Cookistry

05/18/2013 10:00 AM

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Technique: Air Kneading

In one of the bread books I have, the author said that there's really no wrong way to knead bread dough. As long was you get the results you want, any technique is fine. I've found that's pretty much true. Some methods give you quicker results. Some are easier on the wrists. Some are better for wet doughs and some are are better for dry doughs. I'd suggest trying different methods until you

Cookistry

05/17/2013 10:00 AM

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Whole Foods Feasting: A Tale of Two Salads

When I was growing up, salad meant greens -usually iceberg lettuce - and salad dressing. Salad was something that was eaten before dinner. It sure wasn't something that was eaten as a meal. Okay, maybe there was the occasional tuna salad. But even though "salad" was in the name, it wasn't something eaten like salad. It was a sandwich filling.Now, salad in my life has broken out of its mold, It

Cookistry

05/16/2013 10:00 AM

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Gadgets: The Spifter

I always hope to find new, quirky, innovative, unique, interesting, useful, improved, fun products to review. But it's pretty unlikely any product will check all those boxes. I mean, there aren't that many truly new kitchen gadgets being invented. This time, I think I actually found something new: The Spifter ($19.95). After I saw it, my very next thought was, "Why didn't someone think

Cookistry

05/15/2013 10:00 AM

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Maple Whisky Ice Cream

Recently, I succumbed to advertising for Crown Royal Maple and picked up a bottle. Actually, I succumbed quite some time ago, but couldn't find it at any of the local stores. Everyone was out of stock. But then when I wasn't looking for it, I found it. So I bought it. I was thinking it would be great in a barbecue sauce or maybe in a marinade for meat. But then I thought it would be perfect

Cookistry

05/14/2013 10:00 AM

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Avocado Dip and #TheRealKettleChips

Let me admit this right upfront. I used to be a potato chip purist. Yup, I was never fond of flavored chips. Oh, I'd nosh on the occasional flavored chip if someone else was serving. But I pretty much only bought plain chip. Boring, right? But recently, I've become acquainted with flavored chips that I like, so when I got the opportunity to sample Kettle Chips and write about them, I got my

Cookistry

05/13/2013 10:00 AM

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Cooking Oil: What's that smoke?

When you're about to throw some food into a frying pan, you probably want a little oil in the pan, too. But what's the right oil to use? Flavor, of course, is a consideration. Sometimes you want to add the flavor of the oil to your dish. But sometimes you want the most neutral flavor you can find. Cost is a factor, too. If you're deep-frying a turkey, you probably don't want to use an artis

Cookistry

05/13/2013 04:00 AM

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I found King's Hawaiian at Arby's!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Arby's. All opinions are 100% mine. Not long ago, some of my online friends were talking about King's Hawaiian buns and how great they are. Even people who bake a lot of bread were saying that they buy King's Hawaiian. So I went looking for them. And couldn't find them. Bummer. And then I was offered an opportunity to write

Cookistry

05/12/2013 10:00 AM

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A box full of gadgets and some frozen yogurt

You know me. I love gadgets. Love 'em. My father-in-law refers to my kitchen as "Gadget World" and he calls me the "Gadget Goddess." I love playing with kitchen gadgets the way a kid plays with toys. As part of my participation on the "Treasure Hunt" event with Good Cook, I was sent a whole box full of gadgets. I had fun pawing through them and then I started un-packaging, so I could g

Cookistry

05/11/2013 03:24 PM

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Iced tea, anyone?

I'm really loving the monthly shipment from The Republic of Tea, and this month it was all about iced tea which is perfect since the local weather is starting to transition from snow to ... uh, well, there's been a bit of rain and hail. But never mind that. It's no longer so chilly that I feel a need to sip warm drinks all the time, so iced tea is a good option. The big teabag

Cookistry

05/10/2013 10:00 AM

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Whole Foods Feasting: Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Roast chicken and vegetables might might not be the fastest thing to make from start to table, but once everything's in the oven, you got plenty of time to do other things, whether that's making salad, helping the kids with homework, or chatting with our guests. The other great thing about a meal like this is that you can customize it any way you like. You can add extra herbs or spices, or you

Cookistry

05/09/2013 12:23 PM

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Gadgets: Microplane Elite Star Grater

