With summer just around the corner, it won’t be long before you’re making the season’s first batch of pesto. I want your pesto to be delicious, and bursting with fresh flavor. But I also want it to be green. Electric green. Distractingly green. Here are three tips for making it—and keeping it—that way.

1. Beware of acid. Acids like lemon juice and vinegar are the bane of chlorophyll, and will turn bright green vegetables olive drab in no time. Plenty of pesto recipes call for lemon juice or vinegar, and while they might enhance the taste, they’ll kill the color.

2. Consider blanching. Most pesto recipes don’t call for this step, but it makes a huge difference. If color matters to you, you’ll be happy you took the time. Blanch your basil (or spinach, cilantro, watercress, or whatever the base of your pesto is) for about 5 seconds in salted boiling water. Shock it in ice water for about 30 seconds. Squeeze it dry; continue with the recipe. This process intensifies and then sets the color. Your pesto will now stay bright green considerably longer than an unblanched version.

3. Wrap it right. When the pesto is in a storage container, don’t just seal it with plastic wrap or a lid. Press plastic wrap down onto the surface of the pesto, and smooth out any air bubbles. Then seal the container with a lid or plastic wrap. The wrap on the pesto’s surface will help keep it from oxidizing and turning brown.

Check out this recipe for Classic Pesto. And add the blanching step, if you like. Green is good, folks.

I often find myself cooking for one. Sometimes preparing a full meal can seem like such a waste -- of food, time, and money. But if you think that cooking for one means eating the same leftovers for days, here's some good news: with a little planning, you can have plenty of variety and save time in the long run. Two keys to cooking-for-one success: Prepping ahead and freezing.

This approach works surprisingly well with pizza. I'm not talking about a store-bought pre-made crust with a plastic packet of sauce. With a little investment of time, you can make the basics from scratch, freeze them for later, and vary your future meals by using different toppings.

Step 1: Crust. Here's a little secret: Pitas are easier to make than pizza dough. Bake a big batch of the whole-wheat variety, freeze them, and you've got lots of options for quick-and-easy meals. Follow this recipe, and freeze them in a zip-top freezer bag once they have cooled. You can easily pull one out as needed or pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds if you are really in a hurry. A little investment of time goes a long way: you can invest a couple of hours every now and then to enjoy preservative-free bread on a regular basis! 

Step 2: Sauce. Follow the same basic principle of making a big batch and freezing portions for later use. While the dough is rising, you can get a simple marinara sauce simmering on the stove. When it is done and slightly cooled, pour the sauce into ice cube trays or other small freezable containers.(If you do not already have some, ice cube trays are an inexpensive yet very useful cooking-for-one investment). Once the sauce cubes are frozen, pop them out and store them in a zip-top freezer bag. You can heat up as much or as little as you need, whenever you need it. And there are many uses for marinara beyond pizza... calzones, lasagna, pasta, sub sandwiches, casseroles, dipping sauce... just to name a few!

Step 3: Toppings. I always keep my pantry and fridge stocked with onions, garlic, dried mushrooms and cheese because I cook with them so often, and they apply perfectly here. Its also great to  have nuts and veggies in the freezer to add to your toppings.  I also recommend freezing meats in smaller portions so you can thaw and cook on an individual basis.  I like to use caramelized onions, toasted walnuts and grilled chicken on my pizzas, and as long as I haven't depleted my cheese stock, I have everything I need at home!

I never thought James Beard’s simple hamburgers from The Armchair James Beard—with salt, black pepper, and minced onion stirred into ground beef—could be improved upon… until I tried grinding my own beef to make them.

It was much easier than you might imagine. First I cut the beef into strips, then I fed the strips into the grinder attachment on my stand mixer. The whole process took just a few extra minutes, and the time spent was well worth it: The burgers were tender and juicy with a flavor that was beefy, rich, and cleaner than usual.

