What's Your Range

 The stove is the most integral part of the home kitchen. We use it for baking roasting, pan frying and sauteing. Picking the right one and the best one all depends on how much you use it. There are so many different ones out there. which one is the best.

Ovens have been around since the 1400's. Most wealthy families had their own , mostly to bake bread. Poorer ones had to share in a communal oven. These were mostly brick and mud and were surprisingly good in keeping in the heat. They could reach temperatures up to four hundred degrees Farenheit. The only problem was regulating the temperature. There was no Celsius or Farenheit back then. Home chefs just tossed some flour into the oven and if it browned at the correct speed then it was ready. By the end of the 1700's ovens became more compact. They used wood or coal and then around 1820 gas was introduced as one of the fuels to heat them. Great Britain was the first country to have used gas stoves throughout the country. It was only until the end of the 1800's that temperature settings were introduced. It became easier to bake and roast with accuracy. Cakes and breads weren't burned and roasts were evenly cooked, eliminating undercooked or burned areas on chickens and briskets.

Now there are so many different kinds of stoves from the traditional gas to to electric. There are also single and double ones, Larger kitchens can definitely benefit form the double ones, These are roomier and perfect for big families.They're also perfect for roasting such dishes as London Broils and twenty pound turkeys. Single ovens are better for smaller families who aren't into making elaborate meals or throwing large gatherings. These are still good for big roasts (you will have to remove the shelving to accommodate hefty hams and poultry) along with baking of any kind. Many home chefs prefer convection ovens. These are built more or less the same as regular ovens except they have fans and an extra heating element found in the back. They cook twenty-five percent faster than regular ovens. This is great however you will have to constantly adjust cooking, roasting and baking times. You also have to think about the stove top. Do you want to stick with four burners or six? Six do come in handy for holiday cooking, when you have a lot of sides to heat. A four burner does the job just fine and it's less space to clean.

Ovens have been a part of home cooking since before the Renaissance. Now there are so many different kinds. Pick the ones that satisfy your baking and cooking needs.

A Weekend In

 Between the frigid temps, snow and virus, it pays to spend a weekend in. It's a great time to hang around the kitchen and do a number of different things. It could be  baking or cooking or something more grander  - a plan to remodel. There's all sorts of different activities where you don;t have to go outdoors.

Baking and cooking are the obvious choices on a cold snowy day. Since it's the weekend consider fun foods for a Saturday or Sunday night in. Pizza is always a good choice.It's can be in a number of forms You can make the traditional pie or one with variations like a stuffed crust or a four cheese one. Pizza bread is a nice change up for dinner or a snack watching the games. This is just making a kind of savory jelly roll with cheese, and any kind of topping rolled in a flat sheet of dough. You can make your own or use PIllsbury's crescent dough. The sauce is later when the roll is sliced and you can dip the slices into the warmed sauce or spoon it over them.A weekend in is a good time to try new dishes. Crack open those cookbooks you received for Christmas. Try an Ethiopian stew rich with lentils and Berber spice or a crunchy croque Monsiuer . Go to the dessert section and give an English syllabub a whirl or a chocolate lava cake a try. Candy recipes are also an enjoyable to make . Nothing beats a pan of homemade fudge or peanut brittle.

A weekend in is a good time to assess your kitchen . It's a perfect   few hours to think about remodeling. Buy or download  some of the kitchen remodeling magazines like Homes And Garden to get ideas. Look on line to see what you'd like. It could be a farmhouse sink or a granite counter tops. Assess your appliances too. Is your fridge too old? How is your stove working? Start pricing online and seeing what you think would look best. are you thinking of expanding? Then spend the time indoors looking at your kitchen's dimensions. Do you want to bump it out a few feet? Or would you like to add a sunroom or small conservatory to expand the dining area? Again look on  line. there are some great videos on You Tube that walk you through the entire process. Check out Jessica Miller Nashville one that  shows the entire process. It will convince you or not to expand the room. While you're at it, also take a look at remodeler's and their websites.  You can leave questions or chat live with their customer service reps. You'll get ideas or pricing and time frame along with suggestions.

A weekend in can be a productive time. You can try out a new and fun recipe. You can sketch plans for a new , pretty kitchen. It's time well spent.

Friday Night Fun Air Fryer Kale Chips

 A homemade snack is always a treat.An air fryer makes it even easier>kale chips are one of those fun and healthy snacks that can work as a side or a munchie instead of popcorn and potato chips.It's an easy make.

I used Splata Farms Baby Kale.  The leaves are tender and crisp up nicely.

It was then rinsing them and putting them in the air f ryer basket. You should just place one layer to ensure a good crispy leaf.

