Taking a break...

I'm taking a break from this blog now. It's just not getting the viewer-ship I had planned on at the beginning of the year. Thanks to you loyal readers but 27 viewers in February so far is just not gonna cut it. Instead I'll focus on my book projects.

Ever Leave Your Cart Behind?

If you're like me at all, I bet there have been a few times where you've been exasperated enough to leave your grocery cart, picked items still inside, and leave the store. This usually happens when I can't find a main ingredient for that night's recipe. Don't think too badly of me...I always return perishables to the shelf and I never leave meat that the butcher or fish monger has wrapped. But when I want to fix...say...seared ahi with a sesame wasabi sauce and I find out they don't have any ahi...Arrrrggggghhhh! It's especially frustrating when I have everything else I need, already in the cart.

Simple solution to my (our) problem. Before you enter the store, look at your list and decide what is the hardest (most likey to be out of stock) thing to find. Start with that. If you don't find it, you can (a) change your menu for that night or (b) go to another store. Since I started this, I don't think I've left any shopping carts behind. And as a former bag boy, I'm sure the store appreciates not having to de-shop or un-shop or whatever we used to call it.

The Beans are Always Greener...

Here's a real quick tip.  Ever wonder why the green beans look SO good in your local Chinese restaurant?  Fresh and green...really green.  Do your's look as good or do they turn an avocado green color by the time you get them to the plate?  I was sitting in a Dim Sum restaurant with a friend who happen to be Chinese.  She was training me on Dim Sum (which is a whole other story) and I asked her, "How do they get their beans to look SO green?"  Her answer:  They put oil in the water.  It's that simple.  2 or 3 tablespoons of oil in your pot of water will give you that fresh green color.  Vegetable oil will do...no need to waste that extra virgin olive oil.  Try it and you'll see it makes the green beans tastier looking.

Get Your (gadget) Freak On!

I was with a friend not long ago and we drove past a Bed, Bath, and Beyond store.  He says, "I'm such a kitchen gadget freak!", to which I responded:

Do you have a melon baller?" ...No
Do you have an asparagus peeler? ...No
Do you have a cherry pitter? ...No
Do you have a strawberry huller? ...No
Do you have a mango slicer? ...No
Do you have a shrimp de-veiner? ...No

Hmmmm?  I guess he isn't as big a kitchen gadget freak as I am.  The thing to ask yourself before you buy a "kitchen gadget" is...will I use it more that once?  In my case the strawberry huller and the cherry pitter allow me to cook both sweet and savory dishes with beautiful fruit.  I was too lazy before to deal with the preparation of berries and cherries.  The melon baller I use mostly for putting a few shallow holes in my zucchini  before I barbecue them.  I fill the holes with butter and garlic.  The mango slicer was meant for Africa but when I got there I realized that their mangos are twice the size of ours...wasted purchase.

The best gadget I have by far is probably the most obscure...the asparagus peeler.  If you're like me you're always looking for the smallest (around) asparagus because it's the most tender.  With an asparagus peeler you no longer have to worry about that.  You'll be looking for the bigger (around) asparagus because (a) they're tender and tasty after you've peeled them and (b) they are usually less expensive in the stores.  Peel some asparagus, salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, put on the BBQ grill and enjoy.  Make a salad with them if you want by adding hardboiled egg, bacon, and a nice sherry vinaigrette dressing.

Some gadgets can make cooking even more fun.  Remember, if there's something you DON'T enjoy doing in the kitchen, there's probably a gadget to make it easier...except for doing the dishes.  "Hey kids?  Wanna play kitchen gadget after dinner?"  LOL

Red-Eye Crock Butt?

Don’t throw out that unused coffee in your pot! Ever had a really good pulled pork sandwich? It’s expensive to buy one at a place like Armadillo Willy’s. I love smoking my own pork butt (shoulder roast) but since returning to the U.S. I haven’t replaced my smoker. The other day I had an idea. Want to get that pulled pork butt flavor without going to the trouble of smoking it all day long? Maybe it’s too cold to deal with the outdoors? I have a great recipe from a book called "Smoke and Spice" by Jamison called “Red-Eye Butt”.

