cooking 101

Cooking with Carapelli Olive Oil

by Mandi on October 28, 2011

This post brought to you by Carapelli Olive Oil. All opinions are 100% mine.

001950 CarapelliTastingProgram_9_28_11.pdf-1

It’s only been in the last year or two that I’ve begun to understand the benefits of extra virgin olive oil. It’s an all-natural oil that doesn’t require any heat or chemicals to produce — just good ol’ fashioned olive pressing — and it’s been shown to reduce cancer rates, lower blood pressure, lessen the risk of Alzheimers, gallstones and more!

Carapelli and SocialSpark recently sent me an olive oil tasting kit to try the high-quality Carapelli olive oils, and I wasn’t sure what to think. Sip olive oil? Really?

My seven year old and I did the olive oil tasting together, although she wasn’t brave enough to actually sip it, instead choosing to dip her finger in the oil. I actually learned a lot about olive oil in the process, though.

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How Do You Serve Dinner?

by Jessica on July 18, 2011

The following post is from Jessica of GoodCheapEats and LifeasMOM:

source: Good Cheap Eats

It wasn’t until I read Laura’s post a few weeks ago that I stopped to think about the different ways one could serve dinner. Certainly, we spend a lot of time talking about food shopping and preparation, but really the most important part of the meal is the interaction we share with one another and feeding hungry tummies.

But it’s interesting all the same to think about different ways to serve dinner. [read more…]

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Make Your Own Marinades: Orange-Ginger Marinade

June 16, 2011

The following post is from Jessica of GoodCheapEats and LifeasMOM: With summer upon us, grilling food out doors appeals more and more. Not only do we avoid hot kitchens, but we also get a change of atmosphere and a breath of fresh air. Dining al fresco makes the experience even more pleasurable. Making my own [...]

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How to Learn to Cook

May 20, 2011

The following post is from Jessica of GoodCheapEats and LifeasMOM: Learning to cook good food is a science as well as an art. There’s an element of food science and chemical reactions to consider. Some mixtures work. Others don’t. But there’s also a creative side to cooking: combining flavors, textures, and colors that are both [...]

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Quick Tip: How to Cut a Pineapple

April 8, 2011

Pineapple is one of our very favorite fruits, and we go through at least one a week. For a long time, I was intimidated by the idea of cutting a pineapple, so I stuck with canned, but it’s actually really easy. They offer special pineapple cutting tools, but they’re unnecessary. Here’s how I do it [...]

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Question of the Day: Do You Enjoy Cooking?

March 14, 2011

  Cooking has never been my favorite chore. It’s always been just that to me — a chore. But a funny thing has been happening lately. I don’t know if it’s just because I want to provide healthier meals for my family or because I suddenly have more time on my hands now that Tara [...]

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Cooking 101: How to Hard Boil Eggs

February 2, 2011

The following post is from Shaina of Food for My Family and Olmanson Photography: Hard boiled eggs are like candy around these parts. My kids will eat them plain or with a sprinkling of salt and pepper for any meal of the day. I’m not complaining, as they’re an easy meal to make ahead and [...]

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How to Eat a Kumquat

January 24, 2011

A couple of years ago, I didn’t even know what a kumquat was when Shaina from Food for My Family nicknamed her oldest son “Kumquat” on her blog. But last week when I saw them next to the blueberries and blackberries at Walmart, I couldn’t resist buying a pack to try them for myself. The [...]

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