This egg-rich cake, dotted with anise seed, is easy and quick to make. A friend served it to me recently, and it is loaded with flavor. I discovered when buying the seed for this cake that fennel and anise seeds are different. Although both have a similar, licoricy kind of flavor, the fennel seeds are much larger and prettier. I tried both, and didn’t notice much difference in the flavor. The fennel seeds may be a bit more attractive is all I can say. Your preference.
MoreFrench tea cake flavored with anise seed
05 Apr 2022 Leave a comment
in Desserts, food, health, Ingredients, recipes Tags: anise, antibacterials, antifungals, antiinflammatories, baking, blood, cakes, easy recipes, eggs, fennel, iron, licorice
Vinny presents the 35 cent loaf – a video!
12 Sep 2019 1 Comment
in Breads, food, recipes, video Tags: easy recipes, flour, hot water, yeast
Our first cooking video
One rainy day at the cottage this summer, Vinny and his crew decided to make a cooking video. This is our first attempt at doing such a thing.
Vinny’s cousin Sage will take you through the bread-making process, completely unscripted. Watch it full screen – fun!
This artisanal method of bread-making is so easy, even your kids can do it…. Just like Sage does. There’s no kneading, no waiting over night, and only about 10 or 15 minutes of prep time.
You end up with freshly baked deliciousness for only pennies a loaf. That’s really cheap eats. So lets get baking!
Print this: Artisanal bread recipe
Caution: An adult must supervise children when putting the pot in the hot oven and taking it out again. Always use oven mitts. Pull out the rack for easy access.
Easy, artisanal bread in five minutes
07 May 2019 8 Comments
in Breads, food, recipes Tags: easy recipes, flour, hot water, salt, yeast
Have you been afraid to make your own bread, thinking about how it used to take Grandma all day to bake a loaf? Well, here’s a recipe you can serve the day you make it.
Gramma’s easy dry-brined roast turkey
25 Sep 2018 Leave a comment
in food, Holiday foods, Main dishes, recipes Tags: brine, Christmas, dry brine, easy recipes, family, life, roast, sea salt, Thanksgiving, turkey
Vinny has invited the whole family for Chrisrmas. They all said YES!
That’s when his sleepless nights and bad dreams began. He had never in his life before tackled a humungous roast turkey. Vinny’s nightmares starred dry stringy white meat and rubbery drumsticks as a centerpiece for his big night.
What to do! Then he remembered Gramma More
Banana ice cream desserts two ways
11 Apr 2017 1 Comment
in Desserts, food, health, recipes Tags: avoiding sugar, bananas, berries, cancer, chocolate, easy recipes, frozen dessert, fruit, ice cream, nutrition, nuts, raspberries
A nutritional bonanza from our friendly banana
This dessert is so good, people call it Nice Cream. The riper the banana, the sweeter the dessert.
Ripe bananas also have higher levels of antioxidants, which as any frequent reader of Vinny’s blog will know, fight chronic disease and inflammation.
One interesting thing about fully ripened bananas is that they also produce a substance called tumor necrosis factor (TNF). TNF combats abnormal cells to help shrink cancer tumors. The more dark patches a banana has, More
Whipped goat cream, a tart cheese treat
09 Feb 2016 5 Comments
in Appetizers, Desserts, Dips, food, health, recipes, Snacks Tags: avoiding sugar, dip, easy recipes, goat cheese, icing, lemon, spread, Stevia, yogurt
Once upon a time I came across a recipe that called for whipped goat cheese. So I took my basket and headed to the grocery store, where I eventually found a small tub of the stuff at three times the cost of regular, ordinary, every-day goat cheese.
When I finally had a minute to spare I sat down and examined the label. The ingredients were goat cheese and water… and a few chemicals. It seemed I’d bought a processed food fortified with who knows what. And I thought: why can’t I make that myself – and leave out the chemicals? More
Pear and leek bake
19 Jan 2016 6 Comments
in Appetizers, Main dishes, recipes Tags: casseroles, cream, easy recipes, eggs, goat cheese, leeks, pears, quiche
Vinny’s blogged about pears, leeks, and goat cheese before. But here they team up to give you something a bit different. Sweet and savory meld to make an unusual main course for lunch or a spectacular beginning to a fancy dinner. And except for the chopping, it’s easy! More
Crab dip is tops in sustainable fish dishes
05 Jan 2016 4 Comments
in Appetizers, Dips, food, health, Holiday foods, recipes, Salads Tags: crab, cream cheese, easy recipes, environmental sustainability, fish, mercury, seafood, sustainable seafood
Everybody loves fish for its lean protein and its omega-3s that do wonders for our brains. But these days our poor heads are so bombarded with info on which fish are facing extinction or which types are loaded with deadly mercury that we are almost afraid to try any fish at all.
I’m here to tell you though that plain steamed crab meat is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. More
Candied nuts love coconut palm sugar
01 Dec 2015 6 Comments
in Appetizers, health, Holiday foods, recipes, Snacks Tags: avoiding sugar, coconut sugar, easy recipes, nuts, pecans, walnuts
Crunchy sweet nuts are great for dressing up salads, cheese platters, and desserts at Christmas and for other special occasions. Plus, they’re easy!
Kids love to make them. Make lots and keep them on hand to use whenever you want some pizzazz. More
A hogbake from Redwall Abbey… and a little kale magic
06 Oct 2015 5 Comments
in books, Breakfast foods, food, health, recipes Tags: cheese, easy recipes, eggs, kale, nutrition, onions, Redwall Abbey, tomatoes
This recipe, inspired by the Redwall Cookbook for kids, has nothing to do with pigs. For the life of me, I can’t come up with a reason that explains why they named it a hogbake. Perhaps it’s a typo, and they meant to call it a henbake.