Spritz the basket and leaves with a cooking spray. I like Acme's Signature Olive Oil spray but you can also use avocado or coconut oil sprays too. 

It was then a sprinkle of Celtic Celery sea salt and fresh ground pepper. I like that the celery salt add a more vegetal flavor.

It's then air frying them for three minutes at 370 degrees Farenheit. I looked at different sites and came up with my own recipe.

This may look like wilted salad but the leaves are as crisp as Pringles.

They were delicious and a fun alternative to the snacks out there. You will have to cook them in singular layers and be attentive to the timing every few minutes. It's worth it though. Keep in mind kale chips are also a perfect side to beyond Burgers and Morningstar  Farms Chicken nuggets.

There's nothing like a good crunchy snack. Make it healthy with kale chips. They're an easy make in your air fryer.

French Bread Pizza Your Way

 One of the best meals that's easy to make and easy to eat is french bread pizza.It's a quick fix that can be the perfect weekday dinner or weekend .Like pizza it can have many toppings, all good.

Dawn Perry, a cookbook author and food director at Real Simple gave her spin on this kitchen classic in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Pizza is a good meal, especially during these cold times yet to make  it from scratch is sometimes labor intensive. The dough is also finicky. An already baked baguette is perfect.There is one caveat about it. Lengths and widths will vary from fat squishy loaves to thin, crusty baguettes. Smaller loaves require less sauce and a thinner layer of cheese. Ms Perry recommends digging out some of the inside to make room for the sauce and the toppings. (I would just flatten it with a spoon or a fork). This extra can be pulsed into breadcrumbs in the food processor or torn into pieces, tossed with olive oil and salt and baked in a 350 degree Farenheit oven for some crusty breadcrumbs. You can also do the same with Italian bread too, but keep in mind that it's thicker and wider.

Ms. Perry gives three topping recipes , not unlike the giant of French bread pizza, Stouffer's. You can try her four cheese one with a Mornay sauce. This is an easy make involving flour, butter and milk (it can also be used for croque Monsiurs with the addition of grated Gruyere cheese). She uses mozzarella, pecorino and Parmesan. The sauce is spooned over the bread then topped with the cheeses. You can top it with red pepper flakes if you want or a sprinkle of oregano. There's also a pesto and mozzarella version with a pesto that can be made with the original herb basil but also with parsley. arugula and baby spinach leaves. Pine nuts are also needed but almonds can be added too.A fragrant garlic oil, made by cooking garlic in olive oil is brushed on the bread before putting on the pesto and mozzarella. Pizza lovers will enjoy the pepperoni and sauce one. It's a homemade sauce made with petite diced tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and oregano. It's mixed and spooned onto the bread. The pepperoni is tossed with mozzarella and Parmesan to coat it and it's then placed on top of the loaves. More cheese is placed on top for a cheesy bite.

A French bread pizza is the perfect meal on a cold night. It's easy to make and fun to eat. Try it with these tasty toppings.

The Suburb's America's New Food Mecca

 Usually suburban restaurant food can be only from, diners or chains. Food from other coutnries was a rarity until recently. The vibe is changing with more diverse menus entering small towns.

 Regular contributor and cookbook author Priya Krishna wrote about this new movement in today's new York Times Food section running a place in Mom and Pop America has pluses and minuses. Many suburban diners take to the idea of different cuisines coming into their sphere. At Jalea's in Saint Charles Missouri,sister and brother Mimi and Andrew Cisneros serve dishes that are new to locals yet they love it. The same is true of the Balkan based eatery Balkan Treat Box in Webster Missouri, another Saint Louis suburb. Owners edo and Loryn Nalyk worried that diners wouldn;t like their food or that they'd have to water down some recipes such as pidi, a kind of pizza and balik ekmek grilled fish in parsley and lemon. Tasting menus are also being introduced. These have largely belonged to the big city eateries like Lidia Bastianich's Felidia and Da Posto. Heritage dishes are also getting a chance in small town resttaurants. Another reason is that millennials are moving from the big cities to areas outside larger cities. They bring with them a more sophisticated and varied palate.

The suburbs allow chefs to shine. They dont need the big city gloss or attention. However there are a few caveats despite the easiness of opening a restaurant in a small town. traditional Baby Boom towns, those suburbs built to accommodate burgeoning families in the years following World war Two. These were meant for miles of residential property and very little commercial land..Unless the town has been established pre World War Two, there is no down town or shopping area where homeowners can walk to restaurants. Foot traffic is usually reserved to just the weekends. Restaurants also have to navigate through the sometimes tricky and sticky local government departments such as health,planning and zoning. There's also a lack of mass transit that can ferry locals from their homes to the town's hub according to Dr. willow Lung-aman, an urban panning professor at the University of Maryland. There are also prejudices too regarding black and gay restaurant owners according to Kristen Jeffers  founder of the media group Black Urbanist. Thankfully younger homeowners re speaking out about this unfairness.

