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Cooking

  • When preparing chicken breasts, have fun and be creative

    Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are the ultimate fast food for family and guests-quick to prepare and low in fat. But if you’re like me, they can be boring. You throw them in a skillet and then wonder, “Now what?”
    A magazine once published more than 50 ways to prepare chicken breasts. I’ve since decided that figure must be closer to 5,000.

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  • Relay for Life chili cook-off an evening of good cheer and tastes

    My wife and I were overwhelmed by the friendliness of everyone at the second annual chili cook-off fundraiser for the Brunswick County Relay for Life at the Sea Trail Plantation clubhouse a couple weeks ago. They made us feel right at home. And of course, the chili was great.
    The fundraiser was sponsored by the Sea Trail Strollers team, co-captained by Kate and John Goodrich. Kate had contacted me earlier and asked if I would be willing to be one of the judges for the event. I couldn’t say yes fast enough.

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  • A versatile grain, rice is also quite popular as a main course

    One of the highest yielding cereal grains, one seed of rice yields more than 3,000 grains.
    Rice is a natural convenience food and is easy to store, always ready to use-no washing, peeling or chopping required. Store opened rice in an airtight container. Cooked rice can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to a week or in the freezer for up to six months.

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  • Healthy versions of comfort foods taste as delicious as the real deal

    Have you ever thought that you could enjoy your favorite family-friendly comfort foods without the cost and calories associated with them? Lighter, healthier versions can taste as delicious as the real deals.
    No one will guess that these home-cooked, delicious classics are lightened versions of your favorites. Just as satisfying, and without all those bad nutrition stats, you’ll learn to love your favorite comfort recipes all over again. So why not start saving some money, and pounds, and make some of your favorites updated to a healthier version?

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  • Tired of plain old mashed potatoes? Try rutabaga or turnips instead

    Turnips are members of the mustard family and have been around since ancient times, while rutabagas (also called Swede turnips) originated in Scandinavia.
    Rutabagas usually need to be peeled, but turnips don’t really need to be, but we seem to do it anyway.
    Both can be eaten raw in a salad or cooked up alone or used in a stew, as a sauté, in soups or just mashed. My preferred method is to roast them.

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  • What is the best way to cook a moist, tender London broil?

    Contrary to what many believe, London broil is a manner of preparing the meat, not actually a cut of meat. They are famous for being especially moist and tender.
    London broil is a cut of flank steak or top round, generally about 1 inch thick, and is typically prepared by broiling the steak.
    The trick is to cut this steak into thin slices against the grain before serving. This will ensure that the meat is easiest to cut and chew.

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  • Taken in moderation, beer is actually a healthy food

    Once considered a food staple, beer has been around in one form or another for more than 8,000 years. And with all these new studies that actually show that beer is healthy, in moderation, why not cook with beer?
    Years ago, physicians were known to use beer liberally for various cures. Due to the brewing process when making beer, it was actually safer to drink than either water or milk. Because of this, beer was often used when mixing medicines and used in many food recipes in place of water.

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  • Crabmeat is nutritious and low in fat and high in protein

    Although crabs are available year-round in coastal areas, they are mostly consumed during the summer months, probably due to the summer tourist migration to the shores.
    Along our eastern seaboard, the blue crab reigns supreme. It’s available fresh and pasteurized in lump, backfin and claw meat.

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  • Don’t confuse a pork loin roast with a tenderloin

    A pork loin roast is often confused with a tenderloin. Despite their name similarity, rest assured they are not one in the same.
    Pork loin roasts are especially flavorful when first brined or then rubbed with a spice mixture and barbecued over indirect heat, cooked on a rotisserie or just baked in the oven. They should never be braised or stewed, since they have a tendency to lose their tenderness and just fall apart when cooked using moist heat.

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  • Balsamic vinegar brings out the fresh flavor of herbs

    Balsamic vinegar from Modena and Reggio, Italy, are the only true balsamic vinegars in the world. The vinegars produced in these provinces are truly the finest one can buy.
    Balsamic vinegar has a variety of uses, including drizzling on baked potatoes instead of using butter or sour cream, or over steamed vegetables, in place of soy sauce in stir-fried vegetables and as a substitute for salt with either meat or poultry.

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