Why Not Try an Antipasto Lunch Plate?

Whenever my brother decides it’s time to lose weight, he does two things.  He eats less, and he makes himself an Antipasto Lunch Plate.  When he first told me about his routine, I asked for the Lunch Plate recipe.  I wasn’t looking to lose weight, but I liked the idea of having something new to eat in the middle of the day.

Here is what’s on the plate in the above picture: lettuce, a sliced hard-boiled egg, slices of salami, several large olives, anchovies, cut-up cheese, a cucumber, cherry tomatoes, broccoli and Italian dressing.

For those not dieting, some French bread would be a handy addition.

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Spice Up the Day with Bean Dip!

I try not to eat a lot between meals, but that’s a problem when my homemade Bean Dip is in the refrigerator.  If my stomach rumbles, I immediately begin thinking about visiting the fridge for just a small spoonful.  Pretty soon none is left.

Simple, Cheap and Tasty – What’s Not to Like?

I have to be in the mood to make an appetizer—especially if no company is coming for dinner.  But I will make an exception for White Bean Spread because I like it so much.  There are just 4 ingredients, plus some slices of crusty bread, although even stale bread taste good with a dollop of this spread.

If you want to feel like you’re really cooking, you can buy dried white beans and cook them yourself.

Cave Woman Cooking!

Celeriac Soup is perhaps the most delicate soup I’ve ever eaten, and yet to make it I felt like a cave woman.  Peeling the main ingredient, a 1-pound celery root, required the sharpest knife I owned.  And cutting it into 1-inch pieces took brute strength.  But it was worth it.

I took on this challenge for one simple reason. I had a delicious bowl of Celeriac Soup a few weeks ago at the National Gallery Café in London, and I wanted to try making it at home.

Blender Lentil Soup

I first discovered lentils years ago when I bought a can of Progresso Lentil Soup, probably by mistake. This was back in my ignorant days, before I was a real cook.  I liked the soup and continued to buy it until I moved to London, where it was not sold.   

That’s when it occurred to me that maybe I could make it myself.  After all, I just needed dry lentils, onions, tomatoes, carrots, some spices and broth.  Eventually I came up with a concoction Bart and I liked.

Are You an Old-Fashioned Cook?

I am an old-fashioned cook.  Many of us are when holiday dining is involved.  I’ve eaten turkey on Christmas all my life, and even though it’s a big, messy meal I would feel terrible eating anything else.

If I want to add something new to the holiday menu, I might choose a new side dish—maybe Honeyed Sweet Potatoes along with the mashed potatoes.

Cheese Fries Finally Come to My Table

Where have I been for the last 20 years?  I had never eaten a Cheese Fry.  In fact, I hate to admit it but I’d never heard of Cheese Fries.

Salmon Spread Is Now a Family Classic

I started thinking about the Christmas holidays this morning for some reason, and the first image to pop into my head was Salmon Spread.  For the past few decades we have served this appetizer in the living room while those of us in the kitchen put the final touches on dinner.

By the time we popped in for a quick taste, there was usually nothing left.  It’s always been a win/lose situation.  We kitchen slaves won the chance to have the first bite of the turkey as we were doing the carving, but seldom did we get a mouthful of Salmon Spread.

Mom Cooking Tip 147

Shrimp Cocktail

If guests show up unexpectedly at dinnertime and you don't have enough food, here’s what to do:

1) Add garlic bread (keep a loaf of French bread in the freezer; if it’s too big, cut it in half before freezing).

2) Make extra baked potatoes.

3) Serve a soup or a salad before the main course.

4) Keep a bag of shrimp in the freezer and use it to make Shrimp Cocktail as an appetizer. 

                                                   See all my Cooking Tips!

Portobello Mushrooms: What Are They and How Do I Cook Them?

Portobello mushrooms, or portobellos, as some cooks call them, look like mushrooms on steroids.  Some of them measure at least six inches in diameter and can weigh more than one-quarter of a pound. 

Portobellos are more expensive than standard mushrooms, but they offer dining opportunities that smaller mushrooms don’t.  They can be stuffed and baked, broiled or grilled and offered as a main dish.  I often serve them in a bun, like I would a hamburger.  If you cut portobellos into 1/2-inch slices and then sauté them in butter or olive oil, they make an excellent side dish.  

Baby Portobello mushrooms, which are about 2 inches across,

Avocado Toast

I need to get in the Avocado Toast business, now that I realize some people will pay $17 for something I can make for less than a dollar. And that includes homemade wholegrain bread.

I’m not usually on the cutting edge of restaurant dishes, and I’m probably behind the curve on this one too.  But I am a big fan of avocados. 

