This is someplace where I might be accused of being a bit of a broken record. I find myself constantly amazed by the amount we are charged in the supermarket for labor we could just as well do at home. On previous occasions, I've written about $100 Onions, and Saving Money on Groceries. This time, it's the difference in cost between split... Read more →

Whereas other people might bring back wine, or clothes, or salt and pepper shakers when they travel, chance are good if you look in my suitcase what you will find is olive oil. I love the stuff! A quick count of the number of different olive oils I have right now in my pantry comes in at six. Some are mild, the kind I might use for a... Read more →

So who gets to decide it's National Eat Your Vegetables Day, or International Pretzel Week? You will never believe the number of emails I get, as a food blogger, asking me to promote this or that week, day or month. Here's just a small sampling: July was National Blueberry Month; July 26th was National Coffee Milkshake Day; May 25th... Read more →

I've heard it said that what we buy as buttermilk on the supermarkets now isn't the same as what buttermilk used to be. Can you explain the difference to me? --Strong Back in the day, as my kids would say, buttermilk was the liquid that was left behind when butter was made. The milk would be left stand for the cream to rise, and... Read more →

Why do pie crust recipes tell you to refrigerate the dough before rolling it out?--Linda Refrigerating the dough after mixing has two main benefits. First, it cools down the fat, usually butter and/or shortening, making it firm again. If the fat becomes too soft, it will mix too completely with the flour. To get a good crust, you need... Read more →

How do you measure flour after it is sifted? I can only figure out how to measure it before. I'm sifting into a big bowl and it would be so messy to then put it back into the measuring cup! -- Amy Use two approximately square pieces of waxed paper. Fold them both across their width to form a crease, and then lay them out flat beside... Read more →

My husband cooked chicken breasts on the barbecue grill yesterday. We put the remaining breasts into the refrigerator soon after pulling them off of the grill, around 3:00 pm. At 4:00 am, my daughter pulled the chicken out of the fridge to make a sandwich and forgot to put the other breasts back. My husband found them at 5:30 a.m. and... Read more →

Just picked up Cream Cheese and Mozzarella cheese making kits from Make Cheese Inc. (http://www.makecheese.ca/). Can't wait to try my hand!... Read more →

I have just bout a stainless steel frying pan. Do I need to season it? -- Hazel Seasoning in this sense refers to creating a non-stick surface by coating the pan with oil and then heating it to about 300°F (150°C). This technique (see Seasoning Frying Pans) is typically used on cast iron, since it has a porous surface that food will... Read more →

A quick and easy spread from my summer kitchen to yours: Tomato Tapenade ¾ c Sun Dried Tomatoes, packed in oil 1 pint Cherry or Grape Tomatoes (about 12 oz) 10-12 lg Basil Leaves, or more to taste 2 cloves Fresh Garlic 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil ⅛ tsp Salt ¼ tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper... Read more →