Frankly my dear, I don’t care what you eat.

I had an interesting conversation with a woman the other day. She is in her mid thirties, educated, articulate and smart. She is a CPA and has her own business. I was sharing that I am writing a cookbook and that opener always leads to many questions from both sides. People love to talk about food and either their lack of cooking skills or their proficiency in the kitchen.

She told me that she cooked a few times for her husband when they were dating to “hook him in”, but she has not cooked at all in the eight years they have been married. That statement did not bother me, but her next statement did. She said he cooks for himself and that she did not care what he ate. I was dumbstruck. Admittedly, I am a bit obsessive about cooking and eating well, but to not care what someone you love eats was incomprehensible to me. The only way I was able to rationalize her attitude was to convince myself that she did not see cooking as an opportunity to show nurturing, love, care and concern for her husband. I am sure he is doing fine cooking for himself and, obviously, he is quite capable, but she is missing a chance to influence his health and well-being.

Let’s Cook Tonight® and America’s Cooking Cheerleader™ want to start a movement of men and women who are cooking for their families again and loving it. Cooking will enable you to control the quality and nutritional value of the food you eat. You will save you money, create family time and get your health back under your control. What you eat directly affects your energy level, stamina, and short and long-term health. I do not understand the women who do not take feeding their family seriously because it is a serious matter.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Never put anything in the microwave without a cover. If you do this, you will never have to clean the inside of your microwave.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Cook Once Eat Twice™

You could write a book listing all of the reasons you do not have time to cook and the book would be a bestseller because all of your reasons would hold up to scrutiny and everyone would sympathize. You run a million miles a day, you are exhausted when you get home, you need to run your son somewhere in 30 minutes, and your daughter needs help with her math homework. Besides all of that, you and the troops are starving, you have nothing in the house, and everyone wants something to eat right now. I do not blame you for picking up something at the deli, going through the drive-thru, or popping in a microwavable meal. Even a saint could not cook under those conditions.

The major food companies read your book and they do their best to help you. You can run into the grocery store and get almost anything in a box or can. It is entirely possibly to eat everyday without ever turning on your stove or oven. I am not against convenience, timesaving, or effortless dinners; there is a time and place for everything. What you need to remember, however, is that there is a price to pay for everything as well. When you eat manufactured foods your grocery bill is higher, you have no control over freshness, taste, fat, salt or sugar, the food is not as nutritious, and you are ingesting many preservatives, artificial flavorings and colorings.

Time to cook is never going to magically appear in your schedule, you have to schedule it in. What would happen if you sat down once a week and scheduled in time to cook dinner at home two nights a week? Since you are cooking anyway, you could double the recipes and put half in the freezer. In a few weeks, you would have a freezer full of homemade meals ready to take out in a moments notice and pop in the microwave.

Let’s Cook Tonight® and America’s Cooking Cheerleader™ want you to start cooking again so you can take back control over what you eat. You will save money and the food you feed your family will be more nutritious. Cook Once Eat Twice™ is way to create a freezer full of your own homemade takeout. Once you get the hang of it, you will wonder why you used to purchase so much manufactured food. You might even be inspired to write another bestseller.

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: If you do not need the top to a pot leave it in the cupboard. If it is out on the counter, it will get dirty.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Listen because your Food is Talking

As America’s Cooking Cheerleader, I want you to start cooking, in fact, I want to start a movement of men and women who are cooking for their families again and loving it. My goal is to teach you that cooking is easier than you think and that you, and your family, are worth the time and effort it takes. I will teach you anything I know to make cooking less of a chore for you and to make your life in the kitchen easier.

If you hate to cook, or do not know how, then you probably do not realize that cooking food talks. I will use fresh mushroom as an example. When you add fresh mushroom to hot butter or oil, they immediately absorb all of the fat and the sound is very quiet, almost muffled. After a few minutes, they start to release their liquid and the sound gets louder as the liquid starts to come to a boil. As more liquid is released, it gets much louder. All of this noise continues for a while until, suddenly, it changes again and becomes very quiet meaning the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are starting to brown. The sound changes from liquid boiling to fat sizzling.

If you train your ear, you can save yourself time in the kitchen and saving even five minutes can be significant. Turn your back on the mushrooms, cut the next ingredient, or start some clean up, or help your son with his homework and when the pot starts to sizzle go back to it. With the exception of garlic, you do not have to stare at your food as it cooks instead the sound it makes will tell you that it needs attention.

