Tag Archives: recipes

A Cooking Journal With A Unique Interface- Not Connected to Smartphone

Here’s a cooking journal with a unique platform that helps you create signature recipes and becomes your personal cookbook. It’s a perfect booklet for all people who enjoy cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. The project first launched a couple of years ago on Kickstarter under the name Project Cookbook.

Project Cookbook 1If you want to get more creative with your cooking, but still make sure your ideas don’t melt away as fast as the food from your plates, Cookbook is the perfect fit for your kitchen.  Old SkoolThis cooking journal with a unique interface helps you develop signature recipes and create a culinary heritage. And what’s the best part? It’s not connected to your smartphone. It is a physical booklet that will become your trusted cooking companion and is destined to become your personal cookbook.

If other similar booklets are meant to simply copy and gather recipes of others, Cookbook’s idea and purpose is much different: after you equip the Cookbook with recipes of your choice, they simply serve as a starting point of your future cooking experiments. It features a development platform for every recipe where you can keep track of all the changes to the original recipe – whether it’s tinkering with your cooking process or changing the ingredients.

Project Cookbook Inside

After each try you can use the scoreboard to evaluate your dish, write down important notes for next time and keep a tab on who loves it the most.

The aim is to remind people that cooking is more than just following recipes. As the team puts it: ‘’We are hoping Cookbook will motivate people to develop their own recipes and create a culinary heritage, which they will be able to share with their friends, family and future generations.

Something like the notebooks our grandmothers used to have, but with a modern twist.

Cookbook also holds an encyclopedia which helps you with everyday pickles like finding the appropriate wine pairing or quickly converting cups into grams. A minimalist design of the book gives you a sense of coziness and at the same time allows you to personalize the final outlook of your Cookbook. For the Silo, Hana Gaber.

Wellness Blogger Offers These Healthy Summer Snack Recipes

“Every story and every memory from my childhood is attached to food,” Dawn Lerman writes. Our relationship with food starts at a very young age: what and how we eat is often determined by our environment and our upbringing. Our eating habits and snack tastes are cultivated by our family members’ relationships to food, for better or worse. Dawn knows this first hand. The author of the New York Times Well Blog series, “My Fat Dad,” shares her food journey and that of her father, a brilliant copywriter from the “Mad Men” era of advertising at Leo Burnett and McCann Erickson, in her book, MY FAT DAD: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Family, with Recipes (Berkeley; September 29, 2015; Trade paperback/$USD16.00).

Summer Snack Book Dawn And FatherDawn’s father was known for his witty ad campaigns; he was responsible for such iconic slogans as “Coke Is It,” “This Bud’s for You,” and “Leggo My Eggo.” Unfortunately, he was not able to use the same problem-solving skills when it came to his weight. Dawn’s father was obese as she was growing up —450 pounds at his heaviest. His weight would go up and down like an elevator, depending on what fad diet he was on–or what ad campaign he was assigned to. He insisted Dawn, her mother and sister adapt to his saccharine-laced, freeze-dried food plans to help keep him on track. Dawn’s mother never cooked and she witnessed her mother eat only one real meal a day—a can of tuna over the kitchen sink—while she dashed from audition to audition pursuing an acting career.

“As far back as I can remember, there was an invisible wall that separated me from my dad, a distance that I could never completely penetrate,” Dawn remembers. “His closest relationship was with the bathroom scale – his first stop every morning and his last stop every evening. The scale controlled his moods, our days, what we were going to eat and basically ruled our family life.”

Snacks were a particular downfall of her father, especially when he was working on fast food marketing campaigns. “My dad felt that in order to create a good slogan, you needed to believe in the products you were selling,” Dawn explains. “He was always the best customer for the food and drinks he advertised, testing them excessively—especially when Wells Rich & Green promoted him to head creative director for Pringles potato chips”

Listening to him crunch away canister after canister on the crispy snacks in the privacy of his room– trying to come up with the perfect slogan, Dawn knew she had to get inventive to help her dad get healthy while still staying inspired. At 9 years old Dawn had become the official chef for her family, turning her maternal grandmother Beauty’s Jewish weekly recipe cards into diet friendly meals and treats that would keep her dad motivated. It was her grandmother who instilled in Dawn a passion for cooking for oneself and others as she learned that the best food is prepared with the freshest ingredient.