The recipe is made for smoking but I discovered that you can take the same recipe using strong coffee, molasses, and cider vinegar and convert it to a very easy crock pot recipe. Put the exact same ingredients inside the crock pot set it for 10 hours before you go to work and come home to a tender pork shoulder roast that will fall off the bone and be ready for shredding with a fork. Just spread the shredded pork out on a cutting board, salt and pepper and serve on buns with barbecue sauce. It’s a super easy meal for about the price of one pulled pork plate at Armadillo Willy's or Dickeys.

Old Spice?...Scatter It Like Grandpa’s Ashes

Did you know that spices expire?  Yes…after months on a shelf, spices will lose their flavor and become not much more than edible dust.  Put it in your meals and you’ll have…well…dusty meals. LOL  McCormick has a great web page called “How Old Are Your Spices?”  It’s worth a quick glance.  I especially liked #4…If it’s a tin, it’s at least 15 years old.  I can’t tell you how many tins I dug out of my Mom and Dad’s pantry the other day.  But my rule of late has been, “If it won’t kill them, I won’t throw it away.”  So those tins are still sitting in the pantry, albeit out of reach.

My advice, go out and buy new bottles of the spices you use on a regular basis.  If you need to, do it over time.  When you use a spice that looks old, leave it on your counter to remind you for your next shopping trip.

The absolute best way to do spices is always in seed/pod/whole form.  It takes a lot longer for these to go flavorless.  So cinnamon sticks are better than ground cinnamon, coriander seeds better than ground coriander, cumin seeds better than ground cumin, whole cloves…  Well you get the idea.

“What do I do with cinnamon sticks when I need ground cinnamon?”, you ask?  Well…you grind them…and the easiest way I‘ve found to do this is to buy a separate coffee grinder just for spices.  Throw the whole form spice in and hit the grinder button and you have the freshest ground cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, etc. you can get.  You’ll need to experiment a bit with volume…like how much stick cinnamon makes a teaspoon?  You will however, be surprised at the strong, aromatic spice that results.


So toss those old spice tins...but check eBay first.  If they're really old, they may be worth something. Ha Ha

Omelet du Damaage?

This will be a short one. It has to do with something I learned today. If you're trying to learn how to flip an omelet "chef" style (in the air) then always start with twice the amount of eggs you want to eat. Today I started with a two egg omelet and ended with a one egg omelet. The stove top devoured the other half. A little practice never hurts before trying to impress your company. The problem is, I've been practicing for awhile and still lose a lot of eggs to the trash. I hear practicing with tortillas works pretty well.

So I can't flip an omelet... Well at least I can de-bone a chicken.

Convert “Healthy” to “Good Tasting”

My sister in law works as a nurse for the elderly.  She cooks meals for my mother in law every week.  If you taste one of these meals, unless you’re 80, you’ll find them quite bland.  But don’t be fooled, she is a good cook.  Her recipes just need some slight modifications in my humble opinion.  That’s the case for a lot of health conscious people.  I’ll bet every one of us has at least one recipe book called “Healthy Eating” or “Cooking for Health” or something of the sort.  One I have on my shelf is called “Joan Lunden’s Healthy Cooking”.  Like my SIL, Joan’s recipes just need some slight modification to make them tasty…probably not as healthy as Joan’s but tasty.  You can see a meatloaf recipe below complete with my modifications.  The premise is basic.  Ground turkey (I hate that crap!) is substituted with a mix of ground beef, pork, and lamb.  Skim milk (I hate that crap!) is substituted with heavy cream.  Egg whites (WTH?) are substituted with a whole egg (go figure).  What results is one of the best recipes for meatloaf recipes ever.  Don’t thank me, thank Joan Lunden.  Remember, unless you’re baking, there’s no reason to leave ingredients you hate in a recipe...or ingredients you love out of one.

Empanada...the forbidden dance...err...dessert.

