Saw a great tip on CBS’ Saturday Early Show. To preserve the “life-expectancy” of thick, viscous items (they used sour cream and applesauce as examples), after opening and using the first serving or two, make sure that the container is sealed well, and then store in the refrigerator - UPSIDE DOWN! How simple, and it makes perfect sense. It’s the addition of fresh air that makes the sour cream go green or blue faster than anything else… Use the weight of the product to form a seal, and you’ve saved yourself a little time on the shelf, and probably a couple bucks. Just thought you’d like to know….

Now that it’s getting cooler, this is a great way to use your oven and get some really special flavors. Roasting brings out a much richer (and most times healthier) result than boiling or steaming… It takes a little longer than those processes, but again, the end product is worth it. I’ve told you about the combination I used for the Flank Steak Dinner, and I often use a combination that is great with pork; potatoes, onions, and apples – add a couple tablespoons of mustard, with a splash of apple cider, cider vinegar, or even beer. This is great with kielbasa or other spicy sausage, and I’ve even used thick cut pork chops (pan sear those first) – then bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. YUM! Every Day Cooking had a good segment on this topic; America’s Test Kitchen has also done several items using this process along the way... Veggies taste great cooked this way; it makes it a one or two pan well-balanced meal (you can cook the starch and green together), and is extremely easy and doesn’t take that much time. Give it a try!

A former co-worker and I have kept in touch and have become even better friends since. Even though we live only a few miles from each other, we just haven’t gotten together for several months. So this weekend we made plans… Pizza and beer on a Sunday afternoon - not much to ask for, right? Well, we got a whole lot more than we asked for. And it was great! Instead of a franchise, we opted for a local Italian, family run restaurant, Cortese’s , established in 1947. The atmosphere was comfortable – even if it had been packed, it would not have felt crowded. There was a group at the bar watching a football game – but quiet enough so that the rest of us could converse. The service was delightful and helpful – I only wish I had caught our server’s name… We were relaxed and pampered the entire visit – which we stretched out to enjoy our reunion. The half mushroom and extra cheese/half Florentine pizza was so rich and delightful that we each took some home. I have to admit that I sometimes resent going to a restaurant where I can make whatever I’m served better, and definitely cheaper. This was an exception. Okay, it was a little pricier than a "chain" pizza place – but infinitely more enjoyable. Bottom line, support your local businesses – and spoil yourself once in a while at the same time!

I made a dinner tonight that I just have to brag about! The source of inspiration was surprising - Regis & Kelly Live, or is it Live, with Regis and Kelly? Anyway, they had Guy Fieri on a little while back who made a “Bloody Mary Flank Steak” – fantastic! I marinated the meat as described; I pan seared after I had roasted some potatoes, onions, and broccoli, (tossed in a little olive oil and S & P) and then let the meat continue to cook a little in the cooling, but still hot oven. Then, I used the leftover (now beef flavored) marinade to make a great “gravy” – brought it to a boil, and used some of the liquid to mix with some cornstarch, then added the slurry back into the pan… The meat was extremely tender, and even a "nominal-meat eater" headed back to the kitchen for more. This is an easy, and fairly inexpensive, wonderful treat that I highly recommend. Trust me – you do have to do some prep work and plan ahead, but you’ll look like a gourmet!

Winter’s coming, that can’t be denied. That means it’s time to start thinking about soups. One of my favorites is Cheesy Vegetable Soup. In fact, a friend who recently discovered this site mentioned this soup to me (fondly remembered), and said it was a “must post”. Hate the name, but love the meal. I’ve made this several times – once as the "nibble" for a Christmas Day – and it is incredibly good! I “cheat” and buy a package of frozen vegetables that has the mix that the recipe calls for, but even that doesn’t change the wonderful results. I’ve got a couple other favorites that I will post as I start preparing them – but I look forward to hearing from you with some of your best, as well. Stay warm!

Every now and again we all start wanting (make that needing) something – something we don’t normally eat, or a lot more of something we have. I don’t know if it’s scientific fact or not, but I have found it wise to follow these urges. My friend has had a serious cold for the last few days, and on his shopping list is a jar of pepperoncini – he’s craving them. Just for fun, I googled… check out the article on Healthcare.com about the health benefits of hot peppers. To summarize, they break up the mucus, and are loaded with vitamin C – plus they provide a lot of other good stuff. Makes sense, don’t it? Got a cold, crave spicy peppers… Of course, you shouldn’t sit down and eat an entire half gallon of ice cream, but chocolate is actually healthy in moderation, and you might be needing some extra calcium… So – you have my “permission” to follow your whims from time to time.

I’ve lived in Upstate New York most of my life. I’m proud of it, yet when I’ve traveled on many occasions have had to remind people that there is more to the state than “the Big Apple”. Well, today I’m talking about apples – the real thing. It’s that season, and they are in abundance! There is so much variety, freshness… and just plain old good eating. It’s a huge crop, and NY provides a large percentage of the apples eaten everywhere. Oldbaritone sent this link to NY Apple Country's Recipe website. There are many great ideas posted on the site. Enjoy!