One recipe Dawn developed during that time was her special homemade hot air popped corn coated in ranch seasoning. Upon trying it her father declared “Dawn now that you popped, you can’t stop!” That statement of delight was the kernel of an idea that took her dad around the world– filming highly attractive people on beaches and other fun places, joyfully indulging in Pringles potato crisps that exploded out of the can as the top popped off while the voice over announced…” Once You Pop, You Can’t Stop!”

My Fat Dad Summer Snack Book CoverDawnLermanThis spring and summer try these healthy and delicious snacks from My Fat Dad with no stopping required. The potato chip recipe, derived from that long-ago hot air popped corn recipe, can be enjoyed throughout out the day as they are satiating and nutritious. Pair it with Dawn’s Hummus recipe, which is loaded with protein. The combo of complex carbs, protein and healthy fats –will fill you up without weighing you down. A win-win for both mood, energy, and weight control!

Recipes below from MY FAT DAD: A Memoir of Food, Love, Family, and Recipes By Dawn Lerman

Berkley Books/2015

MY FAT DAD: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Family, with Recipes By Dawn Lerman  Berkeley / 2015 Trade Paperback/$16.00

Dawns Potato Chip Recipe

Herb Infused Ranch Style Sweet Potato Chips with Coconut Oil

Yields: 4-6 servings

These sweet potato chips are crunchy, slightly salty, and have that wonderful ranch taste. They are a healthy take on traditional store bought chips. They are fried in coconut oil– which not only helps the chips to brown beautifully, but aids in speeding up your metabolism. They are a constant staple in my formerly fat dad– 450 pounds, now 210 pound –snacking regime.

4 large sweet potatoes, can also use white potato’s or beets

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon of dried parsley

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

I teaspoon of onion powder

1 teaspoon of minced onion

Sea salt for seasoning

Fresh thyme for garnish

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees, scrub potatoes to remove dirt. Then slice into thin, even pieces. You can cut them by hand or use a slicing attachment on a food processor. Rinse your potato slices in cold water. Now soak the slices in cold water for 30 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and lay them on a paper towel or paper keeping them slightly moist. Dip in bowl with herb mixture –dried parsley, garlic salt, and onion powder. Make sure chips are coated.

In a skillet melt the coconut oil over medium heat. When the oil sizzles place them in the oil for about 1 min till they get slightly brown. Do not over crowd the pan. Best to do in small batches. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to remove your chips from the coconut oil. Drain the chips on a layer of paper towels, and repeat till all chips have been fried and blotted.

Then place all the cooked chips on a baking sheet and bake for 1 minute. Remove and serve warm. Sprinkle with sea salt and garnish with fresh thyme.

*NOTE: if you do not want to fry the chips you can take coated chips, lay them out on a baking sheet sprayed with coconut oil and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees until golden brown.

Sweet Potato Hummus

Yields: 6 servings

If you are looking for a light, healthy snack this sweet potato hummus is bursting with flavor, spice and color. Because of its high protein content, it will help control your appetite and mood. My dad named it the caviar of hummus—exclaiming, that it was almost illegal for something so nutritious to be this delicious. Pair this with my Potato Chip recipe for the perfect blending of protein and carbs.

1 large sweet potato (about 9 ounces)

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

5 tablespoons olive oil (plus additional, as needed, for thinning)

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Pinch of nutmeg

Position the baking rack in the middle and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Wrap the sweet potato in foil and bake in a shallow baking pan until it can be easily pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow the potato to cool completely.

Peel the skin off the sweet potato and transfer to a food processor fitted with a blade. Add the chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt, and nutmeg, and process until smooth. If the hummus is too thick, add a little extra olive oil or water and process until the desired consistency is reached.

MY FAT DAD is as much a coming of age memoir as it is a recipe collection from Dawn’s upbringing and culinary adventures in Manhattan. Her recipes include some of her grandmother’s favorite traditional Jewish dishes, to healthier interpretations and creations. Her father’s life-long struggle with food, along with her grandmother’s love of cooking fresh foods, led Dawn to become a well-respected nutritionist, NY Times blogger and chronicle her story in her best-selling book. Today her dad is a healthy 210 pounds and vegan.

“Dawn Lerman grew up Jewish in the 70’s. I grew up Italian. Might sound different, but for the most part, it’s the same. Especially when it comes to food. The philosophy was simple, food = love. My Fat Dad hilariously and poignantly captures that essence. Whether you’re Italian, Jewish, or anything else you can relate to how family, food, and the love of both affect how we grow up, and live our life. Mangia!”

