© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Clean Food, Clean Kitchen, Cutting Board, Experiment, How To, Kitchen Knives, Kitchen Rules, Lock & Lock, Nonstick Pan, Taste Testing

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The Christmas treats I’m sharing today are some of my favorites for many reasons:

• They are festive and come out of the oven dressed to party.
• They’re extremely easy to make.
• The masses love them. So do the non-masses.
• You can take them to work and your co-workers will love you.
• They make your house smell divine.
• They can tell the future, and so much more!

I should warn you though. They also have an identity crisis, and I’m afraid it confuses the children. After eating these, my kids have been known to say some pretty odd things. Check these doozies out.

» Finish reading Holiday Squares (Sunshine Bars) Recipe at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2011. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Baking, Christmas Recipe, Christmas Seasons, Extra Nice, Family Favorites, Holiday, Holiday Square, List, Orange Juice, Oranges, Recipes, Squares, Sunshine, Sunshine Bars, Tasty Dessert

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Thanks to the generous folks at Mariner Software, I have one full license to give away for MacGourmet Deluxe 3 (a $49.95 value)! Please note that this is a Mac-only application and will not run on a PC running Windows, Linux, or anything other than MacOS 10.5 or higher.

A while back, I wrote a post called, The Ultimate Kitchen Gifts List where I listed some of my favorite kitchen items, or items that I thought would make for a great gift for the foodie in your life.

Deep within the bowels of that list I mentioned MacGourmet Deluxe, a recipe management system for the Mac developed by Mariner software. In one word, this software is AWESOME!

A few years ago, on a chilly November evening, I had just invented a ham marinade that that creates super juicy and mouthwatering ham. Wanting to remember my recipe and experiment with it later, I scribbled it out on a scrap piece of paper and placed it in my recipe box. Or so I thought.

» Finish reading MacGourmet Deluxe 3 Giveaway (closed) at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2011. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Create Your Own Cookbook, Favorite Recipes, Fun, Giveaway, Mariner Software, Organize Your Recipes, Recipe Box, Recipe Management, Recipe Software

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The sneeze had made my eyes water, adding to their itchy redness. “I’m not sick,” I hastily commented. “It’s just allergies; they’re killing me!”

The lady backed behind her entry-way door, sure that I was sick and contagious. “Then you should chew some beeswax,” she hastily replied. Though my arm still covered my face, our eyes made brief contact. Hers said, “Duh!” and mine said, “Are you crazy?”

The notion of chewing beeswax to cure allergies seemed preposterous to me—so preposterous, in fact, that I have never forgotten it. That was 10 years ago in Ipala, Guatemala, and I could still take you to the exact door where I sneezed. Not that it really matters (it was red, by the way), but it’s fun to think about visiting my old sneezing grounds. It’s almost like marking my territory, but we won’t go there. Moving on…

» Finish reading Is Beeswax the Cure for Allergy Suffering? at TheCookingDish.com. »

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Post tags: Beeswax, Fall, Hay Fever Allergies, Health, Home Remedies, Honey, Immune System, Medicinal, Runny Nose, Wild Honey

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Take a quick minute and add your opinions below:

» Finish reading A Little Market Research… at TheCookingDish.com. »

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Yeah right.

I don’t know of anybody who has ever successfully done that. Before too long, it just starts gnawing away at you because you know it’s there… eat me, eat me, eat me… *sigh* … Two years ago I bought my Halloween candy on October 31st, Halloween Day. I went to the store to find nearly empty shelves and ended up coming back with the stuff nobody wants: stale pumpkin peeps, Sunmaid raisins, and a mini-size candybar mix. Mini size. Really? Halloween is about packing in the goodies, not skimping on treats that you don’t even have to chew before swallowing.

So this year I decided to–yep, you guessed it–buy my goodies early. I bought them two weeks ago during a “weak moment” on aisle 5. Needless to say, I’m going to have to buy more. Dangit. At least there is one huge benefit to buying your Halloween candy early; besides having to buy and eat twice the amount of candy for Halloween, you get the best of the best. No stale pumpkin peeps for me this year.

