Orzo: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

 

The first time I saw orzo, I thought it was rice.  I was confused because the color was that of spaghetti, not white like normal rice.  The packaging talked about ‘al dente perfection in 9-10 minutes.’

I quickly realized that I had discovered a new kind of pasta.  Some people use orzo in soup.  I tried it in a casserole, mixed together with fresh spinach, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.  I cooked the orzo first and then baked it for 30 minutes with the other ingredients mixed in.

I have often wished for a different pasta shape, and now I’ve found it.

                 For easy-to-make recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!"

My Secret Ingredients When Making a Fish Sandwich

I fell in love with cod a few decades ago when I ordered fish & chips at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in London.  We were not a fish-eating family, except for pickled herring, a refrigerator staple with a very pronounced taste.

Get Your Vitamin D from Stuffed Mushrooms!

 

My friend Ilene was recently researching how to get more Vitamin D from food, and she discovered that mushrooms have quite a bit of it. And if they are left out in a place where they are bathed in sunlight for a day or two, the mushrooms make more vitamin D!

Cooking Chicken Thighs Is Easier Than I Thought

The first time I bought chicken thighs I had no idea how to prepare them.  I was used to roasting whole chickens, which is one of the easiest meals ever.  How hard could it be to cook chicken thighs?

Kalamata Olives to the Rescue

 

Back when I was a teenager, I spent a summer in Greece as part of the American Field Service program.  I discovered such foods as Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie), goats’ milk, fresh figs, phyllo dough and baklava and came home 10 pounds heavier.