Bruce Tretter | Gotta Eat, Can't Cook

Posts Tagged ‘Bruce Tretter’

December 11th, 2021

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food, Fitness Food, Fruit, Pancakes, Running Food, Special Recipes

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Picture Book Warm Pineapple Coconut Topping Recipe

This warm pineapple coconut topping is just an example of how you can easily improvise on the warm fruit topping theme.

Last two posts showed how to make warm fruit toppings that go great over hot or cold cereal, with yogurt, on pancakes, waffles or French toast. Your imagination is your only limit.

This post is about a variation on the fruit topping theme I’d never tried before but put together on-the-fly for breakfast with my good Hickory, NC, buds a little before Thanksgiving. The key to this warm pineapple coconut topping recipe is using a fully ripened pineapple, and the picture book recipe you can get here shows exactly how to check a pineapple for ripeness and ripen a pineapple that will most likely be under-ripe when you buy it at the store.

Here’s what you need to to make a warm pineapple coconut topping.

Click this link or any picture on this page for this warm pineapple coconut topping picture book recipe.

Next post will show an example of how I use this topping and toppings like it to power me through a morning that almost always includes a good rip on the bike.

December 6th, 2021

Blog, Breakfast, Cycling Food, Fitness Food, Fruit, Running Food, Special Recipes

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3 Easy Picture Book Variations on Warm Apple Cranberry Fruit Topping

3 easy-to-make variations on the warm apple cranberry fruit topping recipe theme

Last post showed how to make a warm apple cranberry fruit topping that goes great on warm or cold cereal, pancakes, French toast, waffles and much more. I mentioned in that post that the recipe is a base or building block recipe that can be easily varied by using different ingredients to meet your personal taste. This post shows three specific examples that work great as is and can also be used to fire your imagination.

The first two recipes are direct riffs on warm apple cranberry fruit topping. The third is berry based.

Apple, Kiwi, Cranberry Topping: This recipe just adds kiwi to the topping, which you can substitute with any other fruit: pear, grapes, berries and more. Click this link or the picture to get the recipe.

Here are 3 easy-to-make variations on the warm apple cranberry fruit topping recipe theme

2. Apple and Papaya Topping: Quickly cooking papaya is my favorite, most flavorful way of eating this tropical fruit. The recipe for this topping that you can get by clicking this link again is just an example of exchanging one ingredient for another either for the fun of it (I mean that) or to suit your personal taste.

3. Warm Berry and Kiwi Fruit Topping: This is an example of a more dramatic variation on the apple, cranberry topping theme. Again, you can substitute the berries or any fruit in this recipe to suit your specific taste. Click this link or the picture below for a picture book recipe.

Next post: Pineapple Coconut Topping. Made it recently. Friends asked for the recipe. I’ll get that out later this week.

December 1st, 2021

Blog, Breakfast, Fruit, Seasonal/Holiday Recipes

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Warm Apple Cranberry Fruit Topping Picture Book Recipe

This easy to make fruit topping tastes great and can be made with different fruit combinations to your taste.

Winter’s coming – or maybe for you, it’s already here.

Like I’ve mentioned before, there’s nothing much more comforting on a dark, cold morning than the smell of apples and cinnamon cooking fragrantly on the stove.

The easy-to-make fully flavorful warm apple cranberry fruit topping recipe you see here that goes great over pancakes, French toast, waffles, hot or cold cereal, with yogurt and jam, and much more is what I call a base or building block recipe. As a base recipe, you can use the prep and cooking techniques shown here and then use your choice of ingredients to make the topping just the way you want to suit your taste. Next couple posts will show examples that do exactly that.

Here’s what you need to make this recipe:

Here’s how I used it this morning to power a 25+ mile bike ride with good Hickory, NC, buds. I scooped a big spoon of the topping in a bowl and topped it off with yogurt, fig jam, some ground seeds (flaxseed and chia seeds), kefir and dried fruit – along with a pancake topped with nut butter, jam, yogurt and more dried fruit. That and a coffee/hot chocolate mix. Killer!

Click this link or any picture on this page for a complete warm apple cranberry fruit topping picture book recipe.