I realize this is not practical if you have children in and out of the kitchen, but if you do not have a lot of background noise start paying attention to what sounds the food makes when it is ready for the next step. Food is more forgiving than you think it is and if you learn to listen to it, you will realize that you do not need vigilance as you cook only good hearing.

Have you ever thought of listening to your food before?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: If you line your cookie sheets with parchment paper, you will have one less thing to wash.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Cleaning Up is a Clean Job

I know people who avoid cooking at home because they hate to clean their kitchen when they are done. A dirty stove is a small price to pay for a delicious, nutritious home cooked meal, but I will share some of the cleaning shortcuts that I use to make clean up a bit quicker.

Clean up as you go. As you are cooking there is always time when you are waiting for something to come to a boil, vegetables to start releasing their liquid, or for something to finish browning. Those minutes are precious and can add up so use them to your advantage. Put whichever utensils you will no longer need in the dishwasher, wash the ones that must be washed by hand. Periodically wipe off the counter, it may get messy again, but if you wipe it down as you go along the final cleaning in the end will be considerably less. Put whichever ingredients you are done with back in the refrigerator or in the cupboard.

The stove will be your messiest thing to clean. Once everything is through browning and all of the ingredients have been added, and therefore nothing more will splatter, clean your stove. Start with the side that is not being used to cook anything. Wash it down completely. Then take your pot and place it on the clean burner, turn on the burner to the same heat setting you moved it off from and let it finish cooking on the clean side. Then wash the other side of your stove. When dinner is done you will not have to clean your stove because you did it while the food was cooking. You also could line the side of the stove you will not be cooking on with aluminum foil that way any splatters get on the foil and you just throw it away when you are done cooking.

Let’s Cook Tonight® and America’s Cooking Cheerleader™ want you to cook for your family and we will teach you everything we know to make cooking less of a chore for you. If you clean up as you go you add only a small amount of time to the cooking process, but you will save yourself a significant amount of time after dinner.

Does the idea of cleaning the kitchen make you avoid cooking?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Grate cheese on top of wax paper. It will be easier to transfer the cheese to the cup to measure it and you will not have to wash a dish.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Do You Want More Energy?

Eating is one of the top ten things to do everyday. It ranks way up there with breathing and sleeping. What you eat determines your energy level, your stamina, and your short and long-term health. Think about professional athletes. An integral part of their training is knowing what to eat and when to eat. When Lance Armstrong was actively competing, he had his diet down to a science.

You can eat foods that give you energy or that make you sleepy. Do you remember the Thanksgiving turkey? You can eat foods that give you a quick burst of energy or ones that keep your energy level stable for a long time. You can eat foods that make you retain water or ones that flush your system. What you eat is intimately tied to your health. It is similar to breathing heavily polluted air. The men that worked in coal mines years ago often died of lung diseases.

If you are older than ten, you probably know what foods make you feel good and which ones do not. If you really do not have a clue then start paying attention. You do no have to become obsessed, just notice. Do you feel sleepy? What did you eat at your last meal? Have you been working nonstop for hours? What did you eat that gave you that stamina? Were your eyes puffy and did you feel bloated this morning? What did you eat before you went to bed? This is not rocket science and it is very easy to figure out if you just stop and notice.

Let’s Cook Tonight® teaches a common sense approach to eating. A strong connection exists between what you put in your mouth and what happens in your body. What you eat greatly affects how you feel. It makes sense to pay attention to that connection so you can feel great all of the time. Can you eat “polluted” junk foods, salty snacks and sweets? Of course, they add pleasure to your meals and occasionally they are not harmful, but for the bulk of your meals choose a wide variety of colorful foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. Real food will make you feel real good.

Do you agree that what you eat affects your energy level?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: For a nice change, place your dessert fork and coffee spoon on the table above the dinner plate.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Creating the Fond of your Dreams

If you are going to take the time to cook, then Let’s Cook Tonight® wants you to get as much flavor as possible for your efforts. The difference between mediocre cooks and great ones is just a bit of knowledge. Good cooks know a few tricks of the trade and use them consistently.

Creating fond, those browned bits of meat or vegetables that stick to the bottom of the pan, is one trick worth learning and incorporating into your dishes. The browned bits are not to be avoided because they add incomparable flavor to the finished dish. The key to fond is very high heat, dry ingredients, not crowding the pot, and not moving the food.

