cdkitchen > feeddaily blog
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Toward the end of summer and into the middle of fall, my garden reminds me of a jewelry box filled with sparkling gems. The bright canary sapphire yellow and ruby red of the tomatoes, the amethyst of the eggplants, the emerald green of the beans and cucumbers and, in my eyes, the most beautiful of them all, the dazzling colors of the sweet bell peppers. I have mentioned before that I am an impatient gardener and the bell peppers love to play on that trait.
by
Whether or not you have a garden, I bet you're seeing a lot of red around now. It's that time of the year that finds gardens and farms bursting with the last of the juiciest, ripest tomatoes. Yes, we sure do love those scarlet orbs, and one tasty way to add them into your daily fare is to bite into a BLT. That's bacon. Lettuce. And tomato - in a sandwich, of course. Are these sandwiches served in your part of the world?
by
It all started when daughter expressed interest in incubating some chicken eggs this past spring as part of a science project. After carefully turning the eggs three times a day and making sure the incubator stayed at a constant temperature with water in the wells, it was one very exciting day when those chicks cracked out. Those little peepers grew amazingly fast. And it was at about day six - right when we were getting ready to give them to our farmer-neighbor, that she mentioned that she might like to actually keep a couple. And since we also happened to have one...
by
Ah, the end of summer. At this point the barbecue has been in rotation (perhaps as the sole cooking instrument) for a full three months now. Not a terrible thing, considering that when the snow starts to fall in certain parts of the country in just a few months, we will all be reminiscing longingly on these carefree days of cookouts. That being said, the barbecue thing can get a little routine. Read: grilled steak/chicken/fish/pork, plus vegetable, plus side salad smothered in mayonnaise. Delicious, but redundant.
by
Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seems to go right? I had one of those yesterday, and when I arrived home I craved some warm, comforting food. The morning started with a baby mouse sighting and a stubbed toe. Then after a long day, my evening's drive home involved being stopped in flooding conditions, then getting a flat tire on my brand new car. After finally getting the spare tire on in the rain and getting the car to the dealer where I bought it, I found out I wouldn't be able to get a replacement tire for two days. When I finally arrived at home...
by
So just the other day I realized that for all the food writing and cooking that I do, I've been remiss in teaching my own kids basic cooking techniques. Yes, you heard that right. While they know how to make pancakes and sausages, can whip up a mean egg sandwich, and can certainly manage the microwave, it shocked me when my daughter casually mentioned that if she had to take care of herself, she'd have to rely on yogurt, chocolate milk and cereal. Aaaaccckkk! Where have I gone wrong? Perhaps I've been too busy concocting food ideas and articles and whipping up...
by
Bacon and butter make everything better. This was the motto of the French Culinary Institute. Well, not officially, but any institution with "French" in the title might as well have this adage to go along with it. And seeing how I received my degree in the culinary arts from the French Culinary Institute, I think I am just as qualified as any to comment on the tag line that seems implicit in making or consuming French food. Trite as it might sound, bacon and butter do, in fact, make everything better. Thank God for the French. Without them we might never have...
by
With our long awaited summer vacation just a week away, I am thinking one thing: How soon can we get our hands on some hard shelled crabs? We spend a beach week at the Delaware shore and, in that area of the country, crabs are the thing. Crabs feasts are as common in the Delmarva (Delaware/Maryland/Virginia) region as summer barbecue is anywhere else.
by
Yes, that's one advertising jingle that has stuck in my head. While media headlines have grappled to-and-fro with both the pros and cons of the health effects of this little white orb, eggs are still known as a source of healthy, lean protein. With only 68 calories per egg, it's a nifty little prepackaged food that offers a handy all-in-one source of carbohydrates, protein, fat and micronutrients. Best of all, eggs are an easy way to get kids cookin'. Ready in a Flash: Yes, one of the best things about eggs is that they're economical, easy, and quick to prepare. And even...
by
There wasn't a speck of anything for dessert in the house - well, besides some old dark chocolate baking bars. And while I've been known to break off a piece to pair with peanut butter in a pinch, I was hungry for the real thing. A real honest-to-goodness chocolate cake. Yes, that was it. And that's decadence that doesn't happen very often around here ... even for birthdays or special occasions. Oh, it's not that I don't love dessert. I do. It's just the time-factor, the calorie-factor and the feel-like-it factor. When meals need made, grocery...
by
We just returned from a fun night at the local country fair. It's just a small annual event to support the resident fire company but still features lots of good eatin' treats. When taking another look at some of the stomach churning rides I enjoyed so much as a kid, now I don't understand how one can even think about eating after riding some of them. But that is just what we used to do, and we were happy to continue the eating part of the tradition this year with the likes of funnel cake, fresh squeezed lemonade and corn dogs.
