I make rich winter soups all the time, with whatever I have on hand. I even have a couple of varieties in the freezer, but they have been there so long I can’t remember what they are. Why deprive myself of the joy of hot soup cooking on a cold winter afternoon?
Continue reading... December 28, 2009
Borekas: Interview with Tikva Sasson
Welcome to my first interview with readers of Cooking Manager. Thanks to victim volunteer Tikva Sasson, who blogs at Aliyah Lift.
# Please tell us about yourself and your family. Tikva Sasson, Ma’alot, Israel. I’m 41, Yitzhak, 43 – kids Shem Tov, 19, Bracha 17, Esther 14 and Nissim 8.
# What do you remember about family meals when you were growing up? What was your mother’s cooking style (if she did the cooking)?
December 28, 2009
Cooking with Our Mothers, Cooking with Our Children
Did you learn to cook in the kitchen with your mother? I am so glad that mine not only taught me, but explained why she did things a certain way.
I try to do the same with my children and they often surprise me with their skills and knowledge. My teens bake and can make some dishes that they especially like, including pizza and avocado salad. My 8-year-old enjoys flipping pancakes. And I avoid making challah if no one is around to help.
Continue reading... December 25, 2009
Friday Roundup #22: Winter Holiday Edition
The eight-day holiday of Chanukah ended last Saturday. Kids have vacation from school, but my husband took my 8-year-old to visit my father-in-law for a week. For about two weeks my apartment felt like a revolving door, considering my guests and my kids’ schedules.
Continue reading... December 22, 2009
How to Make Patties from Anything and Everything
I read an article by a woman trying to get a recipe for the patties her European-born grandmother would make. The grandmother started by removing a covered plate of cooked zucchini from the refrigerator. The granddaughter tried to get down exact quantities with no success. The granddaughter just knew that the dish was delicious. She didn’t know that there was no set recipe and they were different each time.
Here is my guide to making patties. You can use fresh ingredients or pre-cooked. The basics are eggs, a filler like flour, breadcrumbs or oats, and flavorful meat, fish, vegetables, milk or cheese. The patties need to hold together.
Continue reading... December 20, 2009
10 Tips for Saving Money, Water and Energy with Your Dishwasher
It’s often said that dishwashers save water over washing by hand. I’m not convinced, because it’s possible to hand wash dishes using very little water. And dishwashers use more electricity, and require costly supplies. My mother never used hers because she found it too difficult to bend down to take dishes in and out. Still, they are convenient for most and I have ten tips for saving money and resources when you wash by machine.
Continue reading... December 18, 2009
Friday Roundup #21: Compost and Frugality
If you’re interested in gardening, check out my guest post at Life on the Balcony called Composting on the Balcony: The Easy Way to Environmental Virtue, also featured in the Festival of Frugality at Negotiation Board. You might remember Fern as the author of a guest post Grow a Kitchen Herb Garden to Save Money. […]
Continue reading... December 17, 2009
Oatmeal for Breakfast
My son went on a camping trip as part of a counselor-training course. He was amused that some children refused to eat cornflakes because no sugar was available. My son showed them that sugar was the second ingredient, but his friends said you can’t taste it.
Corn is a simple sugar and affects you in the same way that cane sugar does. Israeli researchers recently measured the immediate effect of different foods on heart function, and found only a slight difference between pure sugar and corn flakes.
You can get good quality dried cereals, but they are relatively expensive. Most contain added sugar and other additives. Know what you are paying for, and compare brands.
I rarely buy dried cereal anymore. It’s just not economical for a large family, when a box of cereal can disappear overnight because it’s too tempting as a snack. And let’s not talk about the milk, much of which ends up down the drain.
Instead, I buy instant and “whole” oatmeal a kilogram at a time.
Continue reading... December 16, 2009
Spanish Rice with Variations
Spanish rice doesn’t refer to a particular type of rice. It’s a cooking method. Instead of just cooking rice with water, you saute onions, add the rice, and brown it for a few minutes before continuing to cook. Spanish rice can be a side dish or a one-pot main course with the addition of meat or beans. My mother usually added an egg at the end for protein and to hold it together.
Continue reading... December 14, 2009
The Secret to Great Home Cooking
My friend, whose recipes have won prizes, once said to me, “You’re a great cook.” I was surprised at the compliment. “My mother was a great cook,’ I replied. “I just cook basic recipes.” It’s true. I don’t pore through cookbooks or seek out special ingredients like my friend does. I enjoy cooking, but I don’t want to spend all my time in the kitchen. “Yeah,” she replied. “But when you serve chicken, it’s moist and flavorful. Do you know how many people serve dry chicken?”
I’ve often thought about my friend’s comment.Tens of thousands of cookbooks, websites and courses teach people how to cook. Collecting recipes, experimenting with spices, techniques and food combinations are important. But if you, as a home cook, master only one thing, you will be ahead of the pack:
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