cdkitchen > feeddaily blog
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I'm a sucker for an under-appreciated vegetable. Usually this inclination results in the dramatic rescue of a forlorn cabbage, celery root, or bunch of chard from a stand at a Farmer's Market. I then coddle that forgotten, beautiful-in-its-own-special-way veggie and whisk it back to my kitchen, intent on transforming the ugly ducking into a beautiful swan worthy meal come dinnertime. Kohlrabi, perhaps one of the saddest of the root vegetable bunch, was brought to my attention a bit differently than most. It came to me. Several years ago in the kitchen of...
by
Eat fish! It is good for your heart, fights depression, improves your vision and will help you live a long and healthier life! Then again, maybe don't eat fish. These days we are being warned that the fish that is supposed to be good for us is high in nitrates, PCBs, mercury... all those mysterious names that ultimately spell out the worst word of all: cancer. With so much conflicting information, what is a health-conscious home cook to do? Of all the fish out there, salmon seems to be the most confounding. As one of the fattiest fish on the market, it is an...
by
What's not to love about a stir-fry for dinner? 1. It's quick. 2. It's easy. 3. It's healthy. But rely on it too many nights and it's ... well, boring. While we often fall back on a stir-fry when it seems like there's nothing else in the house for dinner, I really was getting awfully bored with the same old, same old carrots, onions, peas and rice. Yeah, for some reason these three are the most common veggies that get seared and sautéed with our leftover rice. In an effort to spruce things up - and to take advantage of...
by
I thought I had a great immune system. Up until this year I could count on one hand the number of colds I have had in my adult years. Despite the fact that I lived in a city inhabited by more than eight million people and rode the subway almost every day, I managed to remain relatively healthy. Not so this year, this winter I have had one cold after another. I am pretty sure it has something to do with what seems like abnormally cold weather and also that I am coming into contact with a lot more children on a day to day basis now that I am a parent...
by
Imagine no birthday cakes, hot dogs, apple pie, spaghetti or pizza. Hey, that's like you might as well forget eating with kids! If you, your child or child's friends must eat a gluten-free diet due to health reasons, there is help to be had. Yes, it really is still possible to enjoy food and have it taste great. And no, life does not have to be restrictive when you must avoid all foods that contain gluten: from wheat, rye and barley to spelt, triticale and kamut. Not when you have a great cookbook to reference, that is. And in Incredible Edible Gluten-free Food for...
by
My kids have a joke about my favorite bread: it's that 12-plus multi-grain bread with all those crunchy seeds and grains. They say "the more, the better for Mom!" and wonder if there will ever be a 100-grain variety. Yep, I actually like that stuff better than the white fluff. I'm lucky: My kids like it too. As you've probably read before, you know that my kids are adventurous eaters - they're willing to try unusual combinations or take just one bite of a questionable new dish. What more could a mom ask for? I know.
by
Over the past weeks, we've been talking about some creative ways to use leftovers, and here's yet another one for you. It's one of the most simple and enjoyable activities we have discovered over the past few years: feed the birds. Best of all, the kids and I have even learned a bit of bird ID too. Black-capped chickadees. Blue jays. Cardinals. Cedar Waxwings and Dark-eyed Juncos. And really, what could be better than helping to feed feathered friends with your leftover scraps? Scraps that would otherwise be garbage. Even if you don't choose to go the leftover route, once...
by
There is a reason the old saying exists, 'opposites attract.' It is just that we don't think of that saying all that often in relation to food. Great food is a part of life that elicits such passion that people you would never think of getting along are brought together. Likewise when cooking, ingredients you might never think of using in the same dish can be brought together in beautiful harmony. Over the years a love of great food has made me friends with people I might barely have spoken to otherwise.
by
Some of you may remember that I'm in love with Greek food. Any dish that remotely spanks of sunny Mediterranean skies, of olives, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, of grape leaves - and everything in-between - is my numero uno weakness. Greece is also the number one destination on my agenda when I have the opportunity to travel beyond these 48 contiguous states. Whenever I make it there, beware - I may not be coming home. Sunshine and island living ... Greek food everyday? Sounds perfect to me. So whenever I have the opportunity to eat Greek, to make a Greek recipe, even just to...
by
Puff pastry is a wonderful invention. It's rich and buttery yet its delicately light texture makes it an extremely versatile ingredient in the kitchen. It can be made into myriad different things for your party table or can even turn a humdrum Tuesday evening dinner into something a little extra special. Puff pastry is a pastry dough that puffs up when baked. No kidding, you say! It is made by creating extremely thin separate layers of butter and flour (as opposed to pastry dough, or pate sucree, in which the butter and flour are incorporated together). Theoretically...
