COOKING
You're a young, busy, urban professional. Your time is precious, and you can't always afford to spend it in the kitchen. Take-out and Delivery get monotonous and the dollars quickly add up. Make these five products your go-to gadgets to expedite your culinary endeavors.
1. Magic Bullet Blender
Great for making single servings of any liquid. You can have smoothies in the morning and frozen cocktails in the evening when you're entertaining friends. Your Magic Bullet kit contains a high-torque power base, two blades, two cups, four lids and four party mugs with color-coded 'comfort lip rings' for instant sippage. There's also a cookbook of '10 second recipes' included for everything from soups to omelets. You can pick up a set at Bed, Bath & Beyond for around 50 bucks. (Note: I've had one for almost five years and it still runs like a champ.)
Let's face it, weight gain can be absolutely exhausting, especially around the holidays. Deliciously satisfying, but exhausting! The unfortunate end result is always the same, rather than thinking of how much fun you had, you obsess over the new filler renting space on your stomach and thighs. Nine times out of ten, the meal itself isn’t too bad for you, as long as you steer clear (Ok, a taste won’t hurt) of the fatty appetizers and side dishes. With that being said, it is safe to say dessert is the point of contention for most. Dessert options are always the same, between fat grams, too much sugar, carbohydrates, and of course, fruit. Even though you know you should opt for the fruit, some meals demand a sweeter finale.
While your family is sitting down to carve the turkey and pass the gravy next Thursday, ours will just be beginning our Thanksgiving cooking. See, we do things a little differently in my family. Thanksgiving happens on Friday in the Friedman household. What started as a way to get two Thanksgivings for the price of one has turned into an opportunity to share a bit of our family with friends who would otherwise be busy with their own celebrations. That is always the problem with Holidays isn’t it? Finding a way to see everyone in one day.
And, of course we need that extra day. As one of the most important holidays in the Friedman Family, Thanksgiving involves major homework and a serious game plan. It begins at least a month in advance. I scour cooking magazines, websites, and blogs, looking for the recipes that will come together to create the perfect Friedman feast. After I’ve narrowed it down to three or four options per “category” - you would be surprised by the number of ways mashed potatoes can be done - the rest of the family weighs in, consensus is found, and we all go to work on our chosen dishes.
Sisters Jenny and Heather Goldberg are cooking up something good in West Hollywood. The two expert chefs are the masterminds behind Spork Foods. A demonstration-based class, it teaches students to create kinder, vegan versions of classic (and some not-so-classic) dishes.
They're on a mission to prove that vegan cuisine has “grown up” to become as sexy and sophisticated as omnivorous food: Jenny and Heather show you how to prepare a four-course meal boasting delicacies like beer soaked figs stuffed with vegan ricotta, melted “cheese” fondue with assorted crostini, and chocolate orange pots de crème with brandy. Each class takes a little over two hours and costs $60.
With football season here it is time to enjoy some mouth-watering wings. This selection of restaurants/bars may break your piggy but not the bank.
Whiskey’s bar over on Arlington offers up 20-cent wings from 11:30a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday through Thursday. With a pile of napkins on the table the only thing you have to choose is honey buffalo or spicy.
If that not cheap enough try 15 cent wings every Monday night from 5p.m. until midnight at Brigham circle’s Penguin Pizza. If you have someone not in the mood for wings there is always their thin, crisp pizza.
Get out of work early and head to Salem, MA on Thursday August 26th. Salem Farmers’ Market is celebrating Massachusetts Farmers’ Market week with a cooking demo, and presentations to start off a great market day. The day begins at 3:00 pm with the ringing of the market bell.
It will be more like the dinner bell when Executive Chef/Owner Antonio Bettencourt of 62 Restaurant & Winebar shows off his cooking skills with a food demo. There will also be a number of special appearances, and presentation. Jennifer Johnston, Co-Host & Executive Producer, NECN’s TV Diner, will have a few remarks. Have an opportunity to meet state and local officials like Scott Soares Commissioner, MA Dept. of Agricultural Resources, Julia Kehoe Commissioner, MA Department of Transitional Assistance, Salem, MA Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, Jennifer Bell Salem Main Streets, as well as Gus Sousa Farmers Market Manager. While you shop the local market listen to music by cellist Simon Linn-Gerstein. No worries about waking up for work in the morning with the market closing at 7:00pm.
Anyone who’s watched Top Chef has most likely seen one hopeful chef or another try out some spherification trick to impress the judges. The process of spherification takes liquids and forms them into self encased bubbles that hold the juices inside. Think of those gel bath beads that pop open when you squish them- same idea, but replace bath gel with something like vinaigrette. The practice has always struck me as far too advanced to pull off with no culinary training, but Luxirare.com’s recent post shows that it’s easier than you might think.
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