Sometimes you just gotta go out.  Those of you who are as old as me will remember a time when government didn’t infringe upon our rights to kill ourselves with fast food.  Do remember the time when McDonald’s served fries deep fried in oil that made them taste good?  Do you remember when they used to serve hot (albeit very bad) coffee?  How about those wonderful deep fried turnovers; apple which usually ended up with you peeling the skin off the roof of your mouth and cherry with which you were lucky to avoid any broken teeth due to pits.  Ah those apple pies…dripping with grease…and flavor!  Now they are these mushy, cake-like, tasteless carbo bombs.  To me, food is like go karting…if you can’t hurt yourself with it, it’s not worth doing.  So here’s a tip for all you who miss those days when food was meant to enjoy; not be a healthy, dietary supplement to your day. 

Today I had a Caramel Apple Empanada at Taco Bell.  It inspired this blog and gave me a flashback to better culinary times (if you can call a deep fried turnover culinary).  This thing was awesome…a heart attack in a crispy turnover shell.  Go to Taco Bell and have one…just don’t have one for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.  And don’t even think about suing me for recommending it.  If you don’t know fast food is bad for you by now, have a nice life…until you’re 58.  The Taco Bell Caramel Apple Empa-freakin-great-nada!  The other, other, other white meat. LOL

Beurre Manie…It’s Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

Ever hear this? “Mom, where’s the gravy?” Especially around the holidays with servings of mashed potatoes, is there any excuse to NOT serve gravy? Well actually there is and it’s usually the fact that you were working against the clock and the gravy would have been to thin to serve anyway. Still, what’s the point of a mashed potato volcano without the gravy?


Here’s a little trick (I assume the French invented it but would probably not approve of it's use anymore); buerre manie (pronounced burr man yay…you can add a bit of snootiness if you want) which translates roughly as “hand butter”. Every one has thickened a sauce, soup or stew using flour or Wondra. But that method leaves the gravy tasting of raw flour. Maybe the volcano maker won’t notice but the other family and guests will. Beurre manie is a simple concoction of equal parts by weight of butter and flour. Notice I said by “weight”. I’m not an expert but why I believe this method works so well is that the flour has time to absorb the butter and the heat from your hands while making it helps. Just put the flour and butter into a bowl and get your hands in there and mix it. After a good mix, the buerre manie should be pliable enough to roll into small balls (about ½ the size of a ping pong ball). These beurre manie balls can be refrigerated or frozen in a sealed container and brought out in an emergency; like when your husband is carving the turkey and you have 5 minutes to make a gravy out of the drippings. Drop one or two into your drippings or stock and boil away quickly. The beurre manie dissolves and thickens the sauce like magic.


One more thing…kids love making it. They love to get their hands dirty and form the little balls. Just make sure their hands aren’t dirty before. LOL It’s a great family project for a rainy afternoon and if they mess it up, who cares? Start the fun over again. Isn't it worth a stick of butter to see them have so much fun?

Spin Class for the Poor

OK, so you don’t have to be poor to follow this advice.  Maybe you just don’t have room on the shelf for another kitchen gadget?  The gadget I’m talking about is a salad spinner.  If you don’t know what one is, it’s a spinner to get the water off your lettuce after you wash it.  And yes, even bagged lettuce needs to be washed unless you enjoy salmonella and e. coli.  On that pleasant thought…  A salad spinner works great and keeps your salads crisp and fresh…no standing water on the bottom of the bowl.  It also works great with herbs like parsley and cilantro when you’ve washed it and need to chop it dry. 

The problem is, a salad spinner is about the size of a large cooking pot.  Simple solution…use a pillow case.  Go out and buy yourself a pillow case that will be dedicated to kitchen greens only.  Please don’t take the pillowcase from the guestroom and use that.  You can buy specialized bags from gourmet markets too but a simple white pillowcase will do the same thing.  Put your lettuce, parsley, cilantro, whatever inside then step out your back door and swing that thing around.  The greens will come out like they just…well…went through a salad spinner.  When you’re finished, turn it inside out and let it dry.  Then fold it up and put it in a drawer for next time.  When you need to wash it, do it in the sink with dishwashing liquid, not the washing machine.  Try it and enjoy your better tasting salads!

