One of the simplest meals to prepare and often the first real meal many people learn to cook is spaghetti. All of the ingredients are readily available at any grocery store, even most dollar stores. It may be the least expensive meal you can whip up to feed a family of four (I’m excluding PB&J sandwiches and boxed mac and cheese from that equation). It is also a quick meal to fix in under 30 minutes.
Continue reading “Classic Spaghetti Dinner”
In my very first blog post over a year ago, I said “if I can do it, you can do it”. I stand by that statement. There is no magic. Yes it takes a little practice, but we learn far more from our mistakes than our successes. Be bold. You got this. Lets start with some basics. What equipment/tools do you really need? I’ll go … Continue reading Intro to Cooking – Kitchen Tools
In culinary school chefs in training learn many tips and tricks for creating dishes that not only taste good, but look good as well. Instead of simply chopping up tomatoes chefs make tomato concassé. It is a simple technique that greatly improves the look and plate appeal of any recipe.
Continue reading “Cooking Basics Tomato Concassé”
Whether you are just getting your first place on your own, getting married, or starting over (been there) setting up your kitchen can seem like a daunting task. You want to be well equipped but space and budgets eventually run out. Continue reading Setting Up Your First Kitchen
This is part of the cooking 101 series and covers some of the basic components of a standard American breakfast. If you are new to cooking these are great “recipes” for several reasons: They have very few ingredients They take very little time to prepare They are inexpensive They work for lunch and dinner too As the picture implies we’re going to cover bacon, fried … Continue reading Breakfast Basics
This is one recipe you really need to try. Partly because it is so easy, and partly because it is sooooo good. Honestly, any recipe that can be fully demonstrated with three pictures is not going to challenge your cooking skills. The hardest part about this recipe is washing the veggies. Try it. You can thank me later. In the video below this recipe is … Continue reading Italian Roasted Veggies
We’ve all been there. You’re halfway through a recipe and realize you don’t have the next item on the list. Or maybe you found some recipe that sounds delicious but you can’t get one of the ingredients where you live. Sometimes you just want to make a familiar meal and realize you don’t have something you need and you don’t have time to run to … Continue reading Missing Ingredients? How to approach cooking substitutions
I’m willing to bet you are not only familiar with the Maillard (pronounced my-YAR) Reaction, you are probably a big fan. Do you love the smell of toast, bread baking or fresh coffee? How about the flavor of a perfectly grilled steak, roasted potatoes or popcorn? If your mouth watered at thought of those (or almost any other roasted, toasted or fried food), you can … Continue reading The Maillard Reaction, A Cook’s Best Friend
This bread is great all by itself, or for making sandwiches. If any survives for more than a couple of days it makes great cream cheese stuffed strawberry french toast (that recipe is for another day). This is my personal blog and I received no compensation from any brands mentioned on this post. Updated 11/23/18 – This was one of my first blog posts and … Continue reading My Take on Amish Bread
