A Savory Moment by Life At The Table

The History of The Shish Kebab   The history of the shish kebab. What was life and food like in early civilization? Imagine yourself yearning for food to rid you of the gnawing emptiness in your stomach; hunting and gathering, discovering fire, tasting plants, and herbs for the first time. Your discoveries are shared with generations to come. Meals always have a story. A story of adventure an...

The Difference Between Fruits and Vegetables   The difference between fruits and vegetables. When is a fruit really a vegetable?   The U.S. Supreme Court Declares a Fruit a Vegetable Only when the U.S. Supreme Court says so. In 1893, the United States Supreme Court ruled that a tomato was a vegetable .  Even though everyone in the botanical world knows that a tomato is a fruit.   Ma...

Sliced Tomato Salad Sliced tomato salad. “How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.” So goes the first line from poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s sonnet, “How Do I Love Thee?” Her husband was the subject of this famous work, not tomatoes.   Tomato Lovers Count The Ways They Love Tomatoes! But tomato lovers around the world would gladly count the ways they love these globes of fruit with a...

Cool Down With Summer Soup   Summer soup cools you down. When it comes to meals made perfect for summer, don’t let the hot temps steer you away from soup.   Hot Soup Cools the Body It seems like a contradiction in terms, doesn’t it?  But hot soup can actually cool our bodies down on warm days. Scientists who study sweating have proven what happens when we consume temperature hot foods. O...

Happy Independence Day, America! Happy Independence Day, America! July 4th is THE most popular day for grilling. The National Retail Federation expects that Americans will spend $6.9 billion on food for Fourth of July cookouts and picnics. That’s down from $7.1 billion last year. It seems that the middle of the week celebration puts a bit of a crimp into the planned festivities.   Stars, Stri...

White Bean Salad   White bean salad. The 4th of July is just around the corner. What’s on your menu? Summertime is filled with backyard barbecues beckoning foods that stay fresh and flavorful in hot temperatures. When it comes to tasty, portable side dishes or solo meals, beans are small, but mighty pods packed with protein, fiber and flavor. They can be served cold, in salads, baked, and mix...

  Cool, Crisp, and Global: Beat the Heat With This No-Cook Salad Cucumber and tomato salad. If you can’t stand the heat this summer, step away from the stove! With the steamy, summer temps that are here to stay, why not get creative in the kitchen and stay cool?  Try some recipes that don’t require ever turning on your oven or stove.   Stay Cool With Cucumber and Tomato Salad Here’s how:...

Moroccan Barbecue Chicken   Moroccan barbecue chicken. It’s time to barbecue! The next time you fire up the grill, think Morocco! Barbacue doesn’t always have to be stateside with the traditional spices and barbecue sauces.  Try different flavor profiles and count yourself among the great explorers of the world without ever leaving your home.   Moroccan Spices Delight the Palate In Any C...

Zucchini Fritter   Zucchini fritter. Summertime is soon upon us and that means fresh vegetables at the market!  With so many to choose from, where do you start? One of my favorites is zucchini, also known as summer squash along with its botanical cousin, yellow squash. The origins of zucchini are in the Americas, but the varities we see in the market today were developed in Italy. The word zu...

How To Know When Grilled Meat Is Done Grilling season is here, and your taste buds are ready for that first juicy bite of flame-kissed steak or a perfectly charred burger. But here’s the burning question—how do you really know when your grilled meat is done? The truth is, fire and smoke may be the oldest cooking tools around, but mastering doneness takes a bit more than instinct. Let’s turn up the...

Chipotle Barbecue Sauce   Chipotle barbecue sauce. It’s time to talk barbecue sauce! And here in the U.S., barbecue is as Americana as apple pie.   Barbecue Sauce Is Serious Business According to the National Barbecue Association, H.J. Heinz introduced the first nationally distributed barbecue sauce in 1948.  In 2017, more than 9 million Americans used four or more bottles of barbecue sa...

What Is Chipotle?   What is chipotle? It’s time to turn the heat up in the kitchen!  Not with your stove, but with chipotle! That word alone makes me crave the earthy, rich, and smoky flavor of this ancient spice.   Chipotle: An Ancient Spice For Modern Times Often mistaken as its own distinct species of pepper, the chipotle is actually just a fully-ripe, smoke-dried jalapeno.  The pract...

How To Store Fresh Herbs   Fresh Herbs Belong Anywhere You Put Them! How to store fresh herbs. Spring is synonomous with fresh herbs, especially if you’re growing your own. I have a small spot of dirt outside my kitchen door where I grow herbs.  My garden includes rosemary, oregano, mint, and Mexican Mint Marigold which has a wonderful tarragon taste. So fresh herbs are only a short walk and...

