'Gotta Eat, Can't Cook'

Oven Roasted Potatoes

March 1, 2010 – 11:22 am

Oven roasted potatoes are extremely “chop, mix, and throw ‘em in the oven” easy to prepare and go great with beef, pork, chicken or fish. You can serve them as is right out of the oven or top them with salt and pepper to taste or your favorite seasoning. And, of course, just like French fries (only a lot less fatty) these potatoes go incredibly well with my kids’ and probably your kids’ favorite too, ketchup.

Now, if look at this recipe and notice the potatoes aren’t peeled, there’s a good reason for it. Not only is potato peeling an extra step that can be avoided, but removing the skin also decreases the nutritional value and fiber content of the potato. Potato skins are rich in nutrients and fiber, and I find they also add a good shot of flavor.

Just click the photo above to download step-by-step picture book directions.

By brucetretter | Posted in How To, Picture Book Cooking, Recipes | Tagged easy side dishes, french fry alternative, potatoes, roasted potatoes | Comments (0)

Apple, Orange & Banana Salad

February 21, 2010 – 10:34 am

Apple, orange & banana salad is just as incredibly easy to make as it is extremely versatile. You can have it as is for breakfast. You can add yogurt and jam to it (one of my favorites). You use it as a fresh alterative to green salad and have it with feta cheese and either your favorite salad dressing (please try just a bite before you say, “hey, c’mon, Bruce” – I love it this way!) and feta or any other grated or crumbled cheese.

Just click the photo above for easy to follow, step-by-step picture book directions.

By brucetretter | Posted in How To, Picture Book Cooking, Recipes | Tagged apple orange & banana salad, easy salad, fruit salad, quick recipe, salad, winter fruit salad | Comments (0)

Feed Your Valentine’s Passion!

February 11, 2010 – 1:41 pm

Valentine’s Day should be all about tender loving fun. So what’re you gonna’ do to have fun feeding your lovely Valentine’s passion? Just click the photo above for a free short easy-to-follow Valentine’s picture book featuring simple crepes, whipped cream, oven roasted beef tenderloin, oven roasted potatoes, strawberries & bananas with Nutella (chocolate spread), glow wine and more.

Have fun & Happy Valentine’s Day!

By brucetretter | Posted in Picture Book Cooking | Tagged beef tenderloin, Crêpe, fruit salad, Holidays, Valentine's dinner, Valentine's recipes, Valentines Day, Whipped cream | Comments (0)

Fresh, Fluffy & Fully Satisfying Simple Whipped Cream

February 1, 2010 – 8:40 am

Want to treat your tastebuds & soul to a fantastic flight on a fluffy white cloud of full on flavor? Yah, I’m a guy, and I just wrote that with a big smile on my face and laugh in my gut. Could be because I just had my coffee topped with a fat spoon of homemade whipped cream I’d spun up the other day and have been keeping fresh covered in the fridge to use whenever I need it. Great stuff! Add a good shot of it to your own coffee or hot chocolate. Top waffles, pancakes and French toast with it. Lay it on fresh fruit, pie, cake or pudding. Fresh whipped cream improves the flavor of anything it touches, and it’s incredibly easy to make. Just click the photo above for easy to follow step-by-step picture book directions.

By brucetretter | Posted in Picture Book Cooking | Comments (0)

Knife Safety - Keeping Your Fingers On Your Hand

January 29, 2010 – 4:39 pm

If you’ve downloaded recipes from the Gotta-Eat site that require any cutting with a knife, you’ve probably noticed that my fingers on the hand anchoring food to the cutting board are always curled as shown here.

The reason I do this is not to make me look like a chef - I’m not. I only do it to keep my fingers on my hand where they belong. Curlling your fingers does two things: it gives you the firmest, best grip on the food you’re cutting and also allows your knuckles to work as a knife guide whether you’re using a fat bladed (chef’s) knife as shown above or a short bladed (paring) knife as shown below.

Let the flat side of the knife blade rub against your knuckles just like you see here,…

…and there’s no way you’ll cut yourself. If you’re new to this technique, try it a few times and start out cutting slowly. Use both your hands as a unit as you cut from right to left if you’re right handed like me or…

…left to right like this if you’re left handed.

Once you feel comfortable doing this slowly, you can ramp up the speed. In no time at all, curling your fingers will become habit - a darned good habit!

