Author: Carma Spence

Carma Spence has been experimenting in the kitchen since she was four years old and loves trying out new recipe ideas. She is the author of Bonkers for Bundt Cakes and Your Perfect Pie, as well as author and contributor to several more non-food-related books. With Carma's Cookery, she is taking her passion for empowering people and blending it with her passion for cooking, gift-giving and entertaining.

Creative Cookery Special Occasions

Must-Serve Cocktails For Your Next Party

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date June 5, 2017

Summer cocktails make an excellent addition to a fun outdoor party. And, because of the selection of fresh fruits available during this time of year, you can incorporate them into your drinks to make them even more refreshing. Keep reading for inspiration.

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Strawberry Wine Punch

There’s nothing like a fresh batch of summer strawberries, and you’ll love them in cocktail. Wine makes a great base for punch and strawberry wine adds a little sweetness that goes well with a light summer salad. With very few ingredients required, strawberry wine punch can be made in advance, or quickly for last minute dinner guests. You might even make some to unwind on Friday nights after a long week at work.

Image Source: Pixabay

Bloody Mary

Is your party going to be a lavish brunch instead? Then the perfect cocktail is a Bloody Mary. Don’t limit yourself to just drinking it to treat hangovers; if they’re made with chilled Clamato juice and the perfect Bloody Mary seasoning, these cocktails will be a real a treat for your guests.

To make them even more exciting, experiment with different types of garnishes. You could opt for a classic celery stick, or you could expand the range to include pepperoni, smoked gouda, sweet cherry peppers, baby dill pickles, or even stuffed olives. Each garnish complements the spicy flavors of the Bloody Mary, and makes a simple cocktail into a delightful appetizer. You’ll never go back to the old garnishes ever again.

Image Source: Pixabay

Sparkling Lemonade Sangria

Nothing conjures up the image of holidays in Spain like sipping a cold glass of sangria. This delicious sparkling lemonade sangria is the perfect refreshment to serve at a BBQ.

The night before your big party, marinate Moscato wine, berries, lemons, lemonade, and sugar in a pitcher. If you want to get a little creative, add in different kinds of fruits such as oranges, pineapples, and kiwis. You could also add some pink lemonade to your sangria to give it a little more color. I like to use frozen fruit instead of ice to keep it cold.

Ginger Beer-Pineapple Rum Punch

For those who want something sweet and spicy, this ginger beer and pineapple rum punch is guaranteed to delight the taste buds. Rum punch makes everyone feel like they’re on a tropical getaway in the Caribbean, so this is the perfect drink to serve with jerk chicken or seafood. This is yet another simple cocktail, requiring only fresh lime juice, ginger beer, dark Jamaican rum, and pineapple juice. Simply combine all the ingredients in a pitcher, stir well to combine, then pour over ice to serve.

Cider Rum Punch

As the warm weather begins to wane, a cider rum punch is perfect for warming the soul and holding onto the heat of the summer for a little while longer. Cider combines the fruity, fresh taste of summer with the warmth and depth of fall.

I hope these ideas inspire you to get creative in the kichen and develop some summer cocktails of your own — and remember, they don’t need to be alcholoic to be enjoyed!

Tags cocktail, Fruit, summer

Healthy Living

Nutritious And Delicious: Easy Ways To Get Kids Into Healthy Eating

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date June 1, 2017

If you’re a parent, you’re probably all too familiar with the challenge of getting kids interested in nutritious foods. We’ve all been in a situation where our children refuse to eat their greens or kick up a stink because they want dessert before they’ve finished their main course. When I was a kid, I went through a phase where I would only eat things that were white, which is why my mother invented spinach with rice and mashed potatoes and carrots. It was the only way she could get me to eat something healthy!

Source: Pixabay

If you’re keen to encourage your children to embrace a healthier and more balanced diet, hopefully, this guide will come in handy. Here are some easy ways to get your children into healthy eating.

Cook with Your Kids

You probably know from when you cook at home yourself, that there’s a certain amount of satisfaction involved when you create a meal that tastes great. If you’ve put a lot of effort into a meal, it’s likely that you’re going to enjoy it more. The same rules apply to kids.

