Posts filed under ‘Tips.Techniques and Ideas’
Finding Your Cooking Comfort Zone (CCZ)
Grilled Cheese
Pavlova with Berries
Whether you are a basic beginner cook making a grilled cheese sandwich for your kids or an established chef preparing the pavlova on the bottom for a dinner party; it’s important to develop your Cooking Comfort Zone. (CCZ) This is the mental place you go to when preparing food. Some of us enjoy cooking so we look forward to getting into our kitchens and making that special meal whether for family and friends, or just for ourselves. The others, and I think this is the majority, dread the ORDEAL of having to get the meal on the table.
Establishing your CCZ doesn’t mean you must all of a sudden jump for joy at the thought of putting your apron on. What you need to do is create a mental neutral mindset where you will be open to at least attempting to make a good meal. Even money says that when you are in the waiting room of the doctor’s office or the chair at your hair salon, you are thumbing through a magazine and looking at the food pictures. You may be saying, ” that looks good but probably too hard to make” but at least you are looking. So now take that fleeting moment when you thought positively about that food photo and carry it over to your kitchen. You may be surprised at just how good it comes out.
I write my posts and the recipes on emealsforyou.com hoping to make them useful to all levels of CCZ. We keep the ingredients to those you probably have in your kitchen and are comfortable using. The instructions are easy to follow and the end result is a recipe or meal you can take pride in. Recently I had a question from one of my readers who asked, “my husband can’t eat onions; what do I do if the recipe calls for onions?” Well the best answer is don’t put the onions in the dish. You see, recipes are just guidelines…most can be changed without destroying the dish. If you don’t like something in a recipe; try putting something else in or just eliminate it entirely. Many spices are like this; use the ones you like and don’t use the ones you don’t like. Baking recipes are the exception to this; these are really formulas and adding or omitting ingredients can cause some problems.
A quick note for those of you who are good cooks; as the purpose of my blog and website is to get families to the table enjoying meals together, sometimes I don’t put the “extras” into the recipes. You know the ones where you say, “why didn’t he put fresh ginger into that?” I encourage you to make my recipes your recipes, add, subtract, alter any way you like. For those of you who are just starting out on your quest to become a good cook; try things, have some fun. The main thing is to try and then watch your CCZ begin to expand.
Random Cooking Tips from the Trash Can of My Mind
I’ve decided to post some cooking tips to help you save time and sanity. I prefer if my readers would send in specific questions; just send a comment below or email me with your questions. If it is your wish that I not publish your comment but still want the answer simply type the word “Private” in the first line of the comment.
Here we go:
Putting 1 Tb of white vinegar into your rice while it is cooking will make it fluffier.
Always have meat and fish at room temperature prior to cooking so that it will cook evenly.
No matter how hard you try; the area around the bone on chicken legs and thighs remains pink. Try heating it in the microwave for 1 minutes just before serving it.
To get better browning when sautéing put a teaspoon of butter into the pan along with your oil.
The oil in a pan is ready for cooking when it appears to shimmer and slightly smoke.
Leave meats and fish in the pan, don’t keep flipping them as you want them to develop “caramelization”… the browning that gives added flavor.
Start pan-roasted meals on the stove top to develop the flavor then finish them in a 325 degree oven, to ensure even cooking.
Be careful when adding salt and pepper to a sauce before you are done reducing it… reducing will maximize the flavors and you should adjust the final salt and pepper just prior to serving.
And my personal favorite: Always peel your asparagus!
BTW – I still have a few asparagus peelers to give away. (see promo)
Products I like: SACO cultured Buttermilk Blend – in the baking aisle of your grocery, powdered buttermilk that keeps forever in the frig and you just make as much or little as you need.
Next time: Finding your Cooking Comfort Zone!
Quick Tip – Getting Your Questions Answered
Many of you who have cooking questions are using the search function of this blog. If your question happens to hit on a word that is included in one of the post then you will see it. However, if you have a specific question please either email me (at the right top of blog) or post a comment to a specific post and I will get the answer to you. If you would like me to respond to you directly; email me with your question and I will respond via email with your answer.
