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Corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, potato pancakes or soda bread. Our family is not Irish, but we enjoy a li'l touch o' the green festivities at this time of the year. And although we've been to parties where that touch o' green is just that the beer has been dyed green, my favorites are the new foods we try that aren't part of our daily fare. So this year, we made an Irish soda bread with a vegetable- and potato-rich stew. And many automatically think potatoes when we think Irish food. That's because after potatoes were introduced to Ireland in the 16th century...
by
Reality TV is full of important life lessons. #1: If you are a D-list celebrity with a faltering career, your best opportunity for a comeback is to learn ballroom dancing (Dancing with the Stars). #2: If you are a delinquent but athletic young adult with a temperamental personality, focus all your energy on applications for The Real World or Road Rules and you might not have to work for at least 2 decades of your life (Real World/Road Rules Challenge, The Gauntlet I, II, and III). #3: If you want to be a Top Chef, you are expected to know by heart how to prepare souffle and...
by
There is an annual St. Patrick's Day tradition of making corned beef and cabbage and washing it down with a pint of green beer. But did you ever wonder, where did these traditions come from? Well, the green beer is easily explained - green being the official color of the St Patrick's Day holiday and the Emerald Isle ñ along with the marketing of green brew by all the major American beer brands and local Irish pubs at this time of the year. The corned beef and cabbage is another story. Well, I am loathe to tell you, but what many of us consider as the national...
by
You're out of work, sales are slow, or maybe the economy has just got you down. You know what you need to cheer you up? A nice juicy Whopper. It may sound a bit strange, but that is apparently what many Americans are thinking, much to the joy of fast food restaurants around the country that are weathering this economic storm better than most businesses. Whether we are reaching out to fast food because it's cheaper than eating at a traditional restaurant or its menu appeals to our need for comfort food in these times, or a combination thereof, a greasy burger wrapped in...
by
No matter what your ancestry, it would almost take some work to make it through March 17th without eating, wearing, or doing something green. If being green for a day means a little bit of that Irish luck comes your way, who wouldn't want that? You might not have a closet full of emerald apparel, but getting to your local pub for a glass of dyed green beer certainly can't be that difficult. However, if green's not your color and beer's not your thing, the least you can do is eat like the Irish and hope a little of that Irish luck rubs off on you. For a full day of...
by
St Paddy's Day is almost here and we know it's all about the unhealthy indulgences - plenty of beer, corned beef, and maybe a green milkshake or other sweet treat. Since the holiday also happens to fall on a Saturday this year, you might even be thinking of cooking up a "Full Irish" breakfast to mark the occasion. Irish breakfast is not for the light of appetite; it can include a few fried or scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon, and several types of sausage. And to complete the meal, toast and Irish soda bread. To wash it all down, orange juice and...
by
Now that we've unwrapped a whole new year, the rubber really hits the road with getting back to the regular routine. Sometimes I feel a little forlorn and let down when I open the refrigerator door to pack some lunches and want to step past the same old, same old... Several weeks ago I wrote "A Look at Lunch: Thinking Outside the Box", and realized that there's so much more to be done with the humble sandwich. Sure, ham and cheese tops the list, but when you're looking for ways to spruce up your packed lunch, there are many more places to go with two slices of...
by
As it seems this winter has been dragging on and on, we are still in the midst of the winter cold and flu season. Our kids are exposed to millions of germs at school and daycare, so it is inevitable that they will get sick sometimes, no matter how much hand washing we foist upon them. When your son or daughter get stuck with an illness, it's nice to give them a little love and special attention and give them good nutritious foods that will help them get better faster. Having been blessed with a pretty good immune system, I don't remember being sick and home from school...
by
As promised, this week I am writing a very special edition of Real Meals. It is a historical and patriotic tribute in recognition of the upcoming President's Day holiday, and because February is a time when my family celebrates a very special tradition, Bean Day. So whether you got the memo or not and did or didn't eat beans on February 3rd, please read on and share beans as well as our country's history. The First Bean Day (As told by my great grandmother Nadine Giles) In early February, 1863, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest began to...
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When I was in elementary school, I was--how do I put this?--awkward. An unfortunate pixie haircut (before it was cool), braces (before there was Invisiline) and the general dorkiness associated with the "Gifted and Talented" class I was enrolled in meant that, come Valentine's Day, I wasn't near the top of many people's Valentine card list. When it came to Valentine's Day giving, after one outgrew the the grade school ritual of hand-delivering little cards bought in bulk to classmates' homemade Valentine's mail boxes, candygrams stepped in to make sure the Big Kids could...
by
If you've bought prunes lately, you may have noticed an interesting thing. They are undergoing a name change. Many packages bear both the words "prunes" and "dried plums." This image upgrade has been in the works since mid-2000 when, at the request of the California Dried Plum Board, the FDA approved the use of the term "dried plums" as an alternative name for prunes. The fruit's name change was initiated in response to research which showed that the industry's targeted consumers (women in their 30s and 40s) held the belief that prunes were a...
