Prepare A Romantic Dinner At Home For Valentine’s Day
October 31, 2007
Prepare A Romantic Dinner At Home For Valentine’s Day
by: Christine Steendahl
Remember those pre-child days when you would go out to a fancy restaurant or spend the weekend at a romantic get-away to celebrate Valentine’s Day? That may not be an option this year, but you can still enjoy a romantic dinner with your spouse. Here are a few ideas on how you can easily create a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner at home.
Creating The Menu
This is the perfect time for some “Grown-up” food. Cook a separate dinner for the kids or order in some pizza. Let the kids eat an early dinner and then send them off to play, or watch a movie while the two of you enjoy your meal. If your children are really young, you may want to put them to bed before you sit down for your Valentine’s Day dinner.
Cooking a restaurant inspired meal doesn’t have to be complicated. Pick up some mini-quiches in your grocers frozen food section and bake them up as an appetizer. For a first course pick up a can of gourmet style soup that you just need to heat up. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and some fresh herbs for visual appeal.
Best Casserole Recipe: Popover Pizza Casserole
October 30, 2007
Best Casserole Recipe: Popover Pizza Casserole
by: Donna Monday
A popover recipe that involves pizza? Can’t get better than that. Don’t be surprised if unexpected company pops over to help you enjoy this tasty casserole.
1 pound ground beef
1 (14 or 15 oz.) jar or can pizza sauce
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 medium green onions, chopped (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cook beef in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Stir in pizza sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low and keep warm.
Beat eggs, milk, oil, flour, and salt with wire whisk until foamy. Spoon beef mixture into ungreased 13×9x2-inch rectangular baking dish. Pour egg mixture over cheese. Sprinkle with onions.
Bake uncovered 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately.
About The Author
© Donna Monday
Over 100 easy-to-make meals at your fingertips
http://www.best-casserole-recipes.com
20 Delicious Casserole Ideas for Any Occasion
October 29, 2007
20 Delicious Casserole Ideas for Any Occasion
by: Donna Monday
Making a casserole is one of the quickest and easiest ways to serve a delicious dinner. If you’re wondering what to make for lunch, dinner, or a potluck, try one of these great casserole recipe ideas.
Tuna Noodle Casserole - with tuna, egg noodles, onions, cream of mushroom soup, and cheddar cheese.
Green Bean Casserole - with green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and fried onions.
Breakfast Casserole - with sausage, eggs, bread, and milk.
Hamburger Casserole - with ground beef, tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms, and noodles.
Potato Casserole - with potatoes, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions.
Chicken Rice Casserole - with chicken, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, and rice.
Spaghetti Casserole - with spaghetti, turkey, green peppers, mushroom soup, and cheese.
Zucchini Casserole - with zucchini, American cheese, green peppers, and cracker crumbs.
Taco Casserole - with hamburger, kidney beans, lettuce, tomatoes, corn chips, and taco sauce.
Corn Casserole - with creamed corn, butter, sour cream, eggs, and corn muffin mix.
Enchilada Casserole - with ground beef, cream of chicken soup, green chilies, cheese, and flour tortillas.
What?s the Thick on Roux? Thickening Soups and Sauces
October 28, 2007
Soups and sauces can be thickened in a variety of ways. A sauce must the thick enough to cling to the food, but not so thick it stands up on its own. Starches are by far the most common thickening agent. Cornstarch, arrowroot, waxy maize and the ever popular, roux (roo). But what is a roux and how does it work?
Roux is a cooked mixture of equal parts by weight of fat and flour. If you mix a starch with water, such as cornstarch it is called a slurry
How does it work?
Starches thicken by absorbing water and swelling to many times their original size. This process is called gelatinization. In order for the starch to function at its maximum, each granule of starch must be separated before heating in order to avoid lumps. If granules are not separated the starch on the outside of a lump quickly gelatinizes into a coating that prevents the liquid from reach the rest of the starch inside. This is accomplished in two ways.
1. By mixing the starch with cold water ? This is used with starches such as arrowroot and cornstarch. This method is not recommended for flour because it lacks flavor and has an undesirable texture.
Do You Ever Search For Quick recipes?
October 27, 2007
In the quest for more time, searching for quick recipes online can be a big help. Cutting time out of cooking will free up time for other things. But, can you find easy gourmet recipes or quick crock pot recipes? The answer is yes. Many websites contain free recipes of any type that you can use. Are you looking for a quick cookie recipe? Maybe even a quick chicken recipe for dinner tonight? Whatever you choice is, you will find an answer online! For the sake of example, let us assume you are looking for a recipe for cookies. You want to have fun with the kids, but, as usual, you do not have much time to pour into a complicated recipe or long bake times. Not to worry, simply search for quick cookie recipes on your favorite recipe website.
