Panel Series: Cooking

Hello and Happy Halloween everyone! Thanks for taking a break from your spooky festivities to check out the last post for my cooking panel series. I hope you enjoy starting a bit later than usual today since I know many of you may have been off to Halloween parties and watching scary movies until the haunting hours of the night. Before sitting down, please make your way to the table in the back where we have some witches brew, devilish eggs, lady fingers, and of course caramel apples. Enjoy.

Crunch Time: It's time for dinner and you spent too much time (reading, crafting, guest blogging) and you need to get food on the table fast. What do you do? Does this never happen to you? Any time savers you would love to share? This is also a great time to divulge any other bits of wisdom that I've forgotten to ask about!

Jaime: I always keep ingredients for quick, easy meals around! My best fast meals are:

Tacos: Ground beef, seasoning packets, cand of black beans, can of tomato sauce, tortiaas, and hopefully salsa and sourn cream. I suually always have lettuce for the tacos and typically also have onions, peppers, and corn to throw in with the meat and beans for some color and flavor.

Stir Fry: Veggies plus chicken with some sauce from the fridge and voila.

Spaghetti: Crushed tomatoes with some garlic, onions, peppers sautéed in a little EVOO plus some seasoning over noodles. Easy cheesy. Sometimes I put in spicy sausage.

Pizza: I have a no-rise pizza crust recipe so I can throw that togetehr in the bread maker and let it knead while I make the sauce (pretty mucht he same as above for spaghetti), then we throw on whatever--I usually have either Canadian bacon or pepperoni, but if not, then I always have cheeses and veggies.

Frozen food: When in a real crunch for time.

Michelle: If I'm really running short on time, I might make breakfast for dinner. Belgian waffles from a good mix (Aunt Jemima is one) are always welcome with my family. Or pancakes, bacon, and eggs.

On a busy day, I might grab a rotisserie chicken while I'm out. That's one of my favorite shortcuts--tasty and versatile.

Another fast favorite is soft tacos: I spray corn tortillas with Pam, sprinkle with salt, and warm in a small skillet. Fill with leftover chicken and/or beans, canned corn, salsa, and cheese. Top with a dab of sour cream.

Ditto with burritos. I never get tired of burritos! And with Costco's delicious uncooked tortillas (cook as you use them) they are even better. In fact, even quesadillas are a treat with those tortillas.

I am never sorry when I think to pull out my Crockpot in the morning. I can prepare dinner while I have plenty of energy, and then it is ready when everyone is hungry, that is the best solution to crunch time I can think of! There are so many Crockpot recipes available online, there is even a blog dedicated to it (which probably most of you already know about).

I read once about a technique that I would love to try: after planning your meals for the week and buying the groceries, pre-chop all the vegetables and bag all necessary ingredients for each meal together in Ziplocs, thus saving tons of prep time when you're ready to cook.

The one time-saver I frequently use is to buy in bulk when there is a good price on things like lemons, bell peppers, chicken breasts, etc. I trim and separate the chicken and freeze in packs of two, chop the peppers and freeze in Ziplocs, juice the lemons and freeze the juice and so forth. When basil is in season, you can make and freeze pesto. When berries are cheap and plentiful, I freeze them for smoothies or desserts later. I don't often freeze entire meals, but I usually have a good stock of frozen ingredients that I can pull out and use when I'm low on fresh meats and produce.

Sarah: When I am in a crunch my go-to meal is pasta. A simple sauce with shrimp and spaghetti always seems delicious and really quick. Fish is always nice to have in the freezer – thaws quickly and cooks just as fast. Sometimes I will take a prepackaged meal and “doctor-it-up” so it doesn’t taste so packaged. Simply sautéing garlic and onions and adding it to a jarred sauce makes it taste homemade. Or adding shredded cabbage, carrots, and chicken to ramen noodles seems like you made it yourself.

Freezing dinners is great plan ahead. You can call your family when you are running late and they can pop it in the oven/crockpot/microwave to get it ready. Its amazing what you can freeze – double a soup recipe and freeze half in a ziplock bag. Take frozen cheese ravioli and layer with sauce and it becomes a real simple lasagna.
Final words of wisdom: Experiment! Be adventurous! It might be good!

Staci: Ah-hum. Could you pass the mic over here please? Thanks.

Mandy (I know you don’t go by that name now, but it’s what I called you for 25+ years. It’s hard for me to change!), thank you for asking me to participate. I’ve really enjoyed examining and documenting my methods and learning about how it’s done in other homes. It’s made me look twice at how I run my kitchen. I’ve rearranged a couple of cupboards – relocated my spices and cookbooks, and cleaned out my storage area – Found some R-E-A-L-L-Y old garlic. Wow! How did I miss that?!

Ok – so what do I do when my boys’ moods have soured, everyone is grumpy, and it finally dawns on me that it’s 8:00 and my boys haven’t had dinner yet? I have two standbys.

1. Pancakes – I use a Lehi Roller Mills Mix and am completely lost when I let my supply run out. I don’t deal in small, grocery store size bags of this stuff. We lean toward the 25 pound bags. This should tell you that we eat lots of pancakes. Sometimes I shake things up and we do waffles, but that’s only when I have a few extra minutes.
2. Grilled Cheese – We are dunkers around here, so grilled cheese sandwiches are served up with bowls of home-preserved peaches. (Thank you Grandma & Grandpa Hill!!! I didn’t do a single jar this year and yet my peach shelf is fairly well stocked. Hallelujah!) There’s something amazing about dunking all that melted-cheese gooeyness into the peach juice. The boys like grilled cheese made with white bread and cheddar cheese. They also like the individually packaged cheese because of how it melts. My hubby and I have a little more distinctive taste. We like our grilled cheese made out of rye and swiss or havarti. That is good eating! The bookfair (I’m one of the 2 coordinators) has a cookbook for 50+ grilled cheese creations. I can’t imagine that many variations, but I think I may have to purchase that thing.