If you’ve spent the afternoon with your children preparing ingredients, mixing them together, and waiting to see the results, it makes sense that you’re all going to be enthused about eating your masterpiece. Obviously, there are jobs that are only suitable for adults, but get the kids involved whenever possible.

They can help you get everything ready, measure and weigh the ingredients and then mix them together. Keep things simple when you’re cooking with your children. You don’t want them to lose focus and get bored because they can’t help out with most of the elements. You’ll find a host of easy no bake recipes online, and these are ideal for doing at home with young helpers. If your children show an interest in food, you can also encourage them to learn more and develop their skills by buying some child-friendly cookbooks and kitchen utensils. I have very fond memories of my two kiddie cookbooks: Small World Cook & Color Book and The Cookie Book.

Source: Pixabay

Focus on presentation

No matter what age you are, the aesthetic appeal of a plate of food has an impact on your desire to eat it. When you go to a restaurant, and you’re presented with a beautiful meal, you probably can’t wait to dig in. When you have children, looks are everything when it comes to food, so try and bear this in mind.

You don’t have to be a culinary expert to impress your little ones, but the way you present their meals will make a difference. If you’ve got young kids who are reluctant to eat vegetables, for example, try to be creative and make the plate as fun as possible. Create smiley faces, make animal shapes or use food coloring to make things more exciting. I’ll always remember the fun pancakes my father made for me.

Image Courtesy: Raphaël Labbé, Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic | Flickr

Education

When you’re cooking with your children, take a couple of minutes to talk to them about the ingredients you’re using, and why they’re beneficial. We all know that vegetables are good for us, but explaining why may encourage your kids to eat their greens without any tantrums.

Source: Pixabay

Your child’s health is probably your number one priority. It’s no secret that it can be challenging to get children to eat healthy foods. However, there are ways of making healthy eating more appealing. I hope these suggestions help you out.

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Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

This Healthy Eating Worksheet will walk you through the process of creating a healthy eating plan. All you need to do is print it out, set aside some time to complete it, and then fill it out. Then you can create your plan, knowing that you have addressed potential obstacles and came up with some creative ways to handle them.

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Tags cooking with kids

Healthy Living Tools of the Trade

5 Benefits of Owning an Air Fryer

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date May 31, 2017

Have you heard of the air fryer? This is a kitchen gadget that produces food with the tasty crunchiness of frying with significantly less fat.

Let’s face it, from chicken wings and fish sticks to potato chips and hash browns, there is no denying that fried snacks and dishes are among the tastiest and most well-loved foods in different parts of the world. But while their distinctly delicious taste and delightful crunch are truly satisfying, many people who are mindful of their health try to avoid eating fried foods as much as possible.

On a personal note, due to my digestive issues, I’ve had to cut way back on fried food goodness. And, more often than not, the increasing cases of obesity and cardiovascular diseases is blamed on the high-fat content in deep-fried foods.

A few months ago, I was introduced to the idea of air frying and have been curiously looking into it every since. Apparently, with the advent of this cooking method, you don’t have to choose between sumptuous fried foods and a healthy diet anymore!

Air fryers are specially designed to satisfy the cravings of those who are on a low-fat diet without causing any guilt. Below are 5 benefits of using an air fryer. Check them out and start making tasty fried dishes that are healthy at the same time.

Air Frying Benefit #1. Enjoy healthy fried dishes

Some air fryers use only a small amount of oil while some do not require any oil at all. Air-fryers release warm jets of air to evenly cook your favorite foods, cutting down as much as 80% oil compared with regular fried dishes. Another benefit of using an air fryer is that most of the nutrients are preserved. This means that you can get the most nutrition from healthy fried vegetables as if they were fresh. Not only you will get to enjoy nutritious food, but you can also save money on cooking oil.

