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.

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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.

Dinner from the Deli Counter

 

Ham BBQ sandwiches have long been a family favorite, but I seldom make them.  I’m not sure why.  They are a direct link to my own childhood, when my mother would occasionally take my brother and me out to lunch at Isaly’s, an East Coast family restaurant/delicatessen chain that served Chipped Ham Sandwiches.  At the end of the meal she would buy a pound of paper-thin slices of ham to take home.

How to Make Chocolate Granola Bars in 10 Minutes

 

Whenever I think of granola bars, I think of school lunches.  But with my new recipe for Chocolate Granola Bars, snack time can be much tastier.  The secret ingredient is unsweetened cocoa powder.