Food for Thought

Admission: I have been overwhelmed by the demands of the season (and it’s not over yet!). Not just the holiday season, but this season in my life. My children are learning self-sufficiency and my parents need more assistance. Days just don’t seem adequate to the tasks at hand.

When I think of the things that carry me through, I always think of friends, work, my home and the small daily occurrences of a nice meal, an interesting conversation or some little bit of order. Most often each of those is associated with the kitchen. This is the room that I miss the most when gone. Tomorrow starts a week away from my desk, my kitchen and this blog. It’s time to visit my father. I’ll be back soon and look forward to establishing, once again, the rhythm of writing and shooting and helping you out in your kitchen.

Practice on the beans, make some soup and don’t forget to keep the most important room in the house clean and cook-ready. What do you think of a series titled ‘Pantry Chronicles’? This will be my food for thought while away!

Aromatics, Herbs and Spices

Aromatics and herbs are flavorings that you can add to your beans while they are cooking. Now that you are an advanced bean cooker, you are ready to push the flavor envelope.

After taking pictures of these beans, they looked to good to abandon. With sage leaves retrieved from the garden, a sliced onion plus a few peppercorns, there were delicious beans (ready in less than an hour) for lunch.

Other suggestions for aromatics or herbs that you might like to try:

A carrot, a celery stalk, a few cloves of garlic.

A bay leaf, a few whole cloves (not garlic cloves, but the little brown spiky spice ones), a sprig of fresh thyme or parsley.

Do you recognize the pot? This repeat performer is the pot I rescued back in October. Pretty isn’t it?

‘Beans: To Soak or Not to Soak’

There seems to be a lot of controversy over soaking or not, but you know what? If you want to plan ahead and cut down on cooking time, soak. If you are like me and decide the day you are cooking that you would like beans, you don’t have to soak. It’s really that simple.

But, can we back-up for just a moment? I’m not sure I have waxed poetic enough about the virtues of beans. Beans not only have protein and fiber, but the darker they are in color, the richer they are in anti-oxidants. Did I mention iron, B vitamins and folic acid as well? You get the idea. Apart form the myriad of health benefits; dried beans are easily stored (try to use them within a year) and very affordable. Once cooked, they can be eaten as is, used in all sorts of recipes or mixed with something simple like chopped onions and vinaigrette. Cooked beans can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or stored in the freezer (in a plastic container or freezer bag) for up to 6 months. Either way, store them along with some of the cooking liquid.

Canned beans are OK. If this is what you need to do to get started, fine. No one is judging. They will be more expensive, not taste as good or have as much nutritional value, but whatever works.

If you are ready to start from scratch, here’s how.

1. Start with about one pound of beans.
2. Don’t forget to sort through and remove any stones (see previous entry).
3. Rinse beans well (a colander is your best bet here) with cold water.

Soaking Method
After doing the 3 basic steps above, put your beans in a large pot and cover with about 6 inches of cold water. After 6-12 hours, drain and return to pot. Cover with about 2 inches of water, put lid on and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer (this is a just below boiling) and continue to cook, partially covered this time, until done. Add water if needed.

No Soak Method
After doing the 3 basic steps above, put beans in a large pot and cover with cold water by 2-3 inches. Place lid on pot until a boil is reached and then lower to a simmer and keep partially covered until done. Add water as needed.

For both methods, keep checking for doneness (about every 10 minutes or so). When the beans are becoming tender, add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Read this through a few times. Imagine the steps. Now do it for real! You will have some simple, healthy and very affordable meals in your future.

Meet The Bean’s

May I introduce your inner (and possibly undiscovered) food geek to The Bean’s? If you were truly on familiar terms, you might affectionately call them legumes. Either form of address is acceptable.

The Bean’s are your friends. They deliver an economical source of protein. In other words they are cheap and good! But that’s not to say they are without prestige. Harold McGee, food geek extraordinaire, says that in the ancient world of the Romans, four prominent families based their names on four major beans, Lentulus from the lentil, Fabius from the fava, Piso from the pea and Cicero from the chickpea.

That’s your history moment for the day! Let’s get back to the here and now and start with some practical stuff. Dried beans, before you buy them, are washed with stones. What you must do before cooking them is check them for those pesky little rocks. Spread your beans out on a baking sheet, picking out any stones and also discarding any beans that look weird.