Need a quick answer to dinner tonight? Search the same website for crockpot dinner that you can make before you leave for work, let it cook all day, then come home to dinner already done. There are quite a few websites out that provide free recipes to those looking. To find these sites, simply search for recipes using your favorite search engine. Many options will be available to you. Or, if you do not have Internet access, go to the library. There you will find tons of options. The library materials are free, to those who have a membership card which is also free in most cases.
Rare Varietals Cure Wine Boredom
October 27, 2007
The future of the Australian wine industry will be shaped by a group of innovative grapegrowers and winemakers who are busily experimenting with new varieties in new regions.
The phenomenal success of the industry in producing quality wine at competitive prices does not need recounting here. But this success has led some critics to brand Australian wine as boring. Nothing could be further from the truth.
A pioneering spirit has been sweeping the industry and this has resulted in a much wider range of winegrape varieties being used.
There are over a hundred winegrape varieties grown in Australia. In a recent book Varietal Wines, leading Australian wine writer James Halliday uses a classification of varieties into classic, second tier and Lesser varietals for both red and white. He identifies four classic whites (chardonnay, semillon, riesling and sauvignon blanc) and five classic reds (cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, merlot, shiraz and grenache).
The Australian wine industry is heavily dependent on these classic varieties. They are all French by the way; although there is merit in the argument that grenache can be regarded as a Spanish variety.
A supporting role is played by a cast thirteen white varieties and seventeen red varieties, second tier varietals in Halliday’s language.
Best Casserole Recipe: Texas Tater Casserole
October 26, 2007
Best Casserole Recipe: Texas Tater Casserole
by: Donna Monday
Try this easy-to-make tater tot hotdish recipe the next time you’re in the mood for tater tots.
1 pound ground beef
1 cup onion, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
2 cans (10 ¾ oz. each) condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 (11 oz.) can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
½ cup picante sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 (16 oz.) package frozen potato nuggets (tater tots)
½ cup shredded taco-seasoned cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook beef, onion, celery, and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes; stirring occasionally; until beef is brown; drain.
Stir soup, corn, picante sauce, chili powder, and pepper into beef mixture. Spoon into ungreased 2 ½-quart casserole dish. Top with potato nuggets.
Bake uncovered 40 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
About The Author
© Donna Monday
Over 100 easy-to-make meals at your fingertips
http://www.best-casserole-recipes.com
Best Casserole Recipe: Reuben Casserole
October 25, 2007
Best Casserole Recipe: Reuben Casserole
by: Donna Monday
If you enjoy a hot, delicious, Reuben sandwich, you’ll love this Reuben casserole recipe. Instead of bread, it features garlic mashed potatoes - yum!
3 cups hot water
1 cup milk
¼ cup margarine or butter
1 tablespoon mustard
1 package roasted garlic mashed potatoes
1 (6 oz.) package sliced corned beef, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 (14 ½ oz.) can sauerkraut, rinsed well and drained
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 tablespoon caraway seed, optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease an 8×8-inch square baking dish.
Heat water, milk, and margarine to rapid boil in 3-quart saucepan; remove from heat. Stir in mustard. Stir in both packets of potatoes and seasoning just until moistened.
Let stand about 1 minute or until liquid is absorbed. Whip with fork until smooth.
Spread 1 ½ cups of the potatoes into baking dish. Top with corned beef. Spoon remaining potatoes over top; spread gently. Sprinkle with cheese and caraway seeds.
Bake 20 minutes.
About The Author
© Donna Monday
Over 100 easy-to-make meals at your fingertips
Easy Gourmet Recipes You and I can do!
October 24, 2007
So, you don’t think you can find easy gourmet recipes? Yes, you can! While most people think that gourmet recipes are hard to make, time consuming, or too expensive, you can find things that are gourmet and easy to make. You just need to look in the right places and know what you are looking for! First of all, finding information on gourmet recipes on the Internet is easy to do. Just search your favorite recipe websites or just use a search engine like Google or Yahoo. If you do not have web access, going to the library for the information will also work. The library contains many types of books or even CD ROMs on cooking. Most importantly, both of these options result in free recipes!
Best Casserole Recipe: Cheesy Barbecue Casserole
October 23, 2007
Best Casserole Recipe: Cheesy Barbecue Casserole
by: Donna Monday
Here’s an Italian baked ziti recipe with an interesting twist - barbecue sauce. If you love the taste of barbecue, this casserole’s for you.
3 cups uncooked ziti pasta
1 pound ground beef
½ cup onion, chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup milk
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 2-quart casserole.
Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
While pasta is cooking, cook beef and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes; stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain.
Mix beef, pasta, 3 tablespoons of the parsley, milk, barbecue sauce, mozzarella cheese, and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Spoon into casserole dish. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheddar cheese.
Bake uncovered 30-40 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining parsley before serving.
About The Author
© Donna Monday
Over 100 easy-to-make meals at your fingertips
http://www.best-casserole-recipes.com
