Today we're going to be talking about some of my favorite side dishes to cook with a meal. We’ll look at some examples of side dishes, mainly from a few English countries, and maybe a couple of others. Generally they’ll be ones that are familiar, and you just need to be reminded of.  My favorite kind of side dish is steamed vegetables. These are very simple to make. There are green beans, chopped butternut squash or sweet potato, long stem broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. All of those work so well simply being steamed. The cheapest way to do this is to use a steamer tray that’s like an insert. It’s made from stainless steel, and it has holes in it.  Steaming vegetables is one of the healthiest ways to eat them. That way, they retain the most nutrients, and they retain the most flavor because it's not boiled away. 

Today we're going to talk about what we can learn from India about cooking; dining and good nutrition - from the grandmothers and from the culture. It's really fascinating to see how they go about cooking and the relationship they have with food.  Indian cuisine is very interesting. It's fresh and spicy, made with whole foods as well as medicinal ingredients. Indian cooks cook slowly, paying attention to the order and the process of cooking. I hope you're feeling inspired to try some Indian recipes!

Today we’re going to be talking about Swiss comfort food. Swiss comfort food is like no other, and Switzerland is so well known for its cheese and its chocolate. In a book by Weston Price, that famous dentist who toured the world, he talks about Swiss people many generations ago who lived on healthy, thick bread and cheese in the mountains, and how healthy their teeth were. There’s so much about Swiss cheese and European cheese that’s so good for us, and they have amazing comfort foods made from cheese, like Swiss fondue, etc. We're going to talk about some of those. Then chocolate, of course, is a wonderful snack, especially Swiss chocolate. It just tastes the best - it's so good! I love the cute little chocolates that they decorate with Swiss chalets and Swiss snowy mountain scenes. You don't have to cook chocolate, and it's definitely a Swiss comfort food. 

 I want to give you some ideas for lunches and snacks on the go. These are great for if you're a mom that's fetching and carrying your kids to and from school, extra-mural activities, or sports games, or for anytime you want to take food with; sometimes for your kids as well, and sometimes just for you. Sometimes you need something to eat in the car while you wait, or maybe you're just going to be away from home and you'll need to eat. Even if you're just at home working, sometimes it's better to prepare food the night before, or in the morning, so that when you're hungry and you want to grab something, it's there ready for you to eat. Somehow, if food is prepared in advance, and if we've put a little thought into it, we’re less likely to grab something unhealthy, or something that doesn’t have enough nutrients.  We need to plan carefully to get the right nutrients when we're always busy - like most moms are - or often on the run. 

Today we're going to be talking about Italian comfort foods, easy meals that you can make when you need something comforting. So, let's talk about Italian comfort food. Of course, there’s pizza and pasta. What could be more comforting? Let's talk about some deas for a quick, easy Italian dish or a comfort food on a cozy full evening, or even on a summer's day, or if you want some good snacks. 

Today we’re going to be talking about French comfort foods, which are one of my favorite kinds of easy comfort foods. I'm going to do a series with a different cuisine each time. We'll cover Italian comfort food, Mexican comfort food, et cetera, but this one is definitely my favorite because the French just have a way with food. We'll be talking about Croque Monsieur, French toast, and a few other things that you can make easily, and that'll fill that hungry gap in the winter or anytime you need some comfort food. French comfort foods are things that don’t really need the fancy chef techniques; things that you can make easily. They don't have fancy ingredients, and they don't take a lot of time. They're indulgent, homey, and yummy. The first one, of course, is croc monsieur or croc madam. There’s a slight difference between the two. Croque monsieur is a warm ham and cheese sandwich that's baked or pan fried with bechamel sauce on top. Croque Madame is the same, just with a fried egg on the top. Often these sandwiches have an authentic cheese like Gruyère or Emmentale to give them that extra edge of flavor. You can add interesting things to the bechamel as well, but the basic croc monsieur is a fabulous comfort food. 

Today we are gonna be continuing our Chef's series, talking about Matty Matheson, what we can learn from him and his cooking style, ways that he can inspire us in our own cooking. I relate well to this one because it's all about being a little bit unorthodox and going with your passion and not necessarily doing things by the book - I like that.

Today we're going to be talking about six easy dinner ideas that you can make for dinner in less than an hour when you're stuck, and you're not quite sure what to make. I'm also going to mention five three-course meal ideas that are easy, but a little fancier. These are good for those days when you want to do something special, but it's still got to be economical and easy. So, here we go. Let's start with the six ideas for when you're stuck for dinner. 

 Today we are gonna be talking about having a fun date night with a dice theme. Previously I did a black and white ball date night, and you can tell I like black and white. So dice are obviously also black and white, but we're gonna focus more on the dice shape and the number and using the dice and dice games. So if you feel like a fun date night at home with your hubby, just some inspiration. So we're talking about a dice theme..

