Jennifer Garner Cooks

 Jennifer Garner is the type of star or celeb (whichever you want to call her) seems like she'd be the perfect friend. She;s wholesome, fresh and sweet. She's also the friend you'd like to bake and cook with as well. You can even if you're not a friend. Her show "Pretend Cooking Show" on her You tube channel Garnerish isa great way to learn how to cook and pick up tips.

I disocvered Garnerish by accident.It really is a delightful program and it's like watching your bestie cook and bake. Of course there is  anod to Garner's idol, Ina Gartner, (shes' even mentioned in a  video or two). she makes simple and complex recipes.What's great about these videos is that they show fails. This happened with her bagel recipes which she quickly dumped in the garbage. ( I would have just torn them up and let the birds or wildlife eat them).It's as if she's saying it's all right to make mistakes . No one is a perfect cook or baker. - something other chefs fail to mention. No home chef then feels bad and quits cooking or is afraid to try anything. Ms. Garner is one of us. If she feels its OK to sometimes produce clunkers then it's OK for us too. This is very important for thosejust starting out in the kitchen. Cooking is not a perfect art. There will be underbaked cakes or scorched meats and burned soups. It diesn't mean you should just walk away. Come back and try again.

What about her recipes? She has a really good one on zoodles, zucchini pasta with an easy sauce. Keep in mind Ms. Garner does have state of the art equipment. She can bascially create restuarant quality dishes. You can easily buy a cheaper spiralizer. The zoodles are sauteed in olive oil with garlic and herbs. The sauce is an easy one of canned tomatoes with onions . She adds a blog of frehs whipped ricotta for more flavor. An even easier recipe is her leftover chicken soup which is like any body's mom's.A really sweet one is her making chffon pie with her mom,West Virgnia born Pat (Ms. Garner was born and raised there). Her mother helps and imparts really good wisdom on making whipped cream(always use metal bowls to whip cream in and always store th e bowls in fridge before using) . This is an easy tasty dessert that's reminscent of Eton Mess, a glorious mix of whipped cream, fresh fruit and homemade meringue.There's also adisasterous chocolate chip cookie video that everyone can relate to.

If you like cooking with your besties, then watch the 109 episodes of Pretend Cooking. These are fun and easy to watch how tos. They'll make you feel good about cooking and baking.

Snow Days Fun Recipes

 Snow days don;t always have to mean Zoom meetings or classes. It could be a day in making and balong fun recipes. It[s a great way to use up the day and even try new dishes and treats.

Of course pizza is always the recipe of chpice amongst everyone. Pizza dough is easy to make. It's just watrr flour , yeast , sgar and salt.It's also a good introduction to working with yeast. Once made you can have all sorts of fun with toppings.If you want a no fuss, then buy the pizza sauce that comes in the easy to squirt bottle (it looks exactly like  a ketchup bottle). Shredded mozzarella is good for an even cheese layer  but use cunks fo it if you want to create a traditional Margherita one.Everyone can create their own toppings. Make sure you have plenty of vegan and meat pepperoni, bacon bits, olives, peppers and for those into healthy eating - spinach and brooccoli. You could also make the extra fun  and easy garlic knots or twists. They're super easy to bake and thn dip into a zingy marinara sauce (for this you can just use the pizza sauce heated up in the microwave). Another fun dish? Chicken wings!!! Thy're made even easier in an air fryer. Just toss them in olive  oe vegetable oil first then give them  good toss in chili or garlci powder. Add salt and pepper to this for more ;flavor.

Of course a snowy day also means baking., Have a couple of rolls of Pillsbury cookie dough on hand for easy baking and eating. (also ave plenty of milk on hand for this as well) You can also buy cookie mixes too from Betty Crocker and create tasty plates of oatmeal and peanut butter ons. A fun snowy day activity is baking sugar cookies and letting the little ones (and bigger ones) decoare them with homemade or store bought icing and such decorations as sprinkles and mini chocolate chips.Bakibng a batch of cupcakes are another fun stay indoors activity. Use cake mix for an easier route. Again the frosting can be storebought or homemade. Have plenty of decorations on hand so the kids can have a field day with them. A snowy day can also mean a foray into candy making., Try your hand at fudge or peanut briittle. Fudge just requires chopped semi sweet chocolate pieces, condensed milk and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. You could add dairy or plant butter for a smoother consistency and better taste. Of course peanut brittle is a blend corn syrup, water and peanuts cooked and later mixed with baking soda, vanilla extract and butter. It's then poured onto a loaf pan an d let cool. (this cna even be outside).