Air Frying Benefit #2. Fry your food fast

Unlike ovens and conventional deep fryers, air fryers do not take as much time to heat up. If you are planning to cook chicken drumsticks or nuggets for lunch, you don’t need to thaw frozen foods anymore. Load them up into the air fryer and wait for your crispy fried dishes to cook. This small kitchen appliance is a perfect companion for those who are always on the go.

Air Frying Benefit #3. Clean your air fryer easily

Air fryers cook your food in a closed system with non-stick basket and trays. Say goodbye to messy oil splashes and burnt food sticking on the kitchenware. Most removable parts of an air fryer are also dishwasher-safe and easy to clean and to store.

Air Frying Benefit #4. Safe and easy to use

Almost anyone can use an air fryer, including the elderly. Even those who are new to cooking will find this appliance easy to use. Most air fryers have a timer and auto shut off features for energy efficiency and perfectly fried dishes. With air fryers, you can now enjoy cooking your favorite dishes and have no more worries with dangerous oil splatters or an open flame.

Air Frying Benefit #5. Cook in many ways

Air fryers are versatile. They can be used to bake, roast and grill. Experience the convenience of having a deep fryer, an oven, and a hot grill all in one multi-purpose air cooker.

Learn more about the amazing features of the best air fryers and experience the benefits of using one.

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Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

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Tags air fryer, fried food

Healthy Living

Getting the Kids Interested In Food

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date May 29, 2017

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If you want to give your kids an invaluable skill that will serve them well throughout their life, teach them how to prepare food. Get them interested from an early age in food and how to prepare it. Children are like little sponges, so how you introduce them to food preparation will impact them for a very long time.

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Health is something that will always be an important part their entire lives (whether they like it or know it or not), so starting them young with the principles of healthy eating is important. Children generally tend to eat what their parents eat, and if you are ordering fresh food from places like Foodtown, you’re making a good start in their health education.

It can sometimes feel like a losing battle when getting the kids to eat things that aren’t covered in breadcrumbs. However, if you start early enough, you can get through any hurdle and give your children a healthier start. Their activity levels also impact their appetites and their food intake. Sedentary activities like computer games and TV time won’t help your goal for a healthy life. So, how do you get the kids interested in a healthier menu at home?

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Cook together with the Kids

One of the best things you can do for food education at home, is to touch, taste and smell everything together. Talk about every fresh vegetable you buy and where it comes from. Talk about where meat cuts come from and educate the kids about hygiene in between handling. If children see new vegetables, they turn their noses up at it. It’s normal – even adults turn their noses up at things they don’t know about. Getting children to touch and get involved with chopping and peeling food can really get them involved in different ingredients.

Bring the Kids Shopping

Some parents hate bringing the children to the grocery store – it can be particularly stressful when they are young. However, if you take the time to create picture shopping lists and have them help you choose the items, you can get the children excited about food. It’s one of the best ways to get children familiar with different types of foods and recognizing when something is ripe or healthy.

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Plan Your Meals with the Kids

Allowing children to have an element of control over what they eat can really help them to make good food decisions. Mock up charts on the kitchen walls that show that each meal must have two vegetables, a starch, and a meat and they can then choose from a list of what to have. Get them excited about cooking their choices with you. Being involved in the meal from start to finish will help them to get excited about eating it.

Family dinners are important for your children, so you need to encourage sitting down together and eating as a unit. Encourage eating at the table with the right cutlery instead of on the couch eating with a tray on your lap. Food education is about how it’s eaten as well as what goes into the meal itself. If you’re encouraging good table manners, your children will be more inclined to eat better.

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Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

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Tags cooking with kids, food preparation

Creative Cookery

Obscure Yet Mouthwatering Dessert Ideas For Summer Eating Outdoors

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date May 27, 2017

By Alexis Fam (Flickr: Tiramisu) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Are you hosting a backyard barbecue this summer? People look forward to smokey bbq pork ribs and barbecue chicken wings, but, they also look forward to the dessert.

By Alexis Fam (Flickr: Tiramisu) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

When it comes to summer desserts, the tastebuds want something chilled, cool, light and airy. But you don’t have to stick to ice cream or some kind of chilled cheesecake. The host that thinks outside the box, is the one who provides their guests with something they may never have tried before. Your cooking should get them hooked on a new recipe. I should make the cookout one they’ll never forget so they’ll want to come back for more.

