cdkitchen > feeddaily blog
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A picture is worth a thousand words. Such a common maxim, eh - and yet one we succumb to while advertising works its magic on us. And food is no exception. Appetizing photos of food can whet our appetite for something that we had not even been thinking of a mere minute earlier. Sometimes it's a photo, sometimes a drawing ... or in the case of an eloquent food writer, the right words can make our mouths water in anticipation. After all, food is such a necessary and vital part of everyone's existence that we can't go through a day without giving it credence every few hours
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One of my coworkers refers to me as the "hippie" of the office, mostly because I am from California and eat strange things like tofu and bok choy. I do eat healthy (although I don't think that qualifies me as a hippie), but it's not really my fault that I'm a health food nut. The very day after I got my driver's license, my mother handed me the keys to her forest green minivan and gave me a grocery list. I thought getting my license would allow me visits to the local coffee shop whenever I wanted, Saturday lunch with college friends, and never having to wait three hours...
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Pasta. It's one of my favorite foods. Convenient, quick cooking and in shapes and forms to meet almost any appetite (and recipe), pasta is one smart go-to solution when I'm in a mealtime crunch. I usually buy it dried in all shapes and sizes: elbows, spirals, linguine, spaghetti ... you name it. I've tried some of the whole grain varieties and wheat-free or rice-based ones for friends and family that eat gluten-free too. I've even picked up an occasional package of fresh pasta in the grocery store refrigerated case. Gotta love how quick it cooks, how fast you can get...
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There are some recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation within a family, and truly stand the test of time. Grandmothers have been sharing their treasured recipes and cooking with their grandchildren since the beginning of recorded history, in the hopes of keeping their culinary traditions alive. I was recently reminded how much this practice means to future generations and it really hit home for me. Over the past week, my family received some very sad news. Unfortunately we lost my husband's paternal grandmother, and the last member of either of...
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When I first moved to Pennsylvania from New York City, the local grocery shopping scene was fairly uninspiring. Mega supermarkets full of walls of prepackaged goods and an overwhelming variety of boxed cereal. "Fresh" produce that had been shipped across many miles and sat for weeks before it went on sale. Coming from an area where I could find charming stores full of great looking products, real butchers and Italian specialty stores, and a stellar weekly Saturday green market, all within walking distance, well it was a bit of a culture shock. Of course I was still pretty...
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Did you know that one regular soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar? Plus (and this probably isn't news to you), slurping sodas regularly will up your kids' chances of obesity by 60 percent. Yikes. But that's not all - according to Debbie Roth, Director of Nutrition Within: "... Sugar consumption attacks your child's immune system and leads to obesity, hypoglycemia, diabetes, and heart disease ... Eating refined white flour products, sugary snacks, and other packaged or fried goods may contribute to attitude problems, depression and other mood disorders, and difficulties...
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Provence is one of my favorite places in France, if not on earth. It is undoubtedly the perfect combination of sea and mountain, the rustic and the sophisticated, old and new. I was recently in Provence for just a few days. The food, as always, was as much a part of my sensory experience as the soothing sensation of the Mistral blowing across the hills from the Mediterranean. The Provencal diet is typical of all the Mediterranean cultures. The rules are simple, but the effects are profound. One must eat seasonally and locally, making good use of the indigenous olive...
by
Since the close of school is coming in a couple short months, I thought it would be a great time to revisit the topic of school lunch. With a fresh, warm breeze in the air, you and your kids can explore some new ideas for lunchtime this spring. Rather than the drudgery of packing the same old, same old lunch every day of the week, you can mix it up and maybe even add a few new favorites to your child's repertoire. Even if your children are hung up on a few standard items, you could try serving them in different ways. If you often turn to the beloved...
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There are some dishes that have a catchy or unusual name that might make you stop and think twice - how did they come to be called by that name? A couple recipes that come to mind are Angels on Horseback (bacon wrapped oysters), Bubble and Squeak (vegetable hash), and Upside Down Cake. Well the last one is merely a fun description of a classic American dessert in which a fruit topped cake is flipped out of the pan, so the bottom becomes the top. This kind of cake is commonly made with pineapple, but could also be made with any other type of fruit such as sliced peaches, bananas...
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Okay, I'll admit it: My kids thought it was odd that Mary Kate and Ashley were singing that if they were president, they wouldn't have to eat their vegetables (in Our First Video, filmed circa 1993). They were dancing and singing with their much detested large, green stalks of broccoli. But my kids wanted to know: What's all this hoopla about green veggies? Is broccoli really that terrible tasting? Well, yes. Yes, that is, if you have sensitive tastebuds.
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I've fallen in love with kitchen equipment in the past but never as quickly as this last time. This was love at first sight. This love is a clay pot. Clay pots have been on my radar for some time now. It began with a large casserole with a pig face on it that I spied at Sur La Table a few years back. As a single girl mostly cooking for one, I couldn't quite justify buying myself a large piggy clay roaster and by the time I got around to ask for it as a birthday gift the item had been discontinued. The clay roaster may have slipped my grasp that time but I don't think...
