Canning has always caused shudders amongst home cooks. There's always the fear of making the bad batch of preserves or pickles. However don't be afraid. Canning is actually one of the easiest kitchen procedures. Better yet is the result- yummy jams and sides you can enjoy all year round.
Easy canning and its' suggestions were the topic of an article in today's New York Times Dining section. Cathy Barrow explored this subject and even offered suggestions. It's not that scary. As long as the seal is air tight and no bacteria gets under the seal,the preserves and eventually the eater is fine. Another problem is getting the right utensils. Not so. Regular tongs girded by a rubber band can act as the pincers that lift the jars out of the water. You don't need any special pots. A stock or lobster pot can do the job nicely.
There is the fear of botulism and that is an ever present concern when it comes to canning. As with any cooking procedure, just use common sense and be careful. Keep in mind that the sugar and vinegar always used are natural preservatives and inhibit any bacterial growth.. Check your seals as well to make sure they're sturdy and unbroken after canning. As for sterilizing the jars,a quick run through the dishwasher should do it.. Also get into the habit of labeling and dating preserves and pickles. This way you can tell when you made them and if you have to throw them out after a year.
Canning is a fun and actually safe way to preserve your favorite fruits and veggies. The procedure is easy and safe.Try it to enjoy homemade treats you can have all year round.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Rain Date
Sometimes the perfect barbecue days turns into a scene from Wuthering Heights. Dark clouds scud against the sky. rain comes down in buckets.The temps drop turning Spring's sunny warmth into a Late Winter chill.There goes the outdoor barbecue?Or does it? You can still have a barbecue but indoors.
Luckily all meats can be grilled inside. Hot dogs and kabobs can easily be grilled over an open gas flame or on an indoor grill.The same can be done with ribs and hamburgers.In fact they probably won't be charred.You can control the heat addend up with tender ,juicy cuts. As far as the buns, toast them in your toaster oven or on the indoor grill.You can even butter them forvmore flavor. grilling veggies is just as easy. You can also steam them too which is much much more healthier than the harmful and really unhealthy grilling.What about the delicious taste of grilled corn on the cob? Grill indoors or even microwave for more tender kernels.
What about after dinner when everyone wants s'mores? You can still make them indoors using your microwave. You can also still toast marshmallows instead .Again use your burners and skewers, preferably metal .You'll still get that crunchy ,crisp outer coating that makes a s'more yummy.You can also warm the Graham crackers too in the microwave or toaster oven for an even better sweet. Fruit kabobs are are party staple. You can still make them ,using your grill or even griddle.Warm up some Cool Whip for dipping or chocolate.
Don't worry if your barbecue is rained on.You can easily bring it inside and still have tasty and fun food!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Tea From Trees
The best tea shop is in you yard or nearby forest. Surprisingly you don't need traditional tea leaves to brew a soothing cup. Your backyard maple or cherry can give you a tasty as well as healthy brew. Brewing from tree back is nothing new, It has been done for centuries mostly by indigenous American tribes. Their teas were not only for soothing and warming up a troubledsoul butalso for healing one too.
Any tree will give you tea. However some trees need to be avoided like poison sumac, yew and of course, hemlock. Any other is OKand can produce some flavorful brewing. For some trees like the wild cherry and maple, go for the inner bark which is more tender and flavorful.Cherry tree bark tea is good for sore throats and just for keeping the vocal chords lubed.It's also good for lowering blood pressure as well. Even the white pine, usually known for ornamentation has an inner bark that makes a sweet , sugary tea. It's also easy to peel which makes it excellent for preparing.Even a tree's needles such as the pine and spruce also make excellent teas as well. These are even rich in Vitamin C and can be subbed in for citrus of need be.
How do you get the bark and then brew the tea? First take a knife or sharp bladed scissor (this last is for the smaller, younger branches) and cut as much as you think you'll need to brew tea. DON"T take any branches laying on the ground ,These are probably the older ones and have no flavor. One branch, half an inch wide and six feet long will yield one cup worth of bark.Back at the kitchen it's time to start brewing. Use one quart of water for one cup of bark.Boil for twenty minutes and leave to steep until the brew gets dark. You can sweeten your cup with honey or raw sugar along with lemon if you want.
It's amazing what your tree can give you. Shade , fruit and even tea. Brew some freshly cut bark tree today . You'll be surprised at how tasty it is.