Dessert Idea #1: Tiramisu

I’ll always remember my first tiramisu. I was love at first bite! For those of you not in the know, tiramisu is a delectable fine Italian dessert, a layered cake with elegant posture and bold flavors. The traditional recipe used ladyfinger-like biscuits, mascarpone cheese, marsala wine, rum and lots of heavy cocoa powder. The diversity of ingredients go well together for none of them will be the main powerhouse flavor. The base is ever so delicate and creamy and stands firmly on its own, which is a welcome change as some cakes rely on the sugary aspect to pull through the foundation. The mascarpone and layers of mouthwatering Italian custard are far from plain and exude their own character on the dish. To make authentic Tiramisu, you’ll need freshly ground coffee beans. You can make coffee granules anytime you want at home with a coffee grinder from places like CoffeeGrinderHub.com.

Photo credit – Jules

Dessert Idea #2: Gelato

Another classic Italian: The humble yet royal delight of frozen Italian custard. A great sweet, creamy treat to kick off the warmer weather with. The beauty of gelato is that it can be simple, just get milk, eggs and sugar as the basis. Naturally, it has a deep yellow color because the egg yolks bring a tanned hue to the custard. The unmistakable richness is brought about because it’s all natural, with absolutely zero preservatives.

You can also make it complex, by adding in, fruits, nuts, berries or just simply amalgamating your heart’s true desires, such as dark and milk chocolate, mint and cream, peaches and orange, etc. It’s a great dessert for summer because of the strange yet wonderful paradox gelato has become, even though it’s rich and creamy, it’s still lighter than traditional Western ice cream.

Dessert Idea #3: Mousse

What could go wrong if you keep it simple? For all you chocolate addicts out there, mousse is a softly prepared, light and airy textured dessert that incorporates air bubbles to create smooth and consistent quality puree. Typically made with whipped egg whites, or some fine dining restaurants are known to use whipped cream, the mixture is flavored with chocolate. It’s incredibly versatile as it can be eaten on its own, or as a layer in a cake, used as the main filling in a cheesecake, or even as a topping on a pie. It can be stabilized with gelatin, but if you whip the eggs up properly, all you need for an upright mousse is to rely on the air bubbles you created. And, of course, properly chill the mousse as it will get soggy if left out in the warm weather.

Tags Dessert, gelato, mousse, tiramisu

Cookbook Reviews

Cookbook Review: The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date May 23, 2017

The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook: The Whole Food Approach to Great Taste and Healthy Eating by Jackie Newgent R.D. is a collection of plant-based, nutritiously well-rounded, simple-to-fix recipes. Now out in its second edition, the book has been updated to include vegetarian and quick-fix recipes, tips for achieving high flavor and suggested menus.

I love eating healthfully and thought this would be a good addition to my growing collection of diabetes-related cookbooks.

NOTE: I received a free copy of this book for review, however, I am under no obligation to write about it positively or otherwise.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Over the past couple of years, I’ve experienced an increased interest in the topic of diabetic-friendly cooking. Not only have a married a wonderful man who has Type 2 Diabetes, but I’ve discovered that I’m pre-diabetic (which is, thankfully, reversible through diet and exercise!). This is the fourth in a series of reviews of books on this topic.

Summary of The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook

The premise of this book is that healthy, natural food should be tasty, otherwise you won’t eat it. The author provides a primer at the front of the book of natural ingredients, including some basic definitions of the terms “natural,” “organic” and how they are different. Recipes are organized into the following categories:

Breakfasts
Dips, Salsas and Sauces
Small Plate and Snacks
Salads
Soups, Stews, and Chilis
Sandwiches, Burger and Burritos
Entrées
Sides
Beverages, Smoothies, and Cocktails
Sweets

So there should be a recipe that everyone in your family will like!

