Just Add A Splash

 Any kind of frozen vegetable is a blank canvas. Once cooked you can add anything to create a bold or delicate flavor.A dash of this. A splash of that and you have a new side dish sire to please everyone.\

I started with Wal-Mart's frozen chopped spinach

This is the perfect canvas for soy sauce and garlic powder.

It was a good, heavy splash (about a quarter of a cup) of soy sauce and about two to three heaping teaspoons of garlic powder.

Stir into the cooked spinach . You could add more soy sauce if you want. Another add in is miso and onion powder if you want a different flavor. Fresh minced garlic also works here along with olive oil and pepper flakes. The standard is butter but you could also add some lemon too for a bright fresh flavor.

I served it with  Garfdein's chcoekn nuggets elevated them . 

You could also try it with steak too for a different spin or just serve with rice for a main vegan dish.I love how the intense spinach flavor is tempered with both the soy sauce and garlic. It gives it an Asian vibe.

A dash of this .A splash of that helps any frozen veggie. Experiment and have fun, creating new dishes.

A Cake Full of Flowers

Spring cakes should be light and beautiful, reflective of the season.What better than adding flowers whether the real thing or edible. They add to any bridal or shower cake along with making a lovely Mother's Day treat.

What can you use> An y fresh or even candy flours work.If you;re opting for fresh.Please use edible ones. No one wants to be poisoned by a cake decoaration. The same applies to the greens used.Think of decoatinga pretty white ro plae pink frosted cake with roses,nasturtium, chamomile, lavendar and hibiscus. if it can be made into a te ait's safe to eat. As for the greens, sprigs of basil and mint work however keep in mind these are strong smelling and could leave a tingle of flavor on the icing and cake. Bay leaves also are good and can sub in for rose leaves.How to attach them to a cake? Cut the stems off and then using florists tape to gather them together.it's just gently inserting the stems on an angle into the frosting. You make want to have a thick blob of it so the stems adhere nicely without the threat of falling off. Another idea is attaching it with a water tube filled with water so the flowers maintain their freshness.

Chocolate, fondant and marzipan also make for exquisite flowers as well.  You can easily buy molds for any kind of colored chocolate on Amazon or in places such as Michaels' A mocha cake would look lovely with a few dark and milk chocolate Bloons gracing one side. An engagement cake would look ;lovely with pastel colored chocolate,  which can also be bought at Michael's. Try to use  good chocolate like Ghiradelli's melting wafers for this. The better the candy , the better the consistency. Marzipan, that thick almond paste also works well for sculpting all sorts of flowers and leaves. Keep in mind you don;t have to go for authenticity here. Thin petal s will tear easily. Roll out and cut ones with a half inch thickness to them . Shape the petals by flattening them with the back if a spoon and them assemble to form flowers. Fondant  flowers are basically the same way. You can use fondant tools such as cutters and scissors to form leaves and petals.Keep in mind that dying both substances can be messy.Use a gel dye for all the flowers and greens.

Flowers on a cake add beauty. Try decorating your cakes with these for a refreshing ,pretty look.It's a salute to the garden.

Food Thrifting

 Clothes thrifting is a big thing right now. It's basically heading to the local consignment store and getting good et slightly used clothes and acessories on a budget. Now with rising food prices home chefs are practicing food thrifting of a sort. It's basically   budgeting to deal with those rising costs in the supermarket.

Associate food editor at the Wednesday Food section, Kristin Chambrot wrote about how to spend wisely  two days ago. Everyone is feeling the pinch across the board and it helps to shop wisely.Ms. Chambrot consulted with several experts about what to do and how to get the most for your dollar. One, ,blogger, Beth Moncel of Budget Bytes urges consumers to evaluate.Download budgeting apps such as Pockethuard and Mon arch will let shoppers import all their financial accounts into a centralized hub. There's also the second option of going old school and using an account book(read notebook) and tallying with a pen or opencil and calculator. Set a limit as to what you want to spend.Keep in mind every household is difference thanks to size and needs. Fifty per cent of the family paychecks should go to basics. Also go over what everyone is eating. They may not be consuming everything.Do what Dasha Kennedy, author fo Broke Black Girl does, figure out how much one person eats and times it by the number of people in the household.

