Deb’s Top 4 Salad Fails
August 1, 2010 - Written by Deb Ng
I’m sure I’m not the only one who leans towards making and eating salads over the summer over cooking a heavy meal. I’m not sure how it is in your neck of the woods, but here on the East Coast, we’re having one of the hottest summers on record and the last thing anyone wants to do is to turn on appliances that make the house hotter. My family has been grilling and rocking the salads as a way to keep cool.
I have to admit though, I’m not much of a tossed salad girl. I don’t like lettuces, especially those that turn my salad into something representing lawn clippings. However, I’ll also admit that there are other items that make or break a salad and that I can live with bitter, purple lettuces if the rest of the salad is filled with good stuff.
Here are my top 5 salad fails. Tell me how many you agree with:
1. Mayonnaise
My cousin used to eat salad manually. He would take each individual lettuce leaf and top it with a glob of mayonnaise and eat it that way. I …
A Brief Rant About Finding Healthy Food in the Supermarket
July 26, 2010 - Written by Deb Ng
Healthy eating is on my mind. In fact, it’s on my mind a lot lately as I deal with some dietary issues for my eight year old son. We’ve never been truly unhealthy eaters, more that we rely on convenience. My own problems (which are different from my son’s) have to do with my weight and are more a matter of getting up off my fat butt to work out than stepping away from the chips. I wasn’t much of a label reader before The Boy’s food issues but I did make sure we ate our fruits and veggies and didn’t ingest stuff like fried Twinkies all the time.
Lately however, I’m reading a lot more labels.
Now, I’m not going to make any excuses for past bad habits. Most of us aren’t idiots. We know the types of foods we should eat, just as smokers know that cancer is just a puff away. We know what we should be eating and we all have excuses as to why we’re not doing our best in that area. Here’s the problem as I see it: The best, …
Top 15 Food Fails
July 24, 2010 - Written by Deb NgFood is a pleasure. Though it’s something to be enjoyed, it’s also to provide sustenance and nutrition for our bodies. Some foods don’t quite make the cut either way. It’s one thing if a food that is bad for you tastes really, really good. It’s quite another story when the food is bad and one bite can land you in the hospital.
Behold: Cookerati’s Top 15 Food Fails
1. Velveeta
There’s a reason it melts better than cheddar, though we wouldn’t exactly tout that as a selling point. This over-processed, greasy alternative to American cheeses is almost inedible, but it’s cheap and it melts and for some that’s all that counts.
2. Cheese that doesn’t need refrigeration
There’s a reason you find most cheeses in the refrigerated dairy aisle. If it’s not somewhere cold, ask yourself why -but whatever you do, don’t read the label if you have a bad heart.
3. Items with the word “product” or “food” next to them
The picture says it all, …
10 Things to Eat or Drink to Keep Cool on a Hot Summer Day
July 12, 2010 - Written by Deb Ng
I don’t know what the weather is like in your corner of the world, but where I live we’ve been dealing with 90 and 100+ degree temps, with no rain. We have a brown, crunchy lawn and wilty flowers. While my family does seek relief with air conditioning and a swim in our pool, we also enjoy other ways to keep cool.
Here are our favorite ways to beat the heat without having to turn on the A.C. or don a swimsuit.
1. Water
Make no mistake, water is the most important thing you can take into your body on a hot summer day, and nothing will cool you better. Without water you will become dehydrated, and might even get heat stroke. Water helps to keep your body temperature at a healthy level.
Take your drinking water to a luxurious level by making “spa water.” Fill a pitcher of filtered water with ice, cucumber slices and lemon slices. Drink it while lounging poolside and you’ll feel like you’re undergoing a day of pampering.
2. Watermelon
As soon as you buy watermelon, slice it up, put it in an airtight container and place it to chill in …
Deb’s Tortellini Salad
July 4, 2010 - Written by Deb Ng
Everyone has a few tried and true favorite BBQ dishes they cook up for a party or bring to share. My tortellini salad is one of my Barbecue staples.
Before I share the recipe, I want to discuss pasta salad fails. These are, in my opinion, common pasta salad mistakes:
- Pasta is way too al dente. It’s one thing if it’s being served hot and will cook to perfection once sauce is added. It’s a whole other story to under cook. Hint: Pasta should not be crunchy.
- Pasta is too soft: Pasta shouldn’t be mushy, it should be firm. When boiling pasta remove when it just starts floating to the surface. For a pasta salad, rinse with cold water to stop cooking. It should never bloat to three times its original size.
- Using cheap pasta: I’m a frugal gal, but I also believe we get what we pay for. Cheap pasta yields cheap results. If using tortelli or ravioli take care to buy a premium brand. Fresh pasta is the best.