That’s what this picture is about. In two cups of black beans I found four small stones. Not very many, but it only takes one to crack a tooth. Something that I’ve experienced first hand and would highly recommend avoiding.

While you go back to studying the Romans, I’m going to work on my next entry:
‘Beans: To Soak or Not to Soak’. Bet you can’t wait for the next installment!

Creature of Habit

True confession time. When it comes to breakfast I am a total bore. There’s flexibility when it comes to the question of coffee or tea, but I never waver in my desire for Granola. It’s been a long time since I bought this stuff pre-made at the supermarket. Even the Coop disappoints. Sugary and expensive, there’s just no point. Especially when granola is a snap to make at home and very economical. If you follow the link, you will have a basic recipe for my (and what I hope might become your) morning ritual. Like almost all recipes, this one is easy to tailor to your own culinary eccentricities. Don’t like cinnamon? Skip it! You’ve run out of raisins? No sweat. There’s no such thing as the Granola Police, and this is all about you. Maybe there is something else in the cupboard that seems like a good idea.

I like to add freshly ground nutmeg along with anise seed and cardamom that I pummel in a mortar with a pestle. Sometimes I use chopped apricots and cranberries as part of the dried fruit. Maple syrup can be a stand in for honey. I may be a bore regarding granola in general, but every batch seems just a little different and that’s all to the good. A hearty bowl of this stuff and food is a non issue until lunch!

Ways to eat granola:

Traditional- in a bowl with milk
Super Hearty- over plain yogurt with some extra honey
Granola Deluxe- either of the above with fresh fruit
On The Road- running late or need a snack? Eat like trail mix

Looks Aren’t Everything

This is probably the least pretty picture that I have posted so far. What is it?

It’s a Sweet Potato with little cavities cut out to make room for slivers of garlic. In total, there are about six holes in this potato with corresponding pieces of garlic crammed in. Once you’ve done that, wrap the whole thing in some foil and put it in the oven next to what ever else is cooking. Leave it there until it gets soft (about one hour at 450 degrees or longer if it is in an oven that is at a lower temperature). Carefully open the foil and slice it into disks. Heaven!

This is the easiest and best way I know of to cook sweet potatoes. If someone asks you to make a contribution to the Thanksgiving meal, do this. You can’t go wrong. I’d stake my garlic press on it!

I hope that your holiday is as effortless and delicious as this potato is destined to be.

France Comes To Brooklyn

Tomorrow Cathy graduates from FCI (The French Culinary Institute). The little cap goes and in it’s place, the glory of a very, very tall hat. Cathy’s toque will announce (in a very not so subtle way) that she triumphed and survived the last six months. After the fruit tarts you saw in an October entry, there were cakes, plated desserts, chocolates, breads, sugar sculptures and chocolate creations whose purpose was to display petit fours (bite sized cakes) and even more chocolate! Early mornings, homework and tests, resembled the stress of medical school more than the alchemy of butter and flour.

The most interesting part of this culinary journey has been watching Cathy master not only her pastry dough, but also herself. In the crucible of the kitchen she has learned about what it’s like to meet expectations, work with other people and deal with deadlines and critiques. Not easy, not always pretty, but in the end, very impressive. Tomorrow’s graduation represents a lot of hard work, accomplishment and self-acceptance.

The celebration has started already. Cathy’s sister-in-law has come from France and we will be toasting with a lovely bottle of Champagne.

Dry vs. Liquid and Rome

There are two types of measuring. Liquid and dry.

When measuring liquids, use a transparent measuring cup that allows you to see that the liquid is level. When you judge the amount, make sure that you are level with the cup. Am I making sense? In other words, don’t expect to get your measuring right if you are not looking straight on at the lines of your measuring cup or if it’s off kilter in anyway.

Dry measuring is done with those little cups that (usually) have a handle and look like small saucepans. After filling the size cup required, drag a knife across the top, scraping off any excess that’s above the rim of the cup.

Measuring spoons are used for both dry and liquid ingredients.

Baking requires precision. There is a very calculated chemical event that makes a cake rise, or affects the texture of what it is you are making. When baking, you need to make extra sure that your measured ingredients are as precise as you can get them. Also, most baking recipes that require eggs are referring to Grade A Large (this does vary, so check your cookbook).