During my regular dinner preparations I will sometimes split a casserole. Instead of making a 9 x 13, I’ll make 2 8x8 pans. One of them will go in the oven, and one gets wax papered, aluminum foiled, and ziploc’d to put in the freezer. This has been wonderful if I know things are going to be hectic, and I need a meal in a hurry. I’ll put the unwrapped frozen casserole in the oven, and then set my oven for delayed bake. This has worked like a charm!

Another time saver is your crockpot. Become well acquainted with this appliance. Here is my hint: anything that can be cooked in a dutch oven can also be cooked in a crock pot. Explore! Enjoy! And DO NOT LIFT THE LID!!!

And there you have it! Once again, huge and gigantic thanks to all of our panelists. We've all learned so much from you and I hope you had fun taking part in the panel discussion. It was definitely fun for me and I and truly appreciate having you all as guests on my blog. Thanks also to those of you who came to read every week. I hope you a great time. Also, feel free to make suggestions for future panel discussion topics. I'd be happy to do more of these if there is interest.

Panel Series: Cooking

Wow...is it just me or did that week go by really fast? Welcome back for the third installment of the cooking panel series. I can see that you've all found the scones (ala Bainbridge Island) on the back table, please try all of the varieties and don't skimp on the butter and homemade jams. This week we're talking about something that is crucial to keeping your family alive and fed: grocery shopping. Love it or hate it, it has to be done. I personally am looking forward to hearing what our panelists have to say as I have been putting off this weeks' grocery shopping, well....all week.

Weekly Chore—Grocery Shopping/Meal Planning : How do you approach grocery shopping? Love it/Hate it? Do you plan meals ahead of time or make it up as you go? Care to share a sample menu?

Jaime: Hmmm, used to love it, but life seems busier now. I certainly don’t hate it though. I recently took a trip to the grocery store all by myself (no toddler in tote) and spent forever wandering the isles, reading ingredient lists, spending time comparing items—all things that are hard to do with an impatient toddler. I usually try to grocery shop only once a week, but typically end up doing one big shop and one minor shop where I pick up everything I forget/couldn’t find. Plus different grocery stores offer different items. Unfortunately there are three grocery stores in my area I like to go to for different things—meat at one, produce at another, and everything else at the third. Meat can freeze, so I visit that one less frequently and since we buy so much produce, we go to the “produce” grocery store every week. I try to make the grocery store trip fun though by going to the store I typically find the most enjoyable; even if it is a bit more expensive, I’d rather pay a little more and leave happy than save some money and leave irritated. I show things to my daughter and we talk about food and why we buy some food and how pretty the produce looks, etc. Consequently, she thinks grocery shopping is great fun, and when she’s happy and well behaved it’s soooo much easier to enjoy life. :)I always plan out a menu before grocery shopping—I aim for a week’s worth but usually only get 5 solid plans in, which is fine because sometimes there are leftovers, going out, nights when we need something FAST, nights when I just don’t feel like what I’d planned, etc. I always keep a few fast meal supplies on hand—tacos, spaghetti, stir fry, and sometimes even a frozen dinner (like when those Bertolli frozen pasta dinners go on sale…). When I make my menus, I first write down a few things that sound good, then I look at my list of recipes-to-try or stack of recipes on my fridge for new things I want to try, and then if I still need ideas, I look at a list on the inside of my cupboard of basic food I pretty much know how to make. That list is divided into international categories (Italian, Mexican, Eastern, etc.) and I can just use my tried and true recipe or look up a fun new version to try—whatever I feel like. In the summer I try to do one salad a week and in the winter I try to do one soup/crock pot meal a week. Usually I try to do a big meal with leftovers early in the week (my husband takes leftovers for lunches), and I try to do something a bit fancier or more fun on Friday for date night). By making my menu this way we tend to get a good variety of international dishes, variety of new/old dishes, and variety of easy/more complicated dishes.

My menu for last week:
Aromatic Pork with Figs (new one to try—it was amazing)
Homemade pizza (Friday date night)
Quesadillas
Satay lettuce wraps
Cream chicken and veggies (crock pot)Skillet ravioli

My menu for this week:
Bean burritos (lots of leftovers)
Butternut squash pasta (new one to try)
Grilled chicken and veggies with rice
Taco salad
Curried vegetable soup (new one to try—it was OK, not a keeper though)
Calzones

And as a side note, this is a really fun blog about food and menu planning: http://thisweekfordinner.com

Makenna: I love grocery shopping! I always have. I loved going with my mom growing up (we always stopped at the deli and got an egg roll), but it is definitely more challenging with two little ones tagging along. I am an admitted coupon addict. Luckily for me, I work weekends at the hospital so I can usually get a sizeable stash on Sunday night. I have been known to make my husband accompany me to the recycling dumpster if it is an especially awesome coupon week. All the hard work is worth it when you get that receipt back and see your savings. My best trip ever was to CVS where I got $100 worth of makeup and 8 bottles of tide (lasted for 1 year) for $8! Not food related I know, but just a little encouragement to start using those coupons!

I am terrible at meal planning. I feel like I often get in ruts, which I'm sure planning ahead would help me avoid. Meals can also be challenging due to two very picky eaters...one being my husband. He's a meat and potato man...no veggies, no fruits. My two year olds only source of nutrients come from yogurt, bananas, apples, and chicken nuggets.

This week we've had:
beef stroganoff, wheat rolls, green beans (one veggie my hubby will eat)
enchiladas suizas, spanish rice, refried beans
potato soup, french bread and brie
hot dogs, tater tots, apple slices
oven baked pork chops, risotto, steamed broccoli, and carrots

Michelle: Here's the thing. I love shopping. Grocery shopping is no exception. I love looking for recipes, I enjoy cooking. But for some reason, when it comes to planning the meals for the week, I get burned out. Sometimes I just want someone else to plan out what to have. I would happily do the shopping and cooking! Now I understand why my mom would get a little whiny when she made her grocery list for the week, asking everyone what we should have for dinner. I didn't have any ideas then. I wish I had helped her out!

