Here’s one of those opportunities – Williams-Sonoma is carrying a new type of roaster for chicken. It looks like something you’d see in a lab.

It’s made by All-Clad and it features a detachable arm that hangs above the roaster pan. The arm has a reservoir that can be filled with flavor infusers such as wine, beer, or citrus.  The arm holds the chicken clear of the pan so that the outside browns evenly, the inside cooks evenly. The juices drip off into the pan and you can fill that area with vegetables for roasting.

The pan has a triple-ply bonded metal construction. The core is aluminum, with layers of stainless steel fused around it. The arm works with all the other All-Clad flared roasters and it will support up to an 8 pound bird. With the arm connected, the roaser measures 14 1/2″ x 11 3/4″ x 2 1/2″ high.

All-Clad Ultimate Chicken Roaster
Suggested price $250, sells at Williams-Sonoma for $179.95

Image credit: Williams-Sonoma

Post from: Blisstree

Check Out This Roaster…

Image credit: Toni Tiu

1. Bake it. Cook in an oven instead of the stove top.
2. Add other ingredients to the egg-milk mixture like vanilla, cinnamon, nuts (almonds are good!), honey, brown sugar, orange juice, nutmeg. Not all at the same time. But hey, why not? Give it a whirl!
3. Soak the bread in the mixture overnight, then bake the next day.
4. Use half-and-half instead of milk.
5. Stir mashed fruits into the egg-milk mixture. Bananas are good! Berries too.
6. Deep-fry instead of toasting in a pan.
7. Create shapes with your bread slices before dipping them into the egg-milk mix. Try hearts, stars, circles. Use cookie cutters for patterns.
8. Cook French Toast sticks. Simply slice bread lengthwise and dip the sticks into egg-milk mix.
9. Smear peanut butter, Nutella or jelly on one slice of bread. Top with another slice of bread. Then dip into the egg-milk mix.
10. For thick slices of bread (ex. baguettes), cut a slit to form a pocket and stuff with cheese or fruits before dipping into the egg-milk mix.

How else can you make French Toast your own?

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How do you make French Toast your own?

The first thing I do when entering the kitchen is to pull my long hair up and back. Nobody wants any of that in their food. Yuck. I push up my sleeves and make sure that nothing is going to interfere with my work. I don’t use an apron, though. I love them and own a couple, but I somehow lost the habit. If you are a messy cook, it’s definitely a good idea to wear one. 

Here are a few cute aprons that I found at Etsy today…..

Retro Inspired Full Floral Apron
$30 at Pretty In Pies

Full apron featuring a handy front pocket and rickrack trim. One size fits most with the following measurements – top bib is 10 inches and bottom bib is 20 inches.

Black and White Noguchi Apron
$38 at Stone Valentine

Full length apron made from durable heavy fabric in a fun, bold, black and white graphic print.

SALE Apron – Amy Butler Ruffles
$25 at Don’t Look Back

Cute, half apron made with Amy Butler cotton fabric. I love the ruffles. This apron is 14 inches long.

Image credits: Pretty In Pies, Stone Valentine, and Don’t Look Back at Etsy

Post from: Blisstree

Etsy Weekend Shopping – Aprons

It’s a very basic recipe and can be multiplied for however big of a batch you might need. It’s also very forgiving as far as what you might have on hand. I’ve had to substitute dehydrated onion before when I thought I had fresh in the pantry, etc. You can even make it vegetarian and omit the meat altogether.

Canned pasta sauce might be faster, but it definitely won’t be this tasty!

Heather’s Meat Sauce for Pasta

1 lb ground meat of your choice (beef, turkey or Italian sausage)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
oregano
basil
salt
pepper

~ Brown the meat, onion and garlic until no pink remains and vegetables are soft, drain. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste, stir well (if using fresh basil and oregano, don’t add until the end of the cooking time). Cover and simmer on low for about 20 minutes or until whatever pasta you’re making is done as well.

