cdkitchen > feeddaily blog
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The year I turned sixteen, a friend and I were inspired to dig into baking some Christmas cookies. My mom was all for it - and even gave us the money to go to the store and buy the ingredients. So we made a list of what we needed, and traveled out to find everything (it was so exciting to be driving!). I remember the challenge of making that list and wondering how much flour, sugar and butter to buy. I remember feeling unsure as to exactly how much was needed - all the more reason to give your kids the valuable experience of regularly cooking and shopping with you. Often it's the...
by
Are your kids big snackers? Well then the holiday season is the perfect time for them! Bite sized foods abound at various holiday gatherings, school parties and family celebrations. Everything from healthy nibbles like cheese and crackers and fruit, to more indulgent cookies, chocolate, and candy. The hardest part is making sure the kids don't overdo it! But hey that's what New Year's is for, right? Now, for grownups, making meals out of snacks is a holiday extravagance (of which I am more than happy to take part of!). But young kids really do require a couple of...
by
Merry Christmas, Hanukah and Kwanzaa, dear readers. To thank you for reading this column, regardless of whether you are a dedicated weekly reader or a this is your first time, I have a very special recipe for you this week. I will let you open early and continue to use it all year round. I know you're excited, so here you go: Every family has their own, unique holiday traditions. These traditions have developed over time, many laden with symbolism, tinged with a splash of religion, and topped with a good helping of culture. Christmas Eve is, in many ways, more varied...
by
'Twas the night before your dinner party, and in front of your stove, you brainstormed a menu, but nothing arose. You had duck and potatoes, peas and some plums, yet you needed an idea to make this meal some more fun. But with all of the shopping and house decorating, you hadn't the time for meal elaborating. Sulking, idea-less you went off to bed, when visions of sugar plums began to dance in your head. How to make an English Christmas more than the same standard feast? You would take all those plums and head into the East! The American Christmas dinner as we...
by
The art of the homemade Christmas gifts was not lost on me even as a young child thanks to the craftiness of my mother. Growing up I watched my mom, an excellent baker, spend an entire week preparing edible gifts to be doled out before the holidays to everyone from our next door neighbors to our teachers to her colleagues. In the kitchen I'd watch and help where I could as she turned out loaves of homemade whole wheat bread doing everything herself - even down to grinding the wheat. There would be roasting pans full of caramel corn and cookies in the hundreds. She...
by
During this season of giving, why not celebrate the twelve days of slow cooking and share some special holiday dishes? Good food is central to almost all holiday celebrations and holiday feasting is one of the ways we can connect and make merry with loved ones. From a holiday open house, to a cozy fireside Christmas Eve supper, to a gut-busting Christmas morning breakfast, there are so many holiday menu options that can be adapted to long cooking times. Relying on the slow cooker can free up your time to spend on other activities such as making that last batch of cookies...
by
How many Christmases are you having this year? Or will it be one Christmas, one Hanukkah, and perhaps a Kwanza dinner? After years of singular Christmas simplicity, this year it looks like my family might be having two Christmases, in a way. As new as it may be for us, celebrating multiple times to include different sides of a family is nothing new to many folks. As families grow, divide, and merge, the holidays are a time to see and to embrace as many parts of that family as possible, no matter how many "Christmas" dinners it takes. My family, and thus my Christmas...
by
It seems like this time of year, it's hard to keep kids away from all the sweet goodies. From candy canes to sugar cookies and chocolate galore, it's a never-ending parade of sugar for both adults and kids. So far this week in my house, we have indulged in mini donuts, two different kinds of cookies, some sea salt caramels (my new favorites), some free candy given out at the Christmas parade, and more than a few cups of hot cocoa. We normally have fruit for dessert but I know that will soon change with all the holiday events and gatherings. It's enough to make my teeth hurt just...
by
Cupcakes are all the rage these days. Every bakery makes them, some are small and delicate, truly a cake the size of a cup. Some are gargantuan and indulgent, more along the lines of a baby's head or a miniature cabbage. Everyone's got their favorite cupcake, and we could argue for days on the merits of the 'muffin top' versus the underrated bottom; American buttercream over French; jimmies versus sprinkles. But one thing is for sure: everybody loves 'em. I served cupcakes, from a local bakery in New York that specializes in making large buttery pound cake cupcakes loaded...
by
Say gingerbread houses and most kids think "Yay, gingerbread houses! Let's make 'em!" (Thinking straight away of the sweet icing and candy.) And wouldn't it be more fun for you to cut to the chase with fast-drying icing, colorful decorating fun and minimal prep and clean up? I thought there had to be a better way after years of trying to do the authentic gingerbread house thing too. After the mixing, the rolling, the cutting and the baking - not to mention coming up with a work-able pattern ... Then it would finally be time for the fun part, the assembly. But then...
by
Growing up, I never saw my parents drink wine or even beer. My dad would drink an ice cold non-alcoholic O'Doul's; occasionally, he let me have a sip but I wasn't impressed by the taste. Even after we moved to San Luis Obispo, which is smack-dab in the middle of the California Central Coast wine region, we never tried wine. I don't even remember my first glass of red wine. It was probably at my friend's house. She used to make a huge pot of spaghetti on Sunday nights when we were in college. It was a great way to kick-off the week: hot spaghetti, crisp salad, all sprinkled...
