Martina McBride's Harmonious Cooking

Can one person be super talented in two diverse fields?Yes, if you`re Martina McBride.This country music star is also a super nova in the kitchen.Her new cookbook is proof that she has created award worthy recipes any home chef can make and bake.

Martina 's Kitchen Mix (Oxmoor House Publishing 2018) is a fun, buzzy melange of recipes, how it's and host advice.Me.McBride,an award winning singer ,loves to cook.She garners recipes as she does songs.Music runs through this cookbook.Each chapter is introduced on a  picture of a classic vinyl lp.Since she also comes from the heartland - Kansas andNashville,her family figures large in this,She even has a page explaining who's who along with using her and her husband's family recipes.Like many of us she also copies recipes from her favorite restaurants too. The advice comes at the end of the cookbook.There is a playlist of her favorite songs, from Amy Winehouse's Rehab to John Mellancamp's Small Town with other great hits from everyone from Aretha to Mick.There are the typical chapters ranging from Breakfasts and Brunch to Desserts.Ms  McBride has an excellent chapter at the back of the book about basic recipes, ranging from garlic bread to gremolata.There are also recipes for cranberry orange relish and homemade caramel sauce.

Do the recipes hit the high notes?YES!!!! There are so many that I want to try.They all seem delicious and unique.On my to make list is her Springtime (or Anytime) Quiche rich with asparagus and ham along with a variety of different cheeses.Ms. McBride is a cheese freak so it figures prominently in many of her recipes. Her soup recipes are amazing. Ms. McBride's Very Green Broccoli Soup  is the perfect chill chased that not only has broccoli but onions and celery added and a topping of gremolata.One I'm excited about is the lasagna soup, with all the ingredients  of a homemade lasagna save the wide noodles.Smaller pasta is subbed in.There are classics reflecting such as her mom's Pot Roast with Gravy and Chicken and Potatoes with Roasted Lemon and Rosemary Sauce.These both would make for perfect Sunday dinners.For vegans there are cabbage "steaks" with eggplant tomato sauce .This is a healthy take on steak Pizziola. Sides include sauteed spinach long with sauteed kale with Parmesan and toasted walnuts. I love the dessert recipes, especially the cookies.One recipe on my radar is the no Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies along with the Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies which would rival any bakery crisp cookie.

Ms. McBride's cookbook is Grammy golden.It is chock full of all sorts of tasty and easy to make recipes. It is a harmonious book, with an orchestra of great tastes and flavors.

The Flavors Of Bangladesh

Bangladesh food is hard to find even in this metropolitan area.Yet there is one restaurant that's opening the culinary door. Korai Kitchen is that eatery and it's ground breaking on so many levels.

Mayukh Sen,a James Beard award winning writer, wrote about this unique restaurant in yesterday's New York Times Food section.The restaurant is owned by Nur-E Gulshan Rahman and her youngest daughter, Nur-E Farhana Raman.It's the only Bangladeshi restaurant in the  Jersey City area and one of a handful in the New York metropolitan area.Most of this kind are found in Jackson Heights and Astoria.The Journal Square site is popular and there will be people who will be curious about it,since it is different from the many Indian restaurants doting the area.Bangladeshi food is different than Hindu and Pakistani.There is a lot of fish,thanks to the country being situated on the Bay Of Bengal.They have curries along with goat meat and potatoes.

Korai Kitchen offers a buffet to let diners unfamiliar with the cuisine, a taste of the best Bangladeshi home cooking.The family cooks bhorthas,,a mashes served at every meal.They can be made from, potatoes, tomatoes or eggplants.There is also khichuri, a mix of masoor and moong dal, the creamy lentil based dish.It is also laden with rice, onions, Chile's, ginger and garlic. Like other recipes of the region,it is also laced with cardamom, cloves,cinnamon and turmeric.Diners go mad for Nur-E Gulshan Rahman"s pumpkin shrimp curry  cut up with the traditional fang shaped blade.Dessert is the peach colored mishti doi a sweet   silky dessert made with jaggery and cardamom.

