Kitchen Parade

Easy Skinny Turkey Roll-ups with Fresh Veggies

2013-05-16T18:14:00.000-05:00

You know how summer rolls are kinda sorta totally finicky to roll, those soft Asian rice papers and all? Enter deli turkey, the protein-packed easy-to-roll substitute. (And hey, deli ham works too!) I've rolled these with a mix of red pepper, cucumber, asparagus, avocado and mango but the choices are limited only by your imagination. Easy Skinny Turkey Roll-Ups are quick to make with easy

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler: A Spring Classic

2013-05-08T10:30:00.000-05:00

Strawberries and rhubarb are a classic spring pair, usually in pie, here in a rustic cobbler with a sweet and slightly crunchy topping that thanks to cornmeal, has slight heft, and to lemon zest, a pleasing brightness. Grown men have been known to, well, groan, over this addictive, easy dessert. First published in 2008, such a favorite, republished 2013  REVIEWS "May

Mexican Mango Trifle (Ante de Mango)

2013-05-01T10:56:00.001-05:00

Aw, creamy fruit desserts, who doesn't love 'em? This one's a conversation-stopper, layers of bread and a mango pudding studded with sherry-soaked raisins, much like an English Trifle but simpler. The recipe comes from Seasons of My Heart, the cooking school in Oaxaca, Mexico, where it's called "ante de mango" or "layered mango pudding" or "mango charlotte". That's a lot of names for a dish that

Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole Make One for the Oven, One for the Freezer

2013-04-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

What happens when you layer roasted fresh veggies, salsa verde, corn tortillas and spinach with a little cheese? For the poetic, call it pure deliciousness. For the technical, call it de-constructed enchiladas. Either way, you'll be happy to call it for "supper", one for now, another for the freezer. This is the latest "master recipe" for vegetables, a great choice for a fridge or garden full

Upside-Down Rhubarb Cheesecake

2013-04-17T16:24:00.002-05:00

Layers of fresh or frozen rhubarb and cheesecake, that luscious combination of rhubarb-sour and cheesecake-creamy. Make it in a simple pie plate or in cute mini ramekins. Either way, it's spring! Time to break out the rhubarb!  We’re babying a tiny rhubarb plant, a much-prized Canadian red transported last summer from Minnesota-black dirt. It barely survived last year's

Perfect Thick Pork Chops

2013-04-09T16:30:00.000-05:00

Have you heard the news? The pork chop is getting a makeover, starting with a new name, four new names, to be exact. Whatever they're called now, I've got the recipe for cooking a thick pork chop, turning out juicy, perfectly cooked meat every time.  Pity the poor pork chop, it’s getting a makeover. Remember when prunes became “dried plums”? And the dolphinfish was

Easy Turkey Chili

2013-04-04T18:09:00.000-05:00

Ha! I laughed out loud when I recently re-read this 2004 column; it's being published online today for the first time, some nine years after written. I wrote then, "It's silly, perhaps, but only recently did I discover frozen vegetables." I'd forgotten this, coming late to frozen vegetables. It's no wonder that when I started writing A Veggie Venture about a year later that for the first month,

Refrigerated Pickled Beets

2013-03-20T08:20:00.000-05:00

So we all know that a "food desert" is a place without ready access to fresh vegetables, fruits and other healthy foods. But does -- you know, the "place" that is March -- ever feel like a food desert to you too? It's not really winter any more, at least not here in eastern Missouri, even if the forecast is for snow. And it's not really spring either, even if daffodils are blooming on the

Irish Spiced Fruitcake

2013-03-13T05:30:00.000-05:00

Irish Spiced Fruitcake is definitely NOT your grandma's fruitcake. It's packed with dried fruit and warm spices, I like it simple and plain or with a smear of Brown Sugar Lemon Curd.  I just knew I’d love this fruitcake. It conjures memories of my English-born grandfather’s cousins Lyla and Vic who after six decades of marriage, still giggled about their wedding day.

Simple Cast Iron Southern Cornbread Recipe

2013-03-07T06:30:00.000-06:00

Six tips for perfect Southern Cornbread, made in a hot-hot-hot cast iron skillet. The tips are in my latest "Kitchen Lesson" column – a series of occasional recipes with extra insider tips and ideas gained from long experience in the kitchen. Now truth be told, I'm a Yankee but when it comes to cornbread, this is my go-to recipe. The recipe starts with a big batch for a large cast iron skillet

Sausage & Kale Split Pea Soup

2013-03-03T08:30:00.000-06:00

Back in 2004 when I first wrote this column, something called "kale" was the new green on the block, not the trendy green it is today. For this recipe, I modified a classic split pea soup, adding kale for healthiness and a touch of sweetness and a bit of sausage for richness and texture. Delicious, this stuff! It's easily converted to a vegetarian or vegan soup and perfect for the fickleness of

No-Big-Deal Homemade Chicken Stock

2013-02-19T18:58:00.002-06:00

Who else has been thinking that homemade chicken stock is just too big a production? Not me, not anymore. For a long while now, I've been making chicken stock one small batch at a time because, well, making stock should be No Big Deal. Until you taste it, that is – rich but delicate, thick as jelly, tasting like the real chicken it’s made with – that’s when you know for sure that homemade

Hamburger Casserole: Weeknight Comfort Food

2013-02-13T18:58:00.000-06:00

One-skillet weeknight comfort food, 'lightened up' and highly adaptable. Not a single can of mushroom soup in sight!  Okay, laugh. Even I think it's funny – albeit frustrating – that last week, I had two pounds of hamburger thawed for dinner and for the life of me, couldn't think what to make. So there I am, the woman with endless recipe inspiration, my own, too-many

