cooking Archives - now & gen

My Favorite Winter Kale Salad

Nowandgen Author — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 19:22:46 +0000

I harvested all my kale before the big snow storm in Texas last week, so I'm making big batches of my favorite winter kale salad from Planted.Kitchen.

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Pie Tips from Candace Nelson

Nowandgen Author — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 21:31:14 +0000

Sprinkles Cupcakes founder Candace Nelson reveals her secrets for perfect pies—and shares her chocolate bourbon pecan pie recipe.

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What We’ve Been Cooking in Quarantine

Nowandgen Author — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 14:00:30 +0000

We’ve always cooked a lot in the Padalecki household, but man—I’ve never cooked so much (or done so many dishes!) in my entire life as I have these last two months. And I know I’m not alone. With restaurants closed and takeout much harder to get these days, I’m pretty sure everyone is spending a lot more time in the kitchen cooking in quarantine. To battle the food boredom and use up produce before it goes bad, we’ve been trying to get creative and find delicious recipes that don’t require too many ingredients or too much effort. Here are eight of my go-to quarantine cooking recipes, from salmon and egg standards to vegan and junk food–inspired options. See any that interest you? Give them a try, and then let me know how they turned out! And I’d love it if you would share your favorite recipes in the comments below. I’m always looking for new things to cook that will please the whole family. Quinoa beet salad with feta from Amy Chaplin I love anything with beets, particularly this recipe. You can see Amy’s passion for food and food prep in her cookbook, Whole Food Cooking Every Day. Her recipes reflect […]

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A Conversation About Food, Family & Sustainability with Candace Nelson

NowAndGenAdmin — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 00:18:45 +0000

Conversations with friends are one of those simple, soul-nourishing activities I could do for hours and my recent conversation with Candace Nelson was further proof. You might know Candace as the founder of the tremendously successful Sprinkles Cupcakes (now in over 24 locations!) or her TV appearances on shows like Cupcake Wars and Sugar Rush. She’s also helped me make her ultimate vanilla cupcakes and delicious gluten-free granola bars during my marathon training. I sat down with Candace in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago to talk food, family and sustainability on her podcast “Live to Eat.” She’s so much more than just the queen of cupcakes. She’s a dear friend and I loved our time chatting together. Let me know what you think! You can also listen to my episode on her podcast, Live to Eat, on Apple, Podbean or wherever you listen to podcasts!

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Fall Recipe: Pickled Apples and Pears

Heather Catania — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 16:33:13 +0000

I've been trying to limit our food waste. So, when we recently had an abundance of apples and pears that I didn’t know what to do with, I reached out to my chef friend Brock Lane for ideas. His suggestion: PICKLE them. Say what? I'd never thought to pickle fruit, but I did it and I have to say, the results were delicious and gorgeous.

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Frosted Pretzels Recipe

Heather Catania — Sat, 26 Oct 2019 15:00:23 +0000

A quick, fun, easy dessert or snack recipe that you and your kiddos will love.

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Easy Homemade Granola Bars With Sprinkles’ Candace Nelson

Nowandgen Author — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 18:56:28 +0000

Thanks to marathon training, I feel like I’m hungry ALL. THE. TIME. I’m having difficulty fueling my body and staying full. Not a bad problem to have, but I want to be mindful of what I’m putting in my body. Thankfully, my friend and founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes, Candace Nelson, has come to the rescue with her gluten-free granola bars. Her signature snack always satisfies my sweet tooth while packing a healthy punch of protein and antioxidants. The recipe combines seeds, rolled oats, maple syrup and mini chocolate chips for a delicious, high-energy bar. (Note: It calls for almond butter, but you can sub it out for sunflower butter to make the bars nut-free, should you or your kids have nut allergies). It’s a simple “mix and bake” type recipe that’s so easy even my little ones can help. Candace also shares a cool tip on how to dress ‘em up, so they taste and look better than any store bought bar. Check out the video to see how they’re made, then try it yourself with the recipe below! Crunchy Chocolatey Granola Bars 2 cups rolled oats (not quick cook) ½ cup sunflower seeds ½ cup pumpkin seeds 1/3 cup […]

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Soup Recipes To Warm The Season

Nowandgen Author — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 17:08:46 +0000

To me, there is no better comfort food than a bowl of homemade soup. It reminds me of snowy winter days in Idaho and my mom’s caring hands. She would sauté aromatic vegetables, letting all the ingredients simmer and marinate while we were away at school until they made a delicious, rich broth. Coming in from the cold to the finished pot on the stove felt like such a treat, and the aromas made the whole house smell amazing. With its cozy familiarity, soup is still one of my favorite things to cook during the winter months. Eating it makes me feel comforted and I love how making it always seems to bring my family together—whether it’s with big bowls around the kitchen table or in to-go mugs to warm us up on the sidelines while we cheer on the boys at their soccer game. Considering half the country is still thawing out from the polar vortex, it felt like the perfect time to share some warming recipes. Here are my five favorite soups to cozy up to, perfect for a cold day. What are your go-to comfort foods? Jamie Oliver’s Tomato Soup The classic combo of tomato soup and […]

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How to De-Stress Your Thanksgiving

Heather Catania — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 22:36:14 +0000

I have a confession: I’m sort of known as The Grinch of Thanksgiving dinner. I know, I know! I love the ritual of the entire family gathering around the table to show gratitude for all the good things in our lives. But actually preparing all the food is stressful and I’ve just never been a big fan of the traditional Thanksgiving foods. There, I said it. Luckily, I know a pro who does love cooking Turkey Day dinner: Gaby Dalkin. She is the founder of my absolute favorite cooking blog What’s Gaby Cooking. Her recipes are approachable, and she has that easy-breezy California sensibility about cooking (good ingredients, not a whole lot of fuss) that I admire. I knew she’d have great advice since her cookbook (see it here) is full of creative ideas, so I asked her to share her chef secrets before the big day. Here, her four fail-proof tips to getting Thanksgiving dinner on the table with minimal stress. 1. THINK AHEAD The key to less cooking anxiety: More prep. “Anything that can be done ahead of time should be, including setting the table,” says Dalkin. “And keep in mind that almost all the veggies can be […]

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Scary-Easy Halloween Recipes

Heather Catania — Fri, 26 Oct 2018 06:00:39 +0000

I love the idea of a DIY Halloween party, of Martha Stewart-ing every last detail of my kids’ favorite holiday. But the sad truth is: I’m kinda terrible at it. I can admire a curated Pinterest board of perfectly decorated spider cupcakes and handmade costumes as much as the next mom, but “craftsy” is not a word I’d use to describe myself. Unfortunately for me, my kids are begging for all things Halloween-themed right now… I decided to try out a couple of seemingly easy DIY Halloween recipes that I thought even a craftily challenged mom like myself could pull off. Well, as you’ll see, my results wouldn’t exactly make anyone’s Pinterest board. The snacks still made my kids’ day though, which is really the most important thing. Shep and I had the best time playing in the kitchen together—and laughing my missteps. I love that these moments with my kids never fail to remind me what the holidays are really about. If you’d like to give them a go, the “recipes” don’t require a lot of tools. All you need are a couple of cookie cutters, and you’re ready to go. And I even added my own little “Not-So-Pro […]

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