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Cooking Habits of the Savvy Home Chef

May 22, 2013 By

Want to make your time in the kitchen even more efficient? Take some tips from the pros. These simple tips below will save time, cut down on clean up, and make cooking even more fun!

Create a non-slip cutting board. Put a damp paper towel, damp kitchen towel, or piece of non-slip cupboard liner under your cutting board before you start cutting. It will give you a stable surface to work on safely.

Keep your knives sharp. Take time to regularly hone your knives to keep them in tip-top shape. You may be reluctant, thinking sharp knives are dangerous, but the truth is dull knives put you at greater risk because you have to use more force, and they have a greater tendency to slip off food.

Carry a kitchen towel. A kitchen towel is a great go-to when you're cooking — tuck it into your apron pocket, and use it to wipe up spills, grab hot pans, and dry your knife in between rinsings. Remember to use a separate towel when cooking with raw meat.

Work with a "garbage bowl." As you chop, cut, and dice, collect the scraps in a large bowl. This will keep your counters clear, and also save you trips to the trash can or compost bin.

Always clean as you go. Get in the habit of clearing counters and washing up as you cook. This will save you a big mess to deal with at the end!  

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Cream Of The Crop: Essential Farmers’ Market Eats

April 24, 2013 By

Farmer’s markets are cropping up all over the country, as people become more and more interested in getting food from local sources. Producers are bringing fresh food at great prices. Here are five foods you should certainly try from the farmer’s market next time you go:

Eggs are one of the best things to get fresh. The difference in consistency and flavor between a store-bought egg and one fresh from the hen is jarring. The yolk is brighter, firmer, and much tastier. If your farmer offers duck eggs, try those too – they fluff up amazingly and are great for baking.

Potatoes might seem like a funny thing to buy from a farmer’s market, but they are amazing. Usually much smaller than store-bought spuds, fresh potatoes are deeply flavorful and complex. Slice them thinly and roast them with onions.

Seasonal tomatoes are some of the best things to buy at the farmer’s market. In the late summer and early fall, when they’re coming fresh off the vine, you can get enormous heirloom tomatoes that are great for sandwiches or just eating with a little salt and pepper.

One of the best things to do with farmer’s market produce is teach yourself about pickling and canning. If you’ve never made pickled beets, they’re a delicious treat – sweet, tangy, salty, and savory all at once.

Local cheeses can be delectable as well. Many dairies produce artisanal cheeses that are robust with flavor. They also often provide samples to try before you buy.

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Spring Produce: Seasonal Fruit and Veggie Highlights to Add to Your Menu

March 27, 2013 By

As spring begins, gardens are alive with new shoots. The spring fruit and vegetable season adds tons of exciting new options to your cooking. Here are some of the best fresh fruits and vegetables to consider cooking with this season.

Asparagus is one of the most eagerly anticipated new crops every spring. When picked fresh, it’s fragrant and delicious. Cooking it is incredibly simple – steam it, roast it or grill it. All it needs is a little salt, pepper and olive oil for its natural flavor to shine.

Garlic shoots are an unusual but remarkable spring harvest. Before the white garlic bulb that you are familiar with forms, the plant grows a large, green shoot, also called a “scape.” This has a flavor similar to the bulb but milder. It’s great for soups.

Spring is also the best time to harvest new potatoes. Although potatoes can stay in the ground through the summer and into the late fall, harvesting them early keeps the skin from setting, making for sweet, tender spuds that cook quickly and burst with flavor.

In terms of fruit, one of the best bounties every spring is the cherry harvest. Cherry fruit starts growing in the middle of the season, and should be eaten quickly after harvesting for the best flavor.

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Enjoy These Seasonal Fruits And Veggies!

March 13, 2013 By

As spring arrives, gardens are alive with new shoots, and, believe it or not, it's never too early to begin the harvest. The spring fruit and vegetable season adds tons of exciting new options to your cooking. Below are some of the best fresh fruits and vegetables to consider cooking at home at The Estates at Cougar Mountain.

Asparagus is one of the most eagerly anticipated new crops every spring. When picked fresh, it’s fragrant and extremely delicious, and cooking it is incredibly simple. You can steam it, roast it, saute it, or even grill it. All it needs is a little salt, pepper and olive oil for its natural flavor to truly shine.

Garlic shoots are an unusual but remarkable spring harvest. Before the white garlic bulb that you are familiar with develops, the plant grows a large, green shoot, also called a “scape.” This has a flavor similar to the bulb but much milder, and it’s great for spring soups.

Spring is also the best time to harvest new potatoes. Although potatoes can stay in the ground through the summer and well into the late fall, harvesting them early keeps the skin from thickening, making for sweet, tender spuds that cook quickly and burst with fresh flavor.

In terms of fruit, one of the best bounties every spring is the cherry harvest. Cherries start growing in the middle of the season, and are best if eaten quickly after harvesting for the optimal flavor.

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5 Great Healthy Cooking Blogs

February 27, 2013 By

Looking for healthy recipes that will still keep your family happy? Look no further than one of these great, healthy cooking blogs. Whether you're looking for revamped comfort food with fewer calories, or awesome vegan meals for individuals who don't eat meat, these blogs have you covered!

Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations

Happy Herbivore

Straight Up Food

Fat Free Vegan

Oh She Glows 

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The Most Under-Rated Veggies

February 13, 2013 By

Next time you're grocery shopping, get a little adventurous in the produce aisle and purchase these under-rated but truly delicious vegetables.

Parsnips
Lighter and sweeter than a potato, this simple root vegetable is fabulous either roasted, or mashed with butter and cream. Parsnips are also great grated raw and tossed with a citrus dressing for a light salad.

