Too Hot to Cook? Try Ratatouille!

Ratatouille with Brown Rice and Corn

Sometimes I forget that that I know how to make colorful vegetables dishes. It’s been awhile since I last prepared Ratatouille, an easy-to-eat French mixture of cooked eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers and tomatoes.

My friend Ilene found the recipe in our second book, “Help! My Apartment Has a Dining Room!” and cooked it for dinner the other night.  She wanted a vegetarian alternative to the hamburgers and fries she and her husband planned to eat the following night.

Question for Mom

When I roast a whole chicken or turkey, how thoroughly should I scrub the insides before cooking it? –Virginia C.

You should not scrub the insides or even rinse the chicken because water destroys some of the flavor.  The roasting process will kill any bacteria. 

                   For more recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!"

Best Use of Your Time in the Kitchen

Mississippi Mud Pie

Some days I feel like spending hours cooking. It allows me to not think about other things.  Other days I can barely force myself to get a meal on the table.  So I have developed some tricks to keep us from going hungry.

1) Examine what’s in the freezer. Is there a main dish in there, hiding behind the ice cubes?  Sometimes there actually is.  It could be a leftover or an actual main dish, deliberately prepared and frozen when I was in the mood to cook.

Using Up Wine

Boeuf Bourguignon 

Back in the Dark Ages when I was teaching myself to cook, I stumbled on a recipe that called for a cup of wine.  Innocent that I was, I went to my local Bohack, a now defunct New York grocery chain, and consulted with one of the checkout clerks.  She told me what aisle had cooking wine. 

I Can Make That Too: Shrimp Salad in Mom’s Kitchen vs. the Restaurant Version

Shrimp Salad from Petros

For me, eating cold shrimp has always meant Shrimp Cocktail, the classic appetizer that made dining out in the 1950’s a special treat.  I make it at home occasionally when I’m feeling nostalgic, but today shrimp for me is more of an ingredient in a stir-fry, soup or casserole.

Now thanks to a Shrimp Salad I ordered at Petros, a Greek restaurant in Manhattan Beach, CA, I have new respect for cold shrimp. 

Pearl Onions: What Are They and How Do I Use Them?

Pearl onions are the size of marbles and have a gentle onion taste.  They are excellent additions to soups, salads, pasta and casserole dishes.  Fully cooked, they also make a good side dish on their own.

The big drawback of pearl onions is peeling, which can take quite a while if you don’t cook them in boiling water for about 30 seconds and then soak them briefly in cold water to loosen their skins. Trim off the root end. Then grab the other end and squeeze gently so the skin and top layer of onion pops off.

Calling All Chocoholics

Even if I just whisper the word ‘chocolate,’ every family member in my house will find their way to the kitchen in 30 seconds.  They have good reason to be optimistic. 

My son Kevin and I wrote a chocolate cookbook--“Chocolate on the Brain”--so we have a wide range of desserts and snacks to draw from.  You may have baked some of our favorites--Chocolate Chip Bagels,  Chocolate Banana Bread and Lava Cookies.

Now it’s time to introduce you to

If Speed to the Table Is the Issue...

When I need to get dinner on the table in 20 minutes, the biggest question is what part of the meal is going to suffer.  Most pastas and white rice are ready in 20 minutes.  Grilled, pan-fried or stir-fried meat and fish can go from raw to cooked in 10 minutes, although you can forget about roasts—unless you are just reheating them.

The big challenge is the fresh vegetable.  The absolute easiest is broccoli.  Prep time is quick.