Cooking Lessons

With parents acting as teacher these days, it's a good time to teach the little ones about the aspects of cooking. Being in the kitchen can show the little ones everything from match to foreign languages to history. 

One of the best lessons comes with baking.It's an exact science that requires measuring. Even the little ones can be shown the difference between a tablespoon and a teaspoon. They can learn how to measure out flour and sugar along with learning how to calculate how much milk, water or oil goes into a recipe. Baking teaches them that adding too much or too little of an ingredient can alter a baked good's flavor and texture. Cookie dough can  show them how divvy it up to and how much to use to get the recommended two dozen. This can also apply to cooking although most recipes are looser with exact amounts.  Fruits and veggies can also be helpful in teaching kindergartners up to second graders addition and subtraction. The same can be said of cookies and candies, but the other choice is healthier. Also you can create flashcards based on measurement charts. It's a great way of teaching them how to double up or decrease a recipe.

Cooking teaches us about languages too. Start with something they know like pizza which is Italian for pie, Work your way to the different pastas which are usually named for the objects they resemble. For example orrechiete is shaped like little ears. From there you can learn about the face knowing that the big drinking straw pasta bucatini is from mouth or boca and that the flat spaghetti linguine comes from the word for tongue - lingua. If your tweens and high schoolers are into French , then let them create some recettes francaise.It's easy to make homemade pomme frites or French fries in the air fryer along with those delicious croque monsieur. Get creative  with this ham sandwich that also has Gruyere cheese as a layer. Add a creamy bechamel sauce or turn it into a Mornay with the addition of shredded Gruyere. This can also be applied to other cuisines like Chinese, Thai and Indian. History  can also be used in the kitchen. Delve into the back stories of such dinner favorites as pot pie or roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Explore the meanings of such classic American foods like cookies and grits  - where did they're names come from and how long they've been around.

The kitchen is a great classroom. Kids can learn math , languages and history just from one cooking lesson. Create cooking classes today for lifelong knowledge.

A Fun Meal In Guacamole With A Twist

These are the days when a fun meal is needed. There's nothing like a guacamole and chips for dinner. It's a simple mix that's easy to make and tasty to eat. That's what we need right now. That's where my version of this Mexican classic came in. There's a a twist to it though.

It starts with avocados. I was able to get some really nice ones at my local Acme.

I used four and mashed them (save the pits for growing indoor avocado trees).

Most times I usually use regular tomatoes however I'm kind of leery now about using any exposed produce. I bought  packaged grape tomatoes instead and was pleasantly surprised by the sweetness they added.

Add as much as you want. I used eight cut in half.

Then olive oil for smoothness. I always recommend this.

 Sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Of course onion powder which is less potent than onions themselves You can use the real deal if you like their texture and bite.

Everything was mashed down with a potato masher which gave the guacamole a nice texture between silky and chunky.

I had mine with chips but you can put this with tacos or on burgers if you want. I added more tomatoes to my serving and just ate it plain.

This is just one fun meal to keep up our spirits right now. It's comfort food that 's also makes for enjoyable eating. Make a bowl for the family, and bring out the chips.

The State Of Shopping Today

The way we shop has changed overnight. It's become a foraging expedition to be sure. Yet you can be savvy about what to buy. It's just knowing how to do it in without spending too much time in the store.

Know your store inside and out .It helps to map out your plan before you go (and hopefully you're only making shopping trips one or twice a week with a three day distance between). This will get you through quicker and out to your car faster. Figure out what you'll be making for four to five days in advance. If it's chili, then get plenty of red beans and tomato paste and stewed tomatoes. You should have pasta already  but if you don't get that and the ingredients to make sauce. Also include more staples such as milk, cheese , juice, and cold cuts along with frozen dinners too. Of course stock on the other essentials that make life somewhat easier. Get everything in one fell shop. Don't feel so bad if you have to buy some products in multiples. This reduces any additional trips back. It may seem hoggish but not so much if  you buy say two or three packs of teabags or three boxes of spaghetti. If you see it , basically buy it. Of course always have a pair of latex gloves ready to put on, and a mask if you feel more comfortable.