When it comes to cooking (as opposed to baking), it’s a good idea to follow a first time recipe fairly closely. Once you have tried a recipe as dictated, you can express yourself a bit more the next time you cook it. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, cooking does not need to be scary. Everybody does things more than once to get it right. This also applies to cooking.

Help out the whole process by starting with a clean kitchen. Have your cooking tools handy and make sure that you have the ingredients to pull off what ever it is you are trying to accomplish. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and as long as the food you are cooking with has been stored correctly and you have exercised good kitchen hygiene, there’s nothing to fear! As you spend more time in the kitchen, you’ll be surprised how all that experience adds up and how much easier things become. Relax! Everything will taste so much better.

Mango Lassi

Now that you know how to cut a mango, you are ready to make a lassi. Basically, a mango lassi is an exotic fruit smoothie. The addition of cardamom will transport you to India or, at the very least, your favorite Indian restaurant. I’m giving you the recipe for a sweet lassi, if you like things more on the savory side, substitute a pinch of salt for the sugar. A pinch is exactly what it sounds like, just the amount of salt that you can grasp with your thumb and forefinger. Additionally, if you would like a thinner lassi, add a bit of milk. This is one of those recipes that are not exact and you can have fun making it your own.


Mango Lassi

The flesh of one mango (about 1 cup)
1 cup of plain yogurt
1/2 a cup of crushed ice or ice cubes
1 Tablespoon of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom or to taste

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Enjoy!

It’s a bird, it’s a plane… it’s Superfruit!

Why? Not because it comes from outer space, but because it’s rich in healthy properties. Fruits that deliver complex health benefits are termed ‘superfruit’ and mangos are superheroes in this category. Mangos are charged with vitamins A, C and E for starters. And the list goes on: B6, potassium, copper and 17 amino acids. There’s more, but I think that we have established already, that mangos are good for you.

The really super thing is that mangos are delicious. Choose a fruit that is free of bruises and slightly soft. Like most superheroes, mangos come in all colors and sizes. If the mangos where you shop aren’t ripe, buy one anyway and keep it on your counter until it’s ready.

Here’s how to cut a mango. There is a long, thin, oval pit in the middle. Cut along the length of the fruit either side of the pit. At this point you can scoop out the flesh from the sidepieces with a spoon or do a ‘hedgehog’ cut. This is done by taking a small knife and cutting just through the flesh – not the skin. Turn it inside out. Eat!

Or, if you are not crazy about using a knife in the manner suggested above, simply peel it with a vegetable peeler. Then you can use a non-scary knife to cut off the flesh. Be brave! It’s worth it!

Great Expectations

Today I started what I hope will become a weekly pilgrimage to Sylvia’s program. Equipped for this mission with a basket containing the requisite apron and dishtowel along with a fresh copy of Joy of Cooking and the latest Bon Appetit my expectations knew no bounds.

Sylvia and I would cook dinner! What could be simpler and more fun? Like the woodland creatures to Snow White, Sylvia and I would cook as her friends flocked to the apartment and commenced to make merry. We would be entertaining in an instant!

Of course, it wasn’t quite like that. Real life doesn’t take long to rear its formidable head. The first hour at the apartment was filled with taking care of other business and then cleaning. Sylvia’s household doesn’t have a vacuum cleaner! Snack remains are not so easily dispatched with a whisk broom and dustpan. I have seen the kitchen in worse condition, but there was a lively event taking place in the sink.

While I plucked nasty dishes from the cultural event in full swing and dispatched them to the ‘dirty dish cabinet’ (dishwasher), Sylvia wrote down the ingredients needed for a root vegetable pasta dish in Bon Appetit. “ Pasta? “ I’m thinking to myself. But in the spirit of engendering kitchen enthusiasm, Sylvia gets my full support. Besides, Sylvia’s roommate, Marin, thrives on a steady diet of this stuff and she’s joining us.

I’m tempted at this point to launch into the epic saga of our trip to Walbaum’s, but really I want to stay in the kitchen. All you need to know is that we returned safely with root veg in hand along with a can of promises. Instant homemade breadsticks! How could I refuse? Sylvia declared that this would be her introduction to baking. These days, if it’s a question of additives and enthusiasm VS no enthusiasm, I tell myself that Sylvia will come around to the ‘pure side’ eventually. In the mean time, my goal is to get her in the kitchen and enjoying herself. We did that tonight. Marin was waxing poetic about the chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano that was freshly grated onto her penne while Sylvia and I tucked into our version with the root vegetables.