~ If you’re making something like spaghetti or macaroni, etc, stir about 1/2 to 1 cup of the pasta water into the sauce. This will loosen it up a bit but not let it get watery. If you’re using the sauce for lasagna, don’t add the extra water.

Post from: Blisstree

My Pasta Meat Sauce

My favorite book that I’ve found so far is The Freezer Cooking Manual from 30 Day Gourmet. I actually bought it years ago and didn’t get around to really looking through it until about two years ago. I’ve used several of the recipes for just one-off dinners, though I have doubled up on a couple of them to stash one in the freezer for later.

It’s also taught me a very basic cook-ahead techniques, like dicing up a couple of onions or other veggies at once if I know I’m going to need them later in the week for a different meal, or even browning an extra pound or two of ground beef to use later in the week too.

Aside from initial organization, my biggest issue with once-a-month or even once-a-week cooking is the aforementioned freezer. We just don’t have much room. What do you do in a situation like that? I know you don’t have to keep the meals in the dishes they’re initially prepared or cooked in, and that most of them can be frozen and then packed in foil or baggies, but my freezer space is so limited that even that’s not much of a help.

For those of you who do cook ahead and freeze the prepared meals, how do you deal with freezer space, or lack thereof? Do you end up just biting the bullet and investing in a stand-alone freezer, or just make do with what you have?

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

Do You Cook Ahead?

Image: sxc.hu

 This career began rather unexpectedly after I finished a 2-year correspondence course in journalism (comparable to an online class today).  Many people ask me how they can get started, too.

 Study other columns and write some yourself.

 Take a column writing class.  As mentioned above, I did this via a correspondence course.  I now teach column writing classes online.

 Make sure you’re serious about column writing and have ideas enough to keep going.  Writing a weekly column (I’ve done both weekly and monthly), takes persistence and continual idea gathering.  Some people get started, then after 6 weeks run out of ideas.  An editor is depending on you…and you are if you want to get paid.

 You may have begin writing for very low or no pay for the first few columns to convince the editor it will be a good column for that publication.  (Some writers say this isn’t a good idea, but sometimes you must get started somewhere if you’ve never written a column for publication before.  However, it’s advisable to do it for an agreed upon limited time.)

Be enthusiastic about the material you write.  It will show through in your writing.

From the cooking column, which I still write today, I’ve gone on to write columns about gardening, local history, quiltmaking, arts and crafts, travel, children’s books, and family history.  Today, column writing has evolved into blog writing for many authors.

Post from: Blisstree

Writing a Cooking Column

Image:sxc.hu

My quilting heritage descends from the Trails End Quilters.  The ladies who lived at Trails End Farm were my ancestors.   My mother and aunt also grew up there.

I’ve been fortunate to have a cooking notebook that my aunt compiled.  In it she includes recipes from her grandmothers, her mother, other relatives, friends and neighbors.  It’s somewhat a cooking history of the ladies associated with Trails End.

 (Incidentally, it was called Trails End because….the farm was at the end of a dirt road or “the trails end.”)

Ah…to have the time to compile these recipes into a family cookbook, with photos and stories about the Trails End family and friends.  This is another way to preserve one’s family heritage and pass it along to future generations.

Post from: Blisstree

Cooking with the Trails End Quilters

Top 5 Spices I Love

Italian Seasoning — I love adding Italian Seasoning on pasta dishes. I like how it contains the basic Italian herbs like oregano, thyme, basil, etc.

Bay Leaf — The slightly bitter flavor somehow matches the sauce of any dishes. The aroma is quite delicious too. Bay Leaf is good to add on soups, meat sauces, and stews. It works with meat and seafood.

Saffron — I’ve only started using saffron about 3 years ago but I haven’t stopped since I discovered it. It adds a combination of bitter & honey flavor to any dishes. And, with it’s intense flavor, you only really a little bit of saffron. The better way to distribute the flavor is to dissolve a pinch of saffron to a cup of hot water.

