A Cooking Surprise I have been surprised many times in my kitchen. Like when I rehydrated dried shitake mushrooms for the first time or when I cooked a whole eggplant on the gas burner of my stove. Or, when I put a whole, frozen turkey breast into my crock pot and came home 8 hours later to the most moist and tasty turkey breast I've ever eaten. Cooking is funny when you try new things - that's for sure. Turkey Breast in the Crock Pot Recipe 1 Frozen solid turkey breast This is a one-ingredient recipe. All you do is place the frozen turkey breast into the crock pot or slow … [Read more...] about Turkey Breast in the Crock Pot & How to Use the Leftovers
Olive Oil Basics 1: The Trees
Please note that this Olive Oil Basics Blog is part 1 of a 3-part series. An Historical Olive Tree in Greece Olive trees, olives, and olive oil are a super important part of the culture and life in Greece. When I visited Greece, I learned fun facts about olives every day. When I visited the Greek Island of Crete, I began appreciating the olives' significance more than I ever had before. Imagine a tree, like the one in this picture, that is more than 3,000 years old. Can you? It was mind-blowing to me when I saw the tree and realized its history - including a branch that was cut, traveled … [Read more...] about Olive Oil Basics 1: The Trees
Olive Oil Basics 2: The Olives & Production Process
Please note that this Olive Oil Basics Blog is part 2 of a 3-part series. A 4-Step Process In the Mediterranean countries of the world, October, November, and December are very busy months for olive oil production. This is because the olives are mature and their oil needs to be squeezed and preserved for use in the upcoming year. The olive oil production process includes 4 standard steps: grinding the olives with pits and skins on pressing out the oil while discarding the ground-up pits and skin separating the oil from water content of the olive paste packaging the oil … [Read more...] about Olive Oil Basics 2: The Olives & Production Process
Olive Oil Basics 3: Choosing for Flavor & Good Health
Please note that this Olive Oil Basics Blog is part 3 of a 3-part series. What Gives Flavor to Olive Oil? The olives, of course! When I visited Greece, I was amazed at the flavor of the olive oil I tasted compared to my pantry staple in North Carolina, USA. The locally produced, Greek olive oil was very rich, robust, and smooth. It wasn't just any olive oil, I learned; it was fine quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO.) Another thing I learned is that there are an amazing assortment of olives produced in Greece as well as many varieties of olives produced around the world. As I expected, … [Read more...] about Olive Oil Basics 3: Choosing for Flavor & Good Health
Summer Basil Pesto – It’s All About the Ingredients!
Quality Ingredients Matter If you ask me, the quality of ingredients really matters when making a great summer basil pesto. Why? Because each ingredient contributes to the flavor you experience when you roll it around in your mouth and over your tongue. Let's look one-by-one at the ingredients in a super tasty basil pesto made in the summertime. If you need a recipe, here's my recipe for summer basil pesto. Fresh Basil: The very best basil for pesto is what you grow yourself. It's really fun to grow fresh herbs - and easy, too. Basically, you need to find a sunny spot in your … [Read more...] about Summer Basil Pesto – It’s All About the Ingredients!
Kids & Desserts
Kids and Desserts - Memories I still remember being a kid and asking for a sweet dessert after dinner - every night. But, that was not what happened in my family. Mom treated us once a week with a sweet dessert, usually a small scoop of vanilla ice cream in a small 7-Up Float. Yep, it was super sweet, but small, and I'm grateful now for my mom's wisdom and follow-through with managing desserts for her kids. Kids and Desserts - The Downside Giving kids a lot of sugary desserts has definite downsides - for example: too many dental visits with big bills too scrawny appetites for … [Read more...] about Kids & Desserts