by
Well, it finally happened. The weather turned hot enough here to make me want salad for dinner. I know, I know, people in many other parts of the country have been sweltering for months now. But for some reason, the Northeast has been spared with a long stretch of nice, not too hot, and virtually humidity free weather. But not so much anymore, and I have a feeling the rest of August is going to be long and hot. Now that the "salad days" of summer are truly here, I thought I would give you a few simple ideas for salads you can construct starting with your crockpot.
by
It has been a while since I graced these pages with my favorite kind of cuisine, Louisiana and low-country food. In part that's been because I've tried to focus a bit more closely on the food or food-related concerns of bachelorhood. As someone said to me weeks ago, I might not be the best guy for writing this column because I don't cook like a typical bachelor, and my recipes are sometimes fancy. My response, however, is in the form of a question: who better to improve the culinary repertoire of the average bachelor than someone who is both a bachelor and obsessed with cooking good food?...
by
Every August fresh corn is at its peak in this part of the country. The flesh is so good and the taste is so sweet that many people run their teeth across these ears raw, relishing the juicy corn milk inside each bursting kernel. Another way to enjoy fresh summer corn on the cob is to grill it, especially since the method is as seasonal as the produce.
by
A couple of years ago, a rather tired version of me decided to persevere through the fatigue to meet a friend for dinner at a New York steakhouse. I may have been falling asleep at the table, but I was committed both to my friend and to a charred and bloody piece of red meat. When the waiter took my drink order, the first instinct, almost obligatory in a steakhouse, was to order a glass of one of the many big and bold Napa cabernet sauvignons. But I was falling asleep, and red wine was not going to help me to make it through the meal. So, I ordered a Scotch! That night...
by
You know how your mom tried to trick you into eating vegetables by hiding the broccoli and sliced carrots between layers of penne and melted cheese for a particularly colorful take on baked Mac 'N Cheese? If persistent, maybe you were able to extract one or two green things from the congealing cheese, but try as you might, a few florets of broccoli inevitably clung to the cheese, made it onto your fork and into your mouth! For most of us, despite extraction efforts, eventually the hunger pains took over and the need for cheese and noodles overcame the aversion to vegetables. Just..
From The Editors At CDKitchen: Feed Daily
by
Toward the end of summer and into the middle of fall, my garden reminds me of a jewelry box filled with sparkling gems. The bright canary sapphire yellow and ruby red of the tomatoes, the amethyst of the eggplants, the emerald green of the beans and cucumbers and, in my eyes, the most beautiful of them all, the dazzling colors of the sweet bell peppers. I have mentioned before that I am an impatient gardener and the bell peppers love to play on that trait.
by
Whether or not you have a garden, I bet you're seeing a lot of red around now. It's that time of the year that finds gardens and farms bursting with the last of the juiciest, ripest tomatoes. Yes, we sure do love those scarlet orbs, and one tasty way to add them into your daily fare is to bite into a BLT. That's bacon. Lettuce. And tomato - in a sandwich, of course. Are these sandwiches served in your part of the world?
by
It all started when daughter expressed interest in incubating some chicken eggs this past spring as part of a science project. After carefully turning the eggs three times a day and making sure the incubator stayed at a constant temperature with water in the wells, it was one very exciting day when those chicks cracked out. Those little peepers grew amazingly fast. And it was at about day six - right when we were getting ready to give them to our farmer-neighbor, that she mentioned that she might like to actually keep a couple. And since we also happened to have one...
by
Ah, the end of summer. At this point the barbecue has been in rotation (perhaps as the sole cooking instrument) for a full three months now. Not a terrible thing, considering that when the snow starts to fall in certain parts of the country in just a few months, we will all be reminiscing longingly on these carefree days of cookouts. That being said, the barbecue thing can get a little routine. Read: grilled steak/chicken/fish/pork, plus vegetable, plus side salad smothered in mayonnaise. Delicious, but redundant.
by
Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seems to go right? I had one of those yesterday, and when I arrived home I craved some warm, comforting food. The morning started with a baby mouse sighting and a stubbed toe. Then after a long day, my evening's drive home involved being stopped in flooding conditions, then getting a flat tire on my brand new car. After finally getting the spare tire on in the rain and getting the car to the dealer where I bought it, I found out I wouldn't be able to get a replacement tire for two days. When I finally arrived at home...