The suburbs are calling. Young chefs and restauranteurs should heed its' siren's call. There's a whole world just waiting to try new flavors and new cuisines.

Turning Sides Into Mains

 Imagine just having sides for dinner. You can. Turning side dishes into  dinner time stars is easy.It's also a fun way to change up the usual supper.

One of the sides that's has been turned into a main for a long time now is salad. It may be a trifle chilly to serve it completely from the fridge. What you can do is add some hot ingredients such as chicken, London Broil, shrimp or salmon. These can be taken from the oven or grill, sliced and put directly into a bed or field greens. Another way of serving a steamy bowl of greens is creating a hot dressing. Yes , salad dressing can be hot.One popular one is made with bacon.It's frying up the bacon, draining it and them crumbling the slices. A roux is made using cornstarch, sugar, water and vinegar. The bacon is added to this and it's cooked over a medium heat until it thickens. It would be great generously spooned over a spinach salad , rich with sliced hard boiled eggs and  of course more bacon. In the warmer months you can easily serve a chilled salad Nicoise. This Provencale favorite has everything in it, from anchovies to artichokes to green beans to capers. It even makes for a nice lunch , especially with some crusty French bread.

Baked potatoes have always accompanied steaks yet they too can be turned into a main meal. You can split them open and fill them up with a variety of stuffings. Many like chili on theirs  and this can be made either a meat lover's one with ground beef or a vegan ones with soy crumbles or just beans. Another tasty filling is sliced ham and broccoli with a topping of melted cheddar, A fun weekend meal is a pizza topped baked potato. This is first cooking onions and mushrooms in olive oil as the potatoes bake in a 425 degree Farenheit oven. Tomato sauce, pepperoni and oregano along with minced garlic is added. The potatoes are then slit open  and filled with this,. They'r topped with shredded mozzarella and returned to the broiler or oven for two minutes. You could also make stuffed baked potatoes too as a main dish.It's baking them first and then scooping out the insides. These are mashed and blended with melted butter. Sour cream, bacon or julienned ham slices and grated onion are added. The potatoes are then popped back into 350 degree oven for another fifteen minutes. You can do the same for Hasselback potatoes too. These are sliced potatoes that are brushed with butter and then baked. They're baked for thirty minutes first , then cheese slices are pit between the slits. and baked for another ten minutes. Top with crumbled bacon, sour cream and chives.

Forget the main dishes. Have sides for dinner.It;s a fun way to enjoy dinner and a change up from the ordinary. You won;t miss those roasts after eating these.

In The Spirit Of MLK

  Today is Martin Luther King Day and we do celebrate Dr. King as a great and once in generation civil rights leader. Civic duty is something we all should aspire to one day, especially now. These are tough times. We need to step up to help each other and our planet.

Again contributing to your local food pantry or food bank is an absolute must. Yes,there are shortages some might be feeling the pinch themselves yet  try to help. Many drive through food banks still need help in bundling the foods and handing them out. If you don't have the time for this then take it down to a smaller scale.Shop for  elderly neighbors and family members that are afraid to go themselves, fearing they'll get the Omnicron variant. If you can

 treat them to something from the store's bakery department, whether it be a fresh made baguette or square of cake. Add some veggies and fruit if you feel their diet is lacking (although check with them first. some diets may have certain fruits and veggies cut out). If you're going for a drive through coffee , buy an extra cup of it or tea for them. The same goes for military families and those who are feeling a financial pinch. Treat them to a gift certificate at their favorite restaurant. This also gives business to local eateries too.

Dr. King's widow, Coretta and his son Dexter were and are committed vegetarians. Mrs King came to it late in life and Dexter was influenced by the controversial activist. Dick Gregory. Hurting and eating other animals is often connected to rights for all. Other political trail blazers like Mahatma Gandhi and Susan B. Anthony also eschewed meat. You can also do this, along with rethinking your shopping and eating habits. It is hard to  just go vegan or vegetarian cold right away. Yet you can ease into it, thanks to the wide array of plant based proteins. Try Beyond Meat once or twice a week. Beans are a wonderful source of protein and there's a lot o recipes with them you can try. A warming bean soup or two alarm chili would be perfect right now to chase away the January chill. Field Roast has hot dogs and sausages that taste like the real thing and they make for the perfect lunch or dinner. The more you rely on plant based foods, the more you'll help the planet.

Dr. King left a rich legacy that can only inspire. Do what you can to make the world a better and cleaner place. Help not harm others, whether they're our species or another.