Quick and Easy Apricot Pepper Glaze

Here’s is a quick recipe that you can use for pork loin or chicken. Sure you can buy this in the store but, as always, it’s better and cheaper if you make it yourself. But a jar of apricot jam (you can substitute any jam you want if you don’t like apricot…weirdo…jk). While you’re there buy a red jalapeño and a green jalapeño. And if you don’t stock vodka make an appointment with your psychiatrist and then buy a bottle.

1 jar apricot jam (any jam will do)
1 red jalapeño
1 green jalapeño
10 whole peppercorns
½ shot of vodka

Dice the jalapeños and place in bowl with the peppercorns and vodka. Stir in the jam and return to jar and refrigerate if not using immediately. You should be able to fit almost all the jam back in the original jar. Eat the rest if you want but spit out the peppercorns. Make sure you label the jar so your 6-year-old doesn’t make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with it. If he does…milk or yogurt, stat!

This makes a great glaze for a pork loin or roast chicken. Apply liberally a few times during cooking.

Music to listen to while preparing this:

Goats du Roam?

I promised to make this blog international so here’s a subject for my Kenyan friends that can also be applied to parts of the world where goat is not a staple meat.  For you non-goat eaters, just substitute lamb. 

When I was in Kenya I fell in love with goat.  Especially roasted it makes a delicious meal and depending where you go, a fabulous experience.  If you like roasted goat plain, you’ll love roasted goat with a little flair.  Try this…  Before you put your goat on the barbeque, rub it down (yes I mean like massage it) with a mixture of chopped garlic, chopped rosemary, salt and pepper.  If you like it, add mint to the rub mixture. 

Now a trick for the garlic lovers out there.  Slice your garlic into slivers and then stab some small holes into the side of the leg of goat.  Slide your garlic slivers into the holes before roasting. 

Since we’re on the subject…  We don’t do a lot of personal raising of farm animals but it is quite common in Kenya, to raise your goats and slaughter them immediately before roasting.  I have argued this point with Kenyans but have not convinced anyone to my knowledge.  If I knew I was slaughtering a goat next week, I would feed that goat tons of garlic and rosemary and mint.  I know the meat would take on the flavor of the herbs the goat was eating.  Don’t believe me (and I know you won’t)??  Eat a lot of garlic for dinner and then smell your sweat the next day.  Do you smell the garlic coming out of your pores?  I thought so. 

Goat meat source for Californians: http://www.hhranchca.com/

Music To Cook By...?

That’s Not What Your Cardamom Said Last Night!

Cardamom…the forgotten spice? If you dig far enough into your pantry you’ll probably find an old spice bottle or tin full of cardamom and wonder, “Did I ever use this stuff?” Let me share a few things with you. First, that bottle or tin probably needs to be thrown out. If you open it and smell it and it smells like dust, it’s gone. That whole fresh spice thing is another blog though. Second, it is used frequently in Indian foods. Third, it’s expensive! (about $12 a bottle for ground cardamom) I haven’t done a complete investigation but cardamom rates right up there with Saffron as far as cost. Not to worry. I’m talking about if you walk into Safeway or Lucky’s it’s expensive. If you search a bit for an Indian or Asian market near you, you’ll find it’s much more affordable. If you travel through Dubai by any chance…pick it up there. If at all possible, buy it whole and grind it yourself. I prefer “green cardamom” to the regular brown cardamom. I think it has more aroma and flavor. You can find recipes that include this exotic spice here. It can be used in pod form with cinnamon sticks and saffron for a nice aromatic rice or it can be used in ground form to make a nice, spicy pulao (Indian rice). Whether you’re making fresh bread, curry, lamb or chicken, if you’re tired of the same old-same old try using cardamom in your next meal.  Try grinding it (1T cardamom, 2T cumin, 1/2t cinnamon, 1/2t nutmeg and maybe one star anise) for a good pulao spiced rice.

