Soon to come...

Starting next week I will be adding videos, slide shows and pictures of recipes and craft ideas. I'll be adding how-to videos on cooking, cleaning, planting and crafting. There will be a section for all sorts of tips including money savers and organizational tips. I'll also be doing a "Favorite Things" section on my favorite brands, cookbooks, TV shows, magazines, clothing items etc... This blog will in effect become one stop shopping for all of your household, cooking and personal shopping needs! Stay tuned for much more to come!

Wha't in Your Fridge?

Have something in your fridge or pantry that you bought and forgot about, something you're not sure to do with? Well leave a comment on this posting and I'll find something to do with it! You can always find something to do with that lonely can of cream of mushroom soup or left over Chinese food rice. Don't forget about the frozen corn that has fallen by the wayside in the back or your fridge or the collection of lunch meat and cheese in your fridge drawers. I've been know to create some pretty phenomenal meals using boxed red beans and rice as a base and adding in left over chicken or sausage and throwing in some sauteed vegetables. You can always find some way to transform left overs into another meal as opposed to throwing them away...when all else fails make a sauce and serve them on bread as a hot open faced sandwich.

Foodie Books

I love to read...if in my free time I'm not cooking, you can probably find me curled up on the couch or on our patio with a good book. I read my cookbooks. Anyone who's never taken the time to read a cookbook really should. You will find new ingredients, methods and recipies that you may overlook if you only take a look-see.
How to Cook Everything (Mark Bitman) is a great cookbook to start with because he is witty in his culinary commentary and provides great information. He also relates personally to his food and makes you want to try his recipies. Overall I find his recipies to be easy to prepare and well written, but I have found a few recipies that were just terrible (though out of 50 or so that's not so bad). The Top Chef cookbook is a good read, mostly because they provide a running commentary on the show and the behind the scenes (including bios on the chefs and judges from all 4 seasons).
Food in History (Reay Tannahill) is very good so far (I'm only about 1/3 of the way through). Very informative and an interesting read. Animal, Vegetable Miricle is GREAT...everyone should read that one! Heat is great and I think I slept with it under my pillow for about a month and I still read it on a fairly regular basis. Burford made me want to give up on my job and school and run away to Italy for six months and work in a butcher shop or a bakery or both. Kitchen Confidential is a good read, though it made me not want to eat seafood anymore.
I recommend that any cook have a pretty wide variety of cookbooks around...the internet is great for recipies but you never know how good the recipie will be. Epicurious and the Food Network are about the only two places I trust unconditionaly for recipies. Anywehre else pretty muhc anyone can post and that can be very dangerous. Beware trying something off the internet when you're in a pinch or need a good recipie. I also like cookbooks beacuse I can write in the margins and keep it for furhter use.
I write all of my favorite and altered recipes on 4 by 6 index cards and put them into a photo album so they are easily accesible and they are spillproof safe and sound in their plastic jackets. It's nice to be able to wipe your recipies down with a sponge.

Kitchen Essentials

Pantry Must Haves

• Tomato Paste
• Canned Tomatoes (either no salt added diced or whole tomatoes no salt added)
• Chicken Stock (i make my own and freeze it, but there are some great stocks available in a box)
• Peanutbutter
• Canned Kidney Beans or Black Beans
• Flour (all purpose is a must, self rising is a nice time saver)
• White Sugar
• Powdered Sugar
• Brown Sugar (i use light for everyday use)
• Shortening
• Olive Oil and Vegetable Oil
• Raisins
• Pecan Halves (walnuts and almonds are great to have around as well)
• Old Fashioned Oatmeal
• White Onion
• Garlic
• Potatoes (I like yukon gold--red are great too, russet are fine)
• Bread

Spice Rack Must Haves

• Coarse Salt
• Pepper
• Cajun Spice
• Hamburger Seasoning
• Chili Powder
• Garlic Powder (not garlic salt)
• Bay Leaves
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg (I prefer whole and then grate it frsh)
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Vanilla Extract (the good stuff not imitation...you can buy a good sized bottle cheap at Sams)
• Pumkin Pie Spice