For the person who wanted to know how many 35 -40 count shrimp are in 5 oz you are looking at between 11 and 13 shrimp… hope this helps.
Beyond Meal Planning – Organizing Your Cooking
Okay, so now you’ve planned your meals, shopped for the ingredients and now you are ready to prepare these meals for your family. This is where it can get a little crazy if you don’t take that planning just a little further. No problem if you act simply and logically….many of us have the simply down pat it is the logically we need some help with.
Let’ s dive in… one of the secrets to actually enjoying meal preparation is to, wait for it, organize your cooking methods. Many are now saying, I just don’t have the energy to put forward the effort needed to do anything but throw the stuff into a pan, turn on the stove and dump the “finished” product onto a plate. WRONG! Look, you don’t put your pants on first and then your underwear, so why are you cooking as if being unorganized qualifies you for a merit badge. I recently made fun of Rachael Ray’s ability to carrying all her ingredients to the cooking area in one trip (see What Do We Get Out of Those TV Cooking Shows – A Rant) but it is that kind of organization that will help you get used to being a better cook and enjoying it more.
You have to learn to make the most of your time. Decide what you need for the meal at hand, pots, pans, ingredients, serving plates all of it. So if you were making a pasta dish; start the water on the stove before you do anything else. If you are going to need the oven, turn it on, pre-heat it to save time later. Set out all the ingredients you will need. Every wonder why recipes list the ingredients in the order they are put into the meal? This is so you will have them out and ready when the recipe calls for them. Set the table while the meal is cooking, please, at a point that doesn’t require you to stir or add something. Even better, get the kids or your significant other to set the table for you. Unless you have a pedometer on and are trying to improve your health by walking;stop all the trips, short as they may be, to the pantry, closet, frig, table wherever, put that energy into the meal.
By simply organizing your meal preparation you will be amazed at the time you save… more importantly you may even enjoy the meal more…just a little!
Grocery Shopping – Inattention Can Cost You Big
By now hopefully you have read all about Meal Planning in the Tips, Techniques and Ideas category and are ready to attack the grocery store with your shopping list. CAUTION!!! inattention here can cost you big. Here is the headline from an article written in 1993 and still as pertinent in today’s grocery stores:
This is the label that sits on the front of the shelf either over or under the product. The first thing you want to look at is to make sure the product and the tag are describing the same product. Look for the product name and make sure it is the same size as the box or can you are placing in your cart. Grocery stores “bait and switch” here, substituting larger, more costly sizes, their own brand or even the more expensive national brand for their less expensive product. This is called creating a false front, see they even have a name for it. My store habitually puts 36-40 count shrimp on sale then fills the case with larger 20-26 count shrimp, an up-charge of $3 per pound. In order to compare whether a larger size of a product is less expensive look for the PPU (price per unit). This is on the tag and will tell you the cost of each ounce or unit; compare this price with the one on the smaller box to see which in fact is cheaper. It may be the smaller box is less expensive per ounce or unit. The next thing you want to check is the price. If they have a bigger, brighter tag (called a shelf talker) hanging from the same area of the product shelf and the price is less expensive then the shelf tag, remember the shelf talker price. Many are not entered into the computer system of the store and will charge you the more expensive price instead of the sale price. Lastly, watch the two-fers, buy one get one free items. Make sure you are not charged for both. Remember, you can buy just one and be charged only half… especially if you only need one.
Party Planning Part 3 – The Food
Now that we know the why and have determined who we will share this party with; let’s move on to the all important “food” decisions. Many factors go into deciding what kinds of foods you will be serving, or if you will be serving food at all. First and foremost is the budget. Unless money is not a factor in your life it is important to set a limit on how much you want to spend on this party. While limiting, this will also help to focus you better on the decisions you make moving forward.
“What can I bring?”, this statement usually is spoken by those invited when you inform them of the party. Decide in advance if you want to have some help with the food or not. I personally prefer to “do” the party myself, thus keeping my party theme clean and not having to find a place for the wonderful nachos someone brought to my Julia Child revisited Paris Bistro meal. If you decide to let your guest bring food; have an answer ready as to just what they can bring. I find that asking them to bring a bottle of wine usually works in this situation.
