Blog Posts from the Kitchen
Here are blog posts from the both of us (Alicia and Beverly).
Top 5 favorite foods to freeze
These frozen foods pay big dividends.
Mini tarts make impromptu entertaining easier
Laziest days of summer? It's a great time for hassle-free entertaining.
How do you cook with chard?
Do you cook with Swiss chard? Have to admit that it’s a new veggie for us!
Share your cocktail recipe and win a cookbook!
Send us your cocktail recipes and we'll enter your name in our drawing!
Chopped Margherita Salad is the best of both worlds!
This salad is a cross between a margherita pizza and a buffalo mozzarella salad -- with a little romaine thrown in for summer crunch.
Top 5: Tips for easy kitchen cleanup
Clean that kitchen even faster!
Rustic Sweet Onion Tart really delivers on flavor
The flavor of cooked onions is subtle yet distinct. If they’re going to be the main ingredient, you want to keep things simple so as not to compete.
Local Food and Local Knowledge with Liza Gyllenhaal: Herbs worth a mint for summer cooking
Windowsill herb pots sprout into a full-fledged garden in The Berkshires.
Appetizer pizza is a good excuse to party!
This appetizer pizza is essentially topped with a jazzed-up version of an old Junior League cookbook standby – artichoke dip.
Top 5: How to save with a shopping buddy
How to save $$ with a shopping buddy.
Pesto comes alive in this quick pasta dish with tomatoes and mushrooms
Need a simple, fresh dinner entree? Try this pesto pasta!
Watercress leaves it mark on our version of Cobb Salad
Watercress? Isn’t that the stuff British matrons use to decorate tea sandwiches?
Top 5 kitchen tools for under $10
Mighty and cheap tools of the trade.
How do you feel about beets? Love 'em or hate 'em?
We suspect that beets are one of those polarizing vegetables that you either love or loathe.
Our top 10 ways to use homemade pesto
Here are some nifty ways to use our homemade Classic Basil Pesto.
Top 5 pantry staples for summer
Make that summer pantry work for you!
Desperation Dinners readers eat up Shrimp Pasta Salad
This salad got raves from our newspaper readers. “I loved the brightness of flavor!,” wrote Ada Winters of Raleigh, N.C.
Freezer is your friend for summer savings
As the heat of summer sets in, we start focusing on our freezers -- a true friend for helping reduced food costs.
Quick-drying salad spinners are super
Salad spinners make quick work of drying not only salads, but basil leaves for pesto.
Fresh cherries? Not the pits anymore!
An inexpensive cherry pitter will transform your relationship to fresh cherries.
Gas or Electric? What's your preference?
A friend wants advice on which to go with as she remodels her kitchen.
Unbaked pizza dough is the secret to Stuffed Olive Bread
Stuffed Olive Bread is either a light dinner for four, or you can serve it to accompany soup or salad for a filling meal for six.
Old-Fashioned Snickerdoodles are great for any celebration!
There's just something about Snickerdoodles that make you smile.
Great solutions for stuffing manicotti shells
Pat Hoffmeister of Coppell, Texas, had a problem with stuffing her manicotti. Here are your answers!
Funky Food Art Promotes Healthy Eating
We love these funky posters made from vegetable collages by our friend and colleague Lee Svitak Dean.
What are your favorite quiche flavors?
Just about any way you make it, quiche is delicious!
Barbecued Pork Tenderloin with Seared Vegetables is great for Dad's Day
Here's a great Father's Day recipe that's great on the inside (sans grill, that is!)
Eat Me in Manhattan! Italian market offers food for body and soul
From Parmigiano Reggiano to Prosciutto di Parma, DiPalo's Fine Foods offers the best -- amazing gourmet Italian imports and first-rate conversation, too.
Hard to beat Fred's Red Barbecue Sauce!
If it seems like we’re pushing Fred’s Red Barbecue Sauce on you, well, we are. This is by far our favorite BBQ sauce, and it’s easy to make. Great with chicken or pork.
Local Food and Local Knowledge with Liza Gyllenhaal: Discovering your inner gardener
At its heart, gardening is the urge to add order and context to the landscape, to somehow harness and humanize the wild.