As any home chef and homeowner will tell you making a list is all important.Yes it;s fun to get the extras that everyone loves. Just don;t go overboard when shopping (along with remembering that all important rule. - don't shop hungry.You'll wind up with everything under the sun in your cart).Ms.Chambrot recommneds gravitating to filling,tasty dishes that have low cost ingredients. Think a vegetarian chili with beans or a coconut chuicken curry. Another aspect that should be mentioned is where to shop. Go to stores like Lidl and Aldi for really good prices on canned goods, veggies and boxed goods. Lidl has excellent mushroom soups for 68 cents a can and bigger cans of hearty minestrone and pea soups for $2.58, Buy their brands of national brand cookies and cereals for three to four dollars cheaper along with their twelve pack of soda for only three dollars. Aldi has excellent pastas, risottos and spaetzles along with snacks and crackers for only two to three dollars. If these aren't;t in your area, Wal-Mart Costco and now Target has some really good prices on basic food items. Also take stocl of your pantry and never let anything go to waste.

Food thrifting should be apart of life,especially these days. Budget and spend wisely. You can wind up with tasty dishes that cost only pennies.

The Ideal Garden

 All home chefs and home owners dream of the ideal garden.it can be bursting with tomatoes. Have stalks of corn. Rows of asparagus.

Here's the question - what would be in your ideal garden? (Mine would be tomatoes and asparagus , possibly spinach.) Let us know and if you want include pictures of past harvests

A More Susrainable Catch

 Seafood restaurants can be snobbish. They serve fish from everywhere in the world yet ignore the ones from the local waters. Thankfully that's changing. People are discovering a more sustainable way fo enjoying fish.

Regulr conteibutor melissa Clark wrote about this in roday's New York Times Food section. Many waterfront restaurants likethe ones in East Hampton will have pasta topped with red shrimp from Argentina or fish counters will feature imported salmon filets rather than locally fished mackeral and black sea bass. THis sort of favoritism is not good. A catch could wind up changing hands three to four times and being trucked hundreds of miles to centralized dealers. Thanks to this the meat is in far worst shape. A whopping sity-five to eighty percent of seafood consumed in the US is imported.Strangely enough the US ships out around five billions dollars in seafood.Joshua Stoff, an associate professor of marine policy at the University of Maine and a founder of the Local Catch Network feels that sending seafood overseas shifts a significant portion of profits away from communities that desperately need it.

Thankfully that's all changing thanks to Professor Stoff and people like him.Their website Local Cathc Network is guiding home chefs to local sources for their seafood choices.Now even large retailers like WHole Foods have even started programs in coastal towns where they buy a portion of their seafood directly from  fishing boats.In New Orleans Porgy's Seafood Market buys all its;seafood from local fishing boats.It;s one fo the local shops that is devoted to buying from the locals. Even its name Porgy's reflects the local catch . They  are plentiful and sweetly flavored yet hard to filet and cook.This is where deep frying them comes in handy which makes the fish more desirable to eat.Nearby there is Mermaid;s Market in Brooklyn that regularly sells locally sourced seafood. Fish lovers can buy easy to filet and cook hake and golden tilefish.Long Island also has some excellent clams and limpets along with sea bass and mackerel. Use these for your seafood dishes. Ms. Clark even includes a rrecipe for filoets with tomatoes , mushrooms and bacon.

Think local when  buying seafood. It helps local fisheries along with the environment. Sourcing and buyign local is not only good but also delicious too

Your Culinary Footprint

 With yesterday being Earth Day, it's time to reevaluate what  being done food wise for the planet. Are home chefs being conservative? Are they being thoughtful?

