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5 Best cheese artisans you've never heard of

Chris Perrin — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:00:00 -0800

We all know you can get great European cheese, but some of the best cheeses you've never had are being made by smaller producers all across America. Check out these five cheese artisans who are a producing superior product that will make any cheese lover swoon.

Culinary trends for 2013

Chris Perrin — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:15:00 -0800

What trends are going to shape your plate this year? Each new year brings a whole slew of new culinary trends. To get the new year started properly, we'll take a look at the five biggest trends that will be affecting what you find in restaurants, on food television and on your home table.

5 Sneaky ways to add fiber to your diet

Chris Perrin — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:00:00 -0800

Fiber is important to one's health. It can help with weight loss and prevent cancer. But fiber-rich foods don't always taste great. These sneaky ways to get more fiber into the foods we eat can help.

The 5-Day Thanksgiving meal plan

Chris Perrin — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:00:00 -0800

You're hosting Thanksgiving dinner. Take a deep breath. You can do this, especially if you have time to plan ahead and get everything ready well in advance. If you have this luxury, here is your plan to go from zero to dinner in five days with no late nights and no stress.

Thanksgiving on a budget

Chris Perrin — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:00:00 -0800

You've seen the picture. Mama hands papa a big, golden brown bird while a family sits around a table filled with stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, and all the other trimmings. The problem is you're on a budget and after you buy the Thanksgiving bottle of wine you're going to need to put up with your inlaws, you just don't have the budget for a big meal. No big deal! Here's a menu you can put together for the price of a turkey and a dollar or two per person. You'll have all the flavor you'd want for a Turkey Day meal without all the cost.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving meal planning

Chris Perrin — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:30:00 -0800

Not everyone's going to be eating turkey on Thanksgiving. Still, it's Thanksgiving for those who have made the dietary decision not to eat meat, and they deserve to stuff themselves silly, too. Check out these meatless alternatives on the market for vegetarians and find out how to turn them into decadent holiday delights.

How to make bacon jam

Chris Perrin — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 12:00:00 -0700

Sweet and salty, bacon jam is the best thing to happen to food since bacon!

A classy cocktail cookbook for all of us

Chris Perrin — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:00:00 -0700

The cookbook for those who care about what they eat and want a great cocktail.

Spring vegetable pizza

Chris Perrin — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Springtime is perfect for remembering why you love vegetables. Shoots and bulbs and seeds that have lain dormant all winter long suddenly sprout from the ground, bringing with them a bounty of produce like spring onions, asparagus, and peas. On their own, these vegetables are wonderful, on a pizza with a little garlic sauce, they are transformed into a culinary legend.

Italian beef pizza

Chris Perrin — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Chicago is famous for many things: deep dish pizza, baseball, fierce politics, and the Italian beef sandwich. Not everyone’s lives have been touched by the Italian beef sandwich, but those who have had it will never, ever forget it. What is an Italian beef sandwich, you ask? It's an average roast beef sandwich kicked up a notch. Italian beef is full of flavor with the help of a special ingredient: giardiniera. Giardiniera is a blend of pickled vegetables that add a saltiness, a sourness, and a bite that no mere roast beef sandwich could ever hope to have. All of this blends to form one fantastic sandwich and here they will make a great pizza, too.

Skordalia, shrimp, and herb pizza

Chris Perrin — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 08:00:00 -0700

Many Greek places do a version of this pizza, but sadly, it’s often some red sauce spread over a pita with cheese. Perhaps "sadly" is not the right word since those “Greek pizzas” are good, but they don’t seem to speak to Greece’s rich culinary heritage. Instead, a Greek restaurant chef who wants to serve pizza should look around the kitchen and see what would come together to make a delicious pizza. One of those recipes might look like this skordalia, shrimp, and herb pizza. It is a light, savory blend of skordalia , shrimp that have been lightly sautéed in butter and lemon juice, and fresh herbs. All of that will come on a toasted pita because, after all, this is a Greek pizza!

