Archive

Every year since 1998, Seasoned Cooking has posted over a hundred articles each year. Do the math and you're looking at thousands of articles chock full of all manner of recipes, tips, and ingredient & kitchen tool focuses that help you in your culinary adventures and beyond. And while it's all searchable and there's even a clever multi-select tool to help you find the perfect recipe for your needs, sometimes we all just want to take a stroll down memory lane.

That's where this Archive comes in. Just click on any year and drill down by clicking on any month within that year. Before you know it, you'll be seeing that July 1999 had us taking a tour of Chinese cuisine and March 2013 treated us to sliders with an Irish twist! So if a little wander through the site is just your speed, we have a whole lot of paths for you to take on your journey. Enjoy!

Loving Points d'Amour

Even though we've actually had a taste of summer-like weather already, it's really just the beginning of the spring season. Here to remind us of that are fresh bouquets of beautiful asparagus. The earliest crop bring us tender, juicy spears that are thin and want just the lightest touch before being served. To that end, a simple spring pasta dish featuring these lovely points d'amour is presented for your dining pleasure!

Tags

Pasta and Kitchens

It's time to end another week with a couple food-related articles. The first is a fun piece on how making pasta doesn't require lots of water and doesn't even require boiling water. Also, don't oil your pasta or pasta water. You'll never make it the same way again. Then we look at an article about what our kitchen say about us and a project in Cuba that captures kitchens and gives us a peek into the lives of their owners.

Tags

A Taste of Spain

Spring -- and especially the season of Lent -- is a great time to enjoy seafood. Enjoy a variety of your favorites in an elegant, yet simple to assemble seafood paella and find yourself feeling like you've landed in the middle of a vacation in Spain. Pour yourself a tall glass of sangria and enjoy this classic Spanish dish without needing to spend all of your time in front of the stove!

Tags

How To Plan the Perfect Spring Picnic

Spring is such a fantastic season. Not only do the flowers bloom and the grass turns bright green but the weather is simply gorgeous, not too hot and never too cold. It's the perfect excuse to get some friends together on a sunny afternoon and have a picnic.

Tags

Easy Menu Ideas and Tips for Packing Lunch

Breakfast might be the most important meal of the day, but with busy schedules and hectic lunch hours, our mid-day meal often gets overlooked or stuffed between meetings and a mad dash to drop stuff off at the dry cleaners. No more. You don't have to devote hours or even more than a few minutes to making sure there's a healthy lunch in front of you when the clock strikes noon. It just takes a little planning.

Tags

Springing Over Spring?

Unseasonably warm weather has me rushing past spring and into summer this week. Shorts, sandals, and fruity drinks by the picnic table are all part of the weekend plan. So what kind of fruity drink do I end up with when left to my own devices? How about a pretty Raspberry Lemon Drop?

St. Paddy's Day with Sandra Lee

The luck of the Irish is with you, courtesy of Sandra Lee! She's sharing a great selection of recipes perfect for St. Patrick's Day. Everything from Potato Leek Fondue Soup to Pub Crawler's Ice Cream will have you feeling lucky at the dinner table!

Tags

Belated Birthday Decadence

Now that I'm back on my feet, it's time for a much-delayed birthday treat for my oh-so-patient husband. His patience pays off when Mint Mocha Cupcakes show up, complete with moist, rich mocha cake filled with a creamy, truffle-like filling and topped with ultra-decadent mint buttercream frosting. Oh, and don't forget a sprinkle of grated dark chocolate on top. Mmmmmmmm!

Tags

Frugal Food with Felines

When something culinarily interesting comes across my desk (well, across my screen, to be more precise), I like to share it with my readers. And, like many things on the Internet, it only seems to get better when you add cats! So I'm here to share a fun article on eating healthier and lowering your food bill, as well as add a few ideas of my own. Plus, there are cats. Happy Tuesday!

Tags

In Like a Lion: March's Comfort Food

It's the first day of March and, if your view is anything like mine, it's far more lion-like than fluffy lamb-like. Grey skies with a smattering of freezing drizzle is enough to make anyone want comfort food. Never fear. We're here with perfect comfort food for March: Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup. Make it today or hold off until St. Patrick's Day, where it will be equally suiting. Enjoy.

Tags

Spring Fever!

