cdkitchen > feeddaily blog
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When you think of French cooking, what generally comes to mind are delicate, complex dishes that take hours of painstaking preparation. The masterpieces of French cooking are similar to works of fine art - anointed with complicated sauces and garnished with intricately carved vegetables. This is not generally the kind of food you would think of when you pull out the slow cooker to prepare a simple and fuss-free meal.
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If you are looking for what might be the world's most perfect protein, look no further than the breakfast food favorite, the incredible, edible egg. Protein, a main component of eggs, is an essential part of the human diet, providing necessary amino acids that the body uses to build muscle and perform daily functions. The proteins the body needs can be found in many foods ranging from chicken to milk to soy and peanuts. However, all protein is not created equal. The ability of the body to absorb the protein in foods is ranked according to what is called is biological availability...
by
Somewhere in America today a child is reading a book and praying that tomorrow night the sky opens up and starts raining spaghetti and meatballs. The classic children's story of a town whose residents eat food delivered according to the whims of the weather has no doubt left several generations of young readers going to bed with hopes of a morning "rain shower" of pancakes and maple syrup. And for busy parents in this back-to-school season, the idea of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, that dinner will be magically delivered to a hungry family like rain to a dry yard, must sound like heaven compared with needing to actually cook.
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My twitter feed was abuzz this past week as friend Adam Weiss (@weissthinking) engaged his followers in the age-old debate: if a cupcake and a muffin were to get into a fight, who would win? Well, maybe that wasn't exactly his proposition; it was more of a Team Cupcake vs. Team Muffin query. What Adam was getting at is, what is the big deal with cupcakes? Are they just insecure muffins hiding under a lofty frosting top hat? Or is a muffin, in its super-sized, super calorie form that we know it today, nothing more than a sorry excuse for its more glamorous cupcake cousin?
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There are so many kitchen gadgets available on the market today. Recently I saw an advertisement for a wand of sorts that slices the avocado right out of the shell. I have been asked what I think of the gizmo that is shaped like a grid and dices onions for you (the answer, by the way, is 'not much'). The preposterousness of the single-task kitchen toy was best satirized in the first "Bridget Jones" movie when Bridget's mother resorts to selling a hard-boiled egg peeling trinket. Do we really need a separate tool for each and every task?
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We all eat pizza. It's good at all hours of the day (people who reach for the cold slice in the morning, you know who you are!), all days of the week. Olives and mushrooms, pepperoni and sausage, cheese and sauce, even as some strange half-breed topped with baked ziti, pizza seems to come in every variation imaginable. We order pizza when we are on the run during work hours, when it is 2 am and we've partied up an appetite, when we have a coupon for a Free Second Pie of Equal or Lesser Value! Americans eat about 100 acres of pizza a day. That's a lot of delivery guys...
by
Call me lazy, call me super-efficient, but I'm always looking for short cuts and easy ways to entertain and still maintain my high standards for culinary perfection. Fruit curds are a simple way to add a sophisticated flare to summer fare - without a lot of work. Right up my alley! Simple curd recipes usually call for fruit juice or puree, eggs, butter, and sugar. These four simple ingredients are transformed into a smooth, creamy, delicious treat that is very versatile. Just think of it as a fruit custard or cooked pudding.
by
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 squash. Add in buttercup, hubbard, kabocha, and calabaza, and you have a collection of some of the most nutritious and delicious whole foods. Winter squash varieties are available from August to March, but they peak in October and November. So why not be called autumn squash? Squash are either categorized as "summer" or "winter." Summer squash are thin-skinned...
by
Are you the sort of person who feels compelled to order fish when you go out to eat? Or maybe you have friends who do. They might say that they never cook fish at home, so they feel it's only right to order off the seafood section when they eat at restaurants in order to make the most of the occasion. I used to wonder about this tendency. It's silly that people should limit themselves by avoiding cooking fish for themselves.
by
How do I know that fall has officially arrived? When bright orange, gnarled orbs, otherwise known as pumpkins, started popping up everywhere I look. Where there once were flowers, now gourds in all shapes and sizes line windowsills, decorate tables, and herald the coming of cooler weather and the holiday season. At the farmers market, the autumnal gourds are slowly creeping in: splashes of white, purple, and of course orange occupy space where the more delicate summer vegetables once lay...
by
The culinary world is full of food pairings. Wine and cheese, coffee and cream, soup and sandwich, pizza and beer - one without the other seems lacking. They just belong together. But perhaps the most famous and enduring pairing is salt and pepper. Salt, necessary for human life because it regulates the body's fluid balance, has grown in stature from the ordinary "When It Rains, It Pours" iodized variety to a multitude of designer salts from Himalayan pink to black lava. Patiently waiting in the wings while salt occupied the center culinary stage, pepper now deserves its turn in the spotlight.