Refridgerator Basics

• Milk (whatever you prefer)
• Heavy Whipping Cream (really long shelf life)
• Unsalted Butter
• Eggs
• Pitted Kalamata Olives
• Stone Ground Mustard
• Teryaki Sauce
• BBQ Sauce
• Mayo
• Ketchup
• Relish
• Carrots and Celery
• Cheese (Parmesan, Pecarino, Cheddar and a sharp white like Swiss or Provolone)

Utensil and Appliance Must Haves

• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Silicon Spatulas (I have 3 and always wish I had more)
• Wooden Spoons (cheap and should be replaced often, won't scratch your pots and pans)
• Plastic Slotted Spoon
• Plastic Ladle
• Can Opener
• Tongs
• Glass or Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls in various sizes
• Wire Wisk
• Offset Spatula
• Ice Cream Scoops in 2 or 3 sizes (great for portion control of cookies and more)
• Glass Liquid Measuring Cup
• Small Strainer or Sieve (for straining sauces and sifting dry ingredients)
• Chef Knife (one that fits your hand comfortably)
• Paring Knife
• Serated Bread Knife
• 9" Square Cake Pan (for brownies and such)
• 13 by 9 Glass Baking Dish
• Large Plastic Strainer (for rinsing veggie and draining pasta)
• 2 Sauce Pots (one small and one large)
• 2 Non Stick Frying Pans (one small and one large)
• 1 Two Handled small Stockpot
• 1 Large Stockpot

Why Ranch?

I have a problem. Since becoming more culinarily aware I've noticed people doing something peculiar--pouring ranch on things, everything. Pizza, fries, burgers, salads, chips, potatoes--you name it and people are pouring, dunking and indulging on the creamy white stuff. It's like a disease.
Why are people doing this? Drowning their perfectly tasty food in one ingredient. I'm not really sure. If something doesn't taste good don't eat it...period. Don't disguise the flavor of something bland or disgusting with another ingredient. Not only do I find it gross, but you're adding hundreds of empty calories on top of food that probably isn't very good for you in the first place.
Find something better for you and more flavorful to amp up the flavor in your foods. Try whole grain spicy mustard or olive tapanade. Try chili infused olive oil, garlic aoli or olive oil with parmesan, salt and pepper. There are thousands of flavors out there, there's no need to resort to ranch dressing, really.
The next time you're tempted to coat your food in ranch think about it for a second. I bet you'll think of something better to put on your food--or if nothing else something better for you.

How to Grocery Shop

1. First and most importantly make a list. You don't have to follow it to the letter, but it will decrease the possibility of your forgetting something important. Check your fridge, freezer and cabinets. If you plan your meals ahead check the recipes and be sure you have everything.
2. Check the sales paper. I do most of my daily grocery shopping at Kroger and I always check the Sunday circular to see if any staples are on sale. I also check to see what meats and poultry are on sale (this usually determines what we'll eat).
3. One the same token clip those Sunday coupons. If you don't run out for a Sunday paper it's no big deal, you can usually get Sunday papers all week for just 50 cents at your grocery store's customer service counter. Also sign up for things like savings cards...they'll save you a lot of money. Some stores also allow you to register for coupons put directly onto your savings card via the internet. All great ways to put money into your pocket.
4. Shop the outside of the store. The middle of the store is mostly junk foods and sodium laden sawdust tasting foods. Fresh produce, breads, meats, fish, cheeses, dairy and frozen veggies are the best things to buy and they're all on the outskirts of the store. The middle is only good for dry beans, spices and baking essentials (although I've been known to be tempted by a bag of Cheetos and a 12 pack of Coke).
5. Eat before you go...no really. I have made some truly questionable grocery shopping decisions when I've been super hungry.
6. Buy in bulk. I make a run to Sam's club every few weeks to buy things like butter, eggs, dog food, cat litter, sugar etc. Produce is actually cheaper there too typically, garlic, carrots and the like are a LOT cheaper.
7. This one is totally optional, but I like to bring my own bags to the store. It's more environmentally friendly and you can fit a lot more stuff into a reusable bag than you can into a plastic (resulting on fewer trips from car to house).

