Dear Home Ec 101, I’m embarrassed to actually ask this, but what is the difference between boiling and simmering? A lot of your recipes say to bring it to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. What does that mean, and why does it matter? Signed, Baffled Beginner Heather says: Basic questions like …
Heather says Are you saving the menu plans you’ve been creating? If you have a 3 hole punch and a binder, save your weekly menu plans. As you prepare your meal plans, make notes on what people enjoyed. Over time you’ll build a great resource for yourself and your family. If you’re just getting started …
Heather says: Of all the recipes in all the world, never did I think the kids would like this one for tuna cakes. Crab is a bit on the spendy side for a herd of finicky kids, so I figured I’d give budget-friendly tuna a try. I expected turned up noses and arguing about at …
Heather says: Aioli is a garlicky sauce that adds an excellent finishing touch to some menu items. We love it with crab or tuna cakes, home made fries, fried potatoes, or sometimes on a sandwich that needs a kick that mayo just won’t provide. Aioli is similar to mayo in that it is an emulsion …
Heather says: Eating locally and seasonally is a popular trend, with good reason. Choosing foods grown locally and in season reduces the energy needed to bring the food from the farm to your table. It isn’t always convenient or practical in colder climates, as late winter can mean nothing is actually “in season.” In that …
Disclaimer: If you’re teaching a young child to cook, these are intended to be a good starting point, but children will still need supervision as knives are sharp and stoves are hot. Capiche? Heather says: ♫ Let’s start at the very beginning A very good place to start When you read you begin with A-B-C …
Heather says: I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Here are some guidelines for safely using your turkey leftovers. Don’t forget that the bones from the turkey make an excellent base for soup. If you use the chicken bog recipe, it takes a slight tweak, either use the bones in place of the whole chicken …
Heather says: Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Are you ready? Have you been playing along with this year’s Countdown to Turkey Day 2015. As per usual, I’ll be adding a few more recipes to the site for Christmas and next year. I have so many things to be grateful for and you are one of them. The …
Heather says: The big day looms ever closer, but we’re well on track to getting ready. So far we’ve: Found the dining room table and kept it clear Figured out who, where, and when Checked on seating and place settings Begun following the chore chart and getting the house company ready so it’s not a …
Dressing is and always has been my favorite part of Thanksgiving Dinner. I love it the day of and straight out of the fridge over the next few days. It turns out Ray has missed dressing for the last few years. I always make a cornbread dressing that is gluten-free without modification, but we both …