Keep in mind that there will be shortages for the basics. Chicken and beef have been going fast and it's almost impossible for the stores to keep up with the demand. Go for the vegan kind instead. Gardein has some very good chicken strips and tenders that the kids will love. The last is good with barbecue sauce and tastes like the real thing. Beyond Burgers does have great burgers and they can be turned into Whopper and Big Mac look and taste alikes. Don't fret if there's no more pizza. There seems to always be Green Giant's Cauliflower crust pizzas. I usually buy the plain ones and then load them up with favorite toppings.The crusts are a bit labor intensive. meaning you have to bake them for sixteen to eighteen minutes before you put the toppings on. The end result is good though. A tasty pizza with a super thin crust. Oatmeal is another item that seems to be scooped up in a second. Don't be alarmed if your favorite brand isn't there Sub in with the store brands or those little cups which do the trick quite nicely. Also get steel cut oats which can be used in such recipes as oat bread and oatmeal cookies.

The grocery store now is a lesson in quick foraging. Know what you want , buy enough to last a few weeks and leave. It's an aggressive kind of shopping for a new era.

A Tomato Test

A can of tomatoes is our kitchen's best friend right now. It can be used for sauces, stews and soups during our duration inside. Which is the best as far as taste and texture? Let the experts tell you.

Sara Bonisteel a senior editor  and food writer at the Times, asked the same questions and gives us answers in yesterday's  Food section. Anything canned is your kitchen's best friend right now. There was a tasting long before the pandemic happened. Writers from the the papers' NYT Cooking section and its' subsidiary had an extensive taste test. Michael Sullivan , a kitchen writer at Wirecutter chose a dozen canned brands to sample. Keep in mind that even though these can usually be found at groceries and big box stores, now there are more shortages. Mr. Sullivan developed a ranking system that is based on color, flavor, sweetness, acidity, overall appearance and texture. They were first sampled raw from the can and as part of the famed chef Marcella Hazan's famously simple four ingredient sauce. Many cooks have prized the San Marzano kind grown in Italy as the ideal. There was only one kind with this, Most were San Marzano's grown in Italy. The panel included Mr. Sullivan, Ms. Bonisteel,Alexa Weibel, a recipe editor at NYT Cooking, Ligaya Mishan, the Hungry City columnist. Other panelists were from Wirecutter's Marguerite Preston, Marilyn Ong and Winnie Yang.

Which were the best? Surprisingly Target's Market Pantry made the best. Tasters found the taste to be pleasing with Ms. Weibel describing the flavor as "forward, bright and fresh". The two others were Bianco DiNapoli Organic Whole Peeled. It's the most balanced tomato as far as sweetness and acidity.Add basil and it's the best brand for any Italian recipe.Another top brand is San Merican SMT Whole Peeled. According to Ligaya Mishan the tomatoes were pleasantly firm without too much bite.  Then there were the Better Than Average. These were Cento Certified Peeled Tomatoes and Hunt's Whole Plum Tomatoes. The first had a delicate texture and the tasters found that the liquid, more than the solids had a more tomato-y taste. The second had a nice balance of sweetness and acidity. The brands that were voted just average were  Whole Foods 365 Organic Peeled Tomatoes and Rega Rega San Marzano Tomatoes. The least surprised me because one I use a lot and recommend was panned. This was Muir Glen Organic Whole Peeled Tomatoes. The tasters found the tomatoes overly acidic and sour but I never had that problem with them. Other least favorites were Organico Bello Whole Peeled Tomatoes, Bella Terra Organic Whole Tomatoes and Contadina Whole Roma Tomatoes With Basil,  the last especially not good to extra panelist Julia Moskin.

