The 'How to Cook' Blog

In my opinion, your morning tea is a sacred event, for lack of a better term. Everyone likes it differently, whether it be black tea, green tea or herbal tea. Some people go to the trouble of using loose tea leaves in the morning, but for those of us who aren’t morning people, we typically stick with tea bags simply because it’s easier with your eyes half-way shut! Some prefer  [ Read More ]

Cooking Tip: When making chicken broth, aside from roasting the pieces of chicken and vegetables, there’s another trick that is often used in some cuisines… Many Jewish kitchens will use onions complete with their skins on to make a tasty broth with a darker color. I tried this earlier this week and it turned out wonderfully! I told my mother about it and she figured I just knew that…LOL Of  [ Read More ]

Got boxed chocolate left over from a holiday like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter or even Halloween? Well, here’s a neat and easy way to use it up if you’re getting a bit tired of it and won’t eat the rest of it looking at you from inside that box! Type: Bread Recipe Serve With: Softened butter or Nutella Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 3 hrs + 40 mins Yield:  [ Read More ]

Pan Frying is an absolutely essential cooking technique that is probably the most used method to cook in your kitchen. It’s a dry heat way to cook and heat food on your stove top, and this video from Rouxbe Cooking School is so very helpful to demonstrate this technique: Rouxbe Online Cooking School & Video Recipes Your cooking repertoire will If you would like to buy me some new and  [ Read More ]

Earlier this week, I made my “Superb Sweet Potato Bread for the Bread Machine” recipe and had about 1/2 loaf left since we had New Year’s and we’ve had a lot of food…this got looked over… To me, the best way to use bread that needs to be eaten or if you have a bunch of leftover bread, is to make bread pudding! I chose my favorite tea flavoring, chai,  [ Read More ]

This is the easiest and quickest sauce you will EVER make for desserts… …it’s one you bust out of your repertoire when you’re in a serious pinch or had forgotten to make a sauce for a fabulous dessert altogether! Keep this in the back of your mind forever…it will save you! Type: Dessert Sauce Serve With: Desserts, ice cream, pancakes, fruit Prep Time: 3 minutes Yield: approximately 2 cups Ingredients:  [ Read More ]

In order to understand eggs and how to cook them, you must understand the parts of an egg and how they work. Check out this Egg Anatomy Video c/o Rouxbe Cooking School: Rouxbe Online Cooking School & Video Recipes I know that was some great information that you may or may not have known, but it’s important to understand in order to If you would like to buy me some  [ Read More ]

For the past 3 days, I’ve been reviewing Rouxbe – an online cooking school. I’m having such a great time going through the thorough videos that teach you how to cook without recipes…how to eyeball, the reasons behind what you need to do, and every tidbit of information you will definitely need to know… Rouxbe Online Cooking School & Video Recipes Since I’m going through this reviewing trial, that means  [ Read More ]

Late Night Snack Time… What to make? What’s super tasty, quick & easy? Quesadillas! Surprisingly enough, quesadillas are speedy to make and can be packed with utter deliciousness to curb that late night craving! Tonight, I thought outside of the box to make a specialty quesadilla that’s not Mexican in flavors. Type: Snack Recipe Serve With: Salsa, if desired Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 12 min Yield: Serves 3  [ Read More ]

Have you ever thought about becoming a chef or want to learn more to cook at home? I’ll bet time & money are your biggest constraints… They don’t have to be! Check out Rouxbe.com – it’s an online cooking school that is beyond affordable and provides you with fabulous teaching via high definition videos online! Now, you can go at your own pace. Check out this video for more info:  [ Read More ]

Caramelizing onions is a skill that’s so very important in the kitchen and in various cuisines. Almost anytime I cook Ukrainian, German or Italian food, I am most definitely either sautéing or caramelizing onions. In order to caramelize onions, they must brown further than simply sautéing them (on low and slowly in the pan). Tonight we are pan frying up some cheese & potato perogies, and some sauerkraut perogies (or  [ Read More ]

Lobster is most definitely my favorite food on the planet! I could literally eat it everyday and would love to live on the coast to do so! Lobster is a staple in our home for special occasions like Birthdays, Anniversaries & New Year’s Eve Dinner! My all-time favorite way to cook lobster is boil it whole. Don’t mess with the amazing taste of lobster all on it’s own! Type: Seafood  [ Read More ]

New Year’s Eve is one of the days we will definitely eat escargot! Many people feel that escargot is a daunting dish not only to make, but to get over the fact that they’re eating snails. These aren’t your typical garden snail. They are specially raised specifically for this purpose and they are absolutely delicious. When I was a young child and my parents would take us out to eat  [ Read More ]

Curried mussels are a staple at our house for New Year’s Eve. We typically used to make white wine & garlic mussels before we tried these bad boys… Here’s how to make them and enjoy them in such a delicious way! Type: Seafood Recipe Serve With: Rice, fried pitas or papadums Prep Time: 8 min Cook Time: 15 min Yield: Serves 4 – 1st course Ingredients: 2 lbs fresh mussles  [ Read More ]