Homemade Ranch Dressing   History of Ranch Dressing Homemade ranch dressing. Exploration in the kitchen is fun, especially when it comes to customizing recipes to suite your tastes.  One of my favorites is the simple, but loveable ranch dressing.  Whether you drizzle it on a salad, dip veggies in it, add it to a burger, or use it as a cooling sauce for your hot wings, ranch dressing is an Ame...

What is Buttermilk? What is buttermilk? There is a saying that butter makes everything better!  I agree. But with milk? You might think “who on earth would put those two together and drink it?”  Well they don’t. Buttermilk is a misnomer.  There is no butter in buttermilk.   Buttermilk Goes Way Back This cherished southern ingredient is as old as the hills.  It conjures up memories of my grand...

Chef Chamberlain’s Tenderloin of Beef with Texas Shiitake “Risotto” Tenderloin of beef with Texas shiitake “risotto”. Chef Sandra:   I’m Chef Sandra with A Savory Moment.   This week my guest is Chef Richard Chamberlain, a nationally acclaimed chef and owner of Chamberlain’s Steak and Chop House and Chamberlain’s Fish Market Grill in Dallas. Thank you for being here this we...

Cooking at work and at home means connecting with people. Chef Sandra:  I’m Chef Sandra with “A Savory Moment”.  Returning today is Chef Richard Chamberlain of Chamberlain’s Steak and Chop House and Chamberlain’s Fish Market Grill .  Chef Chamberlain, tell me what do you enjoy about cooking? Cooking at Work and at Home Means Connecting With People for Chef Richard Cha...

Interview with Chef Richard Chamberlain, Part 1   Chef Richard Chamberlain’s cooking inspiration began on the Texas coast. Chef Sandra: I’m Chef Sandra with A Savory Moment.  In the studio today with me is Chef Richard Chamberlain. Chef Chamberlain is considered one of America’s leading chefs and is the owner of Chamberlain’s Steak and Chophouse and Chamberlain’s Fish Market...

The Appetizer Strategy For Weeknight Meals Appetizer or Hors d’oeuvres?   The appetizer strategy for weeknight meals. Today the words appetizer and hors d’oeuvres are used interchangeably.  But traditionally, they’re different. Appetizers are considered a part of the meal while hors, d’oeuvres, a French word which when translated means, “ outside of the work ”, are served separately from the...

Dips Are For Dunking   Whipped feta dip. What do you think of when you hear the word “appetizer”? Chips and flavorless store-bought dips? Oh, they are so much more! In his very first cookbook, culinarian and teacher James Beard wrote, “I think it is delightful to have large bowls of cheese mixtures which are of a consistency that permits dunking.” Should we be having this conversation in the...

Feta Cheese The Origin is Greek, The Name Is Italian   Feta cheese. It’s all Greek to me!  No, really it is! I’m talking about feta, one of the most famous of Greek cheeses. In fact, 70 percent of the cheese eaten in Greece is feta.  Greeks are fiercely protective of their beloved feta which dates back to the 8 th century B.C. and is written about in Homer’s The Odyssey. While its origin is G...

Sandwich Making Tips Sandwich making tips. The sandwich is an easy meal for a life that’s lived on the run. And run we do! On any given day, one-half of Americans will consume a sandwich.  Nearly half are eaten at lunch and one-third at dinner.  The rest are consumed at breakfast or as a snack.   History of The Sandwich:  The Fast Life In fact, historians tell us that the fast life gave...

Smoked Paprika Cream Cheese Spread   Smoked paprika cream cheese spread. Gobble, gobble.  It’s turkey day. Wait.  What? It’s not Thanksgiving! Turkey Isn’t Just For Thanksgiving Correct!  But any day could be a good day for turkey! If you need to add variety into your meal rotation think turkey. The United States is the largest producer of turkeys in the world producing as much as the rest of...

Smoked Paprika:  It’s Wispy Smoke and Embers Taking Flight Paprika:  More Than Just A Pretty Spice   Smoked Paprika:  It’s wispy fire and embers taking flight. Some like it hot! But some do not! It has its own identity, but people confuse it with other reds. It sounds like the beginnings of a Dr. Seuss story, doesn’t it, but I’m actually talking about a spice – paprika! For many it’s no...

How To Cook Chicken Chickens Are Smart, But Are We When It Comes To Cooking Them?   How to cook chicken. Did you know that chickens are smart?  While we tend to hear just a cluck-cluck here and a cluck-cluck there, all those clucks actually mean something. Chickens have their own language! Researchers have catalogued more than 30 chicken calls and alarms, such as calling their chicks, where t...