These tomatoes represent the best and the least favorites of the panelists. It may be different for others, depending on their tastes. Try them and see. Any can of tomato sauce is worth testing these days.

Easy Comfort Food

This is the time for easy recipes from the pantry. Even if you're new to cooking there are some simple recipes you can whip up like a pro. They're tasty , relying on what you have stocked up. Another plus?   They're not labor intensive so you can spend time home schooling or working from home.

This was the subject of Melissa Clark's article in today's New York Times Food section. She also has some recipes on The Times live blog if you'd like to visit. The dishes, some are riffs on old favorites, keep perishables in mind. Some do ask for fresh ingredients but that's only if you have them handy. Subs are also welcome too.One recipe is pasta with canned tuna, anchovies and capers. Ms. Clark recommends using a twirly kind of pasta like spaghetti, linguini, or the thicker, chewier bucatini but any will do.It's then sauteing the anchovies with oil and garlic. Capers give it a salty tang but you can also use canned olives if you don't have the first or don't like them. Another dish revolves around that perpetual pantry staple. It's dried red beans. Use salted water with enough salt in it that it tastes like a mouthful of the ocean. Another flavoring is  garlic cloves , along with a celery stalk - but you can use celery salt too.  Throw in a Parmesan rind or a hunk of smoked meat. Bacon would be good here or do as Ms Clark does, throw in keilbasa. The base can any grain from rice to polenta. There is also a soup recipe.It uses the sturdy stock of root veggies such as rutabegas, turnips, carrots and even radishes. Toss in any fragrant allium like onions and throw in some herbal sprigs. Add bay leaves and a base of cold water Add some greens such as kale or spinach along with the cubed and peeled root veggies. It's then pureed and garnished with anything from a drizzle of olive oil to red pepper flakes.

Sweet recipes are also represented here. Ms. Clark gives us the ultimate comfort treat - coffee cake. It could be your snack after a work session or breakfast with a big mug of coffee. The topping is the best part and the first part made.It's melted butter, rolled oats and flour, each a quarter cup. Add in brown sugar and cinnamon. You can toss in other spices such as cardamon and allspice for some zing. The batter is a simple one , enhanced with some kinds of fermented dairy product. You can employ anything from sour cream to creme fraiche however there's also milk or non dairy yogurt acidified with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Fruit can be added to the batter such as pineapple or fresh blueberries. For a subtler flavor grate in some lemon or orange. Oatmeal also gets an upgrade. It's baked in a casserole dish with some peanut or almond butter and some cinnamon. Serve with cream and some maple syrup or just with bananas.  There's another pantry dessert, this time by another Food section contributor, Margeaux Laskey. It's a made in a pan chocolate cake that's made from scratch with cocoa powder. It's an easy bake  little chefs will love making in one bowl. Add some chocolate chips and dust with powdered sugar.

The pantry is your best friend these days. Use it to come up with satisfying meals and treats. It'll get you cooking and baking amazing recipes you and your family will love.

A Comforting Cookbook The Pinewood Kitchen

These are the times for comfort food , that's both soothing and comforting. A new cookbook, My Pinewood Kitchen: A Southern Culinary Cure (Health Communications 2020) may be the small antidote we need right now. There are some tasty dishes that can help us cope.

Mee MCCormick wrote this fascinating book which offers all sorts of recipes that can help with boosting the immune system. She herself has had an interesting life full of highs and lows. In th e meanwhile she wound up with such debilitating conditions as Hashimoto's disease , celiac disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Her recipes for Pinewood Kitchens, part of a farm, started by Samuel Graham, a free thinking farmer in the 1830. He created a kind of utopia where all men and women were equal in rural Tennessee. Chef McCormack brings her health background into her cooking and into the book. There are sections on the importance of adding berries and nuts into the diet and how they can help the body . another section, which many cooks and chefs ignore, is devoted to seaweed. She also emphasizes the importance of probiotic foods such as kimchi and sauerkraut and how they're very important in a diet. The many recipes reflect this.Chef McCormick also weighs in on sugar and what you can use in it's place - namely honey or coconut sugar , the last contains such nutrients as  zinc, iron , and calcium. She also recommends  monk fruit sugar It 's an all natural sugar first made by Buddhist monks in Southeast Asia and has no calories or carbs.

