I have just returned from a Halloween party where the most disgusting, delicious, hilarious, and cleverly horrible dessert was served. Kitty Litter Cake.

Kitty Litter Cake is a concoction of demented minds, yet it garnered lots of laughs and marvels at how it actually mimics “the real thing,” even down to the tormented Tootsie Rolls used to imitate cat poop. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes simple food is the best. The clever cook is one who adds spices, herbs and other inexpensive ingredients to simple food and ends up with a glorious dish that even food snobs cannot resist.

Often called international street food or peasant ethnic food (I hope because of its basic close-to-the-earth goodness), many of these savory simple food dishes are made of common staples such as grains, root vegetables, and tough scraps of meat that do well with patience.

Here are some of my favorite international simple foods:

Italian
Pasta with chopped tomatoes, chopped basil, olive oil, & freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Mexican
Beans & rice with cilantro and salsa.

Thai
Pad Thai noodles fragrant with lime juice, garlic, chiles, tamarind, and chopped peanuts.

Indian
Grilled chicken legs marinated with yogurt and at least seven spices.

Chinese
Hot Pot, a shared soup made with meats, seafood, tofu, greens, other vegetables, and condiments chosen by each person at your table.

Vietnamese
Bahn Mi sandwiches of cold cuts, pate, cilantro, shredded carrot & Daikon radish slaw, on crusty baguettes.

Arabic
Hummus sprinkled with sumac on pita bread.

Some of these simple food dishes are stunningly good and deserve a spot in your family cookbook. They were developed by budget-conscious cooks with inventive culinary skills passed down through many generations, and are indeed worthy of remembering. (I know I do at every opportunty!)

Happy simple food cookbooking,

Matilda

I use any excuse in the book to eat garlic, especially garlic mashed potatoes. So be it if I reek after eating a fine bowl of garlic mashed potatoes. 

Some Things to Know About Garlic
- One finely minced raw garlic clove releases more flavor and aroma because more surfaces are exposed Read the rest of this entry »

As the weather becomes cooler and leaves begin to turn amber and red, it is time to pull out a favorite family recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies that my family has been making for many decades.

These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are plump, cakelike cookies that have a moist and delicious pumpkin flavor accented by chocolate pieces throughout.  I don’t know why, but they have a haunting flavor that draws me to them around Halloween time.  The ghosts of ancestors past perhaps, who baked these cookies in the embers of burned witches … (just kidding!). Read the rest of this entry »

My friend, Ruth, and I used to be so confused about how to cook in a convection oven. After all, we both grew up in areas where wood-burning stoves were common, so having an oven that blows hot air around was quite a breakthrough in cooking for us.

We now understand the technology of convection ovens: A little built-in fan circulates hot air around inside the oven, which cooks foods quicker and more evenly than a non-convection (or regular) oven. Read the rest of this entry »

I stumbled across a fascinating food pairing website the other day that I just have to share. It is a great resource for anyone who likes to cook, from professional chefs to food contest competitors and home cooks, on down to youngsters who are just beginning to explore the pleasures of culinary combinations.

The food pairing website was developed by a group of Belgian scientists who want to inspire new food recipes and groupings, and also to provide suggestions on what might be good substitutes for a particular ingredient when it is not available (or if one has allergies).

To test the food pairing website, I entered “pumpkin” in the search window, and read with some curiosity and amazement the result (noted below), which is based on scientific flavor and taste combinations that might be compatible:

Pumpkin can be combined with -
- Dairy: Butter, Cheddar and Gruyere
- Meat: Chicken cooked, San Daniele ham and Chicken roasted
- Chocolate, coffee, tea: Dominican Republic white chocolate, Tea black and Vanuatu milk chocolate

The search result on the food pairing website also comes with a visual “flavor array” that shows the relationship between the main ingredient and other ingredients that are compatible based on their flavor profile.  Some of the compatible food suggestions are quite unusual, and your imagination can certainly be creative.

Check out the food pairing website:  http://www.foodpairing.be/

Hmm, how about steam-grilled pumpkin slices over honey-drizzled basmatic rice garnished with grated Vanuatu milk chocolate? I’ll have to think about that before I add it to my family cookbook.

Happy cookbooking,

Matilda

Once I had a potluck dinner party and no one brought anything. I was puzzled, in that I had specified the type of event in my invitation, both written and verbal. Guests said they didn’t know what to bring, and they knew from previous events that I would have enough food for an army anyway.

Guess what? That was the first time I had decided to stay on budget, not go overboard with last minute changes of mind and menu, and made just what the recommended per person serving amounts were. I made a very large pan of Lawry’s famous Sour Cream Tortilla Casserole as a side to barbecued steak and chicken.  I was horrified (mortified) when one guest asked if I had another pan made in the oven, since she didn’t get any!  (Everyone apparently assured her that I had more.) Read the rest of this entry »

Cleaned the refrigerator today and was dismayed to find that I have depleted my supply of capers. No self-respecting refrigerator should be without a jar of capers (in my opinion).

