The 'How to Cook' Blog

How To Brew Perfect Iced Tea You’ve planned the perfect Sunday brunch and invited all your friends. Everything tastes wonderful except the iced tea. It looks pretty in the glass, but for all the flavor it has you could have saved yourself the trouble and served your guests water. The solution? Learn how to brew the perfect pitcher, and start with a high-quality tea. Forget about those tea bags you  [ Read More ]

Today, I wanted to create a new iced tea flavor we haven’t had in a while. I love Rose Water, and if you’ve never tried it, and like the smell of roses, you may just like the flavor too. Rose Water does a marvelous job flavoring desserts, as well as beauty products alike. A fabulous pink coloration can color other foods, as well as impart an aroma that’s out of  [ Read More ]

This is a lovely recipe perfect for the Holidays as an iced tea, but can be heated up as a hot tea as well to enjoy fire-side. Now, the recipe calls a cranberry syrup, also called cordial. I have included the link to the recipe and the cooking video tutorial for How to Make Cranberry Cordial. Only the peels or “shells” of the lemons are used in this recipe, and not  [ Read More ]

What could remind you of the Holidays more than cranberries do? Cranberry Cordial can be used to flavor beverages like your Homemade Lemonade or tea, sweeten desserts or add that “je ne sais quoi” to other dishes, or maybe even a fabulous homemade vinaigrette for a salad. This is such a simple recipe, and you’ll be able to double up and make Sugared Cranberries & Cranberry Sugar, in addition to  [ Read More ]

We all know I’m a tea lover, and I’m constantly switching up flavors at my house. Today, I’m going to show you a simple, yet ever-so-tasty recipe for How to Brew Lemon Oil Iced Tea. All you need are a few simple ingredients for something plainly delicious. Type: Tea Recipe Prep Time: 5 mins Brew Time: 5 mins Yield: 1 gallon The ingredients & instructions are listed below the video  [ Read More ]

If you are a regular viewer of my show or reader of the “How to Cook” Blog here @ CookingWithKimberly.com, then you know I’m a tea lover. There is always a pitcher of iced tea in my refrigerator, and I often like to play around with the flavors using different types of teas, spices, sweeteners and fruits. This is another great recipe that will “knock your socks off” that can  [ Read More ]

There’s nothing like a hot bevvy on a cold night, especially if it’s in front of a fire… …for those blustery evenings, have yourself a tasty drink that’s sure to excite your taste buds, and boost your immune system with vitamin C. Try out this super easy lemonade recipe that’s sure to please. Plus, you can enjoy it hot or cold. Type: Beverage Recipe Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time:  [ Read More ]

If you did not get the opportunity to come on out this past Thursday, November 8th to the 2012 Women in Finance Event in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada at Casablanca Winery Inn, then you certainly missed out on a great time with nearly 300 other like-minded ladies to network & enjoy an evening of Fun & Finance. No problem, though…Here’s the video of the presentation by Cooking with Kimberly’s web chef,  [ Read More ]

It’s that time of year again…Cold outside and the weather is getting downright frightful. No worries!  Get in the house, sit in front of the fireplace and enjoy this Cranberry Lemon Spiced Punch to the fullest! I created this recipe especially for the ladies I’ll be presenting it to at The Women in Finance Event at Casablanca Winery Inn in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada on November 8th, 2012. Want to register?  [ Read More ]

If you weren’t sold by the fabulously simply awesome flavor of the Wild Blueberry Tea from Prince Edward Island I featured previously, then try out this amazing tea making it cold… …Iced Tea is on the menu today, but not just ANY iced tea. Blueberry Clementine Iced Tea! Be ready to awaken your taste buds. Type: Tea Recipe Serve With: sugar or honey, if desired. Prep Time: 3 min Steep/Brew  [ Read More ]

If you didn’t know, I also coach sports: softball/baseball, track & field, gymnastics, conditioning, etc! One of my pitchers, Larissa Rowdon, had an amazing season, helped her team win a spot in Nationals in Prince Edward Island, Canada after a stellar show in Provincials. Her and her awesome parents were so sweet and brought me home a gift from Nationals…a Prince Edward Island t-shirt, which I love; and since they  [ Read More ]

When I purchased this watermelon, it passed all of my “inspections”. It sounded dense & watery when tapped, it was a good size, no blemishes… Brought it home, cut into it and it looked amazing. Mostly rich, pink flesh, no seeds and minimal rind.  When I bit into it, I was sadly disappointed by the lack of sweetness and slight mushiness it presented us with. So, I decided to juice  [ Read More ]

It’s the beginning of summer here in Canada, and I’m getting requests for cool, refreshing recipes people can make easily at home. What’s more refreshing than ice, cold lemonade from scratch? Not much! So, here’s a super-easy recipe that will take you about 5 minutes to make you look like a Champion in your Kitchen! Type: Beverage Recipe Prep Time: 5 mins Yield: 1 gallon * The ingredients & instructions  [ Read More ]

Darjeeling Tea is my absolute favorite type of tea. This tea hails from the area of West Bengal, India. This is not a native plant to India, and was first cultivated using Chinese tea plant seeds. It is often considered to be a black tea, as it looks like a black tea when it’s brewed, but it is technically more of an Oolong tea since it doesn’t have complete oxidation  [ Read More ]

Oolong tea is one of my favorite teas to brew… …Why? Because it has a really cool flavor, it helps you lose weight, is a de-stressor, encourages healthy bones & teeth, and gives you energy! Most of the Oolongs I have had the opportunity to try in Canada have a flavor profile similar to that of buttered popcorn to me. However, the exact same tea is lemony to my mother.  [ Read More ]

When you’re looking for a non-caffeinated alternative to black tea, Rooibos is the way to go. Rooibos is actually a black tea from South Africa that is naturally non-caffeinated, and it has less tannins in it than black tea does, so it doesn’t stain your teeth in the same way black teas do. Rooibos literally translated means “red bush” and it’s a plant that is broom-like, and in the legume  [ Read More ]

This morning, I was ready to start my day and kick it off with yet another cup of amazing tea! Today, I want to share with you How to Brew a Perfect Cup of White Tea, and you will find an instructional video below. White tea comes from the same plant as black or green tea, Camellia sinensis, but it is harvested differently. White tea comes from both the leaves  [ Read More ]

This morning, I want to show you exactly how to brew black loose leaf teas in a cup or teapot. In the video below, I used a black looseleaf tea that’s Cranberry flavored, with actual dried cranberries mixed in. This tea is from Lauriam Tea House in Bowmanville, Ontario, and was lovingly given to me by one of my sisters, as she knows I really love tea. Also, today I’m  [ Read More ]

I’ve been looking at this bag of bulk dark rye flour in my pantry for a few weeks and today, it vexed me that I hadn’t made rye bread yet with it. In fact, I haven’t made rye bread in a while, probably because a combination is what I was looking for, but nothing sparked my interest in my head, until I saw a bottle of flat cola in my  [ Read More ]

Most of the time, sugar is, well, just sugar…Right? True…However, there are times when flavoring sugar for desserts, drinks, fruits, etc. can be simply amazing and truly perfect! A little something different…that “je ne sais quoi”! Typically speaking, you don’t use a lot when you’re talking about finishing or flavored sugars. They are simply to enhance flavor and give a marvelous twist. So, it’s really unnecessary to make huge batches  [ Read More ]