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How to Take the Stress Out of Home-Cooked Meals

December 2, 2014 by

For as long as you can remember, there’s always been a certain pressure to provide your loved ones with a nightly “home-cooked meal.” Although it may sometimes feel like it’s impossible to prepare an elaborate dinner on busy weeknights, these smart tips will show you how to take the stress out of the classic home-cooked meal.

  1. Start meal planning. Sure, making a home-cooked meal is difficult if you don’t have all the ingredients or don’t know what to make. By planning a week’s worth of meals on Sunday evening, you can get your cooking schedule under control.
  2. Make preparations. Many at-home chefs use their weekends as a time to prepare the bases for the week’s meals. You can cook a dozen chicken breasts, bake a casserole, or even begin to marinate a steak to save yourself time the night of.
  3. Choose basic recipes. If you don’t have time to experiment with fancy recipes from cooking magazines, choose recipes that you already know and love. Just because your favorite spaghetti and meatballs is pretty basic doesn’t mean that it’s not home-cooked.
  4. Make it from scratch, but not entirely from scratch. Don’t feel like you have to crush your garlic by hand or chop each vegetable individually for your meal to count as home-cooked. Buying frozen veggies or garlic powder works just as well.

10 Secrets of Home Cooks (And How You Can Become One, Too!) [Real Simple]
6 Tips for Stress-Free Family Meals [Right @ Home]
How to Plan Your Weekly Meals, Stress Free [Lifehacker]

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Tasty Turkey Alternatives for Vegetarians

November 4, 2014 by

Thanksgiving isn’t traditionally the most vegetarian-friendly holiday, but there are now a number of ways to make your feast enjoyable for vegetarian guests. These meat-free alternatives to the usual Thanksgiving turkey are both delicious and easy to make.

Acorn Squash Over Penne [health.com]
Who says that you can’t have pasta on Thanksgiving? This autumnal entree includes sweet acorn squash and nutrient-dense kale seasoned with crushed red pepper for a bit of warming spice, and it is served with whole wheat penne for a boost of fiber.

Glazed Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf [ohsheglows.com]
Although this hearty vegetarian dish seems more like meatloaf than Thanksgiving turkey, it’s so delicious that your vegetarian guests won’t mind one bit. Lentils and breadcrumbs give it a texture that’s much like meat, while the unique balsamic apple glaze is perfect for fall.

Ricotta and Fontina Stuffed Shells [foodandwine.com]
This veggie take on traditional stuffed shells is made with two types of rich cheeses and more vegetables than you can count. Simply pop the whole pan in the oven for 40 minutes and you’ll have a quick and easy entree that vegetarian guests will love.

Roasted Parsnip Bread Pudding [marthastewart.com]
Instead of the usual stuffing, which is usually cooked in chicken broth, this vegetarian version is seasoned with grated cheese and fresh thyme. Use it to stuff the Thanksgiving tofurkey and you won’t miss the meat at all.

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Easy Ways to Sneak More Fiber Into Your Diet

October 7, 2014 by

Fiber helps to prevent chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, and it even aids in weight loss because it makes you feel more full after eating. If all of these things sound good to you, check out these common foods to help incorporate more fiber into your diet.

  1. Pears. One small pear packs an impressive five grams of fiber, and it’s tasty, too. Eat one whole for a handheld snack while you’re on the go, or slice one up and add it to a summery salad.
  2. Oatmeal. Your favorite healthy breakfast food is filled with soluble fiber. Eating fiber-packed oatmeal everyday can help you lose weight and lower your cholesterol.
  3. Raspberries. Seed-filled fruits, like raspberries, boast about eight grams of fiber per cup. Eat them alone or sprinkle some fresh on top of your favorite Greek yogurt.
  4. Artichokes. Although artichokes don’t seem like the likeliest source of fiber, they’re actually packed with a whopping 10 grams each. One artichoke also only contains 65 calories, so it makes a great way to lose weight and consume more fiber.
  5. Whole-wheat noodles. Instead of reaching for your usual spaghetti at the grocery store, opt for a whole-wheat pasta instead. One cup offers six grams of fiber, which is twice the amount of regular pasta.

