April 18th, 2013 
Blog, Recipe Menu 
Comments Off on Pickled Pork: Different But Delicious – All in Pictures 
Now for something completely different – and darn good!
I got a request from a high school student in Saudi Arabia a few weeks ago for pickled meat. I’d never even heard of the stuff. So, I did some research online and put together the step-by-step picture book recipe for pickled pork you can get right here by clicking any picture on this page. Read more »
April 8th, 2013 Blog, Recipe Menu Comments Off on Microwave Cooked Quinoa Alfredo – Quick, Easy & All in Pictures 
Last couple of posts have shown how to cook fantastically flavorful and incredibly nutritious quinoa either on the stove or in the microwave oven. I’ve since heard from quite a few people who’ve said they’ve started to use quinoa and mostly serve it plain. Plain is fine, but here’s a quick and easy way to add a nutritional punch to an Italian favorite by making Quinoa Alfredo in the microwave oven.
You’ll see in the picture below showing what you’ll need that this recipe calls for evaporated milk instead of the traditionally used heavy cream to make Alfredo sauce. Evaporated milk has half the calories and 1/5th the fat of heavy cream though both evaporated milk and heavy cream have similar cooking and flavor properties. I love that!
Just click either picture on this page for a complete, easy to follow step-by-step picture book recipe.
March 20th, 2013 Blog Comments Off on Flavorful, Nutritious and Easy to Cook Quinoa – All in Pictures 
Quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah”) is a fully flavorful, highly nutritious seed that’s incredibly versatile to use and easy to cook. Now, before you say “Keen-what”, I know it sounds different, and it’s actually something that’s somewhat new to me. My favorite variety is red quinoa because of its slightly sweet, nutty flavor. But quinoa of any color tastes great and has excellent texture – smooth on the inside with a great mouth pop to it when you first bite on it. And then there’s the incredible nutritional value, which is even more remarkable when you consider the tiny natural package it comes in. Read more »
February 24th, 2013 Blog, Salads & Salad Dressings Comments Off on Kiwi, Berries and Yogurt with Step-By-Step Picture Book Directions 
The hardest part about making this quick fruit and yogurt combination is peeling the kiwi, which you can see in detail either in the last post or by clicking this link to step-by-step picture book directions. After peeling, it’s all just add and serve. Easy! Read more »
February 17th, 2013 Blog, How To & Tips Comments Off on How to Ripen and Prepare Kiwifruit – All in Pictures 
I love kiwifruit (also known as kiwi, named after New Zealand’s national bird) for its fresh zesty flavor, texture and potent nutritional punch. And, wow, all that good stuff means so much more during the winter months when fresh produce with real life to it is tough to find.
Kiwis are actually native to southern China, where they’re known as Chinese gooseberries, but are now grown plentifully around the world. They have a wonderfully fresh fruity flavor that’s a cross between bananas, strawberries and pineapple. They’re rich in vitamins A, C and E, and their black seeds, when crushed or chewed, are an excellent source of beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids. Ripe kiwis are slightly tender to the touch. Usually, though, the fruit comes to market under-ripe and very firm. The easiest way to ripen under-ripe kiwis is to put them in a paper (not plastic) bag, close the top the way you would close a lunch bag, and keep the bag at room temperature out of direct sunlight. You can see how to do that by clicking either picture on this page for complete easy to follow step-by-step picture book directions. Just beware ripening takes at least a few days – sometimes more than a week. Read more »
February 3rd, 2013 Blog, Salads & Salad Dressings Comments Off on Quick & Easy Warm Spinach & Pear Salad – All in Pictures 
No matter where you live, I’ve gotta’ imagine the weather, and specifically, the temperatures you’ve had the pleasure of experiencing, have hardly been consistent this winter. With that in mind and considering it just cooled down rapidly – even with wildly blowing wind and snow this week, here’s a very quick and easy way to heat up a fully flavorful sweet and savory salad made with spinach, pear and your choice or a combination of walnuts, dried cranberries and feta (or any cheese) that’ll warm your body and soul on a bone chilling night. Emmm…you bet! Read more »
I got a short, direct comment from a friend on Facebook saying that a family-favorite whiskey & ginger ale recipe I’d recently posted is a “descendent of the coo(w) woo(w) – America’s oldest cocktail, still served at the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA: Ginger brandy and rum”.
Yah, all right! So, two Sundays ago after getting off the ice teaching kids skating in Marlborough, I drove to the Wayside, which for years has been one of my favorite magical cycling destinations. The place looked great that night with snow on the ground contrasted by warmly lit windows still decorated with holiday wreaths.
The bar was a quick right just inside the front door. It’s apparently one of the original rooms from when the house was first built in the 1700’s. The room’s small, all wood floor to ceiling, and had a fireplace that was full-on. I asked the bartender, Rich, about the Coow Woow. As I recall, which you’ll soon find out became kind of sketchy, I thought he told me the drink was made 3 parts white rum, 2 parts ginger brandy. He asked if I wanted a sample. You bet. Read more »
Really? Brussels sprouts chips an excellent quick, flavorful and even healthy alternative to commercially bagged chips? “C’mon, Bruce. What’s on tap next – fried celery just as good as a hot fudge sundae?” All I can say is: I didn’t believe it either.
In fact, I was never a big Brussels sprouts fan until I was very recently introduced to this recipe and another recipe made with Brussels sprouts, bacon and onions that I’ll lay out real soon. All I can say is try them – my kids and I loved ’em – and then let me know what you think.
Here’s all you need to make these chips. As always, just click any picture on this page for a direct link to an easy to follow step-by-step picture book recipe.
Ingredients
Equipment
Here’s a really simple and flavorful drink to make that’s been a winter tradition in my family, especially with freshly roasted chestnuts. Great stuff! Funny thing: I posted the drink on The Good Men Project the other day, promoted it on Facebook this morning and right away got a comment from a friend that the drink is a “(d)escendent of the coo woo – America’s oldest cocktail, still served at the Wayside Inn in Sudbury: Ginger brandy and rum”. The Wayside is one of my favorite biking destinations – I just zipped by it yesterday. Gorgeous! Here’s a shot of the place, and…
…yah, that’s where I’ll be early this evening after teaching skating not far away at all in Marlborough. More about that – with pictures – real soon!
Here’s all you need to make whiskey and ginger ale. As always, just click any picture for a complete step-by-step picture book recipe. Just a note on whiskey: I prefer Canadian blended whiskey for this – in our family, we call the drink “Canadian Club and ginger ale”, but any whiskey will work.
January 1st, 2013 Blog Comments Off on Hot or Cold Cereal with Egg Nog – Quick, Easy and All in Pictures 
Happy New Year!
Wow, the holidays come and go so incredibly quickly. Here’s a great way to hold onto holiday flavor by substituting egg nog for milk with your favorite hot or cold cereal. Just click either picture on this page for a complete, easy to follow step-by-step picture book recipe.
Here’s a picture showing all you need to make it. Easy. And, yah, you’ll see a few more ingredients than just cereal and egg nog. Those added ingredients are just suggestions to give you an idea about how you can vary the flavor. As always, though, imagination is your only limit.