For those wanting true Bangladeshi food, go to Korai kitchen.It"s home cooking with variety.It's a trip to a Bangladesh home,where there is always love and food.

Kitchen Creativity

You don"t need to go to the grocery store every time you cook a meal or even throw together a gathering.Rely on your kitchen and ingenuity.The result is an easy cook that will free you up.

This is Alison Roman's advice in her first New York Times Food article of the New Year.Her inspiration came from an invitation from a friend with an active toddler.Ms. Roman and a friend , knowing, that this fellow cook, was strapped for time.How could she shop and create dishes with her busy schedule.They offered to  do both for her.No,the friend demurred.There was shock and awe as they saw what awaited them.She had smoked fish from Barney Green grass,a well known breakfast eatery and shop.She also whipped up jammy  eggs, vegetables tossed with scallions and a bowl of greens dressed with lemon.There was even the requisite yogurt dip and crackers.

The take away from this is that the host had set out several tiny bowls that didn't require cooking.This no nonsense approach gave the friends time to graze and catch up.Their host didn't have to run to the stove every ten minutes to check up on dishes.She didn"t have to fret about having enough or worry about  the taste.It's all about flipping the ratio of time spent working to time spent with friends and family. What would this entail? Always have ingredients that can be turned into a meal at a moment's notice.Use whatever veggies are in the crisper.These can be sliced and easily pickled,Jarred and tinned foods should also be used.Purchase something special like a roast chicken or ribs.Grains should always be at hand too.Buttered rice with just a sprinkling of salt and pepper is a nice side and can be mixed with both raw and cooked before..Also have bread handy.It can be toasted and used as a base.

Easy cooking relies not only on the cook but also on the ingredients at hand.Have a kitchen filled with the basics.Then get creative for a tasty meal or get together with family and friends..

Be Brave This Year

There's one resolution that home chefs should make this year - be brave.Jump into new recipes.Try new taters.Buy new ingredients.

One idea is buy a new gadget (or ask for one).I love my new air fryer.

It was something I actually didn't expect but now having it has given me a ton of possibilities.It also gets me to work with panko breadcrumbs  which I've done with only or two recipes.Cooking breaded cauliflower may not seem adventurous to some but this good for you veggie has never been on my culinary  top ten list.NowI'm going to be dunking it in crumbs and blasting it with hot air.

If you have your eye on other kitchen gadgets like this, get them.I thought I would only use my immersion blender for soups, but it works well with creating salad dressings and dips.As for new ingredients,I was not one for poppyseed but baking them into cakes brought the sweet's taste to a whole new level.I'd love to try a poppyseed butter cream frosting.Roast garlic is another experiment I want to try.It's versatile that it can be  whole into a side or blended with olive oil and think for a creamy sauce for chicken.Another spice I'm going to get daring with is sumac..This is one of the ingredients in Za'atar but it can be used for flavoring chicken, steak and various salads..

It's 2019.Be bold  and adventurous with your cooking.Go where you wouldn't go before!

New Year New Foods

One of the best New Year's resolutions you can make is to expand your palate.This is the first step to inclusion and breaking down the walls of prejudice.Let's face it any new dish tried is a fun way to find a new favorite.

One trend that will be popular this year is Middle Eastern.Try some of the amazing dishes of this cuisine.Yes, there are juicy and spiced kebobs and creamy hummus, but there's also Za'atar and  baba ghanouj . I can' t say enough good things about Za'atar.It's fantastic with toasted pita and highlights chicken and tomatoes.Baba ghanouj is a tasty ,zingy  dip that takes the simple eggplant  to new heights.Thanks to trying these centuries old recipes, my culinary atlas has grown.I'm excited to try Russian cuisine along with rediscovering Indian and Greek.Even local cuisines should be on anyone's radar.Philadelphia is also my dance card and that is a city with a big platter of different cuisines to buy.
G
Another way to expand your culinary atlas is to take cooking classes.There are many good ones out there. Some community colleges offer them and bring in local chefs to teach.Definitely take advantage of these.Another venue is night school.Many towns offer such diverse  courses as Thai and West African.You not only learn to cook the different dishes but some will have field trips to markets to show where to buy ingredients.Specialized markets are another way to further your knowledge.Take a walk down the many aisles.Taste the samples given and ask tons of questions.If it's all overwhelming, then buy some snacks or cookies and jump from there.Many chain grocery stores have a wide variety of multiethnic foods.Try some of the imported foods and spices there.Incorporate them in your Everest cooking.

