How to Make Pie Dough

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

One of the things I get asked about most is pie dough. People seem to be mystified by it. And I’ll quit pretending to not know why: it seems intimidating, fickle, and too much work.

But there’s nothing in cooking that has such a great pay off as properly made and cooked pie dough. And with all the new spring fruits and produce that will be popping up in grocery stores soon, like those ruby-hued stalks of rhubarb, you’ll have a great excuse to make pastry and make pies. The cooking, we’ll get to another time…today is how to make it.

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Yearning for Rice Pudding

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

When the weather starts to show signs of warmth in March after a long, harsh winter, my heart skips a beat. But then that glimmer of hope vanishes with the next day’s blistering cold, reminding me that spring is further off than I’d hoped.

These back and forth weather changes always make me yearn for rice pudding. Mostly because it just tastes so good and is easy to make, but also because I love it piping hot from the stove to warm me up during cold days, or ice-cold from the fridge as a cooling treat on warmer days. It’s light enough to serve as breakfast or a snack, with a little granola sprinkled on top, or dressed up for an elegant dessert, especially if you serve it in coupe glasses.

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Make your own Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

As I said in my Special Fork debut post, I love breakfast. It’s the best meal of the day and has the best dishes to choose from: biscuits with sausage gravy, chilaquiles; corned beef hash!

But more often than not, I always choose something sweet, whether it’s a simple scone or a rich slab of cake. One of my favorite things is Nutella, and for years, I spread it liberally, rotating it with peanut butter, jelly, or cinnamon-sugar butter, on my 7-grain toast.

I got the idea one day to try and make my own “Nutella” for a dessert I was developing, and it came out better than I expected. It retained small chunks of hazelnut, and I could control the sweetness and quality of chocolate.

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Learning to Love Granola

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Since moving to San Francisco a few months ago, I’ve learned several truths already: the hills are torture on my Converse-loving feet, it will always get cold at night so bring a hoodie, and people here LOVE granola.

Granola has always been tied to hippies and nature-loving enthusiasts as their snack or breakfast of choice, so many would not be surprised that San Franciscans love it. But I was shocked at just HOW much they love it.

Everyone I know here makes it, or has their favorite brand. Being a Southerner, I never ate granola growing up, or even as a young adult, because I was nursed on biscuits with ham or sausage and covered in gravy, quite the complete opposite of everything granola stands for.

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A Valentine’s Day Dessert for Cooking Newbies

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Most holidays can be daunting for the beginning cook, with many courses to serve to large groups of people. Valentine’s Day is the best time for a beginning cook to shine since he or she will be cooking for just two.

I find the best way to approach this day is to see it as a normal weeknight meal, but with the quality and care turned up a few notches.

Serve meatloaf, if that’s what you and your significant other go for, but make it with the best ground beef, pork or lamb you can find and maybe some homemade ketchup slathered on top.

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