A Fiery DIsh For A Cold Night

A cold night calls for a hot dish. What better than to combine three of our favorite things,bucatini, seafood and heat into one bone warming dish. It's a great way to reinvent any type of pasta, along with adding a summery shot of lobster.

David Tanis came up with this tasty idea for his A City Kitchen column in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.His inspiration came surprisingly from the Italian Alps where he first ate this dish, Mr Tanis also gives a nod towards the Italian American dish lobster fra diavolo where lobster along with its'shell is bathed in a fiery tomato sauce.This infuses the sauce itself with the lobster broth ,blunting the pepper's sharpness.As Mr.Tanis cooks it , there is only only shell the claw to deal with as the rest of the meat is loosened in cooking. He serves this on a bed of bucatini ,the thick drinking straw kind of pasta.You can also make it with angel hair or regular spaghetti for a finer dish.You could also sub in shrimp for lobster if you want slightly different flavors.Also if the spiciness, is off putting ,then omit it or add vodka instead for a take on the classic vodka sauce and omit the wine needed.You could also add more wine to the original sauce and create a more winy sauce by omitting the cream and adding more tomato. if you want to heat up a January nigth,try this spicy, tongue tingling pasta dish.You get the taste of summer with the lobster and the comfort of pasta.It's a great combo that will get you going.

The Sunny Goodness Of Plantains

Winter cooking can be blah at times.It 's the same old ingredients in the same old dishes.It , like any bored foodie needs a jolt.Luckily this comes in the sunny yellow form of a plantain.It's a great addition to any recipe or good on it's owm. Melissa Clark raved about it in her A Good Appetite Column in today's New York Times Wednesday Dining section. Plantains or plantanos are a cousin of the banana.It is less sweet but more meatier than it's relative.They are bigger and firmer too which makes them excellent for any kind of cooking or frying.Like bananas ,they are best bought and cooked when they are over ripe.The skins should be black however you can buy them both yellow and green skinned and let them ripen as you would bananas.The outer layer ,exactly like a peel ,will slide of easily when gently tugged. The recommended recipe is a chicken stew.It's one of the easiest plantain dishes that require stewing a whole chicken with various spices along with tomatoes and green olives.Ms Clark uses the flavors of the Caribbean ,such as cumin and chile with a squirt of lime juice.She also throws in oregano and red peppers for added zing.If you want to make a true WestIndian plantain dish ,try mofongo. This is a trickier recipe that calls for green plantains?it involves garlic ,pork and crackling for flavor.You can also just slice the plantains lengthwise and then fry them.They're sort of like sweet potato fries and make a fun side. If yo want to liven up your winter cooking then throw in a few plantains.They can make an ordinary stew zesty.They are also a great departure from regular fries?Try then and get a taste of the islands!

Hot Potato Dishes

January is the time for hearty dishes and rich ingredients. What better than a dish revolving around potatoes?These tubers work well with almost any ingredient thrown at it and gives a richness to any dinner.A potato can be a side but it can also be the star of the dinner table too. One of the easiest tater dishes is a simple baked.This works well with steak but it can also be a good meal on it's own.There's nothing as fun as a loaded baked potato,whether it's filled with chili or a mix of veggies,topped off with melted cheddar cheese.For a different and tad fancier spin try twice baked potatoes.They're easy to make ,just scooping out the insides of a baked.They're then mixed with sour cream , butter and then put back into their skins and then rebaked for 15 minutes to get a crispy top. Of course mashed potatoes are always good too.You can liven them up by adding different herbs and butter as you mash.For a heartier mash, try sprinkling in bacon bits or shredded cheddar. Sometimes potatoes can be the star of the dinner table.The Swiss dish rosti is a large pancake that can easily serve a family of four.It's also easy to whip up, making it the perfect weekend supper.It just needs potatoes that have been grated, pressed free of any moisture and then fried in either lard or butter mixed with canola oil.You can add bacon or ham to it for extra flavor.For a more elegant yet simple dish try scalloped potatoes.This is taking Russet potatoes and slicing them very thin(you can use a mandoline for this).It's then layering the slices over browned onions and butter.Cream and milk is added along with herbs such as thyme and bay leaves. Potatoes are a perfect dish for these cold,snowy days.Try them a variety of ways to enjoy their earthy goodness.Have them in the hearty rosti or the elegant scalloped for complete enjoyment.