Any tree will give you tea. However some trees need to be avoided like poison sumac, yew and of course, hemlock. Any other is OKand can produce some flavorful brewing. For some trees like the wild cherry and maple, go for the inner bark which is more tender and flavorful.Cherry tree bark tea is good for sore throats and just for keeping the vocal chords lubed.It's also good for lowering blood pressure as well. Even the white pine, usually known for ornamentation has an inner bark that makes a sweet , sugary tea. It's also easy to peel which makes it excellent for preparing.Even a tree's needles such as the pine and spruce also make excellent teas as well. These are even rich in Vitamin C and can be subbed in for citrus of need be.
How do you get the bark and then brew the tea? First take a knife or sharp bladed scissor (this last is for the smaller, younger branches) and cut as much as you think you'll need to brew tea. DON"T take any branches laying on the ground ,These are probably the older ones and have no flavor. One branch, half an inch wide and six feet long will yield one cup worth of bark.Back at the kitchen it's time to start brewing. Use one quart of water for one cup of bark.Boil for twenty minutes and leave to steep until the brew gets dark. You can sweeten your cup with honey or raw sugar along with lemon if you want.
It's amazing what your tree can give you. Shade , fruit and even tea. Brew some freshly cut bark tree today . You'll be surprised at how tasty it is.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Mother's Day Treats For Mom
Tomorrow is Mother's Day the day tocelebate the lady who used to bake your favorite cookies and make you endless casseroles of baked mac and cheese.It's time to celebrate her with some gourmet goodies or just plain homemade ones, Even simple pancakes spelling out MOM can be a treasured gift.
For foodie moms nothing beats really good chocolate. You can always get her a box of Godiva which has all sorts of sweet indulgent treats. The company sells some wonderful truffles, full of tasty creams and ganaches.You can also buy bars from them to to be scraped over Mom's favorite ice creams or cake.Hannah Krause is another good chocolatier and a throwback to a more simpler time. They sells boxes of classics such as coconut cremes and caramels. Another treat are flavored coffees and teas. Wrap these with a few good romances or mysteries for some comfy reading.
What about homemade gifts? Nothing beats breakfast in bed. Make it healthy with buckwheat pancakes and pure Vermont maple syrup (none of this artificial stuff with corn syrup in it). You can have the pancakesspellout mom or makethem into flower shapes with banana centers. A rich decadent treat is Eggs Benedict and the best part is that they can be eaten any time of day.You could vary them by having spinach or crab meat instead of the usual Canadian bacon. Also the base doesn't have to be an English muffin.Try a croissant, brioche potaot brioche brioche of a nest of olive oil fried shredded potatoes instead.
Treat Mom with some good foodie tastes. They can be store bought all tied with a fancy ribbon. They can be homemade , straight from the kitchen, Whatever she gets your mom will know they're with love from you,
For foodie moms nothing beats really good chocolate. You can always get her a box of Godiva which has all sorts of sweet indulgent treats. The company sells some wonderful truffles, full of tasty creams and ganaches.You can also buy bars from them to to be scraped over Mom's favorite ice creams or cake.Hannah Krause is another good chocolatier and a throwback to a more simpler time. They sells boxes of classics such as coconut cremes and caramels. Another treat are flavored coffees and teas. Wrap these with a few good romances or mysteries for some comfy reading.
What about homemade gifts? Nothing beats breakfast in bed. Make it healthy with buckwheat pancakes and pure Vermont maple syrup (none of this artificial stuff with corn syrup in it). You can have the pancakesspellout mom or makethem into flower shapes with banana centers. A rich decadent treat is Eggs Benedict and the best part is that they can be eaten any time of day.You could vary them by having spinach or crab meat instead of the usual Canadian bacon. Also the base doesn't have to be an English muffin.Try a croissant, brioche potaot brioche brioche of a nest of olive oil fried shredded potatoes instead.
Treat Mom with some good foodie tastes. They can be store bought all tied with a fancy ribbon. They can be homemade , straight from the kitchen, Whatever she gets your mom will know they're with love from you,
Friday, May 11, 2012
Healthy Foraging
Your nearby woods or park is really nothing more than a big health food store. The produce there not only is loaded with healthy greens and fungi but it yours free for the picking. You can pick up everything form omelet ingredients to sides for lunch or dinner . Your local woods are amazing foodwise .
