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What's Cooking in the Kitchen?

Recipe Challenge

En Croute

Daring Cooks
May 2013

Hi everyone! On the internet I am known as Monkey Queenand can be found at Don’t Make Me Call My Flying Monkeys. I have been with Daring Kitchen since January 2011 and have loved every minute of the time I have spent trying to leave the ordinary world of cooking and adventure far afield to push the boundaries of what I know. I grew up in a home where my mother cooked because she had too and not necessarily because she enjoyed it. As an adult, I learned that I enjoyed food more then I originally thought growing up and I began my quest to understand how food was put together and the many tastes that I had never encountered.

This month, I wanted to jump into something that could be as complicated or as simple as you choose and a challenge that could include the younger members of your family. To accomplish this, I choose “En Croute” as the challenge.

Download printable file HERE

Food Talk

Low Budget, Low Maintenance Food Photography

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Written by Hannah of Rise and Shine.
I'll get down to food photography tips and tricks, but first let me rattle on about why I have to think so hard about this subject, if you will. I'm not exactly poor and lazy (maybe a little of each) but I surely don't have a lot of money or time to burn. Or space, for that matter. I live in a small house so my "studio" is a little corner of the basement between the camping gear and the litter boxes. Another little hindrance of mine is location. For much of a Duluth winter, the sun shines only after I leave for work and sets before I get home. Shooting in natural light isn't always an option for me. On top of all of this, I have a pretty fierce streak of perfectionism that keeps me from letting things be. A very good example being my participation in the Daring Bakers club. I started a "low-key" blog with the intent of it being specifically for posting my DB challenge results and I didn't even own a camera.

Product Reviews

AeroGarden Ultra

This product was tested and reviewed by Lisa.

When I was asked if I would review the AeroGarden Ultra dirt-free indoor garden, I was curious to see if the product really lived up to the hype. I mean, you’re talkin’ to a gal with a black thumb. Seriously. I could kill dirt. My husband is the growing magician.. that man can take an old dried up seed throw it into some kind of vessel, add a lil water, some nutrients and some potting soil and in a few months we’ve got gorgeous flowers. He amazes me. But this isn’t about him, it’s about me! I wanted to know if the AeroGarden Ultra could make a mockery of my black thumb.

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Cookbook Review

Recipe Rehab

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Written by Hannah of Rise and Shine.

I have been given the awesome opportunity to review a cookbook...from an actual TV show...this week! As someone with no TV, I'd never seen the show Recipe Rehab, so I really went into this with no preconceived notions. I quickly gathered that the premise of the show is to take not-so-healthy family style recipes and "rehab" them to be a healthier meal option. The show started on YouTube, and is now showing on most ABC stations on Saturday mornings. On each episode, they take one family recipe submitted by an audience member and two accomplished chefs compete in an effort to recreate the best healthier version of the dish. Recipe Rehab (the book) is the first book that has been written in conjunction with the show. The 175-page cookbook includes 80 recipes and lots of color photos. There are recipes for every meal of the day and at first glance the book includes no recipes that sound unappetizing (I don't always feel this way when scanning a cookbook) though I wasn't drooling over it either. Until I got to the Creamy Kale and Artichoke Dip with Garlic Toasts, but I'll get to that. Most of the book's recipes are about a page long and while they're family-style dishes that you may serve at home, some are also kind of fancied up for foodies. The book also includes text boxes of "chef tips," which are always nice in a cookbook.