I Don't Want Your Advice – or Do I?

I Don't Want Your Advice – or Do I?

February 24th Newsletter

Spaghetti squash with meatballs

How often do you ask people for advice? And if you do, how often do you follow it? Most people don’t actually want advice, simply thinking out loud. If someone comments, great, but that’s not really the goal.

Last week, I found myself in this exact situation while having my hair done. Chatting with Michelle, my stylist, I wondered aloud what I was going to cook for dinner. Weather is a big factor in what I cook, so I looked at the window. That particular day was in the 50s, overcast and dry, but it wasn’t grilling weather yet. Michelle interrupted my rambling with the suggestion of spaghetti squash with tomato sauce. Interesting idea, but it didn’t really sound exciting. “Great idea!” This was enough of a comment to move on to the next subject, which is usually the case with a stylist or anyone for that matter. No wonder stylists know everything. It’s impossible to just sit in the chair and say nothing. Michelle also gave me an idea for a birthday present I needed to buy, stemming from another random comment I made.

The gift idea really was a good one, a bottle of olive oil for a cooking friend. Perfect. The best thing was the store was just around the corner, so I booked my next appointment, i.e., next advice session, and off I went to buy the olive oil. On the way back to my car, I passed a grocery store. Yes, you guessed it. Why not take her advice on dinner? After all, the olive oil was a great idea. So, I stopped in to buy a spaghetti squash. Knowing my son wouldn’t exactly love this meal, I added frozen meatballs to my basket. And just like that, dinner was planned, something to break out of my normal routine.

As it turns out, the meal was terrific, not only in taste but how simple it was to make. The hardest part was cutting the spaghetti squash in half. Since the sauce is made from pantry ingredients and only takes 30 minutes to make means you can make it anytime. Add meatballs, frozen or homemade, or Italian sausages for a more complete meal.

My unsolicited advice for my readers is to listen to the advice people give you, at least once in a while. You might find excitement in breaking with your normal routine. After all, what harm will it do?

Thanks for all the interesting comments about the lime story from last week! Some people loved it, and others asked if was insane. No, I’m not insane; I just want answers.

As always, happy cooking and eating!

February 17th Newsletter

It’s common knowledge that juicing citrus yields more liquid if the fruit is warm. Really? Is it worth it to spend the extra time leaving it on the counter for a couple of hours or microwaving it? Well, I decided to test it out.

First, I weighed every lime in the 5-pound bag of limes from Costco. Out of the entire bag, I found only three sets of limes weighing exactly the same amount. 3 1/8, 4, and 4 7/8 ounces. I put matching stickers on the pairs of limes.

I put one of each of those pairs in the refrigerator and left the other at room temperature. The rest of the bag also went back into the refrigerator. Twenty-four hours later I weighed the limes again. Some of the limes in the refrigerator weighed up to an ounce less than the day before, ranging from 79% to 119% of the original weight. The limes at room temperature were more consistent and ranged from 87% to 100% of their original weight. Yes, the scale isn’t perfect, but I did weigh the limes several times wondering how the weights could be so different in just 24 hours.

Then I juiced the six limes. The results were all over the board. The cold ones averaged a yield of 43%, while the room temperature ones averaged 38%. What, the cold limes did better than the room temperature ones? When I looked at the raw data, however, there was no rhyme or reason to the amount of juice produced. So, there is no need to leave limes at room temperature. It just doesn’t make a positive difference.

I moved on to the second part of the experiment. Will limes heated in the microwave produce more juice? The results were fascinating. I weighed each lime directly out of the refrigerator and again after it was microwaved. In every case, the limes weighed exactly the same amount. Okay, my trust in my scale was renewed! I juiced some limes cold, then after 10 seconds in the microwave, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, and 1 minute.

The cold limes produced the lowest yield out of all the limes in this experiment. The limes microwaved for 20 seconds yielded the most juice. When the limes were microwaved for 30 seconds or 1 minute, the pulp started breaking down, so the liquid had to be strained.

A word of caution, the limes microwaved for 1 minute sprayed hot juice when they were cut. Obviously, 1 minute was too long.

To be honest, I was quite surprised by the results, but at least I know. Microwave your citrus fruits for 20 seconds in order to yield about 4% more juice per lime. In the future, I probably won’t bother microwaving them, but at least I know that I don’t have to bring them to room temperature.

As always, happy cooking and eating!