Do remember when Microplane graters first arrived in kitchens, and they were on everyone's wish list? How could they possibly top that innovation? Well, they tried. The latest revision of those graters is the Elite series with a more ergonomic design. The plastic cover holds up to a cup of the grated product - and there are measurements on it so you can see how much you grated. To keep the grat

Cookistry

05/08/2013 10:00 AM

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Artichoke salad with baby purple artichokes

Baby artichokes are adorable - just like any tiny vegetables, But besides the cute factor, the practical benefit is that baby artichokes don't have a choke - that fuzzy, inedible center that you find in mature artichokes. That means they're easier to prep. They also cook a lot faster because they're so small. And the baby purple artichokes I got from Frieda's Specialty Produce were ...

Cookistry

05/07/2013 10:00 AM

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Cake in a Mug

This little (and I mean little) cake is a perfect dessert for one - or for two, if you just want a few nibbles. It's so simple to make, you can whip it up at the last second. Or at midnight. When no one's looking. It cooks in three minutes. Seriously. Three minutes. Or, technically, I got the best results at 2 minutes, 45 seconds. That's almost instant gratification. It's a little fudgy r

Cookistry

05/06/2013 11:17 AM

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Beef with Ginger-Peanut Gravy

Have you ever had sauerbraten? The first time I tried it, I fell in love with it. And then of course I wanted to make it myself. Much to my surprise, every recipe I found used gingersnap cookies for flavor and thickening. It seemed like a "cheat" to me and I looked for recipes that used individual ingredients rather than cookies. Finally, I decided that the cookie made sense. It had the flav

Cookistry

05/05/2013 10:00 AM

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If Boston Cream Pie met Tiramisu and Cheesecake in a dark alley ...

Sometimes you just have to take an idea and run with it, right? I wanted a layered dessert. I knew that chocolate had to play a role. I thought about banana pudding as a layer, but I used my last banana in a smoothie. So forget the banana, but keep the creamy vanilla. And then what? I wanted different textures, too. So I went into the kitchen and got a little crazy. Because that's how I roll

Cookistry

05/04/2013 10:00 AM

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Chocolate naner smoothie

You might notice that I don't use sugar or any other extra sweeteners in most of my smoothies ... but I do sometimes add a pinch of salt. It's not that I want a salty smoothie, but salt counteracts bitterness. You might say that your food isn't bitter, but there are hints of bitterness is a lot of foods, and by adding that teeny pinch of salt, the bitterness disappears and the drink seems sweet

Cookistry

05/03/2013 10:00 AM

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Whole Foods Feasting: Peanut Butter and Cherry Biscotti

The great thing about biscotti is that the flavor combinations are practically endless. This time around, the cookie is reminiscent of peanut butter and jelly, with dried cherries taking the place of the jelly. Meanwhile, the cornmeal adds a subtle flavor and texture without being overpowering. These are great with coffee, in the morning, but the sweetness of the cherries also make them a

Cookistry

05/02/2013 10:00 AM

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Gadgets: OXO Mini Adjustable Measuring Cup

You know those big adjustable measuring cups that are supposed to make measuring goopy stuff like molasses or peanut butter easier? Now they have a little brother. Let me be perfectly honest. I had one of the original cups, and I really didn't like it. Moving the pusher to the right measurement was hit-and-miss and the pusher was just hard to push. And then when I took it apart for cleaning, it

Cookistry

05/01/2013 10:00 AM

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Whole Foods Feasting: Butter Pecan Biscotti (for a good cause)

If you're a regular around here, you know I had some tough times. And the online community came to my rescue in a big way. There's no way I'd ever be able to thank everyone personally, and I'm still not in a financial position to donate to anyone's good cause, but we're finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel and I'm so grateful to everyone who helped get me here. You guys saved my sanity

Cookistry

04/30/2013 10:00 AM

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Pork Stew (Guisado de Puerco)

One of my absolutely favorite cuts of meat is pork shoulder. As a roast, as country ribs, boneless, whatever. It's a tough cut that takes some time to cook, but the result is super-tender meat that's never dry. Or maybe you have to work really hard on it to get it dry. This time around, boneless country ribs were on sale (Wheee! I love a sale!) and I decided to do a stew. Meanwhile, I had pe

