Substitutions for Commonly Called for Ingredients
October 6, 2008
What should you do if you are in the middle of a recipe and realize you are out of an ingredient? You could send your child to the local convenience store for cream cheese and end up having to serve your caviar with Velveeta because to a 13 year old they are both soft cheeses. This really happened when my Mother sent me for cream cheese.
Instead of sending off the kids, or launching into a panic attack and reaching for the Zoloft try substituting.
Here are a few quick and simple substitutions.
? When using fresh herbs instead of dried, use 1 Tablespoon fresh for 1 teaspoon dry.
? Vinegar for lemon juice. Use ½ teaspoon white vinegar for 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
? When your recipe calls for buttermilk add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar to your regular milk. Some old banana bread recipes even call for this substitution.
? 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder can be substituted for 1 clove of fresh garlic.
? 1 pound of fresh mushrooms will be about the same as a 10 ounce can of mushrooms.
Foods That Freeze Well
October 1, 2008
“Can I freeze it?” is a question often asked in our homes, and for good reason. Probably most of us, at some point or another, have attempted to freeze a particular food only to find out that it did not freeze well and either spoiled or became inedible. Here are some foods that are “freezer-friendly”…
? Cooked poultry in casseroles
? Most vegetables in recipes containing a sauce
? Baked meat loaf
? Cooked dried beans, cooked rice or pasta
? Vegetables freeze better than meat, seafood, or fruit.
But some, such as peas and spinach, freeze better than broccoli or cauliflower. (Cauliflower becomes watery when frozen.)
As long as your foods are properly prepared and stored prior to freezing, and you select foods that are amenable to freezing, you should have no problems. This simple tip can easily save you time and money for just a few minutes of preparation. Enjoy!
Do a Dry Rub First
September 25, 2008
The debate on ribs has ended in my home. After years of toil I have finally capitulated and agreed to make ribs the fool proof way every time. Consequently the neighbors, the kids, and family from out of town all place special requests for ribs.
To begin pre-heat your oven or BBQ to around 200° degrees Fahrenheit. If the heat reaches much above 250 ° degrees you run the considerable risk of your ribs drying out.
Next rub the ribs with your favorite dry rub and place them bone side up in a roasting pan. I have found that jarred dry rubs are well balanced with sweet and spice and make for a good tasting rib. If you have a particular preference mix up a batch of your own personal seasonings and store it in an air tight container with the rest of your spices. You will then always have your favorite rub on hand.
Allow the ribs to bake for 8 to 12 hours. The longer the ribs slow cook the better the final product tastes.
Clarifying Butter
September 21, 2008
Clarified butter is a delightfully rich concentrated butter that can be used in cooking and making mouth watering sauces. Traditional methods for making this rich butter concentrate can be a little intimidating at first, but not anymore. There is a very simple and easy 4 step method to make clarified butter. The only catch is that you need to plan a day ahead of time.
The first step is to slowly melt one to two sticks of unsalted butter over low heat. Using unsalted butter will help to prevent your final product from being too salty. When the butter is completely melted pour it into a bread pan.
After you have transferred the melted butter to the bread pan, loosely cover the bread pan with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to cool over night.
The next day when the butter has completely cooled you will see that the butter has separated into three layers. The top layer is white and creamy looking, the middle layer is the clarified butter, and the bottom layer is the watery liquid that has been separated out of the butter.
The second step is to use a spoon scrape off the top white layer. Discard this layer.
Eating Healthy with a Meat Grinder
September 15, 2008
While it may be surprising, owning your own meat grinder can help you in your pursuit to live a healthier life. According to the USDA, the average American in 2000 consumed 300 more calories than the average American in 1985, a 12% increase, including a 24% increase of fat calories. The average daily fat intake was 81.4 grams and saturated fat intake was 27.9 grams in 2000 (ers.usda.gov/briefing/consumption). Americans are consuming too much fat, especially saturated fat.
One way to cut down on fat is to own your own meat grinder. Your meat grinder gives you the ability to manage what you are eating. You will no longer be subject to what seasonings and fillers that are found in the meats available in your local grocery store. With a meat grinder, you gain total control of what goes into your meat products. You are in charge of your intake of fats, salts, and other fillers since you are in control of the ingredients. A meat grinder can help you in your pursuit in living a healthier lifestyle.
Family Meal Planning Made Easy
September 11, 2008
As moms, we have hectic lives. Whether we work out of the home, in the home or look after the kids full time, we definitely have our jobs cut out for us. We clean, chauffer the kids around, mend scraped knees, help with homework, do laundry and on top of all that we STILL have to figure out what we’re going to make for dinner each night.
