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Archive for 29 Things to Know in Your Kitchen

23. What Foods to Have in Your Kitchen at all Times


By Leslie · Comments (0) · November 11th, 2009

Having a well stocked pantry is key if you want to cook a lot.  In my pantry right now, I bet I could make at least 5 full meals without going to the grocery store.  I think of the pantry as the go-to place for last minute home cooked meals and snacks.  I also always keep some ingredients to make last minute appetizers incase friends decide to drop by! 

So what to have???  It depends on what you like to eat, but here are some suggestions that come out of my pantry! 

 Pasta and canned tomatoes for sauce (can't go wrong with spaghetti on a Sunday night!)
thinspaghetti_box.JPG

Rice- makes a great base for whatever you happen to have in your fridge. 

Crackers- I always keep a fresh box of these around incase of impromptu entertaining 

On that note, I always have jarred gourmet olives, marinated artichoke hearts, jarred semi-dried tomatoes and jarred roasted red peppers to put together a little antipasto with no effort! 

Really good extra virgin olive oil (if you don't know what really good is, it's cause you haven't had it.  Continue to try new brands until you find one that tastes like velvet!)
olive_oil_lg 

**On a side note, what makes olive oil extra virgin?  The term "extra virgin" is the first few presses of the olives; said to have the most flavor.  The rest of the presses are used to make regular olive oil. 

Vinegars- I keep like 6 different vinegars around, but thats not necessary, just keep whichever ones you like making salad dressing with.  I would suggest balsamic or red wine vinegar, these are the most common. 

All the things necessary to make chocolate chip cookies! (cause you never know when a craving is going to happen!)

 
chocolate-chip-cookies-010 

Dried herbs!!- Yes, fresh herbs are the best, but when you are putting together a meal with what you have on hand, dried is the way to go.  Keep on hand ones that go with what you like to make.  I think I might have all of them in my house. . . maybe I cook too much : ) 

 Wine! (need I say more?)

Some of the fresh food staples that I always have around are: 

Onions- I put onions in everything and they have such a long shelf life, it's nice to always have these on hand 

Garlic- dido to the onion 

Lemons- great to marinade or flavor meats and pastas.  Great for desserts or drinks.  The best part is, as soon as they start going south, I use them as a cleaner.  Cut the lemon on half and rub all over your counters and rinse.  They are also great to grind in your disposal so it smells yummy : ) 

Salad "stuff"- I make salads everyday.  They are an excellent source of vitamins and nutrients and lets face it, you can never get enough of those! 

 In the freezer:
Ice cream (just cause!) 

Frozen fruit- throw some frozen fruit in a small pot with some water and sugar, heat and you've got a beautiful sauce to serve over ice cream for a delightful dessert with little effort! 

Nuts- Yes I keep nuts in the freezer for a longer shelf life.  Nuts can be added to just about any salad, entree or dessert!  I love to have almonds, walnuts, cashews and pignoli (pine) nuts around. 

What's in your pantry?

Lesliesarnasig
 

Comments (0)
Categories : 29 Things to Know in Your Kitchen, the pantry, Tips and Tricks

22. What to do with Leftover Wine


By Leslie · Comments (1) · November 9th, 2009

Wine glasses.JPG

It’s a rare circumstance in my house, but yes, I do find myself with leftover wine sometimes. : )  Most wines are ok to drink the following day, but much past that, they are usually pretty hard to get down.  So what to do?  My favorite and one of the easiest to do is to cook with it.  Now if you have a lot of leftover open wine, from say a party, you can freeze it!  Oh yes you can!!  I freeze wine in an ice cube tray and when it’s frozen place the cubes in a ziploc bag.  You can keep these forever!  Please do note, this method is to use the wine for future cooking purposes, NOT DRINKING!
When I have red wine, the number one place it goes is into tomato sauce.  It uses about a 1/2 cup of wine.  Another great thing to do is to make a red wine reduction sauce.  I like it over a baked potato or roasted potatoes.
When I have white wine, I love making risotto with it!  So yummy!
Wine can also be added to soups and stews.  If you are really adventurous you can make wine jelly.

Leslie’s Red Wine Reduction Sauce

1 shallot, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

olive oil

1 cup red wine

1 tsp. agave nectar

Saute the garlic and shallots in olive oil till soft.  Add the wine and cook for about 5 minutes or until the wine has been reduced to a quarter of what it was.  Stir in the agave.  Spoon over your potatoes.

