Yesterday I spent the afternoon with Teri Gault, founder of TheGroceryGame.com, which is a shopping system of collecting coupons and matching them to grocery store sales. Since it’s the dead of winter in most areas of the country and my farmer’s market seems lightyears away, I’ve been making the most of my grocery stores and it made sense to listen to Teri’s advice. As we all know, one trip to the grocery store can be an expensive venture — you go…
Sundried Tomato Risotto
Cooking for a Crowd, Cooking for One or Two, Recipes, Weekend Cooking, Worknight Dinners January 15, 2011
Fact: it is not difficult to make risotto. It’s not even difficult to make good risotto. While it doesn’t require a significant amount of kitchen skill, risotto does call for patience. When making risotto you have to stand over it, stirring for at least 20 minutes. To make a good risotto, use Arborio rice. Arborio grains are short, stubby and high in protein, which lends to a creamy consistency.…
Perfect Guacamole
Cooking for a Crowd, Recipes, Small Plates & Snacks, Weekend Cooking January 12, 2011
I went through a phase where I would only make guacamole in the summer. Don’t ask me why – I’m far from a locavore – but for some reason guacamole just didn’t seem like winter fare. Fast forward three years and I could not only eat guacamole winter, spring, summer or fall — but I could eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner.…
Miniature Quick Breads: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Bread
Recipes, Sweet Treats January 8, 2011
You have a party to go to and you’d really like to bring your hostess a gift but you don’t want to spend money (admit it). That’s where miniature quick breads come in. You need a gift for that friend who has everything. You have a baking itch Tuesday afternoon but you’d rather save your cake-and-cookie calories for Saturday night. Again, time to turn on the oven. In any event, miniature quick breads are a great solution when you need…