OXO Good Grips Grater…My New Favorite Really Cool Kitchen Tool

This is my new favorite Really Cool Kitchen Tool…the OXO Good Grips Box Grater has:

– Sharp, stainless steel blades for easy grating
– Medium and fine grating surfaces, and slicing surface
– Slim construction conveniently fits into drawers
– Soft, comfortable, non-slip grip

…but the BEST thing about it is that you can catch, measure and store whatever you’re preparing in the storage container that clips onto the bottom of the grater, and then seal the freshly cut/grated ingredients with the included lid. It’s perfect for grating and keeping the mozzarella fresh before adding it to my Caramelized Onions, Sausage and Mushroom Sourdough Pizza.

Garlicky Buttery Shrimp and Pasta

This is a simple one pan (if you don’t include the pot the pasta is cooked in) weeknight-type recipe that comes together quickly (about 30 minutes) and tastes terrific. The trick of adding a little baking soda to the shrimp before sautéing insures that they will remain juicy, plump and tender when cooked (thank you SeriousEats). Serve this with garlic bread and a salad and you have an easy, delicious, relatively healthy meal. The combination of shrimp, garlic, butter and parsley is really hard to beat…and the leftovers (if there are any…I doubt it) taste great the next day!

Please click here for the printable recipe.

Spicy Garlicky Crispy Oven Baked French Fries

The secret to crispy oven baked french fries? A few years ago I posted my favorite oven baked french fry recipe…that one was great (it was for thicker steak-cut fries), but I’ve been experimenting with oven baked fries since then and came up with this recipe, which is even better…it turns out thinner, crunchier, crisper fries with way more flavor. The secret is par cooking the potatoes in the microwave for a couple of minutes in a garlicky olive oil and then coating them with a spicy cornstarch mixture before baking them in the oven. It sounds a lot more involved then it is…it’s actually simple, fast and definitely worth trying. It is also very forgiving, so feel free to experiment with different spices and quantities…as long as you dry the potatoes well after soaking, and keep an eye on them as they cook, they’ll come out great. Pair the fries with a super-melty cheeseburger topped with caramelized onions and you’ll never want to go out for burgers and fries again, ’cause crispy oven baked french fries don’t get an better than this.

Please click here for the printable recipe.

Best Crispy Roasted Potatoes Ever!

crispy_roast_potatoesThese are absolutely the best roasted potatoes I ever tasted…crispy on the outside and fluffy and tender on the inside. Also, although russets work really well with this recipe from J. Kenji López-Alt, the genius Culinary Director over at Serious Eats, I would recommend Yukon Golds (or a combination of the two) for the best and most flavorful results. You can check out the recipe here…these potatoes take a little more time and effort but I think once you taste them, you’ll agree that they are SO worth it.

Fresh Homemade Baguettes in only 4 Hours!

fresh-baguettes
Not great slashing technique,
but still delicious!

If you crave fresh hot-out-of-the-oven baguettes, but you didn’t think it was possible to make them at home, here is the proof (see what I did there?) that not only can it be done, but it can be done relatively quickly and easily and can rival those found at the best bakeries. It’s from a great book, Local Breads, by Dan Leader. It only takes about 4 hours (much of which is just waiting around) and doesn’t require any special equipment. Give it a try when you have a little time…you won’t regret it..and as an added bonus, it makes your house smell great!

Please click here for the printable recipe.

Spicy Turkey and Kale Chili

turkey-chili-5This is our go-to weeknight chili recipe…it’s simple, relatively quick (in chili time), quite healthy and incredibly delicious. You can use all ground turkey or, as I like to do, substitute in ½ pound of spicy Italian sausage to give it a more complex flavor. Either way, you’ll love it…and it freezes really well! As with all chilis, you can add as much or as little spice as you like, but I prefer spicy! It’s the perfect dish for those fast approaching cold winter nights.

Please click here for the printable recipe.

The Secret to Perfect Pancakes – A Mathematical Solution!

Foodgawker-Pancakes-Blog-FinalI always have a problem preparing the right amount of batter for the number of pancakes I want to make. Some apparently very hungry math students from the University of Sheffield have swapped calculus for the kitchen and developed  an interactive Perfect Pancake Calculator to make the prompt preparation of perfect prize-winning pancakes a piece of cake (alliteration!). You just enter the number and thickness of the pancakes you want and it gives you the exact amounts of the ingredients you need. One minor problem…Univ. of Sheffield is in England, so the measurements are metric!

 

Where did that Cut of Beef come from and What the Hell do I do with it?

Mystified by the incredible assortment of beef cuts out there and what to do with each of them? Here is a great Cheat Sheet for Meat Treats by visually that literally breaks down the cow and gives you the name of each cut, where it comes from, an idea of how much it costs and the best method to cook it. Load this cheat sheet to your mobile phone and pull it up next time you’re shopping for meat.

Cuts of Beef

 

 

 

Everything You Can Do With a Can of Chickpeas | Serious Eats

I love chickpeas…they’re inexpensive, healthy and incredibly versatile. Awhile back I posted my favorite recipe for Crispy Roasted Garbanzo Beans, but here are some other great ways to use them, courtesy of one of my favorite websites, Serious Eats. Follow the link below to check them out.

Source: Everything You Can Do With a Can of Chickpeas | Serious Eats