—Ray Romano, Emmy award-winning actor

“The Manhattan nutritionist was raised by a diet junkie who tried every regimen under the sun and food — or the lack of it — ruled her life. My Fat Dad is about her eccentric upbringing and her constant state of hunger as Albert imposed his wacky ways on the whole family.” The New York Post

“My Fat Dad is an exploration of the many ways food shapes our connection to family. It also includes many delightful recipes.” Michel Martin, NPR, All Things Considered

“It is clear Lerman ‘s life is centered around the table and she gives readers a seat at hers” Baltimore Jewish Times

” ‘My Fat Dad’ is a memoir of food, love and starvation” New York Daily News

ABOUT DAWN LERMAN, MA, CHHC, LCAT

Dawn Lerman Nutritionist Blogger AuthorDawn Lerman is a Manhattan based nutritionist, bestselling author of My Fat Dad: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Family with Recipes, and a contributor to the New York Times Well Blog. She has been featured on NBC, NPR, Huff Post TV as well as several other news outlets. Her company Magnificent Mommies provides nutrition education to student, teachers and corporation. Dawn counsels clients on weight loss, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other diet-related conditions. She is a sought-after speaker and cooking teacher and lives in New York with her two children.

For more information about Dawn, go to www.DawnLerman.net .

 

Cookbook Provides Uncomplicated Yet Sophisticated Cooking for Everyday

Award-winning cookbook author, Lee Clayton Roper, shows home cooks how to explore their culinary creativity with her award-winning, delicious cookbook, Fresh Tastes.  This beautiful book delivers over 170 flavorful recipes, essential cooking tips and delightful stories to spark inspiration in your kitchen.