Next post: a couple easy variations on this apple cranberry fruit topping theme. All easy, all flavorful!

November 25th, 2021

Blog, Chicken & Turkey, Cooking Technique, Special Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner

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How to Roast a Thanksgiving Turkey: Picture Book Directions

First, I wish you, your family and your friends a fun, relaxing (ha!) and fully flavorful Thanksgiving!

A very close second: there’s not a lot that feels and smells better than being in a kitchen while a turkey roasts in the over and all the side dishes cook on the stove. Terrific stuff!

The last few posts showed how to prepare Thanksgiving side dishes and desserts. This post shows how to make the traditional Thanksgiving centerpiece, roast turkey, which I found best to roast at high heat – and upside down – to start and then finish off a more moderate heat, as shown below.

I also strongly suggest not cooking the turkey stuffed but instead cooking the turkey and stuffing separately. The reason: roasting a stuffed turkey only adds mores cooking time and causes the meat to dry out.

Click this link or the picture below for step-by-step picture book directions that show both how to roast a turkey and remove the meat from the bird.

You can also click this link or picture below for complete Gotta’ Eat, Can’t Cook Thanksgiving help.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 24th, 2021

Blog, Chicken & Turkey, Seasonal/Holiday Recipes, Side Dishes, Special Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner, Video & Picture Ebooks, Videos

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Two Traditional Thanksgiving Sides: Bread Stuffing and Fresh Mashed Potatoes – Made Easy with Picture Book and Video Directions

Fresh mashed potatoes and bread stuffing are most flavorfully enjoyed when made just before serving dinner.

Last post showed how to make fresh cranberry sauce: killer flavor and as easy to make as boiled water.

This post shows how to make 2 traditional Thanksgiving side dishes: fresh mashed potatoes and bread stuffing, which you can learn how to make on the fly with the picture book and or video directions shown below.

First, here’s what you need to make fresh mashed potatoes, which are best made just before you serve dinner.

Click this link or the picture above or below for picture book directions or…

…this link/picture below for quick video directions.

Here’s what you need to make quick & easy bread stuffing, which is also most fully flavorful and best made just before serving dinner.

Click this link or the picture above or below for picture book directions or…

…this link/picture below for quick video directions.

Of course, please click this link for complete Gotta’ Eat, Can’t Cook picture book Thanksgiving help.

November 22nd, 2021

Blog, Chicken & Turkey, Seasonal/Holiday Recipes, Side Dishes, Special Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner

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Fresh Cranberry Sauce and More Thanksgiving Help

Fresh homemade cranberry sauce blows the canned version out of the water and is as easy to make as boiled water

Only three days til Thanksgiving but no need to make yourself – or anyone else – crazy.

One of the best ways to make Thanksgiving Day as fun as possible is to get some easy dishes made in advance, like fresh cranberry sauce. Fresh, homemade cranberry sauce, with its rich sweet and sour flavor and mouth pleasing snap-pop, blows canned cranberry sauce out of the water, is no-kidding just as easy to make as boiled water and keeps fresh for weeks in the refrigerator.

Here’s all you need for ingredients. You’ll see a carton of orange juice in the picture below. Most cranberry sauce recipes call for cooking the berries in water. Instead of water, I like cooking fresh cranberries with fruit juice – orange juice as shown or apple or any other juice – for added flavor.

Click this link or any picture above or directly below for an easy to follow picture book recipe and/or…

…this link for a short step-by-step video.

You can also click this link or the picture below for the Gotta’ Eat Thanksgiving Help page that I’ve been updating with additional recipes to give you more freedom of choice.

November 21st, 2021

Blog, Dessert, Special Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner

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Thanksgiving Apple, Pumpkin and Apple-Pumpkin Pie Picture Book Recipes

The best of Thanksgiving pie flavors – and freedom of choice

As I’ve mentioned here before – and you probably know yourself – pie is the most popular Thanksgiving dessert. But, you might ask, what kind of pie should I make for my Thanksgiving dinner?

Freedom of choice is key. Here are 3 fully flavorful pies that work great as traditional Thanksgiving desserts: Quick & Easy Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie Made with Fresh Pumpkin and Apple-Pumpkin Pie.