This just in…cardamom at Whole Foods is $42 per pound.  Don’t worry, you won’t need a pound and that’s a pretty good price.  But, I just found it at Peet’s Coffee (of all places) for $6.95 a bottle.  Also a good price.  And the comparison with saffron?  Whole Foods: Cardamom = $42 lb., Saffron = $15,000 lb.  Yes that's 15 with three zeros.

Change of Heart...

You'll see I changed my "Donations" strategy.  Now 100% of your donations (less my PayPal fee) will go to orphanages and group homes in Kenya.  It's still a "keep me writing" thing because if I can give back a little I feel good about continuing the writing effort here.  Thanks for reading!

My fun with a new toy...

I wasn't scheduled to blog today but I couldn't resist this one. I had so much fun this week with a new toy; my new Seal-A-Meal. If any of you cook for one you know that (a) finding one portion packages is hard and (b) it's expensive. This week with the help of a Target gift card from my friends, I purchased a Seal-A-Meal and then promptly headed out for Costco and spent about $80 on a variety of meats. I bought catfish, salmon, pork loin, sausages even bleu cheese. Then I came home and began to divide the meat into individual portions. I figure now I have about 20 meals waiting in the freezer. That's $4 per. Not bad. Unlike our government, I can actually "spend money to save money."

They make a bunch of different type of food savers including one brand called...err...Food Saver. They come in hand held and counter top models. I bought my counter top (but easily stored in cupboard) model because it was $49.99 and I had a $50 gift card.

Finally, my other pet peeve is buying fresh herbs only to use once and then throw away. I'm currently experimenting with Thyme, Sage, Rosemary (but Rosemary got away...just kidding) and Dill. So far, so good but I'll let you know how they turn out as I use them.

Link to the Seal-a-Meal device on the carousel (left).

No Smoking Inside! Baloney!

A while ago I discovered a kitchen device that I pull out happily a few times each year. Again with the smoking Denny? Yes. Especially with smoked fish like trout or salmon it’s overkill to fire up the outside smoker for a 15-20 minute cook time. This stovetop smoker is the answer to a quick and easy smoked fish. You can use it for other things too but I like what it does for a trout. You can put the in whole fish or two or three (cleaned of course), drop in some wood chips and smoke away for like 20 minutes. Make sure you use a light wood like alder for the smoke. Hickory or Mesquite will overwhelm the fish. The result…a nice brown on the outside, smoky on the inside fish.     Your house may smell a little smoky for a few minutes but, is that a bad thing? I like this smoker so much, it was one of the cooking implements I did not give away but rather carried it with me to Kenya and back. I think it cost about $45. it puts smoke flavor into meat so fast I’m thinking that that pork butt recipe could be finished well with about 5 minutes in the stovetop smoker. That’s the time for the hickory or mesquite. You can buy the wood chips at any good barbecue store or use the link below.

Secret Gourmet Store?

I love a bargain. I think deep down inside, we all do. The thrill of finding a $5.00 bottle of Chilean Cabernet that tastes as good as that $30 bottle of Rombauer...doesn't that feel good? Well we're not talking about wine here but I found a place that you most likely wouldn't think of when you go shopping for specialty items. Here goes...TJ Maxx. Do you even know they carry food? I didn't. But in the kitchen section there is at least one row of shelves with some great bargains. I've been the the one in Fremont, San Jose, and Dublin and they're all great for gourmet bargain hunters. You can find exotic spices like pink Himalayan salt and saffron. There are even fancy bottled waters there. But the highlight of my trips to TJ Maxx are the oils and vinegars. They have wonderful olive oils that are much less expensive than if you went to a "normal" store. They also have a great selection of balsamic vinegar. I found a bottle of aged balsamic vinegar from Modena (that's where the Ferrari factory is) that can be used as a dip or even in some wild desserts. That small bottle retails for $16 but can be had at TJ Maxx for around $7. There have been a couple of nights lately where I've been tempted to just eat bread with olive oil and vinegar...and did. What else? I found a large bottle of grapeseed oil which is good for you and has a higher smoke point than olive oil (meaning you can cook at higher temperatures with it).

