Category Archives: Uncategorized

Changing dinner plans

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After submitting my proposed menu for tonight’s dinner, my family wanted to make two small changes.

The first request was to use a different baked ziti recipe. The new recipe from the Food Channel sounds like it will taste better and is easier to make. I let the opportunity to learn how to grill vegetables get in the way of a better baked ziti recipe.

The second change is a slight alteration of Giada De Laurentiis’ tiramisu recipe. My wife’s tried-and-true recipe switches out two teaspoons of rum in Giada’s recipe for 1/4 cup amaretto liquor.

Let the cooking begin.

So that’s a shallot

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ShallotI just spent 20 minutes in the grocery store looking for shallots. I was in the fresh produce area, but I thought a shallot looked a lot like a green onion.

I didn’t ask for help because I was a little embarrassed and I wanted to figure it out on my own.

When I finally asked a clerk, who I had walked past at least a dozen times, he smiled knowing I was clueless and directed me away from the fresh greens and in the direction of the onions.

To add to the embarrassment, my wife bought shallots last week and we still had some in our pantry.

Now I know.

Here is a link to food.com explanation of shallots for anyone who wants more information.

The journey begins with a knife

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I signed up for my first cooking class.

On Saturday, I am taking the Essential Knife Skills class from The New School of Cooking. I finally get to learn the proper techniques for chopping, slicing, dicing and julienne.

In the meantime, I am eager to start cooking. I am going to surprise my wife tonight by preparing Pasta with Mushrooms for dinner. I found the recipe in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian cookbook.

Wish me luck because I am am also making the vegetable stock from scratch.

More later. I am off to the store.

Hello World

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Before I get started, I have to confess that I am not a cook. I am food warmer with expertise in microwaving frozen food.

The thought of being a culinarian is a little overwhelming, so as a journalist, I wanted to share my journey to become a chef with friends, family and anyone else who may want to join the conversation.

The goal is to create a dialogue you might have while preparing food for dinner with friends, so please add your thoughts and comments. Most of the talk will be about food and a little about everything else.

I should also mention that other than eating fish, I am a vegetarian. I know there are a lot of interesting meat sauces and lamb dishes out there, but I will keep my kitchen in the kill-free zone.

I have already started immersing myself in TV cooking shows, cookbooks and online cooking classes. I also signed up for a knife skills class at a local cooking school.

Now all I have to do is learn how to cook.