I’ve been in a cooking slump for a few weeks now. Somehow my list of recipes has dwindled away, and I admit it I need help.

I don’t know if it is the picky eaters who live in my house, or being frustrated because I seem to be throwing too much food in the garbage, whatever it is..it’s time for a change.  

I love to cook, but I want my meals to taste good. Most of all, I want them to be healthy meals that my family will enjoy.  

So, on Thursday night, I went to Macys to go check out Martha Stewart and her new cookbook, One Pot.

Hopefully, she can help me with some fresh new dinner ideas. 

[AMAZONPRODUCTS asin=”B00JCS17RQ”]

 

So I arrived early, got a front seat, grabbed my purple pen, and I was ready to be a student.

During the demo, Martha prepared meals from her cookbook so we could taste them. Corn chowder, linguine and tomatoes, and Pollo con Arroz. Her demo showed us how easy they were to make, and we had the benefit of not just watching, but tasting…BONUS!

Honestly, I love the idea of cooking everything in one pot. Especially since I like the idea of making things as easy and stress free as possible.  

Martha made the recipes right in front of us.  The ingredients are items you probably have in your kitchen right now, so they are pretty easy to find. Even though, Martha had some help in the prep department, she got all three recipes done in like 30 minutes, which means these recipes should be easy to make at home.

She made the corn chowder first. There were only a few steps to follow. She used a lot of fresh ingredients but none of them are particularly exotic, corn, bacon, shrimp, potatoes, and she even added oyster crackers.

[Tweet “CookingTip from MarthaStewart freeze your oyster crackers until you need them. #coookingtip”]

Next, she made a pasta dish, Linguine with tomatoes.

[Tweet “CookingTip You can cook the pasta in the same pot as the rest of the food, forget boiling ahead. #cookingtip”]

Can I tell you, I can’t wait to try cooking the pasta in the same pot as the sauce. That is a great time saver. The recipe was nice because it wasn’t very heavy on the tomatoes, which is great for people like me who have picky eaters.  Martha added red pepper flakes, which gave it a nice kick, so the recipe was really light, flavorful, and filling.  I can’t wait to try this one at home!

Last but not least, was the pollo con arroz. This recipe was not only easy to make, there were a lot of ingredients we all probably have at home, and everything is in the same pot.
 

When I make it at home I may even add some tomatoes, I think it could use something extra to give it a little more kick.  

While we were there, Martha also gave us a few great tips that we could use, like how you crushed garlic without peeling it. She said you can add unpeeled garlic to the bottom of a bowl, then she said put another bowl on top of it and press and shake it about 30 times.  When you lift the garlic is peeled.  

Another tip she shared is freezing your saffron to make it last longer. I will certainly be trying that one.
Martha is big on making things yourself, so she shared how easy it is to grow your own garlic at home.

[Tweet “CookingTip Now is the time to plant your own garlic. Plant one clove & you will get a bulb. #cookingtip”]

 

Being at the cooking demo made me think about how to be more creative when I cook. So, I think I am going to try marinating my meats to give them a different flavor.

Martha also shared a great popcorn trick.

[Tweet “#SnackTip Old Bay is great on popcorn #oneofmyfavorites”]

Do you have any favorite one pot meals. Perhaps you even have some one pot meals that have been passed down from generation to generation. Please share…
If you’re like me and you are tired of eating the same old thing, or if you don’t cook at all, check out this new Martha Stewart’s cookbook, I think it would make a great addition to your library.

(Here are some of the other pictures from the event.)

Here is Martha giving me her secret recipes, so I can conquer my own kitchen. Finally, I can get myself out of this recipe slump once and for all. Martha’s part is over, but my part is just beginning…

If you are looking for some other great cookbooks and resources from Martha Stewart, check out some of these.

If you want to pick up your own copy of One Pot get it here [AMAZONPRODUCTS asin=”B00JCS17RQ,”]

I saw this book and thought it would be a perfect complementary book to One Pot. You may also want to put in your pre-order of this goodie here [AMAZONPRODUCTS asin=”B00L6YI6WS”]

As the holiday’s roll around.. you might find this book from Martha helpful [AMAZONPRODUCTS asin=”B004P8JPYA”]

For a more comprehensive Martha Stewart cooking experience, try this cookbook [AMAZONPRODUCTS asin=”B009DUIKIC”]

Please share some of your favorite Martha Stewart recipes here, I would love to hear some of your favorites!