Hands down, my favorite thing from Mediterranean cuisine has got to be Tzatziki sauce; the cool yogurt, the crisp cucumber pieces and flavorful garlic all meld into one of the most versatile dips ever. I put it on my hamburgers, use it as dip for chips, and over course with lots and lots of warm pita bread.

I always end up paying some premium prices for it at organic stores or buying it at restaurants. With this super simple Tzatziki recipe, I may start making it from home!

• 1 pound of cucumbers, ends removed and sliced lengthwise (6 “baby” cucumbers)
• 2 cups of strained yogurt (Greek or otherwise)
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced fine
• 1 large handful of dill, minced
• Juice of one lemon

PROCEDURES

1. With a teaspoon, scoop out the seeds of the cucumbers. You should be left with a neat half-moon shape. Slice them thin, but not paper-thin—they should still have some crunch.
2. Add the cucumbers to a mixing bowl along with the rest of the ingredients. Taste for acid and seasoning, then either serve, or (preferably) cover and let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Recipe and image via Serious Eats

And here are a couple of items that will help you achieve a perfect tzatziki sauce, and my personal favorites for kitchen items:

A sharp knife is always necessary to prevent any accidents in the kitchen!

Global 2-Piece Knife Set, G-5838

Chef n’ Fresh Force Citrus Juicers from Sur la Table

Williams-Sonoma Garlic Press

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, so to me, Summertime is synonymous with beach bonfires! When the sun dips below the horizon line and the temperature drops, there is no better way to end a day at the beach than with s’mores. S’mores are the simplest desserts around; all you need are graham crackers, plain milk chocolate and marshmallows.

HOMEMADE VANILLA MARSHMALLOWS
Yield: 24 marshmallows
adapted from Baked: new frontiers in baking

“if you have not eaten a homemade marshmallow, you are missing out on a rhapsodic pleasure. It is most certainly not the same marshmallow you know from the grocery store. In fact, it is like comparing  a fresh baguette to wonder bread. Our recipe produces cloudlike squares that melt in your mouth or in your hot chocolate. They are sticky, sweet, and full of vanilla flavor. Perhaps best of all, they are quite easy to make, and require few ingredients”

6 sheets gelatin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus more for dusting

Grease an 8×8-inch pan with shortening, using a paper towel to rub it lightly and evenly onto the bottom, sides and edges of the pan. Set aside.

Put the gelatin sheets into a medium microwave-safe bowl and fill it with very cold water, set aside; add a few ice cubes to keep it cold.

Place the sugar, 1/4 cup corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan and stir gently. Clip a candy thermometer (try this Digital Candy Thermometer ) onto the pan, and place it over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil, checking it occasionally–you are looking for it to eventually hit a temperature of 235-240 degrees (soft ball stage).

Meanwhile, pour the remaining 1/4 cup corn syrup into the bowl of an electric mixer (my favorite is this KitchenAid 5-speed mixer) fitted with the whisk attachment. By this point, the gelatin sheets should be very soft–drain them well and give them a quick wringing out, and place them back in the microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high until the gelatin is completely melted, about 30 seconds. Turn the mixer on low, and very slowly pour the melted gelatin into the corn syrup. Keep the mixer running while you check the sugar syrup.

Once the syrup reaches 235-240 degrees, pull it from the heat. Carefully transfer the syrup to a large, heatproof measuring cup or a similar vessel with a spout for easy pouring. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and slowly pour the sugar syrup into the gelatin mixture. When all the syrup has been added, crank the speed up to medium-high and let it go for about 8 minutes–the candy will turn white and fluffy. Add the vanilla and salt and increase the speed to its highest setting for 1 more minute.

Pour the marshmallow into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sift confectioners’ sugar evenly and generously over the top. Let sit for about 6 hours.

Use a knife to loosen the marshmallow from the edges of the pan and invert it onto a confectioners’ sugar-dusted work surface. Dust the marshmallow slab with more confectioner’s sugar and cut into whatever size pieces you wish (a pizza cutter works great here). Dip the sticky edges of the marshmallows in more confectioners’ sugar, patting off the excess. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Images and Recipe via DuJour Mag

We just renovated our kitchen not that long ago, and now that we’ve changed the color scheme of the floor and walls, we realized that some of our kitchen accessories, like our pot holders and oven mitts, no longer matched with our new kitchen design.

