leftovers. all three  created a tasty blend of cured cooked and raw meat. The classic leftover dish is meatballs and there are different varieties listed. Both chefs and home cooks feel these are the best way to use what's left.Ideas include  ham balls from the Midwest to the decadent steak , bacon and cheddar meatballs from Manhattan's famed The Meatball Shop.

If you have any holiday leftovers, don't despair. You can use them in a variety of ways, from decadent dishes to down home meals. you ben be creative and make your own recipe or stick with the tried and true.Anyway  you make your leftovers, they're sure to be as tasty as when they were first cooked.