The Ultimate Empanada Cookbook

 Nothing beats a  homemade pastry filled with either savory or sweet fillings. empanadas are just this. The dense pastries can be filled with all sorts of yummy fillings from, meat to veggies to even fruit and chocolate They're perfect for lunch dinner and even picnics.  Now there's a new cookbook that has dozens of tasty recipes .

Donna Kelly is the author of a great cookbook titled Empanada (Smith Gibbs Publishing 2025). This is an exciting book.I love empanadas and have always wanted to create my own. Ms. Kelly begins the book with their history - starting in Spain around 700 AD. Most are fried , usually in a neutral oil however Americans tend to bake them. How they're prepared is up to you. She also has several dough recipes ranging from dough for baked or fried pastries along with one for shortcuts - tortillas and ones with traditional masa or corn dough.There are also helpful instructions on sealing them from the traditional rope to the pressed crimp edge.The recipes start off with a section dedicated to traditional Latin ones,The Mexican ones have a blend of potatoes and chorizo while Argentinian ones include the tangy green chimichurri sauce. A great way of using rotisserie chicken is the Venezualan Mojo chicken recipe, packed with the meat and a variety of fiery spices and honey. The Cuban style empanada is full of Havarti cheese, black beans, rice and diced ham. This is a whole meal in one pastry. Again all look so good  and it's a question of what to make first.

There are also North American recipes too that are just as delicious.I can;t decide which one to try.The spinach artichoke one is good for parties but also a great dinner one. The TexMex chili is another on the radar to try. The books also has international , dessert  and holiday recipes too.Pizza empanadas are so good and there is a a recipe for them.Imagine an everything pizza with two kinds of cheese in one empananda. There is also a caprese one stuffed with fresh basil mozzarella and tomatoes. The Korean bulgoki one is an interesting mix of sriracha, soy sauce and bok choi along with ground sirloin.The Halloween empanadas are a must bake for any holiday party. They have jack o'lantern eyes and mouth cut out to reveal a black bean and onion filling. There are even Thanks giving ones, perfect for the day after the holiday. The dessert ones are perfect not just for snacks but also for get togethers. The chocolate raspberry is a definite must bake as are the fruit ones, perfect for the peach and berry harvests going on now. Another plus is the section of dipping sauces from savory to sweet, The avocado sauce would work well with the chicken ones while the chocolate hazelnut one is perfect with the sweet.

Empanada lovers will go made for this cookbook.Empananda  has every kind of recipe from Latin to dessert, American to international and holiday. It 's a definite addition to any home chef's library.

Tomato Caring For These Delicate Gens

 There is no such thing as a tough tomato. They can bruise,They can rot. However they can last with proper care .They can even last longer with the right recipes so the season can be stretched well into the fall and winter,

Regular contributor and chef Genevieve Ko gave tips about this Gemini yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Ms. Ko tuened to a tomato expert, chef Suzanne Cupps, owner and chef at Manhattan's Lola's. The restaurant is knownfor its' fresh veggies and fruit dishes so her advice is invaluable. She also grew up with a grandfather who gave her tomato sandwiches, slicked with mayo when she was growing up.One good bit of advice that home chefs tend to forget is don't refrigerate them. Storing them in any cool place .it makes the flesh mealy which means for a lesser both feel. Tomatoes are hard to judge. Even the reddest ones may not be totally rip while smaller ones  which may look immature might be ready to eat.Let any tomato ripen outside the fridge. Another must is buy in a range of ripeness. Ripe ones carry the most intense sweetness, tang and juiciness. wen shopping for them, give them, a little squeeze. Choose some that feels like water balloons and set the fimer asides for later eating during the week.

Once home set them stem side down on the kitchen counter to prevent bruising and store in a cool place lik ea basement or pantry to prevent them from ripening too early . If there are mealy tomatoes, don;t fret. These can be used for sauces and soups. Gazpacho is the easiest recipe and the tastiest. Home chefs can also blend mediocre or so so tomatoes with your favorite vinaigrette for a tasty side salad. Add chunks of Italian or French bread for a filling and delicious panzanella or Neopolitan bread salad.Another idea is to cook them down. Take  advantage of the abundance and turn them into sauce for now or later on. More adventurous home chefs can make tomato jam. This s great on burgers but also good on grilled and oiled Italian ,French or sourdough breads. roast or sear them for homemade salsa.i Another idea is adding flavor bombs like chili paste. A tomato rich kimchi soup is a novel at to use them along with trying  a traditional tomato bisque or soup.

If  there are lesser tomatoes do more with them. Treat them with delicacy. Then turn them into stars with a variety of different recipes.

The Lure of Lobster Rolls

 Everyone who loves lobsters and summers' loves a good lobster roll. This quintessential American sandwich is now popular the world over. why is this? There are so many reasons?