You can do so much as a cook with so few of those salty little piquant pickled gems. My favorite caper-oriented dish is sliced chicken breast accented with a buttery sauce of lemon juice and …. capers.

Here are some other uses I have for capers that I have noted in my family cookbook:
- Deviled egg filling
- Caesar salad dressing
- Cream cheese spread
- Pasta salad
- Pizza topping
- Martini garnish
- Tartar sauce
- Meatball ingredient

What concerns me most about my lack of capers in the refrigerator is that I didn’t realize I was out of capers. Oh, my. Clearly I’ve been amiss in using my very own grocery shopping list pad! Or, at the very least I’ve been remiss in cooking with capers in general, and didn’t notice that I used the last bit of them. Either way, I’m bound to go on a great grocery store caper caper this weekend.

Happy cookbooking,

Matilda

Every once in awhile, when I’m down in the dumps, I indulge in a favorite childhood delicacy known as a fried bologna sandwich. My fried bologna sandwich is pretty simple and doesn’t really need a family recipe or a family cookbook to prepare:

Fry a slice of bologna.
Add the fried bologna to a slice of bread.
Fold the bread in half (No mayo, mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomato required).
Eat the fried bologna sandwich. Read the rest of this entry »

There are many types of cooks. Some cooks are wonderful at creating new and unusual dishes with what’s in the pantry. Other cooks are more dependent upon recipes and products that are on the grocery store shelf. Still other cooks prefer the crafter method of making everything themselves (it definitely is one sure way to know exactly what you’re eating). Read the rest of this entry »

I was in the mood for vegetarian one day last week, so I peeked into the fridge and found a big bag of fresh spinach. Then I checked my canned goods pantry and found a big can of garbanzo beans in the back. (Probably intended to make hummus with them, but, well, that never happened.)

So, on to the fresh spinach and garbanzos dish I was about to create. What would make that taste good, I thought. How about adding some garlic, onion and tomatoes for some extra flavor, and a little lemon juice for sparkle? This spinach and garbanzos dish was beginning to remind me of some Mediterranean-style foods I’ve enjoyed. Read the rest of this entry »

Your family cookbook must be riddled with family recipes calling for some form of leavening agent, which makes baked goods expand and rise.  My family cookbook has lots of recipes for baking powder and baking soda.  I’ve always been fascinated by the difference in results when one ingredient is substituted for another.

I’ve had many cookie recipes made with baking powder come out wonderfully puffed up, and the same recipes puff up then flatten out when made with baking soda. There are rules to using both, as interchangeable as they seem. They are not, and here’s why: Read the rest of this entry »

The other day I was having lunch with my dear friend Ruth, and my sandwich was served with the teeniest bit of parsley ever to adorn a plate. I’m talking a bit of a leaf. It was so small it wouldn’t have been noticed except for the bright green color that broke up the stark white plate. Maybe there was a parsley shortage in the kitchen, or the chef forgot the garnish altogether and the server didn’t know what to do. When in doubt, add parsley, Ruth always says. Read the rest of this entry »

This weekend I’m going to a birthday party. The invitation indicates a luau theme, so I plan to take my really easy, but delicious, Kalua Pork that I make in a crock pot.

Summer crock pot cooking is absolutely great since you don’t need to turn on the oven. Honestly, there is nothing wrong with baking or roasting during the summer (if your oven is well insulated). But baking or roasting during the summer just seems wrong when you can do many of the same recipes and get good results with summer crock pot cooking. Read the rest of this entry »

Generally, when we entertain we serve fresh food to our guests, preferably food we have made ourselves with help from our family cookbook. Serving leftovers to guests isn’t part of our normal thinking, even though our ancestors didn’t think twice about serving leftovers to guests.

But what if friends drop by unexpectedly and you have an abundance of food in the house that you really would like to consume because you are leaving town for a few days?  What if they arrive late at night, and no store is open for buying groceries? Would serving leftovers to guests be a problem for you (or your guests)? Read the rest of this entry »

Every so often I like to use applesauce instead of butter or margarine (or oil) when making baked goods such as cookies or muffins. In addition to cutting down on my fat intake, the texture of the cookies or muffins made with applesauce tend to be no different than those made with butter or margarine.

Also, I found there really is no appreciable taste difference between cookies or muffins made with applesauce vs. cookies or muffins made with butter or margarine (or oil). To my mind, opening a can or jar of applesauce is easier than melting butter or margarine (no oily mess in the measuring cup to clean up). Read the rest of this entry »

No matter where you are in the Northern Hemisphere during the summer months, the hottest days can make you wish for a cold winter day again.  Iced beverages and lighter meals are the order of the day, and cool summer salads that take the heat off in the kitchen fit the bill perfectly.

