What were the most popular posts from this past week? Well, there were light(er) recipes, great soups, yeast breads, homemade English muffins, and a fabulous city kitchen. Read on for these and more.
15. What Are Your Favorite Casserole Recipes?
14. Extra-Tall Cutting Boards for Extra-Tall Cooks
13. Ways to Reduce Your Exposure to BPA
12. Restaurant Supply Stores: Online and Offline
11. Indian Superfoods: The Healthiest Meal In the World?
We’ve shown you purple hues in the kitchen before, but it’s not a color I usually associate with the kitchen. And yet lately I’ve been drawn instinctively to cool lavender shades — so clean, yet interesting. Take this kitchen from Sunset, for instance.
Q: Can we get some info on Haitian food? I’d love a recipe or two — I can just imagine the food has some really interesting influences with roots in Africa and France as well as the Caribbean.
It just seems like another way to feel at one with the Haitian people in their time of need.
Sent by Fiona
Do you have a kitchen “junk” drawer? You know, one where the little odds and ends of your household end up? I do, but I feel that “junk” is something of a misnomer for this catch-all drawer. Here are a few things that I feel helpful to have around in my “junk” drawer.
We know you guys love broccoli salad, so here’s a look at Jamie’s version. Plus a really great Asian-inspired winter menu from Donna Hay (Sticky Chicken Parcels, anyone?).
We had a lively discussion a couple days ago about these cutting boards on risers for tall cooks who have to bend uncomfortably over their standard-issue countertops. But what about extra-short cooks? Well, reader Cheryl sent us this photo of her own solution.
Q: I just got a hand-held immersion blender for a holiday gift, and I’m quite excited about it.
I’ve heard that it’s the best tool for making incredibly light whipped potatoes — but I can’t find a good recipe! Can you help?
Sent by Rob
How’s your January cooking going? Reader lasiciliana said that she is trying to eat more vegetables and grains this month, and we are with her wholeheartedly. Our affinity for vegetables reaches past health factors, though, and into those of convenience. There are a few vegetables that, when treated right, can make a quick, easy meal all by themselves. Here are five ways to make a quick, tasty (and, incidentally, rather healthy) meal out of single vegetables.
Reader Glen just sent us a link to this story and recipe by English chef and nutritionist Gurpareet Bains. Bains has made a rather outrageous yet intriguing claim: He says that he has invented the “world’s healthiest meal.”
Happy weekend! What’s cooking in your kitchen tonight, and this weekend? I am taking the simple route, and inspired by prairieportia‘s comment I’m roasting a couple of sweet potatoes for supper. What about you? What are you cooking? Here’s a look back at a few posts and recipes you may have missed from our past week.
Ever since a reader asked for help finding a calendar with illustrations of seasonal produce, we keep seeing great calendars with this theme. First there was the free download from Cottage Industrialist, and then there was this gardening calendar from Krank Press. But our current favorite may have to be this hand-illustrated calendar from Brooklyn artist Claudia Pearson.
Q: My husband and I moved into a beautiful 1920s Craftsman last year and we love our home, but it needs a lot of work. We are planning a kitchen remodel this summer, with a limited budget and a laundry list of projects.
In order to get the most bang for our buck, I am toying with the idea of putting in IKEA cabinets instead of something more authentic and expensive. Is this sacrilege? I love our old cabinets and countertops but they are barely functional. Our drawers aren’t so much drawers as they are boxes stuck in holes. I long for something that will make better use of the space in our kitchen.
Who has experience with IKEA cabinets? Are you happy with your purchase? Will I be cursed for replacing something so old with something SO generic? Please help!
Sent by Alissa
Q: Is there anything that shouldn’t be stored in the fridge? I have a large fridge that tends to be mostly empty because I live by myself. At the same time I have limited shelf space.
Is there anything that I couldn’t put in my fridge that normally is on the shelves — canned goods, flour, sugar, etc?
Sent by Jessica
Every week we bring you our favorite posts from our friends at Serious Eats. This week, can you guess the top 10 most-Googled recipes of 2009? What were people cooking? We have the answer below, plus a hot-looking dish of shrimp tikka masala, a banana peanut butter smoothie, and evidence that Trader Joe’s was paying attention in grammar class.
We just got a tip from a reader on these extra-tall cutting board surfaces for really, really tall cooks. Too-low countertops are a problem in the kitchen for tall cooks; remember how Julia Child herself had her countertops raised up a few inches? Well, this is an alternative for tall cooks; read on to see the inspiration for these “Colleen-ified” cutting boards!
It’s wintertime — so, why is ice cream on the table? Well, so many winter desserts just beg for ice cream. Apple cobbler, warm pumpkin pie, dark chocolate cake. So I was really happy to find this extra-quick ice cream recipe that is nearly as simple as making whipped cream.
My husband and I have become slightly obsessed with olive oil tortas. Have you tried these yet? We were excited to see them in Saveur‘s Top 100 List this month; they certainly deserve a spot!
Name: Katie
Location: Illinois
Rent or own? Own
Katie and her young family recently moved into this house and she’s looking for ways to personalize her kitchen and to brighten it up. She’s on a limited budget, but perhaps more importantly, with two toddlers and a busy schedule she has limited time! What would you suggest for Katie’s kitchen?
Baked Brie with rosemary, yummy broccoli calzones, and a great little mug in today’s Delicious Links.