by
March is National Frozen Food Month and today, March 6, is National Frozen Food Day. While some culinary purists may feel guilty serving meals made from frozen, rather than fresh, fruits and vegetables, nutritionists say that frozen is often the better choice. Frozen vegetables are considered "healthy" by the FDA. Research shows that they have equivalent, if not higher, nutrient profiles when compared to their fresh counterparts. A study conducted by the University of Illinois found that frozen green beans actually contained twice as much vitamin C as fresh ones. This finding was...
by
When your kids get home hungry and tired after a busy day of school, what do they need most? Well, besides a welcome smile and hug and a listening ear, they probably need a healthy protein boost to pick them up after the tests and tribulations of their day. Although June Cleaver may have had her Leave It to Beaver family noshing on homemade cookies and milk daily, today's watch words are working parents and strained schedules - not to mention sugar, fat and carbs.
by
So here I am, carrying one 5 lb., 3 oz bundle of pure heaven all wrapped up tight and ready to take home. Inside the bundle it glistens, all black and shiny... with a beard. No, this bundle of joy is not a super small baby but an extra large sack of mussels recently purchased and bound for my stove and stomach. These mussels weren't all intended for me. Still, I eventually downed about half of them myself at a recent dinner party. Sadly, although I have a great affection for this inexpensive and delicious bivalve, I believe it is mostly misunderstood. Which is how I...
by
You know those mornings when everyone is trying to rush out the door to meet the school bus and get to work on time? If this is your reality on most weekday mornings then you're definitely not alone. Too many of us feel that morning crunch and while we know that skipping breakfast is not the best alternative, especially for growing kids, some days even sitting down to a bowl of cereal seems like it takes too much time.
by
I just returned from a family weekend in Massachusetts where my cousin Marc (whom my sister affectionately and accurately calls "The Renaissance Man") prepared a pancake feast for a family of 50. In advance, he cooked dozens and dozens of strawberry and banana pecan pancakes served with the best New England maple syrup. They were utterly delicious, and an inspiration for anyone who wants to make homemade batter with a twist. Whether you call them flapjacks, pancakes, griddle cakes, or hotcakes, these fluffy breakfast skillet creations are part of the American culinary quilt...
by
The recent economic uncertainty has had many of us watching every dollar that goes in and out of our pockets. One of the biggest and most unavoidable expenditures in any family budget is the cost of food. Food prices have gone up pretty dramatically in recent years, while many people's security in their financial future has declined. Given the current conditions, I have been cost cutting and have rediscovered some money-saving tricks that can be used to feed your family without resorting to ramen noodles. As we all know, the crockpot is your best friend when...
From The Editors At CDKitchen: Feed Daily
by
I'm a sucker for an under-appreciated vegetable. Usually this inclination results in the dramatic rescue of a forlorn cabbage, celery root, or bunch of chard from a stand at a Farmer's Market. I then coddle that forgotten, beautiful-in-its-own-special-way veggie and whisk it back to my kitchen, intent on transforming the ugly ducking into a beautiful swan worthy meal come dinnertime. Kohlrabi, perhaps one of the saddest of the root vegetable bunch, was brought to my attention a bit differently than most. It came to me. Several years ago in the kitchen of...
by
Eat fish! It is good for your heart, fights depression, improves your vision and will help you live a long and healthier life! Then again, maybe don't eat fish. These days we are being warned that the fish that is supposed to be good for us is high in nitrates, PCBs, mercury... all those mysterious names that ultimately spell out the worst word of all: cancer. With so much conflicting information, what is a health-conscious home cook to do? Of all the fish out there, salmon seems to be the most confounding. As one of the fattiest fish on the market, it is an...
by
What's not to love about a stir-fry for dinner? 1. It's quick. 2. It's easy. 3. It's healthy. But rely on it too many nights and it's ... well, boring. While we often fall back on a stir-fry when it seems like there's nothing else in the house for dinner, I really was getting awfully bored with the same old, same old carrots, onions, peas and rice. Yeah, for some reason these three are the most common veggies that get seared and sautéed with our leftover rice. In an effort to spruce things up - and to take advantage of...
by
I thought I had a great immune system. Up until this year I could count on one hand the number of colds I have had in my adult years. Despite the fact that I lived in a city inhabited by more than eight million people and rode the subway almost every day, I managed to remain relatively healthy. Not so this year, this winter I have had one cold after another. I am pretty sure it has something to do with what seems like abnormally cold weather and also that I am coming into contact with a lot more children on a day to day basis now that I am a parent...
by
Imagine no birthday cakes, hot dogs, apple pie, spaghetti or pizza. Hey, that's like you might as well forget eating with kids! If you, your child or child's friends must eat a gluten-free diet due to health reasons, there is help to be had. Yes, it really is still possible to enjoy food and have it taste great. And no, life does not have to be restrictive when you must avoid all foods that contain gluten: from wheat, rye and barley to spelt, triticale and kamut. Not when you have a great cookbook to reference, that is. And in Incredible Edible Gluten-free Food for...