Start with a stainless steel or cast iron pot. Do not use non-stick cookware; fond will not form in non-stick pots. Heat the pot on high and add olive oil. Fond is created with very high heat; olive oil has a much higher burning temperature than butter. If you use butter, it will burn long before those browned bits are formed. If you are browning meat, pick it up with a paper towel and dry it. Moisture will prevent fond from forming. If you are browning vegetables, their natural moisture is fine, but if you wash them, you must dry them with a paper towel.

Add the meat in small batches. If you overcrowd the pot, the meat will not brown. Keep the heat on high and resist the temptation to stir or move the food after you have added it to the hot oil. The key to browning is to leave the food undisturbed for a few minutes to allow it to form a color and for bits of the food to stick to the pan. Do not be anxious that the food will burn; it will not because you are not going to keep it there too long. With experience, you will know when the browning has occurred. In the beginning, turn one piece over to see what it looks like; if it is pale in color, leave the rest in place. When they become a nice dark brown, but not black brown, turn them over and brown the other side.

Once the meat has browned, use a spatula to remove it from the pot. Take a good look at your fond--those delicious browned bits stuck to the pan. Those bits will take your dishes from mediocre to extraordinary. Add your liquid or additional vegetables and gently scrape the fond from the bottom so it is released into the liquid. This is called deglazing and the moisture will “clean” your pot. Then continue with the dish.

Are you up to creating fond?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: When you freeze leftover food, wrap them in individual potions. That way you can heat up just enough for lunch or one person.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Fond is the Difference between Good Food and Great Food

A friend told me she threw out all of her stainless steel pots and pans and purchased an all non-stick set. She said that the stainless steel ones were “impossible to wash” and she could never get all of the browned, stuck pieces of food off the bottom of the pot. What she did not realize was those browned, stuck pieces of food are what professional chefs work so hard to get. All great cooks brown their meat and vegetables by putting them in a pot with oil and cooking at a very high heat. When the meat or vegetables are turned over, small bits of food stick to the pan and as they continue to brown, they become a nice caramel color. Those stuck bits are referred to as fond and they are the difference between good food and great food. They add incomparable flavor to sauces, stews, even simple vegetable dishes.

The fond easily comes off the pot when you add a liquid such as wine, tomatoes, broth or vegetables that release their water as they cook. If you always add some kind of liquid or vegetable to the browned bits you will never have an impossible pot to wash; the moisture loosens the fond from the bottom. This process is called deglazing and it allows that wonderful flavor to be incorporated into the dish.

Fond can be ruined by burning it, preventing it from forming it the first place by not browning the meat, or by using a non-stick pot. Those delicious brown bits do not form in a non-stick pot because the food must adhere to the surface of the pot. Non-stick cookware does serve a purpose, and if you truly have to watch every bit of fat you ingest then they are very valuable. If you use non-stick cookware to save a few calories in fat then you are compromising the flavor and satiety value of your food. Fat is necessary to your health, it makes the food taste richer so you are satisfied with less, and you feel fuller faster when your food has some fat in it. Are those few calories you save, by cooking in non-stick pots, really making a difference in your weight?

Let’s Cook Tonight® teaches a common sense approach to cooking; if you are going to cook dinner, it makes sense to make your food taste as delicious as possible. Fond will make your food taste incredible. Tomorrow, I will teach you how to create the fond of your dreams easily.

Why do you use non-stick pots?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Store sesame seeds in a glass jar in the freezer. Otherwise, they may turn rancid.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Food does not have to be Gourmet to be Delicious

It is very easy to set yourself apart. So many things have become automated, and very few people take the time to go the extra mile, that when you go even a few extra feet for someone you will be noticed. With cooking, it is especially easy to stand out.

If you want to impress someone with a nice dinner and you do not think you are a gourmet cook, think again. Never underestimate a good meatloaf with tasty mashed potatoes. Food does not have to be fancy to be delicious and nutritious. If something is not labeled gourmet, it can still be the best quality.

Because very few people cook from scratch, you do not have to work too hard to make a great impression when you cook. Your guest will love the fact that you are making an attempt to cook for him and you are not just ordering takeout. If your cooking experience is limited, then stick with dishes that you know turn out well. Cooking for someone for the first time is not the occasion to try a new dish. Do yourself a favor and take a moment to pull out recipes that are simple, delicious and that always work.