Cookistry

04/29/2013 10:00 AM

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Morning Smoothies

I've been posting smoothies on Facebook, but I figured I'd post 'em here, too. Because why not. These are just a few of the ones I've been making for breakfast. Maybe one of them will inspire you. Strawberry Smoothie Hand full of strawberries hulled and rinsed. 1 6-ounce container Wallaby Yogurt 0% Wallaby yogurt container full of fruit juice blend Blend-o-rama. Drinkie, slurpy

Cookistry

04/28/2013 10:00 AM

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Croissants with Morel Duxelles

Okay, maybe the mushrooms aren't quite duxelles, but I liked the rhyme. And when you're in your kitchen, you can certainly make a true duxelles. There are plenty of recipes online. I used a duck egg here because 1) I had them from the farmers market and 2) I wanted to make these really rich. A chicken egg will work just fine. Croissants aren't terribly hard to make, but they do require some

Cookistry

04/27/2013 10:00 AM

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Whole Foods Feasting: Israeli Couscous Pilaf

Israeli is good warm or cold, and this pilaf is a perfect example of that. It's meant to be served warm, but the leftovers are just as good at room temperature or cold. This makes a pretty large amount - about 2 quarts worth of pilaf, so it's great for parties, potlucks, or large families. You can halve the recipe if you're feeding fewer people. The container of couscous I bought was abo

Cookistry

04/27/2013 06:17 AM

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#ILoveAvocados for Cinco de Mayo Sweepstakes

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Avocado App. All opinions are 100% mine. If you’ve read my blog at all, you probably know that I have a serious love affair with avocados. Me, guacamole, and a spoon. *swoon* Oh yeah, and I share with my husband. And we use chips, too. Or put guacamole on sandwiches or nachos. Or slice the avocado and layer it with t

Cookistry

04/26/2013 10:00 AM

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Whole Foods Feasting: Israeli Cousous Salad

Have you ever looked at Israeli couscous and wondered what to do with it? It's an interesting product - little balls of toasted pasta, and the one I bought was a tri-color version. The colors weren't vivid, but that's fine. The subtle color variations were nice. The directions for cooking the couscous suggested cooking it like rice, in a small amount of water, but I'd suggest cooking it lik

Cookistry

04/25/2013 10:00 AM

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Gadgets: Ball Dry Herb Jars

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a bit of a storage issue with herbs and spices, particularly when I buy in bulk or dry my own garden-grown herbs. I end up using random jars and containers that used to hold something else. That works well enough (and let’s face it, it’s the cheapest option), but those odd-shaped and sized jars don’t make for a neat spice cabinet. And then the

Cookistry

04/25/2013 04:00 AM

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Have you changed your oil? I mean your cooking oil!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pompeian. All opinions are 100% mine. There was a time when I had a collection of cooking oils that could have been used to deep fry an elephant. The problem was that every recipe I read seemed to call for a different oil, and I wasn't sure why some were preferred over others. These days, I still keep a variety of oils on

Cookistry

04/24/2013 10:00 AM

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Vegetable and Goat Cheese Frittata

I might be just a little bit addicted to frittatas. They're so versatile. You can add so many different ingredients. You can serve them warm or cold. You can add meat or leave them vegetarian. You can serve them plan or with toppings. Mild or spicy. They are breakfast, lunch, or a side dish. This time of year, I'm getting giddy about fresh local produce, even though there's not that much availa

Cookistry

04/23/2013 10:00 AM

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5-Second Salad Dressing

My buddies over at 37 Cooks scored some olive oils from a company called Sciabica, and I'll be doing some official 37 Cooks posts about it later. In the meantime, I whipped up a little salad dressing to give it a simple taste test. Frankly, I could be happy with a vat of this dressing and the heck with other recipes. It's got a nice lemon background without being too tart. Reminds me of a d

Cookistry

04/22/2013 10:00 AM

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The Republic of Tea "Be Active"

I received another package of goodies from The Republic of Tea as part of my participation in their TEAm. I soooo wanted to come up with a recipe, but I ended up sipping my way through all the flavors as plain hot tea. The information that came with the tea mentioned that they'd make great iced teas, too. And I agree. But the freakish cold weather we've been having made me want warm drinks.

Cookistry

04/21/2013 10:00 AM

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Black Olive Truffles. Yes, you read that right!