By brucetretter | Posted in About, How To, Kitchen Essentials, Techniques | Tagged cutting with a knife, how to use a knife, knife handling, safe knife techniques | Comments (0)

Tomato Mozzarella Salad

January 25, 2010 – 7:16 am

Want an easy to make, zesty alternative to the standard green salad? Try this incredibly simple but full on flavorful tomato mozzarella salad. Now, the key to making this salad really come to life is fresh basil - basil that’s crisp and moist green instead of basil that’s been on the shelf left to wilt and dry out. Of course, for me, there’s always a second key ingredient that’s great for pumping up flavor: balsamic vinegar, which adds a subtly sweet but slightly sour, full mouthed body to the salad - or just about anything else you like to eat. Just click the photo above for easy to follow step-by-step picture book directions.

By brucetretter | Posted in How To, Picture Book Cooking, Recipes | Tagged mozzarella, quick salad, salad, tomato mozzarella salad, Valentine's dinner | Comments (0)

Warm Comfort From the Cold - Glow Wine

January 14, 2010 – 4:38 am

Wow has Winter stretched its icy hand to places it rarely touches! So, when it’s face piercing cold - you know how that feels - how ’bout something warm you can put your hands around and drink that’ll light your body’s fire inside and out! I’m talking about Glow Wine. Some people call it mulled wine, but I like the German way of looking at it much better. “Glow” adds a little magic, and that’s just how the drink tastes with it’s soul warming combination of robust red wine, citrusy zing, hint of sweetness and subtle but satisfying spice. So, click the photo above for easy step-by-step picture book directions, and your on your way to tossing another log on that chill fighting hearth inside you!

By brucetretter | Posted in How To, Picture Book Cooking, Recipes | Tagged easy drink recipes, glow wine, hot drink, mulled wine, winter drinks | Comments (0)

Free Christmas Dinner Picture Ebooks

December 16, 2009 – 7:50 am

Hey, this is America - freedom of choice! Whether it’s turkey or beef you’re planning for your Christmas or other winter holiday dinner, just click either book cover photo above for a direct link to an easy-to-use, step-by-step picture ebook that includes a timing schedule to help make that dinner as enjoyable and stress-free as possible. Each book provides the easiest, most flavorful way I’ve found to roast turkey and prime rib to fine restaurant quality perfection. They also include traditional holiday side dishes like mashed potatoes, oven roasted butternut squash, fresh & very easy cranberry sauce, simple but flavorful stuffing, quickly cooked green beans in garlic butter, fresh & easy-to-make chocolate pudding, and directions for roasting fresh chestnuts almost “on an open fire” using either a regular kitchen oven or toaster oven.

Wishing you a very merry and fully flavorful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Bruce Tretter

By brucetretter | Posted in How To, Picture Book Cooking, Recipes, Techniques | Tagged Bruce Tretter, Christmas, Cranberry sauce, easy chocolate pudding, easy holiday dinner, easy prime rib, easy recipes, easy roast turkey, Green bean, how to make Christmas dinner, how to roast chestnuts, Mashed potato, Thanksgiving | Comments (0)

Roasted Cauliflower with Indian Barbecue Sauce

December 8, 2009 – 11:42 am

Here’s a great recipe to help you warm your taste buds and insides, especially as winter starts to blow a goose-bumpy chill. It’s called Roasted Cauliflower with Indian Barbecue Sauce. I first came across the recipe in Bon Appetit magazine about two years ago. I’ve since modified it a bit to make it both quicker to prepare by substituting garlic powder and ground ginger for their fresh counterparts and even made the recipe a bit more tangy by adding an optional tablespoon of balsamic recipe. In addition to being a great twist on serving cauliflower, this recipe is a kid favorite at home. Just click the photo above for easy step-by-step picture book directions.

By brucetretter | Posted in How To, Picture Book Cooking, Recipes | Tagged Barbecue sauce, Cauliflower, easy side dishes, Fruit and Vegetable, how to cook cauliflower, Indian barbecue sauce, roasted cauliflower | Comments (0)

Ease Into the Holidays with Fresh Chocolate Pudding

November 29, 2009 – 10:27 am

I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving! As I’ve mentioned before, I love Thanksgiving because all that’s expected is a good meal and great company. But now things change a bit as we look ahead toward Christmas and the other winter holidays. So, to help make those holidays as comfortably warm and deliciously sweet as they really can be, I thought I’d post a fully satisfying fresh chocolate pudding that’s really almost just as easy to make as instant pudding from a package but incredibly much more flavorful. Now, the beauty of this recipe is that you can you either make it low-fat if you use either 1 or 2% milk and don’t use the optional chocolate chips, or you can turn up the flavor volume a whole lot by adding chocolate chips that’ll really make the chocolate in that pudding sing out loud.

For easy to follow picture book directions, just click the photo above.

By brucetretter | Posted in How To, Picture Book Cooking, Recipes | Tagged Bruce Tretter, easy comfort food, easy to make dessert, fresh chocolate pudding, Gotta' Eat, holiday recipes, how to make chocolate pudding | Comments (0)

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