Part of the problem is my own, since I get tired of making the same things. One thing I've started doing is keeping a folder of recipes I'd like to try on my desktop -- something I can turn to when it's planning time. I probably try one or two recipes a week and then cull through the old standbys for the rest. I also have a Frequently Used Recipes list, because I'm telling you my mind seriously draws a blank when it's planning time...

I usually shop for about 4 days' worth of menus. I find that with leftovers and the occasional take-out night, this is sufficient for the week. I definitely plan it all out. There's nothing I hate more than getting ready to cook and finding I am missing a crucial ingredient or two. I do a little scouting around for good deals. When I find a great price on something that I use all the time (like chicken breasts), I stock up and freeze the excess. When red peppers are $1 each, I dice them and freeze them in Ziplocs, etc.

I also tend to have staples in my pantry that I can use to whip up a quick meal in a pinch. One of my go-to pantry meals is Pasta With Carrot/Shallot Sauce. You've got to have a few recipes like that in your repertoire!

Rachel:

I found that a flexible, planned scheduled worked best for each week. I plan 6 meals, allotting myself at least one night to eat out. Because I inevitably want to. Okay, it’s usually two nights. But in that case, I have a CHOICE between my last two meals for the end of the week, or I can extend my weekly plans one day later. How smart is that??

I kind of hate meal planning in the same way I hate cleaning my house. I can live without it but it involves lots of whining and pouting. When I finally make myself do it, I look on my accomplishment with immense pride and insist my husband coo over the menu list/clean living room.

Most of my meals need to double for lunch the next day, or at least be turned into a second dish the next night. A sample:

Sunday – Pot roast with rosemary potato wedges and roasted Brussels sprouts.

Monday – Beef tacos (with leftover meat)

Tuesday – Spinach pie (a house favorite, like a quiche with lots of spinach and feta)

Wednesday – Simple spaghetti bolognase with home-made marinara and steamed broccoli (if it’s a good week, I’ll make the noodles from scratch)

Thursday – Mac and cheese “deluxe” from a box with broccoli (a good meal when you don’t feel like cooking)

Friday – Sloppy joes and glazed carrots

Saturday – Eat out!

Sarah: Grocery shopping is always tough for me - no car most of the day and a baby on a strict nap schedule makes it a little harder to go. I go once a week and then if I forgot something I try to have my husband pick it up on the way home from work.

Here are my tips:
- Use produce that will go bad faster earlier in the week, frozen or long lasting later in the week
- Buy what's on sale and make your menu around that (you'll save money. I promise.)
- Have staples on hand always (I always have the stuff to make spaghetti or stir fry = my go-to's)
- use leftovers creatively (ie pork roast becomes BBQ pork sandwich for lunch)- be flexible

On an ideal week I look through the adds and my coupons, plan what I will buy at the store, make a tentative menu, go shopping, buy what's on sale and what produce looks good, and adjust my menu as needed. Sounds like it takes a long time, but it isn't so bad. I try to plan out every meal and snacks - that way I know I have my 5 servings of fruits and veggies in. :) I have them in a binder so if my husband wants to help or go shopping, the list and recipes are there for him

Sample Dinner Menu:
(I try to do a typical Sunday, comfort meal; Friday is a date night meal; and Saturday is usually something fun)
Sunday: Pork Roast, mashed potatoes, green salad, rollsMonday: Chicken with Roasted asparagus
Tuesday: Homemade Pizza
Wednesday: Take out
Thursday: Hawaiian Haystacks
Friday: Shrimp Scampi
Saturday: Oven Roasted chicken, coleslaw, sweet potato fries

Staci: I used to marvel at my grandmother’s fruit room. If you ran out of something in the kitchen, you just went downstairs to the storage room and pulled it off the shelf. When Grandma grocery shopped, it was to replenish the storage room – not to fill the kitchen.I’ve talked about my kitchen being one of the deal clinchers for buying my house, but the storage room (all concrete, in the basement under the front porch) was one as well. We immediately put shelves in there and I began earnestly bulking up our storage. Thank goodness!
Over the past couple of years, money has been tight at our house. There have been weeks that it would have been nice to grocery shop, but the cash just wasn’t there. This required us to utilize our food storage.
I knew we had enough storage to only have to shop for dairy and produce for at least a year. It was very self-fulfilling at first, but I quickly realized that if we ate all of our favorite items first, meal time would become quite unpleasant. So I made THE LIST of all the potential dinner items, including a couple of favorites each week. I rotated each boy’s choices so they were getting “their” dinner at least once every other week.Things have either gotten better or we’re just more used to this method, but I still keep THE LIST on the refrigerator. THE LIST also allows me to maintain a general mental inventory of what’s in my freezer or storage and what I need to put on the grocery list.
As my boys have gotten older they’ve learned to forage, and a couple of them like to snack on non-sweets. My hubby isn’t great about packing lunches, but every once in a while he will do this for a couple of weeks. He doesn’t necessarily inform me when those weeks are – so he also confounds the food supply. I was not a very happy person when I would go to the fridge only to find that dinner ingredients disappeared a few days earlier. Having THE LIST where everyone can see it allows them to cross something off if they realize they’ve used what would be necessary for dinner, and I avoid last minute panic attacks.
Sometimes my grocery shopping trips are “me” time when I end up smelling lotions, perusing paper backs, or hunting for that one perfect green pepper. Other times it’s a quick in & out with all 3 boys in tow – no one is ever happy at the end of these trips. Every once in a while it turns into one of those unforgettable one-on-one Mom/son experiences with just one of my boys. I’m amazed at what sparks a conversation – Carson and I discussed food preparation for masses v. small families and why some people are good at one but not necessarily the other. This started off with him asking if I ever wanted to cook school lunch – we were standing in front of the rice & pasta at the time.I do not like to grocery shop with my husband because he questions everything that goes in my cart and complains about the cost of miscellaneous goods. I know how much stuff costs – I see it every time I enter the store. I don’t need to be reminded; I just need to get it in my cart.
I cannot grocery shop at warehouse stores. I purchase garbage bags, paper towels, Ziplocs, etc at these stores, and I will pick up milk and bread while I’m there. I cannot go specifically to buy milk and bread – I get too many cart fillers while I do this. I save more money shopping grocery store case lot sales (small jars of peanut butter, cream-o-something soups, chicken and beef broth, green chilis, tuna, mandarin oranges, tomato paste/sauce/diced/stewed, 8 oz bags of shredded cheese, yada yada – all my basics in the size I need them).
I have a few items that are never really included in my menu plan but are always on THE LIST. These include tortillas, fake cheese (individually packaged slices because they “melt cool” and they’re typically inexpensive), cup-a-soup, lunch meat, and real cheese (Muenster, havarti, sharp cheddar).
Here’s THE LIST this morning. This one didn’t have a lot of variety – basically hamburger, hotdogs, and pastry.
I’m going out of town for the weekend, and I’m pretty sure my boys will not eat anything on THE LIST while I’m gone. They’ll have lots of peanut butter, eggs (scrambled, boiled, microwaved), grilled cheese, and perhaps French toast. Do you see a theme? Bread, eggs, cheese? Not the greatest, but it could be worse…

