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Looking To Organize Your Fridge – Let Today Show You How

October 10, 2012 By 1 Comment
Organized-Fridge

One of my biggest kitchen issues (besides the dreaded pantry), is organizing my fridge and freezer.  My fridge is often packed full of ingredients, condiments galore and, yes, there's a whole SousPug section. (The pug has his own area for his chicken, pasta, melon and his favorite cheese.)  It's a balancing act and in dire need of an intervention. The other night, I went to grab the SousPug's pasta and chicken out of the fridge and, as if in slow motion, the glass storage container that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Organizing In Stilettos Tagged With: , , , , ,


Secret Recipe Club: Homemade Ricotta

October 8, 2012 By 15 Comments
Homemade-Ricotta

Recently, the Secret Recipe Club had a bit of a transition – our beloved founder, Amanda, turned over the club reigns to April and, with the change, some groups got a bit of a shuffle.  I have moved my stilettos to Group "A" and my fearless group leader, Jane, assigned me Parsley, Sage and Sweet for my October Secret Recipe Club assignment. Lisa is the gal behind "Parsley, Sage & Sweet – A Food Blournal" and I can't tell you how much her blog inspired me to really start thinking "out … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cooking In Stilettos, Secret Recipe Club, Tried and True Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,


How To: Cut A Pineapple

July 16, 2012 By 15 Comments
How To Cut A Pineapple

When I make my weekly trek to Whole Paychex, there is a 90% chance you will see a container of diced pineapple in the cart in addition to the SousPug's diced watermelon and honeydew melon. I love to keep it in the fridge to snack on, especially in the spring and summer months and it's great with homemade yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. I also keep some canned pineapple in the pantry for some slow cooker dishes, like my Honey Garlic Chicken, but, in my opinion, there is nothing like the taste of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Tips and Techniques Tagged With: ,


What To Do With Leftover Chipotle Peppers

June 10, 2012 By 6 Comments
How To Store Leftover Chipotles - Final

Ever have a recipe that calls for one chipotle but you are stuck with a leftover can of chipotles in adobo that you have no idea what to do with?  They can only keep in the fridge for so long before they start looking like a science experiment.  When I saw this tip some time ago on the Rachael Ray show, the only thing I could exclaim is "BRILLIANT" and, let me tell you, my pantry (and wallet) are forever thankful. Next time you have a can of chipotles that need a home, here's what you can … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Pantry, Rachael Ray, Tips and Techniques Tagged With: , , , , , ,


How To: Nigella Lawson’s Instant Pancake Mix

March 8, 2012 By 3 Comments
Instant Pancake Mix - Sift

A few years ago, I posted a recipe for Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes  which advocated the use of an instant pancake mix and one of my fave bloggers told me that I should make and not buy the mix.  Trust me - when Sue speaks, I listen.    Plus - having dealt with one too many "pantry pests", I'd feel much better knowing where everything came from.  Let's not even get into the cost of buying one of those big box brands and shelf life questions. Nigella Lawson has a fail-safe Instant Pancake … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cooking In Stilettos, How To, Nigella Lawson, Pantry, Saving In Stilettos, Tips and Techniques, Tried and True Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,


Quick Fix: How To Make Brown Sugar

November 21, 2010 By 28 Comments
Quick Fix - How To Make Brown Sugar - Ingredients

Ever have the situation where you are in need of an ingredient and you go to your pantry and realize that you are clear out of it?  That happened to me last year during the holidays.  I had granulated sugar, demera sugar, powdered sugar – you name it, I had it – all but brown sugar.  Can I tell you how miffed I was to have to leave and run up to the grocery store in the midst of a culinary project?  Plus, I'm the type of gal who often keeps a spare on hand so for me to be out of what I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fine Cooking, Ingredients, Pantry, Quick Fix, Recipe, Tips and Techniques, Tried and True Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,


VIDEO: Halloween Ideas Courtesy of Colin Cowie and Anne Thornton

October 28, 2010 By 5 Comments
Colin Cowie Halloween Ideas

I really have to DVR the Today Show on the regular.  IMO, they often have some of the top chefs and experts when it comes to home, beauty and fashion.  The only problem is that my DVR is ready to go on strike so I tend to check the program listing to see what's scheduled for the week.  When I saw today's line-up, I wasted no time in hitting record. Of course, with Halloween being this weekend, the Today Show brought out my fave entertaining expert extraordinaire, Colin Cowie, who had some … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holidays 'n Stilettos Tagged With: , , , , , , ,


10 Commandments To Remember When Attending NYC Wine and Food Festival

October 12, 2010 By 6 Comments

As this was my first New York City Wine & Food Festival, I went into this sorta green.  I have attended SOBE before but this was in the Big Apple, home of all things Food Network.   Now that I'm slowly marinating on all that took place, here are a few helpful hints for those planning on attending NYCWFF next year... 1. Forget the cute stiletto-esque boots and be reasonable - wear flats. See, I wore these 4" fab military boots that I wear often around Philly- they are super comfy (at … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Traveling in Stilettos Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,


Water and Cast Iron – Non-Mixy Things

September 26, 2010 By 7 Comments

I have a confession, dear readers… I ruined the new cast iron pan.  With one of my typical "oops" moments, I put the cast iron pan in the sink and let it soak – for a couple days. I haven't been cooking as much as I would like and when I came home from the 9to5, I went to clean the kitchen and noticed that not only did I have a rusty cast iron pan, but it had transferred onto the glass bowl that was also in the pan. Thank god for Google.  I was able to salvage the pan and I'm keeping … [Read more...]

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Giada’s 10 Essential Tools For Your Kitchen

January 19, 2010 By 2 Comments

Thanks to the fabulous gals over at GiadasKitchen.com I happened to catch this interesting video from the Today Show where Giada de Laurentiis talks about the 10 Essential Tools For Your Kitchen… Update:  The Video is having technical difficulties.  You can view it HERE Did she forget anything? Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Celebrity Chefs, Cool Products, Food Network, Giada de Laurentiis, Kitchen Spotlight, Tips and Techniques, Video Tagged With: , , , , ,