Also, take the time to put some effort into the presentation. Eating encompasses all five senses sight, taste, sound, smell, and touch. How your table looks adds to the enjoyment of the evening. Setting a beautiful table tells your guest that he is important because you went the extra mile. Use your best dishes, put on a linen table cloth and use linen napkins. If your guest is worth inviting over than he is worth washing the linen for.

Have you ever wanted to make a meal to impress someone?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: If you do not use your oil in a timely fashion, store it in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature before using.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Chicken Broth can take you from Mediocre to Excellent in the Kitchen

There is a world of difference in the taste of a meal prepared by a mediocre cook and an excellent cook. In the preparation, both cooks probably did the same amount of effort; the excellent cook just knows about, and uses, a few tricks that make a world of difference.

Canned chicken broth is one of those tricks. An excellent cook makes a habit out of using chicken broth in place of water. When you cook rice, for example, replace the water with chicken broth. This will give your rice incredible flavor. For a negligible amount of additional calories, you took your rice from bland and boring to tasty.

Purchase the store brand of chicken broth it is just as good as a name brand and a lot less expensive. Find one that is fat free, has no MSG, and has reduced sodium. For a few pennies, you can really improve the flavor of your food. Try substituting chicken broth for the water when you make any type of meat or vegetable stew. I use chicken broth for everything because it has more flavor than beef broth. Dried beans and grains have a better flavor when they are cooked in chicken broth. That small change will make a significant difference in the finished dish.

Chicken broth is usually sold in 14-ounce cans. That is an odd amount so you probably will have part of the can left over. Put it in a container, label it with the amount left, and put it in the freezer. The next time you need broth take it directly from the freezer and put it in the microwave on high power. It will thaw quickly and you will have no waste.

Let’s Cook Tonight® believes that cooking is necessary if you want to get the most flavor and nutrition from your food. Cooking is easier than you think and it does not take a lot of skill, knowledge or technique. You can go from mediocre to excellent easily. We are here to guide you.

Do you ever use chicken broth?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Brown sugar should always be packed into the measuring cup.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Salt is Sweeter than you Think

In recent years, salt has gotten a bad reputation. Your body needs salt to function; the problem arises when you consume too much salt. Consuming too much of anything, even water, can kill you.

Salt is a flavor enhancer, and a preservative, so it is added liberally to canned, frozen and pre-packaged foods. If you eat many ready-made foods, then you will probably consume too much salt. This is the perfect example of why cooking for your family is so important. When you cook your own food, you have 100 percent control over the amount of salt in your finished dish. You get to choose how much you add instead of being at the mercy of someone else’s choice.

Do not underestimate the impact of a bit of added salt. Many times a dish, that has a lot of fresh ingredients, herbs, and aromatics such as garlic and onion, will taste flat. Then I realize I have not yet added salt. It is always amazing how a bit of salt brings out the taste of the other flavorings. Salt makes the other flavors pop.

Let’s Cook Tonight® is all about eating real foods that you must cook yourself instead of prepackaged, convenience foods. Real foods give you the most flavor and nutrition and they are the most cost effective for your family’s budget. The salt debate is another reason to cook your own food. If you have a health problem where you must limit your intake of salt, then please follow your doctor’s advice. If you do not have a problem, then use salt, with discretion, to increase the flavor of your food. It will enhance the taste and your enjoyment and it is a bonus when you get to choose the amount.

Do you agree that salt brings out the flavor of other ingredients?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: When measuring flour, use a spoon to fill the measuring cup do not dip the measuring cup into the flour in order to fill it.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

A Recipe for Disaster

Before my wedding, my future husband requested that I learn how to make his mother’s spaghetti sauce. When I asked his mother for the recipe, she offered me a lesson instead. I spent a day with her writing down not only the ingredients, but also the steps and the nuances that resulted in a sauce that was delicious. A few weeks later, I made a batch and was pleased that I passed the test; my sauce tasted just like his mother’s sauce. There has been a debate in my house for 27 years of whether or not he would have married me if I had failed the test. Since I learned the recipe the first time, I never had to discover the truth!