Lettuce is the mainstay of most summer salads, although it isn’t a necessity to have lettuce in your cool summer salad. For example, I like the nutrient properties and the taste of raw spinach. Here are some of my favorite greens for making cool summer salads 7 days a week: Read the rest of this entry »

A few years ago I wanted to have an All American Fourth of July party for friends who left their homes in countries all over the world to settle in America.  Some of these friends were recent arrivals, and others had been in the United States long enough for their grandchildren to be second generation Americans.

Of course, the idea was just an excuse to have an All American Fourth of July party with good friends.  The challenge was to come up with Only American foods to serve instead of our usual international potluck. Following is the menu I created for the occasion: Read the rest of this entry »

Does barbecue and BBQ sauce fit in the entrée, appetizer, condiments, or snacks section of my family cookbook?  I think it all depends on where the barbecue recipe comes from. For example, Kansas City ribs are certainly dessert; Texas brisket is certainly an entrée. 

There are more opinions about what makes good barbecue than probably can be counted.
And, maybe I’m stepping into a subject best left unaddressed on these blog pages. However, with the coming of summer and an increase in outdoor dining, it seems logical to mention some of the barbecue traditions that define some regions of these United States.

You be the judge where they fit into your family cookbook. Read the rest of this entry »

With the arrival of summer comes a dilemma I always face. Do I make and drink standard unsweetened iced tea or indulge myself with iced sweet tea?  Both are delightful on hot summer days and warm summer evenings.

In the winter, the choice is easy for me: hot tea with sugar and milk. Sometimes I’ll vary the taste with hot tea that features different flavors, such as:

- Chai (with its warm rich blend of cinnamon cardamom, and cloves)
- Fruit flavored teas (such as peach, mango, raspberry)
- Green teas (fresh leafy tasting)
- Flower-flavored teas (such as jasmine or rose)
- Herbal teas or tisanes (no caffeine style chamomile, mint, rose hip, or lemon verbena) Read the rest of this entry »

“1-2-3 is the basic recipe,” I said to Ruth, who was having a slight senior moment regarding how to cook rice.  “One cup rice and two cups of water makes three cups of food.”

“Oh yes,” Ruth said. “I was thinking 3 cups of water to one cup rice was how my mother used to make rice. It was always so moist and tender. I forgot the 1-2-3 rule.”

“Well, all I know is that one cup of rice can feed three people. I play The Rice Game quite a bit, and it is amazing how one cup of rice can swell up and make a difference for people in so many countries. It is one staple that truly has global reach.”

That little conversation got me thinking about all the rice in the world, and how odd it is that June brides of the past could waste such a precious food by having guests throw rice at weddings. (While I understand the custom, I much prefer the more recent rose petal tossing or bubble blowing activities at weddings instead of getting whacked in the eyes by errant grains of rice.) Read the rest of this entry »

Last weekend I was invited to a poolside birthday party for a lovely girl who was turning 12 years old. I asked what I could bring, suggesting a salad to go along with the hamburgers and hot dogs on the menu.  Julie brightened up and volunteered: “My favorite is Greek Salad.”

So, Greek Salad it was.

With ripe tomatoes and cucumbers hitting supermarkets just about now, Greek Salad was a good choice for a crowd. It always holds well, and has a fresh taste. Known in Greece mainly as country salad, or horiatiki, the Greek Salad we know here is basically a combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, feta cheese, and Kalamata olives, all dressed up with an olive oil and vinegar blend. Read the rest of this entry »

“Did you bring your cue-pawns?” Ruth asked as we ambled down the grocery aisle, stopping at the pancake syrup display.

“My what?” I asked, irritated that for the umpteenth time Ruth and I would have a conversation about how to correctly pronounce the word “coupon.”

“Coo – pohns,” I instructed her. There is no Q or Cue in coupons. It rhymes with poupon, as in Grey Poupon Mustard. Why can’t you remember that?” Read the rest of this entry »

How do you decide whether to use sour cream or cream cheese to top a baked potato? Well, I don’t decide. I use both to make my baked potato toppers. I make a basic baked potato topper recipe by beating together an 8 ounce package of regular cream cheese (that’s been softened), and an 8 ounce carton of dairy sour cream. All the lumps should be gone and the remaining mixture should be on the fluffy side.

Then, depending upon my mood or taste craving for the moment, I use the basic mixture to create several flavorful baked potato toppers.  Baked potatoes are always great to eat, whether baked in traditional oven or microwave (a good summer alternative). Read the rest of this entry »