Category Archives: Food
Takeout Thai made at home
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
If you love Thai food and don’t want to go out, you can still enjoy some of your favorites at home.
If pork isn’t your favorite filling in the recipes for egg rolls and pot stickers, chicken can be easily substituted.
A couple of the best things about Thai food are its special seasonings and unique flavors. If you like your dipping sauces a little hotter, it’s easy to add a few extra red pepper flakes.
I hope you’ll make these dishes among your favorites.
Tasty Spring salads knock it out of the park
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
When the weather begins to warm, we become less interested in hot and heavy dishes and often turn to salads.
The four featured this week are different from each other, but all are healthy and nutritious.
Now that meat prices have gone up, it’s good to have an alternative. I hope you enjoy these recipes.
Make it moist with mayonnaise
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
Mayonnaise is not just for sandwiches. When added to some old favorites, it enhances the texture and moistness of the dish.
Making your own mayonnaise from scratch can sound daunting, but it isn’t really. It is tasty, and saves a trip to the store.
The mayonnaise drop biscuits are easy as one, two, three. No rolling out or cutting necessary.
The chocolate cake is rich, but if you’re going to have cake, it should be moist and rich.
I hope you enjoy these change-of-pace recipes.
Favorites of the first ladies
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
The recipes of former first ladies featured this week are as varied as the first ladies themselves.
Bess Truman was a devoted wife and mother and came from a solid middle-class background as did Harry. Her Arkansas Pudding is easy, sweet and delicious and was reportedly a favorite of the president.
Mamie Eisenhower was a career Army wife who was reported to be intent on cutting down on food expense in the White House. She advised the chef to use cake mixes and Jell-O rather than preparing elaborate dishes for the family. This fudge recipe is simple and was loved.
Jackie Kennedy grew up among among the privileged, mand her tastes were more sophisticated than some of the other first ladies. The poached salmon was among her favorites and was prepared often by the White House chef.
Lady Bird Johson was a popular first lady who supported her husband and her daughters. She was famous for this popular lemon pound cake.
Fish for healthy hearts
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
Fish is a delicious alternative to red meat. The omega-3 fat in fish is beneficial to heart health, and almost every grocery store in our region now has a mini fish market, so it behooves us all to take advantage of the availability.
I believe that the simplest ways of cooking fish are the best. Too much sauce or other ingredients mask the light, delicious flavor and flaky texture.
It’s one thing to enhance the natural flavors, but it’s criminal to drown the flavor. Fish stands well alone.
It can be grilled, baked, broiled, stuffed, and made into chowder or fish cakes. But this week’s recipes focus on simple preparations that most people have a hard time finding fault with.
Nothing beats fresh fish, but if you can’t find it fresh, frozen is an excellent choice.
Zing into spring with lime
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
Lime flavors can’t be confused with other citrus fruits, because their zesty flavor is unique.
Lime juice on its own can pucker your whole mouth. Add some sugar, and lime juice will make the juice sing.
Although this week’s recipes focus primarily on desserts, I hope one of these will appear on your table as a nice surprise. Enjoy.
keep the carrots coming
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
For some reason, I associate carrots with spring.
Their bright color adds a cheerful note to a dinner plate. This week’s recipes include a carrot salad, roasted carrots, a carrot vegetable medley and, of course, a yummy carrot cake.
I like this carrot cake because it includes pineapple, apple sauce and raisins in the batter. It’s very moist, a No. 1 requirement for cake. I don’t put coconut in my carrot cake, but that’s just a personal preference.
I hope you’ll enjoy these recipes this spring. Feel free to improve upon them any way you like.
Use those leftover baked potatoes
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
If you you have a few too many baked potatoes left over, don’t throw them out.
They can appear on the menu the next day in another dish with just a few simple steps.
You may decide to make extra potatoes on purpose just so you can transform the leftovers for another meal.
Fresh avocado takes center stage
By Olivia Fowler
For the Courier
ofowler@thepccourier.com
One of my favorite things to eat from almost any Mexican restaurant is guacamole, but avocado can hold its own in a variety of dishes.
This fruit has a rich, buttery taste, and paired with lemon juice and lightly salted makes a tasty snack. It’s rich in potassium, fiber, calcium and B6 and has no cholesterol.
It is a real bonus to know something this good is also good for you.
Please enjoy these dishes.
