Cooking with Coley

I’m not traditionally a soda drinker.  Not a huge fan of all the sugar, and to be honest its just not something I want to waste my calories on.  Pepsi, Coke, no thanks, I’ll pass.

But what if soda is made with real sugars and is 100% natural? Now that’s a different story.

I recently received a case of Jarritos to review.  I hadn’t heard of the brand before, but when I told some friends, I found out that I was living in the dark.  Apparently, it is quite a popular Mexican soda sold in the States.

It is certainly not your average soda company.  Inspired by Mexico’s array of traditional flavors, Jarritos offers 11 unique, and I mean unique, soda flavors including everything from Jamaica to Tamarind to Guava.

With an array of exotic flavors, there’s something for everyone.  Some thoughts of what stood out in the batch?

• Mango offered a tropical, fruity flavor that was refreshing and perfect for a warm day.
• Lima-Lemon was probably my favorite, with a combination of sweetness and acidity.  Similar to other lemon lime soda out there, but even better.
• The Pineapple flavor was a winner in my boyfriend’s book.  He’s Portuguese and a lover of Sumol, another pineapple flavored soft drink.  He thought the flavor was nearly the same and drank that one up before I could even get a taste!
• The Tamarind reminded me a bit of iced tea, which I’m not a particular fan of.  Iced tea lovers, however, will love this carbonated version.

If you’re watching your cals, they also recently introduced Jarritos Lite. With 0 calories and 0 grams of sugar, it’s available in both Mandarina and Tamarindo.

Building on its unique brand repoitoire, Jarritos serves up a lot of engaging marketing initiatives for fans as well.  You can join their loyalty program, Club Jarritos, or Jarritos Nation to win prizes and participate in brand sponsored activities including scavenger hunts.

For those of you Bostonians, you can find Jarritos at Anna’s Taqueria and El Pelon Taqueria for $2/bottle.  If you’re not in Boston, Jarritos can be found in other local taquerias in addition to major and independent grocery stores across the United States.

Pasta.  We all know it and love it.  It’s even easy to make.  You may think it’s fool proof, but I’ve got two tips on how to make sure it tastes even better.

1: Add salt to the water before you add the pasta.  Why?  For seasoning.  It’s that simple.  Salt gives your pasta a lil’ “umph”  and adds flavor by bringing out the natural flavors of the pasta.  How much?  About 2 tbsp of salt per 1lb of pasta.  Oh and don’t believe that myth about adding oil to pasta water.  It won’t do you any favors.  In fact, if the pasta is oily, the sauce won’t stick to it.

Stay tuned for next week’s second pasta tip in the Tuesday Tip for the Novice column.

I have to be honest, especially before I begin this post.  I’ve never bought honey before. Not once.  Every time I tried it up until recently, I didn’t like it.  I had no interest to learn to like it.  I never had even the slightest urge to use it in cooking.  But that all changed.  The day I tried Savannah Bee Company honey for the first time, I became a convert.

Less than a year ago, my cousin brought some of Savannah Bee Company raw honeycomb to a family party.  She served it atop cheddar cheese and an apple.  I was skeptical at first, but intrigued by the interesting flavor and texture profile….I gave it a shot.  Wow.  Sweet, aromatic and savory–it was a joyous and delicious combination.

Savannah Bee Company is hardly a secret.  Rachel Ray Magazine, Real Simple, Vogue and Shape are just a handful of the press recognizing the company for it’s pure honey and soothing and smoothing body care products.  Among its product line up are specialty honey, raw honeycomb, every day honey and body care products (think hand cream and lip balm).

In the spirit of honesty, I have to also admit that my cousin works for Savannah Bee Company.  I promise, she didn’t make me biased.  In fact, she doesn’t even know I’m writing this!  But she is the one who made me a fan.

She recently brought me a jar of the Tupelo Honey and Grill Honey as a gift.   Now I’ve suddenly found myself looking for reasons to use honey in my cooking.   I’ve been experimenting, and I’ve been successful.  Honey in chili.  Honey in ground pork spring rolls.  Thank you, Michelle, for opening my eyes to something special.  Good bye anti-honey days!

I can’t say that now I’m going to run to the market and buy any ol’ honey.   However, I can tell you that I will buy Savannah Bee Company honey.  You should too.  You’ll like it.  A lot.

Savannah Bee Company has only two retail stores, but don’t fret–you can find it in local retailers or buy it on SavannahBee.com.

Many of us have made a warm dip for a party or gathering.  Often it’s layered with the top covered in cheese–think buffalo chicken wing dip or taco dip.   It’s usually the most delicious when it comes out of the oven. Piping hot. Gooey mouth-burning cheese.  Mmmm.

Fast forward 30 minutes.  The guests are still snacking enjoying the assortment of apps, but now someone goes to stick their chip into what was once a warm layered creamy dip and bam.  The chip breaks on the hardened top coat of cheese. Gross. A good dip gone bad… well cold anyways.

Today I’m offering a quick tip on saving your dips!  Put them in a mini crockpot (or a regular, depending how much you make).  This will keep them warm and gooey all night.

Consider a Crock Pot Little Dipper or a Crock Pot Mini Warmer.  Your guests will be so pleased and so will you!

Tuesday Tip for the Novice #2: What the heck does zest mean?  And why do I want fruit peels in my food?