by
Gnocchi is startlingly simple given its elegant presentation and thus would be an ideal dish for a dinner party on short notice. Best of all, the gnocchi and the sauce can be made start-to-finish in under half an hour. It's an impressive dish certain to please your guests no matter what their nationality.
by
Congratulations on making it to week 3 of the January Eat At Home Challenge. At this point we have made the New Year's resolution to spend more nights in the kitchen preparing dinner and we have also learned how meal planning can get you organized enough in the kitchen to take some of the stress out of the nightly cooking process. But even with last week's tips on meal planning, some of you might still be struggling with motivation or straight up fatigue that is causing you to reach for that phone to dial up your favorite delivery guy rather than to make the effort to...
by
All right, it's a new year and all. Time to get back on the Stairmaster, eat better, forego dessert--wait! Hold the phone! My friend Lucy recently lamented how she's sick of hearing about how "weight loss and fruit are uppermost in people's minds" right now. How dull! How ho-hum! Many of us are trying to lose a few extra pounds after the Holiday Eatfest. But we need not be ascetic about it. One can still enjoy the sweet side of life without having to go all beans and sprouts 24/7 (no offense, Beans and Sprouts Board!) First off, it goes without saying that moderation...
by
Bachelors who entertain can trick guests into thinking they are much more sophisticated than they really are by doing little, almost imperceptible things for a meal, cocktail party, pot-luck, and so forth. The trick is to do "little things" that create a certain mood. Impressions are made in and with mood. Making sure your guests are "in the mood" is something I call "moodstylin'": cheap candles always make an evening gathering intimate (avoid anything too smelly, however); a bouquet of flowers on the dining table impresses guests (it says you've got an inner sensitivity...
by
Have you had a chance to take a look at Jessica Seinfeld's book, Deceptively Delicious, yet? It's garnered a lot of attention - some kudos, some criticism. On the recommendation of some readers, I took an afternoon at Barnes & Noble to fully explore this cookbook that delves into controversial territory: hiding vegetable purees in kids' foods. And not only hiding them, but not tellin' the kids that the good stuff is in there. My daughter was sitting at the table with me checking out her own book selections, and inquired about the book I was perusing. I showed her how all...
From The Editors At CDKitchen: Feed Daily
by
Corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, potato pancakes or soda bread. Our family is not Irish, but we enjoy a li'l touch o' the green festivities at this time of the year. And although we've been to parties where that touch o' green is just that the beer has been dyed green, my favorites are the new foods we try that aren't part of our daily fare. So this year, we made an Irish soda bread with a vegetable- and potato-rich stew. And many automatically think potatoes when we think Irish food. That's because after potatoes were introduced to Ireland in the 16th century...
by
Reality TV is full of important life lessons. #1: If you are a D-list celebrity with a faltering career, your best opportunity for a comeback is to learn ballroom dancing (Dancing with the Stars). #2: If you are a delinquent but athletic young adult with a temperamental personality, focus all your energy on applications for The Real World or Road Rules and you might not have to work for at least 2 decades of your life (Real World/Road Rules Challenge, The Gauntlet I, II, and III). #3: If you want to be a Top Chef, you are expected to know by heart how to prepare souffle and...
by
There is an annual St. Patrick's Day tradition of making corned beef and cabbage and washing it down with a pint of green beer. But did you ever wonder, where did these traditions come from? Well, the green beer is easily explained - green being the official color of the St Patrick's Day holiday and the Emerald Isle ñ along with the marketing of green brew by all the major American beer brands and local Irish pubs at this time of the year. The corned beef and cabbage is another story. Well, I am loathe to tell you, but what many of us consider as the national...
by
You're out of work, sales are slow, or maybe the economy has just got you down. You know what you need to cheer you up? A nice juicy Whopper. It may sound a bit strange, but that is apparently what many Americans are thinking, much to the joy of fast food restaurants around the country that are weathering this economic storm better than most businesses. Whether we are reaching out to fast food because it's cheaper than eating at a traditional restaurant or its menu appeals to our need for comfort food in these times, or a combination thereof, a greasy burger wrapped in...
by
No matter what your ancestry, it would almost take some work to make it through March 17th without eating, wearing, or doing something green. If being green for a day means a little bit of that Irish luck comes your way, who wouldn't want that? You might not have a closet full of emerald apparel, but getting to your local pub for a glass of dyed green beer certainly can't be that difficult. However, if green's not your color and beer's not your thing, the least you can do is eat like the Irish and hope a little of that Irish luck rubs off on you. For a full day of...