Fresh & Easy Apple Pie: Fresh, crisp apples, the fruit flavor of fall, are the key to this recipe that’s fully flavorful and easy to make. Just click this link or the picture below for a complete picture book recipe.

Pumpkin Pie Made with Fresh Pumpkin: Yes, the fresh pumpkin adds flavor and texture to the finished pie, but you can always substitute canned pumpkin for fresh pumpkin if you’re short on time or for “please get me out of the kitchen NOW!” convenience sake. Click this link or the picture below for a complete picture book recipe.

Pumpkin Pie Made with Fresh Pumpkin (that can be substituted with canned pumpkin)

Apple-Pumpkin Pie: This recipe, which you can get by clicking this link or the picture below, makes for a full-on fall flavor powerhouse that combines the rich flavors of apple and pumpkin pie and is just as easy to make as either of those pies on their own.

Apple Pumpkin Pie is an explosion of flavor that combines everything you love in both apple and pumpkin pie on their own

November 19th, 2021

Blog, Dessert, Special Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner

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Picture Book Recipes For Flavor Packed Homemade Pie Crust Variations

These two recipes are designed to inspire your imagination to meet your taste

There’s a line you might’ve heard: “You can improvise with cooking, but you have to stick to the recipe with baking”. I’m not a fan of sticking to the letter of recipes and very quickly learned that you can improvise with baking, at least somewhat, especially when it comes to making pie crust.

Last post showed how to make a quick and easy pie crust from scratch, which tastes way better than any pre-made store bought pie shell. This post provides two recipes that are intended to inspire your imagination. Sure, both recipes work fine as is, but the best thing about preparing anything to eat is making it just the way you want to suit your personal taste.

The first recipe for Banana Nut Pie Crust, which you can get by clicking this link or the picture directly below, uses banana both to add flavor and replace the need for oil or butter in the pie crust dough.

The second recipe, Fully Flavorful Nut, Quinoa and Flaxseed Pie Crust, which you can get by clicking this link or the picture below, shows how to use a variety of optional ingredients to pump up flavor across the board.

Next post: picture book recipes showing how to make Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie and Apple-Pumpkin Pie

November 18th, 2021

Blog, Dessert, Seasonal/Holiday Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner

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Quick and Easy Pie Crust From Scratch Picture Book Directions

Making your own pie crust from scratch is quick, easy and far more flavorful than store-bought pie shells

Pie is the most popular Thanksgiving dessert, and you know the deal here: flavor rules! I’ve never been a big baker, but years ago I made my first pie crust from scratch that was both incredibly easy to do and was nothing like the pre-made pie shells you get at the store that are really just flavorless containers for a much more flavorful filling.

Here are the ingredients you need to make a quick and easy pie crust from scratch.

Click this link or any picture above for a complete step-by-step picture book recipe. you can also click this link or the picture below for a link to the Gotta’ Eat, Can’t Cook “Thanksgiving Help” page with easy to follow helpful step-by-step picture book Thanksgiving dinner planning and cooking tips.

Next post: 2 full-on flavorful pie crust variations.

November 15th, 2021

Blog, Chicken & Turkey, Cooking Technique, Poultry, Special Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner, Vegetables

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Thanksgiving Dinner Help: Stress-Free and All in Pictures

Just 10 days out to Thanksgiving, by far my favorite holiday because all that’s expected is a fully-flavorful meal and being together with family and friends.

At the same time, I know from my own experience that laying down a Thanksgiving dinner for those same family and friends, especially if it’s your first time around, can be stressful. The goal here is to provide straight-forward stress-relief, which you can access by:

clicking this link or the tab above labeled Thanksgiving Help for a Thanksgiving dinner planning and timing guide and uniquely easy to follow step-by-step picture book recipes that show how to make roast turkey, turkey gravy, mashed potatoes, bread stuffing, apple pie, and fresh whipped cream and more.
getting your own first-of-a-kind Stress-Free, Quick & Easy Thanksgiving Dinner video/picture ebook for $2.99 (it’s extraordinarily affordably priced, especially these days, to make it as widely accessible as possible). Click this link to a short video trailer about the ebook. The ebook itself is available at: