Dana Reinhardt's Blog

Who doesn’t love olive oil? A fine, extra-virgin olive oil paired with a nice balsamic vinegar is so simple and brilliant served with a fresh baguette for dipping, especially when paired with a nice Chianti. If I can offer this bit of advice for your next dinner with friends, never go cheap on the olive oil.

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Mundane. Outstanding. Banal. All words I have used to describe one of the most commonplace sauces in any cooking repertoire: tomato sauce. And to make great tomato sauce the most important ingredients are the tomatoes. If you don't start with great tomatoes it won't matter what you add, it won’t be very good.

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Have you ever heard someone say, "Geez, I really have to cut down on the number of vegetables I’m eating”? Didn't think so. Everyone needs to add more veggies to their diet. And it can actually be quite simple to achieve, as well as a little fun.

For most of us adding vegetables means adding more salads to our meals. I love salads and their many expressions, but there are so many other ways to add veggies to our everyday meals. 

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It’s not that common but occasionally a recipe will call for a peeled tomato, especially in salsas, dips and sauces. Removing the seeds is primarily for a visual purpose (especially in salads) and removing the skin helps the tomato break down in sauces. Peeling a tomato is actually very, simple and the technique actually works for some skin fruit as well, like plums and peaches. 

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