Today is Matthew's 6th birthday. I feel like just yesterday he was shoving chocolate cake into his cute little face in nothing but a diaper. (Actually, take out the diaper part and you're pretty close to what's going to be happening later today...) This is where I confess that once upon a time, I wanted to be a cake decorator. I even started a collection of fancy frosting tools and cake pans. And each year for my kids' birthdays, I let them choose what they want on their cakes. But … [Read more...]
Real Food How To: Make Pesto
For many years of my life, pesto wasn't even on my radar. I didn't know what it was. I didn't know what it tasted like. I was missing out. I don't want that to happen to you. If you haven't ever eaten pesto, get to the store and buy the ingredients to make your own now! Pesto is a green sauce that originated in Italy many many years ago. It's traditionally a combination of basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan, and olive oil. But there are dozens of variations that make for a … [Read more...]
Real Food How To: Make A Simple Vinaigrette
One of the hardest parts about doing our Whole 30 last year wasn't drinking black coffee. It wasn't giving up sugar. It wasn't finding enough food to eat. It was figuring out a compliant salad dressing. One of the easiest salad dressings to make when you're trying to eliminate a lot of potential problem ingredients (or eat a special diet, like a Whole 30), is a simple vinaigrette. A vinaigrette is a mixture of oil, vinegar, and seasoning, in the correct proportion. A traditional … [Read more...]
Real Food How To: Cook A Whole Chicken (Plus My Favorite Chicken Recipes!)
One of my favorite ingredients to have in my freezer is cooked chicken. But how do you get that cooked chicken? It's really easy! My favorite method is the crockpot. Simply unwrap the chicken and place it in the crockpot. Sprinkle with salt and add 1 cup of water. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-6 hours. As you get closer to the end of the cooking time, you can use kitchen tongs to separate some of the pieces from the bones, and to check to see if it's done. If … [Read more...]
Real Food How To: Caramelize Onions (Plus Double Smothered Chicken Recipe)
For a long time, I thought that caramelized onions were just a fancy way of saying "onions that have been cooked so that they are brown". Which is sort of close. The difference between fried onions and caramelized onions is a bit of sugar. Caramelizing onions is really simple: cook thinly sliced onions with a bit of oil and a bit of sugar over low heat. The hard part, at least for me, is leaving them alone, and not being tempted to turn the heat up to cook them faster. If you do that, … [Read more...]