Concerned about mercury in fish? Here's an update
Here's an update on mercury in fish complete with a chart showing what's best to avoid and what's safe to eat.
Mini meatloaf burgers slide down just right!
Meatloaf Sliders are packed with flavor, but thanks to extra-lean ground beef, each mini burger has only 227 calories.
Rich chocolate custards are perfect for summer entertaining
No matter what your summer entertaining needs are, our recipe for Chocolate Custard with Chantilly Cream will impress the guests.
California Chicken Burgers are easy thanks to secret ingredients
California Chicken Burgers rely on some unlikely ingredients to make them especially easy.
Greek Potato Salad is delightfully different
We’re always in the mood to try something slightly different when it comes to salad with Greek influences.
Crock-Pot problems? We've got the answers for you!
Crock-Pots are hot, but not everybody loves them and not everybody trusts them. When we asked folks to share their slow-cooker hesitations, we got questions -- and answers!
"Burger" sliders get a makeover with chicken and herbs
Sliders are a great way to get your hamburger fix without going overboard. An even healthier version are these Herb Chicken Sliders.
Three-Cheese Mashed Potatoes are three times better!
Refrigerated mashed potatoes have come a long way since we started writing about them, but we still like to add our personal slant!
Feta, garlic and onion spice up Greek Meatballs
There’s nothing ordinary about homemade meatballs -- especially these Greek-inspired gems!
Creme custards hit the spot, with or without the fire!
We never thought we could turn out the creamy smooth crème custards you find in restaurants until we tried this.
Come celebrate Cinco de Mayo!
What are your favorite Mexican dishes to eat for Cinco de Mayo?
What's your favorite ingredient for salsa? We love avocado
What are your favorite types of salsa? Tell us at Kitchen Scoop!
Local Food and Local Knowledge with Liza Gyllenhaal: In praise of panko crumbs
Discovering the secrets of panko crumbs opens up a whole new world of recipes.
How do you like to prepare meatballs at home?
Homemade meatballs are a blank slate. What are your favorite flavorings?
And the Pillsbury Bake-Off Million-Dollar winner is...
Sue Compton wins the Pillsbury Bake-Off for her Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups!
We love Greek yogurt. Do you?
Sinfully rich Greek yogurt tastes great with no fat! Have you tried it yet?
And the Pillsbury Bake-Off category winners are….
Four contestants won $5,000 each last night at the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Can you guess which one will win the million dollars?!
Who says breakfast can't wait until dinner?
Do you ever serve breakfast for dinner? We'd love to hear your ideas!
Risotto in the microwave is easy to tweak. What flavors do you like?
Microwave risotto is really just a formula. What flavors do you like?
Yes Olivia, Nanny Edith's Sugar Cookies really are real!
Teaching your children where food comes from can be a sweet experience. Here's one reader's ideas.
By any name, this meat substitute hits the spot as a healthy alternative
Whether it’s labeled TVP (textured vegetable protein), TSP (texture soy protein) or “recipe crumbles” – this meat substitute works wonders.
We're looking for Sanity-Saving kitchen tips like this one!
What are your favorite tips for easy cooking? We're calling all entries!
Gotta love this creamy tomato soup!
We love this soup. It’s easy. It’s flexible. It tastes like something from a fancy bistro yet flies together in 10 minutes flat.
Cabbage and deli corned beef makes St. Patrick's easy
What do you usually eat on St. Patrick’s Day? Here's our favorite way easy menu solution.
Wild-caught vs. farm-raised salmon: Which to buy?
One of the more confusing food choices is whether to buy farmed or wild-caught salmon. We take a look at the pros and cons.
Lentil chili makes it easy to give up meat for a meal
If you’re trying to get more vegetarian dishes into your diet, Lentil Chili is a great place to start.
Paris bistro sparks a lifelong affair with duck recipes
As duck breasts began to make an appearance in specialty butchers, Guest Blogger Liza Gyllenhaal started to discover many delicious, easy, and mostly very quick recipes for preparing them at home.