by
It has been a summer of "take me out to the ball game" but now it's time to take me "home" for the ball game. Summer is over and so ends the baseball season. With only the World Series left to go, baseball outings will likely become baseball 'in'-ings for the rest of the season. With no tenacious vendors hailing and tempting you with hot peanuts, hot dogs, and garlic fries, you are going to have to finagle your own baseball feast. So hit the kitchen for a few minutes, then pull up a chair in a front of the flat screen for a World Series, and homemade baseball feast, to...
by
You hear it all the time from the nutrition advocates: for the most healthful diet, eat a rainbow of naturally colorful foods. The foods that contain the deepest hues also happen to have the most nutritional value. If you have young kids, then you can use their innate desire to explore the world of color to your advantage by exploring healthy and vibrantly hued foods together. The other night, on a spur of the moment whim, I decided to make a dinner in all one color for my kids...
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It may be called "October"fest, but if you are just now reading this article, you are already way behind on your beer drinking and bratwurst eating. Read on, and I'll show just how you can play a little bit of catch up. Oktoberfest, the Bavarian celebration which first took place in 1810, is now a worldwide excuse to indulge in special German brews and an abundance of sausages and kraut. It began as a parade and party to commemorate the marriage of King Ludwig and Princess Therese. Now it is a 3 week spectacular festival devoted to Bavarian culture.
by
It's a meal that I haven't made in over a decade, and I can't even say I had plans to anytime in the near future either. But then it so happened that daughter read - and inquired - about it while reading one of her books. "Mom, what is chicken and dumplings?" "Well, it's a chicken dinner that's cooked in a large pot - a thick stew of chicken and veggies and the dumplings are simmered on top." "Yeah, but what are dumplings?"
by
I'm always picking up random items at the grocery store. I'm a big believer in variety in my diet, and whenever I feel like I'm picking up the same items grocery trip after grocery trip, I'll pick up something I very seldom buy. One time I came home with several artichokes, which I steamed and served with a creamy dill sauce. Another time it was tomatillos, which were perfect for a green chili chicken dish. And most recently, I picked up several different types of squash. I love squash. All kinds of squash: acorn, zucchini, and pumpkin. Pumpkin pie is my all-time...
From The Editors At CDKitchen: Feed Daily
by
When you think of French cooking, what generally comes to mind are delicate, complex dishes that take hours of painstaking preparation. The masterpieces of French cooking are similar to works of fine art - anointed with complicated sauces and garnished with intricately carved vegetables. This is not generally the kind of food you would think of when you pull out the slow cooker to prepare a simple and fuss-free meal.
by
If you are looking for what might be the world's most perfect protein, look no further than the breakfast food favorite, the incredible, edible egg. Protein, a main component of eggs, is an essential part of the human diet, providing necessary amino acids that the body uses to build muscle and perform daily functions. The proteins the body needs can be found in many foods ranging from chicken to milk to soy and peanuts. However, all protein is not created equal. The ability of the body to absorb the protein in foods is ranked according to what is called is biological availability...
by
Somewhere in America today a child is reading a book and praying that tomorrow night the sky opens up and starts raining spaghetti and meatballs. The classic children's story of a town whose residents eat food delivered according to the whims of the weather has no doubt left several generations of young readers going to bed with hopes of a morning "rain shower" of pancakes and maple syrup. And for busy parents in this back-to-school season, the idea of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, that dinner will be magically delivered to a hungry family like rain to a dry yard, must sound like heaven compared with needing to actually cook.
by
My twitter feed was abuzz this past week as friend Adam Weiss (@weissthinking) engaged his followers in the age-old debate: if a cupcake and a muffin were to get into a fight, who would win? Well, maybe that wasn't exactly his proposition; it was more of a Team Cupcake vs. Team Muffin query. What Adam was getting at is, what is the big deal with cupcakes? Are they just insecure muffins hiding under a lofty frosting top hat? Or is a muffin, in its super-sized, super calorie form that we know it today, nothing more than a sorry excuse for its more glamorous cupcake cousin?
by
There are so many kitchen gadgets available on the market today. Recently I saw an advertisement for a wand of sorts that slices the avocado right out of the shell. I have been asked what I think of the gizmo that is shaped like a grid and dices onions for you (the answer, by the way, is 'not much'). The preposterousness of the single-task kitchen toy was best satirized in the first "Bridget Jones" movie when Bridget's mother resorts to selling a hard-boiled egg peeling trinket. Do we really need a separate tool for each and every task?