Paprika — It’s not in the picture because believe it or not, I just threw away the last bottle yesterday. I forgot about this post I planned on writing today. I love how it’s sweet and spicy at the same time. I add paprika in my BBQ rubs, and to any sautéed dishes.

I use other spices in my cooking but these 5 are mostly what I love the best and use the most.

(Image © Dexie Wharton)

Post from: Blisstree

Top 5 Spices I Love

Chef Schlow’s restaurants include Alta Strada, Radius, Via Matta, and Great Bay.

*Chef Michael, do you have some meal planning tips?  Do you start with a theme or a main dish and build around it?
 

When planning a meal for that (hopefully) soon to be special someone, regardless of the economic climate, a few things are important to consider.  First, you’re inviting a woman into your home, so make sure it looks like a grown up lives there. Little things like cloth napkins, a few lit candles, soft lighting, and a clean house will go a long way, even if you lack prowess in the kitchen. Oh, and for gods sake, make sure there’s toilet paper in the bathroom; in fact, go one step further fellas and make sure it’s actually on the holder.

 
*In terms of budget, would you please give a couple of examples of low-cost, but still impressive dishes?
 

If you’re not super comfortable in the kitchen, plus on a budget, go with one pot dishes so you’ll stay focused on your girl.  
 
Bruschetta or crostini are really easy first course (its basically fancy toast topped with something delicious like fresh mozzarella or mushrooms with lemon and mint), that, ora great vegetable salad with some shaved Parmigianino. I’d suggest something like shrimp risotto for the main course, its easy, impressive, and won’t break the bank.  Plus, the woman in your life knows you really care if you’re willing to stir 20 min for her dinner.
 
Dessert, if you get that far, you should stick to the “simple is better formula”. Don’t bake. Trust me, don’t.  Buy some great stuff, like all the makings for strawberry shortcake, do a little assembling and take all the credit.
 

*Is it best to keep it simple so that you are relaxed or is this the time to bring out that knock-her-socks-off entree?
 

When it comes to the menu, keep things simple, but tasty.  You’re already way up on the scoreboard by simply inviting her over to your clean, perfectly lit, toilet paper stocked place…..now you’ve got to feed her!

Plan on 3 courses and she’ll be all yours.  The trick to a relaxed, successful meal is to pick 1 of the 3 courses as the showstopper, but remember, creative is not synonymous with complicated, so keep it simple.

Thanks Chef! 

Okay, guys, grab your “Kiss the Cook” apron and get to work. You’ve got a lucky lady to feed.

Image credit: All Posters.com

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Chef Schlow’s Recession-Proof Date Advice

See, the thing is that I am usually the cook here. But tonight, Paul decided he would cook. Recently Paul has been watching The Food Network and has decided that Gordon Ramsay is his role model for all things kitchen-related. Earlier today he brought home two cookbooks by Ramsay and had to make three trips to different grocery stores before he found all the necessary ingredients for his three course masterpiece.

Image: stock.xchng

Cooking for me is about function. I don’t particularly like it…but I do it because we’re trying to save money and have made a pact to only eat out at restaurants once a week (so far this pact is not holding up so well). So when Paul announced he was going to start learning how to cook, I smiled and offered my full support.

That is, until my tummy started rumbling.

Food is one area I have seen cause couples to come together on, or been the cause of ultimate relationship destruction. Every time I think I want to start being more careful with my diet, Paul will request a nice hearty batch of homemade macaroni and cheese…or pot roast…or just start dialing for pizza.

A few minutes ago he was still scrutinizing the cookbook, trying to figure out where to begin. But just as I started to feel a wave of crankiness because I’m really getting hungry, Paul came over with a tub of creme fraiche, so excited about the eggs he’s going to cook tomorrow morning. A few minutes later he was back over to rave about the amazing smell of vanilla beans. And sharing a piece of incredibly fresh prosciutto.

Maybe in addition to getting a yummy meal (eventually!), Paul will teach me how to enjoy cooking too.

Post from: Blisstree

Who Cooks In Your Relationship?