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If you are looking for a new and different cooking idea for your kids, try throwing a polenta party! Polenta is a northern Italian peasant food that became better known in America with the growing popularity of regional Italian foods; it can now be found on many grocery shelves and on upscale restaurant menus. It is usually a cornmeal mush, and that is exactly how it is traditionally eaten ñ in a smooth consistency ñ usually with a sauce or stew. Polenta was a staple food in some parts of northern Italy, just like pasta in other areas of the country. Before the...
by
Over the last few years, there has been a lot of talk in the news about foods that can help you live a longer, healthier life. These foods have come to be known as "superfoods," and include a variety of different eats. The list usually includes blueberries, deep green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach, Omega-3 rich fish such as salmon, tomatoes, nuts (especially walnuts), tea, dark chocolate, and protein packed beans and soy. These foods have been said to help in reducing the incidence of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. But what is it about these foods...
by
A tisket, a tasket, a drawer full of kitchen gadgets. Yes, you all know the drawer I am talking about. It is the drawer you approach with trepidation every time you must dig to find the vegetable peeler, or the wine opener, or one of the few gadgets you actually make use of. This drawer is not born overnight, but usually after many years of wishful thinking by various people in the household. First there was your husband who could not stay away from the gadget section in the kitchen store. Before you knew what had happened, you seemed to have a need for a garlic press...
by
Owing to the climate, my home of Austin, Texas is also the outdoor home for a rather large number of homeless people. There are approximately 3,600 homeless people in the city of Austin, and about half of them are members of families, some of which with children. According to Austin's Community Partnership for the homeless, only about 62% of our homeless population receive the services that they need. Although this is good when compared to other cities, it still leaves about 1,300 people without adequate food and shelter. Perhaps it is for this reason that on just about every...
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When eating with others, whether at a restaurant or a good dinner party, I often hear people say "if only I cooked like this, I might cook more." Just this past weekend at a yoga retreat I heard many of my famished fellow yogis make this claim as we stood in line waiting to fill our plates with the guest chef's mostly delicious vegetarian selections. As I heard person after person make this statement in reference to the superbly spicy lentils, beautifully smoky roasted red pepper soup, and delectable shredded raw kale salad I couldn't help but think, "but you can cook like this."
From The Editors At CDKitchen: Feed Daily
by
A picture is worth a thousand words. Such a common maxim, eh - and yet one we succumb to while advertising works its magic on us. And food is no exception. Appetizing photos of food can whet our appetite for something that we had not even been thinking of a mere minute earlier. Sometimes it's a photo, sometimes a drawing ... or in the case of an eloquent food writer, the right words can make our mouths water in anticipation. After all, food is such a necessary and vital part of everyone's existence that we can't go through a day without giving it credence every few hours
by
One of my coworkers refers to me as the "hippie" of the office, mostly because I am from California and eat strange things like tofu and bok choy. I do eat healthy (although I don't think that qualifies me as a hippie), but it's not really my fault that I'm a health food nut. The very day after I got my driver's license, my mother handed me the keys to her forest green minivan and gave me a grocery list. I thought getting my license would allow me visits to the local coffee shop whenever I wanted, Saturday lunch with college friends, and never having to wait three hours...
by
Pasta. It's one of my favorite foods. Convenient, quick cooking and in shapes and forms to meet almost any appetite (and recipe), pasta is one smart go-to solution when I'm in a mealtime crunch. I usually buy it dried in all shapes and sizes: elbows, spirals, linguine, spaghetti ... you name it. I've tried some of the whole grain varieties and wheat-free or rice-based ones for friends and family that eat gluten-free too. I've even picked up an occasional package of fresh pasta in the grocery store refrigerated case. Gotta love how quick it cooks, how fast you can get...
by
There are some recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation within a family, and truly stand the test of time. Grandmothers have been sharing their treasured recipes and cooking with their grandchildren since the beginning of recorded history, in the hopes of keeping their culinary traditions alive. I was recently reminded how much this practice means to future generations and it really hit home for me. Over the past week, my family received some very sad news. Unfortunately we lost my husband's paternal grandmother, and the last member of either of...
by
When I first moved to Pennsylvania from New York City, the local grocery shopping scene was fairly uninspiring. Mega supermarkets full of walls of prepackaged goods and an overwhelming variety of boxed cereal. "Fresh" produce that had been shipped across many miles and sat for weeks before it went on sale. Coming from an area where I could find charming stores full of great looking products, real butchers and Italian specialty stores, and a stellar weekly Saturday green market, all within walking distance, well it was a bit of a culture shock. Of course I was still pretty...