I like this cookbook a lot. There are sections from breakfasts (which comes later in the book) along ones on soups, main courses, sides and dips. The vegetarian ones are great for those cooking in a meat free home kitchen. The tempeh bacon is especially appealing , because it can also be made into a crunchy snack. It'll would also work well with Chef McCormick's falafel burger recipe. Since this is a Southern cookbook, there is a recipe for fried chicken. It's a healthier version sans the flour, being dipped in cornstarch for the crispiness. Cayenne and paprika give it color and bite. There are also collard greens along with black eyed pea croquettes, a different spin on the Southern classic. Okra is also here in fritter, roasted and pickled forms. She celebrates her Italian heritage with a tomato free (!) sauce for pasta. Miso or tamari along with kuzo root and umbeboshi vinegar give it that rich taste. Chef Mc Cormick does like tomatoes and she has an excellent tomato soup recipe, a perfect balm for these times. The breakfast recipes are interesting too, especially the breakfast tacos, made with scallions and zucchini along with bacon and eggs. Her breakfast smoothies  are rich with fruits and berries along with mushroom powder used to boost the immune system. I like the gluten free desserts, which are her family's pignoli  or pine nut cookies to a spin on the Southern classic pecan pie. She also had a healthier version of pumpkin pie too.

We need  healthy comfort food during these troubling and crazy times. Mee McCormick's My Pinewood Kitchen : A Southern Culinary Cure is just that. She provides us with great recipes that are good for our bodies and souls.

Pantry Creations

By now and in the weeks to come we've exhausted our pantry and comfort food recipes. It's time to come up with new spins and new ideas. Get your creativity on.

Beans are a pantry staple and surely we've used many recipes with them in this short time. There must be many families settling down to chili right now. It's a great crock pot fix , especially during these days of working and schooling from home. A new spin is white chili, This requires chicken, if you have it , any kind of white beans and mild green chili. Corn kernels can be added to along with mild green, red and yellow bell peppers. It can be topped with avocado and sour cream for extra flavor. Don't worry about it being time consuming to make. It can be made in a crockpot. Mix everything in the morning and let cook by and be read by the afternoon. Another bean dish is hummus. This is an easy make and recipes can be tweaked for some fun variations.Instead of making it solely with chickpeas , add some cannellini beans for a more buttery flavor and smoother texture. Many of the recipes do add tahini, but you don't have to if you can't find it. The same thing goes for olive oil. Use vegetable oil as a sub in. Garlic is always present in any hummus but if that's too strong, then think finely minced onions or onion powder.

Beans can also be used in salads along with other leftovers. Think a kidney bean and tomato salad or  a variety of different beans in a tangy vinaigrette. These both are wonderful sides for burgers and nuggets. You probably have a wide variety of canned veggies right now too.  That famed holiday dish , green bean casserole can easily be made as a main course. Luckily it can also be made in a crock pot or Instapot. It's taking a can of green beans and another pantry staple a can of chicken soup. It's cooked with any kind of milk, along with seasonings. It's usually topped with frizzled onions but you can use Funyuns if you have them.Eggs and canned veggies can also work together. Any diced or pureed tomatoes can be blended with beaten egg and garlic to create the northern Italian classic, pomadori e uovi, tomatoes and eggs. This is a wonderful lunch or dinner , especially served on large crusty slices of Italian bread. You can also use tomatoes in an impromptu shakshouka. This is poached eggs in a spicy sauce that also has peppers and onions along with onions and peppers.

Comfort dishes can be boring. Shake up the pantry with some tasty spins on classic dishes. You'll love them and so will your family.