Steamed salmon with coconut orange sauce

Sour cream dill sauce

4S barbecue sauce

February 10th Newsletter

Parmesan-crusted baked chicken and Spanish-style sautéed potatoes

This week’s recipes are brought to you by Costco. Well, they are my recipes, but I made them because of a recent trip there! Remember the week when I focused on limes – think lime curd – because I had 5 pounds of them? Well, this week I have 20 pounds of potatoes. Luckily I found an excellent potato recipe.

Over the summer, I started shopping at Costco for the foods used in my cooking classes. If you’ve never had the pleasure of shopping there, let me explain what it’s about. The idea is to buy bulk foods for a fraction of the cost of a regular grocery store. The only problem is the in bulk part.

It’s perfect when I needed to buy six whole chickens for a cooking class. They cost about $1 per pound, but you have to buy two. For my class that’s not a problem. It’s much cheaper than the $3.50+ per pound chickens at my grocery store. Understandably lots of restaurants shop here.

Be forewarned. You will need lots of freezer space if you purchase much meat. I only go once a month, so I stock up. My extra freezer barely closes when I unload my purchases. Lamb, chicken, steak, bacon, brats, etc. I find the meat a great buy and high quality, and since I can freeze it, there’s no worry about spoilage. Rumor has it Julia Child recommended buying meat at Costco.

Crackers, mustard, soy sauce, peanut butter, and other pantry items are easily stored also. Again, these items are cheaper than my normal grocery store, but don’t be fooled into thinking the quality is lower because it isn’t.

I’m not sold on the produce, however. I don’t find the prices to be much of a bargain, and it’s extremely hard for a family of three to eat the huge quantity before it spoils. So, I’m not sure what possessed me to buy 20 pounds of potatoes other than I justified it by saying it only cost $6.

One can only eat russet potatoes for so long before needing a new recipe – mashed, baked, twice-baked, and home fries can only be eaten so many times. This week’s Spanish-style sautéed potatoes are really quite interesting. They are extremely versatile, allowing you to mix the spices up to pair with the other foods you are serving. I paired them with Parmesan-crusted baked chicken. It was a meal of tan food with just a hint of color from the cilantro garnish, but that wasn’t a problem for my teenage son.

Continuing with the tan theme, I’m including one of my favorite breakfast “recipes” Hummus and cucumber breakfast. It’s quite simple, but it’s a great way to use some of the 2+ pounds of my hummus bought at Costco!

Hummus and cucumber breakfast

February 3rd Newsletter

When’s the last time you talked about lentils? For some of you, probably never. Most new cooks have probably neither cooked them nor even eaten them. Lentils are a legume low in fat and cholesterol and high in protein, fiber, and iron. Because lentils contain mostly slowly digestible starch (SDS), they may have benefits to diabetics. The protein to calorie ratio is high. I don’t believe in perfect foods, as in eat this food and you will live forever, but some foods are better for us than others, and lentils are in that category.

Lentils do not require soaking like dried beans, so they are pretty fast to prepare, depending on the type. Soaking can reduce the cooking time, but I don't bother. There are basically three different kinds of common lentils – brown, red, and green French Puy. It is important to know their differences.

Brown lentils are the most common and cheapest, costing about 12¢ an ounce in my supermarket. They are mild flavored with an earthy quality and cook in about 20 - 25 minutes. They hold together reasonably well unless overcooked. Serve these as a side dish or in a soup.

Red lentils are frequently used in Indian cooking. They cost me about 22¢ an ounce. Because these lentils fall apart when cooking, they should be used in soups or as a thickening agent. Cooking in only 15 - 20 minutes means they are perfect for a quick dinner. The color is a beautiful orange. The soup this week uses red lentils. See photo above.

Green Puy lentils are more expensive and cost me about 35¢ an ounce. Although they require 45 - 50 minutes to cook, they retain their shape and are perfect for a warm or cold lentil salad as well as in lentil soup.

If you haven’t cooked lentils before, give them a try. What about a poached or fried egg on top of mounded brown lentils? Or a green lentil salad with feta cheese, black olives, and cucumbers? Or even a stir fry using lentils instead of rice? Use your imagination.

More lentil recipes are under development, but let us know your favorite way to serve lentils.

As always, happy cooking and eating! Keep the suggestions coming!

Other recipes for the week

Sweet and sour vinaigrette