I Can Make That Too: Panini with Prosciutto in Mom’s Kitchen vs. the Restaurant Version

Eatalian Café's Version of Panini with Prosciutto 

What could taste better on a summer day than a panini stuffed with prosciutto, mozzarella and tomatoes?  It barely needs cooking.  In fact, you can skip the panini press altogether and just use a loaf of French bread or ciabatta cut into 5-inch sections.

Mom Cooking Tip 167

If you are just learning to bake or are trying a new baking recipe, it’s a good idea to check whatever you are baking 5 minutes before it’s supposed to be done.  Your oven may be hotter than it should be…or the recipe writer could have made an error.  If you over-bake bread, cakes or cookies, there’s nothing you can do.  By checking 5 minutes early you may discover your dish is done and you can remove it from the oven.  If it’s not done, you have not harmed it by opening the door.  Just let it bake for the additional 5 minutes.  However, don’t open the oven door every 5 minutes during baking.  That will change the temperature of the oven and will impact the end result.

                                            See all my Cooking Tips!

The Brussels Sprouts Revolution

Since my childhood Brussels sprouts always seemed to be the most hated vegetable on dinner plates.  I got used to choking them down and actually became semi-fond of them. To me they tasted better than mushy peas.  However, I quickly learned not to serve them for company unless I wanted leftovers for myself..

Now, though, roasted brussels sprouts have become a restaurant favorite in Southern California.  They taste nothing like the overcooked vegetable you have bad memories about.  These are cut in half, oven-roasted in olive oil and then sautéd in butter. Seasonings include garlic, lemon juice and a few other salty ingredients.

The dish is so popular at Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Beach that the chef has posted his recipe

Loving Tandoori Chicken

Photo courtesy Tuttle Publishing

One of the best meals I had in London some years ago was Tandoori Chicken.  I’d never heard of it, but restaurant critics were raving about this spicy Indian chicken baked in a tandoor oven.  I assumed it was mostly exaggeration—until I tasted it myself. 

Thus was born a new family dining-out experience.  At the time our two children were under 8, and they weren’t interested in spicy food.  On the other hand Bart and I couldn’t get enough of this newly discovered way to cook chicken—a way I could not duplicate since my oven didn’t heat to 800 degrees.

Mom Cooking Tip 166

Cherries are now in season.  If you don't have a cherry pitter to get rid of the pits, try using the tip of your potato peeler.  The pit will slide right out.

                                                 See all my Cooking Tips!

Lure of the Chocolate Chip

Mom's Jaffa Cakes

I’m proud to be a chocoholic.  I’ve tried weaning myself off this addiction.  Once I managed to avoid chocolate for two weeks, but that was a long time ago.  Without the invention of chocolate chips, I might have succeeded. 

A 12-ounce bag of chocolate chips is incredibly versatile.  Eating a handful now and then is one way to empty the bag.  Making Chocolate Chip Cookies is another way. 

Are Boneless Chicken Thighs Worth the Trouble?

I used to be a fan of boneless chicken thighs. They actually taste like chicken, as opposed to bland, boneless chicken breasts.  And they are cheaper than boneless chicken breasts.

But as the cook and also the fat-remover I discovered that although boneless thighs do indeed lack bones, they do not lack considerable fat.  Cutting it out and discarding it is a major chore.  But not getting rid of the fat means eating it—not something I want to do.