cooking

With the Christmas season here, chances are you're doing more baking than any other time of the year.  And while cookies tend to always be popular, many people bake special cakes for the occasion as well.

Talk to any chef worth his or her salt and you'll learn that cast iron is king.  Or is it?

You can make your own sprinkles!

It's Fall, now we start to eat the fatty foods or foods that may be a little less healthy than what we would eat in the winter....hey, we have to hibernate!! This edition is finally sponsored....yea!! So wait till you see what Farley's is cooking for us. Send us your recipes, or questions.

Sometimes the more we try to juggle the less efficient we are.  That can be especially true in the kitchen, where timing and concentration can be the key between a fantastic dinner and a catastrophe.  On occasion, though things can get away from us.  So what can you do to rescue a meal that you've burned?

Before butter and margarine and especially before substances like shortening were created - people used rendered pig fat to cook with.  Better known as "lard", pig fat that's been rendered and allowed to re-solidify has been the cooks secret weapon since the beginning of time.

August is here and that means we're knee-deep in the summer grilling season!  From steaks and chops to burgers and brats, chances are you're spending a lot of time at your outdoor grill - and I'd like to see it.

My co-workers tease me a lot because (a) I like to cook and (b) I refuse to take shortcuts in the kitchen;  No box mixes or pre-packaged food for me - that just spoils that fun of it all.  The razzing escalated recently when I shared the fact that I had made my soft pretzel recipe over the weekend;  "You made soft pretzels - from scratch"?  Yup!  And they were very good.  Then, knowing t

Something about the food world leaves it ripe for the influx of trends.  It seems like there's always the "next best thing" being rolled out for diners to try.  The recent popularity of bacon, free-range, organic, and cultural-foods demonstrate the need for restauranteurs to entice their customers with something different or exotic.

Chili is the perfect hot-meal compliment to the cold winter weather we've experienced the last month or so.  A piping hot "bowl of red" warms the core and sticks to your ribs - just the kind of food Northlanders love.  Most folks can agree on this.

Tonight's premier of The Taste on ABC-TV has a local tie-in:  Chef Sarah Master is originally from Hibbing.  The 1996 Bluejacket graduate heads up the kitchen these days at Barbette in Minneapolis, and this show is an excellent way for her to show off her culinary skills on a national level.

Sriracha sauce has been in the news a lot lately.  While the community where the red sauce with the green tip bottle is made has tried - unsuccessfully - to get the plant shut down over odor concerns, it seems like the hot sauce has suddenly shown up at just about every restaurant you go to.