cdkitchen > feeddaily blog
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Legumes seem to forever fall into two categories. Under one column we find the staple food of vegans. Chickpeas, white beans, lentils (oh the lentils!), this is the central source of protein for those who abstain from animal products. The other column could be titled "Beans with Pork." There are those people, particularly from the Southern regions of this country, who would not dream of having a bean or split pea without a juicy ham hock, fat back, or straight up lard to give some flavor and body to the pot. As I see it, the problem with the first option is that for...
by
"You spend too much time thinking about food and wine." This is what my grandmother said to me as she drove me to meet the Marin Airporter at the end of the summer I lived with her. I didn't really know my grandmother before that summer, and it's fair to say she didn't really know me. I had somehow gone nineteen years with little knowledge of her beyond her professional accomplishments and the stress my mother often felt over their relationship. Other women in my family I had known intimately all my life. It was my mother who made bread from scratch weekly and let...
by
I am a very bad person. I have lied and I have manipulated. More than once has a friend gasped in shock at my confessions and reacted with exclamations including words such as, but not limited to, "deceived!" and "betrayed!" But despite these pronouncements of shock and horror, a smile inevitably crosses their faces and I am ultimately forgiven as they come back for more of what I have dished out. What culinary caper could provoke such befuddlement and bemusement from my guests? Secrets. As in secret ingredients. They first are hidden, and then are revealed, to...
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Looking back, it is highly unlikely that the even the most cutting edge food writer would have predicted that the humble taco would emerge as today's beacon of global cuisine. Essentially a sandwich that can be eaten with one hand substituting a tortilla for bread, across America the taco has become the delivery vehicle for experiments in modern fusion cooking. With taco trucks now prowling the streets from St. Louis to New Orleans, it is easy to forget that the taco is not originally from this side of the border.
by
Close your eyes and let your finger drop at random on most Italian-American restaurant menus and there is a fairly good chance your dish of choice will contain the stringiest of Italian cheeses, mozzarella. Mozzarella has infiltrated the American diet in the last century, emerging as the definitive topping of pizza, the glue that binds lasagna, the on-the-go snack (when formed into a stick), and the quintessential breaded, deep fried bar food. The once humble fresh Italian cheese made from the milk of water buffalo has morphed into a mass produced staple of the food service industry...
by
Here's a familiar scenario: you've gone out to eat and have gotten so full by the time your main course has arrived that you had to save most of your meal in a doggy bag. I am thinking of an Italian restaurant where the portions are so large, and I get so full on appetizers and bread that I can hardly even take a bite of the entrée. The next day we have another feast of leftovers that, to me, taste even better than the night before. Next time you plan to pull out the slow cooker to make a meal, consider the fact that leftovers sometimes taste even better the next day.
by
Las Vegas: city of sin and, more recently, culinary playground for celebrated chefs from around the world. I recently spent a week working, eating, and playing in this unlikely food mecca. It was perhaps the last city I expected to cause me to ponder the cooking principles that I live by. I witnessed food crimes at slick, trendy restaurants and found reassurance in the form of old school, off-the-strip restaurants with career waiters and food an Italian grandmother would approve of. Ultimately, I came out of that week surer than ever of the elements it takes to concoct a great...
by
Daughter recently had a friend over to play who stayed to eat dinner with us. A spunky, enthusiastic girl, she began to regale us with tales of leftover food funnies from their house. You know, the green, the forgotten, the "what's that growing in there?" stories that kids love. And then she took it a step further: "Wouldn't it be funny if when you went over to buy tomato sauce there would be cans of leftovers there too? There would be cans with labels: a picture of some food with bad smells coming off and it would have green smoke rising from it. Imagine that ... no...
by
If you're like me, reading yet another article about childhood obesity and its detrimental health effects is going to put you into overload mode. Seems like every newspaper, magazine and TV newsflash is shouting the bad news: there's been a dramatic rise in childhood obesity in the past decade. A recent article from The Daily News stated that over 30 percent of kids in the United States fall into this category. And along with that comes diseases associated with overweight conditions: diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. So in the interest of keeping...
by
Recently I went out to dinner with my family. As is our usual custom, we ended up sharing dessert after a delicious meal at a local brasserie. We sat around the table together taking bites of our small indulgence of profiteroles with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce as we chatted about what our friends and family were up to these days. It was a really nice way to end a very relaxing and enjoyable meal. As we talked over the empty plate in the center of the table, scraping away at the last bits of chocolate and vanilla, I couldn't help but think about how...
by
One of the things I like best about New Year's is the sense of fresh possibility. It's like we get to start all over again. Even more of a new start than a new day, a whole new year is like a life reborn again. Then again, sometimes that's just a whole lotta pressure ... and when it comes to resolutions, I'm just not much for 'em. I am, however, one of those "set goals" and "make a plan to make 'em happen" types of folks. And what better way than to keep those goals happening than to have the joined force and energy of lots of people to boost your dreams and hopes and...
