cdkitchen > feeddaily blog
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If variety is the spice of life, then there is nothing spicier than an entire meal of appetizers. All it takes is one look at the prevalence of restaurants featuring small plates to realize that this whole variety thing is a dining trend that has really taken hold. Of course, in many parts of the world, eating small plates of many different foods has been part of their culture for a very long time. But whether your idea of variety is ten different dipping sauces for your French fries or ordering a dinner entirely off the appetizer list, an at-home dinner featuring an assortment of possibly unrelated dishes will be "spicy" enough to satisfy even the most diverse palates.
by
Recently I had a wonderful meal at a nearby Italian restaurant that specializes in homemade pasta and sauces. The owners are from Italy and don't serve the Italian American standard spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread like most of the rest of the Italian joints around town. Instead they offer authentic Italian sauces such as Puttanesca (tomatoes, olives, chili peppers, anchovies, capers, and garlic), Carbonara (Pancetta, eggs, and black pepper), Walnut Cream sauce, and Ragu Bolognese, over your choice of homemade pasta.
by
It just so happened that within days of each other, both of my kids mentioned - rather out of the blue - that they would each like to do that "kids night to cook dinner thing" again. First my daughter mentioned that she liked those nights when she and her brother used to cook dinner. What ever happened to that, she wondered aloud? (Should I even try to explain the adult perspective: how my planning, preparing and time didn't always match up with my lofty goals? Didn't go there...) "So you liked doing that?" (Surprise, surprise. At the time there were...
by
Just yesterday I looked in my pantry and was speechless: no pasta left? No boxes or bags of elbows, spirals or linguine left anywhere? Of course, after the kitchen's demolition and remodeling (complete with house painting), that's probably not quite such an unusual happening, eh? Just getting everyone fed and keeping our lives going through that major routine-upheaval had me thinking about things that didn't include pasta. But it's one thing that I committed to that I'll do from here on out: keep an A-1 selection of different sizes and shapes of this all-around handy-dandy food on hand.
by
What could be better than an ooey gooey chocolate chip cookie, still warm and soft off of the cookie sheet? Just one cookie can smooth out some of the little bumps in day to day life for both young and old. Plus that yummy smell as they are coming out of the oven - you just can't beat it! It's no wonder that they happen to be my older son's current favorite afternoon snack. There are many variations on how to make the best chocolate chip cookie, from making a flavorful melted brown butter as the base, to combining a mixture of bread flour and cake flour for the...
by
A month ago I found myself staring at the defrosting hindquarters of a deer wondering how on earth I was going to prepare it. I was staying with friends at their rural Massachusetts farm. It is the sort of home where eggs fresh from their hens magically appear for breakfast, where the husband spends entire Saturday afternoons chopping logs to feed the wood stove, and where defrosting a large hunk of wild game meat for dinner is a regular occurrence. They had invited me to put my cooking skills to work on some venison, shot by my friend's brother the...
by
The dead of winter is typically not the time I think of a bountiful harvest. And yet in the midst of the blustery weather that is exactly what I have found: heavy tree limbs dripping with golden orbs of sunshine. Citrus fruit. Bundled up in my wool winter coat, I've found myself harvesting, in the dead of winter, baskets of Meyer lemons, tangelos, and all variety of citrus. While most of the country remains in a deep freeze, and even California is being hit with a winter storm, there is something completely thrilling and positively sunny about looking at a whole bowl filled with fruit...
by
When you are tired of the same standard weekday meals, it's time to make your old slow cooker perform new tricks. It is at this point in the winter when I start wanting fresher flavors and a break from heavy dishes and comfort food. A nice light dinner is what I am craving right now. I have to admit part of my motivation is to get ready for a trip to Mexico for a family wedding and get into bathing suit shape. But I also am just set for a change of pace. I have a little crop of herbs--parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme... and of course basil--that does nicely in my...
by
Some of us may have grown up eating it every day like clockwork for lunch - and never want to see it again. Others of us are still enamored with the classic taste of that creamy peanut butter and sweet grape jelly, otherwise known as PB&J. A taste that brings back days of slides, swings and playing tag at recess. My mom didn't serve up PB&J sandwiches very often, and that may be why I still like it - and yes, as a kid I thought those peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches from the cafeteria were pretty groovy too. So how in the world does PB&J relate...
by
Desserts are totally new territory for me and the crockpot. While I've used the slow cooker for stews, soups, veggies, and all manner of roasts, I didn't take the plunge into the dessert arena until very recently. I mean, it seemed like a double entendre, a 'why would I want/need/have any desire' to do that? Most days it's enough of a challenge just to get dinner on the table without figuring dessert into the equation. Especially if it's not a quick I-can-whip-it-together recipe that doesn't require a slew of ingredients. Not to mention that most desserts are notorious...
by
As time goes by, I realize that the older I get, the faster it goes. However I was totally unprepared for this first year of my second child to go by so quickly. But here we are chugging full steam ahead towards the little guy's first birthday. As I take a momentary break from the chaos that is my kitchen, while I get ready for his birthday brunch party this weekend, I wanted to share with you a few birthday party planning ideas for the little ones in your life. Whether you plan a simple party with cake and ice cream or set up your backyard as an elaborate...