Here are a few tips to take the pain out family meal planning:
First, choose a quiet time once a week when you have enough time to sit down and prepare your menu for the week ahead.
Look through your cupboards, fridge and freezer and make a mental note of all the food you already have in there.
Start with the food you’ll need for dinner. Plan your next weeks dinner menu around the food you already have. So for example, if you have pasta, simply add pasta sauce and ground beef to your list.
Plan as many dinner meals as you can around what you have in your kitchen already. Once you “run out” of meals then start planning new meals from scratch.
Kid Birthday Cake Idea Collection - Cake Decorating Without Fear
September 5, 2008
Our kid birthday cake idea collection makes cake decorating fun and fearless. You don’t have to be a pastry chef to create a professional quality cake for your child’s birthday or other special event. Learn unique and easy cake decorating ideas to make spectacular homemade cakes.
PARTY CAKE CONCEPT AND DESIGN
The most important kid birthday cake idea is choosing a cake concept which fits with your party theme. You can start with a simple sheet cake topped with small toys or figures, or piece the cake itself to form a unique design.
For example, a Construction Party cake could be topped with tiny toy dumptrucks and bulldozers pushing a chocolate chip mountain. Or, the cake itself could be cut, pieced and frosted to look like a dump truck.
For a Train Party, set a miniature choo-choo train on licorice tracks atop your cake, or line up several brightly colored frosted loaf cakes to form train cars.
For a Luau party, a simple round or sheet cake can be festooned with a silk flower lei, or form a string of cupcakes in a circle and adorn each one with silk or frosting flowers. Connect with a licorice string to make a cupcake “lei”.
Cake Baking Tip Guide
August 31, 2008
Successful cake decorating is all about preparation. Baking and preparing your cake for decorating is a critical part of the total process. In this article, I’ll share some expert tips for basic cake preparation to get your cake creation off to a fabulous start! These easy tips will ensure your cake decorating success.
Preparing a Cake Board -
Many specially themed cakes are too large to fit on a plate, so a cake board may be used. Cut a piece of stiff cardboard to the desired size. Cover with foil, or heavy coated wrapping paper.
I often use colored tissue paper, covered with colored cellophane of the type used to wrap gift baskets. This gives the desired background color, with a surface which is easy to wipe clean. It also makes a great background to enhance the presentation and photographing of your final cake masterpiece.
Preparing Cake Pans -
Use metal pans with a nonstick finish. Grease and flour pans before adding cake batter. Spread a thin layer of vegetable shortening on the bottom and sides of the pan. This works better than butter or margarine as the cake releases more easily from the pan. Sprinkle a little flour in each pan, and tilt to coat evenly. Shake out excess.
Must Haves for Any At-Home Chef
August 26, 2008
With the holidays on their way soon, many people will be beefing up kitchens to handle the increased demand for ‘fit for a king’ meals. Not being a professional Chef shouldn’t stop you from being able to cook like one. But, you’ll need the right tools to create those tantalizing dishes. Read on and find out the five tools that no kitchen cook should be without.
Mixing Bowls
Make sure that you have a good, quality set of mixing bowls on hand ? the bigger the better! Many dishes need to be beaten, blended or mixed. You’ll be glad you didn’t skimp on the mixing bowls when you need to perform any of those tasks. Most professional chefs prefer to use stainless steel mixing bowls. However, there are many quality plastic sets available, like the ones made by OXO. But be aware that plastic bowls can become hard to clean over time, especially if used for heavy duty sauces, and may need to be replaced.
Pre-Seasoned Cookware
The Joys of Refrigerator Cookies
August 20, 2008
Baking cookies seem to fill the house with a sense of well being and peace. Perhaps it is the smell of butter, vanilla, and spices emanating from the hot oven. Maybe it is the love and caring attention that is evident in cookies. Home, love, and cookies seem to go together.
Consider refrigerator, or icebox, cookies for the holidays. They can be made up ahead of time-even months ahead-and stored until ready to bake. Baking up those stored refrigerator cookies is mess free, takes little time, and you only need to bake what you need for the moment. Drop cookies are quick cookies; refrigerator cookies are convenient cookies.
Refrigerator cookies are also attractive cookies. Nothing beats the uniform slices and consistent shape of refrigerator cookies. To keep that uniform shape, slice while the dough is still cold and firm and turn the log after every few cookies to keep the log round. If the cookies have a flat edge, mold them back to shape with the curl of your finger before baking.
