FIRST KITCHEN BLOGS

Smart Cooking means Smart Savings. With the rising cost of gas, milk and everything else, it's important to find ways to cut costs. One big way to save is to reduce the amount of money  spent on food.

Here are a few of our favorite tips to help you cut cost on your food...

The best way is to...COOK AT HOME! Two things before you go to the grocery store; make a list  and never ever go hungry!

At the store, keep in mind these money saving tips....

When buying fruits and vegetables try to buy seasonal, but if what you want isn't in season head to the frozen food aisle. This may be your best value. 

"Wise Size"- keep this in mind when deciding what quantity to buy. The economy size may seem like the best option but if you don't use it all in time it can be a big waste!

Check out www.firstkitchencooks.com/fk-shop.html to find more ways to save money, as well as recipes and tips that are quick, healthy and hassle-free. 

We'd like to hear from you. Let us know how it goes or if you have any questions.

 

Spring has sprung here in Minneapolis but in a blink we’ll find ourselves in the middle of a hot steamy summer.  Since the nice days are few and far between we decided to host an impromptu soiree to celebrate the weather with our good friends and food!  

 

Parties don’t always have to take weeks to plan, sometimes these unplanned get-to-gathers are the most fun and can be much less expensive.   So, we took a couple of hours on Saturday to clean the house, sweep the patio and run to the store.  All in all the food was under $40! 

 

We included the essentials that you need for any party: food, atmosphere, entertainment, and beverages.  Since the party started later in the evening we decided to have a fruit and cheese theme and kept the decorations simple with fresh flowers and candles.  

Cheese is perfect for entertaining because you can choose a variety for your guests to try and almost everyone will like at least one kind.  We suggest you get at least 4 kinds and try to get a mixture of soft and hard cheeses.  Remember: I’m not talking about the sliced cheese you get from the deli, this is “specialty” cheeses.   For instance we decided on Brie, Sharp Cheddar, Gouda, and Bleu Cheese.  Grab a few French baguettes to slice up as well as a box of crackers, your choice, to serve along side the cheese. Next, head to the produce isle to pick up some fresh fruit such as grapes, apples or strawberries. Try to buy seasonal if you can to save money.   You could also pick up some dried fruit like apricots and some nuts like almonds or cashews. 

Usually your grocer will have a variety of fresh flowers for sale so grab a few that you like on your way to the check-out, these make for a beautiful spring decoration.  Beverages are up to your discretion.  It is nice to have non-alcoholic on hand such as sparkling water with fresh lemon slices or iced tea.  Good old water can be fancied up with lemon or cucumber slices to make for an inexpensive and refreshing beverage option. 

When you get home, create a killer ipod mix (and listen to it while you get ready for the party).  Make sure you include some songs to dance to!  Pull aside furniture to have space for mingling and need we say, dancing!  Arrange your food/beverage table to your desire…get creative!

 

We’d like to hear your ideas for hosting an impromptu par-lay! 

 

 

Keep it simple…don’t forget to enjoy the weather AND the company of good friends.  CHEERS!

We’re excited that our new First Kitchen site is up!  We have added some cool new features to keep you updated and in on all the FK happenings.  You can now download chapters of the DVD to get cookin NOW!  You can also sign up for our free newsletter TASTE and of course read and respond to our SIDE DISH blog!  Remember, the FK DVD is always available on our site to purchase, so don’t hesitate to get goin in the kitch. We’ll help you start cookin with confidence!

Send us comments on what you think about our new site and of course come back to read the blog, we love to hear from you!

TOP 3 REASONS TO BUY IN SEASON:

 

COST: Don’t deny it, we all want the most bang for our buck. Well, buying fruits and vegetables that are IN SEASON will help you save those extra dollars for something else (or more of what you are already buying!). Think about it, when a fruit or veggie is in season that means there is an abundance being harvested, which contributes to a lower demand, and thus lower cost!!

 

TASTE: Another important factor. When food is shipped half way across the world or grown out of its natural environment both the nutrients and flavor are affected. When crops are transported far distances they don’t have the necessary time to ripen properly or are exposed to extreme temperatures to keep them “fresh.” This compromises the flavor of many fruits and veggies. 

 

VARIETY+FUN! Buying in season allows you to sample the many fruits and vegetables that come in to season throughout the year.  Is it really that fun to eat the same thing every day? I didn’t think so. Seasonal eating is a fun way to try new produce that you haven’t tried or look forward to your favorites to come (mine is asparagus in the spring!). Check out our recipe for Asparagus soup. The strawberries are looking pretty great this time of year as well.

 

Check your local community for fruits and veggies harvested locally NEAR you!

Congratulations, you have made it to the real world and now its time to introduce your friends and family to your new lifestyle, by throwing your first housewarming party. You can try to impress your guests by catering the finest selection of gourmet foods or you can really blow them away and do the cooking YOURSELF. Trust me, your guests will be much more impressed if you create a simple meal on your own than if you picked up the phone and ordered a cheese platter.

But don't get me wrong a cheese platter is a good idea-If you are short on time- or do both.

Pick up a cheese or fruit tray but then mix it with your own kitchen creations like the stuffed pasta shells or tuxedo strawberries (milk/white chocolate dipped strawberries) - both recipes available on the FK DVD.

One question that always comes up: HOW MUCH food do I need to serve?

Here are some basic guidelines to keep in mind as you begin planning your party.

Appetizers

6 appetizers per person when preceding a meal

4 - 6 appetizers per person per hour if you are only serving appetizers

Main Meal

Main Dish - 6 oz. per person

Side Dishes (2-3) - 3 oz. per person

Desserts

1 per person (unless your doing something small like strawberries than plan on two per person)

Beverages:

2 drinks per person for the first 2 hours

1 drink per person each hour thereafter

I don’t know about you but I am sick of hearing the word diet.  It isn’t fun, it doesn’t taste good, and it usually ultimately results in exactly what you didn’t want to do-overeat.  Food isn’t supposed to be a negative thing, but many times our society makes it out to be. 

 

So, my pledge to you: DITCH THE DIET!  Bring joy and tastiness back to food by enjoying what you eat but also being aware of how much you are consuming. 

(To get you started, a simple way to enjoy food and eat healthily is to follow our plate model.)

 

Restricting yourself from different foods is a recipe for disaster. Instead, if you are just craving that blueberry muffin, go ahead, but try sharing it with a friend or choosing a “mini” size.  This way you get your fix but don’t get the excessive calories.

 

Another thing to pay attention to: just because you buy fat free chips, fat free sour cream, fat free cookies, and so on, DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN EAT AS MUCH AS YOU WANT. Many of these products have no fat, as they claim, but they may not have fewer calories. Having some fat in your diet is helps you feel satisfied and provides for good taste. So, in the long run it is better to eat a moderate amount of a fat-containing food than an excessive amount of a fat-free food.  And it taste so much better!

 

Long story short: ditch the diet and enjoy your food…in moderation.  

I’m Allison! And I’m Mollie! This is our first post on our first blog!  We’re 20-somethings who were once as lost in the kitchen as some of you may be. We don’t claim to be chefs; in fact we faced the same challenges as most of you in our first kitchens. We looked everywhere for some kitchen guidance but never found our right fit. We wanted cooking basics so we took matters into our own hands. We created FK to show you how easily cooking can fit into your lifestyle and how much fun making your own meals can be!

We will be here every week with kitchen tips, nutrition tips and cool tips all around to get you in to the kitchen and loving it! Be sure to check in and send your comments, questions and stories…we’d love to hear from you!