New Crock-Pot Duo does double duty in the kitchen
We really like the new Crock-Pot Duo, which puts two separate cooker pots, side by side, in one base.
Greek Appetizer Soup Makes a Wonderful Main Event!
With only 20 minutes in the kitchen, you can enjoy this restaurant classic without leaving home.
Eat Me in Manhattan: Tea Party!
Put politics aside and stage your own Tea Party, Turkish style. Guest Blogger Umit Celebi points the way!
Kindly reminder: Beans' benefits bear repeating
So beans are cheap. Duh. But fast forward to your digestive system and they’re practically a miracle cure.
Valentine's Day just begs for red foods! What are your favorites?
Combining chocolate and the color red make for the perfect answer to Valentine entertaining.
One-Bowl Fudge* is perfect for a quick and easy Valentine that's sinfully rich!
What are your favorite variations on this quick and delicious One-Bowl Fudge?
Music matches the mood at Camille's in Key West
Florida restaurant's tunes send Debbie down memory's playlist.
Grilled Cheese Your Way: Updating a classic for modern tastes
There’s nothing better than a real, old-fashioned grilled cheese sandwich –- unless it’s a real, “New-Fashioned” Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
Take a Tour of Moroccan Cuisine with Guest Blogger Nisrine Merzouki
From a tagine of beef and vegetables to brewats with safron chicken, Moroccan cuisine is distinct and delicious. Guest Blogger Nisrine Merzouki leads the way.
Cooking for One or Two: A new challenge here on Kitchen Scoop
Cooking for one or two is a new challenge for us and we'd love to work together with our readers to come up with terrific recipes, ideas and tips. So come help us out!
Local Food and Local Knowledge with Liza Gyllenhaal: Sinless Sorbets
Local Food and Local Knowledge with Guest Blogger Liza Gyllenhaal: Low-fat -- dare we even call them healthy -- sorbets elevate a lonely ice cream freezer to star status.
Eat Me in Manhattan! Umit Says DiPaola Turkey Sausage Transforms Dinner
Guest Blogger Umit Celebi says: It's made by way of an old family secret, and this turkey sausage from DiPaola Farms is simply stunning.
What are your best tricks for aiding an aging memory? Debbie does the Pyramid game!
Can't remember names? It's not just you! Brains in folks over 50 have weak neural connections that handle information. Or so says the research.
Sweet Pea and Tomato Cupcakes? Yum!
One day Guest Blogger Sylvia Regalado found a recipe, a weird recipe, one which said, “Bake me, Sylvia. Bake me.” Could she? Should she? You bet your Sweet Pea and Tomato Cupcakes!
How do you cook for one or two in the Empty Nest?
Cooking for one or two people is often quite different from cooking for a whole family. We’re searching for recipes, tips and ideas for cooking, shopping and conserving – basically how to scale down in the kitchen and make fabulous meals for one or two.
Easy and healthy Edamame Soup is a hit with our readers!
Lots of people emailed to tell us how much they loved Edamame Soup.
Serving sweet potatoes that aren't so sweet!
We’ve longed for a way to serve sweet potatoes without all of the sugar. Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette is perfect!
The Kitchen Diva: Angela Medearis talks about Christmas food, faith and family
Guest Blogger Angela Shelf Medearis, The Kitchen Diva, writes about food, family and faith for the holidays.
Recipe ideas for a special Christmas breakfast
From Eggnog French Toast to Pumpkin Pancakes, we've got Christmas breakfast covered!
Does anybody still have dinner parties anymore?
Are you giving any dinner parties this holiday season? Have you been invited to any? What did you serve or eat?
What are your favorite foods to fix for a potluck?
Holiday season means “Potluck Party Season” for us, but we expect it to be even more true with this year’s economy.
Local Food and Local Knowledge: Best Christmas cookie on Earth is heaven sent
Guest Blogger Liza Gyllenhaal says: I was lucky — no, I think actually, blessed — to somehow stumble upon a recipe at the very start of my baking career in The Joy of Cooking for a bar cookie called Angel Slices.
