Tips & Technique

Oprah had a bunch of visiting chefs
In case you missed this episode, a lucky few viewers had top chefs come to their home, evaluate their eating and food spending habits, and provided not only them, but also US the benefits of their experience. I don’t normally post videos, but this is an exception. How often do you see Cat Cora, Curtis Stone, and Tyler Florence all together? The recipes they created are available at Oprah’s site as well, but just telling you about the recipes doesn’t do this show justice. The tips and techniques are the more important idea. Eating healthier for less – hmmm – who doesn’t want that?

Posted by Linda :
Sunday 02 August 2009 - 16:27:49
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Since I was talking about Philly Cheese Steak…
Not QUITE the original, but this is a great lunch or lite dinner. From Rachael Ray, this is a quick and easy roll-up. All the great flavors, and simple to boot – can’t miss! PS I highly endorse her recommendation of a horseradish dipping sauce for adult palates!

Posted by Linda :
Friday 24 July 2009 - 22:52:00
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Healthy Nachos!
That’s right – you read my words correctly - HEALTHY. From the kitchen of Rachael Ray, this unique dish features veggies that you can mix and match, though I like her choices. The cheese sauce is lightened by the use of chicken or vegetable stock, and all are served on a bed of pita chips; because pita is baked, not fried, you’re saving even more calories there. The addition of black beans (my new favorite) adds to both the protein and fiber. You can serve this as an appetizer for guests, a movie snack, or personally, I could make a meal out of it – quick cooking lite fare for a hot summer’s night!

Posted by Linda :
Monday 06 July 2009 - 01:30:07
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One way to avoid dry pasta salad
Anita was “assigned” the pasta salad for Fathers’ Day and was looking for a recipe. I’ve made this Antipasto Salad from All Recipes for a few years now, and forwarded it to her with, of course, my comments. The first time I made this it was actually pretty dry – in fairness, I had made it the day before, and it is quite understandable that the pasta absorbed all the moisture. To adjust for that, I doubled all of the dressing ingredients and omitted the oil – just for the moment. Using half of the dressing and the original amount of oil, I marinated the warm pasta; the other half (sans oil) I used on the veggies and pepperoni, and let them marinate as well. When ready to serve (or just before), I combine the two batches and toss with the moz. Anita didn’t double the dressing, but by marinating the two elements separately, it was still moist, flavorful and enjoyed by all - so maybe I’ve gone overboard… it happens. Oh, and she used a tri-colored spiral pasta, which worked perfectly! Budgeting time is important, and anything you can do ahead is GOOD! However, the food must still be great. Both of these techniques worked, and this recipe has served me well.

Posted by Linda :
Monday 22 June 2009 - 16:44:01
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Tomato season is almost here
Jose Andres, who hosts “Made in Spain” on PBS, showed this great tip - about grating tomatoes!

Using a big bowl, place a regular old box grater in the middle. Simply slice in half your clean, ripe tomatoes. Against the side of the grater with the largest holes, simply rub the fleshy side of the fruit - yes, tomatoes are technically a fruit - up and down until they dissipate.

When you accomplish this task, you’ll have pure tomato pulp in the center of the box (a few seeds, but most will not be noticeable), skin in your hand (throw that away, unless you’re making a stock soon), and a pool of juice in the bowl that you can use to drink in anyway that pleases you (Bloody Mary’s come to mind…)

I don’t know about you, but I can only use so many tomatoes in salads and salsa or BLT's – actually, if you have an over-abundance in your garden, use this technique and freeze the pulp in a heavy duty storage bag (squeezing any excess air out!). Then you can make your rich pasta sauces throughout the rest of the year, using FRESH tomatoes!


