Dim Sum with a Twitter Friend

By Sandy Hu

Joining Twitter is like being the new kid at school. Everyone else already has friends, everyone is chattering away in their little cliques, and you are standing alone on the sidelines, trying to find a way to break in.

You begin to follow people and start commenting – tentatively, at first – looking for common ground. Like any in-person conversation, you try to engage in the conversation going on around you. Someone tweets that they are cooking a certain dish. You tweet back, “How do you make it?” Someone is back from vacation. You ask, “How was your trip?” And you hope these strangers will respond and follow you back.

Click to read more ...

Couscous Makes an Easy, Go-To Meal

By Sandy Hu

I’m on Twitter every weekday afternoon as @specialforksndy trying to help people with their most pressing need of the evening: what to cook for dinner. One of my favorite ideas for cooks in a hurry is couscous salad.

Here’s the couscous recipe in a tweet, under the 140 character limit: “Boil 1 ½ c broth; add 1c couscous. Off heat, cover & stand 5 mins. Fluff w/fork; add chick peas+g onions+feta cheese+olives+Ital dressing.”

Click to read more ...

Eat More Veggies – These Recipes will get you Started

Photo from Flavor First: Cut Calories and Boost Flavor with 75 Delicious, All-Natural Recipes, by Cheryl Forberg, published by Rodale Books (c. 2011).By Sandy Hu

Last week, I interviewed dietitian Cheryl Forberg for tips on eating more healthfully. Cheryl spent 12 years counseling contestants on NBC-TV’s reality show, The Biggest Loser.

This week, Special Fork is giving away a copy of Cheryl’s fabulous cookbook, Flavor First: Cut Calories and Boost Flavor with 75 Delicious, All-Natural Recipes, published by Rodale Books (c. 2011).

To enter, follow me on Twitter @specialforksndy and tweet me a healthy eating tip with the hashtag, #freecookbook http://bit.ly/xkfEWM. Your tip could be as simple as “eat more veggies.” Tweet by midnight EST Sunday, February 12, 2012, to be entered into the drawing. Multiple entries are okay; each tweet counts as an entry. The winner, selected from a random drawing, will be announced next Monday, February 13.

Click to read more ...

Pizza Pronto!

By Sandy Hu

Special Fork is all about solving the dinnertime dilemma: what to cook now, at 4 p.m., when everyone is struggling for an answer. Our daily blogs and our database of recipes feature dishes that take no more than 30 minutes of prep time.

From Monday through Friday, I tweet what-to-cook ideas as dinnertime approaches (@specialforksndy.) One of my favorite tips is to use flatbread, such as naan and pita, or even corn tortillas, to turn into pizzas. Store the breads or tortillas in the freezer in airtight wrapping to have on hand when you don’t know what else to make for dinner. Thaw, top and bake for a quick meal.

Click to read more ...

Tweet to @Specialforksndy: F#*<k no!! that sounds so nasty!!!!

From Sandy Hu

What’s for dinner? Most people – as many as 70 percent, according to one survey – don’t have a clue at 4 p.m.

About that time Twitter comes alive with plaintive cries for help, “girl what u cook?” “im hungry, any ideas for supper??? idk what to cook?” “Ummmm what to cook for dinner? Any ideas tweeps?”

I, @specialforksndy, come to the rescue! It’s not easy to respond with recipe ideas in 140 characters or less.

Click to read more ...