There were a few discoveries tonight. By letting go of some of my expectations and accepting some of Sylvia’s, we had a very nice evening. Grand plans often have to start modestly. Canned promises sometimes deliver; the bread sticks were a total hit. And last, but not least, I need to get Sylvia a chopping board.

Today’s No Cook Meal

If you have been following the blog, you will know that I have been away for a week, having left off with the entry about having coffee and cake with my mother in Wales. Truth be told, we did enjoy this ritual at Herbert Lewis, but just once. What I was really doing was moving my mother to a small retirement flat (the British word for apartment). I’m back and exhausted!

Who wants to cook? Not me, not today. Everyone has days like this (some more than others). I’ve been thinking about healthy no-cook things to eat. In this category, there’s nothing more basic than a slice of bread with some peanut butter (and if the spirit moves you adding something like honey or jam). Simple? Yes, very. That said, all peanut butters (and most things that come in a jar or can or box or package) are not created equal. Just for my own education I purchased a jar of Jiff today. As soon as I finish this bit of writing, I am going to throw it away. Why? Because here are the ingredients:

Roasted peanuts and sugar, 2 % or less of molasses, fully hydrogenated vegetable oils (rapeseed and soybean), mono and diglycerides, salt.

Sugar? Why here? Hydrogenated fats have been linked with the increased rise in coronary heart disease. I’m not interested in consuming those. As for the mono and diglycerides, simply put, they are fats used to make the peanut butter creamy. I can stir it, thank you very much!

I think I will stick to my Smuckers. With just peanuts and salt it’s healthier and tastes better. There’s nothing wrong with the basics.

Daughter From America

A lot of things happen over coffee and cake, or any sort of food and drink, for that matter. This is a picture of my mother at her favorite meeting place, Herbert Lewis. Marj lives in a small town in Wales called Chepstow. Lewis’ is a shop that has a little restaurant on the second floor and my mother often stops there when she is in town. More often than not there is someone there that she knows (Chepstow isn’t very big). After she introduces her “daughter from America” (that’s me), we exchange pleasantries and sometimes a bit of local news. If it weren’t for the coffee and cake, who knows what would happen? Friends would not meet and everyone would be in the dark regarding the latest in Chepstow affairs. Unimaginable!

What is truly unimaginable is a life without these moments. So much happens over a cup of something and a bite to eat. Isn’t it marvelous that something we are required to do every day, eat and drink, can be such a pleasure and so much a part of how we relate to one another? Amazing the way that works.

If I don’t make any blog entries this week, it’s because I am in Wales with my mother. More likely than not, we will be having a coffee at Herbert Lewis, meeting her friends and catching up on all the local news.

Advanced Garlic

Let’s review: (When it comes to something as essential and delightful as garlic, it’s important that we know our stuff!)

Garlic 101: Choose firm heavy cloves that are not sprouting.

Garlic Practical: See entry ‘Remove Your Coat’

And today’s lesson:

Advanced Garlic: A truly fresh clove will be juicy and white on the inside. This is the ideal. When there is a little green sprout, no need to panic. You can choose to do nothing, or (if you are feeling fancy) remove the slightly harsh tasting intrusion with the tip of your paring knife. That’s it!

I’m sure you passed.

Here’s a recipe for Roasted Garlic.
Roasted garlic is delicious on crackers or bread and useful for flavoring soups, stews, mashed potatoes or salad dressings.

Parmigiano-Reggiano and the Moon

Ah, the alchemy of milk, salt and time. With Parmigiano-Reggiano place matters as well. This naturally aged cheese is named after the provinces in Italy where it is produced. Cheeses that are simply called Parmesan, are just imposters and although the real deal is more expensive than the wanna-be’s, there is no substitute. Of all your food purchases this is probably the starkest culinary case of ‘you get what you pay for’.

This marvelous cheese can be grated (a little goes a long way) into soups, over pasta and is a key ingredient to pesto and Caesar salad. Also considered a ‘table cheese’, you can do as the Italians and pair it with fruit and nuts for an easy dessert (I just had the shavings from this photograph with an apple and was transported). When there is nothing left but the memory of delicious meals and rind, pop the rind into your next batch of soup. Nothing need go to waste.