It sounds kind of funny, but having those items clash and look cheap in our new swank kitchen just seemed wrong.  I couldn’t picture using a busted pot holder to withdraw delicious dinners from my gorgeous new stainless steel range .

So we’ve updated our kitchen accessories now to match our new kitchen, which is blue with a grey slate floor.  Do you like what I picked?

This Calphalon oven mitt is available at Bloomingdales.  For $15 this is a great oven mitt – silicone coated, machine washable, extra long arm and good thumb grip.  Plus you can get the matching pot holder so it makes a perfect set!

I love the anticipation of opening a great bottle of wine, but without the Rabbit Wine Shower Funnel , I have to let the wine aerate and sit for twenty minutes to open up. What a disappointment when I have piping hot food at the table ready to go!

Metrokane Rabbit Wine-Shower Funnel

The Metrokane Rabbit Wine Shower Funnel not only aerates the wine but also catches any sediments. And for about twenty dollars, it’s a simple addition to any wine lover’s collection!

Of course, like the image above, the Rabbit Wine Shower Funnel needs to sit in a type of wine decanter or wine carafe like this:

Spiegelau wine decanter

The Spiegelau wine decanter would make any table setting look great and the Metrokane Rabbit Wine Shower Funnel will make your wine taste great!

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I am a perfectionist and need to have an accurate oven thermometer for my meat and my oven gloves , the DuPont Nomex 3 Finger Gloves , to be able to re-create the perfect braised ribs my mom used to make.

DuPont Nomex 3 Finger Heat Resistant Gloves

OXO Oven Thermometer

Here is a Wolfgang Puck Braised Short Rib recipe via Cooking on the Side

Braised Short Ribs

From the back of the Wolfgang Puck All Natural Beef-Flavored Stock carton

INGREDIENTS:

6 serving-sized pieces beef short ribs (about 4 pounds)

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup vegetable oil

10 cloves garlic, peeled

1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)

6 sprigs fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine

4 cups beef stock

Season the beef with the peppercorns. Coat the beef with the flour. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in an oven-safe 8-quart saucepot over medium- high heat. Add the beef and cook for 10 minutes or until it’s well browned on both sides. Remove the beef from the saucepot. Pour off any fat.

Heat the remaining oil in the saucepot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, parsley, thyme and bay leaves and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are lightly browned, stirring often. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the wine and stock and heat to a boil. Return the beef to the saucepot. Cover the saucepot. Bake at 350°F for 2 1/2 hours or until the beef is fork-tender. Skim the fat from the surface of the stock mixture.

Transfer the beef to a serving platter. Heat the stock mixture in the saucepot over medium heat to a boil. Cook until the mixture is reduced to 1 quart. Remove and discard the parsley and thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Serve the beef and gravy over hot noodles or mashed potatoes.

I’m a huge fan of the cooking TV show Top Chef, DC . This season, one of the most common judge complaints stem from food that had been unevenly cut, thus cooking the food at different rates. An important kitchen tool called a mandoline can ensure even cooking time for cut fruits and vegetables. Get a stainless steel commercial mandoline —it’ll be easier to clean and much safer to use than any old cheapie mandolin. The quintessential recipe to test out your new stainless steel commercial grade mandolin would be Ratatouille ! I will admit, until Disney’s culinary rat Remy came into town, I had no idea what Ratatouille was and now, thanks to Smitten Kitchen , she’s taken this movie fantasy dish and turned it into a reality using her very own trusty mandolin.

Ratatouille’s Ratatouille As envisioned by Smitten Kitchen

1/2 onion, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced, 1 cup tomato puree (such as Pomi), 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 small eggplant (my store sells these “Italian Eggplant” that are less than half the size of regular ones; it worked perfectly),1 smallish zucchini, 1 smallish yellow squash, 1 longish red bell pepper, Few sprigs fresh thyme, Salt and pepper, Few tablespoons soft goat cheese, for serving.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish , approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.