This may be the recipe that makes you think, "Donna's gone over the edge." But bear with me a few seconds. This makes sense. Really it does. A while back, I read in some food publication that if Food A pairs well with Food B and Food B pairs well with Food C, then you can guarantee that Food C will pair with Food A. At the time, I tried to think of combinations that would break this rule. Bu

Cookistry

04/20/2013 10:00 AM

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Whole Foods Feasting: Kitchen Sink Cookies

If you're looking for a different sort of cookie, this is it. Sure, there are chocolate chips and nuts - that's pretty normal. But then there are chopped graham cracker that add texture and bits of pretzel that adds crunch and salt. You can bake these right after mixing them, but I think the texture improves with an overnight rest. The dough can be held for several days in the refrigerat

Cookistry

04/19/2013 10:00 AM

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Whole Foods Feasting: Light and Lemony Cookies

I'm changing the name of my sponsored Whole Foods posts from Whole Foods Friday to Whole Foods Feasting so I can change the posting date when it makes sense to do so. Nothing else is changing though. I think the best tool for mixing cookie dough is a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can start the process with a hand mixer, but at some point the

Cookistry

04/18/2013 11:02 AM

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Gadgets: Mastrad Silicone Egg Poacher Cups

Poaching eggs isn't all that difficult, if you practice for a while. And by a while, I mean you're going to eat a lot of misshapen and broken poached eggs. And then there's all that wispy white stuff that comes off the eggs in the water and makes a mess. The secret to getting rid of that wispy stuff is to, well, get rid of it. On Serious Eats, Kenji explained the method using a fine-mesh str

Cookistry

04/17/2013 10:00 AM

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Milk Salted-Caramel Sauce

Caramel is pretty simple to make, and the benefit to making your own is that you can customize it to your taste. Most caramel sauces include heavy cream, but how many people keep heavy cream sitting around all the time? Milk, on the other hand, is a little more common. For the sugar, I used cane sugar from Florida Crystals. who is sponsoring this post. Cane sugar is sort of an odd name

Cookistry

04/16/2013 11:19 AM

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It's Treasure Hunt TIme

Remember that treasure hunt I mentioned before? Well, it's started, and you have through May 21 to enter to win one of three grand prizes. There will be winners chosen, based on who has found the most (or all) of the icons. What you're hunting for are "touch" icons just like one to the right. And I'm going to make it easy for you. There are icons at bunch of different blogs, and I'm going to g

Cookistry

04/15/2013 10:00 AM

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Black Bean Soup with Ponce

This is my last recipe with ponce, and it's a good one. I started with a black bean soup mix from the Women's Bean Project. I'm not usually much of a make-it-from-a-mix gal, but these aren't really that sort of mix. You get a bag of beans, a little packet of spices and some instructions. The company itself supports women who need help getting back on their feet, so it's a good cause. And it'

Cookistry

04/14/2013 10:00 AM

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Sake-to-Me Good (Belly) Cocktail

Did you know that the goodness of Good Belly isn't harmed when you use it in a cocktail? Yup, it's true. You don't want to make a pitcher of drinks hours ahead of time, but it's fine to make a cocktail and drink it. Good Belly has some mighty unique flavor combinations that make them even more appealing for drinks. I thought this one was pretty interesting. And pretty. Pretty is good. You c

Cookistry

04/13/2013 11:12 AM

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Whole Foods Friday (the Saturday Edition): Strawberry Smoothie (and how to freeze strawberries)

When strawberry season is in full swing, of course you want to eat as many ripe, fresh berries and you can. The temptation, of course, is to buy vast quantities of berries every time you see them. The problem, though, is that fresh strawberries don't have a long shelf life. You need to use them quickly. Or, you need to figure out a way to save them. One of the easiest things to do is freeze

Cookistry

04/12/2013 11:20 AM

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Whole Foods Friday: Strawberry Cake

This cake is based on a caramel apple cake that I made quite some time ago, with a few tweaks. Instead of a caramel topping, this one has a crunchier sugary buttery crust. And instead of being an upside-down cake, this one has strawberries throughout the cake. The berries get a little denser and somewhat jam-like as the cake bakes, concentrating the flavor. A dollop of whipped cream is a

