Episodes

Let’s Crack the Code on How to Poach an Egg Poached eggs is a mystery for a lot of home cooks, yet it’s a culinary staple that dates back to the dawn of time. Today, let’s crack the code on how to poach an egg. Why Poach An Egg With a history that dates back to antiquity, the poached egg’s popularity is due to its light, delicate texture of its whites combined with the rich, runny yolk that’s like a built-in sauce. Poached eggs make an appearance in multiple cuisines such as the American cl...

Do you have a hankering for pizza tonight and have everything you need to make a pizza crust, but no pizza sauce on hand? Don’t despair. With only six simple ingredients you can make the best tasting pizza sauce you’ve ever had in as little as 20 minutes. Americans Love Tomatoes and Pizza Sauce The star of the pizza sauce show is fresh Roma tomatoes. Did you know that tomatoes are the the second most consumed vegetable in the United States according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service? ...

Flatbread Pizza Crust Carries Good Things Crust. That word conjures up all kinds of imagery and thoughts. The Earth’s crust. A pie crust. My favorite image of crust is a flatbread pizza crust. The crust on any pizza is a foundation. Just like the Earth’s crust which carries civilization, pizza crust is the carrier of toppings. You could cook all your pizza ingredients, plop them in a bowl and call it a day. Pizza bowl actually does sound super good. But pizza is truly no fun without the cru...

Got a hankering for hot wings and want an effortless recipe and tips on how to make them? Americans Love Hot Wings You’re not alone in your cravings and certainly not alone in your love for one of America’s most beloved foods. It’s projected that Americans will consume 1.42 billion wings for this year’s Super Bowl. Considered a classic American comfort food, hot wings got their start in Buffalo, NY, in the late 1960s at the Anchor Bar. Teressa Bellissimo created the wings dish as a late-nigh...

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies Make the World Go ‘Round It’s the treat realtors tell their sellers to bake when they have an open house so the house smells like a home. And it’s what Cookie Monster has been chomping on for 50 years. Yes, it’s the revered chocolate chip cookie. The old standby. The standard bearer of cookies. This cookie is such a special treat that it has its own National Day on August 4th. A Brief History of Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies Where did this beloved cookie get it...

What’s flat, round, has a long history with mankind, and whose name in Spanish means “cake”. The tortilla of course. The Humble Tortilla is Big Business The humble tortilla is big business. In 2021 the tortilla market was valued at $45.2 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow to around $70B in 2026. Why such growth you may ask? Because tortillas are versatile, easy, and inexpensive. They’re a central ingredient in Tex Mex and Mexican cuisine – itself a burgeoning cuisine category. They’re...

Ah, the juniper berry. It’s a bit of a mystery in the culinary world and what complicates it more is it’s not a berry at all. It’s a female seed cone of the juniper tree, of which there are many species. The juniper berry is round and fleshy, and does look very much like, well, a berry. Traditionally chefs have used juniper berry in cooking game meats like wild boar to mask it’s gamey flavor with the juniper berry’s evergreen, citrusy, and peppery flavor. If you drink gin then you are most ce...

Looking to feed a gathering with little effort and a big flavor payoff? You can easily fan the flames of community with this simple, easy, and delicious paella recipe. You may think paella is unapproachable in the home kitchen and left best as a dish to be ordered out. No so. Let’s peel away this shroud of mystique around paella. Where Paella Came From With its roots in Valencia, Spain, farmers and field workers gave birth to this dish as they gathered and communally cooked their mid-day meal. ...

Man has been making goat cheese for thousands of years. Goats were one of the first domesticated animals in Middle East, raised primarily for their meat. The Moors took goats to France in the 8th Century AD where the French were the first to embrace and perfect the deliciousness of transforming goat milk into cheese. Kick Up The Presentation Factor: Goat Cheese and Pistachio Salad Typically when goat cheese is added to a salad, it’s in crumbles. That’s because goat cheese has a pesky tendency...

Four Tips To Pick a Watermelon Hey y’all! It’s summer and I’m craving a watermelon. I’m off to the grocery store to pick the juiciest, best-tasting watermelon there is. Come with me and learn how to pick your own. Here are my four tips for picking the sweetest, juiciest watermelon you can. Tip #1 Look For a Large Field Spot Number one, look for a large field spot. That’s the underbelly of the watermelon where it’s laying in the field. The larger the spot, the longer that watermelon lay ther...

“I live on good soup, not on fine words.” Those are words of wisdom from the 17th Century French playwright, actor, and poet, Moliére. But he’s a thoroughly modern man and incredible visionary when it comes to soup. Modern Goodness One of the easiest weeknight meals to make is soup, but our culture seems a bit disinclined towards this almost ancient way feeding ourselves. “Soup?” our culture says, “I need something hardier than water with vegetables after a long day.” Well you’ve got it with B...

Homemade Granola What do you think of when you hear the word granola? Do you think California? Hippie movement? Health food? Granola has ties to all three. The Fun, Recent History of Granola Two Californians emerge as the modern-day proponents of this crunchy, delectable food. Wayne Schlotthauer in Chico, CA, was making a wheat-based granola as far back as 1957 using his grandmother’s recipe from Germany. Commenting in a Rolling Stone Magazine interview, Schlotthauer said that the crunch in ...

