Ask Chef Phyllis: Years ago I had a refrigerator magnet that displayed equivalent amounts for baking, like 4 quarts equal 1 gallon and other basic information that most cooks know already. Now I’m looking for a different kind of substitution chart that has more up-to-date equivalents. For example, healthier swaps such as a better fat […]
Category Archives: Self-Health Survival Guides
22
Apr
Apr
Moroccan cuisine is a personal favorite. The country’s location, with coastline on both the North Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, helped it become a mecca of trade with other cultures and nations over the course of millennia. While Moroccan food harnesses culinary influences from Andalusia, North Africa, and the Mediterranean, the resulting cuisine features […]
21
Apr
Apr
Is your environment too clean? Every time you apply a little elbow grease to rid your home of nastiness, do you endanger your family’s health? When you stay home from a get-together because someone in your family has the sniffles or a cough, do you do a disservice to the people who showed up? Do […]
15
Apr
Apr
Ask Chef Phyllis: I am a native of Cornwall-on-the-sea in Great Britain. I haven’t lived there since 1976, but I remember how much seafood and fish were part of my daily life and daily meals. As a child, all of my early memories center around fishing off the rocks. I know none of the original […]
14
Apr
Apr
I just love good news. Don’t you? Give me the option of good news or bad news first, and I’m jumpin’ all over that good news. Nine hundred and ninety-nine times out of a thousand, I’m the gal who thinks everyone has the best of intentions. I look for the silver linings, and I firmly […]
08
Apr
Apr
I’m writing this post fresh off a balmy 80° day, one I welcomed with open arms and bare feet. I think it’s fairly safe to say that spring has officially sprung! This time of year is my personal favorite. I love the buzzing energy, the chirping birds, and the dew-glistened, newly sprouted growth. I love […]
07
Apr
Apr
Dear Person, I’ve been meaning to talk with you about a few things but wasn’t sure how to approach it. The subtle signs I’ve been sending you don’t seem to be doing the trick, so now I’m going with a more direct approach in hopes we can remain friends. Just remember that I always have […]
01
Apr
Apr
Ask Chef Phyllis: I remember fondly at Easter time my mother would make a rather large leg of lamb, with rich bread (dotted sometimes with colorful hard-boiled eggs) baked right in it. She called the lamb Easter Spring Lamb, but I think it was mutton, and she served it with mint jelly. She called the […]
31
Mar
Mar
Yum! One of my favorite vegetable seasons is underway, which means asparagus abounds. Sure, these days you can find it in the grocery store pretty much all year long, but that doesn’t mean it’s always worth eating. Asparagus isn’t like the grape tomato, which has a flavor that seems to hold up no matter when […]
25
Mar
Mar
Easter is just around the corner, and this time of year always brings me thoughts of the small island in the Pacific Northwest where I grew up. With spring came lush green meadows, heavenly scented orchards, and glorious dewy mornings. The island was also a prime location for raising sheep, so much so that it […]
24
Mar
Mar
The arrival of the spring equinox is a surefire signal that it’s time to dust off those bicycles that have been cooped up in storage all winter long. Riding a bike sparks a certain excitement that nothing else can. I mean, really—don’t we all remember the first time we rode our very own bike solo? […]
18
Mar
Mar
Ask Chef Phyllis: Recently on TV I heard that mushrooms are very good for you, but I don’t buy them often—mostly because I know very little about them. The supermarket had many different kinds but no information on how to use them. My experience with mushrooms is limited to sliced raw mushrooms on a spinach […]
17
Mar
Mar
How often do you think about your tongue? Unless you get a canker sore or burn it on some hot soup, I’d be willing to bet that you’re like most other people and rarely consider it at all. Yet if you were to take an occasional glance in its direction, you could learn quite a […]
11
Mar
Mar
Towards the end of January, I decided to embark on a cleanse of sorts. This is something I often do in late winter or early spring to give my body a break. The ritual also helps me rid myself of toxins that accumulate over the holiday season, when my job gets very demanding, and I […]
10
Mar
Mar
There are a few things in life you can be certain of: Christmas will fall on the same day every year. Your kids will outgrow their blue jeans every year. And every year you’ll find another article in the mainstream media discrediting the use of supplements. Now, I’m a firm believer that the best way […]
04
Mar
Mar
Ask Chef Phyllis: My Irish-born “from the old country” grandmother never made corned beef and cabbage for St. Paddy’s day. Why, it wasn’t even any kind of beef at all. It was an inexpensive piece of pork (which she called pork butt) slowly cooked with Irish whiskey for hours and served with boiled potatoes and […]
03
Mar
Mar
It’s March! It’s March! It’s March! Why all the excitement? Because with March comes spring, and with spring comes rejuvenation and reawakening to all living things—plants and animals alike. And I, for one, love it! Spring means less brown and barren, more green and vibrant. For us humans, spring brings a natural sense of reinvigoration […]
25
Feb
Feb
Today I spent a good deal of time with my pants rolled up and my feet bare, basking in 70-degree weather. In February. I’m not going to lie, it was wonderful. However, we all know the weather can change in an instant—especially here in Colorado—so I’m not fooled for a second that the balmy temps […]
24
Feb
Feb
I’ve always been a fan of coconut. I remember how the coconut flakes in my mom’s custardy, buttery “Impossible Pie” would float right to the top. I haven’t had it in years, but I can almost taste it as we speak. Of course, when I was younger and growing up in a small Midwestern town, […]
19
Feb
Feb
There’s one thing about us humans—we want what we want. And more times than not, we want reality to be how we want it to be rather than how the nice writers behind this blog tell us it is. That said, please forgive us for being the bearers of bad news, but you’re not going […]