by
A few weeks ago I had some friends over for dinner, a sort of girls' night in while my boyfriend was out of town. In fact, I had taken the opportunity of his long work trip to have as many of these nights as I could work out with friends (girls' night is not really the same when boys are around). When I served up a platter of eggplant parmesan crostini for the girls to nibble on while I finished the main course, they were obviously impressed. Not only was I making dinner, but it appeared I had taken the time to laboriously fry eggplant slices, smothered them in marinara, and layered...
by
This year I've vowed to take the holidays a bit easier, really enjoying the season and making lasting memories with friends and family. Rather than last year's rush, rush, rush, right up until the very end late on Christmas Eve putting together a train table, I have tried to get all the shopping and preparation out of the way so we can move on to more leisurely pursuits. Last night we had a bit of a Norman Rockwell moment, enjoying the old fashioned Christmas parade in our town. We walked around from business to business, enjoying drinks and cookies, and listening...
by
'Tis the season for festive holiday merrymaking and nonstop eating. From stringing popcorn for tree decorations to helping to fry the Hanukah potato latkes at grandma's knee to baking cookies to leave out as Santa's snack on the night before Christmas, many of our most cherished childhood food memories are tied up in the holiday season. How many of your favorite holiday moments involve food? It's the time of year to revive old traditions and start new ones. Some of my old family food traditions include baking the same assortment of cookies each year, sitting down to a...
by
This season is full of good tidings of comfort and joy, and bellies full of comfort food. Putting together a menu for the holidays is akin to drawing up a "Best Of" list for all of our soul soothing favorite dishes. There might be a ham, or another crack at making a roast turkey. There will definitely be pies, cookies and cakes enough to send your system into a sugar shock. There will be myriad confections of chocolate, vanilla and even caramel -- enough to put your dentist on high alert. There will be passed hors d'oeuvres in puff pastry and cheese trays enough to make you think...
by
Winter calls for hearty foods: braised lamb shanks, beef stew, cassoulet. Those are well and good dishes for a long Saturday of cooking or when prepared by someone else in a restaurant. On a weeknight, however, eating hearty meats in short cooking time can be a daunting task. Braising meats, roasting long cooking vegetables, neither of these activities are conducive to a quick weeknight meal made by the average working professional. The challenge is to take those hearty wintery meats and prepare them in a way that cuts down on the time without cutting the feeling of...
From The Editors At CDKitchen: Feed Daily
by
The year I turned sixteen, a friend and I were inspired to dig into baking some Christmas cookies. My mom was all for it - and even gave us the money to go to the store and buy the ingredients. So we made a list of what we needed, and traveled out to find everything (it was so exciting to be driving!). I remember the challenge of making that list and wondering how much flour, sugar and butter to buy. I remember feeling unsure as to exactly how much was needed - all the more reason to give your kids the valuable experience of regularly cooking and shopping with you. Often it's the...
by
Are your kids big snackers? Well then the holiday season is the perfect time for them! Bite sized foods abound at various holiday gatherings, school parties and family celebrations. Everything from healthy nibbles like cheese and crackers and fruit, to more indulgent cookies, chocolate, and candy. The hardest part is making sure the kids don't overdo it! But hey that's what New Year's is for, right? Now, for grownups, making meals out of snacks is a holiday extravagance (of which I am more than happy to take part of!). But young kids really do require a couple of...
by
Merry Christmas, Hanukah and Kwanzaa, dear readers. To thank you for reading this column, regardless of whether you are a dedicated weekly reader or a this is your first time, I have a very special recipe for you this week. I will let you open early and continue to use it all year round. I know you're excited, so here you go: Every family has their own, unique holiday traditions. These traditions have developed over time, many laden with symbolism, tinged with a splash of religion, and topped with a good helping of culture. Christmas Eve is, in many ways, more varied...
by
'Twas the night before your dinner party, and in front of your stove, you brainstormed a menu, but nothing arose. You had duck and potatoes, peas and some plums, yet you needed an idea to make this meal some more fun. But with all of the shopping and house decorating, you hadn't the time for meal elaborating. Sulking, idea-less you went off to bed, when visions of sugar plums began to dance in your head. How to make an English Christmas more than the same standard feast? You would take all those plums and head into the East! The American Christmas dinner as we...
by
The art of the homemade Christmas gifts was not lost on me even as a young child thanks to the craftiness of my mother. Growing up I watched my mom, an excellent baker, spend an entire week preparing edible gifts to be doled out before the holidays to everyone from our next door neighbors to our teachers to her colleagues. In the kitchen I'd watch and help where I could as she turned out loaves of homemade whole wheat bread doing everything herself - even down to grinding the wheat. There would be roasting pans full of caramel corn and cookies in the hundreds. She...