by
Pasta, the simplest of meals, would seem one of the easiest dishes to make at home to rival the professionals. Yet again and again I find myself humbled in the hands of a chef who presents a plate of noodles, often simply adorned with a sauce consisting of little more than olive oil and breadcrumbs, and I am blown away. Never, I think, do I make pasta as good as this simple dish before me. Yes, most pasta sauces are simple. But even the most visually basic can hide a secret ingredient or two giving it the extra je ne sais quoi that we often fail to find in our own kitchens.
by
Um, hello! Yeah, hi, this is your body speaking. Remember me? Yeah, I know, it's been a while. If you don't mind putting down that Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte Extra Whip for a second, I was wondering if I could have a word with you. There you go. That wasn't so difficult. Thanks. Now, I promise this won't take long and I'll try to be as delicate as possible. I know the last three or four months have been hard on you. First the weather got chilly, which sent us indoors. No more walks in the park or runs on the water, but it was okay because we managed to catch a lot...
by
This is a dispatch from Southeast Asia. For the last 12 days I have been eating chicken with green curry and rice, seafood soup with coconut milk and rice noodles, and stir-fried beef with holy basil, chilies, and lemongrass. And of course, a side of rice, among other things. This part of the world is a land of many diverse people and cultures, but when it comes to food, it is most certainly the land of rice. Most species of rice are native to South Asia (where I am currently, writing to you from under the sunny skies of Phuket, Thailand) or certain parts of Africa....
by
"Beef, it's what's for dinner." For years I've laughed whenever I heard this slogan. Probably because it struck me as so pompous. But it certainly had the makings of a successful marketing tag line: it was short, it was memorable, and it got the point across, all of these in one fell swoop (not to mention plenty of Americans love beef). The best marketing messages pop into your head at odd moments and create visuals that stick with you long past when the ads have disappeared. "I can't believe I ate that whole thing." "Where's the beef?"...
by
When I was growing up, no taco night was complete without a giant bowl of soft avocado, mashed together with onions, tomatoes, and cilantro and surrounded by crunchy white corn chips. Meant only as an appetizer, I remember getting full off of it. Usually, my dad was the official "guaca-salsa" maker. I liked to watch him slice the onions into tiny white flakes and the tomatoes into juicy chunks. Later, when I took over the job of guaca-salsa maker, I could never escape without at least two or three tomato squirts on the front of my shirt. Apparently, the higher the number...
From The Editors At CDKitchen: Feed Daily
by
If variety is the spice of life, then there is nothing spicier than an entire meal of appetizers. All it takes is one look at the prevalence of restaurants featuring small plates to realize that this whole variety thing is a dining trend that has really taken hold. Of course, in many parts of the world, eating small plates of many different foods has been part of their culture for a very long time. But whether your idea of variety is ten different dipping sauces for your French fries or ordering a dinner entirely off the appetizer list, an at-home dinner featuring an assortment of possibly unrelated dishes will be "spicy" enough to satisfy even the most diverse palates.
by
Recently I had a wonderful meal at a nearby Italian restaurant that specializes in homemade pasta and sauces. The owners are from Italy and don't serve the Italian American standard spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread like most of the rest of the Italian joints around town. Instead they offer authentic Italian sauces such as Puttanesca (tomatoes, olives, chili peppers, anchovies, capers, and garlic), Carbonara (Pancetta, eggs, and black pepper), Walnut Cream sauce, and Ragu Bolognese, over your choice of homemade pasta.
by
It just so happened that within days of each other, both of my kids mentioned - rather out of the blue - that they would each like to do that "kids night to cook dinner thing" again. First my daughter mentioned that she liked those nights when she and her brother used to cook dinner. What ever happened to that, she wondered aloud? (Should I even try to explain the adult perspective: how my planning, preparing and time didn't always match up with my lofty goals? Didn't go there...) "So you liked doing that?" (Surprise, surprise. At the time there were...
by
Just yesterday I looked in my pantry and was speechless: no pasta left? No boxes or bags of elbows, spirals or linguine left anywhere? Of course, after the kitchen's demolition and remodeling (complete with house painting), that's probably not quite such an unusual happening, eh? Just getting everyone fed and keeping our lives going through that major routine-upheaval had me thinking about things that didn't include pasta. But it's one thing that I committed to that I'll do from here on out: keep an A-1 selection of different sizes and shapes of this all-around handy-dandy food on hand.
by
What could be better than an ooey gooey chocolate chip cookie, still warm and soft off of the cookie sheet? Just one cookie can smooth out some of the little bumps in day to day life for both young and old. Plus that yummy smell as they are coming out of the oven - you just can't beat it! It's no wonder that they happen to be my older son's current favorite afternoon snack. There are many variations on how to make the best chocolate chip cookie, from making a flavorful melted brown butter as the base, to combining a mixture of bread flour and cake flour for the...