A brand new years means brand new flavors.Expand your palate to include them.You'll be glad you did!

A Party Time Cookbook

This is the week for parties, from late night soirees to New Year's Day open house. For Southerners, this is the time when they shine.They know how to do celebrating just right.For the rest of us there's The Southern Living Party Cookbook.  It's a great guide to show how to get through simple through extravagant dos.

Elizabeth Heiskell , author of  What Can I Bring , contributor to Southern Living Magazine and a well known caterer in Mississippi  has written an updated version of the early Seventies book.oxmoor Press is the publisher.This is a must have for party givers.There are dozens of ideas for all sorts of get togethers, from a girl's night out to christening parties. I love how it's not just recipes but suggestions on  everything from decor to games that can be played.There are even ideas for favors that guests can bring home.The book may reflect Southern hospitality and have a Dixie vibe but there are fondue recipes along with ones for a chick wagon get together.Also if you think it's hominy grits and fried chicken, there are sophisticated recipes and parties worthy of  any urbane crowd.There are also  section on the proper glasses for drinks and how to toast.A lovely touch is what gifts to give the hostess,something that 's really not done anymore. The Easter meal has a special how to on making golden egg name tags


The recipes are grouped according to the party.A Low Country shrimp boil will have, of course, shrimp,but also cocktail sauce and an accompanying slaw. Teas, big, in the South , are also featured,especially the sweet custom of a bridal tea.This has blushing mimosas,a twist on the classic brunch cocktail served with long stemmed strawberries authorities.Another aspect is the large amount of reasons for hoisting a glass and sharing a canape .I love the Graduation Coffee where high school (and this can definitely be extended to college grads) are feted with a morning meal of rich dark chocolate chai latte served with the easy to make petite cinnamon rolls and sausage balls.The chuck wagon dinner sounds amazing with cowboy steaks cooked on a skillet out doors. With it comes ranchero beans, Mrs. R's coleslaw and German potato salad.It ends with a giant chocolate cake.Of course there are The holidays,with flourishes added.Homemade Hollandaise sauce graces Spring asparagus, being the prefect side to a leg of lamb.Thanksgiving and Christmas have fun ideas.:-)there's old fashioned roared turkey and chocolate bourbon pecan pie along with a variety of fondues .

The Southern Living Party Cookbook is just a great idea book for party givers.It can guide any host through all sorts of gatherings and soirees.It's a home like daft must have.

My Air Fryer Adventure

I received an air fryer for Christmas.To be honest it came as a bit of a surprise.I didn't ask for it.It wasn"t on my radar.Yet, it's a great addition to my kitchen arsenal.

It looks like a Keurig coffee and tea maker.

The black circle is the temp control and timer.The cylinder in front is the basket handle.

The little fan spins away the minutes.The timing is on the left.The right side has the temperature which only goes up to 400 degrees F.

These are the inner and outer baskets that held my first experiment Gardein's chicken tenders.They  were cooked at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.This is how they came out.

They were crispy and better taste than when I oven baked them.Of course, fries had to go with them so I used Acme's in house brand Signature shoestring fries,

The result?Perfection.They crosped up nicely aft being cooked at 400 F for fifteen minutes.

This Christmas gift has turned out to be one of the best gifts ever.I am getting the cookbook on air frying .There"s a basket full of great foods to be made!