by
During this season of giving, why not celebrate the twelve days of slow cooking and share some special holiday dishes? Good food is central to almost all holiday celebrations and holiday feasting is one of the ways we can connect and make merry with loved ones. From a holiday open house, to a cozy fireside Christmas Eve supper, to a gut-busting Christmas morning breakfast, there are so many holiday menu options that can be adapted to long cooking times. Relying on the slow cooker can free up your time to spend on other activities such as making that last batch of cookies...
by
How many Christmases are you having this year? Or will it be one Christmas, one Hanukkah, and perhaps a Kwanza dinner? After years of singular Christmas simplicity, this year it looks like my family might be having two Christmases, in a way. As new as it may be for us, celebrating multiple times to include different sides of a family is nothing new to many folks. As families grow, divide, and merge, the holidays are a time to see and to embrace as many parts of that family as possible, no matter how many "Christmas" dinners it takes. My family, and thus my Christmas...
by
It seems like this time of year, it's hard to keep kids away from all the sweet goodies. From candy canes to sugar cookies and chocolate galore, it's a never-ending parade of sugar for both adults and kids. So far this week in my house, we have indulged in mini donuts, two different kinds of cookies, some sea salt caramels (my new favorites), some free candy given out at the Christmas parade, and more than a few cups of hot cocoa. We normally have fruit for dessert but I know that will soon change with all the holiday events and gatherings. It's enough to make my teeth hurt just...
by
Cupcakes are all the rage these days. Every bakery makes them, some are small and delicate, truly a cake the size of a cup. Some are gargantuan and indulgent, more along the lines of a baby's head or a miniature cabbage. Everyone's got their favorite cupcake, and we could argue for days on the merits of the 'muffin top' versus the underrated bottom; American buttercream over French; jimmies versus sprinkles. But one thing is for sure: everybody loves 'em. I served cupcakes, from a local bakery in New York that specializes in making large buttery pound cake cupcakes loaded...
by
Say gingerbread houses and most kids think "Yay, gingerbread houses! Let's make 'em!" (Thinking straight away of the sweet icing and candy.) And wouldn't it be more fun for you to cut to the chase with fast-drying icing, colorful decorating fun and minimal prep and clean up? I thought there had to be a better way after years of trying to do the authentic gingerbread house thing too. After the mixing, the rolling, the cutting and the baking - not to mention coming up with a work-able pattern ... Then it would finally be time for the fun part, the assembly. But then...
by
Growing up, I never saw my parents drink wine or even beer. My dad would drink an ice cold non-alcoholic O'Doul's; occasionally, he let me have a sip but I wasn't impressed by the taste. Even after we moved to San Luis Obispo, which is smack-dab in the middle of the California Central Coast wine region, we never tried wine. I don't even remember my first glass of red wine. It was probably at my friend's house. She used to make a huge pot of spaghetti on Sunday nights when we were in college. It was a great way to kick-off the week: hot spaghetti, crisp salad, all sprinkled...
by
A few weeks ago I had some friends over for dinner, a sort of girls' night in while my boyfriend was out of town. In fact, I had taken the opportunity of his long work trip to have as many of these nights as I could work out with friends (girls' night is not really the same when boys are around). When I served up a platter of eggplant parmesan crostini for the girls to nibble on while I finished the main course, they were obviously impressed. Not only was I making dinner, but it appeared I had taken the time to laboriously fry eggplant slices, smothered them in marinara, and layered...
by
This year I've vowed to take the holidays a bit easier, really enjoying the season and making lasting memories with friends and family. Rather than last year's rush, rush, rush, right up until the very end late on Christmas Eve putting together a train table, I have tried to get all the shopping and preparation out of the way so we can move on to more leisurely pursuits. Last night we had a bit of a Norman Rockwell moment, enjoying the old fashioned Christmas parade in our town. We walked around from business to business, enjoying drinks and cookies, and listening...
by
'Tis the season for festive holiday merrymaking and nonstop eating. From stringing popcorn for tree decorations to helping to fry the Hanukah potato latkes at grandma's knee to baking cookies to leave out as Santa's snack on the night before Christmas, many of our most cherished childhood food memories are tied up in the holiday season. How many of your favorite holiday moments involve food? It's the time of year to revive old traditions and start new ones. Some of my old family food traditions include baking the same assortment of cookies each year, sitting down to a...
by
This season is full of good tidings of comfort and joy, and bellies full of comfort food. Putting together a menu for the holidays is akin to drawing up a "Best Of" list for all of our soul soothing favorite dishes. There might be a ham, or another crack at making a roast turkey. There will definitely be pies, cookies and cakes enough to send your system into a sugar shock. There will be myriad confections of chocolate, vanilla and even caramel -- enough to put your dentist on high alert. There will be passed hors d'oeuvres in puff pastry and cheese trays enough to make you think...
by
Winter calls for hearty foods: braised lamb shanks, beef stew, cassoulet. Those are well and good dishes for a long Saturday of cooking or when prepared by someone else in a restaurant. On a weeknight, however, eating hearty meats in short cooking time can be a daunting task. Braising meats, roasting long cooking vegetables, neither of these activities are conducive to a quick weeknight meal made by the average working professional. The challenge is to take those hearty wintery meats and prepare them in a way that cuts down on the time without cutting the feeling of...