Kale
This healthy veggie is packed with iron, but is often underserved when it comes to taste. Perk up boring steamed kale with a dressing made of garlic, lemon, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. Or try baked kale chips – rinse and dry the leaves thoroughly, spritz with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake in a single layer at 350 for 5-10 minutes or until the edges are starting to brown. This crunchy snack tastes great with any seasonings you desire like parmesan cheese.

Radishes
Radishes not only provide a nice tang to salads and make for pretty garnishes, but they are also delicious and beautiful sliced in half and sautéed in butter or olive oil or roasted.

Zucchini
In the late summer months, gardeners often have many large zucchinis to get rid of, and the price at the market drops to almost nothing. This is a great time to take advantage of this squash’s versatility, making breads and muffins or slow-caramelizing zucchini in oil with a few mustard seeds for a surprisingly decadent side.

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Budget-Friendly Baking Tips

November 28, 2012 By

Before you take on your next baking challenge, check out these helpful, money-saving tips that will have your churning out generous helpings of cakes, cookies and candies on a less-than-generous budget. Below are a few tips that will have you baking up a storm without breaking the bank:

Read your recipes. First and foremost, it's important to carefully read through all the recipes you're planning on making. If you're planning on doubling or tripling any of them, calculate the new amounts needed of all ingredients, and craft a shopping list that accurately reflects all the items you need. A bit of preparation will go a long way because you'll know the exact amounts you require without wasting time or money at the store.

Choose your spices carefully. If the recipe you're working with calls for just a few teaspoons of seasonal spices like ground cloves or allspice, skip the jars at the grocery store, and head to a store that sells spices in bulk — that way you can just purchase the amount you need without the excess expense. Or, if you're preparing a recipe that needs a large amount of spice, check out your local ethnic market, where the prices are cheaper and the selection is usually fresher.

Visit a restaurant supply store. Instead of ordering pricey bake ware from high-end stores, visit a restaurant supply stores where you can find sturdy baking equipment, bulk ingredients like chocolate chips, sugar, and icing, and even lovely gift boxes for giving your baked goods as presents. And, it's all available for much less than you would pay at a supermarket or craft store.

Share expensive ingredients with friends. If you have friends or family members nearby who also enjoy baking, why not split the cost of expensive ingredients such as vanilla beans by ordering in bulk together and then divvying up the price and stock.

Shop the sales and stock up. You really can never have too much butter, flour, or sugar — and they all have a long shelf life. So, be sure to keep your eyes open for good sales, and stock up when you can.

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Get Cooking: Fabulous Recipe Websites

October 31, 2012 By

The next time you’re not sure what to make for dinner or your next party, check out these super helpful recipe websites that will spark your culinary creativity. Whether you’re looking for a delicious appetizer, scrumptious entrée, or decadent dessert, these sites have you covered!

All Recipes – Offering over 40,000 recipes along with great extras, such as nutritional content, user rating, and a great meal accompaniment tool that lets you search for accompaniments such as side dishes or desserts that pair well with the recipe, this site has it all! Other features include helpful recipe videos, as well as relevant food guides, such as healthy eating.  

Simply Recipes – This site is a great, recipe-based food blog, and all recipes have been personally tested by either the blogger, or her friends and family – so you know you’re getting something good when you choose a recipe from this site. You can browse recipes by ingredients (chicken, seafood, meat, etc.), course (dinner, dessert, etc.), or diet type (vegetarian, low-carb, etc.). If you’re unsure about trying blog recipes, rest-assured these are great – she has over 230,000 subscribers!

Group Recipes – The recipes on this site are almost 100% user-contributed. This website does a great job of making the vast database easy to digest and browse through. Here, you can peruse the recipes by flavors (spicy, sour, sweet), images, ingredients (check what’s in your fridge, first!), popularity, menus, users, and as well as popular key words.

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Summer Fruit Soup: A Parade of Seasonal Flavors

June 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Want to cool down on a hot day? If so, you’ll relish every spoonful of this fruit-filled Summer Soup. The recipe, ready in only fifteen minutes, yields six heaping bowls of seasonal delight – best served with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

Ingredients

            4 cups cubed seeded watermelon

            2 cups cubed honeydew

            2 cups fresh blueberries, divided

            1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root

            1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

  1. Blend the watermelon, honeydew, and about half the blueberries in a blender until smooth.
  2. Add the ginger and nutmeg; blend again until incorporated.
  3. Pour the soup into a bowl and stir the reserved blueberries to serve.

Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

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Have You Heard About These Healthy Food Trends?

February 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Some of the hottest new food trends involve foods that aren't just delicious, but good for you, too! Read on to learn about the latest in healthy eating:

Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are 20% protein and full of antioxidents. The sprouts make great additions to salads and sandwiches. Ground chia seeds are a wonderful addition to baked goods, and are a wonderful supplement to your smoothie, too.

Coconut Water
The use of coconut water has seen a much deserved surge in popularity in the past few years, and it's easy to see why. It has an incredible amount of potassium and is high in minerals, all while being low in sodium, calories, and carbs. Drink it a sports drink substitute, and stay hydrated the healthy way.

Locally Grown Food
Fresh food that's been farmed close to home will have more nutrients than that which has had to travel long distances first. As this trend has gained in popularity, local farmers markets have increased in number, making these tasty local items easier to find.

Flexitarianism
Flexitarianism is a dietary lifestyle in which you embrace mostly vegetarian eating habits, but allow yourself meat from time to time. Rather than the hard to maintain choice of eliminating meat from your diet entirely, flexitarianism embraces a sense of balance that allows for a bit of everything.

Palm Sugar
Similar to brown sugar in flavor, this rich flavored product has become an alternative to agave syrup as a delicious, natural sweetener. With a low melt temperature and high burn temperature, it's great for cooking.


 

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