So this year I’ve rounded up a list of the 10 best Halloween candies (I cheated and added more than one candy to some numbers), that if I had to buy twice this month, I wouldn’t complain.

In no particular order, behold the list…

» Finish reading The Best Halloween Candy — No, Seriously. at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chocolate, Holiday, Snacks

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Over the summer, I’ve been experimenting with different ways to cut watermelon. I’ve had a blast as I’ve chopped them away, bit by bit. In hindsight, I probably should have taken a few pictures to share with you. Oh well, maybe next time. As I cut up my latest watermelon for the kids and smoothies, I ended up playing around and cutting faces into the slices, and that’s when it hit me–there had to be somebody out there who has carved a melon head.

So today, I bring you a collection of 15+ melon heads, carved by random people in random places. I’ve tried to credit original sources (as far as I can tell), but the nature of the internet is that it’s nearly impossible to track picture sources down. I’d love to keep adding to this list, so if you know of any others, let me know!

» Finish reading 15 Melon Head Fruit Carvings at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Art, Fruit, Fun

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Today, I want to share with you some ideas to get your youngsters involved in the kitchen.

If you’re lucky, your kids will want to know what you’re doing in the kitchen and they’ll take an interest in it and even pitch in voluntarily. Maybe you’re not so lucky and your kids think the kitchen pretty much sucks and is just another way for you to torture them. Who knows, maybe they’re right–but it doesn’t have to be that way.

» Finish reading 10 Ways to Make Cooking Enjoyable for Kids at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Fun, How To, Kids, Maggie

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Post tags: Changes

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It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to sit and down and work on The Cooking Dish, which is unfortunate because I have some delicious foods I’ve been wanting to post. Unexpectedly, however, I now have 4 to 5 days to work on it, if I’m up to it. For the past two weeks I’ve been fighting off a cough and intermittent fevers, and I finally thought I was getting better… BUT I woke up last night at 2:00 a.m. with a sever chest pain which kept me up for the rest of the night. Straight away this morning I contacted the family doctor and after a visit to the office left with a note saying, “stay home from work, you’ve got bronchitis and other junk” and some prescriptions to fill. Oh joy. I’m personally not a fan of involuntarily taking time off from work, but I don’t want to infect my co-workers either (you guys can thank me later–when I get back to the office).

So, without going into many more details, I’m stuck here at home and at the same time, trying to keep my distance from my overly-cute kids so they don’t get sick. That’s nearly impossible.

Well, thanks for listening to the rant… on with the show.

As of last year (2008), we started a new tradition in my department at work: The Annual QA CCP (Quality Assurance Christmas Candy Party). Although next year, we’re thinking of taking on a P at the beginning so it’ll be the QA PCCP (Pajama Christmas Candy Party).

Since my mom has been teaching my siblings and I how to make Christmas candy since we were only little squirts (just tall enough to burn our fingers on the stove top), and my brother and I work in the same department, there’s twice the trouble-making at the CCP. These CCPs have usually lasted an exhausting 6+ hours, but they’re always loads of fun.

» Finish reading 2nd Annual QA Christmas Candy Party at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Holiday, Party

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This week I decided it was finally time to do a clean install of Snow Leopard on my iMac, and so I did. My computer was running super slow, bogged down by all the extraneous programs and junk it’s collected over these past 4 years or so. It’s now running super fast and all spiffy and sleek. But I’ve now found two problems, which for some really aren’t problems, but for me they are:

Problem 1) Snow Leopard and Adobe CS2 are not compatible. Oops. Guess I should have looked into this one before doing a new install.

Problem 2) Aperture 1.5x isn’t compatible with Snow Leopard either.

» Finish reading Never Do What I Did… at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Oops

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Her entry: “What Child is This”.

