Winter

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Snack, Video, Winter

Home & Family: Maple Syrup

As the weather takes a turn into cooler temperatures I find myself longing for maple syrup. I want to imbue its flavor into everything I bake, be it savory or sweet. Well, if you're wondering where that sweet sap comes from and how we get it, look no further!

Breakfast, Read, Winter, Spring, Fall

Maple Syrup Science

When the weather changes, and the air becomes crisp with wintery anticipation our minds turn to the burnished flavors of fall. Apple, cinnamon, pumpkin, and that king of all syrups: maple. At some point in our lives each of us has pulled a bottle of the liquid gold off the grocery store shelf and marveled at the price tag. Indeed, maple syrup is a costly item, but one that is more than worth the investment

Home & Family, Video, Fall, Winter

Home & Family: Apple Varieties

There are at least 7,500 different apples to be found around the world and each one is unique. Wonder what makes such a diverse population? Apples are like parents, and every seed a child. We might share some characteristics with our moms and dads, but certainly not all of them!

Breakfast, Fall, Home & Family, Read, Winter

Apple Genetics

Apples hold a special place in world culture. We give them to teachers as a sign of respect, we tell our loved ones they're the apple of our eyes, and we still hold to the age-old medical advice: an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Ever wonder what makes apples so special? 

Dessert, Dairy Free, Home & Family, Fall, Spring, Summer, Video, Winter

Home & Family: Rock Candy

Looking for a fun experiment in the kitchen for your family this weekend? Learn how to make rock candy, an exciting exploration of geometry, crystallization, and super-saturation!

Dairy Free, Dessert, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Side, Snack, Spring, Summer, Winter

Rock Candy

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. 

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Drink, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Snack, Spring, Summer, Winter

Homemade Gatorade

Hitting the gym and getting sweaty? When you're finished with a workout your body needs a boost of minerals in addition to a healthy dose of H2O. Shake up this quick drink and bid adieu to bottled sports drinks. You've got the ingredients on hand already, electrolytes full steam ahead!

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Drink, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Read, Snack, Spring, Summer, Winter

Electrolyte Science

We see so many popular athletes advertising Gatorade and other sports drinks that we assume they’re the best option for electrolyte replenishment after a hard workout. But the truth is, as with many packaged goods, that we can do far better with a few ingredients from our pantries!

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert, Dinner, Drink, Gluten Free, Fall, Home & Family, Spring, Summer, Video, Winter

Home & Family: Fermented Coffee

Microbes are the oldest life form on this planet. They can be found in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and indeed inside our own bodies. Check out how food-hackers are changing the flavor of coffee with these tiny organisms!

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dinner, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Read, Side, Spring, Veggies, Summer, Winter

CapsaiScience

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?!

Dairy Free, Dinner, Fall, Gluten Free, Spring, Summer, Veggies, Winter, Home & Family

Jerk Sauce

I miss many things about NYC, primary among those cravings are my local jerk joint. The well-known neighborhood favorite is The Islands, but for my tastes Fever Grass takes the gold medal (never mind that their storefront was directly across from the crimson entryway to my apartment building). 

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert, Dinner, Dinner Party Theater, Drink, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Meat, Side, Snack, Spring, Summer, Veggies, Video, Winter

Home & Family: Nomiku Sous Vide

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.

Dairy Free, Dessert, Home & Family, Video, Winter, Summer

Home & Family: Candied Fruit

Preserving fruit with sugar is a centuries-old tradition that seems to rear its head every Christmas. As we celebrate Christmas in July with Hallmark, take to heart some candying tips. Get started on this now and you'll have gifts aplenty on your shelf to dole out come December! 

Dairy Free, Dessert, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Side, Snack, Spring, Summer, Winter

Candied Lemon Peel

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.

Home & Family, Winter, Summer, Spring, Fall, Read

Sweet and Easy

Sugar has withstood much slander of late, and I am tempted to defend it in some sense. Yes, sugar is problematic in the human diet, but not solely because of its chemical structure. You see, we are abusing it. We are junkies. We are addicts. And so I present, not a defense, but an exploration of sugar. Knowledge is power, information is delicious. Eat. Think. Be Merry.

 

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert, Dinner, Fall, Gluten Free, Side, Snack, Spring, Summer, Video, Winter

Home & Family: Kitchen Hacks

Let me save you from the terrifying moments when you realize, mid-cake, that you're missing an ingredient. A little chemistry goes a long way when it comes to kitchen hacks!