Many thanks ladies. It looks like I'm not the only one who sometimes has a hard time with meal planning, or needs to go to multiple grocery stores to get what I want. Also, raise your hand if you loved the sample menus! It's so fun to see something as personal as what a family is eating for dinner right? Now I'll once again turn it over to you. What is on your menu for the week? How do you feel about grocery shopping?

Next week is the fourth and final cooking panel post. The prompt is Crunch Time; what to do when you have to get dinner in a hurry/time savers in the kitchen. Also, if you have any other questions for our panelists, now is the time to speak up so they can answer your questions next Saturday!

Panel Series: Cooking

Hello and welcome back! I'm glad to see that you enjoyed our first discussion enough to come back for more. I've decided to feature savory refreshments today so please stop by the table in the back for some delicious chevre (did you notice how many of our panelists stock up on great cheese?)with sun-dried tomatoes and crackers. Also, please don't pass up the artichoke-olive crostini. Trust me.

Now then, on to business. Today's discussion is about finding inspiration. Our panelists have compiled lists of the authors, cookbooks, and websites that keep them scampering back to the kitchen time after time giddy with the thought of trying a new recipe or whipping up an old favorite. I believe there is something for both newbie cooks and seasoned family chefs in this discussion. Enjoy:

Finding Inspiration: Do you have a favorite cookbook/cookbook author? Do you get most of your recipes from the internet, books, magazines, your mom, or your head? Any recommendations for a new cook?

Jaime: My favorite cookbook is hands-down America’s Test Kitchen The New Best Recipe. No joke, if you want the best recipe for something (albeit NIETHER the healthiest NOR the easiest recipe), you can find it in this cookbook. The cookbook has a lot of basics—pumpkin pie, regular cheesecake, sandwich bread, chicken-fried steak, etc. so I tend to refer to that cookbook when I know what it is I want to cook; I decide what we want to eat, then go there for the best recipe.

For inspiration though, I tend to look elsewhere and everywhere (maybe because the cookbook doesn’t have pictures…). Most of my new fun ideas and recipes come from magazines (I rip out the pages and keep them in a stack on my fridge with a magnet) although I have been known to spend my daughter’s nap “reading” cookbooks and making lists of things to try. Family and friends certainly have given me many new great recipes, and of course the internet is an endless supply of ideas.

Makenna: I subscribed to Martha and her food magazine about 2 years ago and love her! She has great holiday themes and you can find tons of great recipes on her website.

I also use allrecipes.com a lot. I love using their ingredient search as I can plug in what I have on hand and it pulls up recipes using those ingredients. They usually have tons of reviews and suggestions from other cooks who have tried them. Fantastic website. Highly recommend this one.

I love Rachael Ray as she puts great twists on good ole standbys.

I use my church cooking books, my mom, and my grandma a lot.

And mostly things just come from my head. I love experimenting. I cook purely by smell. I have always challenged myself to cook COMPLETELY from scratch. No cream of anythings or pre-made sauces. Most things start from broths and sauteed onion and garlic or peppers.

Michelle: I love cookbooks! I have a whole cupboard full of them, and no space for any more, so if I get a new one, I have to weed out an old one (or at least store it somewhere else!). I frequently check them out from the library as well. I enjoy reading them, and I love trying new recipes. If I make a recipe too many times in too short a time period, I get sick of that food and never want it again.

Some favorites, off the top of my head (since I'm very far from my cookbooks, currently):

The old Betty Crocker Cookbook -- this was re-printed several years ago and is now easy to find -- many of my grandma's best recipes come from this one!

Colorado Cache -- Junior League cookbooks are quite often very good.
The Bread Bible -- Rose Levy Berenbaum
Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
The Ultimate Cooking Light Cookbook
Simply Scones --Leslie Weiner and Barbara Albright -- this tiny cookbook is a gem. I have used these recipes countless times for tea parties and showers. They're really easy, too!
Beat This! -- this is a compulsively readable cookbook, and the recipes are really good, too!
The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper -- another compulsively readable book.

I wish I could remember more. I'm currently reading Chocolate & Zucchini and it is quite good.

I also love food blogs and food websites. They are so prevalent, you can get cooking inspiration anytime you want! Some favorites:

La Tartine Gourmande
Chocolate & Zucchini
Orangette
Smitten Kitchen
Dorie Greenspan
David Lebovitz
Pioneer Woman
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Coconut & Lime

I sometimes read (and sometimes subscribe to) Cooking Light, Everyday Food, Gourmet and Bon Appetit.

