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By Brad On September 1, 2010
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If you have an apple orchard, you may be wondering what to do with all of those apples! One way to enjoy the harvest from the apple trees is to learn how to preserve them properly so you can enjoy them year round. It is very easy to learn how to preserve your own apples, so anyone can do it regardless of their cooking experience.
The most important thing is to start with the right type of apples. Ideally apples should be as fresh as possible. There are a number of different varieties of which types of apples to use, and it is usually a matter of personal preference. Plan to use at least 4-5 bushels of apples each time you can. It is also important to wash the apples thouroughly before you get started. You will then want to next remove the skins from the fruit. An easy way to do this is to use an apple peeler corer which helps remove the skins and the cores.
After your apples are prepared, you will simply need a recipe to follow. You can make applesauce, apple pie filling, or can them whole if you wish. You could also make apple jelly or jam as well. Canning applesauce doesn’t take much work at all with a little preparation. You can follow your favorite recipe usually pretty easily. All you will need to do is fill up your jars and then process them according to the correct time for your altitude. Depending on your altitude, this is usually around 10 minutes or so.
There are a number of rewards when it comes to preserving your own foods. When you can control the ingredients you can be assured that it will taste the best. It is also quite cost effective as well. Best of all, it can also be a lot of fun!
By Brad On August 29, 2010
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If you are lucky enough to find yourself with some spare time on your hands, you may be wondering what to do with it. Many people find it difficult to fill their spare time if they are not used to having it, but hobbies are a great way to have fun at any time of the day or night. If you are looking for a new hobby and you love to cook or bake, this article may have some interesting suggestions for you.
It is hard to find someone who does not love baked treats and other sweets. However, only a few of us actually dedicate time to making them. If you enjoy sweets and baked goods, you may want to learn how to bake by taking a class or purchasing some cookbooks.
If you are more of an artistic type and would like to express yourself through your baking, you may be interested in cake decorating. Cake decorating tips and lessons are easy to find nowadays, especially if you look online. There are tons of books and websites that talk about the subject and provide instructions.
If you live close to a bookstore or have good access to the Internet, finding cake decorating books should be easy. Any good book on the subject should give you detailed instructions on many different techniques. The book should also list the tools you need and the necessary ingredients.
Some people do not enjoy baking or simply do not wish to learn how to do it. If this describes you, you may want to learn how to cook meals instead. There are quite a few ways to do this, such as attending classes.
If classes are not your idea of a great time and you prefer learning on your own and at your own pace, you can teach yourself. Invest in some cookbooks or a really great cookbook that covers a number of different cooking styles. Make it a point to cook at least a few new meals each week. Alternatively, you can find free recipes and how to videos online.
No matter what food related hobby you decide to take up, you will need some items for your kitchen. For example, you should invest in some pans and pots as well as sheet pans, a spring-form pan, and cake pans. Do not forget to purchase measuring tools and a thermometer.
Having fun with your spare time is easy if you have a hobby, like cooking or baking. If you are feeling a little more adventurous and creative, you may also want to learn how to decorate cake.
By Brad On August 29, 2010
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What is great about either tuna or chicken salads is that there is hardly any wastage (unless of course, the cook has already messed up the salad big time). Should the preparation for these salads exceed the expected consumption, they can be recycled the next day as a sandwich. Just throw in maybe feta or mozzarella cheese, place it on any bread of your choice, pop it in the oven and you are ready to go with a totally different dish. For your convenience, I have compiled the following must-try chicken salad sandwich recipes for all those salad left-overs.
CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH
Ingredients
1/2 – cups cooked chicken breast, diced
1/2 – cup celery, diced
1/2 – onion, diced
1/2 – cup salad dressing (or mayonnaise)
1/2 – teaspoon oregano
1/4 – teaspoon salt
1/8 – teaspoon pepper
1 – hard-cooked egg, peeled
1 – tomato, 8 slices
4 – lettuce leaves
8 – slices of bread (your choice of bread)
Directions: You want to add the cooked chicken breast, celery, onion, salad dressing (or mayonnaise), oregano, salt, pepper, hard-cooked egg in a food processor. Pulsate food processor about 4 times. You want ingredients well mixed; however, only coarsely chopped. With a tablespoon, spread chicken salad mixture on a slice of bread; add 2 tomato slices, a leaf of lettuce and top with second bread slice.