by
A month ago I found myself staring at the defrosting hindquarters of a deer wondering how on earth I was going to prepare it. I was staying with friends at their rural Massachusetts farm. It is the sort of home where eggs fresh from their hens magically appear for breakfast, where the husband spends entire Saturday afternoons chopping logs to feed the wood stove, and where defrosting a large hunk of wild game meat for dinner is a regular occurrence. They had invited me to put my cooking skills to work on some venison, shot by my friend's brother the...
by
The dead of winter is typically not the time I think of a bountiful harvest. And yet in the midst of the blustery weather that is exactly what I have found: heavy tree limbs dripping with golden orbs of sunshine. Citrus fruit. Bundled up in my wool winter coat, I've found myself harvesting, in the dead of winter, baskets of Meyer lemons, tangelos, and all variety of citrus. While most of the country remains in a deep freeze, and even California is being hit with a winter storm, there is something completely thrilling and positively sunny about looking at a whole bowl filled with fruit...
by
When you are tired of the same standard weekday meals, it's time to make your old slow cooker perform new tricks. It is at this point in the winter when I start wanting fresher flavors and a break from heavy dishes and comfort food. A nice light dinner is what I am craving right now. I have to admit part of my motivation is to get ready for a trip to Mexico for a family wedding and get into bathing suit shape. But I also am just set for a change of pace. I have a little crop of herbs--parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme... and of course basil--that does nicely in my...
by
Some of us may have grown up eating it every day like clockwork for lunch - and never want to see it again. Others of us are still enamored with the classic taste of that creamy peanut butter and sweet grape jelly, otherwise known as PB&J. A taste that brings back days of slides, swings and playing tag at recess. My mom didn't serve up PB&J sandwiches very often, and that may be why I still like it - and yes, as a kid I thought those peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches from the cafeteria were pretty groovy too. So how in the world does PB&J relate...
by
Desserts are totally new territory for me and the crockpot. While I've used the slow cooker for stews, soups, veggies, and all manner of roasts, I didn't take the plunge into the dessert arena until very recently. I mean, it seemed like a double entendre, a 'why would I want/need/have any desire' to do that? Most days it's enough of a challenge just to get dinner on the table without figuring dessert into the equation. Especially if it's not a quick I-can-whip-it-together recipe that doesn't require a slew of ingredients. Not to mention that most desserts are notorious...
by
As time goes by, I realize that the older I get, the faster it goes. However I was totally unprepared for this first year of my second child to go by so quickly. But here we are chugging full steam ahead towards the little guy's first birthday. As I take a momentary break from the chaos that is my kitchen, while I get ready for his birthday brunch party this weekend, I wanted to share with you a few birthday party planning ideas for the little ones in your life. Whether you plan a simple party with cake and ice cream or set up your backyard as an elaborate...
by
Pasta, the simplest of meals, would seem one of the easiest dishes to make at home to rival the professionals. Yet again and again I find myself humbled in the hands of a chef who presents a plate of noodles, often simply adorned with a sauce consisting of little more than olive oil and breadcrumbs, and I am blown away. Never, I think, do I make pasta as good as this simple dish before me. Yes, most pasta sauces are simple. But even the most visually basic can hide a secret ingredient or two giving it the extra je ne sais quoi that we often fail to find in our own kitchens.
by
Um, hello! Yeah, hi, this is your body speaking. Remember me? Yeah, I know, it's been a while. If you don't mind putting down that Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte Extra Whip for a second, I was wondering if I could have a word with you. There you go. That wasn't so difficult. Thanks. Now, I promise this won't take long and I'll try to be as delicate as possible. I know the last three or four months have been hard on you. First the weather got chilly, which sent us indoors. No more walks in the park or runs on the water, but it was okay because we managed to catch a lot...
by
This is a dispatch from Southeast Asia. For the last 12 days I have been eating chicken with green curry and rice, seafood soup with coconut milk and rice noodles, and stir-fried beef with holy basil, chilies, and lemongrass. And of course, a side of rice, among other things. This part of the world is a land of many diverse people and cultures, but when it comes to food, it is most certainly the land of rice. Most species of rice are native to South Asia (where I am currently, writing to you from under the sunny skies of Phuket, Thailand) or certain parts of Africa....
by
"Beef, it's what's for dinner." For years I've laughed whenever I heard this slogan. Probably because it struck me as so pompous. But it certainly had the makings of a successful marketing tag line: it was short, it was memorable, and it got the point across, all of these in one fell swoop (not to mention plenty of Americans love beef). The best marketing messages pop into your head at odd moments and create visuals that stick with you long past when the ads have disappeared. "I can't believe I ate that whole thing." "Where's the beef?"...
by
When I was growing up, no taco night was complete without a giant bowl of soft avocado, mashed together with onions, tomatoes, and cilantro and surrounded by crunchy white corn chips. Meant only as an appetizer, I remember getting full off of it. Usually, my dad was the official "guaca-salsa" maker. I liked to watch him slice the onions into tiny white flakes and the tomatoes into juicy chunks. Later, when I took over the job of guaca-salsa maker, I could never escape without at least two or three tomato squirts on the front of my shirt. Apparently, the higher the number...