Dip or Dressing or Marinade or Sauce…which is it?

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

I’m in love with the carrot sesame ginger salad dressing at my local Japanese restaurant. If you order sushi, they’ll give you the option of miso soup or a salad. I usually go for the salad, simply because of that delicious, pulpy orange dressing.

The main ingredient in this recipe is carrots. Baby carrots – the real deal, not the shaved down, bagged versions sold as “baby carrots” at the grocery store (some have the aroma of a damp basement that I can’t get past) – are available in spring and early summer.

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Down to Basics: Pasta with Tomato Sauce

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

One of the simplest dinners to make is pasta with tomato sauce. And in my opinion, it’s still one of the most elementally satisfying, too. The key to its greatness is in the quality of ingredients you use.

Keeping costs low for everyday meals is always something to keep in mind, but when you make a meal with only four or five ingredients, you have license to splurge a little.

In this recipe, I only use shallots, garlic, basil, canned tomatoes and dried pasta. But if you have a little extra cash, try spring onions instead of shallots, or even throw in some ramps if they’re still around. Purchase high-quality San Marzano tomatoes, the gold standard, instead of the cheaper varieties, for the best flavor. One of my splurges is using purple basil instead of regular basil; it has less of a bold anise flavor and is more floral and spicy, which I love in this sauce.

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Slicing Meat for Stir-Fries

By Zoe McLaughlin
A new video for Video Friday

These few simple steps will facilitate slicing thin pieces of meat for any stir-fry dish and result in tender bites. This technique works best with flank, skirt and blade steaks, as well as pork tenderloin and thick fish steaks, such as halibut or salmon.

First, place the protein in the freezer for a minimum of 15 minutes but not more than 30 minutes. Allowing the meat or fish to sit in the freezer firms up the flesh and makes it much easier to slice thinly.

While the meat or fish is in the freezer, hone your knife of choice. It is very important to have a sharp blade in order to get a clean, thin slice.

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Oyster Po’ Boys

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

I was always told the best way to describe the difference between Creole and Cajun cooking is city food vs. country food. Some people say a Creole feeds one family with three chickens but a Cajun can feed three families with one chicken.

One thing’s for sure, the classic po’ boy, which began as a 5-cent lunch for poor boys, crosses all boundaries. Po' boys can be found on the menus of greasy spoons deep in the bayou to white-tablecloth restaurants in the heart of New Orleans. It’s delicious and very easy to make.

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Steamed Asparagus and Dips

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

A little late this year, local asparagus is just showing up. You can find them at the farmers’ market upstate in many sizes; from super-thin, wispy stalks to medium ones.

I used to believe that the thinner the stalk, the sweeter, but I have come to see differently…as long as the stalks are fresh and not withered (shriveling), the ends are not dry or the heads/tips are still tight and not frayed… it’s simply all about the cooking.

I have written about this delicious spring veggie in prior posts but feel it needs to be repeated or at least presented again. You see, I grew up with the canned variety, which is in a whole different class than the fresh. And by that, I mean the canned one simply cannot compete.

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