Grandma continues to supply me with wonderful new recipes. My mom is a great source of recipes, too! As is my Aunt Denise. Oh, and my Aunt Linda! We all love to cook, especially together.

Man, I wish I was one of those cooks who can just invent things on the fly. Sadly, I'm not. That's why I'm such a recipe collector.

Oh, and while we're talking about recipes, here's a major beef I have: people who won't share them. I just don't get that at all. And it makes me mad! When I have a good recipe, I want to share it with the world! I want everyone to be able to partake of that wonderful food.

Rachel: I learned to cook from two people – Martha Stewart and Mark Bittman. When I was in college and newly married I watched a lot of Martha Stewart Living and her show on the Food Network. They were sooooo much better than her talk show that’s on air now. My future husband, Ben, bought a copy of “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman. I read it like a novel. Everything that I wanted to make, I found in his book. Not only did it give me recipes, but the technique of cooking. It has a heavy emphasis on improvisation, which is probably how I came to cook the way I do.

Nowadays I subscribe to many food bloggers and make what looks good. If I want a particular recipe I go to allrecipes.com and pick one according to reviews. I still go to my library of cookbooks now and then, and often call my mom for recipes I remembered from childhood.

Hmm, let me give credit where due. I should say that I learned to cook from THREE people. My mom had me help with dinners and baking since I could snitch cookie dough. She gave me a basic set of skills without me even realizing it. It’s just that once I left for college, I relied mostly on Stewart and Bittman for how-tos. But believe me, there have been many panicked phone calls mid-recipe, asking Mom how to salvage my dish.

I certainly recommend “How to Cook Everything” to any new cook out there. But don’t underestimate the value of demonstration. You need a parent or friend who can show you how to do it. Find a mentor and latch on.

Sarah: I love looking at different cook books and exploring their ideas. As odd as it may seem, I just read them. One of my favorite cookbooks is The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook.

It is a great book for the beginners (and experts too) because it says the basics for breads, cakes, veggies, poultry, everything. One thing I loved when I went to college was it told me how to pick out fruits and veggies. I never new you wanted lighter colored celery.

One of my more fun books is the Nordstrom Friends & Family Cookbook.

Every recipe I have made from there has been delicious and fun to make. Some include Chicken Tortilla soup and Nanaimo bars. (Mmm, I want to make those again!)

I love my cookbooks, but also use magazines and the internet a lot for inspiration. I love looking at other blogs, allrecipes.com, foodnetwork.com, anything. Although most of the time I take a recipe and change it up to make it my own - that's just the fun of cooking: exploration!

One suggestion, though it may seem odd, is to watch a lot of cooking shows. This helped me learn the techniques, terminology, and what combination of foods work.

Have fun, test things out, its okay to fail - that just makes for a funny experience.

Staci: I’m not much of a cook book chef. I use cook books as a go-by or to double check an ingredient, an amount of that ingredient, or to validate that I’m doing the right thing. I don’t know that I have a single favorite cook book, but I have 3 that I repeatedly pull out of my cupboard.

The Joy of Cooking – I don’t think I’ve actually made anything from this cookbook, but it’s full of reassurances. Need to know how long to cook that ham? Craving burnt sugar frosting? Want an idea for what to do with all those apricots because you can only eat some much apricot jam? Curious how to serve up that wild boar occupying space in your freezer? (I didn’t have a wild boar in my freezer, but I was looking for a marinade for swan – gack) It’s all in there! I do not like the binding on this one. It just won’t stay open…

Better Homes & Gardens (the one with the red & white buffalo checks) – This one is a good old stand by. I think they need to consult me when they prepare a new edition. I really wanted to make Swedish Pancakes (zoom ahead to my adulthood, and 20 years later these are aka crepes – but did I know that? NO!!!). The Swedish recipe isn’t in my edition – luckily it was in my mom’s. I stumbled across crepes in mine, and it’s nearly verbatim. So, there you go.

The one that my apartment complex put together when I was in college. I wouldn’t say that this one is gourmet by any means, but it’s got what I call survival mode meals. Beans & weenies? They’re in there. No crust peanut butter sandwiches? You got it. German pancakes? Of course. Get the idea? By the way – German pancakes are found under “International Cuisine”.

I have 2 websites that I go to for ideas:

Allrecipes.com – I like that you can search for recipes by ingredient. When I’m in a rut and need a new idea, this is amazing. I also like to read the reviews for each recipe. Some of the reviewers crack me up because they alter the recipe so much that it’s really not the same thing in the end. However, sometimes those alterations give me creative license to make my own alterations, and then I’m really cooking… I just located my new favorite waffle recipe – there’s a mere 10 Tablespoons of butter in the batter, and it only makes about 10 waffles. Delish!

Cookingforengineers.com - Seriously – if you are a visual person, this is the site for you. You get a photo for every single step of the recipe. Makes it easy to see if you’re doing the right thing! So good when you’re blonde and an engineer. The author also gives a bit of a history on each recipe – take Rice Krispie Treats for example. The author wondered if they could use the name “Rice Krispie Treat” if a no-named brand was used, so they wrote to Kelloggs to find out! That is so something that I would do! I also love their recipe layout. It makes sense to my brain. I mean look at this…

When my nieces started college I had a few suggestions for them – find a couple of recipes that you make really well, a couple more that are just plain delicious, and a few others that take less than 10 minutes to throw together. Some recipes may fall into more than one category. Do not be afraid to use store prepared food to make something seem home made (think rotisserie chicken for chicken noodle soup), and don’t try out a new recipe on guests. I suppose that my intentions with offering this type of tip fall into the “Catch-a-Man” philosophy, but my cooking pleases the 4 males at my place on a regular basis, so it’s what works for me.

Bravo ladies. Thanks so much. And now once again, it's your turn...any great cookbooks or websites that our panelists didn't mention? Are you the cookbook twin of one of these lovely ladies? Let us know. Next week's discussion: Weekly Chore: Grocery shopping & meal planning. See you then!

