Tips & Technique

And we're bringing stuff!

OOOmmmm… (meditating here)

We’ve got SIX days to get everything done! Use this weekend to prep what you can:

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“Parsley, Sage… Rosemary and Thyme.” That song from Simon and Garfunkel has been going through my head for the last 24 hours. Why, you ask? Because that’s how I like to remember the ingredients for “poultry seasoning” - I’m starting my Thanksgiving shopping list…

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I’ll spare you the details, but it’s been exhausting in all ways – emotionally, physically, mentally and even a little bit financially… My apologies, but since the party last weekend, I haven’t even done any cooking for myself!

I have found some wonderful ideas that I want to try before I tell you about them, and picked up a few tips on convenience items:

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On the 24th of September, she celebrates her fifth wedding anniversary to John Cusimano. On the 21st, she started the fifth season of her daytime show, and kicked it off with a bang!

On “Good Morning America”, she celebrated the kick off of her new show on the Cooking Network, demonstrating 5 meals that you could theoretically make in one day – assuming that you have 5 pots

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I still miss her - I'm talking about Julia Child here! But bless my local PBS station (WSKG), they still show her. Alice Medrich made Hazelnut Biscotti “the other day”, and solved yet another of my ‘pet peeves’.

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Neither have I. But according to Lisa Quinn, author of “Life’s Too Short to Fold Fitted Sheets”, this will help prevent that inevitable ‘hardened’ end on a good cheese – that usually gets thrown away!

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[Submitted by dante]

Now that the Summer Grilling and Barbecue Season is winding down, I start to think about my own Fall Cooking Season. For me I love the Fall, the weather gets cooler and naturally the menu shifts to heartier fare including Stews, Ragouts, Risotto and Roasted Meats of every persuasion. For me on a good Sunday, if I can knock out 3+ meals - then it makes everyone’s life easier during the week.

Being productive and having the proper tools is key when you’re multi-tasking. I would not say that I’m a gadget freak, in fact, I find most kitchen gadgets in stores to be relatively useless. But there are things in my kitchen that I can’t do without, especially during my Fall Cooking Season:

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Many recipes use this phrase, but unless they give you a specific texture to look for, sometimes it is tough to tell when you've reached that magical measurement… From ATK, here’s a simple suggestion. When you simply have a liquid cooking, lift the handle of your pan so that all the juices/cream/whatever collect on one side. Then you’ll get a better view of your starting point. Use the same method to test your final results. How easy!

Here’s a quick tip from Mary Ann Esposito of Ciao Italia – don’t just chill your butter. Instead, FREEZE it, as well as your old-fashioned box grater. When you grate the solid butter against the cold metal surface, it is almost the size you want, and requires less time with your pastry blender or food processor – in fact, only seconds! You’ll get the small “peas” of butter that you desire, with a whole lot less effort. Kewl!

Blueberries are super good for you for many reasons, so feel free to stuff yourself until – to quote a friend – “you should look like a Smurf!” Eat them all by themselves, with cereal or in pancakes, bake some muffins, make jams, freeze some – but don’t forget to make a pie!

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