The Best Beginner's Cookbook Ever!

Cookbooks for kids and novices have a tendency to talk down to their readers.That's the quickest way to turn anyone off to the great experiment of cooking. However there's a really neat and informative one out there. This is the perfect must have not just for those little chefs and newbies but also for kitchen experienced foodies too.

This marvelous book is called Starting from Scratch:What You Should Know about Food and Cooking (Owl Kids Books) and it was expertly written by Sarah Elton and sweetly illustrated by Jeff Kulak. Ms..Elton is a Canadian author on several books ranging from locavore  dining and Canadian cuisine. She also is a food columnist for the CBC's Radio program Here and Now. She has a deft hand at explaining even the most complicated of cooking methods and putting them into simple terms. and ideas.Everything from food prep to clean up is listed and explained why . Also thoroughly explained are the tools used from pots to measuring cups and their purpose. There is even a section on how to stock a pantry which is one of the most important factors in running a good kitchen. She also is big hearted to mention other cookbook authors like Jamie Oliver and Mark Bittman in one section.

What I like the most (although I like every page of this amazing guide) is Ms. Elton's push for healthy eating. She wrote a very good section on the evils of fast food and why it's always better to create your own fun snacks and treats.Another plus is her What Goes With What chart on making different types of cuisines, from Italian to Indian. .It's a great way to create the perfect themed dinner thanks to four columns of herbs, fats, flavors ,veggies and other foods. A novice chef can create a pretty authentic meal. her recipes are simple and best of all healthy. Kids can cut their culinary teeth on oatmeal cookies, pasta sauce and granola. She throws in the tasty and grown up recipe lentil soup too for some sophistication.

Starting From Scratch:What You Should Know about Food and Cooking is one of the best kid and novice cookbooks out there.It is the perfect way to introduce any kid or even kitchen challenged adult to the fun and amazing world of  cooking . They will learn a lifetime of lessons and hints!

Your Sick Day Foods

This is the time of year when you're either sick with a cold or worse ,the flu.You don't feel like eating even though you have to just to keep up your strength.What to do when this happens? Eat the right foods.You'll feel a tad better- maybe even sneaking in a favorite snack. Dehydration is one of the problems when you fall ill.Make sure you have plenty of fluids.One of the best is chamomile tea.It has a mild flavor ,perfect for when your mouth has that cottony feeling thanks to the sniffles.If you're recovering from a stomach virus ,think anything ginger.This rhizome is a natural stomach calmer that settles any upset.Have a tall glass of ginger ale over crushed ice or even better ,fresh Ginger tea.Take Ginger root and slice it into either thick chunks or wafer thin slices (this is up to you).Steep in boiling water for a good five minutes to get the full effect.Add anti oxidant rich dark honey if you wish to sweeten.If you have a cold , soothe it with orange juice.You can even semi freeze it to create a refreshing slushie. No matter how sick you are, you still have to eat.Broths are always the best in this situation.It pays to have bouillon cubes on hand anyway , but now is definitely the time for them.Have a bowl of any kind of broth,whether chicken ,beef or vegetable with a simple side of Saltine crackers.The last is even good as a snack if your hunger returns.They're not greasy or too strong in taste .Once you start to feel better you can add peanut butter to them to get much needed protein.As your symptoms subside , you may want to try some milder soups, like egg drop(or panpiest ,the Northern Italian classic made with just broth ,eggs and breadcrumbs) or a vegetable soup.When those hunger pangs return don't go hog wild with hearty eating .Try a simple brown rice or just plain pasta with only melted butter on top.You could also eat mashed potatoes too as a main meal until you feel right again. The appetite is the first thing to go when you feel sick.Yet eating is the most important step in getting well again.Take it easy with the right food and drinks.Save the fun stuff for later when you're flu and cold free.