Recently, I've realized that I don't eat enough fruit. We’re always being told that we've got to eat more protein, or eat all these other things, but we’re not often told we need enough fiber. I really believe that natural fiber - fruit - is the best way to get it. There are so many other good benefits of fruit. So, here's our first myth - fruit is too high in sugar. Some people say all sugar is equal, or the calories are the same, or whatever. However, I really believe, and I've seen in my own life, that fruit is good, and too much refined sugar is bad. Separating fruit from other forms of sugar is a good idea, and so is having fruit every day, especially having fruits with vitamin C when you're sick. Any kind of fruit that you feel like eating is excellent for your health. 

 Today we'll be continuing our chef series by talking about Nigella Lawson and some tips from her. She's an English food writer who cooks on tv. She's got bestselling cookbooks and cooking shows, but she has a very approachable, relatable style of home cooking. She’s not on another planet like a really gourmet chef, but somebody who's very good at what she does, and she teaches you in a way that helps you feel like you can cook better. So, let's talk about some things that she’s spoken of and that reflect her cooking philosophy.

Today we are gonna talk about some ideas for an elegant high tea for friends or for your family. My mom just turned 80 and she came to visit for a week. We had a party for her with some of her friends from many years ago who live close to us and we did a fun high tea for her birthday. I'm gonna tell you what we baked, and served, and some ideas for what you could do in terms of decor to make an elegant High Tea special.

The next chef we’re going to be talking about is Christina Tosi, the well-known pastry chef. I'm sure you've seen her on MasterChef or MasterChef Junior. She's amazing! She's known for starting Momofuku Milk Bar, and she’s so creative when it comes to baking. We love her compost cookies and her birthday cake recipe - it's the one we use all the time. The way she layers flavors and adds so much interest to food is inspiring. So, let's talk about what we can learn from Christina Tosi about baking and delicious food.  I won't have an episode out this Wednesday as we're hosting my Mom's 80th party, but I'll be back to two episodes again next week.

 Today we're going to be continuing our series on what we can learn from famous chefs, present or past. This time, we're going to be talking about Julia Child. She was a famous chef, a cookbook author, and a television personality. I'm sure you've seen those funny old video clips of her on the little TV screen with the round center from the sixties. She was one of the first women to host her own cooking show on television.  She gave people lots of tips, and she did lessons on how to prepare French food very simply and easily. Have you seen the movie Julie and Julia? It's about a young girl learning to cook from Julia's recipe. Julia Child left a legacy of more than just recipes. She's taught people how to approach cooking and eating with a huge amount of joy, confidence, and curiosity. She loved food, she loved to eat, and she was so enthusiastic about it. She was very good at teaching you how to make things simple, and how to just go for it with your cooking.

We’re doing a series on what we can learn from chefs about cooking. We’ll learn some tips and things they teach that will really help us to build and improve our own cooking. Today, we're going to be talking about Jamie Oliver, a British chef. He's a good one for helping a normal mom at home. He doesn’t do so much restaurant cooking; more home cooking, and he does it so well. He and his family, his kids, are all very approachable. He makes lots of comfort food. There might be some things in this episode that are similar to what Gordon Ramsey teaches or does, but that's good, right? Enforce the best habits. So, here we go. 

Today, I thought it'd be fun to talk about some tips from Gordon Ramsey about cooking. These are things that he advises, some of which I've tried, and others not yet. I find it really interesting to look at professional chefs, or at chefs like Jamie Oliver who aim to help ordinary people like you and I to be able to cook better, to make things easier and healthier, and et cetera. I'm going to do a brief series, and talk about tips from some other chefs as well, but for today it'll be Gordon Ramsey. We’ll talk about the important things that he says or that he teaches online in various places, whether it be on Masterchef, in his home cooking videos, et cetera. 

Today we're gonna be talking about food on vacation - if you go away on a holiday. We recently went to the beach for a few days and it was amazing. I'm gonna talk a little bit about what meals we did and general ideas of what to cook and eat on a vacation!

(There won't be an episode on Wednesday this week, but I'll be back next Monday!!) I'm soo excited about the Downton Abbey movie coming up on the 12th of September!! ..so I thought this would be a good time to make this episode. We're going to talk about what we can learn from Downton Abbey again - from the show itself, and things that are significant when it comes to food, dining, and even cooking. There are so many things that inspire me when I look at the way they ate and what they ate, although it required having a full-time cook or two. We can't really replicate that part, but there are a lot of principles that are inspiring, and that we can apply to our daily lives and our families.   

 Today we’re going to talk about some fun ideas for a food-themed evening with family or friends. Food-related fun that you can have with your kids. We'll chat about evenings involving food in a fun way for your younger kids, for your older teens; or for your family to do together. So, let's dive right in. 

Today we're going to talk about more simple meals for if you're learning to cook, just starting to cook, or if you just need something quick for dinner. Last time, we talked about using potatoes and pasta as the base of meals.  In this episode, we’re going to talk about rice and a few other ways to start your cooking with some easy meals!