How to Make the Perfect Apple Pie

November 19, 2015 by greystar

New to baking? Keep these smart techniques in mind the next time you make an apple pie from scratch, and your dinner guests will be none the wiser!

Keep the crust ingredients cold. One of the most important things to do while mixing and rolling your pie crust is to keep all of the ingredients cold. Your crust will only become dense and flaky if the butter is kept in chunks rather than melting, creating layers between the flour and water mixture.
Use real butter. Dessert is not a time to worry about your diet. Make sure that you always use real, full-fat butter (instead of margarine or another butter alternative) to achieve the best results possible.
Use your hands. While kitchen stores boast a wide variety of tools for creating the perfect pie crust, the best thing to use is your hands. Knead the dough between your fingers to get it to the perfect consistency, and don’t forget to lick your fingers to make sure that it’s not too salty or too sweet.
Let the filling sit overnight. To get the best taste out of your apples, let them sit overnight with the rest of the ingredients to really draw out that lovely apple flavor.

The Food Lab's Top 9 Tips For Perfect Apple Pie [Serious Eats]
Your Grandma's Apple Pie Recipe Is Good. This One Is Better [Bon Appetit]
How to Make the Best Apple Pie Ever [Good Housekeeping]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr Daniel Zemans

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Apple Pie, Fall, Recipes, Seasonal

Quick and Easy Meal Ideas to Put on the Dinner Table Tonight

February 5, 2015 by greystar

"What's for dinner tonight?" It's a question we ask ourselves on a daily basis, which is probably why it's so easy to run out of ideas! With the promise of short prep time and bold flavors, these four meals are deserving of a spot in your recipe box. Bonus: They can feed a family for just pennies on the dollar.

Easy Calzone Rolls [Disney Family]
With all the flavor and fun of take-out pizza without the expense, these cheese and meat roll-ups cost just $1.10 per two-roll serving. Kids will love helping to make this recipe, which can go from start to finish in 30 minutes.

Braised Chicken With Red Onion and Carrots [Martha Stewart]
This recipe from Martha Stewart feeds four people with a four-pound chicken and one pound of carrots. It only requires 25 minutes of prep time.

Bacon Pierogi Bake [Cooking Light]
For a mere $1.84 per serving, this hearty casserole relies on a package of ready-made pierogies, two types of cheese, and bacon.

Easy Chicken and Dumplings [Southern Living]
The beloved comfort food is given a quick and easy makeover through the use of canned biscuits, a can of cream of chicken soup, and pre-cooked shredded chicken.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/jamonation

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Food, Meal Ideas, Recipes

Easy Recipes Using Heart-Healthy Salmon

December 18, 2014 by greystar

Salmon has been hailed a superfood because of its heart-healthy properties, but it’s also a delicate fish that can be difficult to cook at home. Luckily, these simple and flavorful recipes offer a few suggestions for preparing salmon—even if your cooking skills are a bit limited!

Poached Salmon with Watercress and Peaches [marthastewart.com]
This recipe is light yet flavorful, and the peaches impart a subtle sweetness that you might not expect. Poaching the salmon is also one of the healthiest ways to prepare this fish, as it doesn’t require any heavy oils or stir fry sauces.

Grilled Salmon with Avocado Dip [allrecipes.com]
The combination of salmon and avocado offers you a boost of healthy fats that simply can’t be beat. Plus, the dip is made with Greek yogurt to keep it low in calories yet still rich and creamy.

Glazed Salmon with Broccoli Rice [realsimple.com]
The glaze in this recipe may remind you of salmon preparations that you see at fancy restaurants, but don’t be fooled—it’s still very easy to make. Serve it over nutrient-rich broccoli to get all of your greens, and add a bed of rice for some healthy grains.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Kathy

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Food, Healthy Eating, Recipes

Give Your Stove the Night Off With This Trio of Creative Ceviche Recipes

July 24, 2014 by greystar

Ceviche is a staple Peruvian dish that combines raw fish cured in citrus juices and given a signature flavor via spicy chili peppers and other seasonings. It’s become a very popular dish among American gourmet restaurants as well, and many chefs put their own unique spins on the traditional dish. Here are three creative ceviche recipes that you can make at home.

Tofu Lime Ceviche
This vegetarian ceviche uses plump tofu instead of the usual fish, so it’s completely safe for non-meat eaters. The lime juice, jalapeno, and cilantro give it a traditional flavor, while canned coconut milk adds a bit of a creamy finish.

Cauliflower Ceviche
Cauliflower is the star of the show in this flavorful dish, but it absorbs the flavor of the wonderful medley of seasonings around it. Plump Roma tomatoes, roasted poblano peppers, and fresh lime juice all work together in this vegan ceviche.