by
You may be gearing up for late night plans to celebrate the New Year, complete with champagne, fun cocktails and fancy hors d'ouervres. But have you thought about what's on your menu for the day after: New Year's Day? Hangover cures are what top lots of people's lists for the day after a big night of celebrating. Fatty brunch foods like sausage, bacon and eggs, pancakes, and alcohol absorbing fried hash brown potatoes. And possibly accompanied by a hair-of-the-dog morning cocktail like a Bloody Mary or Mimosa. Of course an ounce of prevention can come in...
by
During the week between Christmas and New Year's, it seems more board games and card games are played than any other time of year. People are in the holiday spirit of family togetherness, and one thing we can all agree on is that games are fun. My closest friends and I, together with our significant others, love to get together at this time of year and play a few rounds of our old favorite games along with trying out some new ones that were brought by Santa. On those jolly game nights we enjoy an assortment of delicious party and snack foods such as homemade Chex Mix, cheese and...
by
Memories. They can pop up at the most unexpected times, like when we set eyes on an item from our long-lost past. And that's exactly what happened this past summer when the kids and I ran across a cast iron enameled fondue pot set at a neighbor's garage sale. Tucked into the faded, original cardboard box, all the pieces were there, just waiting for the right person to wander along. All we needed to do was track down some gel fuel and a recipe. But what really compelled me to haul that fondue set home and dish out two hundred cents for it? Fun. Friends. Memories...
by
You're in the middle of another hectic week, and nobody has had time to do a grocery run. Between work, going to the gym, and shuttling kids back and forth from school and their various activities, you barely have time to stop and take a breath, let alone plan a nutritious dinner made from scratch for tonight. But before you pick up the phone and order in a pizza, or make a run to the nearest fast food joint, slow down a little, and make a more nourishing and soul-satisfying meal. It's days when you feel this way that the perfect antidote is breakfast for dinner! Most...
by
I take full responsibility for getting rid of the rice cooker. The electric pot had been collecting dust on a shelf since the day my boyfriend and I moved in together. A relic of his bachelor days, it had not seen a single grain of rice once I showed John the wonders of my stove top method. Finally, during a day of spring-cleaning, I took it to the trash, barely pausing on my way to get a nod of approval from pot's owner. Perhaps I was rash with the decision to dump the cooker. Perhaps I should have noticed the look of nostalgia mixed with fear on his face as I walked...
From The Editors At CDKitchen: Feed Daily
by
Legumes seem to forever fall into two categories. Under one column we find the staple food of vegans. Chickpeas, white beans, lentils (oh the lentils!), this is the central source of protein for those who abstain from animal products. The other column could be titled "Beans with Pork." There are those people, particularly from the Southern regions of this country, who would not dream of having a bean or split pea without a juicy ham hock, fat back, or straight up lard to give some flavor and body to the pot. As I see it, the problem with the first option is that for...
by
"You spend too much time thinking about food and wine." This is what my grandmother said to me as she drove me to meet the Marin Airporter at the end of the summer I lived with her. I didn't really know my grandmother before that summer, and it's fair to say she didn't really know me. I had somehow gone nineteen years with little knowledge of her beyond her professional accomplishments and the stress my mother often felt over their relationship. Other women in my family I had known intimately all my life. It was my mother who made bread from scratch weekly and let...
by
I am a very bad person. I have lied and I have manipulated. More than once has a friend gasped in shock at my confessions and reacted with exclamations including words such as, but not limited to, "deceived!" and "betrayed!" But despite these pronouncements of shock and horror, a smile inevitably crosses their faces and I am ultimately forgiven as they come back for more of what I have dished out. What culinary caper could provoke such befuddlement and bemusement from my guests? Secrets. As in secret ingredients. They first are hidden, and then are revealed, to...
by
Looking back, it is highly unlikely that the even the most cutting edge food writer would have predicted that the humble taco would emerge as today's beacon of global cuisine. Essentially a sandwich that can be eaten with one hand substituting a tortilla for bread, across America the taco has become the delivery vehicle for experiments in modern fusion cooking. With taco trucks now prowling the streets from St. Louis to New Orleans, it is easy to forget that the taco is not originally from this side of the border.
by
Close your eyes and let your finger drop at random on most Italian-American restaurant menus and there is a fairly good chance your dish of choice will contain the stringiest of Italian cheeses, mozzarella. Mozzarella has infiltrated the American diet in the last century, emerging as the definitive topping of pizza, the glue that binds lasagna, the on-the-go snack (when formed into a stick), and the quintessential breaded, deep fried bar food. The once humble fresh Italian cheese made from the milk of water buffalo has morphed into a mass produced staple of the food service industry...
