A Lenten Fish and Chips Dinner

By Andrew Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

It’s great to be back! I just finished shooting the premiere season of a new reality show, Supermarket Superstar, airing soon on Lifetime Network. I’ll share more information as it gets closer to the launch date.

In the meantime, here’s a great family fish recipe just in time for Lent. As we approach the fourth Sunday of Lent and the Feast of Saint Patrick, we’ve been eating a lot of fish in our house, especially on Fridays. While I prefer a grilled salmon filet, there’s something to be said for Friday night fish and chips dinners.

Not surprisingly, if you asked our boys, they would tell you that fish and chips is their favorite seafood dish. There’s a great fish grill we can walk to from our house where the fish is fresh and the beer is cold.

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Lasagna Love

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

Lasagna is one of those Italian American comfort foods that has been reworked into a million different recipes over the years. When I visited Italy years ago I was surprised to find that the Italian version was very different from its American adaptation.

The lasagne that I find more often in the States is a towering wonder of cheese and meat-filled sauce, not to mention some noodles. In Italy, it’s a bit more refined and made more simply with super-tender, melt-in-your-mouth noodles and generally very little cheese, if any at all.

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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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Okinawa Doughnuts – Fast!

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

I don’t know if it was custom or culture, but growing up in Hilo, Hawaii, friends or relatives often dropped by without calling first. We had a gravel driveway and when we heard the crunch of car tires, we’d peek out the French doors to see who had come to call, then we’d fly about the house picking up.

Guests never came empty-handed. Usually they brought a box of assorted pastries from Robert’s Bakery that we could serve back to them.

Sometimes they brought homemade jams or jellies or produce from their backyard. When we could see there was no familiar bakery box in their hands as they ascended the stairs to our front porch, we knew we needed something to serve the guests – fast!

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Asian Chicken Lettuce Cups

By Zoe McLaughlin
A new video for Video Friday

This Asian restaurant favorite couldn't be easier to make! The combination of the crunchy iceberg lettuce, fragrance of ginger and garlic, and sweetness from the hoisin sauce makes these wraps a perfect bite. This recipe can be turned into wonderful appetizers by simply spooning the chicken into smaller lettuce cups – they’re sure to be a crowd pleaser.

The simplicity of this dish is what makes it memorable and something you will make again and again. To streamline the recipe even further, instead of diced chicken you could use ground chicken; even ground pork would work nicely in this recipe.

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