So don’t throw your wine away!  Use it the next day! : )

Lesliesarnasig

Comments (1)
Categories : 29 Things to Know in Your Kitchen, Beverages: Wine, Entrees

21. Have a Signature Cocktail


By Leslie · Comments (1) · November 5th, 2009

It's 4 o'clock somewhere right??  Cocktail time!!! cocktails-sign 

I love cocktails!  They make me feel so grown up!  I feel like I'm on the set of Mad Men whenever I'm holding one!  A cocktail can be a very nice thing to offer your guests as opposed to just wine or beer.  And they can be quite sophisticated!  

No this doesn't mean you now have to go out and stock your bar with everything imaginable!  Keep the ingredients for 2 or 3 cocktails that you like and call them your "signatures"!  Your guest will appreciate the thought behind it!  And a signature cocktail is not "vodka tonic"!  That is simply a drink.  Try to jazz it up a little!  It's fun!!  I especially like having some new cocktail recipes around during the holidays!  When we have a party we of course have beer and wine, but then we do like 3 signature cocktails and everyone always loves  trying them!  I will usually write them out and frame them in a pretty frame and place it next to the bar.  So fun! So here are a couple of my favorite drinks!  Try these, but find ones that will create your own signature!

Stinger **This old-school cocktail will get you in the Mad Men spirit! 

 2 oz. cognac 

 1 oz. white creme de menthe 

Shake ingredients with ice in a shaker and pour over a short glass full of crushed ice. 

  Cranberry-Vodka Sippers 

 2 cups chilled cranberry juice 

 1 ½ cups chilled orange juice 

 ¾ cup vodka

 ½ lime 

 Combine first three ingredients in a pitcher; stir. Pour into chilled champagne flutes and garnish with lime peel. 

  Chilly Winter Evening (apple cider with spiced rum!) 

 4 Sticks cinnamon 

 24 whole cloves 

 4 tsp. whole allspice 

 2 gal. apple cider 

 2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed 

 2 lemons, thinly sliced 

 Spiced Rum, to taste 

Tie cinnamon sticks, cloves, and allspice in a small cheesecloth bag.  Pour apple cider into a large pot; then add a bag of spices and brown sugar.  Simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. Remove the bag of spices.  Pour cider ¾ of the way up a coffee mug.  Top off with some spiced rum to taste!  FYI you don't want to add the rum in the pot or all the alcohol will cook out! 

**This cocktail will warm up any evening or party! Have fun with this!  Try new things, change the ingredients up and make these your own!  

Enjoy!

Lesliesarnasig

Comments (1)
Categories : 29 Things to Know in Your Kitchen, Beverages, Beverages: Cocktails

20. Properly Setting a Table


By Leslie · Comments (0) · November 4th, 2009

** For all of you just joining us, welcome!  We are in the middle of a challenge!  I started "29 things everyone needs to know while they are still in their 20's and have time to learn them!"  This is number 20 so if you are behind, just scroll back and check out some of the entries! Enjoy! 

Now this is a fairly basic way to set a table.  Depending on what part of the world you are in it can vary.  Place settings can be soooo fun to create!  Get your imagination going on this one!
Here we go:
art-place_setting 

Those are the basics, but you can get creative in the styling and presentations of each item!  Now I love cloth napkins for two reasons.  1. They look so much more elegant than paper and 2. they are environmentally friendly!  They can be inexpensive if you catch them on sale and they last for years!
When decorating your table, stick to color themes that go along with what you are serving and what time of year it is.  I love the idea of doing silver, white and blue for a winter wonderland theme!
DSCN2183

If you have simple plates  etc. one way to jazz it up is with colorful napkins and napkin rings.  I actually prefer simple plates and silverware so I can use them with anything!
You could use vintage jewelry to make your napkins look simply elegant
remarkable napkin rings-06 (2).JPG

Get resourceful and look for things around your house!  Ribbons and twine make great napkin holders too!
Place mats and table runners can also add some drama to your tablescape and you can use just about anything!
Here is one of my favorite whimsical centerpieces I've seen!
la102781_1007_gourd_xl

So cute right!  Comes to us from marthastewart.com
Here is a great centerpiece I've done before which is gorgeous and pretty easy!

 
10_color_spr00_xl

So perfect for Thanksgiving or a fall potluck!  When I do this centerpiece, I put a large ziploc bag inside the pumpkin so the water and flowers don't get the pumpkin icky.  It will all stay fresher for up to a week! 

