Tag: Cooking

Posted in #allrecipes

How to Create Perfect Cheeseboards Year-Round

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Let’s start with an apology. We’re sorry we didn’t bring this hack to you back in November. This was before all the holiday cheese boards and charcuterie boards. Trust us, if we had known about this trick back then, we would have shared it with you. 

Fortunately, cheese isn’t just a holiday food. It is everyday food for many of us. There are always occasions to make cheeseboards. Some occasions include birthdays and anniversaries. Valentine’s Day, an Oscar party, and the big bowl game are other examples. Even an average Tuesday is a good time, to name a few.

If you always volunteer to bring the cheese to an event, you should know about this trick. You like your cheese boards to look professional with uniform slices.

How to Use a Fork to Uniformly Slice Cheese

This viral cheese-cutting tip that spread.the.grub posted on Instagram is so simple and so genius. 

Here’s how it works. Grab a dinner fork (any regular old dinner fork). Grab your block of cheese. This trick seems like it would work best with a semi-hard cheese such as Cheddar, Gouda, Swiss, or provolone. It wouldn’t work very well with a soft goat cheese or Brie that isn’t easily sliceable. Hard cheeses, such as Grana Padana or Parmesan, would probably crumble under the knife. 

But for those cheeses that are cut into slices cleanly, this method will make easy work out of uniformity.

Allrecipes

Posted in #allrecipes

25 Easy Winter Dishes for Cozy Nights

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

You’re in the thick of winter’s chilly embrace. After a long day, all you want is to enjoy a warm, satisfying meal. You desire to curl up under a blanket and spend quality time with loved ones. You’re craving something simply scrumptious. However, you’re not in the mood for time-consuming activities like seasoning, marinating, chopping, mincing, pureeing, or frying. These are activities you might normally enjoy on the weekends. Your goal: a warm, comfy, easy night at home.

Well, you’re in luck because we’ve rounded up 25 of the tastiest easy-to-make winter dishes. We made sure to include soul-nourishing dishes from an array of culinary traditions. Whether you’re craving spicy aromatic Indian, traditional Italian, mouthwatering Mexican, or classic American, we have recipes for each. Each one is sure to hit the spot on your cozy winter night in.

Allrecipes

Find more recipes like this on my companion blog, “Good Food, Good Meat, Good God, Let’s Eat!”

Posted in Book Tours

The Ultimate Make-Ahead Cookbook

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Make-ahead cookbook meals just got freezer friendly—now even more convenient.

Make-ahead cookbook meals let you spend more time with your family and less time cooking. The Ultimate Make-Ahead Cookbook gives you delicious recipes for amazing meals that freeze well, so you can make them when you have time and eat them when you don’t.

Just an hour or two with this make-ahead cookbook is all you need to prepare an entire week’s worth of fresh, homemade meals that your family will love. Two different techniques show you how to save time and money by creating several meals all at once. The batch cooking method takes just an extra 15 minutes to make four meals instead of one, while the prep now/cook later method is a super simple way to get a whole week’s worth of meals into the freezer.

This make-ahead cookbook includes:

  • Ready fast—You’ll always be just a few minutes away from a delicious meal with 125 tasty recipes like Chicken Enchilada Casserole and Sweet Thai Chili Sausages.
  • Planned ahead—Complete meal plans give you step-by-step instructions to prepare mouthwatering meals for a weekend with company or big family feasts.
  • Cook for everyone—Color-coded labels make it a snap to choose recipes for dietary restrictions, and easy-to-read nutritional info means you know exactly what you’re preparing.

Start prepping today and have a freezer full of ready-to-go meals whenever you want them with this make-ahead cookbook.

Continue reading “The Ultimate Make-Ahead Cookbook” →
Posted in Cookbooks

Ramen Obsession: The Ultimate Bible for Mastering Japanese Ramen

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

“Ramen enthusiasts will be delighted by the regional recipes that any home cook can master with ease while learning about its history and origins.” ―Alice Currah, host of PBS’s Kitchen Explorers

Nothing quite compares to the simple pleasure of slurping up a piping hot bowl of delicious ramen. This cookbook provides you with the traditions, tools, and tips you need to start making flavorful and filling ramen right at home.

What sets this ramen cookbook apart:

  • The history of the bowl—Discover the origins of ramen, regional variations, modern-day interpretations, and more.
  • Learn the six steps—Build an unparalleled bowl by learning how to make each critical component: broth, tare (seasoning sauce), aromatic oils and fats, noodles, toppings, and a perfectly combined bowl.
  • 130 recipes to savor—You’ll learn to create a variety of ramen recipes that range from easy to challenging, such as Spicy Miso Tonkotsu Ramen with Ginger Pork, and Shoyu Ramen with Littleneck Clams, Scallions, and Butter.

Master creating savory bowls of ramen from scratch with this comprehensive Japanese cookbook.
“Ramen is one of the most delicious and comforting dishes in the world, but how to make the perfect bowl is often a mystery―Ramen Obsession nails it down. Being well-recognized editors, authors, and recipe developers Naomi Imatome-Yun and Robin Donovan demystify the process of making this highly personal and highly regional dish both lovingly and analytically at the same time. Whether you’re looking for traditional preparations or something more innovative, Naomi and Robin will teach you how to create the perfect bowl of ramen.” ―Akiko Katayama, host & producer of Japan Eats!

Amazon

Posted in From My Kitchen

The Prepper’s Ultimate Food Storage Guide

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Take emergency preparedness to the next level with this guide to storing and preserving healthy food for you and your family for a lifetime.

Be prepared for any catastrophe—whether a pandemic, natural disaster, or other grid-down situation—with this comprehensive food storage bible. It’s with advice from the best preppers on canning, dehydrating, stockpile maintenance, and shelf-stable cooking. This 4-in-1 book collection offers your one-stop-food-shop for everything you need to know, including:

  • Building a long-term stockpile on a budget
  • Must-have alternative cooking gear for grid-down living
  • How to dehydrate everything from meats to fruits and vegetables
  • Techniques for creative canning, from jams to entire entrees
  • Food-safety guidelines for safe meal-prep and storage
  • Hundreds of tasty recipes for nutritious meals
  • And much more

The Prepper’s Ultimate Food-Storage Guide is the self-reliant solution to a lifesaving food supply that will keep you and your family healthy for a lifetime. Stay safe, and stay prepared!

Amazon