Disclaimer: If you’re teaching a young child to cook, these are intended to be a good starting point, but children will still need supervision as knives are sharp and stoves are hot. Capiche? Heather says: ♫ Let’s start at the very beginning A very good place to start When you read you begin with A-B-C […]
Vegetarian
Apple Cider Pancakes
Heather says: Whenever birthday season rolls around, we like to give the birthday child a few treats of their own choosing, within reason. I do believe my middle child is a budding foodie. The days leading up to his birthday he talked about how he wanted to have apple pancakes for breakfast, something we have […]
Stupidly Simple: Radish Slaw Recipe
Heather says: I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was finally able to take advantage of our local CSA. If you’ve never participated in a CSA, it’s a program where you pay a farm a predetermined amount at the beginning of the growing season. The farm then divides up the produce harvested between […]
Zucchini Parmesan Crisps, Regular and Gluten-Free
Heather says Did you think oven fried goodness was out of reach just because you have to go gluten-free? Here’s a simple, magic substitution for you… swap crushed Rice Chex for Panko crumbs and you’re set. No other changes, no mixing a bazillion different flours or buying special bread to make your own crumbs. Take […]
Easy Grilled Foil Vegetable Packets
Heather says: Get ready to grill. Today we’re using foil packets to to turn a pile of vegetables into a fantastic summer side dish. Actually if you look at the portions, the grilled vegetables were the main feature. I would like, at least while we’re rolling in produce, for you to consider treating vegetables as […]
Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad
Michele says: If you had to summarize summer in three words, which words would you choose? Swimming, picnics, and ice cream? Vacations, thunderstorms, and fireflies? Bikinis, bonfires, and s’mores? How about red, white, and blue? To me, summer never fails to feel like one big patriotic party, and the colors of the season seem to […]
Picnic Perfect: Potato Salad
Dear Home Ec 101: My neighborhood will soon be throwing their annual blockparty. I don’t want anyone to know that I can’t cook for beans. Do you have a recipe for me? Please don’t tell me just to go to the deli and put it in a new bowl. I want to try, but I’m […]
Basic Scone Recipe
Michele says: During my freshman year of college, I was required to live in a dorm. It was the most miserable experience of my life, not because I had a terrible roommate, but because I couldn’t cook or bake without having to use the communal kitchen (which meant I had to share with whomever walked […]
How To Make Hasselback Potatoes
Heather says: I don’t remember when I first stumbled upon the idea of Hasselback Potatoes, I do believe I was wandering around Pinterest. The idea may have come from from PurpleFoodie’s Hasselback Potato Post, as the images look familiar, but I can’t be sure. Variations on this recipe / technique can also be found on most major recipe […]
Caprese or Sliced Tomato & Mozzarella Salad
Heather says: Sometimes recipes are so basic, so simple, so easy, that I forget to include them here on Home Ec 101. Insalata caprese is one such recipe. This recipe shines in the summer, when tomatoes are at their peak, but sometimes it just beckons in the depth of winter. If it’s not tomato season, […]
Cheddar Cauliflower Bites
Heather says: I’m not sure whether to file these cheddar broccoli cauliflower bites under, breakfast, side dish, or healthy snack. The truth of the matter is everyone in the house attacked cauliflower for what may be the first time in their lives. In the future, I think I will tweak this recipe (and update with […]
Last-Minute Bean and Corn Salad Recipe
Bobbie says: Have you ever been almost, but not quite, ready to serve dinner when a giant light bulb goes on over your head (so brightly that everyone in the room gets an instant tan) because you suddenly realized that all you actually have prepared for dinner is grilled chicken and potatoes? Or burgers on […]
Hearty Potato, Egg and Green Bean Salad Recipe
Bobbie says: Hearty Potato, Egg and Green Bean Salad is a great spring recipe. These three components get cooked in the same pot and a versatile dressing that can be made ahead of time means you can have a very easy but hearty main dish salad on the table in just over half an hour. […]
Broccoli Rabe with Garlic and Ginger
Heather says: Broccoli rabe, also called rappini or broccoli raab -pronounce it rob, not rab- is a new-to-me vegetable. I know it’s sort of common and in some areas it has been available for years. There’s no reason that I haven’t tried it. Broccoli rabe just never jumped into my cart saying, “I’m delicious,” the […]
Pressure Cooking for Vegetarians
Dear Home Ec 101, I am coverting to Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet and several books suggest using a pressure cooker as a good tool in the kitchen. My questions are: 1. Are the European models better than the American ones? That was suggested in one book. 2. Are they safe now? My grandmother never had an accident with […]