» Finish reading December Cookie Cutter Giveaway Winner at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cookies, Giveaway, Holiday

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UPDATE: Please see this post: Never Do What I Did…

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Post tags: Changes

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This contest will run through Friday sometime (December 11th), and then I’ll ship them a.s.a.p to the random lucky winner.

» Finish reading December Giveaway: Cookie Cutters at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2009. | Permalink | 22 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Baking, Giveaway, Holiday

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Here’s why you’ll want to use and should use “The Ultimate Kitchen Gift List”:

1. I’ve done all the research for you, spending days reading customer reviews and finding the best products. I’m confident in this list, and you can be too.
2. I didn’t use Consumer Reports. Sure, they’re handy, but in my opinion, when it comes to kitchen tools and stuff, it’s best to get the word straight from the horse’s mouth, so all of these products are rated at least 4 (most of them 4.5) stars out of 5 by those who use them, and not a test lab.
3. I’ve tried to pick the best rated and most well-liked item for each price range in the specific category. This means you’ll find similar items in both less expensive and more expensive price ranges in this list. All you have to do is match your budget to the item.
4. I have a receding hair line and ‘they’ say that guys with a receding hair line are smart… or at least try to be.
5. Did I mention that you’ll save yourself gads of time by using this list?
6. I’ve added pictures below each item group so you don’t have to click a link to see what the item is. I love picture books. The pictures are in the same order as the list above them. If in doubt, just hover your mouse’s cursor over the picture and a little tooltip will display with the picture’s title.

Items marked with an asterisk * are my personal favorites in each category. Items with brackets around the asterisk [*] are items that I personally own and love using.

» Finish reading The Ultimate Kitchen Gifts List at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Christmas, Extreme Happiness, Gifts, Holiday, Lists

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Christopher Chambers. Hello, I’m currently a student at Mississippi State University. My major is Culinary Arts and I just love cooking new things. For our final (in December) we are allowed to cook whatever we want, and I know for a fact that my professor has a huge hot tooth. If I won these peppers, I either make him some kind of salsa, a curry and rice mixture, or some kind of Bhut Jolokia and sesame grilled chicken. Anyway, I’m sure those pepper would help me pass my class. Thanks for reading mine.

Congratulations, Christopher. Remember that torturing your professor won’t get you a passing grade. Send me an email by Sunday night to claim your prize.

Speaking for all of us, we’d love to see the end product of your bhut jolokia chili pepper dinner; so if you remember, please send in some pictures or a YouTube video so I can post it later. Thanks, and happy cooking.

» Finish reading November’s Bhut Jolokia Winner… at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Giveaway, Hot, Spicy

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I admit that it’s a little strange to be giving away a bag of dried bhut jolokia peppers, and in the future, my giveaways will be a little more useful, but I couldn’t help myself. Just the thought of having a bag full of the world’s hottest peppers and playing with the idea of actually trying it out gives me a foodie high–sort of like going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. I’m not sure I’d survive either scenario. For some of you pepper heads out there, this ought to be the ultimate challenge.

» Finish reading November Giveaway: Win Bhut Jolokia Peppers at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2009. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Giveaway, Hot, Spicy, Vegetables

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I’m one of those guys who finds conversion charts really handy–mainly because I haven’t taken the time to memorize them for easy reference. I’ve had the Cooking Conversions page posted for about a week now and I’ve gotten numerous requests to make a printable PDF version of it, so for your convenience, I’ve done that too. You can find it at the bottom of this post or on the Cooking Conversions page just under the Cooking References link in the top navigation.

» Finish reading Cooking Conversions @ The Cooking Dish at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Conversions, Meats, Temperatures

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If you’ve ever been in the grocery store buying onions and couldn’t figure out which color of onion to buy, you’re not alone. Or perhaps you’re cooking and realize your recipe calls for a white onion and all you have are yellow onions… dont’ worry. There are many onions out there, each with their different purposes, but typically they fit into two categories, green and dry onions. This post discusses the dry onions (red onions, yellow onions, and white onions). Although there are many types of each of these dry onions, the general rules for them are as follows.

