Category — Cooking Lessons

I get asked, a lot, about what’s in my pantry and what others should stock in theirs. [Read more →]

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I’ve got a lot of kitchen stuff. Just ask my poor husband who put together a giant Ikea armoire to house extra pie plates, cake pans, cookie cutters, etc. etc. etc. We have a big kitchen with lots of cupboard space, but where to put the 3 (yes, you read that right) waffle irons? The juicer? The panini press? Downstairs.

But what do I actually use on a daily basis? That’s a whole ‘nother story. [Read more →]

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For a while now I’ve been telling you guys to avoid canned foods because of BPA.  And I know that many of you rely on beans as a source of quick and healthy fiber and protein in your diets.  And I also know that Eden Organic brand is, right now, the only brand of canned beans that doesn’t use BPA in the liner.  So . . . how ’bout avoiding the issue altogether, while saving time and money?  Cook your own!?  I think that home-cooked beans taste worlds better than canned.

But I can hear you now . . . it takes time to cook beans yourself!  You’re here reading Semi-Sweet ’cause you don’t have loads of time.  I understand – most beans will take 1 to 1 1/2 hours to cook until tender.  But maybe this handy-dandy primer will help?  I’m also including instructions on how to freeze your own beans – so you could do up a big batch on, say, a weekend or weeknight when you’re hanging around the house (the cook time is largely unattended time) so you can eat some that week and freeze some for the future.  Do this a few weeks in a row, varying your bean selection, and voila!  You have a store of beans in your freezer that’ll rival anything you’ve had in your larder.   [Read more →]

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