Lee takes the “complicated” out of timeless classics, simplifying the process while ramping up flavors, using fresh ingredients when and where possible.  She shares personal reflections on lessons she has learned in the kitchen from those who have inspired her, along with 65 beautiful food photos, along with process shots of key preparation steps.
Fresh Tastes CookbookFresh Tastes epitomizes Lee’s culinary tastes, balancing an innovative approach with uncomplicated preparation techniques. Sophisticated in flavor and beautiful to present, the recipes in Fresh Tastes are prepared with the best quality, readily available ingredients designed to maximize flavor. Some of Lee’s delicious recipes include:
Prosciutto, Fig and Goat Cheese Tarts
Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup
Tomato and Peach Salad with Lime-Balsamic Dressing
Layered Salmon Salad with Avocado-Lime Yogurt Dressing
Grilled Rosemary-Dijon Chicken Breasts
Spicy Pork Chops with Argentine Chimichurri Sauce
Halibut with Celery Root Puree and Tomato Garnish
Chipotle Lime Shrimp Tacos with Tomato Mango Salsa
Roasted Root Vegetable Pot Pie
Peruvian Artichoke Tart
Pear Kuchen
Fresh Fruit with Brandy Custard Sauce
Drawing from her decades of experience, Lee provides readers with helpful advice on what is best for the dish, the flavor and the cook, considering such essential variables as seasonality and availability. Recipes in Fresh Tastes were evaluated by a team of volunteer testers across the country. Only the best, most flavorful, eye catching dishes made the cut. Fresh, flavorful and inspired, this collection of hand selected recipes in Fresh Tastes transcends the kitchen, reminding us all that every meal can and should be a simple yet sophisticated celebration of life.
“My approach with this cookbook starts with the confidence that, with the right preparation and a pinch of creativity, every dish can be extraordinary,” Lee explains.  “I have intentionally kept recipes and ingredients easy to get, often providing alternative substitutions.”
Lee Clayton Roper is an award-winning cookbook author, cooking instructor, public speaker and TV personality.  Her first book, A Well-Seasoned Kitchen received numerous rave reviews and is often featured in local and national press.  In 2010, A Well-Seasoned Kitchen achieved national acclaim, winning the prestigious “Living Now” gold medal.  With Fresh Tastes Lee expands her recipe collection, serving up fresh, delicious and sophisticated dishes guaranteed to inspire creativity in kitchen everywhere.  Lee tours the country sharing recipes and cooking tips and techniques in sold-out classes, leading cooking demonstrations, and is a frequent guest on radio and television and in print. 
“Roper’s follow up to A Well-Seasoned Kitchen expands on the approachable favorites that made her first cookbook such a hit, this time with a ‘fresh’ take on classics that lend themselves to parties and get-togethers.  This is a solid effort with practical dishes readers will likely find themselves returning to.”
Publisher’s Weekly and Entertaining Inspiration
FRESH TASTES
From A Well-Seasoned Kitchen
By Lee Clayton Roper
Southwestern Publishing Group
Hardcover/$34.95 usd
ISBN-13: 978-0984116362
Try these fresh and delicious recipes ( reprinted with permission from Fresh Tastes by Lee Clayton Roper):
APPLE, WALNUT AND STILTON CHEESE SALAD
SERVES: 6
The British have known for years that apples and Stilton cheese are a wonderful combination. In this delicious salad, they’re mixed together with spinach, walnuts and a walnut-flavored vinaigrette.I like to serve this salad with any grilled meat or alone as a meal.
1/4 cup raspberry balsamic vinegar*
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup walnut oil*
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 ounces mixed baby greens (spinach, arugula, lettuce)
2 large Gala or other red apples, unpeeled, cored and chopped
1 cup (6 ounces) chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
1 1/2 to 2 cups (6 to 8 ounces) Stilton cheese, crumbled**
*If you can’t find raspberry balsamic vinegar, use regular raspberry vinegar and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey. If you can’t find walnut oil, substitute olive oil and add a few more walnuts.
**There are 2 types of Stilton cheese: blue and white. Either will work in this recipe. If you can’t find Stilton, you can substitute Gorgonzola or other forms of blue cheese.
In a medium glass jar with fitted lid (an empty Dijon mustard jar works well), whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice and oil until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss together mixed greens, chopped apple, walnuts and cheese. Just before serving, toss with just enough dressing to coat the lettuce (you may have some dressing left over). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
VARIATION IN PRESENTATION: If you want to have a more formal, individually plated salad, then instead of chopping the apples, core and slice them. Toss the greens with part of the dressing and divide among six individual salad plates. Arrange the apple slices in a circular pattern over the spinach. Sprinkle the walnuts and cheese crumbles over the top. Drizzle with remaining dressing.
SEA BASS WITH A PISTACHIO CRUST
SERVES: 6
This dish comes together quickly and is delicious paired with green beans and roasted potatoes. It’s a bit on the rich side, so I suggest using fillets no more than 5 ounces each. If using one large fillet, you may need to increase the cooking time by a few minutes.
While the general rule of thumb for cooking fish is 10 minutes per inch of thickness, I’ve included the option to cook these filets for 12 minutes per inch. I find that with the crust on top, it can take a bit longer. It’s really to your taste — just remember, it will continue cooking after you take it out of the oven and let it rest.
6 (4- to 5-ounce) skinless Chilean sea bass fillets
1 cup salted, dry roasted pistachio nuts, very finely chopped (can chop in a food processor)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Place sea bass fillets in prepared pan. In a small bowl, combine the nuts, sugar, lemon juice, dill and pepper. Spoon the mixture evenly over each fillet, pressing down to adhere.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes per 1-inch of thickness of the fillet, or until fish reaches 140 to 145 degrees when measured with an instant-read thermometer. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
MAKE AHEAD: Fish with topping can be prepared but not baked up to 4 hours in advance, covered and refrigerated.
For the Silo, Trina Kaye. 

Cooking With Toronto’s Steam Whistle Beer Is Versatile

Steam Whistle Beer RecipesSteam Whistle Brewing recently surveyed their fans, friends and followers on the brewery’s Facebook and  Twitter pages to find out if they had any interesting alternative uses for beer.

While many indicated that they prefer their beer for drinking, an overwhelming majority of the alternative uses for Steam Whistle involved using it when cooking, in one way or another.

“Beer is great for cooking because it is so versatile,” said Sybil Taylor, Communications Director for Steam Whistle Brewing. “Though wine is more commonly used in cooking, beer offers a balanced flavour, not too sweet or not too bitter, and adds a rich, earthy undertone to foods without overwhelming the dish.”

"Cheers" Sybil (Browne) Taylor Marketing Communications at Steam Whistle Brewing
“Cheers” Sybil (Browne) Taylor Marketing Communications at Steam Whistle Brewing

 

The following are just a few of the alternative cooking uses that came out of the survey:

Marinate Meat

Beer is slightly acidic, which makes it an excellent meat tenderizer. Beer also won’t alter the meat’s flavour as much as wine or vinegar-based marinades will. Slice halfway into the meat in rows of ridges to tenderize tougher cuts and to expose more of the tissue to the marinade. Pop into a covered dish, tupperware container or freezer bag with the marinade and refrigerate preferably overnight or at minimum a few hours before cooking.

