Kitchen Basics

Kitchen Basics are methods, short cuts, and best practices to use when cooking – tips and suggestions in the kitchen. We also include basic staple recipes that you will use time and time again.

condensed cream of mushroom soup vegan
Fall & Winter Holidays, Gluten Free Option, Kitchen Basics, One Pot Dishes, Soups, Stove Top Dishes

Kitchen Basics: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

I absolutely love this condensed cream of mushroom soup recipe adapted from Know Your Produce. This is a staple recipe I will use time and time again. You can use this condensed soup the same way you use canned cream of mushroom soup. Use it “as is” in recipes, or add a nice plant based […]

kitchen basics homemade vegetable broth
Kitchen Basics, Savory Sauces & Dressings, Soups, Vegetables

Kitchen Basics: Homemade Vegetable Broth

Making homemade vegetable broth is so easy. If you use it often or have room in your freezer to store it, you should try making it yourself. Homemade broth is less expensive and also has less salt in it. You can control the ingredients and the density of the broth, too. The vegetables used to […]

Fewer Than 6 Ingredients, Gluten Free, Kitchen Basics, Lunch & Dinner, One Pot Dishes, Oven Dishes, Sides, Summer Holidays, Vegetables

Kitchen Basics: Boiling & Roasting Corn

I’ve always boiled ears of corn, but when I was researching methods for boiling, I came across a variety of roasting methods, too. For a couple of weeks, I was eating a lot of corn, trying all these ways to cook it! I hope you can use these tips for cooking and serving some of […]

Kitchen Basics, Pasta & Noodles, Salads, Sandwiches, Vegetables

Kitchen Basics: Roasting Bell Peppers (or any peppers!)

Roasting bell peppers is an easy way to cook them for adding to sandwiches, salads, pasta or other veggie dishes. There are a few ways to roast peppers, with variations in how to cut the peppers, mostly. You can roast them whole or halved, but I like this method, for a few reasons: 1) It’s […]

Condiments, Fewer Than 6 Ingredients, Gluten Free, Kitchen Basics

Kitchen Basics: Vanilla Sugar

Use one of these three methods to make one of the easiest kitchen basics: vanilla sugar. From time to time, you will come across a cookie recipe calling for vanilla sugar. Don’t run out to buy it! You can easily make it at home. I’ve seen vanilla sugar in many European and German cookie recipes. […]

Appetizers, Condiments, Fewer Than 6 Ingredients, Gluten Free, Kitchen Basics, Oven Dishes, Pasta & Noodles, Pizzas

Kitchen Basics: Roasted Garlic

One of my favorite kitchen basics, roasted garlic is one of those foods that you won’t be able to live without once you’ve made it. You can roast several garlic heads and use them at once, or keep them in the fridge or freezer for later. Roasted garlic can be used on pasta, spread on […]