What Worked for Me

The overall design of the recipes is clean and easy to read. Each recipe includes serving, servicing size, prep time and cooking time, which helps you plan your menus. Also, each recipe has some additional information as a sidebar, adding interest and, at times, ideas for scaling a recipe to feed more people.

Not only do the recipes favor natural ingredients, there are also a wide variety of cuisines included.

What Didn’t Work for Me

This is a small thing, but the color palette for the design is rather drab: A dark grayish-green and black. If you like photographs of recipes, you find very many in this volume either.

Recommendation

This is a utilitarian book. It is useful and you should be able to find something for everyone within its pages. Because it is published by the American Diabetes Association, you know that the recipes are safe for people with diabetes, too. So, if you’re looking for a “whole food approach” to dining with diabetes, this cookbook just may be what you’re looking for!

Rating for The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook

Specs

Format: Paperback (352 pages)
Publisher: American Diabetes Association
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1580405452
ISBN-13: 978-1580405454

Pick up your copy on Amazon.com here.

Previous Reviews in this Series:

Tags diabetes

Healthy Living Well Stocked Pantry

Ingredients: Is Your Meal Completely Healthy?

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date May 18, 2017

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Do you read the ingredients when you buy processed, packaged or prepared foods at the grocery store? If you’re interested in eating a wholesome diet, like I am, you might do a lot of research into nutritious meals and healthy ingredients to make sure you’re getting your daily vitamins and minerals. Maybe your research let you to Carma’s Cookery!

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But, no matter how much research you do, can you be sure that your meal completely healthy? Unfortunately, food manufacturers add some dubious ingredients to preserve their food and give it a certain taste, color, or texture. Some of those additions are harmless, but others are not. The next time you go food shopping, scan the labels for some of these ingredients.

Ingredients Highlight #1: Carrageenan

Carrageenan comes from an edible seaweed known as Irish Moss, and it is widely used in the food industry for its gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties. The problem with carrageenan is that it’s not digestible and has no nutritional value.

Carrageenan is particularly destructive to the digestive system, and it causes inflammation, leading to ulceration and bleeding. Other carrageenan side effects include leaky gut syndrome, cancer, and it has been linked to diabetes. Unfortunately, health enthusiasts are likely to have a lot of carrageenans in their kitchen, as it’s commonly found in almond milk, coconut milk, most organic foods, and some Starbucks drinks with soy milk.

Ingredients Highlight #2: Palm Oil

When a regular fat like corn, soybean, or palm oil is blasted with hydrogen and turned into a solid, it becomes a trans fat. This might not mean much to you, but essentially it means that food with palm oil can sit on a supermarket shelf for years without rotting or growing stale.

If you’ve ever eaten food two years after you first bought it, you should be suspicious if it still tastes fine. Take a good look at those instant noodles. Also, eating junk food with trans fats raises your “bad” LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and lowers your “good” HDL. These fats also increase your risk of blood clots and heart attack.

Ingredients Highlight #3: Yellow #5 (Tartrazine/ E102)

Yellow #5 is a synthetic lemon yellow dye widely used in the making of potato chips, jams, candy, drinks and even pet food. It is also added to shampoo and other cosmetic products.

The Food Standards Agency in the UK issued a warning in 2008 that certain food colorings, including Yellow #5, caused behavioral changes in children that included loss of concentration and impulsive, hard-to-control activity. Yellow #5 has also been linked to asthma, migraines, thyroid cancer, anxiety, clinical depression, blurred vision, purple spots on your skin and unexplainable itchy skin.

Ingredients Highlight #4: High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

High-fructose corn syrup is a sweetener made from corn starch that has been processed by glucose isomerase to convert some of its glucose into fructose. It is sweeter and cheaper than regular sugar, and therefore it has become a staple ingredient in most processed food.

In fact, some studies have linked HFCS to the increasing obesity rates in America. Although households trying to eat well may have purged their cabinets of foods like soda, candy, salad dressing, and frozen junk food, HFCS can also be found in juice, bread, breakfast cereals, and even cough syrup.

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Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

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Tags ingredients, unhealthy ingredients