KitchenNutOkay, so I really should think of a better name, but right now, my brain is a little preoccupied convincing the rest of me to not finish off the rest of the batch. :) As usual, I was craving something sweet and I really needed a cookie. So, I was flipping through my King Arthur […]
The funny thing about food is that we want it to all taste the same. We bite into a new type apple (say, Honey Crisp) and say, “It doesn’t taste like the Granny Smith.” Of course it doesn’t. Because it’s a Honey Crisp apple. It’s funny to me that when some try new foods, they […]
Today I had a lovely discussion with a friend of why you want stainless steel pots/pans [as opposed to non-stick]. In a word, fond. Fond=flavor, and we want lots and lots of flavor! The main reason I hear some K.I.T. (KitchenNuts-in-Training) aghast that I would suggest using SS is because they fear that “the food […]
Oh, how I go nuts when I’m in the middle of a recipe just sure that I have a particular ingredient (besides, with my obsession of food storage, I always have loads of food storage!), only to find out half-way through that Oops! You thought wrong! In the middle of making a wonderful citrus pound […]
I’ve enjoyed my experiences of pressure canning , no doubt! Though I’ve heard that boiling water canning is much simpler, I have hesitated to give it a try. After making my delightful raspberry treats, I decided I needed some more goodies. So, my obsessive-compulsiveness kicked and I needed to try a many new jam recipes. […]
So spend your time being happy. These were the only thoughts crossing my mind as I was picking raspberries in a field 30 minutes from my home, at $4/pint. Sure, I could’ve driven to Trader Joe’s (which I love), but where would the fun be? As I was picking the berries, I could only think […]
I seem to always have a plethora of granulated sugar in my house (probably because I can buy a 25 lb. bag for $9 at Costco), but brown sugar – that’s another story! I seem to always be running out of it. And brown sugar definitely has it’s place. It bakes up a moister cookie, […]
Making hand-crafted food isn’t only good for your body, kharma and well-being, it’s also so much better for Mother Earth! So often I see disposable and or non-recycle-friendly cartons in the grocery store; I feel so sad to see or resources being used and abused in that way. Unfortunately, sometimes it is unavoidable to not […]
I absolutely love the Summer! I love the early-morning sunrise, the long days, herb gardens – it’s all great! But, if there is one thing I can’t stand during the Summer, it is cooking and baking! I mean, I still love doing them, but the idea of having my A/C set at 70º, while heating […]
Okay, so I’ve been slightly “absent” for a while…but, all with good reason! I have been offered an amazing opportunity to work at a local cooking store, which I absolutely love! Yet, something’s gotta give, right? In this case, it has been KitchenNut for the past six weeks or so. However, along with this has […]
I love cake. I mean, I really love cake!! But, I much prefer home-made cake (who doesn’t?), but we seem to all be plagued with the eternal problem of how to frost that cake to look as beautifully-smooth as those in the bakery windows. Well, I can’t help you with the cake decorating talent…I will […]
longhall writes : Can I bake more than one sheet of cookies at a time? Chef writes : Most definitely! I do it all the time! Simply adjust your oven racks so that they are the upper-middle and lower-middle locations, pre-heat your oven appropriately, then when it comes time to rotate your cookie sheets, simply […]
Sometimes you don’t. In my recent travels, I was given a bag of nuts and dried fruit. Yummy! I only recently discovered that I really actually like nuts! My memories go back to sitting next to Dad in “his chair” as I would eagerly help him crack the shells and pass him the freshly-exposed nuts […]
A dear friend and I decided to pick up a few items at the store. As we’re walking down the aisle, she mentions that she needs to buy sour cream. The first comment out of my mouth was, buy “Daisy Light” (as I know she always buys the light version of those things). Of course, […]
Ah, Spring is upon us! And, if you’re like me, you’re looking for any excuse to get into the outdoors and out of the stuffy house! Plus, the idea of cranking the oven to 450º to cook a piece of meat is borderline insanity! Very few days during the Summer do I not use the […]