One tip I will give you is that olive oil does not last forever. So, to make sure you're getting the best, buy a bottle with darker glass or even better, covered with paper. That way the chances of sun damage are much less. Mine was wrapped in brown paper and tasted great.

Finally, if anyone ever sees a recipe from Jamie Oliver for berry crumble made with basil and balsamic vinegar, please send it to me. I saw it on TV once but have not been able to find it since.

Enjoy the kitchen section of TJ Maxx...I do.  ...and don't worry, the clientele of TJ Maxx is nothing like the people of Walmart.  LOL

Kuku Wa Kupaka (Guest Blog)

This past weekend we were treated to two days and nights at Sweetwaters Tented Camp (which is nothing like camping – the tents are totally luxurious.) We had a wonderful, restful time and ate some great food.  Hugs and kisses to the very special ladies who so generously gave us this gift. 

The last night we were there they did a Kenyan night and served foods from the different areas and tribes.  My favorite dish comes from the coast – Mombasa.   Here is the recipe:

Kuku wa kupaka (Chicken in coconut sauce) *

2 - 3 lbs of chicken cut into pieces

1 tsp. garlic paste

1 tsp. ginger paste

1 Tbs. Oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Marinade chicken pieces in garlic, ginger, lemon & oil mixture for 1 to 2 hours.

1 Tbs. oil or butter

1 finely chopped onion

1 finely chopped tomato

1 finely chopped fresh green chili

2 cups coconut milk

½ tsp. turmeric

1 Tbs. salt (or to taste)

½ cup chopped cilantro (or to taste)

Sauté onion in oil or butter; add chopped tomato, chili, coconut milk, turmeric, and salt. Stir over medium-low heat until sauce thickens.  Set aside.

Roast chicken in an oven for 10 – 15 minutes until cooked.  Place chicken in a casserole dish and pour the sauce over it.  Return to oven for 10 minutes.  Take from oven and garnish with chopped cilantro.  Serve with rice or chapatti.

Pilau...and how

From my favorite Kenyan chef comes this Pilau recipe.  First, let me say that unless you're East African or Indian you may not be familiar with this unique flavor.  Do the "keeper" or "non-keeper" test with your family after making this; thumbs up or down...no hurt feelings!

The great thing about pilau (or pulau) is that you can make it with almost any meat. Chicken, beef, shrimp, or even mushrooms will do just fine.  I even made it with hot dogs once to prove a point to the kids that there WAS food in the house.  I like to cut the meat into bite sized pieces and brown first.  However, you can just add the raw meat to the rice while cooking for a more stewed effect.  Do this recipe once and you'll probably not have to follow the recipe again.  Don't hesitate to experiment with raisins, dried cranberries, peppers, cilantro, etc.

Spice:
1 1/2 T ground cumin*
1T ground cardamom*
1/2 t ground cinnamon*
1/2 t ground cloves*
1/2 t ground pepper*
* This will always be better when you grind the spices yourself but ground spice can be found on the shelves.

I have a "secret ingredient" I use in mine.  And in fact a couple of you will be receiving my fresh ground pilau seasoning as a gift for following me.  In the long run I may sell the pilau spice on this site for $8.99 + shipping. If you want to buy right now click this link and send me $14.00 Don't forget to include your address in the notes.

Rice Mix:
1 1/2 C rice
3 C water
2 carrots (medium dice)
2 tomatoes (cut into bit sized pieces)
1 onion (chopped)
1 celery stalk (sliced 1/4")
Liberal amount of olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in pan and add meat and brown for about 5 minutes.  Add onions then carrots then celery and cook for about 3 minutes.  Tomatoes next and also for about 3 minutes.  Then add rice until coated with oil and fry for about 2 minutes.  Add the spice mix and cook for an additional 1 minute stirring constantly.  Add water all at once and bring to a rolling boil. Then turn the pot down to a simmer, cover and leave covered for about 20 minutes.  If you're doing this with shrimp or mushrooms, add these after the rice has been simmering about 15 minutes so they only cook for 5 minutes.  When the water is absorbed, the pilau should be ready.  If it is still too boil it off stirring constantly.  Don't forget to taste and salt/pepper accordingly.  You will taste the spice but a little salt will really bring it out. 