WALDORF CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH
INGREDIENTS:
4 Kaiser rolls, cut in half
1 cup deli chicken salad
12 very thin apple slices
4 slices Cheddar cheese
PREPARATION:
Layer bottom half of each roll with salad, 3 apple slices and 1 cheese slice. Top with tops of rolls. (You can spread the kaiser rolls with a thin layered of softened butter before making the sandwiches, if you’d like.) 4 servings
CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH RECIPE
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked diced chicken Miracle Whip Salad Dressing
1 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons pickle relish
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon dill
8 slices thin white bread
Directions:
Mix together ingredients. Chill for several hours. Spread chicken mixture on bread and remove crusts. Cut into squares or triangles.
The recipes above were given by an orthodontist who’s a professional at teeth whitening and personality tests.
By Brad On August 28, 2010
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We all know that Italians have some of the world’s greatest cuisines. But they are most famous for their pasta which is very tasty. Pasta, however, isn’t the only cuisine that Italians are famous for. They are also recognized for their very tasty Italian ice treats. Here are some recipes that you can enjoy and try these delights the Italian way.
The Basics
What you will need:
A cup of orange, lemon or pineapple juice with 1 and 1/4 cups of sugar already added, a maraschingo cherry for garnishing and 2 cupes of water.
Procedure:
First, you have to mix sugar and water and boil them in a saucepan. Stir the mixture continually until the sugar crystals are completely dissolved. Then let it cool. Add the juice then stir. Once done, pour down into a freezer- safe container. Then put into the freezer for approximately 4 hours. During this time, stir it occasionally until it becomes completely frozen. Then serve.
Fruit Juice
Things needed:
2 cups of any type of sugar, 2 cups of your favorite juice and 4 cups of distilled water or tap water.
Steps:
Using a saucepan, mix 4 cups of water and sugar. Let it boil and make sure that you stir it constantly until sugar crystals are no longer visible. Wait for about 5 minutes and then let it cool. After that, you can now add your favorite juice in the mixture and then put it in a container and pop it in the freezer. Stir occasionally until frozen completely. Serve.
Making Fruit Punch
Needed:
A bottle of sprite or 7 up soda, a bottle of fruit punch preferrably chilled, 3-5 Italian ice of your favorite flavors.
Steps:
Mix the fruit punch and the sprite or 7up in a container. Then let the Italian Ice float on top and serve. Lemon
Ingredients:
Approximately ¾ pounds of granulated sugar, 1 pint of clean water, 3 large ripe lemons, approximately ½ teaspoon of grated lemon peel.
Procedure:
Combine water, lemon peel and sugar in a saucepan and let it boil. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes then remove from heat and set it aside. Squeeze the lemons and if there are seeds, remove them. Mix the cooled syrup and the freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can add sugar to suit your taste and add water to neutralize the acidity. Pop it in the freezer and occasionally stir it until it becomes fluffy.
Would you like to start your own snow cone business? Learn more about italian ice franchise because this business is not only enjoyable but it’s a very promising business and you don’t have to shell out a huge capital. This means less risk and great potential.
By Brad On August 28, 2010
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In relation to finding the perfect idea for a meal, you’ll find that those hidden, secret recipes are only a click away. There are numerous selections accessible right now for the one that is on the lookout for a recipe. Whether it is a one-time recipe you heard of from a co-employee, or an older recipe from a member of the family, you’ll discover that there are nice ideas to your subsequent meal. Even nice ideas abound of a scrumptious desert or a terrific, cool drink for the summer time night on the porch.
Finding these lengthy hidden secret recipes is easy thanks to one huge tool – the internet. The internet has made it attainable to share photographs with household on the alternative aspect of the world, to e-mail grandma a favourite song, or to fulfill your soul mate. Yes, this is a large device that’s growing in popularity everyday. Even the demographic age of who is utilizing the web has changed. As soon as thought-about a baby’s toy, the internet right now is utilized by more than half of all adults as well.
Whether for gaming or sharing tales, the internet has opened up the world we dwell in to incorporate instance gratification as well as hidden troves of treasure. As soon as upon a time, we relied on cookbooks or family and associates to insure we had that favorite recipe for No-Bake Chocolate Cookies. Maybe the favorite dish of Hen Enchiladas was a favorite of grandma. Nonetheless, as we speak it is easier than ever to get the secret recipes we as soon as may by no means get our arms on.
There are a multitude of internet sites geared at recipe swapping and sharing. A few of the best ones will not be those you pay for, but are those you can find that has a large number of free recipes of a cuisine you prefer. I love Mexican meals, and nothing gets me more excited than an excellent web site filled with Mexican recipes that permit me to make authentic dishes in my very own kitchen. Yes, I could make nice meals with out spending a fortune!
What’s it you might be on the lookout for in a recipe?
