Amaranth: Everything Old is New Again

I keep running into people talking about Amaranth like it is some sort of alien grain sent from the heavens to confound the kitchen-bound.  It isn't.  It's awesome!  This grain was cultivated 8,000 years ago and just keeps coming back.  It's gluten-free and incredibly versatile.  Join me after the break for a selection of delightful recipes to get you started using this grain.  It's the next quinoa*, I'm convinced.

What to do with Whey?

Making a recent yogurt recipe left me with a few cups of whey and whey is one of those things that people talk about but never seem to get around to actually using.  I really didn't want to waste perfectly good (and nutritious!) whey...so off to Google it was.  There were a few REALLY GREAT ideas I've culled with some basic google-fu; follow me after the break for that adventure because I'm sold: whey is where it's at.

Cooking with Children

The more I've thought about this, the more I am I convinced.  The world would be a better place if children were taught to cook from an early age.

I was a late-comer to cooking.  In some ways, that was a good thing -- I had the chance to learn to be fearless.  In some ways, not so good -- I felt pretty nervous and lacking in the kitchen until most of the way through college.

In my family, I was not the cook.  This comes as a great surprise to my friends now, I'm sure, but until this past year, my family barely let me into the kitchen.  My mother liked control in the kitchen and she and my father split the cooking duties.  In a small space, this meant children were more of a nuisance than helpers (too many cooks and all that).  Since you are not my therapist, dear reader, I won't go any further into the past...but just recently I had a phenomenal experience with kids I do want to share.  Join me after the break for that and the best pancake recipe EVER.