We are NOT eating enough beans in this country. And yeah, I know, everyone has already harangued you about buying dried beans instead of the canned variety. “They’re so much more economical!” “They have so much more flavor!” “You don’t know what you’re missing!”
Santa’s snacks get all the attention this time of year. Cookies and milk, cookies and milk, it’s all we care about! But I think you should put out some naughty nibbles for the elves who worked to hard building toys all year long!
If my rabid collecting of vintage recipes and cookbooks has taught me anything, it is this: SHAPES MATTER. I don’t usually go in for sculpted food, but this cheese ball is so much fun to make (and easy, quick, simple, at that) that I can’t help but smile at its presence on my table.
I may loathe the NFL, but I love game-day food and these tots are GIVING ME LIFE. Get ready for the crispy, chewy, salty, sweet flavor-bomb of your dreams!
Have a wedding coming up? These make great guest-favors and can be made in large batches quickly! Package them up in paper cones or cellophane bags and you're all set!
Thick, dark, tomato based, sweet, and tangy. This is by far the most popular of the many varieties of bbq sauce around the country. This sauce owes its pedigree to Memphis' location along the Mississippi River.
From 1730 into the 1750s South Carolina recruited and paid ocean passage for thousands of German families. These settlers brought with them some of their favorite tastes from home, namely mustard.
Think of this as the ur-bbq sauce. When English colonists arrived in America and settled near Roanoke they brought with them some of their tastes from home. Early British cooking reveals a penchant for tart flavors, and this sauce does not disappoint in that category.
My sister once called fennel a snooty vegetable and I have, ever since, been on a crusade to defend its good name. In this recipe the floral bulbs spend ample time in a bath of vinegar and pepper until they are suffused with a bracing flavor. Put this out on the table while you fix cocktails for your guests, it's the perfect accompaniment for a cold drink.
Hunting for an easy appetizer to serve over the holiday season? Look no further! This cauliflower emerges from its bath painted in crimson and scented with rosemary. It's the perfect nibble to put on the table while you're puttering away in the kitchen and your guests are mingling.
It's decorative gourd season, that time of year when we clutter our counters with inedible (but extremely good looking) produce. But do you know the difference between a squash and a gourd? Have you ever considered where they come from?
Though I am a popcorn fanatic, caramel corn was not in my rotation until last year. Salty, sweet, and crunchy, this snack satisfies me in a dangerous way. I have to remove the bowl from my side after a few handfuls, otherwise I risk falling into the abyss of total consumption. And trust me, though it seems wise at the time, finishing the entire batch of caramel corn in one sitting is not pretty.
I'm a sucker for candy, particularly candy of the sucking variety. Though to be honest, when I'm presented with a stick of rock candy I am much more likely to crunch its crystals to smithereens than delicately decay them with saliva. There is something so terribly pleasing about the obliteration of sugar between teeth.
Chili Peppers are not unique to one country or culture. Evidence of their cultivation dates back to 4,000 BC. But the love of hot foods is exclusive to humans. The rest of the animals on this planet either lack the neurological receptors to register hot food or they avoid peppers altogether, lumping them in with other poisonous plants. Why do we love them so much then?!
The secret to avoiding mealy fruit this summer lies in temperature control. Learn the science behind those unfortunate peaches and get some tips on storing your favorites while the weather is still warm!
What was once a tool fit only for commercial kitchens has been adapted for your home! The Nomiku is an immersion circulator for the modern cook. Control temperature within a fraction of a degree for perfect cooking.
This is not a new trick, it is simply good, old, cooking at its best. When we slowly replace water content in food with sugar we act to reduce the amount of H2O necessary to support the growth of bacteria and microbes. Which is to say, we preserve the food. Sugar is a most excellent prison for your lemons. Keep them alive far past their due date with this solution.
Get in touch with your rural self and shake some butter in a jar tonight. The traditions that kept our prairie-selves alive are ripe for the picking, no need for fancy equipment here just a jar and some cream!
Get shaking kids. We made butter on Home and Family this week and there's no reason you shouldn't follow suit. Warning: full science lesson attached to this one. Nerd alert.
