Cooking Articles

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...

Making Healthy Holiday Food Choices

Did you know that during the holiday season the typical person consumes an additional 600 calories per day? That’s a lot of extra calories, especially for our littlest eaters! Usually those calories...

Seafood That's Fast and Family Friendly

Fish and seafood are such an important part of our diet, contributing lean protein and Omega-3 fatty acids, which are so beneficial to vision and brain development. In fact, Omega 3’s such as DHA are...

That Soup Is Loaded!

Baked potatoes. Who doesn’t love ‘em? Especially loaded up with all the goods—you know, butter and sour cream, salt and pepper. Heck, chives and bacon bits, when life is really good. The potato...

The Last Word On Leftovers

Chances are that you read my article last week about simplifying your Thanksgiving menu and proceeded to completely ignore my advice. Don’t worry, I understand; I am sure I will succumb to the pressure...

A "Healthy" Slice of Birthday Cake

For some reason, many members of my family were born in the fall. I guess Valentine’s Day was a big deal for many of my relatives! The only complaint I have about the plethora of autumn birthdays is...

Interpretation and Tradition on Thanksgiving

There is this funny thing about Thanksgiving, or any holiday for that matter: it seems there is a constant battle between Tradition and Progression. There are two camps: one maintains the sanctity of...

Kids' Basics: How to Chop an Onion

So just the other day I realized that for all the food writing and cooking that I do, I’ve been remiss in teaching my own kids basic cooking techniques. Yes, you heard that right. While they know how...