By Lisa Golden Schroeder

It can be amazing what any of us can do, if we set our minds to it. And this was the number one take-away for Susan Moores, the founder and humming engine behind the Roots for the Home Team project, at the end of their first baseball season. Her dream collaboration with local kids’ garden programs and a professional ballpark took a couple of years to fulfill, but it only took a few weeks before she knew she’d hit a home run with the young people she’s serving. “I truly underestimated what the kids were capable of—I knew they were going to be enthusiastic partners, but the level of engagement was fantastic,” Moores shared. She says she was blown away by their creativity and unique ideas, and how happy they were to discover new experiences. “The kids actually surprised themselves at what they could achieve,” she said. “And they found they could trust their instincts.” Not always typical of teenagers.

The entrepreneurial aspect of the Roots program is what impresses me the most. We can all garden with kids and introduce them to the wonders of where our food comes from, but that’s just the first step in the complex system of distributing food beyond growing and harvesting. Of course learning how to transform the food into delicious meals to share with family and friends is at the heart of every good garden program, but rippling out from there to share with a larger community has value in so many ways. Moores’ second take-away was the sheer delight of the fans at Target Field. Fans who stopped at the Garden Goodies cart, bought salads, then returned to thank the young gardeners for such tasty, fresh food. “We proved that serving healthy fare at a ballpark doesn’t have to be boring. And the positive feedback from customers, many who returned every game, was great reinforcement,” she said. Serving samples of salads to passers-by boosted visibility for the cart, along with tremendous support from the Minnesota Twins’ staff and other behind-the-scenes cheerleaders who volunteered in numerous ways to make the first season a success.

So what’s next for a new season, with twice as many games to serve? Moores says that the kids asked for more responsibility and have already stretched their creativity developing all new salad recipes that reflect what they’ll grow this summer. The number of kids involved will rise from about 22 to 50 youth manning the cart at various points during weekend home games. And another garden location will join the party, upping the number of programs involved to four, with approximately 100 kids growing and harvesting. “Last year far exceeded my expectations of what we could do the first year,” Moores says. “My goal is to stay fresh, innovative, and interesting for everyone—from the kids to the community. I want to challenge these teenagers to have an even stronger vested interest in making Roots economically stable and a smarter operation, so it can be around for awhile.” Just BARE continues to be enthusiastic supporter, and in the spirit of fan requests, chicken will be available to add to some of the new salads this year!

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

My answer is always quick and sure when asked what my most essential kitchen tools are: good knives. There’s a reason why the first tools a budding chef covets are a set of sharp knives—and why most chefs never leave it to chance that any kitchen they work in will have good knives. They always carry their own, carefully packed and always sharpened. “Absolutely the knife is the most important tool in a chef’s kit,” say most culinary experts. They all agree that buying good knives is an investment that’s worth its weight in gold.

Of course, it’s easy to just tell you to buy good knives, but the choices are endless. From that great deal at the State Fair (knives that demonstrate they can slice even rocks in half) to high-end German or Japanese knives that cost a month’s rent for just one or two…you don’t have to go broke to have a few nice sharp knives that will make cooking a pleasure. I don’t own a matching set, either. I pick out what I need based on what feels good in my hands and how I cook. So here are my top tips for acquiring a collection of knives that will serve you well for years.

Basic blades: pure carbon steel blades keep the sharpest edge, but are high maintenance (they discolor and rust without special handling). So most good blades today are high-carbon stainless steel alloys that are easier to care for. Best advice: never put your knives in the dishwasher. They will hold their edge much longer and won’t get damaged by being knocked around. Look for blades that run the length of their handles.

The Fabulous Five: you will be able to do most of what you want to do in the kitchen with these five blades. A long serrated bread knife, a good chef’s knife for chopping (8 to 10-inches long, depending on what feels comfortable to you), a few paring knives (3 to 4-inches long), a utility knife (a longer version of a paring knife, sort of your all-purpose knife to slice smaller food or cut a sandwich in half), and heavy kitchen shears. A note about your all-important chopping blade: a traditional French chef’s knife is great, but look at the current fave among many cooks (including me)—the Santoku blade, that’s like a modified Japanese cleaver. The slightly shorter, blockier blade is easy to handle, especially for smaller hands. Over time you may want to add a thin boning or filleting knife, a heavier cleaver, or a long slicer for carving a roast chicken or your Thanksgiving turkey.

Savvy Storage: please, please, please don’t jumble your knives in a drawer. You run the risk of dulled blades, but even worse, nicked fingers. I really like my wooden knife block that has a prominent place on my counter. Everything is at my fingertips, safely stored and protected. But magnetic wall-mounted holders can be handy, or a shallow in-drawer knife organizer works well. I like to use knife guards for loose knives—sturdy plastic sleeves that slip over the blade to protect the edge.