» Finish reading The Difference between Yellow, White, and Red Onions at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2009. | Permalink | 32 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Onion Guide, Onions, Red Onion, Vegetables, White Onion, Yellow Onion

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My first memories of watercress are at my grandma’s house. I was spending the evening with her after elementary school and she gave me a sandwich with a stringy, small-leaf herb packed between the sandwich meat and bread. I didn’t know my herbs back then and thought she had packed it full of sprouts. It was quite a shock when I took a hefty bite full of fresh watercress and its vibrant flavor filled my mouth.

Watercress is an excellent herb you can use in salads (watercress salad), salad dressings, herb butters, soups, hamburgers, sandwiches, brussels spreads, etc. I’m not quite sure how to explain the flavor, it’s a little different than other herbs, but I’d say it has a zippy, peppery, fresh, maybe pungent taste (as if that description helps). Additional from a unique flavor, it’s also high in vitamins and minerals and is often recognized as a super food.

When you prepare watercress, thoroughly rinse it in cold water and then cut off the stems. once the stems are cut off, you can chop the rest of it up and mix it in with your spreads or add it to your soups. If you’re using it fresh in sandwiches or salads, consider adding it to the dish without cutting it up. Also, if you want the original flavor, you can eat it fresh; cooking the watercress diminishes the flavor substantially and also eliminates some if it’s health benefits.

As a word of caution, if you’re new to watercress, I’d recommend taking it in easy doses first, or you might find the flavor overwhelming.

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© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Herbs, Salad, Sandwich

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The other day I posted a short article regarding the differences between Sea Salt and regular Table Salt, but I didn’t mention Kosher salt. And why didn’t I mention kosher salt? There’s a deep physiological reason behind this, so think deeply. Have you figured it out yet? The truth is, I just didn’t feel like writing any more about salt, so I stopped after sea salt and table salt. But, one of my co-workers caught me on it… so now here’s a post dedicated especially to my coworker (you know who you are). So, what is kosher salt and what is it used for?

I like to think that kosher salt belongs somewhere in between sea salt and table salt because it’s an excellent salt to both cook and cure with. Kosher salt has larger crystals which make drawing out a meat’s moisture and blood easier. (This also is the reason it’s called kosher salt, as this is part of the process to make meats kosher.)

Because kosher salt has a larger surface area that absorbs the moisture more readily than regular table salt and because of it’s subtler flavor, it might take a few trial and error dishes to learn how to use it instead of table salt. But once you start cooking with it, chances are you’ll learn to love it. And, by the way, this is a great salt to top homemade pretzels with.

As a quick note, kosher salt doesn’t contain iodine, but no fears, there’s plenty of iodine in other foods you consume.

Read about sea salt and table salt by clicking here.

Related posts:

1. Sea Salt vs Table Salt: Which One Do You Use?

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kosher Salt, Salt, Spices

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Seeing how today is Saint Patrick’s Day, I decided I’d write down some ideas for you to mix up your food routine. Keep in mind that the possibilities are endless. I’ve taken the time to just write out a few. Think GREEN with everything you make and you’re well on your way to a festive St. Patrick’s Day meal.

» Finish reading Fun St. Patrick’s Day Green Food Ideas at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Fun, Holiday, St. Patrick's Day

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Sea salt vs. table salt: which do you choose? They are the two most common salts used in your kitchen. Both salts have the same nutritional value. You can argue about the differences in the minerals and iodine, etc. but in the end, they’re both sodium chloride crystals. Good ol’ NaCl.

As a kid I remember going to a large salt mine and was amazed at the process that salt when through from start to finish, meaning earth to table. It really is amazing what the earth produces. It’s a good thing too, because without it some foods would be pretty bland! I hear from my non-American friends though that they think our food here in America is too salty. I guess that wouldn’t surprise me, I know a lot of people who over-salt their foods, and this rising generation seems to be raised on potato chips and popcorn. Well, that’s a little off topic–stay focused, Chris– salt is staple in any kitchen, and when it’s used correctly makes food tastes amazing!