The weather outside may be frightful., The cooking and baking insid will be delightful. Make and enjoy these treats on a frosty day home from school and work.

Wash Your Mouth Out With Chocolate

 Chocolate just isn't for dessert or snackign anymore. You can use it to wash your mouth out! Yes, yoru mouth. There's a new mouthwash ou there that can make brushing and dental care fun.

Normally this isn't the place for reviewing health care product but this one was so unusual and diffrent

 I thought it had to be told.It's from SuperMouth and comes not only in chocolate, but also vanilla, strawberry and the traditional mint. This is primarily for kids. The website has a lot fo cool stuff from a comic book to music for brushing on their app. They also have toothpaste in the same flavors so kids can match or mix up flavors, depending on what they like. It's a fun way to get them to brush and take care of their teeth. There is also flavored floss and even tongue scrapers to rid the mouth of bacteria laden food bits. There are also basby toothbrushes and finger brushes parents can use on babies' mouths

What about the taste?It  sort of tastes like a chocolate malted with something extra added. It's not bad tasting Just diffrent.

Kids and chocolate lovers will adore this,especially if they arenpt fond of the traditional strong mint flavors of other mouth washes.

SuperMouth is changing the way kids are taking care of their mouths. THis is a fun new path everyone will like. Try it and their chocolalte floss and toothpaste.

Easy Friday Potatoes

 It's the start of the weekend. It's time for just easy cooking whether for main meals or for sides. Air frued potatoes fills this need.

I just wanted air fried potatoes for lunch.It;s kind of like just wanting an order of fries, except air fried potatoes are so much better. I bought these from yesterday's Lidl's haul.

These are from The LIttle Potato Company. Their Little Yellows slice up and fry up nicely. I defiinitely plan on buying thm again the next time I visit Lidl.

It was first rinsing them off and then slicing each one info four slices or coins. I added half a cup of olive oil, salt and pepper along with garlic and onion powders.

Even small potatoes take a long time to air fry. It was cooking them for fifteen minutes at 400 degrees. Thyey were flipped at seven minutes, half way between the beginning and end of cooking times.

This yielded two batches. They were grat on their own but you could also serve them alongside of steak or even with eggs and bacon as a haerty Sunday brunch. Drizzle on melted cheddar and sprinkle with bacon bits for a tasty game day snack too.

These are asy friday potatoes but you could make them any day of the week. Save them for the upcoming weekend or make alongside a weekday grilled meat. They're good any day you serve them.

A Good Fire In Your Kitchen

Habanero peppers sometimes  receive a bad rap. Yet they're perfect for creating sauces and heating up ordinary ingredients. The knack is knowing how toharness the fire so that ti works for your recipes.

Contributor and celebrity chef Patti Jinich wrote about the zingy pepper in yesterday's New York Times Food section.The habanero is a main and particular ingredient of the Yucatan Peninsula 9it's famous for Cancun and Mayan pyramids.Surprisingly it came from the Amazon Basin in South America and migrated up to the area during colonial times.It became a major export to Cuba and recieved its' name from one of the island's provinces La Habana.Its' consumption was largely confined to the Yucatan peninsula until about a decade ago.There it was used for salsas. American discovered it and put it into everything from rice to potato chips and even chile crisp.Home chefs can have a field day with it.It does not only have a fiery taste but can also taste fruity, citrusy and flowery before it gets the mouth on fire. Kep in mind it's least ripe when its' green and can have a bitter and acidiic taste. Look for ones that are yellow, orange and red and have waxy skins.The pepper's heat is concentrated at the top and dissapates along its' length.

Unlike most hot peppers, they're easy to chop. There's no residual fieriness left on hands and fingers after cutting.(unless you;re chopping up a lot,. Then just wash hands with soapy water).Chef Jinich suggests having them chopped  after de-stemming and deseeding. Add  a sliced raw onion, a bit of lime juice and some salt for an easy salsa.It makes for a spicy pico di gallo or a perfect condiment for tacos, tortas and tostadas.it can also be puree dto be used in sauces , soups ,stews or marinades. She includes three recipes  that include habaneros.  You could try her tomato -habanero salsa which is a blend of Roma tomatoes, white onions and vegetable oil. A different weeknight dinner is habanero chicken and broccoli. The chicken is  a simpleroast while the florets get a kicky sweet and fiery habanero sauce that's also mixed with honey, lemon and lime juices.A nice side is her tangy romaine salad with a habanero-avocado dressing.It's the peppers roasted and deseeeded mixed with avocado, brown sugar,vinegar, salt peppr and water. The romaiine laos has oranges added for brightness and sweetness.