Panel Series: Cooking

Well hello there! So wonderful to see you. Thank you for coming. Come in,come in! The room is filling up fast as you can see. Please take a nametag and find a seat at one of the tables. I've provided notebooks and pens if you have forgotten yours. Also, there's punch and cupcakes on the banquet table in the back, please help yourself. Are we ready to get started? Can you hear me in the back? Wonderful. I would like to officially welcome you all to my first ever panel series. I've decided to start with a topic very dear to my heart: cooking. I'm so excited to have these wonderful ladies joining us for the entire month and hope you gather as much inspiration from them as I have. Here is the prompt that I asked these ladies to talk about today:

The Well Stocked Kitchen
Tell us about your kitchen. What staples are in your pantry? What’s in your fridge right now? What kind of ingredients do you splurge on? How about kitchen gadgets? What do you consider a necessity vs. a luxury? Any gadgets that you thought were luxuries that are now necessities?

And with that, I'll turn it over to our panelists. Take it away ladies!

Jaime :I’m lucky enough to live an apartment with ample kitchen cupboards, so I have taken good use of them and consider my kitchen “well stocked.” I always keep supplies for a quick meal on hand: chicken, veggies and mandarin oranges for a stir fry, noodles of all shapes and cans of crushed tomatoes for pasta dishes, etc. Plus I always keep a spare container of baking essentials such as baking soda, baking powder, flour, honey, etc. I do a lot of baking, so I can burn through a lot of those ingredients within a few days and after a few times of running short, I have learned to just keep extras around.

I try to only grocery shop once a week, so depending on the day my fridge can look rather barren, or loaded with food. Right after a shopping trip both crispers and the bottom shelf usually have lots of fruits and veggies in them, my “meat” draw is full of cheeses, and I’m well stocked with milk and eggs. Odd things you’ll always find in my fridge? Lots of nuts (I buy them in bulk and they tend to go rancid if I don’t keep them in the fridge), several different kinds of oils (they also tend to go rancid if I don’t store them there), yogurt cultures (I make my own yogurt), and a number of tiny Tupperwares full of toddler snacks

My kitchen splurges—blueberries come to mind first. We just can’t get enough of them! I do tend to spend a little extra money to get the healthier or better-tasting version of foods—I’ll go ahead and spend the extra money for whole-grain crackers, premium ice creams and what I hope are better quality spices. Granted my food bill has gone up quite a bit as I’ve done this over the years, but I think we eat very high quality, healthy food. Life’s too short to eat cheap food I say. What could be more important that what you put into your body everyday!? And I do experiment—I’ll try two products side-by-side and make a decision about what is best. Or, just read the ingredients side-by-side and that’ll usually tell me

My latest and greatest kitchen “necessity” is a bread maker. Oh how I used to scoff and scorn them. I realize now that all the bread-machine bread that I ate and thought was bad was simply because the recipe was bad, not because the bread-machine is a faulty invention. I use mine easily 4 times a week. Most days we wake up to “warm, soft bread” as my two-year-old calls it, plus since it does 80% of the work for me, it gives me time to make lots of other fun artisan breads and rolls. Spawning from this necessity is my wheat grinder. Now I grind my own wheat and let me tell you, there is a very big difference between whole-wheat in the grocery store and freshly ground whole wheat. Not only is the fresh stuff better-tasting and healthier, but the quality of my breads have significantly improved since I started grinding my own wheat. My other kitchen necessities now include a quality set of measuring cups and spoons (I hated the ones I had forever and finally got some really good metal ones, and I really enjoy them) and quality pans. Oh yes, and a garlic press. I love mine.

Makenna: My kitchen is fairly organized and usually well stocked. It's also usually very clean due to a husband who can't stand dirty dishes. I cook, he cleans. Great arrangement!

My pantry staples include: tomatoes, beans of every kind, rice, wheat pastas, green chile, and boullion, lots of boullion. We're a family who loves Mexican and Italian.

Milk, eggs, an assortment of cheese, wheat bread, tortillas, veggies, pineapple (always), apples, pears, and oranges are currently living in my fridge. Really nothing out of the ordinary. Plain Jane. Oh, and I always keep a stock of pork loin. So many great dishes can be made with pork loin.

We definitely splurge on bread and cheese. My husband spent two years in France so the cheap stuff doesn't cut it at our house! Come over for a visit and we will hook you up with some great brie/chevre and fantastic bread.

Mmm...gadgets, gadgets. I love my bosch. Seriously, love it. If you don't have one, get one. NOW. Oh, and my garlic press. Can't live without that thing. IKEA's is actually great. I also use a boar bristle brush for basting, glazing, brushing, etc. My food processor used to live alone and abandoned, but is now used on a weekly basis.

Michelle: Staples for me are: several different types of pasta, canned diced tomatoes, canned chicken broth, a variety of canned beans, couscous, breadcrumbs or panko, olive oil, good balsamic vinegar, a wide variety of spices, yeast, several different flours, baking chocolates, coconut, French green lentils, French bay leaves, bouquet garni.

My fridge here in Paris is pretty small! Right now it's full of: fresh eggs, milk, my favorite sparkling water (Badoit), apple juice, grape juice, fresh mozzarella, parmiggiano reggiano, grated emmental, camembert, Port Salut cheese, crème fraîche, lardons, sliced ham, leftover quiche, fresh pasta, butter, yogurt, apples, new potatoes, cooked beets, carrot salad, and a chocolate/caramel tart that I just made.

I really don't feel like I splurge on ingredients all that often. Good balsamic vinegar. Maybe asparagus or fruit that is not in season, although I usually try to buy what is in season, both for flavor and cost-effectiveness. Sometimes a really nice cut of meat or a nice fish, sometimes a great cheese, sometimes really good chocolate, occasionally fresh-squeezed juice. But never all in one week.