by
So just the other day I realized that for all the food writing and cooking that I do, I've been remiss in teaching my own kids basic cooking techniques. Yes, you heard that right. While they know how to make pancakes and sausages, can whip up a mean egg sandwich, and can certainly manage the microwave, it shocked me when my daughter casually mentioned that if she had to take care of herself, she'd have to rely on yogurt, chocolate milk and cereal. Aaaaccckkk! Where have I gone wrong? Perhaps I've been too busy concocting food ideas and articles and whipping up...
by
Bacon and butter make everything better. This was the motto of the French Culinary Institute. Well, not officially, but any institution with "French" in the title might as well have this adage to go along with it. And seeing how I received my degree in the culinary arts from the French Culinary Institute, I think I am just as qualified as any to comment on the tag line that seems implicit in making or consuming French food. Trite as it might sound, bacon and butter do, in fact, make everything better. Thank God for the French. Without them we might never have...
by
With our long awaited summer vacation just a week away, I am thinking one thing: How soon can we get our hands on some hard shelled crabs? We spend a beach week at the Delaware shore and, in that area of the country, crabs are the thing. Crabs feasts are as common in the Delmarva (Delaware/Maryland/Virginia) region as summer barbecue is anywhere else.
by
Yes, that's one advertising jingle that has stuck in my head. While media headlines have grappled to-and-fro with both the pros and cons of the health effects of this little white orb, eggs are still known as a source of healthy, lean protein. With only 68 calories per egg, it's a nifty little prepackaged food that offers a handy all-in-one source of carbohydrates, protein, fat and micronutrients. Best of all, eggs are an easy way to get kids cookin'. Ready in a Flash: Yes, one of the best things about eggs is that they're economical, easy, and quick to prepare. And even...
by
There wasn't a speck of anything for dessert in the house - well, besides some old dark chocolate baking bars. And while I've been known to break off a piece to pair with peanut butter in a pinch, I was hungry for the real thing. A real honest-to-goodness chocolate cake. Yes, that was it. And that's decadence that doesn't happen very often around here ... even for birthdays or special occasions. Oh, it's not that I don't love dessert. I do. It's just the time-factor, the calorie-factor and the feel-like-it factor. When meals need made, grocery...
by
We just returned from a fun night at the local country fair. It's just a small annual event to support the resident fire company but still features lots of good eatin' treats. When taking another look at some of the stomach churning rides I enjoyed so much as a kid, now I don't understand how one can even think about eating after riding some of them. But that is just what we used to do, and we were happy to continue the eating part of the tradition this year with the likes of funnel cake, fresh squeezed lemonade and corn dogs.
by
Well, it finally happened. The weather turned hot enough here to make me want salad for dinner. I know, I know, people in many other parts of the country have been sweltering for months now. But for some reason, the Northeast has been spared with a long stretch of nice, not too hot, and virtually humidity free weather. But not so much anymore, and I have a feeling the rest of August is going to be long and hot. Now that the "salad days" of summer are truly here, I thought I would give you a few simple ideas for salads you can construct starting with your crockpot.
by
It has been a while since I graced these pages with my favorite kind of cuisine, Louisiana and low-country food. In part that's been because I've tried to focus a bit more closely on the food or food-related concerns of bachelorhood. As someone said to me weeks ago, I might not be the best guy for writing this column because I don't cook like a typical bachelor, and my recipes are sometimes fancy. My response, however, is in the form of a question: who better to improve the culinary repertoire of the average bachelor than someone who is both a bachelor and obsessed with cooking good food?...
by
Every August fresh corn is at its peak in this part of the country. The flesh is so good and the taste is so sweet that many people run their teeth across these ears raw, relishing the juicy corn milk inside each bursting kernel. Another way to enjoy fresh summer corn on the cob is to grill it, especially since the method is as seasonal as the produce.
by
A couple of years ago, a rather tired version of me decided to persevere through the fatigue to meet a friend for dinner at a New York steakhouse. I may have been falling asleep at the table, but I was committed both to my friend and to a charred and bloody piece of red meat. When the waiter took my drink order, the first instinct, almost obligatory in a steakhouse, was to order a glass of one of the many big and bold Napa cabernet sauvignons. But I was falling asleep, and red wine was not going to help me to make it through the meal. So, I ordered a Scotch! That night...
by
You know how your mom tried to trick you into eating vegetables by hiding the broccoli and sliced carrots between layers of penne and melted cheese for a particularly colorful take on baked Mac 'N Cheese? If persistent, maybe you were able to extract one or two green things from the congealing cheese, but try as you might, a few florets of broccoli inevitably clung to the cheese, made it onto your fork and into your mouth! For most of us, despite extraction efforts, eventually the hunger pains took over and the need for cheese and noodles overcame the aversion to vegetables. Just..