- Mayonnaise: Mixing pasta with mayonnaise does not a pasta salad make. It’s just fattening, artery clogging, mayonaisy pasta that you’ll have to …
25 Best Burger Recipes
July 4, 2010 - Written by Deb Ng
Who doesn’t appreciate a good burger? If made and grilled correctly a burger can be more flavorful than filet mignon. It’s not always ladylike, but my eye is always drawn to the sandwich side of a restaurant menu first, because I like to see the burger list first. More than likely, that’s where I’ll make my decision.
I also feel that both home and professional cooks need to be careful of the type of bread used to hold the burger. I’ll opt to eat a bunless hamburger half the time if only because I feel as if the bun takes away from the flavor of the meat. Sometimes I’ll toast a quesadilla wrap and use that as a bun. It’s thin and crunchy and allows the flavor of the burger to shine through in all it’s glary.
If I order a burger, I want to taste the burger, not the bread and not 100 million condiments. With that said, I do enjoy topping my hamburgers with guacamole and pepper jack cheese.
To celebrate July 4th and America’s love for the hamburger, and to celebrate how many of us will be grilling up …
In Defense of Sandra Lee
April 27, 2010 - Written by Deb Ng
I like Sandra Lee. I have this fantasy that we’re neighbors and she invites me to all her color coordinated barbecues and parties where I drink specially paired cocktails and no one knows the hors d’eovers are courtesy of Betty Crocker. I have a feeling she’s the hit of the neighborhood.
I like Sandra Lee because she’s not ashamed of convenient cooking, thus, neither am I.
The Inconvenience of Time
Though I work out of my home full time, I’m a busy mom. I don’t have time to whip up a beef bouginon or cheesecake from scratch for dinner every night. I buy roast in the bag chickens and enjoy quick breads. Most days my culinary experimentation involves throwing a bunch of ingredients into a crockpot or opening a box of something. No, it’s not the same as cooking from scratch, but it does us well enough, thank you very much.I’m admitting it on my food blog, I’m big on convenience.
It wasn’t always this way. Before my I began writing full time , I had more time for meals. I still enjoy taking a few hours to whip up something truly …
Deb’s Crockpot Pot Roast
January 28, 2010 - Written by Deb Ng
Even though I work out of my home, I don’t always have time to cook a really nice meal. Yeah, I can whip up some spaghetti or a stir fry, but sometimes I want my man to come home to something a little more special. My crockpot pot roast is a little more special than our average week day meals, but it doesn’t take a whole lot of extra time to make.
As this is my own recipe, I can’t give you exact measurements, but I’ll try and get as close as I can. Besides, cooking is all about tweaking and making your own.
Ingredients:
- 1 roast suitable for potting (I’m using a top round)
- A couple of cups sliced mushrooms
- Half dozen shallots, sliced very thin
- 4 to 6 large carrots
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup dry red wine (I’m using a Cabernet today)
The Nitty Gritty:
- While heating up a frying pan (make it really hot, folks) cut fat off the roast and rub in some salt and pepper. Add some olive oil to the hot pan, let it sit a bit, then add the roast, browning all sides at high heat.
- While roast is browning, add …
Turducken for the Holidays
December 30, 2009 - Written by Deb Ng
A few weeks ago, a client sent me a turducken as a holiday “thank you” gift. Though it’s very much appreciated, it serves 25 which is way too much for our family of three. Instead of roasting it right away, I kept it in the freezer until Christmas when I defrosted it so my large, extended family could all enjoy.
What’s that? You don’t know what turducken refers to? My friend, are you missing out!
A turducken is a deboned chicken stuffed with cornbread stuffing wrapped in a deboned duck, stuffed with cajun sausage stuffing, stuffed inside a turkey rubbed with cajun seasonings. If you haven’t enjoyed one of these tasties, I’m going to insist you save your pennies and invest in this holiday treat for next year. It’s divine.
My family didn’t know what to expect but most were curious. Some folks were afraid it might be too spicy for their delicate palates, while others weren’t sure they wanted to eat a bird stuffed inside of a bird stuffed inside of a bird. I’m happy to tell you everyone thought it was delicious. My Mom has a little reflux issue and couldn’t really …
Meyer Natural Angus Winner Announced!
December 26, 2009 - Written by Deb NgI’ve been remiss. I’ve been too busy fa la la ing that I keep forgetting to announce the winner of the Meyer Natural Angust Beef sampler. Not that Diana hasn’t been nagging reminding me just about ever chance she gets. Since we’re going to be spending the weekend together at our mom’s, I thought I’d better post this so I wouldn’t have to receive her ever so gentle reminders in person.
Congratulations to Sonya, who, besides winning, introduced us to a new awesome blog, “Sanity is for Those Without Children.” She should win for her clever title alone.
Congrats, Sonya. We’ll be in touch this week or send your name and address to cookeratiblog@gmail.com.