Flipping Meals

Sometimes winter weekends can be topsy turvy.It's a fun way to vary the schedule with something wild and unexpected happening.You can do the same with meals.Why should steak be just for dinner? Or a sandwich for lunch.Mix up your meals on a sleepy Saturday or Sunday .It'll make mealtime more exciting and chase away those winter blahs. Starting the day off with a sandwich can bring about a few smiles.You can buy pre made ones from Marie Callendar or Jimmy Dean.You can also make them yourself.Try mini omelets or scrambled eggs with cheese and Taylor ham on either croissants or biscuits.Both breads easily can be baked in the toaster oven.You can also slice up hotdogs and add them to scrambled eggs for some fun.Another idea is an oatmeal salad.Slice up bananas ,apples,pears and oranges.Make a "dressing " of hot oatmeal to pour over it. Try a light supper menu for lunch.Think about chili served over rice or polenta rounds.You could also make a roast chicken with stuffing and veggies for a Saturday lunch.It's a nice reward after a morning of shoveling snow or cleaning house.Also spaghetti is always a good choice too and a fun way to break up a Saturday or Sunday. For a lazy Saturday or Sunday nigth dinner.think waffles or pancakes.Both are filling and a nice departure from the ordinary.Another flip meal is French toast.It's easy to make and always gets a smile.You could also go. With omelets and bacon too.Just as easy is making a lunchtime sandwich.Try creating a hero.Use Italian cold cuts like salame and prosciutto along with shredded lettuce and tomatoes.Another tasty one is a meatball sub.It's filling and hot ,the perfect dinner for ending a busy day.If you've eaten too much ,then go with that mid day favorite ,soup and salad.You can make a creamy bisque or chowder and serve a hearty mixed greens plate with it.You could also just serve a soup, with hot crusty rolls or a big chef's salad with breadsticks. Flipping meals are a fun way to mix up a weekend.It keeps the family happy and it also satisfies picky eater.Try serving a breakfast for lunch or launch for dinner to keep it interesting.

A Healthy Dose Of Bugs?!

We all know that protein is good for us.It's a vital part of our diets.We get most of it from the usual ,beef ,oultry and fish.Yet,there's another source - insects!Yup, those creepy crawlers are actually good for us and they 're showing up in a very common snack. Crickets are now appearing in energy bars.Really????Apparently so.A brand new energy bar has come out and Sophie Brickman wrote about them in an article in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. Two fresh out of college entrepreneurs ,Greg Sewitz and Gabi Lewis came up with this novel idea after Mr.Sewitz ,a cognitive neuroscience major attended a conference at MIT about sustainable foods.The subject of using insects as a food source came up and that's when a light went off in the young man's head.Both researched the idea,discovering that insects are actually sixty-nine per cent protein dry weight while chicken breast is only thirty one percent.Surprisingly sirloin steak is a measly twenty nine . Mr. Sewitz and Mr. Lewis ordered boxes of them and then started on their journey.It turned out they had a potential hit on their hands. fellow students fell in love with the mix of bug,almond and date along with honey and coca nibs.Although it started out as a hobby ,it soon turned into a business.They also had help from Kyle Connaughton ,research developer at England's famed Fat Duck along with the restaurant's innovative and edgy chef,Heston Blumenthal.Chef Blumenthal is no stranger to crickets as an ingredient.He is famously known for mixing them and meal worms with mayo and an onion gel.Will this get people buggy about their protein bars? probably.It's not the ingredients that people reallycare about but the taste.If it's delicious then it will sell.Kids will love it for the cricket factor.Young people will just like it because it tamps down hunger pangs and it's both healthy and nutritious. Will these bug bars catch on?Probably.As chefs and companies explore the benefits of eating insects more and more products will be made.It may be strange at first ,but crunching on crickets soon be popular.