Hilary Meyer

How to make cream sauce without cream

Nifer — Wed, 01 May 2013 03:19:47 +0000

Anything draped in a velvety-smooth cream sauce is bound to be delicious. It’s also bound to be high in calories and full of saturated fat—which most of us could do without. So before you kiss your mother’s recipe for macaroni and cheese goodbye or take your last spoonful of a creamy, comforting soup, consider that you could make the same creamy recipes with WAY less fat and fewer calories by using no cream at all. Yes, really.

Being single never tasted so good: tips to make cooking for one delicious and easy

Nifer — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:34:24 +0000

You know what the best part of cooking for one is? You don’t have to cater to anyone else’s dietary restrictions and YOU can make exactly what YOU want to eat. Sure, it may be a little tricky finding recipes for one or to find the inspiration to get out your pots and pans instead of ordering takeout. But with a few simple tips and easy recipes, you can make delicious meals for yourself without wasting food and save money by not eating out.

EatingWell makeover: how to make a healthy banoffee pie recipe

Nifer — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:20:14 +0000

Love bananas? Toffee? How about whipped cream? Then you’ve got to try banoffee pie, one of Great Britain’s sweetest contributions to the confectionary world.

No denying that it’s irresistibly creamy, caramelly and sugary. But it’s also usually quite a calorie bomb, so we’ve taken the classic and given it a little nip-’n’-tuck.

How to throw a holiday party for $25

Nifer — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 20:39:22 +0000

I love hanging out with my friends, but I used to avoid throwing parties at my house mostly because I couldn’t justify the expense. You have to buy food, booze and make your house look festive. And it all adds up pretty quickly. (Bah! Humbug!) But I can’t expect to be invited anywhere if I can’t (or don’t) return the favor! So how can I have my fun and throw a party that doesn't bust my budget? I’m going to challenge myself to throw a party for only $25. Can it be done? With a little ingenuity, the answer is yes. Here’s how:

Fresh vs. canned vs. frozen: which is better?

Nifer — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 19:42:10 +0000

Nothing beats fresh produce. Still, in the kitchen, using canned or frozen fruits and vegetables can be a lot more convenient—but is it worth it? Are you giving up nutrition for convenience? Although a fresh fruit or vegetable would never be considered unhealthy, surprisingly there are a few circumstances where frozen and even canned could offer you more health benefits than fresh. Here’s a closer look at a few examples of fresh foods vs. their canned or frozen counterparts.

4 mistakes that ruin stuffing (and how to fix them)

Nifer — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:48:33 +0000

What’s the best part of Thanksgiving? The turkey? No way. It’s the stuffing. And to think there was a time when I thought stuffing could only be made from a box! Don’t get me wrong—boxed stuffing is good, but premade packages of stuffing are a real damper in the creativity department. (Not to mention they’re loaded with sodium and other not-so-wholesome ingredients in the form of preservatives.)

Recipes to Try: Easy Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipes

The biggest calorie bomb at Thanksgiving dinner & 10 fun Thanksgiving food facts

Nifer — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:05:33 +0000

There’s a lot that’s changed about Thanksgiving in the years since the Pilgrims gathered for their first meal of thanks. For instance, they weren’t were watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade while they basted their bird (that started in 1924) or rummaging through sale racks for a bargain sweater the day after on Black Friday. Here are a few fun Thanksgiving food facts to mull over while you enjoy your meal.

How to save $150 on Thanksgiving dinner

Nifer — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:02:28 +0000

I want to host Thanksgiving, but I’m not made of money. So instead of heading straight to the poor house after Turkey day, I’m going to shop savvy and save some serious dough on the big meal.

Here are a few tips to help save $150 on your Thanksgiving dinner:

Don’t Miss: Budget-Friendly Thanksgiving Menu for $7 Per Person

Little tricks to save 500+ calories at dinner

Nifer — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 15:27:45 +0000

I enjoy food WAY too much to always be on a diet. Instead of giving my eating habits an overhaul, I’m going to make small changes to what I’m already doing when I’m cooking to save more than 500 calories. Here are 5 little tricks that save calories at dinner.

Don’t Miss: 10 Cooking Tips to Make Your Favorite Foods Healthier

Easy retro halloween treats

Nifer — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:10:58 +0000

Before I became a mother I didn’t think too much about Halloween and candy bars … and sugar comas. But now that my daughter is old enough to indulge in all that Halloween has to offer, I’m paying more attention. I know a few candy corns won’t hurt anybody, but the problem with Halloween is that even though it’s only one day, the candy and parties appear for weeks beforehand (and of course the candy hangs around afterward too.) So this year I’m going to make some healthy Halloween treats that I used to enjoy when I was a kid.

4 secrets for the best slow cooker beef stew

Nifer — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:30:26 +0000

When I was in culinary school we learned a lot about how to develop flavors. These methods usually involved high-end ingredients, a lot of prep time and sometimes following complicated procedures to get good results. Little did I know a much easier path to culinary greatness was sitting in my pantry the whole time I was sweating in a restaurant kitchen. That would be my slow cooker.

How to cook amazing healthy recipes with bacon

Nifer — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 16:56:07 +0000

It’s hard to deny that bacon possesses some magical qualities. It regularly gets people out of bed in the morning, it converts vegetarians to meat eaters. In fact I’m having a hard time writing this blog because all I can think about is bacon’s intoxicating aroma. Everything about bacon—its smoky perfume, its salty, yet subtly sweet bite—screams “Eat me! Eat lots of me!” But here’s where the fairy tale ends. If you sit down to a plate full of bacon, you will probably die. Okay, maybe not.

5 perfect food pairings every good cook should know

Nifer — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:19:38 +0000

We all know couples that just “work.” One person might be a talker and the other a listener. One might be flaky and the other one more organized. Whatever it is, successful couples are often complementary. The same goes for food. One element plays off the strength of another, making it a winning combination—a power couple, if you will (think peanut butter and jelly). Below are 5 fantastic food pairings that play well together. Stick with these and you’ll never be disappointed.

The magic technique to get people to eat their greens

Nifer — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:00:20 +0000

I used to always cook my dark leafy greens like kale, broccoli rabe and mustard greens to death. I did that because I thought I had to, to get rid of their sharp, cruciferous and often bitter taste. That’s probably why my husband met my “we’re having kale for dinner tonight, honey” announcement with something less than enthusiasm. He always politely choked the stuff down, but I bet he would rather have been eating castor oil.

How to make the best homemade stuffed shells

Nifer — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:03:30 +0000

I’m a sucker for stuffed pasta of any kind. I don’t care what shape it is, ravioli, manicotti, whatever, if it comes out of the oven swimming in red sauce, oozing and bubbling under a thick layer of melted cheese then I want in. Who doesn’t? It’s comfort food at its finest. Not so comforting is the fact that meals like these pack a mean punch in the fat and calories department (some upwards of 800 calories and 20 grams of saturated fat!). So to continue to enjoy stuffed pasta, I’ve committed to making my own at home.