Posted by Linda :
Saturday 06 June 2009 - 17:41:28
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Juicier Turkey
I’m talking about the summertime version – ground turkey. It is leaner (and often cheaper) than beef and is just as versatile. It CAN, like its original source, be a little dry though, especially if cooked exactly like ground beef. Rocco de Spirito had a simple tip for pan sautéing - instead of mashing it up, or stirring, or breaking up with a fork, BEFORE you put it in the pan chop it into cubes – about the size of grapes? As he said, “you’re not making meatballs”, just keeping the meat in larger chunks so it maintains more moisture. Stir gently so you don’t break up these chunks more than necessary. For patties or burgers I differ to Rachael, the self- pronounced “burger queen”! She deserves the title, and has a ton of options, most adding something juicy to the meat before grilling, but all worthwhile. There’s more than one way to “gobble” (sorry, couldn’t resist) wink

Posted by Linda :
Sunday 17 May 2009 - 15:45:36
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Light bulbs and Bread?!?
Just caught this segment on the Today Show on alternative uses for household items. Julie Edelman presented some old and new ideas, referencing her book "the Ultimate Accidental Housewife". As my title suggests, I was particularly taken by her idea to clean up shards of broken glass (hence the light bulb reference) by using a slice of fresh bread to capture what your broom and/or vacuum didn't. Check out her other ideas!

Posted by Linda :
Monday 27 April 2009 - 18:13:20
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No more Glue!! (more about potatoes)
When I wrote ”I say good eating”, I was neglectful and didn’t mention the mashed variety of potato; probably “Freudian”, because it is my least favorite way to eat them. Thanks to “Odd Todd” at America’s Test Kitchen I may have a reason to change my mind. The “Odd Todd” segment is actual science presented in humor by cartoon – and is usually quite interesting. There is real fact behind the unusual preparation that I’m about to tell you. First of all, you don’t boil the potatoes – you steam them! That’s right; keep them above the actual water (try a colander in a large pot, covered). Rinse your peeled and cubed spuds before you start, and about 10 minutes into the cooking (about halfway), thoroughly RINSE the potatoes again in cold water. Return to the steam and cook until tender. Thanks again, ATK. I've probably left out some details, and truly want you to learn as much as you can - please, check out their site! Smash, mash, rice, whip – whatever you like. I’ll let you decide the condiments that you’ll add next, of course. Potatoes are a very personal thing! I will mention that I prefer to use evaporated milk – the silkiness of cream without all that added fat; besides, you’re going to add butter or gravy anyways, aren’t you? wink

Posted by Linda :
Friday 03 April 2009 - 16:28:49
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Here’s a Scoop
That ice cream scoop, the one that sits being lonely in your drawer until you need a sugar fix, has a lot of different uses!

You can use it to scoop batter for uniform cupcakes or muffins – or even pancakes. How about doing cookies the same way? Dare I mention meatballs?!?

These are just a few ideas, but you get the point. Less mess, less fuss, and whatever you’re making, they all come out the same size.

Scoops now come in a variety of measurements for precisely these uses, so if you desire a smaller one for your favorite cookies or meatballs, at least the one in your drawer will have a companion wink

Posted by Linda :
Sunday 22 March 2009 - 14:01:23
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When in doubt – Stir-Fry!
This is a great way to either create from leftovers, or explore new ingredients. If you have the basic sauces on hand, it’s also cheap (see the article about an Asian Pantry smile! Okay, I know that I’ve referenced Rachael a lot recently, but she’s had some really good stuff on! Try her Citrus-Soy Stir Fry. The proteins as she suggests are easily interchangeable, the sauce is simple, and the basic method is explained well. This particular dish as Rach prepared it called for noodles rather than rice, and I agree. The edamame beans (optional) are cheap and delicious when you can find them, and also bump up the nutritional value of the dish. Mix and match the vegetables you have and like. Soba noodles cook in seconds, but whole-wheat spaghetti takes, gee, 30-90 SECONDS longer to cook than the semolina kind. I’ve been using a lot of it lately, and in most dishes, you’d never know the difference – and again, it has more fiber and protein… Prep everything ahead, and then cook on high heat whatever you choose, and add a great sauce – that’s the only rule of stir-frying!

Posted by Linda :
Monday 16 March 2009 - 20:09:42
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