Béchamel Sauce, (pronounced bay-shah-mel) or white sauce is one of the mother sauces of French and some Italian cuisine.  It is typically used as a base for other sauces, and is traditionally made whisking scalded milk into a roux, or butter and flour mixture.

The origins of the sauce can be sketchy, but as far as we can tell it was invented by Louis de Béchameil, and it was an improvement of a sauce imported from Italy to France during the reign of the queen of France, Italian Catherine de Medici.

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It’s the last installment of kitchen tips!  Although I know I could go on and on about ways to save time or make things easier in the kitchen.  I’ve learned a few new tricks over the last few weeks that I know I’m going to be trying out!! (more…)

Previously known as a peasant food, polenta is now a premium product and is even served in high-end restaurants.

Polenta is most commonly made using ground cornmeal, and is ground coarse or fine, depending on the preference of the region.  It is most popular among the Northern Italians, where polenta is a household must.

Polenta is a slowly cooked dish that commonly takes almost an hour to cook, stirring often.  It is served creamy, or set, as in the picture above.  Now a days, it is common to see pre-cooked polenta tubes sold at your local grocer for around $4 for an 18 ounce tube.  I have even purchased it at Wal-mart, so it shouldn’t be hard to find.

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Last week, I shared some of my favorite kitchen tips with you.  And this week, I’m going to share some of YOUR favorite kitchen tips!! (more…)

If you like chocolate and you like to bake (I’m guessing that’s a lot of you!), then you’ve probably stumbled upon recipes calling for Dutch process cocoa.  When you head to your pantry and discover that your Hersheys powder is anything but, you wonder what the difference is between the two.  Is one better than another?  What’s the dealio here with cocoa anyway?  Well, let’s talk about that…

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If you have never tried couscous, you are truly missing out.

Couscous is a coarsely ground semolina pasta.  It is a staple in many North African countries, parts of Europe, and the Middle East.  It has popped up on American menus and dinner tables as of late, and is a nice replacement for your regular old potatoes or pasta.

Traditional couscous requires considerable time to prepare.  But, the parboiled couscous is now available in most grocery stores and only takes minutes to make; usually just adding water or broth, olive oil, a little salt bring to a boil, then add the couscous, then remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes.  It’s as simple as that.

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photo credit - placbo on flickr

I’m sure all of us have our own little favorite kitchen tips.  Things we do to make life in the kitchen just a little bit easier, cleaner, or tastier!  Over the next few weeks, my posts are going to be all about my kitchen tips and yours! (more…)

The beehive state might not be named so because of an overpopulation of honey bees, but the state insect does make a contribution worthy of its fame. Honey is a great substitute for refined sugars in baking and cooking. I love it in my peppermint tea, quick breads, dressings, on toast, and as a snack with peanut butter and a banana. I recommend using local honey to not only support local farmers but did you know that regularly eating local honey also helps relieve seasonal allergy symptoms? Something to think about with spring is on its way. Honey is a natural sweetener, has great health benefits, and it lasts forever; literally.

keep reading to learn a few more things about nature’s candy. (more…)

Last week, I told you about one of my favorite ways to make oven “fried” foods.  This week, we’ll talk about another way to make those oven cooked foods even crispier - panko! (more…)

Have you ever taken a food that the recipe said to fry and baked it instead to save a few calories?  I’m sure all of us have done that a time or two.  But unfortunately, what you usually get is not crispy at all, like the fried counterpart would have been.  But there is a way to get those oven “fried” foods nice and crispy! (more…)