Some say grinding your own beef immediately before seasoning and cooking results in meat that tastes less mineral-y than beef ground earlier that day. Another explanation: Since I ground the beef myself using high-quality meat from a reputable butcher, I wasn’t as nervous about cooking the meat to medium—instead of all the way to well-done as I would for supermarket ground meats—and left a hint of juicy pink meat in the middle. (Note: Cooking Light and the USDA both encourage cooking ground beef to 160°.)

Money-Saving Tip: My butcher sold me inexpensive and lean beef “tenderloin tails.” These are are the pointy ends of tenderloins, and some butchers remove them to keep a tenderloin roast more uniform in shape for even cooking. Instead of $20 per pound of tenderloin, I bought the tails—with some fat that ensures tender, flavorful burgers—for $5 per pound.

If you can’t grind your own, simply ask your butcher to grind the meat fresh for you. Season and cook it as soon as you get home.

Photo: Courtesy VirtualErn on Flickr

Homemade chicken stock is a great thing for any cook to have on hand. And in these days of economic woes and wildly cold weather, homemade stock can be inexpensive and therapeutic. Whether you're snowed in, sick, or just craving comfort on a Saturday afternoon or chilly Friday night, you will never regret a session of stock making.

Making stock from scratch takes a little time, but not a whole lot of effort. The steps are easy. Here's my personal recipe:

1. Prep: Combine the following with 8 cups of cold water in a Dutch oven:

1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
3 springs of parsley
3 sprigs of thyme
1 garlic clove
5 whole black peppercorns
1 whole roasting chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds)

2. Simmer: Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours (skimming the foam from the top is ideal).

3. Strain. Pour through a strainer to remove the solids. Cool the stock, uncovered, to room temperature. Cover and chill overnight. Skim the fat.

Storage: You can portion the stock in about 1 3/4 cup servings (the size of a standard can of broth) and freeze them for up to 1 month.

MONEY SAVING TIP: I like to remove the breast fillets from the whole chicken before adding it to the stock, stretching my investment in the chicken.

For a richer stock, try our recipe for Brown Chicken Stock.



Due to current economic woes, many of us are being frugal when it comes to holiday spending. My solution? Think like a chef!

Last, year, my inner pastry chef decided to give cookies to extended family and friends. After making and decorating about 100 gingerbread men and women, I was exhausted. But then I realized it's amazing the kind of happiness homemade goodies can bring.

I decided this year would be a homemade gift-giving year for me as well. I will be making cookies, brittle, cakes, breads, and jellies to hand out to friends and family instead of heading to the nearest mall or shopping plaza. I dropped off my first gifts this morning at the orthodontist's office. Those women were so excited to see that peppermint cake come through the door, you would have thought I was Paula Dean!

Yes, homemade gifts can be a bit time-consuming, but the warm feeling that comes from making your loved ones happy makes it worthwhile. So I say to you, channel your inner chef. Go dig into your copy of the 2008 Holiday Cookbook or check out the online version. Either way, your friends and family (not to mention your wallet and your local grocer) will love you for it. And don't be surprised if your gifts turn into regularly requested items for family gatherings.

Take a look at our Holiday Gifts section for ideas, recipes and inspiration.

Happy Holidays!

A few days before the holidays, I grilled the staff about what they do to keep Thanksgiving leftovers interesting. Not surprisingly, this bunch thinks outside of the casserole. Here's what they said:

"I always make a turkey stock and leave my parents with a nice turkey minestrone soup."
- Mary Kay Culpepper, Editor in Chief.

"I make stock and freeze it in ice cube trays. Then it's ready to go when I need it later."
- SaBrina Bone, Test Kitchens Professional

"My aunt does that and makes gumbo."
- Mike Wilson, Test Kitchens Professional

"Since Thanksgiving is so American, it's fun to go international."
- Julie Grimes, Associate Food Editor

"I like to do jook. It's a rice porridge dish, and you can just throw in a turkey wing."
- Kathy Kitchens Downie, Associate Food Editor