 The biggest thing to remember is to be creative!!  Have fun!

Lesliesarnasig
 

Comments (0)
Categories : 29 Things to Know in Your Kitchen, Crafts

19. Properly Cooking an Egg


By Leslie · Comments (4) · October 28th, 2009

Ah, the egg!  So simple and so easy to mess up!  Under or overcooking these suckers can be disastrous!  Eggs are used in so many different ways, but a lot of the principles are the same.
ttar_egg_03_v_launch

Let's start with using them in baking.  The eggs you use should always be at room temperature!  Your baked item will not be as fluffy if the eggs are cold.
Poaching.  Poaching takes time and practice!  It's not that hard once you get the hang of it!

 
PoachEgg2

You want to get a pot of water gently boiling.  That means it's barely boiling, not roaring.  Put about a tablespoon of white vinegar in the water.  Crack the egg in a bowl and mix the water in the pot in a circular motion to create a soft current.  Gently slide the egg into the water.  Let cook about 3-4 minutes and carefully remove with a slotted spoon.  Now fresh eggs make the best poached eggs, so check the date on your eggs and make sure they are on the fresher side.  Since there is not oil used, poached eggs are very healthy.  They are mostly eaten on toast or in eggs benedict (on an English muffin with ham and hollandaise sauce)
eggs_benedict_crop 

Scrambled.  You may already be making scrambled eggs on a regular basis, but this is how fancy restaurants are doing it to get them nice and fluffy!  First crack your eggs in a bowl and whisk them together with some salt, pepper and about a tablespoon of milk (or cream if you want to make them French style).  Put a pad of butter in a small pan on medium low heat (never cook eggs on high heat!!  this will make them dense and rubbery!); when it has melted, swirl it around to cover the whole pan.  Slide your eggs in and agitate.  Agitate meaning whisk them constantly.  Continue to whisk and take the pan on and off the heat to control the temp.  Once they have finished they will look a little more like oatmeal than scrambled eggs, but they will taste like rich, fluffy heaven.  If you have never tried this method, go for it!

 
00000031.jpg

Hard Boiled Eggs.  These are pretty easy to do, but again the key is to not over cook them.  If you over cook them you can get a green ring around the yolk.  This is not mold, but it's actually a build-up of iron and sulfur from the egg over cooking.  If you have a hard boiler machine you are in luck  and these are easy for you, but doing them in a pot is a little more difficult.  An egg boiler machine looks like this:
Electric-Egg-Boilers-DL-EEB001- 

Put the eggs in a pot large enough to have one layer.  Add cold water and fill to about an inch over the eggs.  On high heat, let the water come just to a boil.  Cover and remove from heat.  Let sit for about 15 minutes. (a little longer if the eggs are really large)  Remove from the pot and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.  The eggs should be nice and rich inside and not rubbery.  Always refrigerate hard boiled eggs with the shells on!
Fried eggs or over easy eggs.  Start with a pan on medium high heat.  Add some cooking spray or a pad of butter.  Crack an egg and slide in in the pan.  Immediately reduce heat to low and let cook.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until the whites are solid and the yellow is firm, but not hard.  You can serve like this of gently flip to cook the other side.
Fried_egg,_sunny_side_up

Cooking eggs can be a little frustrating and it may take some experimenting, but you'll get the hang of it!

Lesliesarnasig
 

Comments (4)
Categories : 29 Things to Know in Your Kitchen, Breakfast

18. ' Take out ' at home


By Leslie · Comments (0) · October 26th, 2009

Even though I am constantly cooking, I'm not embarrassed to say, sometimes I need a night off!  I love restaurants and take-out is so convenient every now and then.  But don't use the fact that you can't make something the reason you order it.  Give it a try!!  Making different kinds of ethnic foods can be really fun and improve your ability to cook all around!  Take out food is usually Italian and Chinese.  So why not learn how to do these yourself?  You'll save a bunch of money and have so much fun experimenting!!  (See number 6 for how to make tomato sauce from scratch and my pizza post for that)
chinese-takeout.JPG  

 
Chinese Stir Fry with Brown Sauce 

 
**This recipe can be used in so many ways.  Stir fry anything you like with it and it'll be delicious 

What you’ll need: 

