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Natural Comfort Kitchen

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Asparagus Mushroom Crepes

In homemade how-to number 5, I showed you how to sauté mushrooms without a big pile of liquid at the end. Asparagus mushroom crepes are a delicious, light (depending on how many you eat) entrée to put your new skill to work!

Homemade crepes are easier than you think! They're a classic, thin French pancake that's delicious made ahead and filled with creamy sauce and seasonal veggies.

Homemade crepes are easier than you think! They're a classic, thin French pancake that's delicious made ahead and filled with creamy sauce and seasonal veggies.

Like many recipes on this site, asparagus mushroom crepes are inspired by a frequent family dinner from childhood; in this case, creamy chicken crepes. My mom would whip out a stack of delicate French pancakes as if she was a seasoned professional chef (she wasn’t), and we filled them with a sauce of those infamous cream soups mixed with shredded chicken. Leftovers were a hot commodity for as long as they lasted.
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How to Sauté Mushrooms

Welcome to lesson 5 of the homemade how-to series: how to sauté mushrooms. In each lesson, I’ll break down the steps for a home cooking skill I searched for often as I first learned to cook, or one that’s always been on my to-learn list. A recipe to showcase your new skill will follow a couple days after the how-to post!

Chances are, you searched for this tutorial in a pinch, so let’s dive right in! Click here to jump down and read more about perfect sautéed mushrooms and some ideas for how to use them.

How to sauté mushrooms

Ingredients

  • Mushrooms, cleaned and sliced or chopped to desired size, or left whole if not too large
  • Butter and/or oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Any additions you like if serving as a side dish: more butter, truffle oil, garlic, fresh herbs, etc.

Tools

  • Skillet (large enough to fit mushrooms in nearly a single layer)
  • Wooden spoon

Mushroom saute prep

Step 1: Heat butter and/or oil

Let a dry skillet heat at just over medium (or a little higher if not using butter). After a couple minutes, add the fat. A tablespoon each of butter and oil per 10 ounces of mushrooms will yield beautiful browned mushrooms with just a little bite to the outside. Heat until butter is melted and/or oil is hot and shimmering.

What most recipes don't tell you about how to saute mushrooms: getting that perfect golden sear without tons of unwanted mushroom
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Veggie Fried Rice Pancakes

In homemade how-to number 4, I showed you how to cook fluffy brown rice the easy way. While a bit unconventional, savory veggie fried rice pancakes put all that brown rice to use in a yummy, healthy, unique breakfast recipe.

All the best parts of fried rice pan fried into savory pancakes delicious at breakfast, brunch, or dinner! Gluten free, plus they're full of fiber and healthy greens.

Besides potatoes in any form, and all bread ever, it’s becoming apparent that some of my favorite recipes to create and eat are pies and cakes. No, not the sweet ones (but those are good, too); I’m talking about savory pancakes and pies, filled with plenty of veggies, cheese, potatoes, and today…rice!

All the best parts of fried rice pan fried into savory pancakes delicious at breakfast, brunch, or dinner! Gluten free, plus they're full of fiber and healthy greens.
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How to Cook Fluffy Brown Rice (the Easy Way)

Welcome to lesson 4 of the homemade how-to series: how to cook brown rice, the easy way. In each lesson, I’ll break down the steps for a home cooking skill I searched for often as I first learned to cook, or one that’s always been on my to-learn list. A recipe to showcase your new skill will follow a couple days after the how-to post!

Chances are, you searched for this tutorial in a pinch, so let’s dive right in! Click here to jump down and read more about cooking perfect brown rice and some ideas for how to use it.

How to cook brown rice

Ingredients

  • Dry brown rice, short or long grain
  • Water
  • Salt (optional)

Tools

How to cook fluffy brown rice the easy way. Perfectly separated grains without any sticking, burning, or babysitting the pot and done in 30 minutes or less.

Step 1: Boil water

Fill a medium to large saucepan with at least 5 times more water than you have dry rice. Unlike typical rice cooking methods, the goal here is not to use just as much water as the rice will absorb; it’s to use excess water (similar to boiling pasta). Set the pot over high heat to bring to a boil. Keep the lid nearby, although you won’t need it right away.

Step 2: Rinse rice

Meanwhile, place dry rice in a fine strainer (preferably mesh) and run cold water over it for one to two minutes, until the water coming out the bottom runs almost clear, not cloudy like it did at the beginning.