But enough of the ranting, I’ve created just a short summary of the difference between sea salt and table salt that I think you’ll find helpful if you’re trying to figure out if you should use sea salt or the regular table salt. Keep in mind that these are short descriptions, and there’s gad’s more information out there on salt. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments and I’ll answer them for you.

» Finish reading Sea Salt vs Table Salt: Which One Do You Use? at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Salt, Spices

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Deglazing a pan is the key to making delicious sauces and gravies for your meats and vegetables. After cooking meat or vegetables instead of scrapping all the leftover fat and dregs into a grease jar, make it into a divine sauce. Deglazing a pan is simply adding stock, lime juice, water, or some other liquid to break up and dissolve the dregs left over from sauteing, searing, or roasting. I especially like to deglaze my cast iron pans, as it helps the cast iron’s flavor–not that I eat cast iron or anything.

If you haven’t deglazed your pans before, now’s a good time to get started. You’ll be surprised how well you can get the junk off your pan when doing so ad also the delicious sauces you can make. So for starters, here’s how to deglaze your pots and pans and make a delicious sauce.

» Finish reading How to Deglaze Your Pans + Recipe at TheCookingDish.com. »

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Frying Pan, Gravy, Sauce

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Before we get started on the actual process, here are a few tips to achieve the best blackening results.

• Use a cast iron skillet.  These truly are the best for blackening.  They can stand the intense prolonged heat and provide excellent flavor for your chicken or fish, whereas other pans may warp.  If you don’t have a cast iron skillet and still want to blacken your meat, do not use a non-stick pan, instead use a thick-bottomed pan meant for higher heats.
• Keep your food cool before blackening.  Butter and oils will stick better to a cool piece of chicken and fish.
• Open all your windows and turn on the fans.  Blackening food creates a lot of smoke and sometimes some flames.
• Keep your filets around 1/2″ thick.  If they’re any thicker they may not cook all the way through.
• Make sure you use a thick oven mitt or thick hot pads because your pan is going to get really hot.

To make blackened chicken or blackened fish

1. Heat your cast-iron skillet to a high temperature.
2. Meanwhile, create a butter & spice mixture.  Melt enough butter (use a microwave-safe pie plate) to coat all the meat your making on both sides, and then a few tablespoons extra to spare.  Add your favorite chicken or fish spices to the butter and mix it up well.  The blackening is caused by the butter charring in the pan, and the spices will add to the flavor.  Cajun spices are the most popular for blackening.  You can also buy a blackening seasoning from the grocery store.  Don’t use fresh herbs, they instantly burn and turn bitter.
3. Pat your chicken or fish dry.  This helps the butter create a sealing crust on the meat, keeping it from drying out.
4. Dip the meat into your melted butter and spice mixture.  At this point, you can add a little extra spices to your meat, but don’t set it down, because you’ll remove the butter from the meat.
5. Place the meat in the pre-heated HOT cast iron skillet.  Be prepared for a lot of smoke and maybe some flames.
6. This step is optional: Immediately after laying your meat in the skillet, spoon another tablespoon of your butter and spice mixture over the fish.  Be prepared for more smoke and possible flames.
7. Allow the meat to cook for about 3 minutes (depends on how thick it is), then flip it over (add another tablespoon of butter if you want) and cook it for another three minutes.
8. When the food is done cooking, you can add additional spices or lime (or lemon) juice if you wish.  As a suggestion, also try adding lime juice to your butter and spice mixture.

With a little bit of practice and a smokey house later, you’ll be a pro at cooking your own blackened chicken, blackened salmon, and blackened catfish.

Related posts:

1. Easy Crispy Baked Chicken Recipe
2. Quick Italian: Chicken Fettuccine Allegri

© Chris Mower for The Cooking Dish, 2009. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cast Iron Skillet, Chicken, Fish

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