History and Health Benefits of Pure Maple Syrup From trees to jars and jugs, maple syrup is a sweet yet surprisingly healthy addition to recipes and breakfast meals. Because of its price tag, you may have bypassed this beautiful, remarkably good-for-you syrup in favor of a cheaper imitation. Read the label. That imitation syrup is filled with high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colorings, and maple-flavored with chemical additives. If you’ve ever wondered why this amber-colored, delicious sy...

Pistachio Crusted Chicken with a Mustard Cream Sauce Did you know that pistachios sold in the United States used to be dyed red? This practice began in the 1930s. California processors began dying pistachio shells red to hide blemishes and stains that occurred during harvesting. Today that practice has all but disappeared. And that makes me happy. Those bright red shells did nothing to attract my attention. Pistachios – An Ancient Seed That Packs a Powerful Protein Punch Introduced to the...

A Homemade Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe Fit For a King A friend of mine got a job in a biscuit factory. He kneaded the dough. Ok, that pun’s not mine but it’s a fun way to talk about one of my favorite subjects – homemade buttermilk biscuits. The Biscuit Lady My last rotation in culinary school was working the pizza station in the school restaurant. Yes, what a way to end my education! This station wasn’t just for pizza it was also for bread. And my gig was making biscuits. And, oh, did my h...

Easy Weeknight Chili Recipe Ready for a bowl of weeknight goodness? Give this easy chili recipe a try that’s perfect for a weeknight. What does a German immigrant who owned The Phoenix Saloon in a central Texas town to have to do with a red, spicy powder that’s a base ingredient in chili? Everything. William Gebhardt’s Obsession With a Good Bowl of Chili Located in downtown New Braunfels and established in 1871, William Gebhardt’s saloon had an interesting reputation. His bar was the first ...

Brown Rice With Sage and Walnuts If you’re someone who thinks “I gotta eat brown rice, because it’s healthier for me, but it’s not my favorite,” today’s recipe is for you. In addition to possibly thinking that brown rice is a drudge to eat, there are two additional challenges to overcome to select it as a part of your weeknight menu. Why Brown Rice Takes Longer to Cook Than White Rice First it takes a lot longer to cook brown rice than white rice. It’s only fifteen to twenty minutes from sta...

Sage Advice: Try This Trusty And Flavorful Herb A sage can be defined as a person of profound wisdom. And who knows? You may be considered one if you decide to serve a meal with this aromatic and flavorful herb. Wisdom of the Ages The word sage is derived from the Latin word salvia which means “to heal.” The Romans recognized sage as a “holy herb” in religious rituals and they considered it useful for treating several ailments. Ancient healers trusted it as a local anesthetic and believed it...

Cook More: Reduce Food Waste. Save Money What is the single largest stream of waste hauled into our landfills everyday? Is it paper and cardboard? Plastic? Or glass and metal? Rotten and Uneaten Food is Flowing Into and Filling Our Landfills It’s food. Are you surprised? According to the EPA, 21.9% of all waste carried into municipal landfills every year is food. By weight, the largest category of food waste is vegetables and dairy, followed by fruit and grain products. When was the last ...

Fresh, Healthy Fruit and Yogurt Salad Forget the fruit salads of the past. It’s time for an upgrade! Remember school lunches with those little single-serving cans of fruit cocktail? And then the inevitable “bland from a can” fruit salad at every family potluck? Every bite tasted the same, didn’t taste much like fruit, and probably scarred you for life from any type of fruit salad. Leave behind those little bites of syrupy, high-sugar canned fruit cocktails. It’s Time For a Fruit Salad Revolu...

Easy Weeknight Beef and Beer Stew Sometimes it’s the simple flavors and preparations of food that are the most near and dear to our hearts. This is how I think and feel about Easy Weeknight Beef and Beer stew. Stew is full-flavored comfort food that’s simple enough for a busy weekday or a lazy weekend. Brief History of Stew History tells us that mankind has been making stew for eons of time. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus records that an ancient people, the Scythians, made stew by pu...

Behold the onion – a bountiful bulb of delicious, versatile flavor. It may not be the prettiest veggie in the garden, but this kitchen staple has layers and layers of history, culture and culinary significance. Peeling Back the Layers of Time The consumption of onions goes back more than 5,000 years. Many experts believe that they originated in Asia, around Pakistan and Iran. This humble crop was a hit with early civilizations for a plethora of reasons – they were easy to grow, easy to store a...

Auld Lang Syne: Not Just For New Year’s Eve With the beginning of a new year, we often pause to reflect on the past year. What was, what could have been, but wasn’t. Origin and Meaning of Auld Lang Syne There is a sweetness in reflection. On New Year’s Eve we sing Auld Lang Syne, words penned by Scottish poet Robert Burns. It’s a song that makes you feel nostalgic even though you might not know why. Some people call it the most famous song that nobody knows for this reason. The words actua...

Gingerbread: Simple and Delicious When you hear the word gingerbread what happens? Does your mouth water? Can you taste and smell the sweet, spicy notes of molasses, ginger and cinnamon? You also might be thinking of the gingerbread house that’s glued together with icing and decorated with candies. The Guiness Book of World Records Gingerbread House Did you know that the largest gingerbread house was built in Texas? That’s right. It was the Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas that built a ging...