Cooking Articles

A Thanksgiving Feast All Rolled Into Three

Did you ever see that episode from the first season of Friends where the gang’s Thanksgiving plans all get canceled? They end up staying together and Monica cooks. What starts as a simple gathering...

The Benefits of Crockpot Cooking

Even though I use and write about my crockpot all the time, it’s easy for me to forget just how cool crockpot cooking is. I remember my mom’s crockpot. The outside was scarred with burnt food and...

The Green Bean Casserole Alternative

Green bean casserole was not a part of my Thanksgiving upbringing. Green beans were, but not the casserole. Likewise with sweet potatoes and yams. They may have been served in the white ceramic dishes...

Bacon and Butter Make Everything Better

Bacon and butter make everything better. This was the motto of the French Culinary Institute. Well, not officially, but any institution with “French” in the title might as well have this adage to...

Yes, that’s one advertising jingle that has stuck in my head. While media headlines have grappled to-and-fro with both the pros and cons of the health effects of this little white orb, eggs are still...

Tune In, Chow Down, Turn On

With a string of tragi-comic dates under my belt, I have vowed that I will not date again until the new year, when the forces of the cosmos hit the reset button, weight-loss regimens begin (as the gym...

Chili For When It's Chilly

Around these parts, the weather quickly went from pleasantly cool and crisp to bone chillingly cold, or at least it felt that way. For those of us living in colder climates, when the weather changes so...

Relax. . . It's Only Thanksgiving

I have mixed feelings about the American tradition of Thanksgiving. Admittedly, most of my reservations are purely selfish. First, my birthday falls around the holiday and occasionally on the day itself....

A Look at Lunch: Thinking Outside the Box

Now that the school year is in full swing, many of us could use some inspiration for those inevitable lunches that we must take to work or class. Kim Kruse recently wrote with the question below: Question:...

Game Hens In The Montana Rain

My family used to go on long camping trips in the Montana mountains. We would load up our ancient travel trailer with fishing tackle, tents, and water, and pull it up old logging roads until we found the...

The Miracle of Making Ahead for Thanksgiving

I'll admit I don't much use a slow cooker. But one time that I find it particularly useful is around the holidays. Less for its cooking function, and more as a means to reheat already cooked foods in...

Winter Squash Are In Season This Fall

Acorn. Not just for squirrels. Spaghetti. Not always made of dough. Turban. If you think this belongs on someone's head, think again. These are all members of the seasonal, hearty group known as winter...

Thanksgiving Cocktails

With the holiday season fast approaching; my guess is that alcohol sales and, for some individuals, personal alcohol consumption will increase. Pre-dinner cocktails, champagne, wine, beer, and other alcohol...

Five Minute Fixes for Thanksgiving Sides

The mere suggestion of tweaking classic recipes at Thanksgiving has the potential to cause a familial uprising. I remember the year my younger brother first took over the turkey roasting. His personal...

Cranberry Sauce: From the Bog to Mind-Boggling

People, people, why do you do it?! And you do it every year. Without fail. It's your "famous secret-recipe signature dish." It's what people know you for. Your guests love it, right? So much so that...

Crockpot Comfort Food

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seems to go right? I had one of those yesterday, and when I arrived home I craved some warm, comforting food. The morning started with a baby mouse sighting...