My neighbor has a fig tree in her backyard, and about 1/3 of it hangs over the fence into my backyard, which means I have 1/3 of a fig tree (I’m not a lawyer, but I hope this checks out). Usually, the squirrels and birds get to the figs before […]
Handy Conversion References
When you work in food and recipes every day, converting cups to tablespoons and ounces to grams becomes sort of second nature. But if like most people, your brain space is occupied with… well, more important things, here are a few handy reference charts for when you need them. We’ve […]
New Video: Making Quick Pickles
July is Oh No All my Cucumbers Grew at the Same Time What Do I Do with Them month, and there is only one answer to that: Pickles! In this video, DISH editor Laura shows you exactly how easy it is to make refrigerator pickles and talks you through some […]
Grill Anything (Yes, Even Pasta!)
By the end of this summer, I will be able to write a book on how to cook exclusively outside. As I’ve mentioned, probably too often, I live in Texas, where it is currently HOT. My house is small, but tragically under-cooled in the summer, so when I turn on […]
Red, White Chocolate, and Blue Bark
Sometimes cooking is about the journey, not the destination. That is especially true when cooking with kids, and particularly when cooking with kids who have been inside a lot these last few months. For the Fourth of July this year, we’re keeping it simple—and fun!—with some candy crafting. White chocolate […]
Melting Cheese
You’ve heard the term plenty of times: melting cheese. “Use your favorite melting cheese!” “You can substitute any good melting cheese.” And while that seems easy enough, how do you know if a cheese is a good melting cheese? When we say “melting cheese,” we are looking for a cheese […]
Lid or No Lid?
Here at the CIA, we believe in teaching people how to cook confidently. And while we love sharing our favorite recipes with you, in a perfect world, you wouldn’t need them because you would be busy dinner-freestyling! But to do that, you need all of the information! So today, let’s […]
Ingredient Spotlight: Dates
When you are food-minded, thinking about dates makes your heart flutter for a very different reason. Luckily, the dates we have in mind are a bit less awkward and nerve-wracking than the romantic kind. Dates, which are the fruit of the date palm, are one of nature’s sweetest creations. You […]
What I’m Cooking: Instant Pot Pulled Pork (An Underdog Story)
My husband was craving pulled pork, so I ordered a pork butt that I planned to cook in my Instant Pot—a tool I mostly reserve for chicken stock. But as the days get warmer, I find myself turning to it more often to avoid using the oven or stove, which […]
What I’m Cooking (and Freezing!): Roasted Salsa Verde
I live in a city, in a pretty small house with an especially small kitchen. When I fantasize about the next house I’ll live in, a big kitchen is key, of course, but the thing I romanticize the most (well, other than a pool) is the space for a big […]
Group Staycation, Destination: Sicily
Our bodies might still be stuck at home, at least partially, but if you’re like us, your mind is wandering. Remembering past vacations is fun, but mentally planning future journeys (and imagining what we would eat first!) is the sort of optimistic thinking we need. Our travel buckets lists are […]
Make a Fruit Crisp Without a Recipe
Sometimes you just need. dessert. NOW. And when that moment strikes, there is one easy solution: Make a fruit crisp! Call it a crisp or a crumble, but the bones are the same. Fresh or frozen fruit baked under a crispy, crumbly, slightly sweet topping made from the most basic baking […]