Gorgonzola, cherry and parmesan pizza

Chris Perrin — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Gorgonzola cheese is a bit of an acquired taste. It’s kind of strong and sour; however, if used in moderation, you’ll find that a lot of people start acquiring a taste for it very quickly. One of the ways to try it is on a pizza. It’s a great way to use just a little of it and you can serve complementary ingredients that can help buffer some of the sour. In particular, fruit is a great accompaniment because of its sweetness, like cherries on the pizza below.

The macho manly meat pizza

Chris Perrin — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

There is a trend among pizza recipes, especially those aspiring to be gourmet. These pizzas tend to be a little…snooty, a little fru fru perhaps. While there is nothing wrong with that per se, there is also nothing wrong with devouring a huge mouthful of meat with every bite. However, you can’t just pour a ton of meat onto a crust and expect the pizza to work. Even a manly man’s dream pizza requires some balance and forethought. In the end, you end up with something like this pizza, which has the soul of a gourmet pie with the toppings of a carnivore’s paradise.

BBQ pizza

Chris Perrin — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Most guys love pizza and most guys like barbecue, therefore, most guys should really love this BBQ pizza. There is a whole gamut of BBQ pizzas out there. Often you get something that is nothing more than BBQ sauce on a pizza crust and other times it turns out to be barbecued meat with traditional red sauce. Both have their benefits, but when combined these two recipes produce an amazing pizza with a slightly sweet sauce, melted cheese, and smoky meat all in one bite. Even better, you can sneak in some veggies and even the most ardent carnivore will eat them.

30-day guide to reaching your goals

Chris Perrin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:03:00 -0700

Everyone has goals, but not everyone achieves them. All too often meeting goals feels impossible, out of reach and sometime may even seem foolish. On top of that, the journey to accomplishing goals is often filled with challenges and frustrations. That doesn’t mean, however, you can't meet every one of your aspirations. Here is a 30-day guide to help you set milestones on your way to reaching your goals.

15-minute quick chicken recipe tips

Chris Perrin — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:30:00 -0700

Maybe you're trying to get dinner on the table before the kids/inlaws/hot date faint from starvation. Maybe you're in a hurry and you need to eat something now. Whatever the reason, the humble boneless, skinless chicken breast is ready to be your go-to ingredient when you gotta eat and you gotta eat quick. You can make this chicken recipe in less than 15 minutes with these two techniques, which you can carry over into other quick dinners.

Farmers' market survival guide

Chris Perrin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:24:00 -0800

In a world of mass produced junk food, you’ve decided to make a stand. You’re going to eat as much local, seasonal, organic, nutrient-rich produce as you possibly can. Forgo bagged salad greens. Forget frozen. Throw the cans away. And avoid the supermarket shelves unless straits are truly dire. You’re headed for your local farmers market! But before you start filling up your eco-friendly produce bags, beware that not all farmers' market finds are local, organic or green-friendly buys. To help you make the healthiest, most eco-friendly choices, here’s our farmers' market survival guide.

Buyer's guide to immersion blenders

Chris Perrin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:00:00 -0800

What looks like a boat motor and turns simple soups into gourmet meals? An immersion blender, sometimes called a stick blender, wand blender, or hand blender, and oftentimes lovingly referred to by its fans as a boat motor. These kitchen gadgets, which were virtually unheard of several years ago, attained culinary rock star status overnight. Now, they are must-haves for foodies, soup lovers, bakers, smoothie makers, and anyone who can cook and loves truly useful kitchen gadgets.

Mise en place: The best way to cook

Chris Perrin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:22:00 -0800

The French call it mise en place. The Chinese call it an essential first step in stir-fry. Home cooks call it a good idea. What is it? The best way to cook.

Thanksgiving tapas appetizers

Chris Perrin — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 13:30:00 -0800

Bored with traditional turkey? Tired of getting up at the crack of dawn to start cooking? This year, do something different. Make Thanksgiving tapas instead!