Conceptually speaking, one of my favorite things to do for dinner is to embellish something I already have. Creative embellishing is an ideal way to translate leftovers into new dishes. (Although there’s a lot to be said for the whole idea of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” — i.e., if you loved a [...]
Continue reading about How Your Kitchen Budget and Fresh Herbs Are Connected
Sometimes kitchen “scraps” are actually the best part. Plenty of classic dishes are based on that “Waste not, want not!” mentality: French ratatouille, Spanish paella, wedges of Italian polenta served with garlicky white beans. Good thing there have always been thrifty cooks among us! Just goes to show that great flavor doesn’t have to have [...]
Continue reading about Stems, Scraps & Rinds: How To Be Deliciously Thrifty
Herbal bouquets are a great way to dress up your windowsills and your meals. (Beverages, too!) Most herbs are sturdy plants that will last a week or more in a vase, especially if you refresh them with cool water every day. And the best part about having herbs close at hand is that you’re more [...]
Continue reading about Greening Your Kitchen with Fresh Herbs
Here’s a quick little fact that’s helpful in the kitchen and everywhere else in the house: most things are either water-soluble or fat-soluble. Given the fact that the “soluble” half of those descriptions means “dissolve-able,” if something is water-soluble, you can dissolve it and therefore remove it with water. If it’s oil-soluble, you can dissolve [...]
Recycling is fantastic, but there’s something even better: repurposing! And the kitchen has tons of potential for finding new uses for things you might otherwise throw out or recycle. (Composting is repurposing, too — you’re nourishing your garden with food scraps rather than grinding them down the drain.) From flimsy plastic containers to classy glass [...]
When it comes to most things in life, I think it’s safe to say that the difference between “failure” and “success” is largely a matter of perception. This philosophy is certainly true in the kitchen! It’s even more true when it comes to baking — you never know when breads won’t rise or muffins will [...]
If you’re in the kitchen a lot, you’re probably washing your hands a lot, and your hands probably feel dry from time to time. You could buy expensive hand creams to alleviate that, of course…or you can use the oils and minerals you already have to make your own products. Not only is making your [...]
Hey, we’re all hanging onto our pocketbooks for dear life nowadays, so why not make the most of your groceries? Fresh beets are the perfect example of a food that has hidden potential — namely, two ingredients for the price of one. No sense in throwing away the tasty greens when you can use them [...]
Limes have a certain pizazz that lemons just don’t. Grapefruit doesn’t, either…in fact, not even tangerines can match up to a lime’s potential to play a sweet/sour role as a keynote flavor or background blend. A squirt of lime juice also lends a dish a Mexican or Caribbean flavor that an orange simply can’t provide. [...]