 Tofu or chicken 

 Broccoli 

 Carrots 

 Green beans 

 Red Pepper 

 Onion 

 Bamboo Shoots 

 Sesame Seeds 

 Almonds 

 Sauce:

 ¼ cup water 

 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 

 1 tbsp honey

 1 tbsp soy sauce 

 1 tsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp water 

 What you’ll do: 

 Fry the Tofu or Chicken till browned, remove and set aside
Stir fry all the vegetables for 7 minutes
Make sauce
In small pot, bring water, vinegar, honey, and soy sauce to a simmer add the cornstarch mixed with water, remove from heat, stir until thick
Add sesame seeds, almonds and chicken or tofu
Add sauce and simmer 5 minutes
Serve over white or brown rice 

And check out this great recipe for my chinese chicken-less salad

 Enjoy!

Lesliesarnasig
 

Comments (0)
Categories : 29 Things to Know in Your Kitchen, Entrees, Ethnic: Asian

17. How to Bake a Cake part 2


By Leslie · Comments (3) · October 22nd, 2009

Ok, I know, I gave you some recipes, but let's talk tricks.  They always say, "cooking is an art; baking is a science".  So let's talk about the science of baking.  Here are some helpful tips and explanations that will make you a better baker.

baking

Follow the recipe the first time you make something!!  You need to know the end result first, before you start changing it up.

Read the entire recipe before you begin!!  You should always do this no matter what you are making.  It'll give you a heads up on all the steps.

Yes, the eggs must be at room temperature!  The item your baking won't be nearly as fluffy if they are not.  If you want to bake something right now and you don't have room temp eggs, place them in a bowl full of warm (not hot) water and it should only take about 30 minutes to get to the right temp.

Yes, butter has to be at room temperature!  Cold butter makes it nearly impossible to get it creamed correctly.  If you need to do this in a hurry.  Unwrap the butter and cut it into small cubes.  It'll come to room temperature much faster.

KERRY_butter

On the butter topic, use good butter with a nice creamy flavor.  You'll taste the difference in your end product.  And if it says unsalted, use unsalted.

Check your oven!  Put a thermometer in your oven to test if your oven is telling you the truth!  When you are baking, a couple degrees makes a big difference!

292T05385_Oven_Thermometer

Keep the oven door closed!  Opening the door changes the temperature drastically!  Don't open the door to check it till the end when you need to.  If you need to sneak a peak, use the window!  That's why it's there!  If your window is so dirty you can't see through it, check out my post on cleaning your oven!

If the recipe simply says, "sugar" it means granulated white sugar.

0001580003021_LG

"Once cup flour, sifted" means you should sift after measuring.  "One cup sifted flour" means you need to sift, then measure.  This is so important!!

When you melt chocolate, always use a double boiler!  If you put chocolate in a pot directly on the heat 9 1/2 times out of 10 you will burn the chocolate.  If you don't have a double boiler, you can make one with a small pot and a glass or metal bowl placed inside.

DoubleBoiler

"Snip the tip!"  If you want a professional looking frosted cake, but are scared of all those pastry bags and tips, have no fear!  Take a zip loc bag and snip one of the corners off.  Smaller for more detailed work and a little larger for frosting.  Then simply fill the bag with your frosting and push it through.

027

Hopefully, this will help you out!!  Let me know if you have anymore questions!

Lesliesarnasig
 

Comments (3)
Categories : 29 Things to Know in Your Kitchen, Desserts: Cakes, Tips and Tricks

17. How to Bake a Cake


By Leslie · Comments (1) · October 21st, 2009

I LOVE CAKE!!!  I love ALL cakes!!  Yummy, fluffy, rich, creamy fabulousness!!!  If I could pick one thing that I could eat all the time without gaining any weight, it would be cake!  I know there are a lot of box mixes out there and some of them are not that bad, but making a cake from scratch is so much yummier and satisfying!  If you are going to make from a box, try to step it up a bit!  Here are some of my favorite recipes!!  (I have already posted my all time favorite Red Velvet Cupcakes, so check that out too!)  Let them eat cake!! 

