Kitchen Basics on the Blog
There's nothing better than dusting off the kitchen basics. Here are some that we've learned.
Keeping your kitchen safe from E. coli
With the egg recall, we worry more than ever about getting sick from basic foods you trust to be safe. What are you doing to germ-proof your kitchen?
Greek Salad Dressing is delicious and quick
Make your own Greek Salad Dressing in just minutes.
Labor-free ingredients for an easy Labor Day!
Happy Labor Day! We’ve put our heads together to come up with our favorite “labor-saving” ingredients.
A very simple way to make exquisite lemonade -- and more!
With a batch of simple syrup on hand, lemonade, limeade and orangeade coolers are seconds away!
Raising the bar: How to make simple syrup
Here's how to make simple syrup, essential for bartenders, hosts and the occasional chef.
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.
Does everything taste better with turkey bacon?
We decided to make over one of our favorite bacon dishes: The simple, sublime – BLT sandwich. And that’s just what emerged from the kitchen!
This BLT dip has all the flavors of my favorite sandwich
After having this dip at a party, Alicia just had to have the recipe. It's fantastic!
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.
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.
Guatemalan-Style Rice is a hit at my house
Here's one of Alicia's favorite go-to side dishes.
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.
Topsail White Shrimp Spaghetti is a hit!
Everyone we know who's tried Topsail White Shrimp Spaghetti loves it.
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.
Mrs. McDaniel's Potato Salad is simply the best!
Potato salad isn’t cheap, and after you taste this version, you’ll never even think of purchasing it again – at any price!
Great solutions for stuffing manicotti shells
Pat Hoffmeister of Coppell, Texas, had a problem with stuffing her manicotti. Here are your answers!
How I make easy, fresh tomato sauce from scratch
With this fresh tomato sauce, you won't waste even a single red-ripe tomato.
Before the Strawberries are Gone
Fresh local Strawberries come only once a year. Alicia has one last recipe before they are gone.
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.
Does potato salad belong in Greek Salad? Let's Dish!
A traditional Greek salad does not include potato salad. But try it, you'll like it! Readers weigh in.
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.
Grandma Gayle’s Peanut Butter Cookies: Amazing!
It’s a lucky kid whose visits to Grandma come with cookies -- especially Grandma Gayle’s!
California Chicken Burgers are easy thanks to secret ingredients
California Chicken Burgers rely on some unlikely ingredients to make them especially easy.
Born desperate, but this Blueberry Crisp is now my favorite!
That first blueberry crisp recipe was chosen out of desperation, but the results were so wonderful that I make it every summer.
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!
How do you sharpen knives? Do-it-yourself or turn to the pros?
Years ago, I went to a little mom and pop hardware store that sharpened tools and knives in the back. Unfortunately, they went out of business. So I’m on the hunt for a new place to sharpen my knives.
"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!
A classic custard quiche is just perfect!
This is not your mother’s quiche -- but it’s a great one to fix for mom on Mother’s Day!
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!
How do you like to prepare meatballs at home?
Homemade meatballs are a blank slate. What are your favorite flavorings?
We love Greek yogurt. Do you?
Sinfully rich Greek yogurt tastes great with no fat! Have you tried it yet?
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?
To cook the Desperation Dinners way, you need to keep moving!
How fast you can cook depends a lot on how the recipe is organized. Desperation Dinners maximize every second at the stove.
Cooking Chicken in the Crock-Pot: Here's How
So what's the problem with your dried-out Crock-Pot chicken? We've got everything covered in this practical post.
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.
Deviled Eggs -- A Definite for Easter!
One nice thing about cooking for Easter is that it’s straightforward, and a lot of boiled eggs are required. Ours will end up deviled!
A vegetarian minestrone soup that everyone can enjoy
Being a vegetarian in a carnivorous family isn't always easy. Alicia cooks up a soup to help her sis-in-law!
What on Earth is EVOO?
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is as complex as fine wine. Here are some of the details.
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.
Making biscuits with Maw Maw started a lifelong kitchen tradition
These rustic sweet biscuits are easy to make and the ingredients are usually on hand.
The Essential Chef’s Knife: Invest in a good one!
No cook, desperate or not, should be without the perfect chef's knife.
Mollie Katzen's homemade pizza made easy even for a weeknight!
The drawback to homemade pizza crust is the time it takes the dough to rise. The good news is Mollie Katzen's crust freezes and can defrost on the counter to be baked when you get 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.
Which is better, ground turkey or ground chicken? All breast meat or a mix?
Do you ever substitute ground turkey or ground chicken for ground beef in your recipes? We're looking for some cooking advice!
Not measuring your flour correctly will ruin your cookies!
After a few readers had difficulty with Nanny Edith's Sugar Cookies, we thought this video could help with the problems.
Desperate Cooks Freeze Their Cheese!
Freezing your cheese means you never have to throw away huge moldy hunks of expensive cheese.
What’s your favorite type of make-at-home pizza crust? We really want to know!
What’s your favorite type of make-at-home pizza crust? The field is a lot more crowded now that ever before!
Desperately seeking the perfect travel mug: Is this too much to ask?
Alicia needs a new travel mug and can’t find one. She's hoping that you all can help.
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!
How much pasta is just enough? Tips for eliminating leftovers!
Just enough pasta never looks like enough. Oh, sure, the box says two ounces is a serving, but can you really trust it? And how do you know how much is two ounces?
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.
Black-eyed Pea Salad brings good luck and great flavor!
Black-eyed Pea Salad is hearty enough to make an entree for New Year’s lunch or serves as a suitable side dish. And everybody likes it.
Easy desserts make it easier to stay in on New Year's Eve
If you're not headed out on the town for New Year's Eve, you might as well eat dessert.
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!
Recipe ideas for a special Christmas breakfast
From Eggnog French Toast to Pumpkin Pancakes, we've got Christmas breakfast covered!
All-purpose quiche is really just a formula
My all-purpose, everyday quiche is built around a ratio of eggs to cream, with a lot of cheese and a few vegetables and perhaps meat thrown in for flavor.
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.
Here's how to roast chestnuts in your very own oven!
Roasting fresh chestnuts in your home oven is easy and the results are delicious! Here's how.
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!
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!
Thanksgiving Help: Emergency Hotlines a Call Away!
Preparing for the feast can make the best of us second-guess our cooking and baking times. If you have a full-fledged disaster or even a minor question, help is standing by!
Six-Minute Cranberry-Orange Relish: Close to grandmother’s without all the work!
Six-Minute Cranberry-Orange Relish is close to my grandmother’s original relish yet only requires, literally, six minutes start to finish. Compromise never tasted so good.
Don't sweat Thanksgiving menu! It always works.
On all other days guests might be passing judgment on your menu. But on Thanksgiving, the cook gets a free pass.
What's your favorite recipe for making cranberry sauce?
What's your favorite recipe for making cranberry sauce? Of all the choices, Cranberry Sauce with Port and Figs is probably my favorite.
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!
Edamame: An easy, healthy appetizer. Just hold the worms!
Thanks to the glories of frozen vegetables and the younger generation of Americans who are obsessed with healthy foods, edamame has moved into the mainstream.
Handy peeler puts a spin on cooking with apples
Alicia says it’s worth using an apple peeler when she has to peel, core and slice more than three apples. Here are her pros and cons!
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.