So now let’s decide on the menu. Based on the number of people coming, the time of day or night and how many plates and flatware you have; you can begin to set the menu. My wife and I are currently planning a small gathering of the new neighbors for a cocktail party. Our theme is the Kentucky Derby. Based around mint julips, we have chosen to have a couple of hors d’oeuvres , four to be precise. As it is a cocktail party we don’t have to consider seating arrangements. If you are planning a sit down meal, how many can you get comfortably around your table? Think also about serving pieces, once you make the food you have to get it to the table and present it in an attractive manner. If you are planning a rather large group event take the time before the big day to set all the serving pieces out on the table to make sure they fit or you have a plan “B” to handle this. For the large formal buffet we had in NJ a few months ago, my wife, my good friend, Jean, and my mother-in-law planned the table setting. I was strictly in charge of the food. It was extremely important that I know what went where; as I was responsible for getting it all out, quickly and in the right spot. We actually drew a template with the serving pieces and the food that went on them specified. I know, it sounds really anal but when crunch time came I was able to get all the food in the right place in a very short time.
A few do’s and don’t's to consider. Do write your menu down, in fact print it and put it on the frig. When our kids would come home from college for a holiday the first question they always asked was, “is the menu posted?”. To them this signified that we were looking forward to their arrival and a good time was at hand. Do try to stay within budget both on the food and number of guest, a very crowded room and a “screaming” wallet don’t make for a good time. Do plan on enjoying your own party; after all this is why you are going through all this planning. Do plan on how all this will get cleaned up; DO say yes to a friend who offers to help clean up.
Don’t “try” new dishes when 20 people are coming; most of us can’t pull this off, stay with what you are comfortable with. Don’t make this into a competition. Don’t worry if you run out of something, “stuff” happens and probably if you don’t make a big deal out of it no one will notice.
One final Do, Do try to keep your sense of humor throughout, it just may save the day!
Feel the Power – . As an added benefit for those who are members of the emealsforyou clan we have included a guide to using our emealsforyou.com site to make planning and executing the party easier in the category section called “Feel the Power”.
Party Planning Part 2 – The Dreaded Guest List
A crowd at Coachella awaits
photo by Dave Bullock/eecue
As you now know why you are having the party let’s take a look at the guest list pros and cons. A number of considerations will determine the guest list. The type of function will dictate how many and who you invite. How many people can you actually fit into the space? If this is going to be a sit down function; how many can you accommodate at your table. Do you have adequate chairs, place settings, glasses?
Guest lists are like doors in a funhouse. Open one door and there are four more to pick from. The simple question of who do I invite invokes the second question; who don’t I invite. If I invite them can I still invite “them” or if I invite them how can I not invite all of them? Let’s step back here and realize we are adults. Pick a number and stick as closely to that number as you can. You will have to draw the line somewhere and you might as well get it over with early on. Don’t beat yourself up because Aunt Joan has her nose out of joint, she probably would find something to dislike even it you did invite her.
Next week we will choose the food, plan the serving and show you how a walk-through could make your life much easier.
Party Planning Part 1- Understanding the Why
(from www.emealsforyou.com Meal Plans/Special Occasion Planner/ Theme Meal Plans/Party Dessert Tray
So you want to have a party. Whether an intimate dinner party for two or a large gathering, the basic steps are the keys to success or failure. Maybe that is a little strong. Success would mean the attendees tell you what a great time they had, and really mean it. Failure is probably a mess in the kitchen, a hole in your wallet and a headache with the little voice in your head saying, “Boy that was fun, not!”
Let’s begin the planning phase by deciding just why you are having the party. Are you celebrating a promotion, graduation or event? Maybe you are having a party just “because” you feel like it. Step one , once you have determined the why, is the theme. This will effect the rest of the planning. Formal or casual, drinks, drinks with finger foods, a buffet or a full blown dinner, all considerations to be made before you take that big step forward and begin to “talk-up” the party. A word of caution here, don’t tell anyone about the party until you pick a time and date, in fact pick a couple as a fall-back position.
Next week: The Guest List.