When Mother Nature tosses a blend of grey clouds, snow, rain, and sleet your way, it's easy to find yourself yearning for spring. And, while it might not be time for that just yet, you can easily fool your kitchen into bringing the spirit of spring to your table. Break out your skillets and take a crack at crepes filled with fresh mushrooms, chives, and smothered in a simple hollandaise sauce. Makes me think spring every time.

Tags

Beef Stew Comfort Food

The kitchen is your work room; it can be a place of stress or a place of release. However, whatever your kitchen is to you, it is a great place to make a stew for the whole family. Perhaps this sounds a little daunting, after all, stews are a serious cooking project, however, the result can calm any mood and make a would-be-boring dinner, into an extravaganza worth remembering.

Tags

Mardi Gras Feast

It's Fat Tuesday and that means it's time to make the aromas of Cajun food waft gently from my nest. Today, it's chicken and sausage jambalaya and cornbread with a Louisiana twist. It's a simple recipe that can be made in less than an hour and reheats beautifully the next day. Happy Mardi Gras!

Tags

Movie Night Snacks

Sweet peppers take center stage in a popper recipe that combines their sweetness with creamy cheese and spicy Cajun seasoning and hot pepper flakes to make an appetizer that can stand on its own, even on movie night! Who said popcorn is the only option?

Tags

Is it a Sundae Yet?

What transforms a bowl of ice cream into a sundae? For me, it's a delicious sauce. That said, the addition of banana and nuts really won't upset me. But it all boils down to the sauce and I've got a special one for you to end the week. Imagine a rich, silky caramel sauce. Now imagine it spiked with rum. Have a great weekend!

Tags

Sweetheart Breakfast

Happy Valentine's Day! Wake up to sweetness with an adorable plate of breakfast, complete with thick-cut bacon (mmmmm, love!) and a lovely egg cooked into homemade bread. Add a little extra love with a heart-shaped cookie cutter! How sweet (and savory) it is!

Tags

Melt Someone's Heart Today

Giving the gift of food dates back through the ages. People love to receive something luscious that they simply can't wait to sink their teeth into. One of the best gifts the women in this author's family like to receive is the gift of chocolate. Chocolate Truffles, to be exact.

Tags

Grey Day Pick-Me-Ups

A winter nearly devoid of snow and full of far more grey than seems necessary requires drastic action. Ideally, with something involving caramel and chocolate. Maybe a cookie crust. No, not a trip to the grocery store for a candy bar. It's time for something sweet from the kitchen!

Tags

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Seasoned Cooking celebrates its 14th anniversary this month. A lot of hard work and effort by a lot of people has gone into making it what it is and there's a great big thank you for you all. Also, might we suggest this festive fruit salad as part of the celebration? Even those that aren't margarita fans will be asking for seconds!

Tags

How to Make Cajun Shrimp

Cajun food is a great way to give January weather the cold shoulder. Besides, it gives you time to try your hand at it before it's time for Mardi Gras! Get recipes for a good, basic Cajun seasoning as well as a shrimp recipe that's fast, easy, and delicious.

Tags

Make Chai Tea at Home

January is a great time of the year to enjoy beautifully-spiced ethnic cuisine. Part of that tradition also includes some of our favorite hot beverages, which is perfect this time of the year. Get simple instructions on how to make chai at home and make changes to the mix to suit your personal tastes.

Tags

Pasta Geometry

Those that understand I'm both a foodie and a nerd are not at all surprised that I am thrilled to pass along links to content that combines the two. Today, a fun article in the New York Times science section that looks at the complex geometries of pasta shapes. This is the sort of thing that makes me smile when it comes across my desk in the morning!

Tags

Snow Day Cooking

When winter arrives all at once and you don't want to venture out of the nest, what's a girl to do? Cook, of course. And there's nothing quite like putting together a slow-simmering chili that leaves your space smelling of warmth and comfort. If you can do it without a lot of fuss and using leftovers, all the better.

Tags

Enter Snow, Enter Oatmeal

A snow day brings with it the desire for comfort food. Something nourishing, delicious, and easy to make for this foodie recovering from surgery. So when simple oatmeal presents itself, it's time to consider the many ways to make it something special and worthy of a quiet lunch hour surrounded by snow.

Tags

Scrumptious Leftovers

Are leftovers in your house a chore to eat? Or do you and your family look forward to them and enjoy quick, creative meals made from meals you've had before? Sometimes, it's just a matter of getting some inspiration about how to use them, so that's what we're doing today!

Tags