by
My kids have a joke about my favorite bread: it's that 12-plus multi-grain bread with all those crunchy seeds and grains. They say "the more, the better for Mom!" and wonder if there will ever be a 100-grain variety. Yep, I actually like that stuff better than the white fluff. I'm lucky: My kids like it too. As you've probably read before, you know that my kids are adventurous eaters - they're willing to try unusual combinations or take just one bite of a questionable new dish. What more could a mom ask for? I know.
by
Over the past weeks, we've been talking about some creative ways to use leftovers, and here's yet another one for you. It's one of the most simple and enjoyable activities we have discovered over the past few years: feed the birds. Best of all, the kids and I have even learned a bit of bird ID too. Black-capped chickadees. Blue jays. Cardinals. Cedar Waxwings and Dark-eyed Juncos. And really, what could be better than helping to feed feathered friends with your leftover scraps? Scraps that would otherwise be garbage. Even if you don't choose to go the leftover route, once...
by
There is a reason the old saying exists, 'opposites attract.' It is just that we don't think of that saying all that often in relation to food. Great food is a part of life that elicits such passion that people you would never think of getting along are brought together. Likewise when cooking, ingredients you might never think of using in the same dish can be brought together in beautiful harmony. Over the years a love of great food has made me friends with people I might barely have spoken to otherwise.
by
Some of you may remember that I'm in love with Greek food. Any dish that remotely spanks of sunny Mediterranean skies, of olives, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, of grape leaves - and everything in-between - is my numero uno weakness. Greece is also the number one destination on my agenda when I have the opportunity to travel beyond these 48 contiguous states. Whenever I make it there, beware - I may not be coming home. Sunshine and island living ... Greek food everyday? Sounds perfect to me. So whenever I have the opportunity to eat Greek, to make a Greek recipe, even just to...
by
Puff pastry is a wonderful invention. It's rich and buttery yet its delicately light texture makes it an extremely versatile ingredient in the kitchen. It can be made into myriad different things for your party table or can even turn a humdrum Tuesday evening dinner into something a little extra special. Puff pastry is a pastry dough that puffs up when baked. No kidding, you say! It is made by creating extremely thin separate layers of butter and flour (as opposed to pastry dough, or pate sucree, in which the butter and flour are incorporated together). Theoretically...
by
March is National Frozen Food Month and today, March 6, is National Frozen Food Day. While some culinary purists may feel guilty serving meals made from frozen, rather than fresh, fruits and vegetables, nutritionists say that frozen is often the better choice. Frozen vegetables are considered "healthy" by the FDA. Research shows that they have equivalent, if not higher, nutrient profiles when compared to their fresh counterparts. A study conducted by the University of Illinois found that frozen green beans actually contained twice as much vitamin C as fresh ones. This finding was...
by
When your kids get home hungry and tired after a busy day of school, what do they need most? Well, besides a welcome smile and hug and a listening ear, they probably need a healthy protein boost to pick them up after the tests and tribulations of their day. Although June Cleaver may have had her Leave It to Beaver family noshing on homemade cookies and milk daily, today's watch words are working parents and strained schedules - not to mention sugar, fat and carbs.
by
So here I am, carrying one 5 lb., 3 oz bundle of pure heaven all wrapped up tight and ready to take home. Inside the bundle it glistens, all black and shiny... with a beard. No, this bundle of joy is not a super small baby but an extra large sack of mussels recently purchased and bound for my stove and stomach. These mussels weren't all intended for me. Still, I eventually downed about half of them myself at a recent dinner party. Sadly, although I have a great affection for this inexpensive and delicious bivalve, I believe it is mostly misunderstood. Which is how I...
by
You know those mornings when everyone is trying to rush out the door to meet the school bus and get to work on time? If this is your reality on most weekday mornings then you're definitely not alone. Too many of us feel that morning crunch and while we know that skipping breakfast is not the best alternative, especially for growing kids, some days even sitting down to a bowl of cereal seems like it takes too much time.
by
I just returned from a family weekend in Massachusetts where my cousin Marc (whom my sister affectionately and accurately calls "The Renaissance Man") prepared a pancake feast for a family of 50. In advance, he cooked dozens and dozens of strawberry and banana pecan pancakes served with the best New England maple syrup. They were utterly delicious, and an inspiration for anyone who wants to make homemade batter with a twist. Whether you call them flapjacks, pancakes, griddle cakes, or hotcakes, these fluffy breakfast skillet creations are part of the American culinary quilt...
by
The recent economic uncertainty has had many of us watching every dollar that goes in and out of our pockets. One of the biggest and most unavoidable expenditures in any family budget is the cost of food. Food prices have gone up pretty dramatically in recent years, while many people's security in their financial future has declined. Given the current conditions, I have been cost cutting and have rediscovered some money-saving tricks that can be used to feed your family without resorting to ramen noodles. As we all know, the crockpot is your best friend when...