Regular contributor and restaurant critic for The New York Times delved into this in todays' Wednesday;'s food section of the paper. Thanks to various platforms lobster rolls have become international sensations. One "lobster shack"  Luke's Lobsters sell them in  even in Singapore and Japan along with selling them in twelve states, Why is this taste of summer on the rise.It could be due to lobsters' lower wholesale price which is perfect for a large profit margin. Most sandwiches sell for a whopping twenty-eight dollars. way above the average burger or hot dogs that these places also sell. Years ago , even as recently as 2012 lobster rolls sales were not so high and the sandwich was not a popular as it is now.Nowadays that's changed McLoons Lobster Shack of south Thomaston ,Maine sells a whopping five hundred a day.Manager Bree Birms at first worked alone but now has a staff of ten full time workers and sixteen part time ones to keep up with the demand. LUke's sells over a million lobster rolls a year throughout the US. For some foodies it's the ultimate stop. Years ago it was go on vacation get a lobster before going home. Now it;s eat a lobster roll and talked a pic of it for social media.

The sandwich may be easy to make and certainly eat, but catching the lobsters is entirely different . Blair Drinkwater is one of the dozen lobster men who catch the sea creatures out on his boat Good Scout. It's about one of the dozen who supply lobsters to Mc Loons. Being a lobsterman is an inherited business, going back generations.There are also restrictions as well as discouraging newcomers from entering the trade.Heading into another fisherman's family waters can result in a dispute , usually settled on the water. However there are times when the disputes have to be settled on land in a courthouse. The breeding grounds are changing with the crustaceans heading to deeper waters. The boats have been following them, setting their taps far from land. This means longer trips, rougher waters and more diesel used to power the boats. The lobsters are lured with salted pig hide ,surprisingly. Once caught they're sold for the surprisingly low $5.50 a pound for the newly molted ones. The ones with older shells go for $6.50 a pound. They're then cracked open, cleaned and portioned out to shacks. Here they're put on buttered, toasted and mayo slicked buns to be served to hungry crowds.

Lobster rolls are a big thing not just for summer but for year round eating. There is a lot of work , form catching to preparing. They are worth every buttery, briny bite.

Vacation Eating On A Budget

 Vacations CNA be fun - and expensive. Yet we have to have three meals a day plus snacks and goodies to make the week or two away enjoyable. what to do? Budget and save. Eating away from home should be no different than eating at home.

If you can book an Air BNB. It's usually cheaper than a hotel room  The same is true if you head to a seashore motel such as the ones in Wildwood, New Jersey, These are equipped with kitchenettes that make eating a bit cheaper and easier. Most cities and town have good and cheap supermarkets to shop in. Check Lidl and Aldi's sites to see if they have stores within driving distance of your location.If not then stock up before you go and pack everything that needs to be chilled into coolers. Should you buy local? Yes if it's from the grocery store, no from farmer's markets. Farmer's markets do cater to people form the area however their prices do go up during the tourist season.  You can splurge on homemade jams and jellies as well as on baked goods. The better prices are found in grocery stores. Also download their apps so you can cash in on any coupons or discounts. Should you cash in on the buy one ,get one free or half priced?  Yes, if you know you'll definitely use it. It doesn't;t pay to get twenty four eggs if there's just four of you on holiday, However get that deal on BOGO pasta, one for now, one when you go home.

What about eating out and how much.? It's always a thing with those who visit the Jersey shore to have at least one breakfast in a diner. They do serve a lot and you and especially the little ones can feel full until well paste lunchtime. However if no one is a big eater then stick to eating in. The kids may prefer a bowl for their favorite cereal as opposed to a platter heaped with French toast and bacon. (you could save that for a breakfast for dinner night,What about for lunch. If you;re not on a site seeing your , then also use the kitchen or kitchenette. A loaf of bread, cold cuts and a few sliced tomatoes plus mayo can go a long way. If you're near a boardwalk, take advantage of their bargains and get the family some hamburgers hot dogs and fries.Dinner really should be the only meal worth splurging on. Ask locals where they like to go for a bargain meal. People are very  open about places that offer great discounts. Look to their recommendations. There may be great eateries that offer some good prices on local seafood or a rack of ribs. Take advantage of all the advice along with checking Yelp reviews, Facebook groups and Instagram pictures. You can always find a really budget friendly restaurant on these platforms.

You can;t enjoy your vacation if you're constantly shelling out money for food. Be wise. Budget and save for a wallet friendly holiday , full of good local food and excellent bargains.

Party For A Week

 Parties and barbecues always have good things. There's music good food and s great drinks. However the stars of any gathering are the leftovers.whatever hasn't;t been eaten can be served for a few days afterwards/

It was this way in my kitchen this past weekend. A barbecue needed plates and large bowls of meats and salads. Much was left over however I won;t despair. I have enough for two or three lunches and dinners.The hamburgers cna be cooked in the air fryer

Yet they can be broken up for soups or burger tacos. They don;t have to be inside a bun however if they do, they can be picked with avocado slices and onions. 

Then there is the giant bowl of potato salad.

This is our family's traditional recipe, rich with hard boiled eggs. It;'s actually tastes better the day after .I could have it with a sandwich for lunch or with the burgers for dinner. I've also eaten it on it's own for lunch.