Feel the Power - this section is designed to help those members of the emealsforyou clan use the emeals site to make the party planning a little easier. It has been brought to my attention that while the downloadable Users’ Manual explains the “How to” it doesn’t necessarily provide the “Why would I”. I will try to do better in the future. Log on and go to the Meal Plans section; choose the Create a Meal Plan Button. now name your party. Next it is off to the Recipes to take a peek at the Appetizers, Entrées and Desserts to get some ideas for the party.
New category: Tips, Techniques and Ideas
It’s all in the planning: Disaster Avoidance 101
We are pleased to announce our newest category: Tips, Techniques and Ideas; designed to provide helpful insights into cooking, entertaining and just “plain old life situations”. Our newest blogger, Teresa will post on table settings and decorations; along with an occasional entertaining post. I will continue to provide some “how-to” assistance; hopefully taking some of the drama out of cooking but leaving in all the romance.
I will admit it, for years I was a closet planner. I always convinced myself that I just put dinners together without much forethought; kind of spontaneously without much of the combustion. Well now that I am older and maybe a little wiser I find I have to actually put my planning down on paper instead of keeping it all together in my head. This may account for the cranberry sauce now making it to the table on Thanksgiving as opposed to finding it in the frig two weeks later.
Planning a large party or an intimate dinner for two requires the same steps to guarantee success. The more you think through it the less stress you will have in the final product. In the next several weeks we will explore all the aspects of planning; from inception through cleanup. As an added benefit for those who are members of the emealsforyou clan we will include a section called “Feel the Power”; a quick guide to using the emeals site in planning. Using the meal planning and shopping list functions I was able to plan, shop and prepare a formal dinner party of 9 and a formal buffet for 35 with just a single trip to the market.
Next week’s post: Planning the guest list, timing and theme. I hope to see you back here.
Party Food Planning
This may sound complicated but I think once you try it you will find it pretty easy to use. This post is about planning the food for the party, this entails choosing the food, printing the recipes and printing the shopping list.
Log on to www.emealsforyou.com with your Username and Password.
Choose “Meal Plans”
Now choose “Create a Meal Plan”.
Pick a name for the party and choose “create”.
Next choose “Recipes”, pick the Category of recipes you would like to pick from. i.e. “Appetizers”.
Now choose the “Appetizer(s)” you want. Let’s say “Baked Garlic”
Here you have two ways to go; both accomplish the same result. ( bottom right) choose “Active Meal Plan and using the dropdown menu pick the name of your party. ( this sets the active meal plan )
Now you may choose “Add to active meal plan” (bottom right) or “Add to my recipe box”. Adding to the active meal plan will post the recipe directly to your party meal plan. Adding the recipe to your “recipe box” will post it to your saved recipes in your recipe box. Use the first if you are sure you want this recipe, use the second if you want to view all that you choose and then make a final selection for the meal plan and shopping list.
Choose all the recipes you wish and from all the categories (using methods defined above). Adding them to the party meal plan or to your recipe box.
Now choose My Recipe Box (middle , right side) This will take you to your Recipe Box.
Make sure your Party is the active Meal plan, (lower right side of page). Next put a check in the “Add to active meal plan” box. This will send these recipes to your Party meal plan where they will join any you have chosen to go directly to the Party meal plan. Click “Update”.
Almost there, hang on! Choose “My Meal Plans” (upper right side)
Click on your Party meal plan.
Click on “Serves” (middle right side) and choose the number of people you want this meal plan to serve from the dropdown menu.
Click on “Print this meal plan” (middle right)
Now click “My Meal Plans” (upper right)
Now click on “Shopping List” ( middle right side)
This next step is important until you get the hand of the “Shopping List” and remember to clear it after each use. Click “Clear Shopping List” ( bottom right side)
Choose “My Meal Plans” (top right)
Put a check in the box “Add to shopping list” next to your Party meal plan. Click “Update”
Choose “Shopping List” and then “Print this shopping list”. Note: you may choose “Add Pantry items” or Add additional items before printing to add any items you want to add to your shopping list prior to printing, i.e. 1/2 gal milk.
Now, and after printing the shopping list, choose “Clear Shopping List” so that you are ready for the next PARTY.
I know a few of you will say, “ohmygod!” this is complicated, just try it first and see how easy it really is.
Recent Comments