by
We all eat pizza. It's good at all hours of the day (people who reach for the cold slice in the morning, you know who you are!), all days of the week. Olives and mushrooms, pepperoni and sausage, cheese and sauce, even as some strange half-breed topped with baked ziti, pizza seems to come in every variation imaginable. We order pizza when we are on the run during work hours, when it is 2 am and we've partied up an appetite, when we have a coupon for a Free Second Pie of Equal or Lesser Value! Americans eat about 100 acres of pizza a day. That's a lot of delivery guys...
by
Call me lazy, call me super-efficient, but I'm always looking for short cuts and easy ways to entertain and still maintain my high standards for culinary perfection. Fruit curds are a simple way to add a sophisticated flare to summer fare - without a lot of work. Right up my alley! Simple curd recipes usually call for fruit juice or puree, eggs, butter, and sugar. These four simple ingredients are transformed into a smooth, creamy, delicious treat that is very versatile. Just think of it as a fruit custard or cooked pudding.
by
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 squash. Add in buttercup, hubbard, kabocha, and calabaza, and you have a collection of some of the most nutritious and delicious whole foods. Winter squash varieties are available from August to March, but they peak in October and November. So why not be called autumn squash? Squash are either categorized as "summer" or "winter." Summer squash are thin-skinned...
by
Are you the sort of person who feels compelled to order fish when you go out to eat? Or maybe you have friends who do. They might say that they never cook fish at home, so they feel it's only right to order off the seafood section when they eat at restaurants in order to make the most of the occasion. I used to wonder about this tendency. It's silly that people should limit themselves by avoiding cooking fish for themselves.
by
How do I know that fall has officially arrived? When bright orange, gnarled orbs, otherwise known as pumpkins, started popping up everywhere I look. Where there once were flowers, now gourds in all shapes and sizes line windowsills, decorate tables, and herald the coming of cooler weather and the holiday season. At the farmers market, the autumnal gourds are slowly creeping in: splashes of white, purple, and of course orange occupy space where the more delicate summer vegetables once lay...
by
The culinary world is full of food pairings. Wine and cheese, coffee and cream, soup and sandwich, pizza and beer - one without the other seems lacking. They just belong together. But perhaps the most famous and enduring pairing is salt and pepper. Salt, necessary for human life because it regulates the body's fluid balance, has grown in stature from the ordinary "When It Rains, It Pours" iodized variety to a multitude of designer salts from Himalayan pink to black lava. Patiently waiting in the wings while salt occupied the center culinary stage, pepper now deserves its turn in the spotlight.
by
It has been a summer of "take me out to the ball game" but now it's time to take me "home" for the ball game. Summer is over and so ends the baseball season. With only the World Series left to go, baseball outings will likely become baseball 'in'-ings for the rest of the season. With no tenacious vendors hailing and tempting you with hot peanuts, hot dogs, and garlic fries, you are going to have to finagle your own baseball feast. So hit the kitchen for a few minutes, then pull up a chair in a front of the flat screen for a World Series, and homemade baseball feast, to...
by
You hear it all the time from the nutrition advocates: for the most healthful diet, eat a rainbow of naturally colorful foods. The foods that contain the deepest hues also happen to have the most nutritional value. If you have young kids, then you can use their innate desire to explore the world of color to your advantage by exploring healthy and vibrantly hued foods together. The other night, on a spur of the moment whim, I decided to make a dinner in all one color for my kids...
by
It may be called "October"fest, but if you are just now reading this article, you are already way behind on your beer drinking and bratwurst eating. Read on, and I'll show just how you can play a little bit of catch up. Oktoberfest, the Bavarian celebration which first took place in 1810, is now a worldwide excuse to indulge in special German brews and an abundance of sausages and kraut. It began as a parade and party to commemorate the marriage of King Ludwig and Princess Therese. Now it is a 3 week spectacular festival devoted to Bavarian culture.
by
It's a meal that I haven't made in over a decade, and I can't even say I had plans to anytime in the near future either. But then it so happened that daughter read - and inquired - about it while reading one of her books. "Mom, what is chicken and dumplings?" "Well, it's a chicken dinner that's cooked in a large pot - a thick stew of chicken and veggies and the dumplings are simmered on top." "Yeah, but what are dumplings?"
by
I'm always picking up random items at the grocery store. I'm a big believer in variety in my diet, and whenever I feel like I'm picking up the same items grocery trip after grocery trip, I'll pick up something I very seldom buy. One time I came home with several artichokes, which I steamed and served with a creamy dill sauce. Another time it was tomatillos, which were perfect for a green chili chicken dish. And most recently, I picked up several different types of squash. I love squash. All kinds of squash: acorn, zucchini, and pumpkin. Pumpkin pie is my all-time...