If there’s one thing I’ve learned after I embarked on my culinary journey a few years ago, it was that I needed some stuff. While we already had a kitchen full of various pieces of equipment, much of it wasn’t up to snuff. Take bowls for example. While we had tons of irregularly shaped, sized […]
Common Yard and Garden Pests
Eastern tent caterpillars Malacosoma americanum live communally in silken tents designed to keep them warm in cooler weather. The brood side of the tent faces the sun and the caterpillars will add silk as needed. Slugs Gastropoda are very damaging pests in gardens and can be found in moist and humid climates, particularly during the rainy season. […]
Lodge Cast Iron Griddle
As you may already know, I enjoy cooking. I have a rather large collection of cookbooks and one of my favorite pastimes is to sit on the couch and flip through the pages of these books in an effort to locate incredible looking and tasting dishes and desserts. From the beginning, I knew I wouldn’t […]
Marcato Atlas Wellness 150 Pasta Maker
Let’s face it – if you’ve spent any amount of time learning how to cook, writing about food or preparing recipes for family and friends, there was most likely a time when you wanted to try your hand at making your own pasta. Chances are, you’ve tried fresh pasta at a restaurant, wondered why it […]
Bellemain Stainless Steel Colander
Recently, I purchased a Bellemain colander along with some Bellemain strainers. I’ve been needing these pieces of kitchen equipment, well, forever. I believe the last time I used a proper colander was when I was living with my parents. That was 20 years ago. While I can’t be certain of the exact time frame, I […]
Cuban Black Beans & Rice Recipe
I’ll be completing three recipes for the Boiling & Simmering section of the online cooking school at America’s Test Kitchen. In this post, I’ll be covering my experience with the Cuban Black Beans & Rice recipe. I’ve got some opinions on this one, so I’ll sprinkle those throughout. I’ve always wanted to try Cuban food. […]