How to cook fluffy brown rice the easy way. Perfectly separated grains without any sticking, burning, or babysitting the pot and done in 30 minutes or less.
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Pecan Chocolate Chess Pie

In homemade how-to week 3, I just showed you how to make your first homemade pie crust from scratch. Pecan chocolate chess pie is the perfect easy pie, after all that effort for a homemade crust, to showcase your flaky, buttery pie crust (or store bought crust in a pinch!) with just a few simple filling ingredients.

Quick, playful chocolate chess pie: the chocolate lover's dream filling topped with a crackly, crunchy pecan top! (and no starchy thickeners)

Quick, playful chocolate chess pie: the chocolate lover's dream filling topped with a crackly, crunchy pecan top! (and no starchy thickeners)

What a weird age of technology we live in: I’m constantly struggling with the conflict of just enjoying the moment or reaching for my phone, so I can capture it and relive the humor or beauty again and again. Right now I would kill to include a video from Thanksgiving with this recipe, of the moment a guest took their first bite of this chocolate chess pie creation that my sister Tristyn baked and none of us had ever heard of given our northern roots. A random recipe she found on the internet that looked plenty easy to bake at someone else’s house, with just a few ingredients, made lightning fast with a store bought pie crust but, as I’ve discovered, even more perfect with a fresh, buttery homemade crust. The reaction we witnessed–semi-human sounds between mouthfuls–could maybe be compared to a diapered one-year-old’s first experience with a cake all their own.

Quick, playful chocolate chess pie: the chocolate lover's dream filling topped with a crackly, crunchy pecan top! (and no starchy thickeners)

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How to Make Your First Pie Crust from Scratch

Welcome to lesson 3 of the homemade how-to series: how to make pie crust from scratch for the first time. Every two weeks, I’ll break down the steps for a home cooking skill I searched for often as I first learned to cook, or one like this, that’s always been on my to-do list. A recipe to showcase your new skill will follow a couple days after the how-to post!

Chances are, you searched for this tutorial in a pinch, so let’s dive right in! Click here to jump down and read more about why you should make your own homemade sweet pie crust and some ideas for how to use it.

How to make your first homemade pie crust

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (160 grams; plus more for rolling)
  • 2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea or kosher salt
  • 1 stick (4 oz./8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled again briefly (no shortening or lard in this recipe!)
  • 1/4 cup ice water (fill a glass then use a tablespoon to measure it)

If you’re so inclined, organic, high quality ingredients will make for an even better homemade pie crust, but they’re by no means crucial.

Tools

  • Food processor: I have this one, which I purchased at Costco, and I love it. For a slightly smaller and less expensive model, I like the looks of this one (it’s under $35).
  • Ruler
  • Plastic wrap
  • Rolling pin
  • Baking sheet or lightweight cutting board, at least 12 by 12 inches
  • Pastry brush (with “real” bristles, not the plastic ones on a basting brush)
  • 9 inch pie pan (nonstick metal is very easy to work with)
  • Foil or parchment paper
  • 1 1/2 pounds dried beans, or pie weights
How to make your very FIRST homemade pie crust from scratch: a beginner's guide, with lots of tips and pictures so you can skip the store-bought crust.
How to make your very FIRST homemade pie crust from scratch: a beginner's guide, with lots of tips and pictures so you can skip the store-bought crust.

Part 1: Mix and chill the dough

Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in quick pulses in a medium to large food processor until combined, just a few times. With the processor off, drop in the butter cubes evenly over the flour. Make sure they’re very cold: either refrigerated or frozen for 10 to 20 minutes. It will make your dough much easier to work with. Pulse 30 to 35 times for 1 second each until most of the butter is between small flake and pea sized. (5 min. active, 15 min. inactive)

How to make your very FIRST homemade pie crust from scratch: a beginner's guide, with lots of tips and pictures so you can skip the store-bought crust.
How to make your very FIRST homemade pie crust from scratch: a beginner's guide, with lots of tips and pictures so you can skip the store-bought crust.
How to make your very FIRST homemade pie crust from scratch: a beginner's guide, with lots of tips and pictures so you can skip the store-bought crust.
How to make your very FIRST homemade pie crust from scratch: a beginner's guide, with lots of tips and pictures so you can skip the store-bought crust.

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