We were enjoying some time with friends at the Kansas State Fair one year, when I told Joey I was in the mood for a blooming onion and was going to go around the corner to buy one. I asked if he wanted his own, and he looked at me like I had two heads. …
Continue reading “Get your snack game in full bloom this week”
I love watching cooking shows when I have a free moment. One of my favorite TV chefs is Lidia Bastianich. She specializes in all kinds of Italian dishes that look positively amazing. Going to her restaurant in Kansas City someday is definitely on my bucket list. I have only tried making a couple of her …
Continue reading “Have a ball in the kitchen with a new potato dish”
With Internet shopping, pretty much any ingredient can be at our fingertips in a matter of days. That being said, my goal when choosing recipes is to try to stay away from exotic items that can’t be purchased locally. We have to support our local grocery stores if we want them to continue to be …
Continue reading “Keep ‘arayes’ open for a delicious Lebanese dish”
For a couple months now, every time I open the pantry, I glance at this tiny canister of saffron I managed to buy on an extreme clearance. The Britannica Encyclopedia explains that saffron is the most expensive herb because it has to be hand harvested from the tiny stigmas in the center of a particular …
Continue reading “Bored with dinner? End your ‘saffron’ with something totally different”
I was in such a hurry this week, trying to toss together a quick dinner for Joey and I before we headed back out the door for more commitments. In the moments before I headed home, I popped into the grocery store, a new recipe on my phone, grabbing quick ingredients before trying to get …
Continue reading “Don’t have time to get ’round to dinner? Make meatball soup.”
As a child, I remember Brussels sprouts as being held up as the epitome of gross vegetables on every kids’ show I watched. The mere mention of the little green vegetable made actors and cartoon characters wrinkle their noses in disgust. As an adult, I love Brussels sprouts. I figured it was just due to …
Continue reading “It’s time to sprout a new opinion of the old Brussels”
Last weekend, Joey attended a day-long bowling tournament. The day before he left, he lamented that he didn’t think he would have time to throw a whole chicken we bought on the smoker and may have to toss it back in the freezer. Instead, I offered to put it in the oven on my day …
Continue reading “You can cook a whole chicken—even under pressure”
Early to mid-October is one of the harder times of year for me to decide what to cook. Since the Kansas weather can’t make up its mind, I’m never sure if it will be a day where I’m happy to heat up my kitchen by firing up the oven or if I’ll regret raising the …
Continue reading “Cook up all the ‘gourd’ things for fall weather”
“What makes them Mexican potatoes?” a friend asked as he scooped my latest food experiment onto his paper plate in our backyard. “I think it’s just the spices that put it in that category,” I told him. He looked at me quizzically and only grabbed a few. But after finishing off that first spoonful and …
Continue reading “You have my ‘parmesan’ to treat yourself to potatoes this weekend”
At least 10 years ago, I first tried making homemade soft pretzels for this column. They were messy, extremely tricky to knot and delicious. Since that first foray into pretzel-making, I have made the recipe again several times, but I have always opted to make pretzel bites instead of going through the arduous process of …
Continue reading “No need to ‘Harp’ about this amazing pub cheese”