11 Ways to Get More Fiber in Your Diet [Food Network]
Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet [Mayo Clinic]
Five Painless Ways to Get Your Fiber On [ABC News]
5 Simple Ways to Eat More Fiber [Eating Well]

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3 Halloween Treats Your Kids (and You!) Will Love

October 3, 2014 by

Kids get a lot of candy during the Halloween holiday, but it isn’t very healthy to consume so many sugary, packaged treats. Instead of the usual store-bought candy, make your children a homemade treat using wholesome ingredients. Here are three creative recipes for Halloween treats that you’ll likely to love just as much as your kids.

Ghostly Pudding Milkshake [kraftrecipes.com]
Milkshakes may seem like a dessert meant more for summer than fall, but this monstrous milkshake makes the ideal Halloween treat. Vanilla pudding creates a sweet and creamy base, and you can add a scary jack-o’-lantern or monster face using some melted chocolate and a paintbrush after pouring it in the glass.

Spooky Veggies and Dip [parenting.com]
While vegetables likely aren’t your kids’ favorite snack, they might change their tune when they see these creepy vegetable sticks. Green beans turn into slithering snakes, an olive slice and a pea transform cherry tomatoes into eyeballs, and adding dip to the end of a carrot stick creates a faux severed finger.

Skeleton Quesadilla [babble.com]
Turn your kids’ lunch into a Halloween masterpiece by making a skeleton face out of nutritious quesadilla. Best of all, you can customize the faces to create a whole family of skeletons for all of your little ones.

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Move Over, Dairy! These Foods Are Surprisingly High in Calcium

August 8, 2014 by

You learn from an early age that calcium builds strong bones and teeth, but it has a number of other health benefits as well. This beneficial mineral also helps to regulate your blood pressure, maintains healthy blood vessels, and even aids in preventing Type 2 diabetes. Now that you know why you should eat calcium, here are a few lesser-known ways to get it.

  1. White beans. Beans get a good reputation because of their high levels of protein, but white beans are also very high in calcium as well. In fact, just one cup of canned white beans provides 191 milligrams of calcium, which is about 19% of your daily value. These creamy, mild legumes are great in a hearty chili or mashed as a chickpea substitute in homemade hummus.
  2. Sardines. While these tiny fish may have made you squeamish as a child, sardines are actually one of the healthiest fish that you can eat. Like a lot of seafood, they’re rich in omega 3s, but they also provide 321 milligrams of calcium in just seven sardine filets. Many people choose to eat them plain, but if you prefer to cut down on the fishy flavor, you can also add sardines to a salad.

18 Surprising Dairy-Free Sources of Calcium [Greatist]
18 Surprising Dairy-Free Sources of Calcium [HuffPost Healthy Living]

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Want to Become a Better Cook? Start by Learning These Culinary Terms!

June 27, 2014 by

When you encounter a recipe that’s full of complicated cooking terminology, it’s easy to feel intimidated. What if your chopping instead of dicing leads to a flop of a soufflé? These kitchen terms will teach you a few things about proper cooking techniques, and they’ll make you feel more confident about your next culinary endeavor.

  1. Beat. To beat a mix or batter is not the same thing as mixing it. Beating involves briskly whipping with a spoon, wire whisk rotary beater, or electric mixer, and it incorporates air into the ingredients in order to obtain a light, fluffy consistency.
  2. Blacken. Blackening a piece of meat or vegetables is a popular Cajun cooking technique that chars seasonings onto the food in order to give it a crunchy, spicy coating. This involves cooking over high heat in a heavy skillet.
  3. Fold. If a recipe calls for you to fold one ingredient into another, it means to combine them without decreasing their volume. Use a rubber spatula in vertical swipes across the mixture, pulling some of the mixture from the bottom to the top each time.
  4. Garnish. Once your dish is completed, you may garnish it by adding a decorative bit of fresh herbs, fruit or greens.

Glossary of Basic Cooking Terms [Les Petites Gourmettes]
Cooking Terms [Recipe Goldmine]
Glossary of Cooking Terms [UMN]
Glossary of Cooking Terms [Better Homes & Gardens]
Culinary Terms [About.com]

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Memorize This Must-Know Kitchen Terminlogy

June 20, 2014 by

If you’ve ever encountered a cooking term that you didn’t understand in a new recipe, you know how confusing it can be. From julienne to mince, there’s a whole slew of complicated terminology that seems foreign to the amateur chef. Here are a few simple definitions that will help you with your next adventure in the kitchen.