Before you go, pick up a book on foraging. Even though there are plenty of healthy plants out there, there are a few poisonous ones. Once you get acquainted with the fauna then you can start picking,.Ramps and stinging nettles are some of the healthy greens readily available Ramps are a sort of wild leek and are high in Vitamins A and C along with the mineral selenium. Since they have a taste between a garlic and an onion you can use them in a fresh made tomato sauce. You can also make a good side with them,with olive oil and hot pepper. Stinging nettles are wonderful in reducing calcifications and long with relieving joint pain. A recent recipe in the New York Times Dining (Melissa Clark's Good Appetite column)made it as part of a pasta sauce.Stinging nettles lose their sting when they're boiled.
What about mushrooms? Most people freak out when they hear about eating wild mushrooms because so many have died from eating the wrong ones. One consult a foraging book and if you;re still not sure then join a mushroom club. Experts there can guide you to the right ones. Wild mushrooms such as morelles and porcinis along with chanterelles are truly excellent in any kind of risotto and pasta. You can even make ravioli stuffing with them. The mushrooms are known for their proteins and can easily be subbed in for animal ones.They also have glutamic acid which is essential for strengthening the immune system. Mushrooms have estrogen blockers which can prevent both breast and prostrate cancer.
The forest is truly a health food store bursting with good and tasty foods. Go out there and enjoy not only the fresh air and sunshine but freshly picked treats. It's a great way of communing with nature and keeping yourself healthy!
Before you go, pick up a book on foraging. Even though there are plenty of healthy plants out there, there are a few poisonous ones. Once you get acquainted with the fauna then you can start picking,.Ramps and stinging nettles are some of the healthy greens readily available Ramps are a sort of wild leek and are high in Vitamins A and C along with the mineral selenium. Since they have a taste between a garlic and an onion you can use them in a fresh made tomato sauce. You can also make a good side with them,with olive oil and hot pepper. Stinging nettles are wonderful in reducing calcifications and long with relieving joint pain. A recent recipe in the New York Times Dining (Melissa Clark's Good Appetite column)made it as part of a pasta sauce.Stinging nettles lose their sting when they're boiled.
What about mushrooms? Most people freak out when they hear about eating wild mushrooms because so many have died from eating the wrong ones. One consult a foraging book and if you;re still not sure then join a mushroom club. Experts there can guide you to the right ones. Wild mushrooms such as morelles and porcinis along with chanterelles are truly excellent in any kind of risotto and pasta. You can even make ravioli stuffing with them. The mushrooms are known for their proteins and can easily be subbed in for animal ones.They also have glutamic acid which is essential for strengthening the immune system. Mushrooms have estrogen blockers which can prevent both breast and prostrate cancer.
The forest is truly a health food store bursting with good and tasty foods. Go out there and enjoy not only the fresh air and sunshine but freshly picked treats. It's a great way of communing with nature and keeping yourself healthy!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Healthy Food , Tasty Food
As I've been almost everyone from reader to friends to family healthy eating doesn't have to be blah.In fact it can be downright delicious. It's just a matter of knowing what to eat. Good for you food can be just as yummy as the bad for you kind. The best part is that it comes with some very good benefits.
This is what the author Peter Kaminsky is trying to stress in his latest book"Culinary Intelligence" published by Knopf. He was featured in yesterday's New York Times Dining section yesterday in an article by the section's regular contributor, Jeff Gordenier. Mr. Kaminsky was a former food critic writing for New York magazine's Underground Gourmet. unfortunately gourmand dining took its'toll on his health He had blimped up to 205 pounds and was borderline diabetic . A change in habits and a serious drive to eat better changed him around. he still indulges in foods such as bacon and sausages but in very small quantities.
He out his theories into practice during a trip to Manhattan's famed Eataly food emporium , He tells readers as well as Mr Gordinier who trailed along to avoid processed ingredients. he nixes white flour, sugar and potatoes as most nutritionists suggest. However he does not ban dark chocolate , bacon butter and Italian sausage. Mr. Kaminsky recommends eat them sparingly and in small quantities. Eataly provided him with some other choices he thoroughly endorsed such as anchovies chickpeas , capers, plain yogurt olive oil and roasted almonds. These are perfect ingredients and some such as the chickpeas and almonds are just good as snacks,. He also recommends porcini mushrooms, olives and spelt pasta.. The best bet is looking for brown - whole wheat , more naturally made foods.
Eating right and eating tasty is what we all want for ourselves Mr. Kaminksy's book makes it easy. Healthy foods don't have to be bland tasting .They can be just as flavorful and fun as the bad for you goodies.
