Real Gloss

A guest post from our fabulous-newlywed blogger!!!

There is nothing like making homemade pizza, but unless you have a pizza oven in your kitchen you are going to need a good pizza stone. This pizza stone by Emile Henry is an excellent choice. I recently made a shrimp and pesto pizza using it and the pizza was delicious and most importantly it was very crispy. If you haven’t registered for one yet this is a great option! This is also a fun gift to get a friend, especially if you know they love to cook and try new things!

Find it on Amazon!

Popularity: 29% [?]

In the debate between Porcelain and Plastic in the world of coffee tumblers – I have come out on the side of Porcelain.

Benefits of Porcelain:

1) Does not retain smell after several washings

2) Retains heat well

3) Cleans easily

4) Classic, clean, crisp look

5) Pleasant to grip and drink from

Benefits of Plastic:

1) Can roll around and not spill, does not constantly have to be held

2) Novelty look

3) Will not overheat hands

Where do you come out in the debate?

Popularity: 5% [?]

Not sure where to start with your new Tagine?

Try one of these Tagine / Moroccan cooking oriented cookbooks.

Please share any other recommended Tagine recipe cookbooks or recipes – I would love to learn and share as much as possible!

Overall I would recommend choosing any recipe that includes Raisins!

While learning about tagines, we also learned about Ras al-Hanut. This spice translates to top of the shelf. It is a unique blend of spices mixed differently wherever it is purchased based on what ever the best – or top of the shelf spices are available. Fun to learn about and use!

Popularity: 13% [?]

Looking for a new but traditional piece of cookware? Try a Tagine (ta-Jean). A Tagine is a traditional North African piece of cookware used for slow cooking dishes. Tagine recipes generally include chicken or fish along with tomatoes, onions, olives, plums and raisins seasoned with cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and tumeric. The slow cooking keeps the moisture in and tenderizes the meat – overall similar to cooking in a Dutch oven but with a lid that looks like a board game piece.

Testing out the Tagine with a traditional recipe, I started by browning chicken in the base of the Tagine with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper for about 15 minutes. Once browned, I added chopped tomatoes, onions, and garlic along with about a cup of chicken broth (low sodium only!). I made sure to leave the vegetables on top of the chicken rather than mixing them together so the chicken would continue to brown and the vegetables would not overcook. I also added a teaspoon each of cumin and coriander along with a few dashes of cinnamon. After 15 minutes, I put in the raisins and plums and everything cook together for about 15 more minutes until I got hungry and had to try it!

Great dish overall! The chicken was very tender after cooking with the vegetables with the steam held in by the lid. The raisins absorbed the most flavor – they’re the best!

Below is the Emile Henry Tagine we use – highly recommended, and a reasonable price point.

Popularity: 5% [?]