  1. Braise. Braising involves browning meat or vegetables in a bit of hot fat before cooking them slowly in a shallow pool of liquid. This is a great technique to soften less tender cuts of meat or veggies.
  2. Devil. To devil something, such as an egg, you simply coat it with a hot seasoning like hot sauce or mustard.
  3. Dredge. Dredging means to coat something like meat or vegetables with flour, breadcrumbs, or cornmeal.
  4. Flambe. This term is usually found in more gourmet recipes. It involves sprinkling a food with a liqueur and lighting it on fire before serving.

Glossary of Basic Cooking Terms [Les Petites Gourmettes]
Cooking Terms [Recipe Goldmine]
Glossary of Cooking Terms [UMN]
Glossary of Cooking Terms [Better Homes & Gardens]
Culinary Terms [About.com]

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Dip a Spoon Into These 4 Recipes for Classic Vanilla Pudding

June 3, 2014 by

Sure, you've made vanilla pudding from a box, have you ever tried to make the sweet dessert from scratch? These straightforward recipes will show you how to prepare vanilla pudding a few different ways, and some are even provided by your favorite cooking show personalities.

Homemade Vanilla Pudding [All Recipes]
Just like Mom used to make, this vanilla pudding is classic, simple, and easy to prepare.

Vanilla Pudding [Martha Stewart]
You can’t go wrong with a recipe from Martha, and this one is certainly no exception.

Vanilla Pudding [Real Simple]
With fluffy egg yolks and just a pinch of salt, this is a flavorful recipe that your guests will love.

Vanilla Pudding [Picky Cook]
Add a pinch of espresso or some chocolate shavings on top to spice up this elegant pudding dish.

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Play It Safe: 5 Steps for Handling Eggs

May 23, 2014 by

You parents have probably warned you about food-borne illness since you were just a child, but how much do you really know about handling raw eggs? These simple steps will teach you how to safely prepare and serve eggs.

  1. Purchase eggs in good quality. Only buy eggs from a refrigerated case, and open the carton to make sure that none of the eggs are cracked. Refrigerate them as soon as you get home.
  2. Know their expiration date. As a general rule, eggs are only good for about three weeks. After that, you should throw them out and buy a new carton.
  3. Cook thoroughly. When cooking eggs, make sure that there are no runny parts before serving. Things like casseroles and baked goods should be cooked to at least 160° Fahrenheit to ensure that the eggs inside are safe to eat.
  4. Serve properly. All foods containing eggs should be eaten immediately after cooking. To serve a large party buffet-style, keep hot dishes hot by using a slow cooker or heated serving pan.
  5. Store safely. If you must refrigerate a dish with eggs, be sure to use it within three to four days and reheat to at least 160° before serving.

Playing It Safe with Eggs [FDA]
Eggs & Food Safety [Incredible!]
Tips to Reduce Your Risk of Salmonella from Eggs [CDC]

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There’s No Need to Knead With These 4 Bread Recipes

May 9, 2014 by

Baking bread at home seems difficult, but no-knead recipes make it much easier than ever before. You’ll impress your family and your guests with the scent of freshly baked bread coming from the oven, and you’ll be the only one who knows just how easy it was to prepare.

No-Knead Bread [Steamy Kitchen]
This recipe creates a rustic, gourmet-looking loaf of bread, and it’s so simple that a four year old can make it— and one has! The New York Times made this no-knead recipe famous, but its reliability is what makes it so popular.

No-Knead Bread [Smitten Kitchen]
Using instant yeast to create a fluffy, dense center and a crispy outer crust, this incredible bread recipe is the perfect addition to any sandwich or evening meal.

No-Knead Crusty White Bread [King Arthur Flour]
If you want to make a large amount of bread for a gathering or holiday party, this is the recipe to use. It makes use of the same simple no-knead technique, but this recipe yields four full-sized loaves.

How to Make No-Knead Bread [The Kitchn]
This online tutorial will show you the most important steps for making no-knead bread, with detailed pictures along the way. It also includes video tutorials for certain techniques, such as shaping the dough into a perfect ball.

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