Keeping Sharp: it’s true that you’re more likely to seriously cut yourself with a dull blade if you must force it through the food you’re cutting. So keeping your blades sharp, with a sharpening steel between visits to a professional sharpener, will ensure your safety and the efficient use of your knives. There’s an art to using a sharpening steel, so it’s worth having a knife expert show you the best technique. Then try to take your knives to a professional sharpener once a year (wrap them up in newspaper)—see if you can find out where local restaurants have their knives maintained.

Best Advice: test drive knives. Shop at places where you can handle or even try out different blades, so you can feel the balance and weight for yourself. And knife handles vary immensely; find ones that just feel good in your hands.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

Bringing passion to flavor. The joy of eating. Buy local, eat global. Sounds like a lot more than we have time for on a busy weeknight. Or is it? I have to admit I’m as guilty as the next person for taking the path of least resistance when there’s more pressing obligations on my to do list. But I’m feeling inspired today after hearing the principal product development technologist (a fancy title for a down to earth cook who loves good food with lots of flavor) from McCormick’s talk about their flavor forecast for the coming year. Of all the seasoning companies out there, McCormick’s seems to have their finger on the pulse of what all of us home cooks are looking for. And they get their insights from chefs and growers from all over the world.

Whether we really think about it or not, especially when it’s easy to take that drawer of dried herbs and spices for granted, the historical quest for spices molded the world we live in. And since we’ve now got that world at our fingertips every time we walk into a grocery store, co-op, or wherever you go to stock your pantry, we should make the most of it. I’m charging myself, in this first month of a new year, to spread my wings a little more. And I’ll take you with me to explore new angles of making dinner every day. We’ve got the most perfect canvas to start with: fresh chicken, right off the farm. Chicken, so deliciously mild and juicy, can be a foil for a myriad of flavor twists and just about any cooking method. A great fit for experimenting a little without scaring anyone away from the table.

The speaker foretold what they call “emerging” trends for this year—patterns in how people are cooking, ingredients they’re teaming up, and the influences on all of it. And it’s not about fancy or complicated cooking; it’s back to our agricultural and cultural roots. Sort of comfort food, but better. Of six global insights, the ones that spoke loudest to me were about honoring cultural traditions; celebrating fresh, seasonal vegetables; balancing bold flavor with a healthful flair; and simplicity. An appreciation of clear, unpretentious flavors. The underpinnings of all of this is an encouragement to take steps into possibly new tastes, and using seasonings that have always been around but are more available for all of us. In combinations we may never have thought about trying. Stay tuned for some new ideas!

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

There’s been a lot about chefs in the news these days—their innovative twists on global cuisines and street foods, or foraging for wild or artisan ingredients. But while cooking magazines enthusiastically encourage you to look for pink salt from the Himalayas or tropical fruits you can’t pronounce, I can tell you that most of us who work in the food biz cook for our families in much the same way you do (though I do have to say I love my bottle of recently purchased pomegranate molasses). So don’t be seduced by the quest for better home cooking, thinking you need to fill your pantry with bottles of preserved lemons or vintage balsamic vinegar. There’s amazing potential in lots of ordinary ingredients. The secret to maintaining a smart, serviceable pantry is keeping versatile, affordable items on hand.

To get a jump-start on streamlining your pantry, check off what you’ve already got then head to the store.

1. A good-quality olive oil (but you don’t have to break the bank)
2. Red wine vinegar
3. Kosher or coarse sea salt
4. Peppercorns (in a grinder)
5. Jarred mayo
6. Tomato paste (buy in the can, then freezer dollops on waxed paper)
7. Canned cooked beans
8. Canned tomatoes, whole or diced
9. Dried pastas—preferably with some whole-grain flour
10. Fresh garlic and onions
11. Selection of dried herbs or favorite blends (I love herbes de Provence, Montreal steak seasoning, and a salt-free garlic herb blend) + spices
12. Capers or olives
13. Mustard
14. Maple syrup or honey
15. Shredded Parmesan or other aged pungent cheese

In the words of a successful chef, great ingredients will always make a great product. But you can still make a great dish with simple ingredients—it’s what you do with them that matters. With a smart, simple pantry you can make quick and inexpensive dinners without much effort—start thinking of your pantry like your clothes closet. You want everything to mix and match, giving you much more than the just the sum of what lives on your shelves. If you’ve got chicken stashed in the freezer, then you can dream up lots of dinners in a dash—stovetop sautés, main dish salads, delicious pastas—without angst or a recipe. For example:

Skip the pre-made salad dressings; make a silky vinaigrette or a fresher creamy ranch-style dressing for a fraction of the cost, in the amount you need at the moment. Shake up 3 tablespoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, a spoonful of mustard, a bit of dried herb, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste in a covered jar. Drizzle over some grilled chicken on a bed of baby greens. Or blend some mayo with chopped garlic and a little shredded Parmesan. Thin with milk or lemon juice, season with lots of ground pepper—and voila! You’ve got a nice dipping sauce for chicken tenders or a Caesar-style dressing (add some capers for a bit of brininess). Season up that basic mayo yourself, to your own taste.