by
Here's a familiar scenario: you've gone out to eat and have gotten so full by the time your main course has arrived that you had to save most of your meal in a doggy bag. I am thinking of an Italian restaurant where the portions are so large, and I get so full on appetizers and bread that I can hardly even take a bite of the entrée. The next day we have another feast of leftovers that, to me, taste even better than the night before. Next time you plan to pull out the slow cooker to make a meal, consider the fact that leftovers sometimes taste even better the next day.
by
Las Vegas: city of sin and, more recently, culinary playground for celebrated chefs from around the world. I recently spent a week working, eating, and playing in this unlikely food mecca. It was perhaps the last city I expected to cause me to ponder the cooking principles that I live by. I witnessed food crimes at slick, trendy restaurants and found reassurance in the form of old school, off-the-strip restaurants with career waiters and food an Italian grandmother would approve of. Ultimately, I came out of that week surer than ever of the elements it takes to concoct a great...
by
Daughter recently had a friend over to play who stayed to eat dinner with us. A spunky, enthusiastic girl, she began to regale us with tales of leftover food funnies from their house. You know, the green, the forgotten, the "what's that growing in there?" stories that kids love. And then she took it a step further: "Wouldn't it be funny if when you went over to buy tomato sauce there would be cans of leftovers there too? There would be cans with labels: a picture of some food with bad smells coming off and it would have green smoke rising from it. Imagine that ... no...
by
If you're like me, reading yet another article about childhood obesity and its detrimental health effects is going to put you into overload mode. Seems like every newspaper, magazine and TV newsflash is shouting the bad news: there's been a dramatic rise in childhood obesity in the past decade. A recent article from The Daily News stated that over 30 percent of kids in the United States fall into this category. And along with that comes diseases associated with overweight conditions: diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. So in the interest of keeping...
by
Recently I went out to dinner with my family. As is our usual custom, we ended up sharing dessert after a delicious meal at a local brasserie. We sat around the table together taking bites of our small indulgence of profiteroles with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce as we chatted about what our friends and family were up to these days. It was a really nice way to end a very relaxing and enjoyable meal. As we talked over the empty plate in the center of the table, scraping away at the last bits of chocolate and vanilla, I couldn't help but think about how...
by
One of the things I like best about New Year's is the sense of fresh possibility. It's like we get to start all over again. Even more of a new start than a new day, a whole new year is like a life reborn again. Then again, sometimes that's just a whole lotta pressure ... and when it comes to resolutions, I'm just not much for 'em. I am, however, one of those "set goals" and "make a plan to make 'em happen" types of folks. And what better way than to keep those goals happening than to have the joined force and energy of lots of people to boost your dreams and hopes and...
by
You may be gearing up for late night plans to celebrate the New Year, complete with champagne, fun cocktails and fancy hors d'ouervres. But have you thought about what's on your menu for the day after: New Year's Day? Hangover cures are what top lots of people's lists for the day after a big night of celebrating. Fatty brunch foods like sausage, bacon and eggs, pancakes, and alcohol absorbing fried hash brown potatoes. And possibly accompanied by a hair-of-the-dog morning cocktail like a Bloody Mary or Mimosa. Of course an ounce of prevention can come in...
by
During the week between Christmas and New Year's, it seems more board games and card games are played than any other time of year. People are in the holiday spirit of family togetherness, and one thing we can all agree on is that games are fun. My closest friends and I, together with our significant others, love to get together at this time of year and play a few rounds of our old favorite games along with trying out some new ones that were brought by Santa. On those jolly game nights we enjoy an assortment of delicious party and snack foods such as homemade Chex Mix, cheese and...
by
Memories. They can pop up at the most unexpected times, like when we set eyes on an item from our long-lost past. And that's exactly what happened this past summer when the kids and I ran across a cast iron enameled fondue pot set at a neighbor's garage sale. Tucked into the faded, original cardboard box, all the pieces were there, just waiting for the right person to wander along. All we needed to do was track down some gel fuel and a recipe. But what really compelled me to haul that fondue set home and dish out two hundred cents for it? Fun. Friends. Memories...
by
You're in the middle of another hectic week, and nobody has had time to do a grocery run. Between work, going to the gym, and shuttling kids back and forth from school and their various activities, you barely have time to stop and take a breath, let alone plan a nutritious dinner made from scratch for tonight. But before you pick up the phone and order in a pizza, or make a run to the nearest fast food joint, slow down a little, and make a more nourishing and soul-satisfying meal. It's days when you feel this way that the perfect antidote is breakfast for dinner! Most...
by
I take full responsibility for getting rid of the rice cooker. The electric pot had been collecting dust on a shelf since the day my boyfriend and I moved in together. A relic of his bachelor days, it had not seen a single grain of rice once I showed John the wonders of my stove top method. Finally, during a day of spring-cleaning, I took it to the trash, barely pausing on my way to get a nod of approval from pot's owner. Perhaps I was rash with the decision to dump the cooker. Perhaps I should have noticed the look of nostalgia mixed with fear on his face as I walked...