 
Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake


chocolate bundt cake


**Perfect example of how to enhance a box mix

 What you’ll need: 

 Cake: 

 1 package moist devil’s food cake mix

 1 package chocolate instant pudding mix 

 4 large eggs 

 1 ¼ cups water

 ½ cup vegetable oil 

 chocolate chips (optional)

 Glaze: 

 3 tbsp cocoa 

 2 tbsp melted butter 

 1 cup powdered sugar 

 2 – 4 tsp hot water 

 What you’ll do:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

 Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil in a large bowl
Beat for two minutes with electric mixer
Add chocolate chips
Pour into greased budnt cake pan
Bake for 50 – 60 minutes
Cool for 25 minutes, flip onto a serving tray
For glaze, in a bowl combine all ingredients till smooth
Pour glaze over cake 

Also, check out my recipe for Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

 So get baking and enjoy!!!!

Lesliesarnasig
 

Comments (1)
Categories : 29 Things to Know in Your Kitchen, Desserts, Desserts: Cakes, Desserts: Chocolate

16. The proper usage of each knife


By Leslie · Comments (2) · October 19th, 2009

culinar9841 

Knives.  Never underestimate the value of a great knife!  Just one good knife can make your life so much easier!!  Knives are an investment.  The good ones are not cheap, but they should last your entire life, so don't hesitate!  People always ask about brand.  There are a lot of really good brands.  I use Whustohof, but that doesn't mean there are not other good ones out there.  Do a little research.  You should get the ones you feel most comfortable with.  If you only have money for one knife this is the one I would get:
659099_fpx.tif 

It is a 7" Santuku knife.  This knife will chop veggies, fruit, meat, anything!  This is my "go to" knife!  They run around $100 to $150, but make a world of difference!
Now if you would like to invest in a nice block set, these are the ones you will use most:
wusthof-8-bread-knife-open-stockThis is a bread knife.  So necessary! 

 
595405

This is a carving knife and does wonders when you need to slice or carve anything!

 
13610

This is a tomato knife.  It's serrated to cut through the delicate skin of a tomato.  You will find so many uses for this knife!

 
24318_285

This is a paring knife and is great for anything!  It's often called the "extension of the hand".  It is fabulous for fruits, veggies and anything small.
Now keeping your knives sharp is a very important thing too!  Sharp knives are actually safer!  A dull knife can slip and well, that usually ends with a trip to the hospital in my house.  If you buy a starter knife block, a sharpener is usually included.  It looks like this:
24073_285

You want to take a dry knife and glide it back and forth on the edge.  This will increase the longevity of your knives and of course keep them sharp!
There are lots of other knives out there with all sorts of functions, but these should get your collection started and from here you can keep on building!

Lesliesarnasig
 

Comments (2)
Categories : 29 Things to Know in Your Kitchen, Gadgets and Gizmos

15. Growing and Using Fresh Herbs


By Leslie · Comments (4) · October 16th, 2009

An herb garden is one of the easiest things to grow and will change your cooking dramatically!  They can be grown just about anywhere!  Don't assume you need a yard…herbs do great in window boxes, on balconies or even inside.  There is just no substitute for the flavor you can get from fresh herbs!  I know we are heading into winter and our gardens are going dormant for the the season, but store bought fresh herbs are still available and I suggest you take advantage.  When I bring home store bought herbs, this is how I like to keep them:
herbsI use my favorite mason jar from my friend Autumn's wedding and display the herbs like flowers.  It'll make your house smell wonderful.  Just keep out of the direct sun (they can dry out faster) and change the water every other day.
Here is one of my favorite porch or balcony herb gardens!  This one is my friend Autumn's and she was nice enough to let me post a picture of it!
herb garden

I love it because you can plant different things on all of the tiers and it spins so you can make sure everything gets enough light!  The best herbs to start with are basil, parsley, dill, chives, thyme, rosemary, oregano and cilantro.  These are pretty easy to grow and all very useful!
Here is a really cool counter top one I found:

 
dishdryer-herb-grower

The water runs off the dishes and into the soil of the herbs, therefore you never have to water them!  Just do your dishes often!
Aside from herbs, lettuce and tomatoes are probably the next step up on the easy growing chart.  You can find lettuce seeds just about anywhere.  As for tomatoes, my best advice is to buy your favorite kind of tomato at the store.  Cut it open and try it, is it delicious?  Then take the seeds out of that tomato and drop them into the ground or a pot.  That way you know the exact species you are going to be growing.  A lot of the tomato seeds they sell are bland, this way you know they will be great!
Inspired?  Get planning for next spring or if it's 90 degrees like it is here today in Los Angeles, start planting!

Lesliesarnasig
 

Comments (4)
Categories : 29 Things to Know in Your Kitchen, Gadgets and Gizmos
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