Ask Chef Phyllis: My husband and I have been vegetarians for many years and are always looking for something new. At a Denver restaurant, we recently enjoyed a Black Bean Sweet Potato soup/stew that had a licorice flavor. We asked our waitress and she told us the ingredient was fennel. I’m not familiar with fennel. […]
Category Archives: Self-Health Survival Guides
19
Mar
Mar
I grew up on a small island in the Pacific Northwest. Besides being somewhat notorious for our laid-back attitude and astonishing ratio of artists per capita, the island has always been known for its tender, mildly flavored lamb. I’m not quite sure what makes this lamb so exceptional, but it rivals anything I have ever […]
18
Mar
Mar
My whole family loves nut butters. For breakfast, raw almond butter slathered on a piece of warm toast with melty butter underneath, gobbled up while it’s still gooey. For a snack, roasted peanut and raw sesame-seed butter smeared on crisp apple slices. For dinner, peanut butter made into a sauce over chicken, vegetables, and rice. […]
12
Mar
Mar
Okay, so this recipe doesn’t really include rice at all. Sorry to disappoint all you rice-loving folks. Hey, I love me some rice, too; don’t get me wrong. One of my favorite ways to enjoy this universal staple is by treating it as the base for a substantial, nutritionally balanced, one-pot meal full of other […]
11
Mar
Mar
I would venture a guess that most of us automatically grab for a tissue and blow like crazy when we can’t breathe through our nose. I mean, breathing is pretty important to our livelihood, yes? So getting rid of whatever bothersome thing that’s stopping the free flow of air becomes a pretty high priority, and […]
10
Mar
Mar
Ask Chef Phyllis: Thinking about a menu for six to seven dinners a week gives me nightmares. Can you help with some recipes for the slow cooker that will satisfy my meat-and-potato family? — Loretta Edmiston, Riesel, Texas Yes! Here’s a French Beef Stew with Wine that feeds 4 to 6 good appetites, freezes well, […]
05
Mar
Mar
This classic Milanese braise literally translates as “bone with a hole,” in reference to the succulent exposed marrow from the cross-cut shank bone. Although the dish is traditionally made with veal shanks, I’ve found that beef is not only much more economical but seems to contain more flavor than its younger counterpart, so it’s a […]
04
Mar
Mar
Acting as your own self-health advocate can be a challenge, especially when you aren’t medically minded by nature. When I first realized that I needed to educate myself about health-related topics—not just for my family’s well-being, but also my own—I wasn’t even sure where to begin. As I mentioned in a previous article about being […]
26
Feb
Feb
Flan is a classic egg custard dessert, particularly familiar to many Latin American tables. Though regional variations are found all over the world, flan’s roots are most likely found in France, where the custard is more commonly known as crème caramel. The dessert is essentially a reversed crème brûlée, with an exception that flan and […]
25
Feb
Feb
When you live in a house full of boys, bathroom humor is common, especially if your goal is some sure-fire laughs. It’s been my experience that there’s no age limit on this particular kind of hilarity, because scatological jokes create chuckles from the young to the old. There are times when the boys get on […]
24
Feb
Feb
Ask Chef Phyllis: Your chili recipe got me thinking about my mom, who was a very good cook. She wrote her recipes on 3×5 cards and placed them in a wooden box that looked very old to me when I was a child. The recipe box sat on the counter next to the stove for […]
19
Feb
Feb
Spring is just around the corner, or so I keep reassuring myself. Without fail, there comes a very precise moment towards the tail end of winter where my body screams “Stop! No more soup! Please, please give me a glimpse of summer, and feed me something light and refreshing!” That moment generally occurs sometime between […]
18
Feb
Feb
It’s about this time of year that I begin longing for warm days and the bounty of summer. While it’s a subtle feeling, the shorter days of winter can still get a little heavy, and it’s during this time that I find myself needing a quick energy boost to keep me going. I know I’m […]
12
Feb
Feb
Nothing says “I love you” quite like a sinfully decadent treat, especially one that’s handmade with affection. And you can’t get much more sinful and decadent than a rich, dark chocolate mousse. The fact that chocolate mousse takes mere minutes to prepare, and is practically fail-safe to boot, serves to really butter up your significant […]
11
Feb
Feb
If you don’t have a hankering for chocolate, I don’t think we can be friends. I kid, of course. We can be friends—we just won’t talk about chocolate. I’d have to prove you wrong every time the topic came up, and that’s no way to treat a friend. When it comes to the health benefits […]
10
Feb
Feb
Ask Chef Phyllis: Valentine’s Day is special to me, but my husband is gluten intolerant. Cakes are so festive—and he loves chocolate. Any suggestions? —Loretta Spano from Port Richey, Florida How romantic to do something special for your husband! This gluten-free Chocolate Flourless Cake will make his day. Ingredients Cake 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips […]
05
Feb
Feb
I think I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again; I’m a soup person. I truly think I could be content eating soup once a day all year long, even in the heat of summer. But I can think of no better time to make a big pot of hot soup than at times […]
04
Feb
Feb
What cause always gets you riled up and ready to pitch in? Most people have at least one thing they feel so strongly about that it never fails to get their attention—and their support. My cause has always been food and hunger. I believe every living being deserves to have this basic need met on […]
31
Jan
Jan
Ask Chef Phyllis: I don’t like the kind of chili that restaurants make out West, with pinto beans. I’m looking for a recipe with red kidney beans that my mom used to make on the stovetop. Can you help? —Mike Corbin, Sante Fe, NM Oh, yes, I remember a huge pot of chili con carne […]
29
Jan
Jan
I’m always on the lookout for new, unusual flavors and unique combinations of ingredients that harmonize well with each other. When I came across the concept of a spicy, Sichuan-style stir-fry, combining classic Chinese staples, like soy sauce and chiles, with cumin, a spice most associated with Middle Eastern and Mexican cooking, I was thoroughly […]