Kitchen gadgets are interesting. They're fun, I really like them; but I guess I consider most of them to be luxuries. Necessities for me are: a silicone spatula (preferably a spoonula), a good vegetable peeler, a good sharp knife, a rasp for grating zest and chocolate, a citrus reamer (mine is just a dumb plastic one!), a rolling pin (I have a silicone one and a French flat wooden one and I love them both), a blender, a few different whisks, a hand mixer, various cutting boards.

I have found I prefer mixing up a crust with my hands over using a pastry cutter. I have been married 18 years and only just got a nice set of knives! So that definitely feels like a luxury, and one that I can't do without anymore. I thought I wanted a food processor, but now I don't know that I really care. I do love my KitchenAid (a lot), but I also mix dough by hand a lot of the time. You don't need a lot of fancy gadgets to make great food.


Rachel: My answers are going to focus on cooking. If we were talking about baking, I’d have different answers. I enjoy both equally.

Most frequently used pantry staples:
Olive oil
Onions
Garlic – cloves, paste, and powder
Salts – Kosher, Morton’s, sea salt, Maldon flakes, and flavored salts
Tomatoes—diced, crushed, pureed, paste, sundried, and concentrate in a tube
Beans—black, dark kidney, pintos, garbanzos, and chili beans

In my fridge right now:
(It’s the end of the week, so I’m at a low point for fresh ingredients)
Cheese—Cheddar, parmesan (real and Kraft), a blue, feta, ricotta,
Breads—wheat, tortillas, bagels
Veggies—broccoli (always!), green leaf lettuce, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots, jalepeno, red peppers, rosemary
V8
Coke Zero
Butter – 2 1/2 pounds
Sour cream
Leftovers – spinach pie, chicken for tacos, potato salad, half a can of black beans, half a can of garbanzo beans, pot roast, homemade salsa, hummus dip, marinara
Condiments – pesto, fry sauce (stolen from Utah fast food joint), mayonnaise, 2 store-bought jams, 2 homemade jams, 4 different mustard, relish, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, steak sauce, srirancha, American hot sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame seed oil, tahini, maple syrup, fake maple syrup, Ranch dressing, Catelina dressing, strawberry balsamic dressing, vegemite in a tube

I splurge on small specialty ingredients that pack a powerful punch, like sundried tomatoes and cheeses, and condiments that will last a long time. I have no problems paying for vegetables, they feel like necessities to me and I allow myself to pull anything off the shelf as long as it’s in season, beautiful, and I have an idea of how to use it that week. Meat, on the other hand, is more of a luxury. I have to have a couple meals in mind to stretch a single pack. I never buy meat that will last only one meal. Except for chicken thighs, which are always cheap, any meat I buy has to be on sale. Another splurge is junk food. I don’t make a habit of stocking snacks, but allow myself to make special trips later in the week for Ruffled Cheddar Baked Lays, or a box of Breyers ice cream (if it’s on sale). (Mint Chocolate Chip please). (Drool).

Despite my plethora of kitchen gadgets, I tend to use the same pieces over and over:
Wooden cutting board
2 good knives, one medium, one large
Food Processor (I get SO much more use from it that my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer)
Vegetable peeler
Silicone spatulas for stirring pots and bowls
Le Creuset pot with combination non-stick lid/skillet
Dough scraper for tidying up my space

I can make most anything in my repertoire with these items and the basics – bowls and eating utensils. As far as specialized items that I DO like to use:
Rubber garlic peeler
Lemon Juicer (it came with a pack of lemons once, I can’t find a replica online)
Tiny wisks
Silicone pastry brushes
My ¾ cup measuring cup. It comes in handy all the time.

Sarah: Some things that are always in my kitchen: a head of garlic, onions, chicken broth, good olive oil, a variety of vinegars, and chocolate! As far as dried spices – I have way too many, from my love of experimenting. I have a wide range – from garlic to garam masala. I really love the Asian flavors and tend to spend more money there. My parents live in Hawaii and I love having my mom bring me Cardamom, Currey, or sauces, because they are so cheap there - supply and demand I guess. I tend to splurge on things that make a big impact like flavorful spices and fresh produce.

I live in a small apartment and don’t have the space (ha – or the money) for all the fancy kitchen gadgets out there. If you gave me a spoon and a sharp knife I would be a happy girl in the kitchen. I love tools that are multitaskers. I have learned to love a few gadgets though - my digital thermometer, Microplane, and thin plastic cutting boards (these are great for chopping, then lifting to dump into the bowl/pot).

I am really a minimalist (maybe due to budget than choice). As long as I can make some cookies or a simple sauce, I am a happy girl!

Staci: First of all, I love my kitchen. It was the absolute deal clincher when we bought our house. It has a 6-foot window over the kitchen sink, which overlooks the back yard. This window faces east, so it is the happy recipient of the first bits of sunshine each morning. It’s a place that I stand before anyone else is awake, drinking my peppermint tea or French vanilla hot chocolate and daydreaming in solitude. From my kitchen window I can see all of the common living spaces in my house, which means that from that spot I am the queen of my domain.

There are two things missing in my kitchen: a center island and a full-size or walk-in pantry. The cabinets on the side wall pinch hit for the pantry. One day there will not be a counter top on this wall – just floor to ceiling cabinets. For now, the lower cabinets contain sugar, flour, potatoes, mac & cheese, weeks worth of applesauce and peaches, extra condiments (especially ketchup), ramen noodles and cup-a-soup, and linguini and bow-tie pasta. The upper cabinets hold canned cream-of-somethings, broth, bulk-size gravy mixes, taco seasoning, bread crumbs, hot cereals, cake and muffin mixes, and food storage potato pearls, refried beans, and black and pinto beans.