I didn’t discover this fruit until I was an adult and went grocery shopping with a friend.  He mentioned that his mother often served avocados so I bought one as a dinner side dish.  Regrettably he didn’t mention that avocados are only really edible when they’re ripe.  Under-ripe avocados, which are rock-like, have no taste, and once you cut into them they will not ripen further.  Over-ripe avocados are usually mushy, riddled with black spots and have an off  taste.

In their natural just-ripe state, avocados have a delicate flavor.  Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing poured into the cavity where the very large avocado seed once was boosts the taste.  Check out this link.  This was my go-to appetizer when I lived in London.

Avocado Toast is a good alternative.

Parsnips: What Are They and How Do I Cook Them?

Carrots (left)  Parsnips (right)

Parsnips look like carrots but are cream-colored instead of orange.  They are a little sweeter than carrots but just as versatile.

I first tasted a parsnip at a dinner party when the hostess served Curried Parsnip Soup.  I was intrigued by the idea of a soup made from a vegetable I’d never heard of.  But I couldn’t fully taste the delicate flavor because of the seasoning.

A few days later I scrubbed and roasted a few parsnips as a side dish.  Everybody liked them.  Now I often add parsnips to a panful of raw vegetables, sprinkle on some olive oil and pop the pan into the oven for 45 minutes at 425 degrees.

Za’atar: What Is It and How Do I Cook with It?

(Left) Za'atar                                                          (Right) Sumac

Za’atar (aka zatar or zahtar) is a spice blend that has been around for centuries and used primarily in the Middle East.  Travelers have come across it sprinkled on pita bread, hummus, meat, salads and roast potatoes and began searching for it when they got back home.  Now it’s available in some ethnic groceries and online at Penzeys.com, spiceandtea.com and wholespice.com.

Where Do You Get Your Recipes?

Shrimp Chowder

I like trying new recipes, but I’ve learned to be careful about the source.  If my aunt, a terrible cook, hands me a copy of a recipe she likes, I say thank you and put it in my purse, never to be seen again.  If a close friend who is also a skillful cook offers one, I try it immediately.  I don’t always like the end result, but I’m willing to give it a chance.

With cookbooks, I’ll test out one or two recipes.  If they’re successful, I’ll try some more.  If they’re not, that cookbook moves down to a shelf near the floor of my kitchen and may never be consulted again.  If it was an epic fail, I banish the cookbook to the garage.

Welcome Home, Real Tomatoes

Basil and Tomato Soup

I just read that tomatoes may be getting their flavor back!  This probably sounds odd to anyone under 30, who may well assume that tomatoes are used in salads and sandwiches mostly for their color.

Those who’ve eaten “heirloom tomatoes” may have some idea of the way this fruit—yes, tomatoes are a fruit--used to taste.  But even heirloom tomatoes—the name refers to tomatoes eaten in the good old days—don’t always taste very good.

What to Eat on a Dark and Stormy Night

Chicken and Fresh Vegetable Soup

Wanna-be world-famous-author Snoopy said it best in the first line of his never-finished novel: “On a dark and stormy night….”  If only Snoopy or his creator, Charles Schultz, could cook, we might have seen some memorable meals in that comic strip instead of an empty dog dish.

On one recent dark and stormy and cold night in usually sunny California I decided not to go out to the grocery store.

Mom’s Basic Bootcamp: Lentil Soup

This is the second in a series of basic recipes anyone can easily make.  They have existed for centuries because 1) they are simple, and 2) they taste good.  Once you master their preparation, you’re free to improvise…or not. 

I often experiment with Lentil Soup because this basic recipe is very forgiving. 

I Can Make That Too: Spicy Potato Spread in Mom’s Kitchen vs. the Restaurant Version

Chef Hannes Spicy Potato Spread

One of my favorite local restaurants in Southern California is Chef Hannes in El Segundo, not far from the Los Angeles Airport.  When you arrive for lunch or dinner, the first dish that lands on your table is a complimentary bowl of thick green spread accompanied by slices of French bread.

I wasn’t sure what I was eating, but I knew that I liked it.  I hinted to the owner, who sometimes also serves as the waiter, that I would like the recipe. All I got were two clues: garlic and potatoes.

Are Cooks Born or Trained?

Cheddar Potato Soup

How did you get started in the kitchen?  Curiosity?  Necessity?  A cooking class?

For me, it was necessity.  A newly minted college graduate sharing a one-bedroom apartment in New York, I had a low-paying job and a large appetite.  To keep from going hungry, I had to start cooking.  But I didn’t know how to make anything.

Kale: What Is It and How Do I Cook It?

You’ve probably seen kale at the salad bar—not necessarily in the salads but underneath the salads.  It’s practically indestructible and also cheap, with thick stems and strong, curly leaves. 

Kale is often a deep green, but it can also have some purple or blue streaks.  It’s sold in bunches in the fresh vegetable sections of most stores, and it holds up well in the fridge.  Avoid bunches that look dried out or have yellowish leaves.