Do not drink the marinate!

http://www.steamwhistle.ca/fun/recipe_detail.php?id=36

Braise Chops

Cook chops in a pan until browned on one each side. Add the beer to the pan and swirl it gently to combine all of the ingredients. Continue cooking the chops to your desired temperature, about 4 minutes for medium. Once the chops are finished, remove them to a plate and continue reducing the liquid in the pan until it reaches a glossy, gravy-like consistency and pour it over the chops.

http://www.steamwhistle.ca/fun/recipe_detail.php?id=136

Make Pizza Dough

Everyone loves beer with pizza, but what about beer in your pizza! Using your favourite beer in a pizza dough recipe will create a great tasting beer pizza crust. Then serve Steam Whistle Pilsner with your pizza – beer cuts through spicy heat and the carbonation cleanses the oil from the cheese and meat toppings and leaves you ready to taste more.

http://www.steamwhistle.ca/fun/recipe_detail.php?id=142

 

 

Steam Clams or Mussels

In a large steamer pot, mix a bottle of beer with a few cloves of garlic and some other tasty ingredients, then add a pound of clams or mussels. Steam until the shells begin to open. Easy as that! The beer imports a nice flavour.  http://www.steamwhistle.ca/fun/recipe_detail.php?id=116

 

Bake Beer Bread

Beer bread can be a simple  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quick_bread  quick bread or a   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread  yeast-bread flavored with beer. Both  beer and bread have a common creation process: Yeast is used to turn sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol. In the case of bread a great percentage of the alcohol evaporates during the baking process. Click here for a link to of our http://www.steamwhistle.ca/fun/recipe_detail.php?id=133  Steam Whistle Beer Bread recipes.

Want more? Try one of Steam Whistle’s 150+ recipes for http://steamwhistle.ca/fun/recipes.php Cooking with Beer at your next dinner party.  For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.

Gimme Steam Whistle

 

About Steam Whistle Brewing:

Steam Whistle Brewing, an independent brewery in Toronto, Ontario has a singular focus of making one beer of exceptional quality that Canadians can be proud of. They make their refreshing Pilsner with traditional brewing methods and only four, all natural ingredients (spring water, prairie malted barley, hops and yeast – all GMO free). Opened in 2000, the brewery was named Steam Whistle, drawing from the inspirational sounds of steam rushing from factory whistles, signaling the end of a fulfilling workday and a time for personal reward.  The brewery is housed in an old CP Rail Roundhouse, once home to the steam locomotives that helped pioneer this nation.

 

Perfect Allaire Cristal Age Tequila

In case you’re looking to get in the spirit (pun intended) to ring in the new season of decorations, family time, and counting down the new year, you may need a boost and we have just the thing. Tequila!
 
Let’s toast in glitter and gold with Allaire Privee‘s Golden Margarita-
 
Recipe:
2oz of Allaire Cristal Age tequila
fresh squeezed lime juice
Organic agave
Pour over ice
Topped off with 24K eatable gold powder that melts on top of the cocktail, giving a melted gold look floating on top of the Margarita.
If  you’re looking to give a little extra this season, Côte d’Azur, Allaire luxury spirits are an opulent trifecta of quality, elegance, and uniqueness.  
 
The collection
 
menage a trois with smith wesson gold handcuffsVodka: Unequaled flavors and aromas originate from Allaire’s choice of select grains grown in the heart of the polish plains. Their crafting methods, distilling it six times and then filtering it five times, gives it outstanding purity, clarity and shine. The complete process tops up its elegant taste.
 


Tequila:   The premium tequila is made with 100% select blue weber agave that were slowly cooked to give a perfect balance of sweetness. Made in small batches and crafted free of any additives to respect its true essence. Aged in bourbon casks and filtered with an innovative process to give it a smooth agave flavor and characteristic crystal tone.  
 

Rum:   Rum from Barbados is considered by many the archetype to be taken as a reference point for others. Allaire’s rum is the ultimate representation of excellence from the island. Aged for a minimum of 3 years in oak barrels and filtered with their proprietary method that gives it a beautiful crystal tone and enhances the sensory richness.  
 
 
If you can’t choose just one, have a  Ménage a Trois, which features a collection of Allaire’s premium Vodka, Tequila, and Rum cased with  24 karat gold Smith & Wesson handcuffs.  For the Silo, Jessica Kirk.