At 20 years old, I did not realize the potential dangers in trying to learn a recipe that my mother in law could make in her sleep. Fortunately, I was a quick learner, but it could have been a source of frustration and comparison for me had I not mastered the recipe. Trying to duplicate a recipe that someone else has perfected usually is futile. Knowing the ingredients is not the only thing; if you want to make it the same, you have to know the timing, the color, and how it is supposed to taste, and smell, at its various stages.

Let’s Cook Tonight® believes that cooking is easier than you think, but not if you set yourself up for failure by trying to master a recipe that someone else has taken a lifetime to perfect. That is a recipe for disaster because your attempts will leave you frustrated and your version will never measure up. Instead, find recipes that your family loves that you can make in your sleep. They will become a treasured part of your family’s traditions.

Do you have a favorite dish that you have perfected?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: If you have a flower center piece, be certain it is low enough so it will not interfere with conversation

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

If your husband’s boss is coming for dinner, you probably want the meal to be delicious and impressive. First, call the boss’s secretary to see if he has any allergies or is a vegetarian. It would be awful if you make a nice dinner he will not eat. Then remember that simplicity and presentation are everything.

Make a roast chicken with baked potatoes. Do not buy the rotisserie chickens at the grocery store; you want the boss to know you went through some trouble for him. Buy a fat whole chicken, rinse it, put it on a wire rack to elevate it off the baking dish, and do not add water. Rub oil, vegetable or olive, all over the skin, and then sprinkle it with a lot of salt and pepper. Place it in a 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes a pound. Resist the temptation to baste the chicken; it will cook quicker if you leave it alone. The chicken is done when a thermometer inserted into the thigh reaches 180-degrees. If it is done before you are ready for it, wrap it completely in several layers of foil and leave it on the counter. It will stay hot and moist.

Buy fat baking potatoes, scrub them, and prick them all over with a fork. They take about 90 minutes to bake depending on their size. Go with simplicity and just offer butter and sour cream. Add a colorful vegetable such as fresh, not frozen, spinach. You can easily cook it, without water, in the microwave and dress it with butter and salt. Buy rolls from a bakery that makes them from scratch. For dessert, buy vanilla ice cream and top it with a sweet liqueur such as Crème de Menthe, Amaretto, or Grand Marnier. Those are great liqueurs; do not disguise their flavor with artificial whip cream. Do not forget great coffee and whole milk.

For the presentation, set a table that looks spectacular. Put fresh flowers out, but make sure the arrangement is low enough so it does not get in the way of conversation. Use a linen tablecloth and napkins, and use your best dishes and stemware. Cooking and entertaining is easier than you think. Simplicity will make the food taste delicious and a special presentation will make the boss feel important.

Have you ever had to make dinner for your spouse’s boss?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Never measure additional ingredients over the batter, if you pour too much you will ruin the batter.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

What is More Important the Flavor of your Dental Floss or the Flavor of your Dinner?

You can spend hours in a grocery store and get lost in the quantity of items for sale. When was the last time you bought dental floss? You get to choose from waxed, un-waxed, cinnamon, mint, thick, thin, etc. The same quantity of choice exists for toothpaste, toothbrushes and mouthwash. Do you want to clean your teeth or have an experience?

You exercise choice over the details of your dental products, but you seldom exercise choice over what goes into your food. If you buy manufactured, pre-prepared, convenience, or take out foods, someone else decided the type and quantity of fat, and the amount of salt and sugar. A stranger decided to add artificial flavor enhancers, artificial colors, and preservative to keep the product on the shelf longer. Someone you have never met chose how much starch to add, how fresh the vegetables were, and whether or not it tasted good. Someone spent a lot of money creating the part you do not eat, the outside packaging. You left every detail of the flavor, freshness, and nutrition of your dinner to someone who does not know you or your family.

Let’s Cook Tonight® and America’s Cooking Cheerleader™ want you to start cooking again so you can take control over what you eat. What you eat directly affects your energy level, stamina, and long-term health. Why would you want someone, who does not even know your name, to choose what is in your dinner? We believe your food choices should rank up at least as high as the flavor of your dental floss.

Do you agree?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking substitution: 1 cup sour cream = 1 cup plain, unsweetened, yogurt.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Can You See the Plate Under Your Cake?