The cucumber salad pickled thanks to the abundance of white wine vinegar in the dressing. These became pickle chips which are perfect for snacking (it;shard not to pass the bowl without pitching two or three every time.)There is vegan sour cream to mix in if I want to turn them from snack to side salad. The grape tomatoes are lightly salted.These also make for a tasty snack but I can  use then in everything from salads to salsa cruda  with freshly cooked pasta.

The best part of any barbecue are the leftovers. You can serve them as is or get creative. They extend the fun and flavor for days to come.

An Old Fashioned Barbecue

 Everything right now is either smashed or done cowboy style for the grill. These new recipes are good but there's something about the traditional ones our moms and grandmothers used. There was a certain fun to them tha't snot seen in today's dishes.

Of course there's barbecued meats. yet the ones of our parents day weren't marinated in fancy mixes. Most of the time steaks and chicken parts were treated like hamburgers and hotdogs. Just throw on the grill , then flipped over before servingYou actually get more of the meat's flavor by doing thish along with having a crispy coating. If you do want some flavoring the, just season with salt and pepper. That's it. You can go old school for the steaks and offer a bottle of Worcester sauce. You can also have a bottle of barbecue sauce handy for both the beef and poultry. This also applies to ribs. There's no need to whip up a fancy sauce for them. Toss them on the grill and then serve with the same barbecue sauce. Guests may enjoy dipping the ribs into a bowl of the sauce and it's actually  not as messy too. Treat corn in the same way too. It doesn't;t need to be fancy Mexican street corn. Just grill it for nineteen to twenty minutes, turning every so often to prevent charring or burning. Slather butter or margarine on a long with a good sprinkle of salt and then dig in, It';s a great way to really enjoy the corn's sweet flavor.

Going old school means enjoying simple salads and dishes that highlight the main course's charred goodness. Three bean salad is the perfect barbecue side.It;s so easy to make. The recipe varies from family to family. Some add garbanzo beans and switch out green beans and vice a versa. The best ones include red kidney beans, white kidney or Cannellini and garbanzo beans. You can add a teaspoons o finely minced onion for more flavor or a quarter teaspoon of onion powder. Dress with olive oil and red or white wine vinegar. It may need some salt and pepper but that's it. Chill for a few hours before serving. Other classic salads are broccoli and green beans. These are simple to make and you can even use frozen veggies. After steaming them just dress with oil vinegar and dashes of onion and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste.How do you end a classic barbecue? A Jello salad! This is mixing the powdered gelatin with cottage cheese and pineapple juice. Whipped cream is folded in then the crushed pineapple.. It;s chilled and then served as a sweet side or a dessert.It;s your choice.

Forget all this fancy new fangled stuff. Go old school with a classic barbecue. It;s makes for simple ,tasty and fun eating.

August Bounties

 August is the time when all those late Spring plantings come into harvest. There;s so much right now in back yards and on farm stands. Best of al, there's so many dishes to make that involve fresh veggies and fruit.

Tomato plants are in fiull bloom right now. There one fo the most versatile fruits - yes fruits. . Nothing beats a sliced on on bread , slathered with mayo. Yet you can also put them in a variety of different salads. of course the best dishes for them also involve other bounties. Gazpacho, that cold and delicious Spanish soup called for fresh cucumbers, bell peppers and onions. Ratatouille has tomatoes as the star but there 's also eggplant or zucchini as well as peppers and onions. Cucumbers can  be turned into tasty pickles for the barbecue oe picnic along with being sliced into an  elegant salad .Add sprigs of dill for flavor. Eggplant is good in ratatouille but it';s also excellent grilled. Slice and coat each side with olive oil sprinkle with such herbs as rosemary and oregano and then char on the grill.it usually takes six minutes on each side before they;re ready to eat. Zucchini is also in abundance right now. This is another versatile veggie that can be cut into coins or slices  to be air fired or grilled. They're great air fried too and actually make for some crispy chips. Just sliced pat dry and then coat in a mix of olive oil and garlic powder. it does take about  twenty minutes to cook in the air fryer.

Of course fruit is in an August harvest too. Watermelon is big right now. It's excellent as a chilled dessert along with being refreshing. Keep in mind that it;s also excellent grilled with honey. A watermelon granita is an easy make.It just takes seedless watermelon chunks, lime juice and sugar.Th w fruit lime juice and half the sugar are put into a food processor and pulverized until smooth and then placed into a bowl or baking dish, Place into the freezer for two to three hours then begin the scraping process.Lightly scrape the topmost layer and then put back in the freezer. Repeat until the entire bowl is shaved . Store ,covered in Sran wrap until being served. This is also the time for stone fruits like peaches, plums and nectarines., These are good fresh,eaten as a snack or a healthy dessert,.  However these are wonderful in all sorts of baked desserts. Crisps are a perfect way to highlight their  flavors.It's also an easy dessert.Cut the fruit and put into a greased baking dish. The crisp is an easy mix of oatmeal or flour mixed with butter , brown  and white sugars. Cornstarch gives her topping its' customary crispiness. Serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate treat.

It's August. It;s harvest time. Take advantage and create delicious dishes with fresh fruits and veggies.