A Chef's Musings
As a chef, I love the team feeling in the kitchen, where we pitch in for each other and we have each other’s backs no matter what. Pinch of Fancy does the same thing for home cooks. I’ve made exotic flavor approachable with perfectly balanced blends that make it easy to create flavorful, slightly fancy meals. You don’t want to spend all night in the kitchen to make something delicious – use Pinch of Fancy and enjoy more time around the table with family!
~Kristin Costa, chef and owner
Mise en Place
When you work in a professional kitchen you spend countless hours preparing for service. Snipping and blanching your vegetables, chopping garlic, cutting proteins, blanching french fries, etc. All of these things need to be done in order to set yourself up for a smooth service because once that first ticket comes in, you better be ready for the onslaught.
Family Time Doesn’t Have To Empty Your Wallet
It is that time of year again, the schools are closing for the summer, the days have gotten longer and there is more time to spend with friends and family. Weekend cookouts are becoming a recurring theme for those looking to spend time with loved ones while still trying to stay on a budget with the rising costs of… Well let’s be honest, everything.
Making Meal Prep Fancy
Last month when I was away, part of the experience that I thoroughly enjoyed was food shopping and cooking for myself. I know that might sound crazy but I have never lived on my own. I went from my childhood home to my first apartment with my husband. I have cooked for thousands of people both professionally and for my own friends and family. I have always had to consider someone else’s needs as well as my own, so this was the first time I shopped and cooked solely for myself and it was amazing.
Why I Am A Better Cook Today
Last month I had the opportunity to do a week-long intensive treatment in Sedona, Arizona. Watching the sunrise every morning over Munds Mountain, exploring the land, body work, meditation, ceremony, painting, journaling and everything else that happened during that week was exactly what I needed to not only prepare myself for all the changes that are happening this year within Pinch of Fancy, but also to help me process the changes and loss within my own personal life.
Happy Third Anniversary, Pinch of Fancy!
This month marks 3 full years in business for Pinch of Fancy. There have been so many changes since the beginning and it has been a rollercoaster of a ride but I wouldn’t change it for anything. The people that I have met and become friends with and the abundance of knowledge that I have gained through all of this is something that I will never take for granted.
Happy Anniversary, Pinch of Fancy!
I’ve officially been in business a full year, and what a year it’s been! The last twelve months have been a tasty blend of new people, processes and foods, as well as an educational roller coaster ride of ups and downs. Both propelled me forward and I accept it all as a part of my journey toward growth and success. Here are some of my key milestones!
Turkey 5 ways—No pressure!
Thanksgiving is for comfort food. I love comfort food and to me, nothing says comfort food like Thanksgiving dinner – the turkey, the potatoes, the stuffing…yum.
But working in the restaurant industry means that most holidays are spent either at work or preparing food for takeout to be picked up.
Fall in love with cooking!
Fall is here and I couldn’t be happier
It’s my favorite time of year.
There is something magical about warm apple cider, a hayride through a farm in the back woods of Dartmouth, and of course leaf peeping in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Summertime and the Grilling is Easy!
Here’s to cooking outdoors! There’s nothing like a summer barbeque to have fun AND lighten up your kitchen workload.
No pans, no fuss, no muss. Cook your entire meal on the grill with not a single dirty pan – that’s a win when you hate doing dishes, like me.
What makes Pinch of Fancy different than all the other foodie sites out there?
Go ahead. Play with your food! I may be the only chef that will tell you it’s okay to play with your food! In fact, I highly recommend it. So many of us get caught up in exacting recipes and what we’re ‘supposed to do’ that it limits us.
15 Minutes of Fame, Sunchokes and Soup!
Look Ma, I’m famous! In 2010 I was approached by a colleague to write a recipe for a cookbook that Didi Emmons was working on. Didi is a prolific cookbook author, caterer, and personal chef.
Thanks Mom!
Turkey in the freezer. I grew up in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, a small town with not a lot to do. We had a giant garden in the front yard plus chickens, ducks, and geese. I’m pretty sure the geese met their demise after frequently escaping their pen and wreaking havoc, nipping us kids and bothering my mother as she hung laundry on the line.
My heart – and my home – is in the kitchen
At home in the kitchen. My first job was at a local pizza place, and from the moment I stepped into that kitchen I felt I had found my place in life. I fell in love with the camaraderie, the foul language, working with my hands, and the grit of the kitchen.