by
Did you know that one regular soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar? Plus (and this probably isn't news to you), slurping sodas regularly will up your kids' chances of obesity by 60 percent. Yikes. But that's not all - according to Debbie Roth, Director of Nutrition Within: "... Sugar consumption attacks your child's immune system and leads to obesity, hypoglycemia, diabetes, and heart disease ... Eating refined white flour products, sugary snacks, and other packaged or fried goods may contribute to attitude problems, depression and other mood disorders, and difficulties...
by
Provence is one of my favorite places in France, if not on earth. It is undoubtedly the perfect combination of sea and mountain, the rustic and the sophisticated, old and new. I was recently in Provence for just a few days. The food, as always, was as much a part of my sensory experience as the soothing sensation of the Mistral blowing across the hills from the Mediterranean. The Provencal diet is typical of all the Mediterranean cultures. The rules are simple, but the effects are profound. One must eat seasonally and locally, making good use of the indigenous olive...
by
Since the close of school is coming in a couple short months, I thought it would be a great time to revisit the topic of school lunch. With a fresh, warm breeze in the air, you and your kids can explore some new ideas for lunchtime this spring. Rather than the drudgery of packing the same old, same old lunch every day of the week, you can mix it up and maybe even add a few new favorites to your child's repertoire. Even if your children are hung up on a few standard items, you could try serving them in different ways. If you often turn to the beloved...
by
There are some dishes that have a catchy or unusual name that might make you stop and think twice - how did they come to be called by that name? A couple recipes that come to mind are Angels on Horseback (bacon wrapped oysters), Bubble and Squeak (vegetable hash), and Upside Down Cake. Well the last one is merely a fun description of a classic American dessert in which a fruit topped cake is flipped out of the pan, so the bottom becomes the top. This kind of cake is commonly made with pineapple, but could also be made with any other type of fruit such as sliced peaches, bananas...
by
Okay, I'll admit it: My kids thought it was odd that Mary Kate and Ashley were singing that if they were president, they wouldn't have to eat their vegetables (in Our First Video, filmed circa 1993). They were dancing and singing with their much detested large, green stalks of broccoli. But my kids wanted to know: What's all this hoopla about green veggies? Is broccoli really that terrible tasting? Well, yes. Yes, that is, if you have sensitive tastebuds.
by
I've fallen in love with kitchen equipment in the past but never as quickly as this last time. This was love at first sight. This love is a clay pot. Clay pots have been on my radar for some time now. It began with a large casserole with a pig face on it that I spied at Sur La Table a few years back. As a single girl mostly cooking for one, I couldn't quite justify buying myself a large piggy clay roaster and by the time I got around to ask for it as a birthday gift the item had been discontinued. The clay roaster may have slipped my grasp that time but I don't think...
by
If you are looking for a new and different cooking idea for your kids, try throwing a polenta party! Polenta is a northern Italian peasant food that became better known in America with the growing popularity of regional Italian foods; it can now be found on many grocery shelves and on upscale restaurant menus. It is usually a cornmeal mush, and that is exactly how it is traditionally eaten ñ in a smooth consistency ñ usually with a sauce or stew. Polenta was a staple food in some parts of northern Italy, just like pasta in other areas of the country. Before the...
by
Over the last few years, there has been a lot of talk in the news about foods that can help you live a longer, healthier life. These foods have come to be known as "superfoods," and include a variety of different eats. The list usually includes blueberries, deep green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach, Omega-3 rich fish such as salmon, tomatoes, nuts (especially walnuts), tea, dark chocolate, and protein packed beans and soy. These foods have been said to help in reducing the incidence of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. But what is it about these foods...
by
A tisket, a tasket, a drawer full of kitchen gadgets. Yes, you all know the drawer I am talking about. It is the drawer you approach with trepidation every time you must dig to find the vegetable peeler, or the wine opener, or one of the few gadgets you actually make use of. This drawer is not born overnight, but usually after many years of wishful thinking by various people in the household. First there was your husband who could not stay away from the gadget section in the kitchen store. Before you knew what had happened, you seemed to have a need for a garlic press...
by
Owing to the climate, my home of Austin, Texas is also the outdoor home for a rather large number of homeless people. There are approximately 3,600 homeless people in the city of Austin, and about half of them are members of families, some of which with children. According to Austin's Community Partnership for the homeless, only about 62% of our homeless population receive the services that they need. Although this is good when compared to other cities, it still leaves about 1,300 people without adequate food and shelter. Perhaps it is for this reason that on just about every...
by
When eating with others, whether at a restaurant or a good dinner party, I often hear people say "if only I cooked like this, I might cook more." Just this past weekend at a yoga retreat I heard many of my famished fellow yogis make this claim as we stood in line waiting to fill our plates with the guest chef's mostly delicious vegetarian selections. As I heard person after person make this statement in reference to the superbly spicy lentils, beautifully smoky roasted red pepper soup, and delectable shredded raw kale salad I couldn't help but think, "but you can cook like this."