Finding a cheap holiday ham is like a sport
The delectability of a ham does not depend on paying a lot of money for it.
Hooray for Healthier Cream-of Soups! How do you use them?
The main ingredient of America's first Desperation Dinner was, no doubt, a can of cream of mushroom soup. Now, finally, there's reduced-fat, reduced-sodium version.
Lots of ways to love Pumpkin-Spiced Whiskey Walnuts!
You’ll certainly enjoy Pumpkin-Spiced Whiskey Walnuts as a snack, but there are so many things you can do with spiced nuts to embellish other recipes. Click here for details!
Debbie grabs a bite of hair purgatory!
Anthony popped me in his chair, I looked in the mirror and asked what he might do if I wanted something different. Long hair anyone?
Bananas and Bread Pudding...Love them? Or NOT!
Bananas and bread pudding share a common thread: Those who love them really do, and those who don't? Well.....
101 Ways to Make Hot Artichoke Dip? Tell us your favorite!
This may be the most popular dip in history – and the simplest. How do you make Hot Artichoke Dip?
Here's a healthy cookie to lighten up that jar!
We wondered if we would miss the butter in our favorite version of Oatmeal Raisin Pecan Cookies. The answer? Read and find out!
Classic Turkey Tetrazzini makes leftovers taste terrific!
We've been known to cook an extra-big turkey just to have enough meat left over to make this classic dish!
Holiday meals make essential memories: Guest Blogger Umit Celebi contemplates food as part of a lifelong story
Food plays the central role in the story of our basic survival. It is also an important supporting player in our life story. Never is that more apparent than the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the holiday itself.
Local Food and Local Knowledge with Liza Gyllenhaal: Dressing Green Beans Up for the Holidays
Whether combined with ginger and lemon, coaxed into a casserole or given a Spanish spin, beans are something Liza Gyllenhaal knows a thing or two about!
Eat Me in Manhattan! A pork tenderloin worth the trek
Umit's blog posts, called Eat Me in Manhattan, will tell you where to go in New York and what to cook. "I am most interested in helping my male brethren produce mouth-watering meals at home," he says.
What happens when the cashier gets to decide how old you are? Guest Blogger Debbie Moose finds out!
What happens when the supermarket cashier gets to decide how old you are? Guest Blogger Debbie Moose sounds off!
Reader's "redo" makes Maque Choux even faster!
When one of our Desperation Dinners readers takes on one of our recipes, the work just goes by even faster! Maque Choux gets subjected to group think!
Kitchen Scoop Home Page features something new
Kitchen Scoop Home Page features something new – our very first sponsorship in the form of an ad featuring Rita Monti dinnerware. We thought perhaps you, our readers, might wonder what’s up with that?
Steak Diane that works even on a weeknight!
Traditional Steak Diane is prepared table-side in a flourish – butter, tenderloin, cream, brandy and a burst of flames. Quick by nature, it is easy to adapt to the desperation dinner table.
A Scary-Quick Recipe for Halloween
The scariest thing about Halloween is whether or not you'll be able to put dinner on the table before the doorbell rings. Try this really quick kid-pleaser.
Desperizing a Cajun soup for today's schedule
Do you ever take a complicated recipe and whittle it down to fit your busy lifestyle? We’ve “desperized” hundreds of complicated recipes over the course of writing Desperation Dinners, and one lesson we’ve learned never seems to change.
Time to buy a new Crock-Pot? Here's how to tell.
If you haven’t used your Crock-Pot in so long you’re afraid of it, now is the time to dust the dear sweet thing off and get cooking. Or at least figure out if the darn thing is worth keeping.
Tricks for cooking the best-ever sea scallops!
Ever wondered how to saute sea scallops to the perfect burnish? Check this out!
How do you cook for an Empty Nest?
We’ve been putting this off for as long as we can, but now it’s time: We simply must learn to cook for an Empty Nest. Cooking for one or two isn’t always as easy as cutting a recipe in half.
Homemade pita chips let your imagination soar!
Gourmet specialty “chips” are yummy – and usually expensive – so we set out to see what it would take to make our own.