Once I choose authentic Mexican food for my family, I’m giving a present of health. As soon as upon a time, I believed wholesome meals carefully resembled the taste of rabbit food. Immediately, I do know that good food doesn’t must be tasteless. Actually, some of the healthiest meals is food that’s all natural and authentically delicious without the need for additives. That is the trick! Good food depends upon naturally scrumptious elements instead of MSG or other additives.
When it comes time to search out these secret recipes of yesteryear, I do know that I can open up Google, sort in my favourite recipe, and discover what I am wanting for. Fortunately, there are enough options that I can get a normal concept of what will work best for me and my family. Tossing away these tasteless healthy foods makes life a whole lot higher, and when meals tastes good, you can find that your finickiest eaters will even respect the dinner table again.
If you need more information about recipe secrets, please click here to visit my restaurant recipes website.
By Brad On August 28, 2010
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Most of the people know only one thing about fruit salads; and that is how to eat them. How could you eat something that you know nothing about? Well, aside from the fact that they are delicious? A fruit salad is a delicious dish with different kinds of fruit, sometimes served submerged in their own fruit juice, or lathered with syrup. It is oftenly served as an appetizer, if not that, dessert. Eitherway, fruit salads are definitely delicious, you can have them for both appetizer and dessert. Making your own fruit salad is not hard; you just need to prepare its ingredients. And the ingredients used are neither extinct nor hard to find, you can just whip out your wallet and make the march to the nearest grocery store.
It needs one pint of basket of fresh California strawberries, which you are supposed to stem and make into halves; a teaspoon of finely chopped fresh mint or a half teaspoon of dried mint; a half cup of light sour cream; lettuce leaves; a half teaspoon of honey; two cups of fresh fruits that are in season. See? These ingredients do not require you to go hiking up in the mountains, looking for exotic fruits.
For you to make a strawberry dressing, you must puree an ample amount of the strawberries in an electric bender, about a half-cup, to make a ?cup of pureed strawberries. In a separate bowl, stir the puree, together with mint and honey, into a sour cream so that they will all blend. In assembling your fruit salad, line individual salad plates that contain lettuce. Arrange the strawberries that you have reserved with the other fruits on the lettuce and top with the strawberry dressing. Sounds good, huh? You could bet that this tastes even better.
Yes, you now know how to make a fruit salad after knowing the necessary ingredients. But still, do you know where fruit salads came from? This is added knowledge, thus, it would be best if you keep this pieces of information in your memory.
The origin of fruit salads relies highly on what you initially mean by “fruit salad”. Fruit salads that are made up of combinations of different fresh, dried, candied or sugared, and stewed fruits or vegetables. This type of fruit salad originated from the ancient times. The ingredients and the recipes that are used depended on what were available in the country, or if what ingredients were in season. They also depend on the socio-cultural attitudes of the people toward the ingredients, whether the fruits were socially considered to be healthy or not.
The fruit salad, as we know of it today, is a production of the mid-nineteenth century. There has been unearthed culinary evidence that confirms the saying that sometimes, fruits salads are purposely mixed with sugar and alcohol, thus, given the term “fruit cocktail”. The non-alcoholic variation of this recipe, also the jellied fruit salad, was famous in the 1920s. In the period of the World War II, fruit salads were introduced to the world as a proper supplement of Vitamin C, and were, in fact, included in the American diet.
Now is the time when you can say that you know everything you need to know that concerns fruit salads. The tips above were offered by an orthodontist who’s good at teeth whitening as well. He’s very fond of making salads and other food supplements as well.
By Brad On August 27, 2010
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By cooking with herbs, even your simple meals will take like you slaved in the kitchen for hours. While it’s fairly easy to cook with fresh herbs, there are some tips that will help you get the most flavor. Once you start cooking with herbs, you will love cooking with herbs… and may even enjoy your own garden!
Tips for Cooking with Fresh Herbs:
Fresh herbs are more delicate than dried and can lose their flavor if cooked too long. To enjoy the most intense flavor when cooking with fresh herbs, you can add them towards the end of the cooking time. You can also add a little of the herbs freshly chopped to your food when you are finished cooking, and put aside some for garnishing the platter as well. You will want to use more fresh herbs than dried since drying herbs concentrates their oils and flavor. A good rule is to use one tablespoon of fresh herbs for every teaspoon of dried herbs called for in a recipe.
Fresh herbs can lose their flavor rapidly and should be used as quickly after harvesting as possible. For the finest flavor when cooking with herbs that are fresh is to grow your own. If you use store bought, try to find plants that still have their bright green color and do not appear wilted. The fresher the herb plant appears, the better the flavor they will add to your food.
