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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Chilaquiles – Easy Weeknight Meal

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

One of my favorite ways to make weeknight meals even easier is to reuse leftovers from the night before in a totally new way. And often, it can be much easier than you think.

Where I live in San Francisco, I’m surrounded by restaurants that serve burritos, so I’m constantly eating them. They often come with a basket of tortilla chips for free, like most other Mexican restaurants across the country.

I’m never able to even touch the chips because I’m too full, once I eat the burrito. My solution is to save the chips and make chilaquiles.

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Quick Homemade Meat Sauce for Pasta

By Joanne Lamb Hayes
The latest from Inside Special Fork

When my family goes out to an Italian restaurant, despite all the enticing choices on the menu, half of the group orders Pasta with meat sauce. So I figured out early on that making this dish at home is a good way to get everyone to eat their dinner.

Rather than using a prepared pasta sauce, with this quick recipe you can create a homemade sauce that is ready to serve in the time it takes to bring the pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta.

A few years ago, I started adding some carrots to the sauce and no one complained. You can skip them if you want, but they provide a little sweetness to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and bring the added nutrition of another vegetable to the meal.

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