Diary of a really bad eater - Salad is more than just lettuce

Written by Janet Sebastiano on 20 January 2012. Posted in Foodie

So, for those of you who read my first article on chicken, you know I’m a pretty picky eater. And yes, thanks to my boyfriend, I now have a much more varied diet. But there was a long period of time in my life when I pretty much only ate chicken or salad. In fact, there were days when I would eat salad for both lunch and dinner! Over the years, I’ve taken a lot of abuse from friends and family about my terrible eating habits and pathetically stocked kitchen of just chicken, salad fixings, condiments, and water. While it is safe to say that I am a former chicken addict, I am also a recovering salad-oholic.

Salads are great, though. They’re healthy and filling, which keeps you from pigging out after dinner (I don’t know if that’s a problem for you, but it sure was a huge problem for me)! The only bad thing about eating salad for dinner every night is that you get really bored, really easily. Even me! So, I had to come up with a bunch of creative salads to stave off the boredom.

Now, I’m sure some of you think that only women on first dates eat salad for dinner. Well, while that is sometimes true, salads aren’t just for single women. Even my boyfriend, a true carnivore (much to my chagrin), will eat just a salad for dinner. For you skeptics out there, I thought I’d share a couple of my favorite non-traditional salad recipes with you. They’re simple to make, and they’re healthy and delicious, too! Enjoy!

Cooking the perfect pork tenderloin

Written by Dan Lussier on 14 January 2012. Posted in Foodie

Apparently, cooking the perfect pork tenderloin is incredibly difficult for many people. In fact, "How long to cook pork tenderloin" is one of the top searched questions on both this website and Google.

So, just what is it that makes pork tenderloin so difficult to cook? Based on both my personal experience, and the results of a recent questionnaire, most people just have no idea when pork is done! For most people, when they cut into the pork to check the color and see pink, they automatically assume the pork isn't done and put it back into the oven to cook longer. I mean, after all, weren't we always told that food isn't cooked until the meat is no longer pink? Well, when it comes to pork, that's actually not true! In reality, the pork can still have a hint of pink in it and still be completely cooked and safe to eat.

Now, when I say pink, I don't mean so pink that the pork loin is still "oinking." I'm talking about a hint of pink color in the center of the pork. When you cook pork loin, it's generally best to let the pork rest for 5 minutes before slicing. The pork will actually continue cooking while it rests. But it won't dry out like it would if you left it in the oven to "cook" longer. The best way to truly know when a pork loin is completely cooked is when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the loin registers 145°F.

Diary of a Really Bad Eater - Vol. 1

Written by Janet Sebastiano on 13 January 2012. Posted in Foodie

Ok, I’m just going to come right out and admit it. I’m a picky eater. Very picky. But I am definitely not the pickiest eater by far (you should meet my dad)! Actually, until I met my boyfriend, my dinners pretty much consisted of salad or chicken, or sometimes salad topped with chicken. I basically ate chicken five to six days out of the week. It got so bad that people started telling me, If you eat one more piece of chicken, you’ll start clucking.Hmph! Well, I concede, they were right…after all, man cannot live on chicken, err, bread alone! Yes, yes…I have since been expanding my horizons and now eat other food besides chicken (thanks, sweetie!).

That being said, when you eat chicken almost every night, you’ve really got to get creative with how you prepare your dinner so you don’t get bored! I could honestly write a book entitled, To Cluck or Not to Cluck: 1000+ Ways to Cook Chicken. From baked to boiled, to roasted to grilled, to fried to braised, you name a method, and I’ve done it! I just thought I’d take a moment to share a few of my favorite chicken recipes with you. They’re super simple to make, and I hope you enjoy them!

Easy Cooking Tips To Make Your Meals Hassle Free

Written by Kate James on 04 January 2012. Posted in Foodie

Try some of these easy cooking tips to take away the Kitchen Nightmare! Imagine cooking without some of the hassles that occasionally crop up. Imagine never again creating a mess by spilling or burning the food. This isn't just a desire of novice cooks, believe me; we all want to be able to prepare a meal without having to enlist the assistance of a high pressure blaster to get the burnt milk off the stove once we have finished cooking.