Regardless, I loved its simple healthy ingredients. More
Lazy-boy’s basic risotto
12 May 2015 4 Comments
in food, health, recipes, Side dishes Tags: carbohydrates, easy recipes, fast food, glycemic load, nutrition, rice, risotto
This risotto’s easy!
Or is it? What’s easy for me may be hard for you. You might not have the equipment to make quick work of the tasks. Your kitchen may require too much walking, lifting, and reaching. Or you may not have had enough practice… the first time around is always hard. Finally, you may not realize that dirt and food are never best friends. In fact, the combo is darn-right dangerous. So you can’t ignore the sink and shun the dish cloth. Accept cleaning up as a basic part of the art, or you’ll never enjoy cooking. And there’s more… More
Black magic: Chocolate syrup on ice
14 Apr 2015 14 Comments
in Desserts, Dips, food, recipes Tags: chocolate, coconut oil, easy recipes, ice cream
Just two ingredients…
Awesome! This idea came my way courtesy of the Paddington Foodie, chef extraordinaire. It’s ridiculously easy. Combining just two super-foods, this simple syrup zaps any dessert you like with goodness that is sure to grant you the superpowers of your dreams. More
Cherry clafouti solves one omnivore’s dilemma
17 Feb 2015 Leave a comment
in books, Breakfast foods, Desserts, food, recipes, science Tags: cherries, corn, custard, easy recipes, eggs, labels, processed foods, reviews
Once upon a time some friends formed a neighborhood reading salon. One night they slogged through the snow to sit by a fire together and discuss a book Michael Pollan wrote nearly 10 years ago — The Omnivore’s Dilemma.
Pollan’s story lifts the blinders to show where our food comes from, just as deftly as if he wrote it, well, yesterday.
No stove? Cook dinner with your iron!
18 Nov 2014 6 Comments
in Appetizers, Breakfast foods, food, recipes, Snacks Tags: chocolate, easy recipes, eggs, grilled cheese, peanut butter, sandwich
I’m not sure we should let the little dears in our lives in on this trick… But if you’re ever stuck in a hotel room with no cooking facilities and limited cash for eating out, you can get by with an iron!
I’m not kidding. It’s simple! More
A cake cup for Krista – Chocolate rules!
08 Oct 2014 5 Comments
in Desserts, food, health, recipes, Snacks Tags: avoiding sugar, chocolate, cocoa powder, easy recipes, nutrition, Stevia
The candles spluttered out in a blast of air, as 9-year-old Krista blew across her birthday cake and made a wish.
“What did you wish for?” asked Vinny. “A unicorn for the backyard shed? A chest of gold Lego?”
“No… and no,” said Krista. “I wished I was skinny!”
“What? No!” Vinny was aghast. More
Look who’s on first: Avocado Crostini
20 May 2014 9 Comments
in Appetizers, food, recipes Tags: avocados, bagette, chorizo, easy recipes, goat cheese, nutrition
Avocado crostini with goats cheese and chouriço, garnished with pistachios and red endive
The little bites at the start of a meal are often what we remember best. Here’s an easy appetizer that should hit a home-run for the crowd.
Choose an artisanal baguette baked fresh that day. If you must buy it ahead, wrap it well and freeze it for up to a week. A crusty-type loaf works better with this recipe than a chewy loaf. The chewy ones don’t toast as crisply and it’s harder to break off dainty bites. I learned this the hard way.
If you can find a loaf made from whole grain bread, take bonus points for good nutrition! Some more tips… More
Popcorn magic at the Night Circus
29 Apr 2014 8 Comments
in books, food, health, Snacks Tags: avoiding salt, chocolate, easy recipes, oils, popcorn
Last week I raved about a novel by Erin Morgenstern, called The Night Circus. This story asks us to consider the untold power life holds!
One way the author looks at the nature of life is by imagining the opposite.
Morgenstern thinks of death not as an end, but a change. If you break a bottle of ink in the ocean, the ink disperses because it has lost its container. The ink is still there… just diluted, its parts no longer connected.
When one of the wizards mysteriously vanishes in The Night Circus, his daughter tells everyone he’s died. But in fact he is in this state of dilution… not exactly dead, he’s just not here in one piece.
While you’re reading The Night Circus, I propose a tasty bowlful of black-and-white popcorn to help you hold yourself together. More
Banana crepes
11 Apr 2014 22 Comments
in Breakfast foods, food, health, recipes Tags: bananas, blood sugar, cinnamon, easy recipes, eggs, gluten free, memory, mood, Mothers Day, nutrition, pancake, spices
Banana crepes banish the blues with just two ingredients…
No lie. This is the easiest pancake recipe on the planet. Make this gorgeous breakfast crepe from only two ingredients. Forget the milk and the flour. All you need are eggs and bananas. Sprinkle some cinnamon to garnish. Then wave good-bye to Little Boy Blue. More
Round Vinny Grette’s kitchen in pictures – best recipes of 2013
04 Feb 2014 Leave a comment
in food, health, recipes, science Tags: best recipes, easy recipes, family, food science, kids' recipes, nutrition, reviews, super-foods
Here Vinny presents his best efforts for 2013 –
easy, healthy, and kid friendly food.
For a glimpse into Vinny’s kitchen, click on any picture.
For recipes, copy and paste the link that appears below each caption. More