Cook Something

Cooking is one of the oldest arts and one which has rendered us the most important service in civic life.
~Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826)

Ready for Dinner

Ready for Dinner

For a generation or more, cooking was considered drudgery, old-school, and totally un-hip.

If you admitted you enjoyed cooking from scratch, you were branded as some kind of food geek.

Why should we go to all the trouble when we were blessed with microwavable meals, and any number of fast food drive-thru restaurants, and grocery store shelves lined with packaged foodstuffs?

One reason is we’ve discovered all manner of vile substance masquerading as food wrapped in convenience. After awhile, people decided enough was enough and started to take back their food and their kitchens.

Today,  those of us who cook again proudly assume the moniker food geek, as we derive satisfaction, and dare I say a thrill, from preparing meals from scratch for family and friends.

In this section, we’ll offer recipes and cooking tips to help you earn your place at the table with the rest of us food geeks.  That’s right–we’re the cool kids now.

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Peoplehood: Citrus Explosion Pound Cake

May 17, 2013

Pastry Chef, Jenni Field, created this pound cake recipe to use in the Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt Pan with the swirling design; after she made the cake, she cleaned the pan and packaged it up and sent it on a journey that will take years to complete.

Gaga’s Coffeecake

May 10, 2013

Addie Broyles, food writer for the Austin American-Statesman, grew up eating her Gaga's -- grandmother's -- coffeecake. She submitted this recipe for inclusion in the Austin Food Blogger Alliance Community Cookbook, published 2013 by The History Press. It tastes of sweet memories.

Andrew Zimmern’s Low Country Shrimp

May 3, 2013

The Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods host, Andrew Zimmern shares this not so bizarre dish that's great for the summer ahead. He says, "Served as a main (with fried green tomatoes and crusty baguette) or a hearty side with pulled pork, it’s one of my go-to summer staples."

Homemade Flour Tortillas

May 1, 2013

You don't have to live in Mexico or Border States to get good flour tortillas nowadays. They're available at most grocery stores in the bread aisle precooked, or in the refrigerated section ready for cooking at home. But why buy what you can easily make at home?

Old School, Handmade Aioli

April 19, 2013

Beth Vlasich Pav has food stories to tell; this time it's an oldie and a goodie: Aioli - The Old-School and Handmade Method.

Lobster Bacon Tempura Appetizer

April 12, 2013

Ryan Snedegar is The Baconator to those in the Austin, Texas food blogger community. Known for his frequent forays into DIY bacon making, it makes sense that much of his kitchen creativity would include the meaty, smokey pork product as an ingredient.

Deliziosa Dough

March 29, 2013

The foundation of any pizza is the dough. When raw, it should be soft and silky; when cooked it should have some crunch around the edges and chewiness in the center.

Simple San Marzano Tomato Sauce

March 29, 2013

Home cooks who really love DIY projects can make San Marzano tomato sauce using fresh tomatoes. But if you don't have the time or the interest, you can make a fine red sauce using the canned San Marzano tomatoes imported from Italy.

The Irish Boxty and Breakfast Quesadilla

March 15, 2013

You might want to make this recipe when you are feeding a hungry crowd, as it yields about 30 boxties. You can freeze what you don't use, and they should be good for about a month. What you want to avoid is keeping leftover batter, as the potatoes in it will oxidize and turn the mixture dark and icky, which is unappetizing.

Cooking Planit Spice Giveaway: Over Except for the Cooking

March 6, 2013

A big THANK YOU to everyone who entered the FIELD & FEAST / COOKING PLANIT Big Spice Giveaway. Congratulations to Kristen M. of San Diego, California. She won the collection of 26 organic herbs and spices from Cooking Planit, bottled by Spices, Inc.