Raspberry-Red Wine Coulis (Reduction Sauce)

2013-02-07T11:45:00.000-06:00

A sweet-but-tart raspberry sauce, a perfect added-touch for desserts, especially chocolate desserts like Chocolate Decadence, an almost-flourless chocolate cake. Just three ingredients! And Weight Watchers, you're going to l-o-v-e the points for this!  In my world, fresh raspberries are as precious and rare as jewels. Luckily, frozen raspberries are easy to find and

DIY Homemade Foot Lotion

2013-01-31T16:30:00.000-06:00

I call it the "Pinterest effect" – the sudden obsession, no that's not it, let's say, "fascination" to DIY, do-it-yourself. Not so ago, I'd have laughed out loud if someone suggested homemade foot lotion. Isn't that the stuff of companies with chemists and manufacturing facilities? And then it occurred to me. Everything that's made now in factories was first made in kitchens and garages and

How to Poach a Perfect Egg – The Cook's Illustrated Technique

2013-01-24T20:00:00.000-06:00

If you're like me and l-i-v-e for a perfectly poached egg, you will also, like me, have tried all those egg-poaching shenanigans because honestly, you'd do almost anything, wouldn't you? just to figure out how to cook poached eggs to perfection, turning out firm whites and runny yolks each and every time. Tap your Dorothy heels twice while whistling for Toto? It doesn't work. Neither does Do

Hibiscus Tea with Ginger & Vanilla

2013-01-16T08:40:00.000-06:00

THANK YOU! for all your stories and encouragement and commiseration from last week's post about switching from Weight Watchers to Medifast. It means the world to hear from you. In fact, it was just two years ago this month when Kitchen Parade readers named the "healthy habits" they wanted to develop during the coming year. So-so-so many of us wanted to drink more water. (Remember? Check the

Why I Switched from Weight Watchers to Medifast

2013-01-08T20:50:00.000-06:00

There are three ways to start this story, even if it's not one easy to admit, even as I grapple with the compromises I make. I'm not entirely proud – except that I’ve taken charge of my body weight albeit AGAIN. In these words, I hope, is a story of Choice and Hope and Compromise.  INTRO NUMBER ONE: The Dr Phil Effect. Back before Dr Phil was Somebody, before Oprah,

Best Recipes of 2012

2012-12-30T06:30:00.000-06:00

My favorite recipes from 2012, just one "best" recipe per month. Made with "real food" (not processed food) and expressing that certain Kitchen Parade style, that means 'fresh' and 'easy' and 'healthy' and 'flavor-forward' and 'seasonal'. Weight Watchers, all Kitchen Parade recipes include Weight Watchers points and nutrition information!  "My grandma always used to ..

Mini Tiramisu Cups with Pralines Recipe (Cooked Eggs, No Raw Eggs)

2012-12-27T06:30:00.000-06:00

A tiny serving of a decadent dessert, adding up to just a few calories, easy to make and perfect for New Years and other festive occasions. It's tiramisu – except that the eggs are cooked, not raw – served in little dessert cups, layered with ground pralines if you like or the more traditional cocoa powder if you prefer. Regular readers, remember how I promised a special dessert recipe based

Horseradish Whipped Cream for Beef Recipe

2012-12-23T10:59:00.000-06:00

How to lift up beef from great to something extra-special? Mix up a quick mix of horseradish and whipped cream, it adds just a touch of rich bite. For readers who are following along, Horseradish Whipped Cream for Beef is the last recipe for a traditional English Christmas dinner menu that features Perfectly Cooked Roast Beef, Yorkshire Pudding and of course, the grand finale, Christmas Trifle.

Yorkshire Pudding (Popover) Recipe

2012-12-19T16:30:00.000-06:00

No traditional English Christmas dinner is complete without Yorkshire Pudding, what many Americans call "popovers". This is my mom's recipe, including her secret technique for tender, flavor-packed Yorkshire Pudding.  When hot bread first emerges from the oven, even the kids know to grab the butter, then we’ll tussle for the crusty heels, comfort food of the highest

Perfectly Cooked Roast Beef Recipe

2012-12-16T04:30:00.000-06:00

Here’s the simple, easy-to-remember formula to cook a beef roast, the result is a perfectly cooked roast beef, whether you want it cooked rare or medium rare or medium or well done. The choice is yours, the formula takes all the guesswork out of how long to cook roast beef. Better still? The hands-on time is five minutes. Still better? There’s no added fat, really letting good meat take center

Bourbon Pralines Recipe

2012-12-12T04:30:00.000-06:00

The famous praline recipe from the New Orleans School of Cooking, begged-and-borrowed from our friend Charlie but made "forever mine" by switching from vanilla to bourbon flavoring. The bourbon is a southern touch that just seems right. Another thing that seems "just right" during this busy holiday season? Making five dozen cookies (not cookies, really, candy, but still) in 35 minutes with just

Big Results, Small Effort: Slice 'n' Bake Coffee Cookies with Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans Recipe

2012-12-04T18:30:00.000-06:00

A crisp coffee-flavored cookie, a favorite for more than twenty years, ever since my friend Lisa won "best cookie of the year" with the recipe at our cookie swap way back forever ago. Don't they look like they'd take forever to make and be oh-so-fussy? But they're not. You'll make a batch with just 20 minutes hands-on time. Plus? I'll never call a cookie "diet food" but each cookie has just 50