One of the best ways is cutting down on your meat consumption. Meat consumption increases the amount of carbon dioxide methane and nitrous oxide> WHat can you do? Try meatless Mondays where you can have a good pasta with just a marinara sauce or better yet any plant based meat.Impossible Meats and Beyond Meats have excellent burgers that taste like the real thing. Now that i's coming into barbecue season, think about grilling these for a fun evening meal. You could also have more veggie dishes like  the Irish classic .This also uses up leftover  mashed potatoes by mixing them with butter garlic and any green, such as cabbage spinach and or kale. Eat more potatbella mushrooms too. These are an excellent source of protein and they're just downright delicious when fried in an air fryer.They actually do taste like steak. You can also just go completely vegetarian or vegan too. It may take some getting used to but once you switch over cooking and eating plant based foods will become easier.

Do you wash dishes or pop I=them in the dishwasher? Hand washing them is environemntally safer just don;t waste water. Many a home chef is guilty of this. Use what you have Leave the super dirty dishes , pots and pans to soak overnight instead of using gallons of water to clean them. Soak them with a mix of baking soda and white vinegar. This will loosen any tough greasy bit. If you're thinking about getting plastic plates both for indoor and outdoor dining, you may want to think about buying ones made from recycled plastic. Composting is big and it's a great way to help the planet.Use those garbage to grown lush fruits and veggies. What makes for a good compost heap? Have plenty of brown material for carbon and green for nitrogen. These make for a rich soil and lush plants.There should also be plenty of water and air too. Keep in mind that even tea bags and used towelettes like Burt's Bee;s make up wipes can also be tossed in. Rake up all those grass cuttings and also make them part of your compost heap.

Be more alert and conscientious about your culinary habits. Treat the Earth well. The results will be a cleaner, happier place to live.

Barbecue Ready

 The days are getting warmer and that means one thing - grilling! Yes, it's barbecue time and that means getting the grill and the yard ready for fun and relaxed dining.

The first thing to consider is the grill. How is it? Do you need to get a new one or just clean it? Almost every store from Wal-Mart to DIcks sell them. What you buy is up to you. If you're not into elaborate cookouts then go simple. Wal-Mart has some good ones that sell for around $96.00.THese are perfect for easy grills like ribs, hot dogs and hamburgers.There are also smaller ,  portable ones if you have a tiny  or small backyard. These can be taken out when needed and then stored  after cooking.A fun idea is adding a pizza oven .LIdl has those for under $100 and they can be used not only for pizzas but also flat breads and calzones. For those foodies and dedicated home chefs, there are more elaborate grills.These come with extensive work stations to prep salads and meats along with shelves to store foods and utensils. Keep in mind these are very expesnive with some going as high as $16,000 .This is because the work tables are usually made of Travertine marble which costs. If you decide to keep your grill remember to clean it/ You can easily buy a cleaner called Good Gone Grill and Grate from Amazonb.It's only sisteen dollars and an easy spray on. You can also use Dawn's Power Wash too along with a good scrub brush easily bought at Home Depot or Lowe;s/

What about seating? The one you have will probably need a good scrubbing and airing.Again Dawn Power wash works wonders here .It'll just get any accumulated dust off in seconds. Most with removable covers can be tossed in both the washer and dryer. THe last will leave them fluffy.This is also the method for ones with removable covers too.What do you do with those table umbrellas?Again Dawn and a good power wash will get rid of anything from those lovely bird "gifts to any rain smudges. If you are looking to replace or add to your set then look no further than your grocer store. Acme has some nice sets for as low as $78 dollars. They along with sotes like Stop and Shop also have tables and chairs for eight; perfect if you;re expanding your patio area. For more elaborate seating think Wal-Mart or even Wayfiar for wicker chairs and a wicker based table. LIdl has Adirondack chairs for $1600 and a porch swing set for around $79.. The store also has a nice selection of outdoor rugs  perfect for that final touch to your outdoor dining area. As for plates, think Target for sturdy melanine plates that are selling for only $5 a plate. You can also buy an entire set for only $21.95>This comes with utensils, cutlery and salad plates along with bowls and glasses. 

It's times to reassess your backyard eating area. Have it ready for that first all important barbecue .Be ready for a lovely meal cooked and eaten  outdoors.