Have you ever heard of the “mise en place” way of cooking? Well, it is a French phrase for “everything in its place”. Official culinary training in culinary schools teach how to use this way of cooking. In fact, if you watch cooking shows, you will see the majority of cooking shows use this method. I like to use this method a lot of times when I have time, and may be dealing with a recipe that has a lot of ingredients. This method is also good for meal prep. Here is the steps I do using this method: 1. I always read the entire recipe, ingredients and all steps. 2. Then, gather each ingredient item from your pantry or fridge, and set it on the counter. 3. Gather any mixing bowls and little condiment bowls together. 4. Then start putting the portion items in the condiment bowls (or as I call them, the “mise en place” bowls), per the ingredient list. So if the recipe calls for 1 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of baking powder, put one cup of flour in one bowl, 1 teaspoon of salt in one bowl, and the tablespoon of baking powder in another bowl. You will do this for each ingredient. 5. Put all the ingredient containers back up in the pantry or fridge, leaving only the portioned ingredients on the counter. Now, this step is what I usually do, to kind of keep things tidy. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. 6. Now you are ready to start assembling your ingredients, per the recipe steps, to make your dish. A little note, you are using lots of dishes when you do “mise en place” for some recipes. Not every recipe will take a lot of ingredients, so it won’t always be a lot of dishes. But I think this method is not only very organized and neat, it is kind of fun this way as well. As you can see, the recipe I was making here was a Chicken Fried Rice. This recipe didn’t have a lot of ingredients, but as you can see, I used what I had to portion out the ingredients. A measuring cup and a few condiment bowls. No need to buy special cooking dishes, but see what you have and use those. In an attempt to learn some more about “mise en place”, I decided to look up a few articles that might offer good information. First, there is a blog post that really defines “mise en place” and the second article explains how learning how “mise en place” can be very beneficial. This method is great for meal prep and really keeps your recipe making streamlined. Happy cooking! *Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive a commission on any affiliate links above. Please know I have only chosen products I really want to recommend.
Salmon was never a meat I ever ate, or ever wanted to eat. But since November, I have been cooking Salmon once a week. While I will change up the seasonings sometimes, this recipe is my tried and true recipe that I have perfected over the past several months. The key for me in making salmon a food I began to like, was marinating the salmon in liquid smoke 30 minutes to 1 hour before grilling it. This recipe is one I think you will really enjoy. Meal Prep (Night Before) Ingredients 3 salmon fillets2tbsp Hickory Liquid SmokeOlive oil for drizzlingBlackened Seasoning Directions
Over the past year, I have been trying to eat healthier. Not only to lose some weight, but also to get healthy. I cook at home 6 days a week always anyway, and have for most of my adult life. It hasn’t always been healthy though. I collect cookbooks and love cooking. I’ve learned over the years what makes food taste really good and what puts a smile on people’s faces when they eat food. In return, often food that is really good, many times is not healthy. So in 2023, I changed the way I cook and bake, making the food a little more healthy, and less full of fats and sugars. There has been many flops, one of them being just the other day when I made sugar free celebratory cookies. Yeah real flop. Many other sugar free recipes have been awesome and I feel so much better when I eat them. I love using recipes from my cookbooks. Before this health journey, I always felt like I had to follow the recipe to a T and couldn’t stray. If the recipe didn’t call for it, I didn’t add it. My husband would say, “Boy, this or this would be good in this dish.” He would go onto say, “Oh yeah, the recipe didn’t call for it”. LOL. It was kind of a running joke in my house. Now, I change every recipe I make. I change the ingredients and the steps. It has become so much fun for me to substitute or add items to make a recipe a little healthier. I’m still learning everyday, but I have this theory in my mind everyday when I cook: “I can make any recipe a little bit healthier”. No, it probably won’t taste like the original recipe, but indulging in this recipe will be less regretful and I will feel a little healthier. So, I thought I would share the tips I have developed and learned that I apply with every recipe I make. Hopefully these tips will help you as well so you too can cook and bake a little bit healthier. Recipe Ingredients Substitutes Tips The main thing to remember when choosing to make better food choices, is that you can control what you are eating, meaning you can control what your health is a lot of the time. Try different things, and experiment with different foods, and flavors. You will find that you will get accustomed to the taste of the food over time, and you can be proud of yourself. Not only are you helping yourself, you are helping those you are cooking for as well. What are some of your tips or ideas for making recipes a little healthier? Share in the comments some of your tips. Happy cooking!
If you have watched any of the Kardashians on TV, you have probably seen Kourtney eat what she calls her Avocado Pudding. I found her recipe for the “pudding” on Poosh, and of course had to make it. I made her version and it was good. But I decided to add avocado to my everyday smoothie recipe I make every single morning for breakfast. The results are chef’s kiss! (I should say here, if you don’t like avocado, you might not like it, but don’t knock it before you try it). Ingredients:1 medjool date (pitted)1 avocado (either frozen or fresh)1 cup spinach (either frozen or fresh)1 cup frozen peaches or mango (you can use fresh here if you like but the consistency will be different)protein powderDose & Co CollagenSpirulinaSuper Greens powderWater Layer all the ingredients in your smoothie blender and fill with water. Blend. Enjoy! And be proud of yourself for making an avocado smoothie on steroids. So good and so good for you.