Cooking with herbs that have big leaves, like basil, is easy because the leaves can be torn and tossed into a sauce, soup or salad. Another technique for cooking with herbs that have large leaves is to chop the leaves in a method called “chiffonade”. This is not hard and creates pretty strings that can be added to your recipe or tossed in for attractive color and flavor.
Tips for Cooking with Dried Herbs.
Keep in mind your dried herbs have intensified aromatic oils because of the drying procedure. You need to use a reduced amount of dried than fresh, but you still want to draw out their flavor and fragrance.
A good way to release the flavor of dried herbs is to include some to the oil in your pan prior to sautéing your meat or vegetables. Another method is to soak them in the liquid that will be used for your cooking. When creating your own salad dressings, it’s a helpful idea to make them in advance (at least 15 minutes) to allow time for the flavor to infuse with the oil and other ingredients in your salad dressing or marinade.
Another tip for dried herbs is to crush them with a mortar and pestle or roll them in your hands before adding them to your cooking. Slightly crushing and breaking up the dried herbs will release their oils and add better flavor when cooking with herbs.
You want to be sure to keep your herbs, whether fresh or dried, in a way that best protects their aroma and flavor. Fresh herbs need to be used as promptly as possible. One good way to store fresh herbs is to stand them up in a container of water with the bottom of their stems in the water. Keep the leaves out of the water because they will spoil.
Be sure to check the expiration dates of any dried herbs you buy because they lose their flavor after about six months. For superior flavor and aroma, try cooking with your own fresh or dried herbs that have been harvested from your own garden.
Find out how easy herb gardening actually is! Learn how to cook with fresh herbs from your own garden.
Sign up for my Free Herb Gardening Secrets Mini-Course and get started with your own herb garden now!
I share my top secrets for natural pesticides, how to pick the best herbs for your location, the best growing conditions, how to use each type of herb and much more!
By Brad On August 26, 2010
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One of the secrets of making great pancakes is learning the secret of starting with the proper temperature of your pancake griddle and maintaining that temperature while cooking the pancakes.
It’s important of course to start with a good pancake recipe or mix. You can make your own pancake batter from scratch and there are many excellent recipes online that you can try. And while some may look down their nose at ready to make pancake mixes, it is usually the cooking that spoils the pancakes and not the mix.
When the kids are begging for pancakes on a weekend morning, and time is of the essence, a good premade mix and a little water will have pancakes on the table in record time. Poor preparation rather than the poor quality of pancake mix is usually the reason box mixes are looked down upon.
Start out with a cast iron pancake griddle:
If you want to make excellent tasting pancakes consistently with the least amount of mess and cleanup time, the perfect answer is a cast iron pancake griddle. Using this properly on an electric or gas stove converts your kitchen into a grill just like the ones in a commercial restaurant. Cast iron griddles heat evenly and because of their weight and mass they maintain their temperature much more evenly while you cook.
Other types of cookware such as lightweight Teflon coated frying pans or electric fry pans or griddles are notorious for having rapidly fluctuating temperature control and uneven heating. The tried and true cast iron griddle is a time tested answer to solve these problems.
The main reason people have trouble making good pancakes is that they do not have a good method of determining the proper heat of the griddle before they start cooking. If pancakes are cooked at too low a heat they turn out tough and chewy. When cooked at a temperature that is too high, which is more common than not, the outside burns and crisp while the inside remains a raw and soggy mess.
The next time you make pancakes, take a few minutes to determine the proper settings for heating your pancake griddle with the following method. The trick to this method is known by many cooks but most probably don’t know the science behind it.
The Leidenfrost effect:
When you let a drop of water fall onto a hot pancake griddle, the water drop will dance around and stay in its droplet shape while it skitters across the surface. The scientific name for this is the Leidenfrost effect. When the drop hits the hot surface the water that comes in contact is immediately vaporized and the steam created pushes the remaining water in the drop up and away from the heated griddle.
This will not happen on a surface that is merely warm. In normal cooking situations it is agreed that the Leidenfrost effect occurs when the temperature of the griddle is at approximately 325 degrees F.
Find and record the best setting for your stove:
Since the ‘dancing water’ or Leidenfrost effect occurs at 325 degrees F, and the best accepted temperature for cooking pancakes that turn out perfectly is 375 degrees F, you can use a simple method to determine the setting for the burners on your stove. Start by warming up your pancake griddle to a very warm, but not hot temperature. Make sure it is preheated well but it is not hot enough to exhibit the Leidenfrost effect.
