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jillbcooks 7/31/2009 8:19:00 AM
I used to work at a large organization that had something called “Paychecks and Doughnuts” every other Friday. The event brought people from all different departments together in a large room where coffee, doughnuts, and direct deposit slips or live pay checks were available. In the middle of the room was a long, long, long conference table, literally covered with doughnuts—the most I had ever seen in one place. People really looked forward to “Paychecks and Doughnuts," I think, because it simply offered something fun and sweet to look forward to, which I think we all need.
One of my favorite blogs is called ...
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cake, doughnuts, Jill Bloomfield, waffles, BettyCrocker.com, Pictures of Cake
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jillbcooks 7/28/2009 5:57:00 PM
Have you heard of NEAT? It is the non-exercise exercise that can apparently make the difference between being lean and being plump. NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis, which is a long way to say all calorie burning activity other than exercise. So, NEAT involves any movement like pacing, fidgeting, climbing stairs and even yard work. To me, it sounds like a good way to make sure I can enjoy life's extras like a cupcake or slice of pie.
I’m trying to use the concept of NEAT to embrace yard work. My husband and I recently purchased a home. We’...
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gardening, NEAT, exercise, calories
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jillbcooks 7/23/2009 9:59:00 AM
I sometimes like to find topics for my blog in the Betty Crocker online community. There was a delightful post from a member named chicagosinger. In her post, she describes that she is pushing her cooking skills to the maximum by catering a dinner party for twenty people! Even seasoned cooks sweat entertaining when the crowd numbers in double digits.
Once upon a time, I unexpectedly catered a dinner party for 20 people—the most people I had ever cooked for at once. At the time I was co-owner of a hands-on cooking school. My clients chose a French classics menu that included: Gougeres (French Cheese Puffs), Salade des Moines (Green Salad with Cite...
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buffet, catering, community forum, lasagna, parties
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jillbcooks 7/21/2009 8:13:00 AM
Today is the day: OAMC day. That stands for Once-A-Month-Cooking. It is a method for cooking a large quantity of food at one time and freezing it to use all month. My goal is to fill the freezer to make the transition back to the fall routine easier. We are watching what we eat more and want to avoid dining out. OAMC also helps with portion control, since I plan to package meals in thoughtfully sized portions. OAMC is a great solution for families, but can also be done for singles and couples, who may not feel like cooking every day from scratch.
When it comes to OAMC, i...
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chicken breast recipe, rice, waffles, biscotti, chili, OAMC, once a month cooking, pesto
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jillbcooks 7/16/2009 10:45:00 AM
One of the most fun food memories I have from being a kid is eating a Vermonster at Ben and Jerry’s to celebrate my friend’s birthday. A b...
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brownies, desserts, group, mousse
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jillbcooks 7/14/2009 11:05:00 AM
Whether I am on vacation or enjoying a Stay-cation, I love to explore good food. For me, good food is not necessarily fancy food, but food that has a reputation for being exceptional in some way. I always seem to pay attention to “best of” lists when it comes to food. A while back there was a list of America’s best hamburgers in GQ magazine that listed the hamburgers at Le Tub in Florida as the very best. A list from Oprah Winfrey echoed the sentiment. That was it. On our next visit to Florida, we had to go. Here are the pictures from our hamburger adventure:...
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vacation, food, staycation, travel
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jillbcooks 7/9/2009 11:50:00 AM
Stocking the fridge when guests come can be stressful. Everyone comes equipped with their own unique tastes and dietary needs. That’s why it’s important to choose items that have some universal appeal. This week members of my family, including a few wee ones, from all corners of the U.S. have kindly come to visit and check out my new house. Finding foods that please the babies, grandma, aunties, and uncles, can be a challenge.
Because time is a premium, it’s also very important to use recipes that are simple and require only a few steps. Why spend time in the kitchen when you could be visiting with your family? Slow...
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vacation, cooking, family, guests
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jillbcooks 7/7/2009 12:22:00 PM
I am teaching a cooking class for kids in grades 4-6 this week through our local community education department. The theme that comm ed requested was Cooking Around the World. It has been fun to plan the class and now teach it (as we are on day 2).
So far, we made pasta from scratch (a virtual visit to Italy) and also talked about how universal noodles actually are since almost every culture has noodles. Today we "visited" the Middle East and made falafel and pita sandwiches with a cucumber-yogurt sauce. I was delighted by how the kids just gobbled the sandwiches up. At first, they thought it was weird looking, but then they were brave enough to...
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Cooking with kids, cooking, around the world, classes
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jillbcooks 7/2/2009 8:20:00 AM
About ten years ago, I attended training to become a personal chef. The training detailed just about every aspect of being a personal chef, especially food safety. Since a personal chef usually cooks one or two weeks’ worth of food for clients, knowing how to cool, package and store food properly is extremely important. When clients pay for the luxury of having someone else do the cooking, they need to trust the way their food was handled and that it won’t make them sick. When we entertain or host guests, it is important to extend the same kind of care. The Fourth of July presents some challenges when it comes to food safety, since so many of us c...
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food safety, food tent, Fourth of July, grilling, meat thermometer