Creamy, slightly tart, plain yogurt is a wonderful thing. We eat it mixed with fresh fruit or muesli, drizzled with honey or sprinkled with sugar for breakfast. Yogurt can also be whipped with garlic,...
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If you drink wine, from time to time you'll have some bottles that weren't finished and the wine isn't good for drinking anymore. Don't throw those dregs away! Make some homemade wine...
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Popcorn kernels are not readily available in our little corner of France. Recently I stumbled across a big bag at the store and excitedly bought it, took it home, and.... didn't know what to do!...
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Need softened butter for your recipe and forgot to take it out of the refrigerator early enough? No problem. Put it into a bowl (take the wrapper off first), cut it into 1-tablespoon pieces -- see...
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Found this video featuring food photographer Ed Gowans -- he's from Portland and I first came across his photos in The Berry Bible: With 175 Recipes Using Cultivated and Wild, Fresh and Frozen...
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Being a good cook means knowing how to use up every bit of usable food product that comes into the kitchen. Broccoli is one such item that can be utilized in its entirety. To cut up broccoli for...
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On Saturday, we have a community event and I need to bring food for at least a hundred people. No problem, I'm used to cooking for the multitude, that's just family and friends. I've...
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Here's another tip if you are like me who buys in bulk but more often than not cooks for one. When buying fruits and vegetables, try to purchase them in varying degrees of ripeness. You don't...
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It's November and in a very, very short while, the holidays are upon us! Pretty soon, our kitchens will be crammed with every imaginable food. Fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, confections, cookies...
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The other day, a friend mentioned how she loved tea but stopped taking it after her dentist asked her if she smoked because of teeth stains. Well yes, tea does stain. It contains tannic acid....
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Yes, I'm still in a baking frenzy but no, this item is not just for baking. It is also very useful for other housekeeping purposes. Also known as sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda...
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I've always thought this practice was common until a friend asked me how I make use of leftover spaghetti. Hmmm... I told her that I eat it much later. Well, I am really not that averse to eating...
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Every now and then we mention how only low heat is needed when cooking eggs, such as when poaching, frying and making some custard. In brothy soups, eggs should only be dropped towards the end of...
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Herbs almost as good as fresh in the dead of winter? Of course we should be thinking of those things right now, what with September just around the corner. Although I eat seasonal, an abundance of...
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I had friends over for lunch last weekend. Since they specifically requested a light lunch, we just had a salad and fish. One of my visitors remarked that the fish were so fresh he thought I had gone...
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One favourite childhood memory I have is waking up on summer mornings with one of my aunties frying up an omelette especially for me. Her creations, no matter what the filling, never failed to make...
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Nuts are a healthy source of protein, B vitamins and minerals. I buy them by the tub to serve when there's company. They're a better snack alternative - healthier than candies or pastries....
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Summer season is the perfect time for indulging on fruits. Isn't it heavenly tasting that just-picked sweet berry from the basket? And those oranges! Not all of us however, are blessed with our...
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Pasta, pasta, who doesn't love pasta? Do you know that even to this day, in many italian homes when the menfolk come home from work, instead of saying "I'm home!" they say...
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Over the weekend, I had to make some lime sorbet for a big affair. There was the lime juice, the zest, some syrup and water. Before churning the ice cream maker, I tasted the mixture. It was fine, a...
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Many recipes call for peeled tomatoes. Red sauce pasta, chicken stew - I like them peeled for salsa. Same goes for our home-made tomato sauce recipe. Removing the skin and de-seeding the tomato makes...
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Carbo-loading is a habit I've never shaken off years after I need it i.e. the college judo varsity. The mere thought of pasta, bread, and rice makes me hungry. Potatoes are known to call me with...
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