Now quit reading this blog and go do some smart grocery shopping!

Effective Organization for Cooking

They say that the triangle is the best way to have a kitchen...your stove, sink and refridgerator. some of us rent and we can't exactly move things, they're there, deal with it and find a way to work around it. As it happens my kitchen is set up pretty well, but as many of you probably know, cabinet space and counter space is at a serious premium. This is not to mention the fact that it's highly inconvienent to have to get each ingredient out of the cabinent. I like to have things at my finger tips.
If your kitchen is easy to work in you'll cook more. Keep your favorite pots, utensils and ingredients readily accessible. I keep a spice rack with my favorite spices and a holder with my favorite utensils on the counter. My favorite pots and pans are easily reached from the stove. Take the time to organize your kitchen, review what you have, what's expired and what you will need to buy. You don't need every spice and gadget known to man, but it's always a good idea to have the basics handy. The fridge and freezer are often left to the wayside when it comes to cleaning and organizing. Make sure you clean them out every few weeks and come up with a system that works for you. I have plastic baskets in my freezer to seperate fruits and veggies from meats and so forth. I put all of my ready to eat items in the freezer door for easy access for my boyfriend.
Tips for Making Your Kitchen Easier to Cook In

• Buy drawer dividers, they'll make it a lot easier to find things and keep you from cutting yourself
• Keep salt, pepper and other often used spices on a rack in a cabinet near the stove or a spice rack near the stove.
• Keep pots, pans and utensils easily accessible.
• When you cook gather all your ingredients and hardware together on the counter before you begin.
• Make a grocery list and put it somewhere you'll use it. This will insure that you'll never run out of milk.

Chicken Continued...

So I refridgerated my chicken stock overnight in order to bring the fat to the top. I skimed it and placed, what I didn't need for my chicken soup, into 3 cup portions and ice cube trays (great for adding flavor to sauces etc). I took the rest of my stock and placed it in a pot with a lid over high heat. While it was heating I cut 1 large carrotk, 3 small stalks of celery as well as some celery tops, 1 small onion and about 1 cup of leftover roasted chicken. Once this is chopped I dumped it into the stock (which had come to a boil) and allowed it to boil, reducing to a simmer until the veggies were tender (about 15 minutes). I brought the soup back to a rolling boil and added about 2 cups of egg noodles and let them cook until soft (about 5 minutes). Turn it off, allow it to cool and put into containers! From start to finish I took me less than an hour to make the soup and most of that hour was unattended and there is so little that goes into soup! I nearly always freeze some soup in single serving screwtop ziploc containers. It's great for my boyfriend to take for lunch or eat for dinner when I'm working. The best part is one pot makes enough to feed 2 people for more than a few meals with very little effort!

The Perfect Roast Chicken and What it Can Do for You

I believe that the virtues of the roast chicken are highly understated. A roast chicken opens up doors for a miriad of dinners throughout the week. If you roast a chicken you can make chicken stock and in turn any number of chicken soup variations. You can use the left over chicken for chicken salad or open faced chicken sandwiches. This is all not to mention the fact that serving a roast chicken whether it be for 2 or 10 makes for a seriously impressive presentation with little effort. On average a whole young roasting chicken is $4-8, and worth every penny. You'll pay about $8 for an already roasted chicken and they're usually small and dry. Please America--go roast a chicken. You will thank me for it.
How to Roast a Chicken (the easy and fuss free way)
Any optional step or ingredient is starred**
Take your roasting chicken and put it in the sink, cut away the wrapped and trim off any overhanging butt or neck skin. Let your chicken hang out and air dry a bit while you work on the rest. Take some fresh sage* and mince it finely, add this to half a stick of softened butter and a pinch of salt and pepper, mix well. Cut a lemon* and a head of garlic in half. Chop a few carrots*, celery* and an onion. Throw these into a large glass pan. Take your chicken and place it breast side up on top of the veggies. Take your fingers and loosen the skin--rub the butter under the skin and rub the left over on the skin. Drizzle a little olive oil onto the chicken and a little salt and pepper. Tuck the wings under the body and then, with some twine or a strip of foil, and truss the legs together. Pour a cup of water into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan into a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes. Then bump the heat to 375 and roast until the juices run clear (about another 15 min per pound of chicken). I place a probe thermometer into the chicken while it roasts, but it's not necessary.
Then serve up your chicken! You don't have to use the sage, but it smells amazing. You can substitute thyme, rosemary or just plain fresh flat leaf parsley. This is just a method, you can do hundred if not thousands of variations on this basic principle.
I made this tonight and served it with garlic parmesan mashed potatoes and peas. Yummy yummy!