The story is familiar. A new diet gives you an initial weight loss, then you hit a plateau and you get discouraged and bored. You force yourself to continue the deprivation and negative self-judgment, and then your will power weakens and your old habits return. Why do you put yourself through that torture repeatedly? When will you learn that a diet is inherently a set up for failure? If any of them had ever worked you would have been at your desired weight years ago.

You are thinking that this time will be different; you will be better, stronger, and more determined to stay the course until you get to where you want to be. Perhaps, but are you willing to continue the deprivation to maintain your weight loss? You know the answer so well you could easily finish writing this blog.

Let’s Cook Tonight® teaches a common sense approach to eating. It does not make any sense to continue the dieting torture. It makes sense to eat real food that has real flavor and eat it as close to its natural state as possible. You will know a food is real if it does not come with an ingredients label. Real foods are naturally high in fiber, flavor, satiety value, and nutrition. If your plate has an ample amount of colorful foods that are cooked simply and dressed lightly your will lose weight slowly and feel great in the process. You will not feel deprived eating real foods.

Let’s Cook Tonight® believes that it also makes sense to eat the “forbidden foods” as well. Just take a modest amount, put it on a plate, sit and eat it deliberately; pay attention to how good it tastes and enjoy every mouthful. Food is one of life’s pleasures and the “bad foods” are pleasurable. There is no reason to avoid the “bad foods” and any long-term attempt to do so is just a set up for a binge. You can have your cake and eat it too, just be certain your dinner is made up of real foods and your slice of cake does not hide the plate it is sitting on.

Do you have a dieting story?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Fish is done when it is milk white and flakes easily with a fork.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

A Dinner for Carnivores and Vegetarians

Have you ever invited friends in for dinner and discovered that one of them is a vegetarian? You want to accommodate him, but you do not want to have to make two meals. If your friend is a vegan, meaning he does not consume any animal products, even honey, then you need to ask for his help. If he is a lacto-ovo vegetarian, meaning he eats milk and eggs, then you can make a dinner to please everyone.

Try a pasta dish that has vegetables and cheese. An easy one is pasta with mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes and basil. Cut cherry tomatoes in half, sprinkle with salt, fresh basil, garlic, and olive oil. Then add whole milk mozzarella that you cut into small pieces. Cook pasta and add the hot, drained pasta to the sauce. The flavorful oil will coat the pasta and the cheese will get soft; add some Italian bread that you buy at a bakery, not the grocery store. This meal is easy and delicious. Your meat-eating friends will love the taste and will not feel deprived, and your vegetarian friend will be pleased you honored his commitment.

Let’s Cook Tonight® believes that cooking is easier than you think. Do not over complicate and agonize. Use the Italian philosophy of cooking: use fresh ingredients, cook them simply, and dress them lightly.

Do you cook for a vegetarian friend?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: Shrimp are done when they turn pink.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

If You do not Take Care of Yourself Who is Going to?

Do you ever arrive home from a long day very hungry? Perhaps you worked through lunch and when you get home you grab anything you can to satisfy your empty stomach. By the time dinner is ready your appetite is gone. You filled up on foods that might have tasted good, if you ate slow enough to taste them, but were devoid of nutrition. Your stomach is full, but you cheated your body. You eat anything because it serves the purpose of filling your stomach and then you expect your body to perform at peak condition.

Eating well is easier than you think; you just need to take a minute to plan. Have a few snacks easy to grab when you walk in the door. Reach for protein such as hard-boiled eggs, cheese, or a slice of the deli ham you use for sandwiches. These foods will calm the starving feeling and they will not cause a spike in your insulin level so you will not be tempted to eat too much; you can easily stop with one egg and a piece of cheese. If you start with snack foods, they will call to you until the bag is finished. Save the sweet and salty foods for when you can eat them slowly and really enjoy them.

Let’s Cook Tonight® and America’s Cooking Cheerleader™ believe you are worth the time and attention it takes to eat well. It does not matter if you live alone; you are still worth the effort. Eating well does not require an advanced degree; it just requires a bit of planning and thought. If you do not take care of yourself who is going to?

Do you ever shortchange your body because you just want to fill your stomach quickly?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: The longer you cook shrimp the smaller they become.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Do You Eat Like a Thoroughbred?