Because Parmigiano-Reggiano is so easy to digest it’s good for persons who are lactose intolerant. It’s also big source of Calcium and Phosphorus, so much so that the Russian cosmonauts found it useful in staving off bone loss during their long periods of weightlessness on the space station MIR. As if that were not enough, Parmigiano-Reggiano is low in fat and sodium.

Each time you store your Parmigiano, wrap it as tightly as you can in fresh plastic and place in the cheese drawer of your refrigerator. This is not a cheese that freezes.

Feeling a bit lazy and want a quick meal? Just grate a little of this marvel on top of some noodles or ravioli- along with a little salt and freshly ground pepper you can be in Italy or over the Moon.

Kid in a Candy Shop

I’m going to forego the original idea for today, which involved discussing the virtues of fresh foods and a little tirade against the industrialization of what we eat (aren’t you relieved?). Instead I am going to talk about candy.

Candy! Have I gone mad? Well, yes, sort of.

Today I returned from an emergency visit to Sylvia’s program with a bag of contraband. It appears (evidenced by candy wrappers everywhere), that Sylvia has been living on a steady diet of candy. Now, I am not opposed to candy as a concept. I’ve been known to stash dark chocolate bars in difficult to reach places around the kitchen. I’m not even a paragon of virtue when it comes to refined sugar and flour (see entry ‘Life is Tough’). I am, however, a firm believer in moderation. But that’s not what I am talking about. There’s no moderation going on around here! No wonder Sylvia’s employers are commenting on how tired she is. Caring staff members at her program are distressed not only by Sylvia’s exhaustion, but by how unfocused and distractible she has become.

Generally I am prepared stand alone as ‘the health food nut’ (Sylvia’s words) and to even be dismissed as a food evangelist. But, apart from my daughter, no one was judging me today. In fact, I had company. It doesn’t take a degree in nutrition to figure out that a steady diet of refined sugar and additives is a unlimited pass for a body sugar rollercoaster ride that can only crash and burn.

What Sylvia doesn’t know is that her insulin levels spike from all that refined sugar. Because her body has to do very little work to assimilate those calories, it’s not long before her unsatisfied appetite wants more. All these empty calories put her on the path towards excess weight, diabetes, heart disease and more.

Living in a candy shop with all the thrill of instant gratification may just land Sylvia back in Brooklyn and under the watchful eye of this ‘health food nut’. Not an outcome that either of us relishes.

Garlic 101

Fresh is always better and garlic is no exception. We haven’t yet gone over how to choose a head of garlic.

It’s best if you can select your garlic individually and not buy them already packaged in a box (I took poetic license for the photo). This way you will be able to feel it’s weight- the heavier the better, check for firmness- every side of it should be solid with nothing shriveled, and make sure that it is not sprouting. Color and size do not matter. Larger cloves will be easier to work with but don’t sacrifice any of the other characteristics to get a large clove.

Garlic is easy to store. Just keep your heads of garlic in a dark, cool, dry place. I keep mine in a covered basket at the end of the kitchen. If your garlic gets soft, toss it. There you have it. Next class? Intermediate Garlic!

Pop Quiz: Remember how to take the skin off a clove? See earlier blog ‘Take Off Your Coat’.

What Ever It Takes

Just got off the phone with Sylvia and was attempting a little ‘remote control’. Sylvia is back at her apartment, but still fighting that nasty cold. Step, by step we went over what she could do to take care of herself. Drink lots of fluids, get some oranges to snack on, eat some leafy green stuff and finish off that chicken soup I sent her home with.

I also enquired about the condition of her kitchen. Not so good. Yesterday I had a conversation with the mother of one of Sylvia’ pals. She had a solution that I wasn’t too keen on at first, but have been giving some thought to. Paper plates. Personally, I love a real dish. Can’t get enough of them to be honest. But, Sylvia doesn’t care about real dishes and we are trying to problem solve here. The kitchen is a mess. Even if Sylvia took care of her dishes (Ok, call me an optimist), her roommates don’t excel in this department either. Maybe paper plates are not such a bad idea. Bad for the environment? Yup. Expensive? A big ‘yup’ there too. That said, it’s time to be practical. Sylvia is not well, her kitchen doesn’t work because it is not clean, and until she can get in there and start to take care of herself, things aren’t going to get better.

So here’s today’s idea. Maybe paper plates are a solution for now. If we can overcome what is a major obstacle, Sylvia may start to inhabit her kitchen and have some success. A few real meals under her belt and perhaps the china will come out.