Then slowly increase the settings on your burners until you determine the point where a drop of water landing on the pancake griddle will ‘dance’. Give the griddle time to heat to each new setting as you slowly increase the heat by changing the settings of your burners. You will want to make sure that the pancake griddle has reached the maximum temperature of your current settings before you test with a few drops of water.
Once you have determined the exact settings where the Leidenfrost effect takes place, make a note of the position of your burner controls for future reference. By knowing these settings you will always be able to reheat your griddle knowing that you have an exact point of reference.
According to some cooking guides, the temperature of 325F or 160C correlates to the ‘medium-low’ setting on your stove or range. The pancake cooking temperature of 375F (190C) is closer to ‘medium-high’.
Record the settings that work best for your stove:
So you will now want to bring the temperature up just a little before you start frying your pancakes. Try a small increase at first for one or two test pancakes and if you feel that it takes too long for them to finish increase the setting and give the pancake griddle time to adjust to the new heat setting before trying again.
Once you have determined the best pancake setting for your equipment make a note of it. You will now find that it is extremely easy and fast to make pancakes in the future. All you will need to do is put the best of your cast iron griddles on the stove, turn the burner settings to these predetermined marks and give the griddle a little time to heat up.
And by using your knowledge of the Leidenfrost effect you can test if the griddle is ready for pancakes by using a drop or two of water. You’ll be able to turn out great tasting and most importantly properly cooked pancakes in less time than it will take you to finish your first cup of morning coffee.
By Brad On August 26, 2010
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Cooking is a tough ability to choose up. Whether you are cooking for a large group, a spouse, a family, or only for yourself, making meals that are healthy, delicious, and visually appealing can be rather a challenge. Fortunately, if you’re lacking in cooking talents, you have got the option of taking cooking classes. Cooking classes, offered by many top-notch chefs, supply the perfect answer to your meal quandary. And with all of the speciality classes offered, there is no way you won’t find a recipe or cooking style ideal for your circumstances!
One of the first questions you must ask is what event or purpose you are serving by enrolling for a cooking class. There are lots of different cooking classes available, and many of them are specific to a certain cuisine, event, or meal type. Cooking classes are available for folk who need to learn the way to cook regional meals , such as Chinese or Mexican cooking classes. They are also available for learning how to make healthy meals, whip up quick weeknight dishes, or how to make wedding cakes.
Dependent on whether you want to employ your newly found cooking talents when cooking for your children, when cooking for a family get together, or when doing the groundwork for a complex party, there are different cooking classes that could possibly serve your needs. If you select a cooking class that fits your standards completely, it’ll make a significant difference in your cooking.
Cooking classes have many different options in terms of how long they are, how frequent they are, and how much money they are. Many times, you can check with your local community center to find a weekly cooking class in your area. The teacher will most likely not be a professional chef, but the fees involved will be reasonable.
On the other hand, if you are looking to receive cooking lessons from a pro, try researching cooking classes offered by famous cooks. You will be more likely to find such classes in major cities, such as Washington D.C. or New York City. These classes are likely to be more expensive, but you’ll have the chance to work with a professional cook.
After you begin to take cooking classes, you’ll be astonished by the difference it’ll make in your daily existance. Whether you put your cooking talents into use while throwing together a quick weekday meal, or while knocking up a fancy, candle lit dinner for 2, you’ll use the abilities where you aren’t expecting it!
By Brad On August 24, 2010
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All of us enjoy a cool beer after a long, hard day at work and there’s almost certainly nothing much better than having a sip of your own selfmade beer, with your feet up or with a group of friends, which has cost a fraction of the price as off license or pub beer and can also taste much better!
In case you have not made your own home brew before, the good news is there are home brew making kits available which, with a little patience can help you make home made beer easily.
Although you will find several beer making kits available, it is really worth purchasing a more expensive one as these offer different kinds of hops and flavours so you can adjust the taste to suit.
Using the right ingredients when making your own home brew is essential and most beer making kits now include everything from the raw ingredients to the equipment necessary so you cannot go far wrong. If you do have to buy the ingredients separately then ensure you get the precise products as the beer making kit lists.
Perserverance is important as brewing homemade beer can take several weeks, although once you’ve perfected it you’ll be able to have numerous batches, at different stages to keep your beer stock flowing.
It could take numerous tries to get the home brew to taste just right so don’t expect your first batch to be perfect and once you have the taste, try using different flavoured hops to create various tasting home brews.
Using the right home brewing kit, ingredients and utensils and by following the step by step instructions supplied, you’ll soon be on your way to brewing your first home made beer which both friends and family will delight in sharing with you.
Find out more on beer making and home beer making kits and begin your first home brew in time for the summer.