Use the habanero to give a kick to any dish on a cold winter's day.It's easy to cook with and add to any recipe. It brightens up any dish and dinner.

More Lessons To Learn

 One solid New Yer's resolution is either improving one's cooking skills or finally learning how to cook. either won;t disappoint in the long run. The skills gleaned now will last a lifetime, meaning tasty meals and easier ways to deal with prep and cooking.

Regular contributor , chef and restauranteur Sohla El-Wahlly has written about and gives readers easy recipes to try in today's New York Times Food section. She has also teamed up with te Times to create videos on You Tube geared for novice home chefs.(they're at youtube.com@NYTCooking) Most are half and hour long and Chef El-Wahlly guides you through first selecting the best ingredients and then the different cooking methods. (there are much shorter Tikotk videos from adventurous home chefs who have tried and executed  the NY Times recipes ,Also check those out) There is already a video on eggs and the many different ways to cook them, from a simple scrambled to sunny side up. There will also be videos on crispy salmon without any stovestop platter, a rice pilaf, perfect onits' own or as a buttery side and a perfectly cooked and crisped spatchcocked chicken. There will also be recipes for  broiled broccoli even kids will love, a one skillet steak dinner and Chef El=Wahlly's mom's spaghetti dinner.

Even if you don't watch the NY TImes video, there's Chef El-Wahlly's advice to consider. As with any project start with the right tools. Buy a big cutting board. Smaller ones are perfect for cutting proteins and then easy to wip down. For all other buy the biggest one you can. This will be perfect for cutting up veggies and herbs one right after the other and leaving them into little piles. It makes for an easy , effortless  throwing everything intoa pot or skillet too. Another must is a knife you can sharpen.Chef El-Wahlly recommends steer clear of any celebrity endorsed ones. Buy yourself an inexpensive one along with a small whetstone for sharpening.Big bowls for mixing and a heavy skillets are also musts. Another iteme very kitchen should have is a sheet pan. This should not just be forroasting veggies an meats.. Use this as an all purpose cookie sheet and to dry brine meats in the fridge. There is also advice on tasting the food you cook along the way to make sure it tastes OK, swapping in one ingredient for another and learn how to read a recipe. Another bit of advice be kind to yourself. Mistakes will happen . Let them.

Watch the videos to learn how to cook. You'll definitely pick up tips and tricks for making a better meal. Cooking is not hard. It's easy if you know what you're doing.

Are You Storm Ready

 This is January and that means storms - all sorts of them Are you ready for them? What about your food supplies? Ehat can you cook with if you lose power? Be prepared and be ready,

It used to be that the month just brough blizzards and monster snowstorms.Thanks to global warming we're getting more and more hurricane like storms in a warming winter. The same advice I gave in September during that season I'll give now.Have plenty of canned food along with plenty of bagged and canned food for your animal companions. Winter flooding is getting bad here in the States. It may be hard to get to a store , especially if it's in a low lying flood zone. Make sure both people, and animals have enough of their special foods for special diets too. Keep in mind that your power may go out so that's a problem for fridges and freezers. Those frozen dinners will have to be cooked quickly, namely in a gas oven. No electricity means no air fryers or  microwaves.If you can and the weather breaks then get out your barbecue. Use charcoal and any relatively dry wood as fuel and cook up any meats and even vegetables. Frozen dinners will have to be deconstructed and cook what you can from them.

What should you buy? Usually most go for bread, milk and eggs. You can easily make French toast with these . Also think easy to store cheese slices. You can make everything from grilled cheese to stuffed tortillas with the slices. They can also go into salads too for extra protein. Cold cuts also work and they can also be used in salads for more protein. Some grocery stores will be flooded or will be powerless. A few will have generators and most industrial freezers can keep food overnight at the longest. Stay away from the creamy stuff like frozen dinner with sauces. Fresh meats and seafood can easily spoil. Avoid these. Stick with cereals for breakfast for the kids. Buy boxed milk , both plant and dairy for them and for your coffee. Again canned food will come in handy .Beans and tuna fish can be eaten cold right out of the can. Figure on bean salad and tuna mixed with vegan mayo (this is safer for you because there are no eggs in it that can go bad). Get fresh fruits and vrggies to eat too. Again these can be eaten raw and a good source of nutrients. Buy bagged snacks and cookies along with candy just to have as comfort food.

January is getting a bad reputation  as a stormy month these days. Be  prepared. be careful. You can weather any storm with the right food choices.