Toss hot cooked pasta with sautéed or roasted chicken chunks, aromatic cheese, olives, and maybe some diced canned tomatoes (add your own dried herbs, rather than buying flavored tomatoes that limit how you’d use them). Pastas are terrific if you’ve got leftover roast chicken, with dinner only 10 minutes away with ingredients you’ve got on hand.

Sauté boneless chicken breasts or thighs in olive oil (add some garlic or onion if you’d like); stir in some vinegar and honey or maple syrup. The sweet-tangy glaze will just coat the chicken, absolutely delicious with a sliced pear or apple salad or roasted vegetables. Brush the same vinegar-honey mixture onto a whole bird during roasting.

Simmer up a quick stew with browned drumsticks, broth, tomatoes, onions, and dried herbs. Use some tomato paste to enrich the stew, then shred the meat off the bones and stir back into the pot with some canned beans. Serve over steamed rice or couscous. I’m thinking about  a thick lentil soup tonight, brimming with chopped onion, carrot, celery, and tomatoes—finished with some chopped leftover chicken thighs that were rubbed with a smoky mesquite seasoning, with nary a recipe in sight.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

Cheryl Klarich is the kind of mom who I aspire to be. The mother of five children, she’s home-schooled each one, with two who are successfully navigating college and twin 17-year-olds, who are about to launch. I met Cheryl at one of my Dierbergs cooking classes in St. Louis, and caught her afterwards as she loaded her shopping cart with packages of Just BARE® Chicken. I was really impressed by the strong sense of family community that she’s established in her household. Her view of cooking for a hungry crew is that it’s her opportunity to slow down and spend time hearing what’s going on in her kids’ worlds. “I’m interacting with them while I’m cooking,” she told me. “I think that seeing me in the kitchen offers a sense of security, that Mom’s available.” She says that her cooking feels like a very organic way to multi-task, and no matter how busy everyone is, she tries to keep focused on making the time to do it.

“I admit I’ve fed my kids their fair share of fast or cheap food over the years, but it’s rare now. I know more about making better choices and I care a lot about where our food comes from and how it’s produced.” She’s a big farmers market shopper and works hard at buying as much fresh and local food as possible. “I was drawn to the attractive labels on the Just BARE® packages, then was so excited to realize I have another good choice for chicken; I’m very picky about where I buy meat and poultry,” she said. Cheryl likes the convenience of cuts of chicken (the boneless thighs in particular), but also appreciates the option of a whole bird that she can cut up herself or roast whole.

Cheryl’s strategy for keeping real cooking on her calendar is all about a useful pantry. She stocks Just BARE® Chicken in her freezer, along with pastas, lots of seasonings and canned tomatoes in her cupboard. “Oh, and I’m a butter girl. I love to cook with it, along with olive oil,” she admitted. She shared a wonderful recipe with me for Chicken Piccata, a simple stovetop sauté that is enlivened with butter, lemon juice, and capers. “I’m inspired by a few TV chefs, like Jamie Oliver. His casual and sometimes wacky approach to food appeals to me. And I love simple final touches to dishes that are easy, but add that “wow” factor—like a sprinkle of fresh herbs, a handful of toasted nuts or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.”

Some nights Cheryl speeds up this recipe by skipping the pounding of the breast fillets, or she substitutes Just BARE® boneless chicken thighs. Then she’ll brown the chicken and finish baking it in a 325˚F oven while she makes the sauce.

CHICKEN PICCATA
(Adapted from Two Sisters and the Silver Spoon cookbook by Nancy Israelian Doyle and Kathy Israelian Fleming, www.twosisterscookbook.com)

Makes 3 to 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 package (14 ounces) Just BARE® Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon capers, drained

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Fresh lemon slices

Chopped fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap; gently pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/4-inch-thick. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dust with flour, shaking off excess.
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté chicken in oil until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a warm plate.
• Deglaze the skillet with wine and stir in garlic. Cook 2 minutes or until garlic is lightly browned and liquid is almost evaporated.
• Add broth, lemon juice and capers. Return chicken to pan. Stir in butter and lemon slices. Garnish with parsley.