Vanilla extract is an essential ingredient in baking. This is the perfect DIY project which only requires two simple ingredients, vanilla beans and liquor. And the best part is, if you start now, it will be ready for holiday baking season come November. Selecting which vanilla bean to use is the first step in making […]

Pandemic or not, knowing useful baking substitutes is essential for any home baker. As a chef, I can tell you, the most important skill in the kitchen is adaptability. While in lockdown the last 44 days, I can assure you, I have run out of all sorts of pantry/baking essentials; from flour to eggs, but that […]

Salt is essential for life and saltiness is one of the basic human tastes. Such a vast topic, one can even find entire books dedicated to this very subject. One of the most well-know books being, “Salt, A World History,” by Mark Kurlansky, a fascinating read actually, should you be interested. I am a salt […]

This is not a typical blog post of mine, replete with recipes.  I know that it’s back-to-school time for us and for a lot of other families.  The dread of packing school lunch(es) can be a daunting task for parents, myself included.  So this is a photo post to inspire you with lunch ideas as […]

My husband loves pickles; well, anything pickled actually.  I honestly think it runs in the family, his father, one of his brothers, our nephew and one of our kids are exactly the same.  It is a deep love.  As a Father’s Day gift a few years ago, I gave my husband a “Pickle Every Month” […]

Some fruits are hard to tackle. Cutting a pineapple safely is crucial to avoid accidents and injuries. Many of the steps below can also be used when cutting other round fruits such as melons. Why the Proper Technique is Important Sharp Edges: Pineapples have tough, spiky skin and a hard core. Without proper technique, there’s […]

General rule, cakes need to be trimmed before frosting.  This is especially important if you are making a layer cake of any kind.  It is not your fault when you bake a cake, it does not come out of the oven with uniform height: one part may bulge, or some other part may sink, Making it […]

Since I was a young kid, I have always enjoyed artichokes.  I liked them because, unlike everything else I ate, they did not require a fork (and obviously the melted butter too!).  Now I make artichokes often.  My kids now enjoy them for the very same reasons.   It was not until I was a grown-up that I […]

You know what I’m talking about right? You reach for some bananas, but in doing so, your arm grazes a vast assortment of odd-looking specialty fruit.  Brightly colored, with spikes, prickly, some even flower-like in appearance.  What are these crazy-looking fruits and what the heck do you do with them if you are adventurous enough […]