Ceviche Verde
This dish looks and tastes just as good as the ceviche served in upscale restaurants, but it’s so easy that any amateur home chef can make it. The fish is cooked by an acidic chemical reaction with the lime juice, and an assortment of jalapenos, avocado, and other green ingredients give it a zesty, fresh flavor.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/leyla.a

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Ceviche, Cooking, Recipes, Seafood

Cooking 101: Fail-Proof Recipes for Pasta Sauce

June 19, 2014 by greystar

Making your own pasta sauce may seem like something reserved for only the most skilled chefs, but you’d be surprised to know how simple it really is. Forgoing the store-bought sauces in favor of making your own is also beneficial to your health, as it eliminates the added sugars and preservatives that are often found in jarred pasta sauces. If you want to try your hand at preparing a zesty, flavorful sauce at home, here are three fail-proof recipes.

World’s Best Pasta Sauce!
This traditional pasta sauce is a versatile option that you can use for years to come. It includes the staple ingredients like tomato paste and a variety of Italian meats, plus flavorful spices ranging from dried basil to fennel seed. Once the ingredients are blended together, everything gets cooked slowly in a large Dutch oven.

Great Grandma’s Pasta Sauce
If your own grandmother wasn’t much of a sauce maker, feel free to adopt this tasty recipe as your own. It uses simple ground beef, tomatoes, and Italian spices to give it a hearty texture that tastes straight out of the old country.

Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce
If you want to create a sauce that tastes like gourmet without the gourmet cooking skills, this recipe is the one to use. Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse shares his unique recipe that includes unexpected ingredients like hot sauce, balsamic vinegar, and an impressive amount of garlic.

Public Domain/Public Domain

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Food, Pasta, Recipes, Sauce

Greet a Snack Attack With These 5 Creative Popcorn Recipes

May 14, 2014 by greystar

The typical movie theater buttered popcorn is delicious, but sometimes you just want a little something extra from your popcorn. These creative recipes will show you a variety of surprising toppings to spice up your snack, from sweet to savory and every flavor in between.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Popcorn [Swanky]
It may seem strange, but the sweet flavors from everyone’s favorite childhood lunch sandwich work just as well as a topping on your evening snack. Peanut butter and jelly popcorn takes only a few simple ingredients, and it even uses white chocolate for an extra boost of sweetness.

Nutted Popcorn [Real Simple]
Popcorn and nuts are both popular snacks, and this fun recipe combines the two into one filling bowl. Pecans, almonds, and pumpkin seeds stick to each popcorn kernel with a light, cinnamon flavored syrup, much like the kettle corn at county fairs and baseball games.

Samoa Popcorn [Babble]
Achieve the taste of the beloved Girl Scout cookie by drizzling toasted coconut, caramel, and chocolate over your salted popcorn.

Spicy Nutella Popcorn [Healthy Jalapeno]
Nutella is everyone’s favorite sweet spread, and adding spicy ancho chile powder takes this popcorn from a common snack to a gourmet treat.

Bacon and Cheese Popcorn [Popcorn.org]
Bacon is an increasingly popular addition to many dishes, and it works just as well on popcorn. In just five minutes and with a few simple ingredients, you can enjoy this bacon and cheese popcorn snack.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/White93

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Food, Popcorn, Recipes

Creative Vegetable Recipes

March 20, 2014 by greystar

Even if you recognize their numerous health benefits and their daily necessity, it is often difficult to think of creative and flavorful ways to prepare veggies. These unique vegetable recipes might just inspire your creativity:

Asparagus With Lemon Sauce
Ideal for any meal that needs a refreshing zest of flavor, lemon sauce on asparagus makes the vegetable simply delicious. With just a few household ingredients that are low in fat and calories, you can create an elegant side dish to pair with chicken, fish or other main courses.

Creamy Squash Soup With Shredded Apples
Turn an otherwise intimidating squash into a hearty and flavorful soup for the fall and winter seasons. This simple recipe combines squash with apples, pumpkin pie spice and other spices to create a truly original soup with only 4 grams of fat per serving.

Grilled Romaine Lettuce With Caesar Dressing
If you’ve never tried grilling romaine lettuce, you’re in for a real treat with this fast and easy recipe. Grilling the hearty lettuce gives it a smoky, charred flavor, while topping it with a light Caesar dressing balances it out with a delightfully creamy finish.

For more creative and healthy vegetable recipes, visit the NIH website here.

Public Domain/Public Domain

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Food, Nutrition, Recipes