On a mandoline , adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. (Tricky, I know, but the hardest thing about this.)

Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.

Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top, alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, or your choice of grain.

Fried egg with chorizo and sage pesto sandwich

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 4 mins
Serves: 1

Ingredients for the sandwich:

1 ciabatta roll
1 egg
5 hand cut slices chorizo  ( about 5mm or a little less than 1/4 inch thick)
A hand full of rocket
A little olive oil

For the pesto:

50g (2 ounces) sage leaves
50g (2 ounces) walnuts
150 ml (2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
50g (2 ounces) Parmesan
5 grams (1 tsp) salt

Method:

To make the pesto using the traditional method take a pestle and mortar and crush all the ingredient with the mortar gradually incorporating  the extra virgin olive oil, if you don’t have time for this throw everything in to a mini blender and pulse until a rough texture  is achieved. You will have enough to fill a small jar and you can keep this in the fridge for up to 3-4 weeks or alternatively fill an ice cube tray and freeze, then you can pop a cube into pasta sauces or enrich soups etc…

To make your sandwich, fry the chorizo in a hot pan with a little oil, not too much as the chorizo will produce its own oil.

When the chorizo is starting to crisp up move to the side of the frying pan and fry your egg until the white is cooked through and the yolk is still runny.
Slice open a ciabatta roll and fill with the chorizo then the rocket and top with the egg, finishing with a drizzle of pesto.

via Design Sponge

In the summer I love to eat fresh pineapple .  It’s one of my favorite summer fruits but one of my least favorite to actually prepare.  Cutting a pineapple is a frustrating process and typically involves a much larger knife than I prefer to use in the kitchen.

That’s why I was so excited to see the Vacu Vin Pineapple Corer at Cooking.com .  It cores the pineapple for you, all you need to do is slice off the top and then this device does the rest for you, making perfect pineapple rings.

I compared several different pineapple corers/slicers before settling on this one.  What really sold me was that it came with three different sized attachments depending on the size of the fruit.  Otherwise most of the different models were pretty similar in price and style.  The Vacu Vin is only $14.95, which is about the price threshold I have for random kitchen tools.

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If you saw yesterday’s corn chowder recipe, you read that at the end of the cooking time, the recipe calls for scooping out half of the chowder, pureeing it in a blender, and then adding it back to the crockpot.  This was a bit of an inconvenience, and has prompted me to add one of these handheld blenders, sometimes called immersion blenders, to my kitchen gadgets list.

The KitchenAid immersion blender above is made by KitchenAid, and allows you to blend anything, including scorching hot corn chowder, right in the pot.  You can immerse the blender in up to 8 inches of liquid, and it comes with several dishwasher-safe attachments.  Sounds much easier than taking my blender apart, and washing the glass pitcher.  I found this immersion blender at FFEMAX.Com for $52.99.

You can use handheld blenders in many recipes, including soups, mashed potatoes, whipping up diet shakes, and quick milkshakes.

Whether you call them crock pots or slow cookers, these “set it and forget it” kitchen gadgets are a must have for any cook.  I recently switched from an older style, round and tall, crock pot to an oval slow cooker.  The new one is much bigger around, but more shallow than my old one.  I have to say that I’m so happy with the switch, and here’s why:

The oval slow cooker allows for  much easier, and more sightly arrangement of meats and veggies.  Rather than piling everything up, layer after layer, I can now arrange the meal (in a single layer) in the large oval crock.  This helps out with serving, too.  Instead of digging through a deep crock, “fishing” for the contents, with my new oval crock pot, I can see everything in the crock, and scoop out exactly what I want, without messing everything up.

The Hamilton Beach crockpot above is the one I recently purchased.  It is the “Stay or Go” model, and it is designed for easy travel, for taking to a carry-in meal.  Notice the metal clamps on the side that secure the lid to the crock.  There’s also a built-in spoon holder in the lid.  The Hamilton Beach Stay or Go Slow Cooker is available at Cooking.Com for $39.95.

Oh, and crock pot recipes include so much more than just pot roast!  I make all sorts of things in mine, including crock pot lasagna, and crock pot chocolate cake…deliciously sinful!