Pease Porridge Hot

Let’s talk about Porridge (as in Oatmeal).

Let’s also forget about the fact that your mother was always suggesting that you eat it for breakfast. As a free citizen, you can come to the wisdom of this all on your own. What you need to know is that oatmeal has a very long history, which recommends it right there. For a food to be around as long as oatmeal has, it has to be good.

The Mayo Clinic, a well-regarded institution, has determined that a daily bowl of oatmeal can actually lower blood cholesterol because of its soluble fiber content. Athletes’ prefer oatmeal because oats encourage slow digestion and have a lot of B vitamins. I could go on, but I’m probably beginning to sound like your mother. Stated simply, Oatmeal is very good for you.

(Are you ready?) Here’s a link to a very easy recipe for one serving of Oatmeal. (See how I slipped that in there? This is a first for me and I hope the link works!)

A word about my recipe format. If you print out the PDF (the bar is in the upper righthand corner on the link page), you will have the recipe on one regular size sheet of paper. If you would like to start your own cookbook from this and future recipes, the dotted lines (you’ll see them when you print it out) can be used as trim marks and your pages will fit into any 5x7 photo album.

The Most Interesting Asian Pear

Just started to read about Asian Pears and if you are a history buff, I highly recommend it! History aside (although being part of the rose family and cousin to the apple and being spread by Aryan tribes from the Caucasus to Europe and Northern India is kind of cool), Asian Pears are originally wild and what we eat now is the product of interbreeding with native pears from Europe and Asia.

What you really need to know is that Asian Pears are best chilled, have the firm texture and crunch of an apple, but the delicate sweetness of a pear. They make a terrific snack all by themselves, but are also known as ‘salad pears’. Why? Because over a little bed of wild salad greens with some shaved parmesan cheese and a bit of dressing, they are truly out of this world! Too much work? Just try a thin slice of parmesan. Or not. Either way, you can’t go wrong with a wild pear.

Making Nice or Mise en Place

I’ve been trying to analyze the reasons that a person might not want to use their kitchen. Of course, I’m thinking of Sylvia and her kitchen, but I suspect that many people have simply not moved in. What do I mean by that? Check out where you cook (or could cook!). Is there anything there that gives you pleasure to look at? Are there things that you don’t like and could change? Do you have a clean and clear place to work and your tools in places that are easy to get to? Just wondering.

Getting moved-in to your kitchen can be fun. Really. This past weekend I bought some new shelves. They are more substantial then the ones they replaced and every time I walk into the kitchen the new sense of organization makes me happy.

The French have a phrase for this. It’s ‘mise en place’, literally translated as ‘putting in place’. In a professional kitchen this means having everything ready for the recipe about to be prepared. For home cooks it means a clean and organized place that helps with the job of making a meal.

Move in! Make yourself happy!

Imprecise Chicken Soup

What a coup! I finally got Sylvia in the kitchen. This is no small task, but even Sylvia knows that if she is going to live independently, cooking is required. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Just something straight forward, basic and quick. I’m hoping that Sylvia will also discover that making things from ‘scratch’ (well, almost scratch) saves money. I suspect that my lectures about meals made from basic ingredients will not be as influential as the discovery that a dollar goes a lot further if you make it yourself. Not to mention the advantage of leftovers!

So, back to the kitchen. We chopped our raw ingredients- carrots, celery, onions, and a boneless chicken breast and had on hand a box of organic chicken broth ( this is the not- cooking-totally -from-scratch part, but... we can do homemade broth another day. Using a good quality broth will be almost as good and will make this recipe happen in a flash!). Put a pot large enough to hold all your ingredients on the stove with about three tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom. Cook the chopped carrots, celery and onion in the oil until soft. Next, add the broth. When the broth is hot, add the chicken breast. If you like noodles, toss in a handful when the chicken is cooked through. A little salt and pepper to taste and when the noodles are soft, you have soup!

If this all sounds a little imprecise, there’s a reason for that. Don’t be afraid to chop up what ever vegetables you have on hand and add a box of broth. I’ll work on a precise recipe that you can link to (Friday I got help my friend Kelly, and have finally figured it out!). Soon you will be able to download some simple recipes and really get started on your kitchen basics.

PS Notice that when Sylvia chops onions, she keeps her knuckles curled under? That’s my girl!