The beauty of reviewing cookbooks with a group of fabulous and passionate home chefs is that I learn a lot about how others cook and I get to discover books that would otherwise not have been on my radar. One of these examples is a fabulous book called Chefs’ Easy Weeknight Dinners published by Food & Wine Magazine. Almost every recipe in the book is a must-do, and the one I would like to share with you this week is the Ginger-Braised Pork Meatballs in Coconut Broth. Yes, it’s just as delicious as it sounds. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Do Weeknight Dinner Like a Chef!”
Tag: Vegetables
It’s Always Broccoli Time at Our House
Whenever I ask my husband what vegetables he wants as a side, it’s always broccoli. He just can’t have enough of them. And neither can I. Whether baked, steamed, or pureed, broccoli are super easy to turn into a delicious dish and they happen to pack a nutritious punch, too. Come and cook with us some broccoli. Continue reading “It’s Always Broccoli Time at Our House”
A Fennel Marathon
Did you know that fennel is the Greek name for marathon? Not because eating fennel gives you stamina and endurance. Rather, the Greek beat the Persians in 490 B.C., in a fennel field that is exactly 26 miles and 385 yards from Athens. They sent a runner to bring the good news into town and ever since then, the length of a marathon race has remained the same as the distance between the fennel field and town. Luckily, you don’t have to go that far out of your way to get some fennel. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “A Fennel Marathon”
Cooking or Exercising? Ideally Both!
The conundrum on how we best spend our time continues. A recent meta data analysis determined that exercise is less important than diet if our goal is to lose weight. And as we at Come and Cook with Us aren’t really focused on eating to slim the waist, we want to point out that while regular exercise is really really good for our muscles, joints, heart, lungs, and mental wellbeing, we aren’t told often enough that making time for a home-cooked meal is just as important, if not more. We know it’s hard to fit it all in, but a little can go a long way so this summer we invite you all to try a few new habits. Come and cook with us!
Maybe there isn’t anyone getting rich by telling us this simple truth. Or maybe we are told, but with little impact given the competing multi-million dollar marketing budgets focused on getting us into the gym, dressed in our best athletic outfits and enticing us to follow each and every move with digital wearables like fitbit. Our public service announcement is pretty simple: Let’s try to find a healthy lifestyle that incorporates both exercise and nutritious food. Here are a few suggestions on how to implement it:
- Keep it simple.
- Start with one meal, like breakfast, if you feel overwhelmed.
- Make it a family effort giving kids a role in choosing, shopping for and preparing the meal.
- Always add a salad.
- Switch out the ice cream for water melon, peaches, apricots, cherries and more fresh fruits that are in season right now.
- Reach for the water and skip the soda.
- Remember what your ideal plate looks like: 1/2 plate fresh produce, 1/4 whole grain and 1/4 protein.
- Visit the farmers market and talk to the farmers.
- Make it social by asking your friends for their go-to-recipes. You’ll have a wide repertoire of new ideas when fall comes around.
Regular exercise is indeed an excellent way to boost your mood and get in great shape. And so is cooking. This summer, spend a little less time letting other people tell you what will make you happy, healthy and wise, and instead listen to what your own body is telling you. Here’s to a good summer! Below are links to some of our favorite summer dishes that are easy to make and delicious to eat. Come and cook with us!
Greek Salad
Bircher Muesli and Refrigerated Oatmeal
Oven Baguette
Mediterranean Poached Chicken Salad
Lone Pine Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Fennel, Avocado and Orange Salad
Salad Dressings
From Drought to Table
When it comes to food shopping – and meal choices – we have learned to base our decision on seasonal, local produce in all the colors of the rainbow. Well guess what, right now that might just not be good enough. If you live in California, or anywhere else in the United States, for that matter, we have to consider the impact that the current drought has on agriculture that currently consumes 80% of all the water used in the State. You’d be surprised how much water it takes to grow a slice of avocado, three tangerines or a bunch of grapes. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “From Drought to Table”
Come and Cook with Us 