This is what the author Peter Kaminsky is trying to stress in his latest book"Culinary Intelligence" published by Knopf. He was featured in yesterday's New York Times Dining section yesterday in an article by the section's regular contributor, Jeff Gordenier. Mr. Kaminsky was a former food critic writing for New York magazine's Underground Gourmet. unfortunately gourmand dining took its'toll on his health He had blimped up to 205 pounds and was borderline diabetic . A change in habits and a serious drive to eat better changed him around. he still indulges in foods such as bacon and sausages but in very small quantities.
He out his theories into practice during a trip to Manhattan's famed Eataly food emporium , He tells readers as well as Mr Gordinier who trailed along to avoid processed ingredients. he nixes white flour, sugar and potatoes as most nutritionists suggest. However he does not ban dark chocolate , bacon butter and Italian sausage. Mr. Kaminsky recommends eat them sparingly and in small quantities. Eataly provided him with some other choices he thoroughly endorsed such as anchovies chickpeas , capers, plain yogurt olive oil and roasted almonds. These are perfect ingredients and some such as the chickpeas and almonds are just good as snacks,. He also recommends porcini mushrooms, olives and spelt pasta.. The best bet is looking for brown - whole wheat , more naturally made foods.
Eating right and eating tasty is what we all want for ourselves Mr. Kaminksy's book makes it easy. Healthy foods don't have to be bland tasting .They can be just as flavorful and fun as the bad for you goodies.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
A Salute To Craig Claiborne
Craig Claiborne changed the way people ate and cooked. He introduced New Yorkers to good food and interesting restaurants Thanks to him millions of people discovered the lure of ethnic cuisines and got away from their bland American diets. It was only fifty years ago that Mr. Claiborne changed American tastes and palates,but it could have been the dark ages of American cooking.
The Dining section of The New York Times celebrated this amazing powerhouse today. The famed Pete Wells along with the even more famous chef Jacques Pepin contributed pieces as well as a humorous one by Bryan Miller. These are fond reminiscences of a larger than life man. Surprisingly Mr.Claiborne was not born in New York (although one might think so. ) He was raised in Sunflower , Mississippi a town known more for its' jazz and blues than for gourmet cooking, Using the GI Bill, he was able to go to a hotel school in Lausanne , Switzerland . He then landed in New York City and was inspired by the famed food critic MFK Fisher. His contributions led to the birth of The Times Food section.
He was the first man to write extensive food reviews for The Times. thanks to him, multitudes of newspapers across the country started adding their own food critics and recipe sections. Mr . Claiborne may be credited with giving birth to the cult of celebrity chef. Mr Pepin was one of these early ones and also developed a long friendship with Mr. Claiborne. Not only that, the French chef had his recipes featured in the Times , introducing readers to the joys of Gallic flavor. Mr. Claiborne also was responsible for the careers of the great Marcella Hazan for Italian cooking,Diana Kennedy for Mexican and Virginia Lee for Chinese. However he also extolled the virtue of the home chef, probably influenced by the great Southern dishes he grew up on in his mother's boarding house.
Craig Claiborne was definitely one of the pillars of today's Times Dining section. He brought real and exotic cooking first to New Yorkers and then to the world. He is up there with Escoffier when it comes to food.
The Dining section of The New York Times celebrated this amazing powerhouse today. The famed Pete Wells along with the even more famous chef Jacques Pepin contributed pieces as well as a humorous one by Bryan Miller. These are fond reminiscences of a larger than life man. Surprisingly Mr.Claiborne was not born in New York (although one might think so. ) He was raised in Sunflower , Mississippi a town known more for its' jazz and blues than for gourmet cooking, Using the GI Bill, he was able to go to a hotel school in Lausanne , Switzerland . He then landed in New York City and was inspired by the famed food critic MFK Fisher. His contributions led to the birth of The Times Food section.
He was the first man to write extensive food reviews for The Times. thanks to him, multitudes of newspapers across the country started adding their own food critics and recipe sections. Mr . Claiborne may be credited with giving birth to the cult of celebrity chef. Mr Pepin was one of these early ones and also developed a long friendship with Mr. Claiborne. Not only that, the French chef had his recipes featured in the Times , introducing readers to the joys of Gallic flavor. Mr. Claiborne also was responsible for the careers of the great Marcella Hazan for Italian cooking,Diana Kennedy for Mexican and Virginia Lee for Chinese. However he also extolled the virtue of the home chef, probably influenced by the great Southern dishes he grew up on in his mother's boarding house.
Craig Claiborne was definitely one of the pillars of today's Times Dining section. He brought real and exotic cooking first to New Yorkers and then to the world. He is up there with Escoffier when it comes to food.
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