What to do with Zucchini

By Sandy Hu
A new video for Video Friday

Zucchini is the poster child for summer‘s largesse. There’s so much of it that you begin to wonder, what else is left to do with this prolific ingredient?

For an easy side dish, I like to cut zucchini in half lengthwise, cook in olive oil on both sides until softened, then season with sea salt, a few grindings of black pepper, and top with grated lemon peel or Parmesan cheese. I dice it to incorporate into Chinese fried rice and slice it for pizzas or green salads.

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Entrepreneurial Spirit

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

Last week, I wrote about the premiere of Lifetime’s all-new competition series, Supermarket Superstar and my role coaching the contestants as R&D Mentor. This week, I’d like to tell you a little bit more about the process.

Shooting a TV show is an exhausting and exhilarating process. Even when the pilot’s been “picked up,” there’s doubt about whether the network will like the series and if viewers will watch. So it’s hard to believe that the Supermarket Superstar premiere aired and episode two is in a few days … I think the season will be over before I know it!

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Vanilla Beans

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

In many of the recipes I develop, I often call for vanilla beans. Their best quality, aside from flavor, is their ability to impart any plain panna cotta, cake, or ice cream with a pleasing, speckled appearance, thanks to the seeds within the vanilla bean itself. And unlike vanilla extract, which is made from soaking vanilla beans in alcohol for several weeks, the seeds from the bean carry a noticeably different, more refined vanilla flavor and aroma.

To get at those precious seeds couldn’t be simpler: Hold one end of the bean on a cutting board with your finger, and using a paring knife, insert the tip of the knife on the bean just below where your finger is holding it. Keeping pressure steady, slide the knife down the length of the bean until the end, splitting it in half. Then, turn the knife over and place the blunt side of the blade against your finger and, pressing down, rake the knife down the length of the bean to remove the seeds; repeat with the other half of the bean.

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Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms

By Sandy Hu
A new video for Video Friday

One of the first appetizers I learned to make as a newlywed was Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms. I copied the recipe from a friend in New York City, who had made it for a party, and I was impressed. While I was new to cooking, this recipe is the kind that almost guarantees success – quick and easy, delicious, and with make-ahead potential so I wouldn’t be flustered just before guests arrived.

When buying mushrooms for this recipe, look for ones that are about the same size so they finish cooking at the same time and look attractive together on the serving platter. If I have to buy them prepackaged, I buy an extra package so I can sort the mushrooms, setting aside the odd sizes for another use. I love mushrooms and I can easily add them sliced raw in salads, sautéed in omelets, simmered in soups…you can never have too many mushrooms in your fridge.

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A Quick Chinese Meal

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

One of the first Chinese dishes I learned to cook was Ma Po Tofu. I was introduced to this recipe by my sister Judy, newly married to a young scientist from Taiwan and living in Berkeley, California.

Through the years, I’ve stripped down the recipe so it doesn’t require a trip to Chinatown for any special ingredients, making this dish a good dinner choice when you’re time-pressed and don’t know what to cook. You should be able to bring this dish to the table in about 20 minutes.

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