My refrigerator is a black hole that sucks up left-overs and stores milk, cheese, cream, butter, salad dressing and eggs. We use a lot of cheese at our place – fake shredded parmesan (aka sprinkle cheese), real grated parmesan, crumbled blue, sliced havarti and muenster, and grated cheddar. If you have to dig behind the initial façade of refrigerator contents, you don’t really want it – believe me. I’m not so good at cleaning out the ice box.

I splurge on blue cheese and artisan breads. Blue cheese is yummy in salad, sandwiches, hamburger, casseroles or pizza. Can’t go wrong with the stuff! Our favorite artisan breads include marble rye, focaccia, three cheese, and white chocolate pecan. I should stock ingredients for creating my own artisan breads, but there are some things just worth the splurge.

It took me years to accept the philosophy that if you’re going to spend money on kitchen gadgets, you might as well make an investment. My most used gadgets are my can opener, cutting board, meat thermometer, wire whisks, wooden spoons, and heat- and stain-resistant scrapers. I’m not a huge fan of product placement or shameless plugs, but Pampered Chef makes an incredible can opener, bamboo spoons, and scrapers. I keep buying the scraper that is just a bit larger than I like, so this item is always on my to-purchase list for home parties. One other item that is an absolute must is a high-quality, sharp knife. I once balked at spending more than $100 for one piece of metal but have found that food prep is much more enjoyable and efficient with a sharp blade.

The gadgets that I’d rather not do without are small appliances: mini food processor, electric griddle, rice cooker, and hand mixer. I like to think of these as little giants. They minimize my efforts while helping me create limitless sustenance.


Thank you so much ladies! Fantastic job, all of you. Now I'd like to hear from you! What is always in stock in your kitchen? Any favorite gadgets that I must have? Also, be sure to stop by next Saturday to find out where our panelists find their inspiration.

Cooking Panel: Meet the Panelists!

Fall is in full swing. It snowed yesterday you know? I've bid adieu to my grill and have moved back inside for some cool weather cooking. I am ready, and I am chatty. Chatty about recipes, utensils, cookbooks, and produce. So to satisfy my craving for kitchen talk, I've decided to gather a group of lovely blogland ladies for a panel series on cooking. Yay!

Don't you love panel discussions? Any time I attend an event that features a panel discussion I. Am. There. This particular discussion will take place on Saturdays during the month of October. I'll be posing a question and asking each of these ladies to chime in. Before we get started with the questioning...I'd like you to meet our panelists. Introducing:

Jaime: our panel's health food expert. She was the first person I ever knew that actually drank those green veggie drinks in the morning (we were college roommates); and, she was always getting excited about “exotic” foods that I knew nothing about. I always considered Jaime to be the most adventurous cook (out of ten roommates) as she would whip up apple pies from scratch after finding apples on a neighborhood tree. If you need a farmer’s market buddy, Jaime is your girl. She knows how to spot quality produce and she is conscious of everything that goes into her body. She lives in Iowa and works as a professor while her husband goes to med school. She is passing on her impeccable food sense to her little girl (with another baby on the way!) and writes about mothering and food on her two blogs Joyful Mothering and Jaime’s Healthy Desserts.

Makenna grew up with me in small town Idaho. She has lived in Utah, California, and Boston, and now calls South Carolina home. She has two adorable curly haired sons and a husband who frequently lets the world know that she is “an amazing cook.” Makenna has a knack for embracing the life and culture around her and her “days off” are spent sight-seeing with her family and investigating all of the wonders that Chucktown has to offer. She is a true hostess and it would be a shame to turn down any invitation to dinner at her house. Someday, she would like to go to culinary art school; and, I am convinced this girl is destined for cooking greatness.

Michelle posts her inspiring thoughts and beautiful pictures of her food, crafts, and family on her personal blog Chez Moi. She posts her recipes on a sister site Recipes: Chez Moi. She is currently traipsing the streets of Paris with her husband, her three children, and her camera. While her husband oversees study abroad students, she is traveling mama extraordinaire exposing her children to more of Paris than seems possible for one woman. Her Fridays are spent strolling the city solo and sharing pictures with her readers that make them feel like they’ve just stepped out of their hotel room in France. She is a woman who truly appreciates the finer things in life such as raspberries bathed in cream, onion quiche, and butter.

Rachel is the one I call if I have a food question of any kind. What is the difference between a yam and a sweet potato? What should I do with this asparagus and these shallots? What kind of Balsamic should I buy? Rachel knows the answer. She is a veritable font of food knowledge. But that’s not the only reason you are going to love hearing what she has to say about cooking. Rachel cooks intuitively and rarely uses recipes. She can do amazing things with Brussels sprouts and her desserts never disappoint. She works full time as a dialysis nurse so when she is too busy to cook, she and her husband also enjoy checking out many of the fantastic restaurants in the Denver area. You can read more about Rachel on her personal blog.

Sarah is the author of Redhead Recipes where she shares her delicious recipes, beautiful pictures, and sage culinary advice for all of us to enjoy. She also regularly posts about what foods are in season, and uses seasonal foods in many of her recipes. She began cooking at a young age and now enjoys adapting old and new recipes and “experimenting” in the kitchen. Her sister describes her as “a true gourmet,” and I have to agree. When she is not cooking (though she may be dreaming about it), she is working at a labor and delivery nurse AND going to school. She is a proud new mama to a lovely little girl and says that her husband is her best critic for her recipes.

Staci has the mind of an engineer and it shines through in her cooking. Her recipes are fast, efficient, full of flavor, and satisfying. This is no surprise when you consider the fact that she is the mom of three growing boys and the wife of a husband who appreciates good food. Also…she is my cousin. Therefore, I know that she grew up eating decadently creamy soups, gooey cinnamon rolls, and plenty of butter. The girl comes from good cooking stock. Staci keeps a good supply of food storage and has taught classes on how to actually use it. She works as an environmental engineer in the moments between shooing her kids down from the roof. She writes about her “adventures" raising three boys at Consider My Monkeys.

*Stop by tomorrow to read about our first topic: The well stocked kitchen.