Zest, or part of a citrus peel, is prepared by scraping or cutting from the outer skin of a fruit such as lemon, limes and oranges. You’ll often see recipes like desserts and seafood call for zest.  Worried it adds a potent bitterness?  I promise it doesn’t!   In fact, the outer layer of citrus holds a large amount of aromatic oils and taste.

There are different types of zesters (see Google), or you can use a fine cheese grater.  Don’t hesitate to add a zest when you see it in a recipe or just feel the urge!

What are your favorite dishes that call for a zest?  Please share and educate us all…

Did I mention I love fall cookin’?  Soups.  Stews.  All the warm and hearty stuff that just doesn’t mesh the same with summer.  Yea, I think I might have mentioned that before.

Last weekend, I made butternut squash soup for the first time.  I’d been hesitant to try it before, as every time I enjoyed it in a restaurant I assumed it was full of heavy cream.  I was wrong.  Way wrong. In fact, I didn’t even use cream and it was delicious.  The sweet hint of nutmeg coupled with the squash’s inherent rich and nutty flavor are a perfect pair for a chilly fall day.

What you’ll need:

• 2 small to medium butternut squashes; peeled, seeded and cubed
• 1/2 large onion diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• Nutmeg
• Cumin
• 2 Sprigs of fresh thyme (leaves only, discard stems)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• 2 tbsp light butter
• 3 to 4 cups chicken broth
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup light cream (optional)

Procedure:

• Saute onions and garlic in EVOO in a pot; add thyme leaves
• Add butter and cubes of squash and saute for approximately 5-10 minutes
• Sprinkle in a couple dashes of cumin
• Add chicken broth; bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes
• Pour broth and veggies in a food processor and puree (you’ll likely need to do this in batches unless you have a large food processor)
• Note: At this point you can leave some of the liquid out of the pureeing process.  Use your judgement on how thick you want the consistency
• Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste
• Add cream here if you choose to — I didn’t think it needed it – the puree made it creamy enough and the butter and squash were sweet enough as well
• Serve with nutmeg sprinkled on top

This was also super easy, so I highly recommend giving it a shot.

What’s your favorite fall soup?

In case you didn’t get the memo, it”s National Pizza Month!   To celebrate, Tandoor Chef has launched its first annual “Naan Your Average Pizza Contest.”

From October 1 through October 30, 2010, consumers (and bloggers) are encouraged to submit an original naan pizza recipe using any variety of Tandoor Chef’s naan bread for a chance to win FREE Tandoor Chef products from November 2010—February 2011 (see full prize listing below).

Seems easy enough, right?  Recipes can be entered online at Tandoor Chef’s website.   We’re all pizza lovers at heart (yes you know you are!), so now’s our time to get creative in the kitchen with this unique Indian Italian fusion contest.    Good luck to everyone! 

 Prizes: 

• 1st prize: Free Tandoor Chef Naan Pizzas throughout the winter (4 each month from Nov-Feb), Your recipe featured on our Web site and social media, Opportunities to appear in TV and radio segments!
• 2nd prize: Free Tandoor Chef Naan Pizzas throughout the winter (2 each month from Nov-Feb)
• 3rd prize: Free Tandoor Chef Naan Pizzas for 1 month

At the heart of Cooking with Coley lies an aspiring cook.  A rookie in the chef universe.  Someone who’s passionate about becoming more than just an amateur.   As I navigate along the way, with my mind, hands and taste buds exploring the culinary world, I’m learning more than I could have imagined.  Keeping up with the motto of Cooking with Coley, “…anyone can cook if they just give it a try,” I’m launching a new post series that will help share those simple, basic tips that you may not already know but will be sure to retain: “Tuesday Tips for the Novice.”

So come be my apprentices.  And let me be yours.  Every Tuesday, I’ll share with you some quick tips that I’ve learned along my journey, and I hope you’ll return the favor and send me some of your tips too.   Maybe I’ll even post one next Tuesday!

Tuesday Tip for the Novice #1:

Bring meat to room temperature before cooking

Before frying, stir-frying or grilling red meat, pork or chicken, take it out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature.

Why?  If you stick a cold dense piece of meat in a hot pan or oven, you risk drying out the exterior of the meat before the inside has a chance to cook through. For example, you are grilling two steaks: one straight out of the refrigerator, another that was removed 20 minutes prior.  Within a few seconds, the outside of each steak will reach an almost identical temperature and will look similarly seared. However, the center of each piece of meat will vary by 60°F or more.  If you want your meat to cook evenly, let it come to room temperature first.

My pal Heather’s back on Cooking with Coley serving up a perfect complement to her healthy and delicious Carrot Bread recipe — Ginger Tea.  She tells me that it’s a nice pairing for the bread because it is believed to be calming and also good for digestion

 Ginger Tea (serves 2-4)

What you’ll need:

• 1 bulb fresh ginger
• Fresh lemon
• 1 Tbsp honey
• Cut about one inch of ginger sliced diagonally in chunks

Procedure:

• Place honey and ginger in tea cup
• Pour hot water over ginger and honey
• Top with fresh slice of lemon

Simple?  Yes!  But that’s what we love, right?    Let me know what you think. 

Ginger Tea is another recipe from Heather’s Costa Rica travels.  Let’s help her keep traveling, so she can send more recipes our way.   How to help? Just take 1 (literally 1) minute to vote for her travel post on Trazzler.