by
St Paddy's Day is almost here and we know it's all about the unhealthy indulgences - plenty of beer, corned beef, and maybe a green milkshake or other sweet treat. Since the holiday also happens to fall on a Saturday this year, you might even be thinking of cooking up a "Full Irish" breakfast to mark the occasion. Irish breakfast is not for the light of appetite; it can include a few fried or scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon, and several types of sausage. And to complete the meal, toast and Irish soda bread. To wash it all down, orange juice and...
by
Now that we've unwrapped a whole new year, the rubber really hits the road with getting back to the regular routine. Sometimes I feel a little forlorn and let down when I open the refrigerator door to pack some lunches and want to step past the same old, same old... Several weeks ago I wrote "A Look at Lunch: Thinking Outside the Box", and realized that there's so much more to be done with the humble sandwich. Sure, ham and cheese tops the list, but when you're looking for ways to spruce up your packed lunch, there are many more places to go with two slices of...
by
As it seems this winter has been dragging on and on, we are still in the midst of the winter cold and flu season. Our kids are exposed to millions of germs at school and daycare, so it is inevitable that they will get sick sometimes, no matter how much hand washing we foist upon them. When your son or daughter get stuck with an illness, it's nice to give them a little love and special attention and give them good nutritious foods that will help them get better faster. Having been blessed with a pretty good immune system, I don't remember being sick and home from school...
by
As promised, this week I am writing a very special edition of Real Meals. It is a historical and patriotic tribute in recognition of the upcoming President's Day holiday, and because February is a time when my family celebrates a very special tradition, Bean Day. So whether you got the memo or not and did or didn't eat beans on February 3rd, please read on and share beans as well as our country's history. The First Bean Day (As told by my great grandmother Nadine Giles) In early February, 1863, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest began to...
by
When I was in elementary school, I was--how do I put this?--awkward. An unfortunate pixie haircut (before it was cool), braces (before there was Invisiline) and the general dorkiness associated with the "Gifted and Talented" class I was enrolled in meant that, come Valentine's Day, I wasn't near the top of many people's Valentine card list. When it came to Valentine's Day giving, after one outgrew the the grade school ritual of hand-delivering little cards bought in bulk to classmates' homemade Valentine's mail boxes, candygrams stepped in to make sure the Big Kids could...
by
If you've bought prunes lately, you may have noticed an interesting thing. They are undergoing a name change. Many packages bear both the words "prunes" and "dried plums." This image upgrade has been in the works since mid-2000 when, at the request of the California Dried Plum Board, the FDA approved the use of the term "dried plums" as an alternative name for prunes. The fruit's name change was initiated in response to research which showed that the industry's targeted consumers (women in their 30s and 40s) held the belief that prunes were a...
by
Gnocchi is startlingly simple given its elegant presentation and thus would be an ideal dish for a dinner party on short notice. Best of all, the gnocchi and the sauce can be made start-to-finish in under half an hour. It's an impressive dish certain to please your guests no matter what their nationality.
by
Congratulations on making it to week 3 of the January Eat At Home Challenge. At this point we have made the New Year's resolution to spend more nights in the kitchen preparing dinner and we have also learned how meal planning can get you organized enough in the kitchen to take some of the stress out of the nightly cooking process. But even with last week's tips on meal planning, some of you might still be struggling with motivation or straight up fatigue that is causing you to reach for that phone to dial up your favorite delivery guy rather than to make the effort to...
by
All right, it's a new year and all. Time to get back on the Stairmaster, eat better, forego dessert--wait! Hold the phone! My friend Lucy recently lamented how she's sick of hearing about how "weight loss and fruit are uppermost in people's minds" right now. How dull! How ho-hum! Many of us are trying to lose a few extra pounds after the Holiday Eatfest. But we need not be ascetic about it. One can still enjoy the sweet side of life without having to go all beans and sprouts 24/7 (no offense, Beans and Sprouts Board!) First off, it goes without saying that moderation...
by
Bachelors who entertain can trick guests into thinking they are much more sophisticated than they really are by doing little, almost imperceptible things for a meal, cocktail party, pot-luck, and so forth. The trick is to do "little things" that create a certain mood. Impressions are made in and with mood. Making sure your guests are "in the mood" is something I call "moodstylin'": cheap candles always make an evening gathering intimate (avoid anything too smelly, however); a bouquet of flowers on the dining table impresses guests (it says you've got an inner sensitivity...
by
Have you had a chance to take a look at Jessica Seinfeld's book, Deceptively Delicious, yet? It's garnered a lot of attention - some kudos, some criticism. On the recommendation of some readers, I took an afternoon at Barnes & Noble to fully explore this cookbook that delves into controversial territory: hiding vegetable purees in kids' foods. And not only hiding them, but not tellin' the kids that the good stuff is in there. My daughter was sitting at the table with me checking out her own book selections, and inquired about the book I was perusing. I showed her how all...