Entrees

I have lived in Northern California for over a decade and I have never made cioppino until last week. I have no idea why; maybe it seemed intimidating, even to me! After having it at a friend’s house over the holidays and seeing how simple it was, I knew it was time for me to tackle it.

The recipe she used was this one from Giada de Laurentiis which was delicious, of course, but one thing she (my friend, not Giada) complained about was the availability (and cost) of the fish stock. Since I often make seafood risotto with chicken stock, I was curious if I could pull it off for cioppino as well.

After making it last weekend for some friends, the results were unanimous; the chicken stock not only made the broth lighter but it was less salty. I decided to use the juice from the canned clams to add some extra flavor. With the exception of the halibut and the crab (it’s high season for Dungeness right now), the other fish was frozen (shrimp and scallops) or from a Read More »

Imagine my excitement when I read that this month’s Daring Cooks’ Challenge had a Mexican theme! You know that I have a love affair with all things cullinarily Mexican. Maranda of Jolts & Jollies was our January 2012 Daring Cooks’ hostess with the mostest! Maranda challenged us to make traditional Mexican Tamales as our first challenge of the year!

I found it interesting that our local Whole Foods, which tends to carry produce from around the world, much of which I’ve never even heard of, did not carry dried corn husks. Before freaking out and making a trip to the city to check the International Market, I thought about the ethnic diversity of the people in my town.  I teach at an elementary school where 27% of our students are hispanic.  Surely, these families do not shop at Whole Foods to get ingredients for their ethnic dishes.  Where do they go? Read More »

Over the last three and a half years I have had the opportunities to do many reviews of great products. I truly enjoy doing reviews of cookbooks, and gluten-free products, and I’m looking forward to do more in the future along with any culinary based items (kitchen appliances, tools, etc.).

I love kitchen gadgets. Here are a few of my “must-haves”  items: Chef Knife, Stand Mixer, Mixing Bowls (different sizes), Prep Bowls, Boning Knife, Steamer (pan/bamboo basket), Zester, Grater, Silicone Whisk, a good set of Non-Stick Pans, Cast Iron Skillet, and a Crock-Pot. There are plenty more items, however this is a great starting point.

Two of my favorite companies for kitchen products are EdgeWare and Le Creuset. I mean, don’t well all hope to own their products?? I was sent one of each of the following products to test out and review and I have to say, I am honestly in love with both of them. And, now two lucky winners will have a chance to win one of the following prizes (one winner for the Zester, and one for the Farm Fresh Steamer!)

First up we have a fantastic Zester from EdgeWare – The V-etched Better Zester! Here is what their website has to say about it: Read More »

This is a hearty dish perfect for late fall or winter. It’s also wonderful with any root vegetable like turnip, carrot, parsnip, rutabaga, and sweet potato. If you don’t want to bother cutting the squash many stores offer it pre-cut.
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On with the eats…

I love roasted vegetable lasagna, Kevin loves meatloaf. But I only had time to make one of them this past weekend.

Then I thought to myself, self: why decide between the two?

Ohhh yes, now we’ll never have to choose again. Read More »

Internationally Renowned Chef Walter Staib Cooks Gluten-free!

Renowned chef, restaurateur and television personality, Chef Walter Staib, regularly includes gluten-free recipes on his PBS show, “A Taste of History.”

His City Tavern in Philadelphia is a faithful recreation of an original 18th century tavern where Chef Staib brings history to life with his wonderful dishes. He has made numerous appearances on local and national cooking shows, such as The Food Network’s Best Thing I Ever Ate and Iron Chef.

Chef Staib is the culinary ambassador to Deborah Heart & Lung Center, a hospital in New Jersey. He develops heart healthy recipes approved by nutritionists for a heart healthy diet, and then appears weekly on CBS to demonstrate them.  We were thrilled when Chef Staib offered to provide Glutenfreeworks.com one of his incredible gluten-free recipes. Read More »

Fish is one of my favorite things to eat, but sadly I don’t cook it enough. We eat a lot of sushi in our house because Bryan isn’t a huge fan of fish when it is cooked, except for swordfish.  He’s eaten a few cooked fish dishes that I’ve made but like I said, I don’t cook it often enough.

A few months ago we went to a local restaurant because he was craving swordfish.  He had his grilled with a bruschetta topping to it while I had a delicious piece of mahi-mahi with a mango salsa on top. He was a bit jealous of my salsa and wasn’t such a fan of the bruschetta. I promised him the next time it is on sale we would pick up a piece and I would cook it however he wished.  He asked for it to be grilled with a mango salsa, similar to the one I had on my mahi-mahi.

Lucky for him, swordfish was on sale this week! So keeping true to my promise we Read More »

by Jen Cafferty

I LOVE the San-J orange sauce.  I really love the San-J orange sauce when I add a hint of sriracha chili sauce to it.  My daughter does not like chicken but she devours this dish.  It is the perfect combination of sweet, spicy and salty.  And, of course, it is super easy to make. Read More »