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Showing posts from October, 2008

Considering Convenience:
My Favorite Kitchen Tools

Last night I had supper atop a glade in the middle of the Missouri Ozarks. The October evening was unseasonably warm, the sun hanging low above the surrounding oaks and cedars, the dog splashing in the creek at the bottom of the hollow. (That’d be the ‘holler’ if I lived in Mizz-ur-ra, not Mizz-ur-ee.) Over a small Indian fire, we cooked buffalo steaks, toasted whole-grain rolls, and roasted apples, all speared onto V-necked dogwood shoots and balanced over the embers by a heat-reflecting stone. Twas some feast. Twas some feast, yes, but one of considerable incongruity too, given that the buffalo and the rolls came from Whole Foods – but then were cooked entirely without benefit of modern convenience save a sharp knife and stick matches. It just goes to show, technology isn’t a necessity, it’s a convenience – which isn’t to say that we all don’t rely on these conveniences, that they don’t make our lives easier, even better. Here are ten conveniences that make my life

No-Knead English Muffin Bread

Are you a "yeast-a-phobic" cook? A Kitchen Parade reader shares her recipe for English Muffin Bread to banish all your fears. COMPLIMENTS! "I absolutely love this recipe and have made it four or five times." ~ Jasmine "I made it with half whole wheat flour and half white flour. YUM!! ... Nice texture and flavor." ~ Shannon "... so freakin good that I plan to make this weekly. ... final product is so tender and moist." ~ Mary "An artisan loaf at the store will run you between $3-$4, but you can make it at home for less than a dollar." ~ Budget Bytes Crestwood reader Carole Splater has a message for what she calls "yeast-a-phobic" cooks. “It’s almost a sin that my English Muffin Bread is so easy. We love it, our guests love it, everybody loves it.” And I love it too, ever since Carole e-mailed her recipe last fall. No bread machine, no stand mixer, no kneading. Just a few ingredients, 15 minutes of a