The Virtues of Cooking

Now I know I've already extolled many of the virtues of cooking, but I needed to take a moment to talk about leftovers. Even if you're cooking for 1 or 2 cook the full recipe...you can eat the leftovers for days. You can even reinvent the leftovers into different meals. The Food Network has a show about the concept, Robin Miller's Quick Fix Meals. I'm not the biggest fan of her show, but it's a great concept. I love roasting a chicken at the beginning of the week, or a few bone in chicken breasts, the possibilities are endless. Night one have roasted chicken with potatoes or rice and veggies. Night two make a pasta with chicken. Day three make stock with the bones and throw in all the left over chicken-- presto chicken soup. You can probably even get 2 meals out of the soup.
This concept isn't limited to roast chicken, do the same with a pork loin, salmon, rump roast etc... Big pots of macaroni and cheese, soups, stir fry and fajitas etc...can last 1-3 meals and make your life a lot easier.
Be creative when it comes to using those left overs. Don't go to the store, make yourself use what you have in the house. This is where keeping your pantry and fridge stocked with the basics comes in handy. If you always keep the essentials on hand you can start planning your meal on the way home from work and will never have to waste time or money running to and from the grocery store.

Why don't we cook?

Americans don't cook--we eat out. Why? It's easy sure. You can let someone else wait on you, do the shopping, the cooking and the dishes for you. The options for dining out are limitless...fast food, fast casual, full-service and everything in between. Every type of food from American classics to Thai to Italian and beyond are at your finger tips. Convenience is certainly a factor, laziness on our part, nutritional ignorance--they all play into our eagerness to hand over the feeding of our bodies to complete strangers.
When we do eat at home it's often boxed, canned or prepared food with little nutritional value. Boxed and canned foods don't offer a lot in the way of nutritional value and they are almost always laden with artificial preservatives, sodium, calories, fat and fillers. Even products labeled low sodium can contain up to 40% of the recommended daily allotment.
Cooking isn't hard...it's not always easy either, but with a little education, time and motivation you can take charge of what you eat and in that take charge of your health.
Education is the first step...knowing what and how much of what to eat. I love junky fried food more than the average bear, but the great thing about preparing your favorite junk food at home is that you can control everything going into it...often cutting down on empty calories. In general we should eat more vegetables and whole grains than we do meat. Fresh or frozen vegetables are the best options. Meats should be lean and if possible go organic. Go for whole grains...whole wheat bread, long grain brown rice...think outside the box. Fresh fruit is really the only way to go...frozen is great for baking, but not so much for eating plain. Canned fruit is sugary and syrupy and just isn't much good save a few cooking and baking applications.
Time and motivation are a little more difficult to put your finger on. You don't need hours to put together a great meal, but you do have to put in 20-30-40 minutes to get dinner on the table. Motivating yourself can be hard, but by making things that are your favorite or something you've always wanted to try can be a great motivational tool.
Give yourself a chance. You don't have to be a professional chef to make dinner for yourself, your family or your friends. You do have to be willing to try new things to succeed sometimes and to fail others. Cooking is part science, part art and part gut. Trust yourself and your abilities. Don't let the kitchen scare you off.