The chef constantly reminds me to use a lot of oil.  I start with 5 or 6 tablespoons but do what you are comfortable with.

Enjoy this and if you get the thumbs up, you have another recipe for your repertoire.

Did Your Stock Market Crash?

Someone once told me that the difference between really good restaurant food and the stuff you cook at home is all about the stock.  And, by the way, stock is not that hard to make.  It is a long process but one like a crock pot.  Once you’ve started it, it’s pretty hands off for several hours…even overnight.  I won’t get into recipes with you here but here is a link from epicurious.com with a stock recipe for you.  There are a few tips I will give you:

• Stock is a long process but mostly hands off.
• Always start with cold water…bones in…cold water on top.
• Always break or chop the bones you make your stock with (for marrow).
• Bring it to a very slight simmer…you will be leaving it for several hours so no need to boil.
• Never stir the stock.
• Skim the top of “stock scum” with a spoon.
• When the level gets low, just add more water.
• When finished, strain it once with a colander and once through cheese cloth.  The stock should not be cloudy at all.
• When it’s done, it should have a mild flavor of chicken or beef…it won’t taste like soup to you (no salt…not thick), nor should it.
• It freezes well so make a ton and buy a couple of freezer proof containers to store it in.

There are variations to stock and you really can’t go wrong with your ingredients.  Stock can be made from chicken, beef, vegetables, veal, fish, shrimp, etc.  It really depends on what your taste buds dictate.  Try the traditional recipes and then do something exotic like using lemon grass, star anise and cinnamon for a good Vietnamese pho noodle stock.

Try making stock once and you’ll be sold.  I still occasionally use the store bought organic broth but there is not comparison with the home made stock.  It is far superior. 

Food Nation Inspiration

Do you ever feel like you’re in a rut when it comes to cooking?  Ever hear “Spaghetti again?” from your family members?  Then it’s time for some inspiration.  It’s pretty easy to find inspiration almost anywhere you look.  I find that television is a great place.  There are so many food shows on TV now that it would be hard to not find a show you like. 

For the reality people there are shows like “Hells Kitchen” (is Gordon Ramsay great or what?), “Master Chef” and “Iron Chef America” (although too much Bobby Flay and not enough Cat Cora IMHO).

For the more adventurous, don’t miss “No Reservations”, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”, and “Man v. Food”.

Looking for instructional TV shows?  Try “Chef at Home” (this guy has a pantry to die for), “Nigella Kitchen” (no health food here...just a BW that gets into her food), “Ten Dollar Dinners” (frugal and fun...can you do it too?), or “Chinese Food Made Easy” (easy Chinese and what a cutie!).

Note: I’m giving you some obvious shows and some not-so-obvious ones.  Many of these can be streamed from YouTube or Hulu.

If you’re more of a reader, you can’t beat Gourmet or Bon Appetit or (for those of you in Kenya) Tupike. The pictures are great inspiration.  Don’t let them intimidate you.  Often the recipes are easier than you think.

If you want to get up close and personal with your food, visit Whole Foods Market (my all time favorite) or Ranch 99 (one of my new favorites).  Even Trader Joe’s can be a great place to wander around.  It’s OK to shop impulsively as long as you don’t (a) buy for more than one day and (b) go to the market hungry.

Well I could write a blog on every one of these links above but I promised to be succinct.  I hope some of these suggestions inspire you.  Don’t forget to cook a little bit outside your comfort zone.  What’s the worst that can happen?  In my family we have just two ratings; “keeper” and “not a keeper”.  There are too many recipes to keep a marginally reviewed dish.  Take a vote and don’t get your feelings hurt.  Enjoy!