From Stacey: I learned an interesting bit of information while studying up on Baklava. It's not actually Greek; it is Turkish. The Greeks learned it from the Turks during the Ottoman era & there are Turkish stores in Athens, Greece that actually sell it. Let me know what you think! The recipe I used for Baklava can be found at AllRecipes.com. I'm not sure if the recipe states this, but the best way to thaw phyllo/filo dough is to put it in the refrigerator for 24 hours before you begin your prep. The Vasilopita is a Greek New Year's Bread. It is made in honor of a beautiful act of charity by St. Basil to the poor and needy of his flock. In order to insure that the needy would have money for life's necessities, and knowing that the needy were also proud people, St. Basil had the ladies of his church bake sweet bread with coins baked into them. In this way he could give them money without demeaning them at all. It is therefore traditional to bake a coin into the Vasilopita (St. Basil's Bread). The one who receives the coin is considered to be especially blessed for the year." Ok, useless knowledge! Here is the recipe for the cake: INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup warm milk · 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast · 1/2 cup bread flour · 6 cups bread flour · 1/2 teaspoon salt · 1 cup white sugar · 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon · 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg · 3/4 cup butter, melted · 3 eggs · 2 cups warm milk · 2 tablespoons butter, melted · 1 egg, beaten · 1/2 cup chopped almonds DIRECTIONS 1. In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup milk, yeast and 1/2 cup flour. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour. 2. Place 6 cups flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add contents of small bowl, salt, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, 3/4 cup melted butter, 3 eggs and 2 cups milk. Mix thoroughly to make a thick dough. 3. Scoop the dough into a lightly greased 8x8 inch baking pan. Brush dough with melted butter, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. 4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 5. When dough has risen, insert a clean silver coin into the loaf. Brush dough with beaten egg and sprinkle with chopped almonds. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 40 minutes. There are many good sources for this recipe, but I don’t remember which one I got this from… sorry! Made the cake. It overflowed while rising in the baking pan & it sunk in the middle & cracked like a cheesecake, so don’t worry. The taste is the thing, right? Linda again… Like I said, unfortunately the St Basil cake got left behind – but the Baklava was incredible!!!!!!! I "stole" two pieces to take home and that made my day on Monday. Try it – I’m sure you’ll enjoy. As the St. Basil Cake/Vasilopita was frozen, that has been promised as my Birthday cake (in December)… so we’ll talk about that then.

The very first article I posted to this site was about the birthday dinner for my Mom and sister-in-law, Anita. It’s hard for me to believe that “it’s that time again”… Last year we did Asian – this year it was Greek! In the “Welcome Message” I say that I will provide more links to other sites than you’re used to seeing – this article alone will prove that! WARNING!!! If you don’t like garlic, move on to the next article – this one is NOT for you! To keep “the hordes” out of the kitchen, I made Flatbread Topped with Mint, Feta, and Lamb , by Martha Stewart. Sis-in law Stacey brought homemade hummus and pita. To serve along with the hummus, there was Rachael Ray’s Olive Tapenade, and at the last minute I was bored (yeah, right), and decided to make Tzatziki, a traditional yogurt, cucumber, and garlic dip from Nancy Gaifyllia of About.com. Just for fun, I wanted to have Saganaki, Greek Flaming Cheese (recipe by bigoven.com)… couldn’t resist hearing my family all yell “OPA”! Actually, I think that's what inspired me to do a Greek theme! It WAS fun. The appetizer at the table was the All Seasons River Inn version of Spanikopita, Spinach Pie. This recipe was loaded with cheese, and not only did I love the idea of individual portions, it could be made ahead and frozen! Check out my article: “Fun with Filo.” We made the Béchamel sauce on-site, and drizzled some on each salad plate – and served more on the side. Each gorgeous pastry was decorated with a thin sliver of sun-dried tomato, just for color… BTW, the "we" in the kitchen was me and my faithful and intelligent sous chef, niece Marisa. Ok, are you ready for the meal itself?!?! How about Sara Moulton’s/Michael Psilakis’ Lamb Yiouvesti …i.e. Braised Lamb Shanks with Root Vegetables. Again, this was made the day before, and just needed to be reheated – it’s been my experience that anything slow-cooked tastes better the next day! Now, not everyone likes lamb (sigh) – so I made Grilled Lemon and Garlic Glazed Chicken from Razzle Dazzle Recipes. Well, I prepared the sauce, butterflied and brined the chickens… As ever wonderful, Jeff did the grilling. I did substitute Greek Oregano for the thyme that the recipe calls for. I’d intended to bring the leftover lemon/garlic sauce to a slow boil and add a little more lemon, some arrowroot, and a little chicken stock to make a side sauce, but somehow that got forgotten in the final crunch. A pound of Orzo, some steamed green beans tossed in garlic-flavored olive oil… Stacey made not one but two wonderful desserts - but just to make me feel better about the Taco Bar dinner, when I left some of the salsa at home Stac left one in her freezer - an hour’s drive away. Just as well, ‘cause we were all stuffed. I’m going to publish those in a separate article, because she picked up some interesting trivia about them as well. Oh, don’t worry - the suspense will be worth it!

I’ve never been a breakfast person. Yeah, I know, it’s the most important meal of the day, blah, blah, blah… I love breakfast FOODS, but just don’t choose to eat them early in the morning.

Well, a couple years ago I made a conscientious decision – I added an 11.5 ounce can of V8 to my morning ritual. Yes, it’s high in sodium, but I watch that in everything else (and the low-sodium version just doesn’t taste as good) – but I get TWO servings of vegetables in an easy manner. AND my metabolism gets “jump-started”.

The first month that I started this simple regimen, I lost over 10 pounds! No other changes, just adding that tasty blend each morning. I wish I could say that those results continued, but no; after the initial few weeks I was back on my own. But to this day, I still have a can almost every morning (and I haven't gained the weight back!).

I buy it in the medium cans – which can be twice as expensive as a big can or a jug – but it is great portion control and very convenient.

There is no way that I will claim that you will have the same results – but V8 has been good for me.

Enjoy!