Cookistry

04/11/2013 11:33 AM

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Gadgets: OXO Egg Separator

I tend to like OXO products. They're well-designed, sturdy, innovative, and ergonomic. But ... an egg separator? The egg separator has to be the poster child for the anti-unitasker movement. It has no other purpose than separating whites and yolks. It doesn't open cans or flatten chicken breasts. It does one single thing. Yolk here, white there. That's it. Toss it in the dishwasher. Talk

Cookistry

04/10/2013 10:00 AM

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Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream

I've been testing an ice cream machine, so I've been making a bit of ice cream. One after another. Thicker, thinner, cooked, uncooked ... Lots of ice cream. Some recipes from books, some from the dark corners of my twisted mind. One simple cheat for making an ice cream base is to use instant pudding rather than making a custard. You don't have to wait for the custard to cool, so you can get

Cookistry

04/09/2013 10:00 AM

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Ponce Panini and some knives for you

As part of my new partnership with Good Cook, I was sent a set of their nonstick knives. The blades are high-carbon steel with a brightly colored nonstick coating, and each one comes with its own color-coordinated knife guard. So far, I think my favorite of the group is the bread knife, although the red utility knife is going to be very handy for tomatoes. Now, don't get me wrong - t

Cookistry

04/08/2013 01:21 PM

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How about a treasure hunt?

I recently partnered with Good Cook, and right out of the gate we've got a little giveaway as part of a preview of a BIG giveaway (valued at $1,000) that's coming soon. And now they've got some goodies for you. Good Cook sells all kinds of cooking gadgets, bowls, cookware ... a whole kitchen full of stuff. If the logo is familiar but you're not sure why, it might be because the brand is ofte

Cookistry

04/07/2013 10:00 AM

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Ponce - have you ever cooked it?

photo courtesy of Teet's Food Store with permission. Maybe I should ask you if you know what ponce is. Do you? First, let me tell you the story about how I got this particular food item. You see, a few months ago - or heck, it was more than that - I was sent some lovely Cajun meats from Teets Food Store through the blog group 37 Cooks. One of the things I received was smoked ponce. We

Cookistry

04/06/2013 08:00 AM

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Get Paid for Getting Saucy

This is not my usual post, but for I change, I thought I'd offer you some money. Well, sort of. It's not my money. A "major sauce company" is looking for people to answer some questions via video on a phone or tablet or video camera or whatever, and they're paying $100 to each person. Yeah, it's not a contest. You're not entering to win. You answer their questions and you get the bucks.

Cookistry

04/05/2013 10:00 AM

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Pepper and Egg Sandwich

When I lived in Chicago, Italian Beef stands were everywhere. During lent, when beef wasn't a big seller, many of those beef stands served pepper and egg sandwiches. Since they were sold for such a short time, I looked forward to them every year. The sandwiches were pretty simple - scrambled eggs and the same hot peppers that were put on the sandwiches. These days, a pepper and egg sandwich isn

Cookistry

04/04/2013 12:03 PM

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Gadgets: Wustoff Electric Knife Sharpener

Sometimes the best way to get an unbiased review of something is to hand it to someone who doesn't know how to use it, and see what happens. That's what I did with the Wusthof Precision Edge Knife Sharpener ($185). I grabbed a bunch of cheap kitchen knives and let my husband have some fun. I had band-aids ready just in case. I have several sharpening stones, and I know how to use them,

Cookistry

04/03/2013 10:00 AM

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Rootin' Beer Chili

Since I didn't grow up where chili was like a religion, I don't feel compelled to make my chili any particular way. This one is an homage to mom's chili (which, let's face it, was really close to being spaghetti sauce with beans) but with a couple of oddball additions. Pretty sure this one doesn't mesh with ANYONE's traditional chili. But it's pretty darned good. It's a teeny bit sweet, but

Cookistry

04/02/2013 10:00 AM

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Cheese pizza on the grill

Grilling season has begun. Or, more accurately, it's coming and going. Some days, it's nice enough for me to want to be outside, and others, I want my fluffy socks and a mug of hot chocolate. The great thing about pizza is that it can be made on the grill or in the oven. In this case, I made the pizza on the grill. As far as the dough, I prefer to make pizza dough ahead of time and let it

	Cookistry
	Cookistry is the home of new, original recipes for bread, baked goods, and just about anything else you can think of. An occasional book review, product review, or random rant sneaks in now and then, just for fun.

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