If you decide to invest in a racehorse, you will spend from $5,000 to $40,000 to buy the horse; then you can estimate about $25,000 a year for maintenance and training. Once you have made the initial investment and you have agreed to the yearly commitment, you will want a nutrition program that will keep your horse in the best possible condition. You want to make sure that your horse eats the highest quality grain and hay to ensure that the horse’s energy level, stamina, and overall short and long-term health are in peak condition. You take excellent care of you horse because you can put a dollar amount on his cost and potential earnings. Your investment is too high to risk anything that would prevent your horse from racing.

How much is your body worth? Unlike a racehorse, if you get sick you cannot buy another body. How much care do you take in giving yourself the highest quality foods to ensure your energy level, stamina, and overall short and long term health are in peak condition? If you could put a dollar amount on your body, would you take better care of it? What is high energy level and good health worth to you? If you cannot put a value on good health, you can easily price the cost of poor health in terms of doctors, medications, hospital stays, missed work etc.

Let’s Cook Tonight® believes your body is worth at least as much as a thoroughbred racehorse. Would you go to the stable at night and give your racehorse junk food, packaged food, frozen food, and processed food? Do you give them to yourself? An occasional treat is good and welcomed, just like feeding a carrot to a horse, but if you want to run like a thoroughbred, and win races, then you will have to eat real foods with real flavor.

Do you agree?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: To save time shopping, make your shopping list match the layout of the grocery store.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Are You Paranoid and Obsessed?

Calories, carbohydrates and fats have a bad reputation. You need calories for energy, you need carbohydrates for stamina, and you need fats for satiety and flavor. If you worry about counting every calorie, if you avoid carbohydrates, if you try to eliminate every gram of fat from your food then you are paranoid and obsessed. Is that working for you? Are you able to lose weight and keep it off? Does it make cooking easier for you?

It is hard enough to figure out what to make for dinner and to find time to prepare it, if you also have to count every calorie, avoid carbohydrates, and eliminate all fat then cooking becomes a Herculean task. Only a magician can create flavor with nothing to work with and only a chemist really knows the calorie and fat content.

Let’s Cook Tonight® teaches a common sense approach to cooking and eating. If being paranoid and obsessing over calories, carbohydrates, and fats is not working then why are you doing it? It makes sense to try something new. Cook and eat real food. Real foods do not come with a label; they have all of the nutrition and fiber they were born with. If what you are about to eat has a label it has been altered in some way. You have lost control because someone else put in ingredients you do not want like salt, sugar and preservatives and took out ingredients that you do want like antioxidants and fiber.

Eat a wide variety of colorful foods as close to their natural state as possible, cook them simply and dress them lightly. Enjoy sweet, salty and snack foods sitting down at the table, slowly, and in modest quantities. If you must be paranoid and obsessed, then make it about eating real food that has real flavor.

Do you ever worry about the calories and amount of fat in your food?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: The more colorful your plate the more nutritionally balanced it is.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.

Did You Eat Too Many of Santa’s Cookies?

I admit to being human. I have done my share of overeating these past two weeks. Only a real saint can limit herself in front of all the sweet and savory goodies that are available during the holidays. I feared getting on the scale knowing I would label myself bad and beat myself up as I have done in the past.

I panicked wondering what I should eat in order to lose the pounds I put back on. I immediately went back to my former way of thinking that I had to start a diet of deprivation, disappointment, and despair. I dreaded the boredom of tasteless, fatless, low calorie, low carb meals. Then I got a grip on myself and realized that a deprivation diet was not how I lost the weight in the first place. All I had to do was go back to paying attention to the quantity of food I ate.

Let’s Cook Tonight® teaches a common sense approach to eating. Common sense tells you that a diet of deprivation does not work and only leads to binging. Do not be consumed with eating the right or wrong foods. All foods are right, what you have to pay attention to is the amount you eat. Enjoy the “bad” foods just eat them in smaller amounts. Would you prefer to eliminate potato chips or eat one small handful instead?

Eat real foods with real flavor. Real foods do not come with a label, they have all of the nutrition and fiber they were born with and they have flavor that satisfies. Eat a wide variety of colorful foods, cook them simply, and dress them lightly. Let’s Cook Tonight® believes you can have your cake and eat it too, just do not eat the entire cake.

Do you really want to go on a diet?

Cooking is easier than you think and you are worth the time and effort it takes.

Simple cooking idea: When setting the table, the knife is placed to the right of the plate and the blade faces the plate.

Copyright ©2010 by Gigi Centaro. All Rights Reserved.