I find that, because I have a food blog, everyone assumes that I’m always in the mood to cook. They think that it’s all chef-y food, all the time. I wish that was the truth… But, unfortunately, I tend to go through kitchen mood swings. Lately, I’ve been craving some simplicity. When it has come…
I have mixed feelings about the time after New Years… I always feel a bit of sadness taking down the Christmas decorations. Once the tree comes down, there’s no denying that the holiday season is over. But, at the same time, I enjoy the quietness of the winter months that follow the holidays. I look forward…
When it comes to dinner parties around the holidays, I am all for thinking outside the box. Turkey, ham, and roast beef are fantastic, but sometimes I think it’s fun to do something a bit more casual and cozy, especially for a small gathering of friends or family! Casseroles are a great way to keep…
I mentioned yesterday how much I love to make pesto during the summer. It’s just so easy and flavorful. And, I think I failed to mention yesterday, that it doesn’t require turning on the oven… Or even the stove! Since pesto itself does not make a meal, a few weeks ago I decided to use…
I love to make a lot of homemade bread… Especially sourdough bread. In fact, I rarely buy any bread at the store or at a bakery.
The only problem is that we usually have trouble eating a whole batch of bread before it starts to go stale… And, I’m not a fan of bread from the freezer. You can tell me that it will taste the same, but I don’t believe it. I can taste the difference
For this week’s Works for Me Wednesday post, I thought I’d share one of my best secrets for great tasting foods… Herbs and spices!
That may seem a bit obvious, but I’m often surprised by how little some of my friends and family use herbs and spices in their cooking. Even when they do use a dried herb or a spice to flavor their food, they use so little of it that it hardly makes a difference (granted, there are some flavors where a little goes a long way, and I realize that!).
It’s been downright chilly around here lately. Granted, it’s not nearly as cold as it is in Boston, Chicago, or Minneapolis… But, it has been cold!
So, when I have been thinking about what to make for dinner each night, soup is constantly the first thing that comes to my mind. I guess that it’s handy that soup is the theme for this month’s Kitchen Bootcamp challenge!
I loooove this soup!
That’s what I used to tell my mom when she made this soup for me when I was a kid… And, now that I’ve made it myself, I’m still raving about how much I love this soup!
I guess I should start at the beginning. Long before Lonely Island proclaimed their love for being on a boat, there were Bert and Ernie… You know who I’m talking about – from Sesame Street! Perhaps this clip will jog your memory a bit…
I watched quite a bit of Sesame Street in my day. So, when my mom made this carrot and potato soup for me when I was a kid, I would walk around letting everyone know how I felt about the soup, Ernie style. In fact, my mom has a handwritten note in her cookbook that says “Jenny LOVES this soup!” (Yes, I was known as Jenny back then, too… And, there may be a few people who still call me that.)
I am always looking for new ways to prepare vegetables. During the winter, I typically do a lot of roasting. Who doesn’t love roasted vegetables?
The thing is, sometimes I don’t plan ahead of time. Roasted vegetables take time and require preheating the oven. That’s when I usually turn to a skillet. Lately, I’ve been using my cast iron skillet a lot, and let me tell you, it preheats much more quickly than my oven does!
Last week, I received a sample of Tasteful Selections potatoes. It’s not often that I receive samples of fresh produce, so I jumped at the chance. From the moment they arrived, I couldn’t wait to start cooking with them. I was especially drawn to the Sunrise Medley that contained gold, red, and purple potatoes.
I always have to chuckle at those commercials where a family accuses a mother of being “roaster-phobic.” The solution is a chicken that comes prepped and ready to roast so that she can overcome her fears and make her family a beautiful roast chicken for dinner. It’s all well and good until you realize that she’s…
