The Secret to Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
April 30, 2008
The Secret to Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
by: Debi Geroux
Why is that whenever you see a recipe with the finished cookies pictured and then try to duplicate those cookies they never come out “just right”? It’s like the fast food commercials that tempt you with a big juicy hamburger perfectly sitting on a fresh bun and when you actually purchase the burger, what you get is a shriveled piece of meat stuck between two flattened pieces of bun!
Do you want your chocolate chip cookies to come out soft and chewy every single time? The secret to perfect chocolate chip cookies is really very simple! And you can make them with any chocolate chip recipe at your disposal.
The problem with most chocolate chip cookie recipes is they have you drop a spoonful on a cookie sheet and bake them for 9 to 12 minutes until the tops are golden brown. That is too long! By the time the tops are golden brown, your bottoms are dark brown, or worse, burnt. After the cookies have baked this long, removing them from the oven in this over-baked condition and having them stand only causes them to harden up like jawbreakers. Instead of soft, chewy cookies that melt in your mouth, you end up with hard, crunchy cookies with burnt bottoms.
About Baking: Eight Tips for Perfect Pancakes
April 29, 2008
Pancakes are easy and almost foolproof. But there are some tricks to making them perfect. We’d like to share those tips:
1. Use a low gluten flour. We like to use unbleached pastry flour in our recipes-that’s what our mixes are made with-but all purpose flour will do. Bread flour makes for a pancake that it too tough and chewy.
2. Don’t over mix. Mixing develops the gluten in the batter. Mix the dry ingredients together to dispense the leavening throughout the flour. Mix the recipe’s wet ingredients together in another bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. There will still be lumps. That’s okay-they’ll cook out.
3. Get the batter the right consistency. The batter should be runny enough that it will spread on the griddle. If it is too runny, the pancakes will be crepe-like. As you progress through the batch, the batter will tend to become thicker as the leavenings work. Add a little more water or milk as needed but remember to stir minimally.
4. Prepare the griddle. Very lightly grease the griddle with a little shortening or with an aerosol can of vegetable oil.
Walnut Bars
April 29, 2008
Walnut Bars
by: LeAnn R. Ralph
1/2 cup butter
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 cups flour
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
Cream butter and shortening together. Mix in powdered sugar. Use a fork to work in the flour. Mixture will be crumbly.
Press into an ungreased 9×13 inch pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
Beat the eggs. Stir in the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, salt vanilla and chopped walnuts. Spread over the hot crust. Bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes or until set.
Allow to cool before cutting.
About The Author
LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the books “Cream of the Crop (More True Stories from Wisconsin Farm)” (trade paperback, Sept. 2005); “Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm” (trade paperback 2003); “Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam” (trade paperback 2004); “Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Interviewing Family Members and Writing Oral Histories” (e-book 2004). You are invited to read sample chapters, order books and sign up for the free newsletter, Rural Route 2 News — http://ruralroute2.com.
Nutrition Facts
April 28, 2008
Nutrition Facts
by: David McCarthy
Facts about nutrition are becoming important to a greater number of people and that is terrific news for your health. There is an old saying that states: “You are what you eat.” - This holds true today just as it did centuries ago; even if it was originally coined when the majority of people received insufficient food. Today it refers more to the worldwide trend of over-eating.
Fortunately packaging now gives more advice on calories and servings. The major fault is that we ignore serving sizes; many people are quite happy to eat double size servings and then wonder why the pounds keep going on and the inward curves turn outward.
The new US label regulations force manufacturers to be more open with Nutrition facts and here are few tips concerning what you should check on the label.
Check serving size and use it. This figure is nutritional fact.
Check calories. A healthy adult requires at least 2,000 each day in total. Try to keep it below 2,750. The average American adult currently eats around 3,500 calories each day.
Weight Loss Recipe: Crustless Quiche
April 27, 2008
Crust-less Quiche
Quick and easy, this meal is great either hot or cold. Stores well in the refrigerator and can be frozen. If you cook it in a well greased muffin tray it makes fantastic mini-quiches to pop into school lunch boxes. This is a great way to take a healthy lunch to work and avoid the canteen calories!
Long term weight loss isn’t about hunger, misery and crash dieting. It’s a whole new way of learning to prepare nutritious food that your body needs and enjoys. We’ve selected a range of hunger fighting, low fat recipes to assist you keep your weight under control. These irresistible, no-hassle meals will help you reach your weight-loss goals - while making mealtime a real treat.
Variety is an essential element of any successful health program. If you get bored with foods, you’re much more likely to abandon your program altogether. Each main meal should be accompanied by an exciting range of colorful vegetables.
Ingredients 4 eggs 1 cup (250ml) skim milk 1 cup (250g) full-cream natural yoghurt 2 tablespoons wholemeal flour 1 cup (250g) ricotta cheese ½ cup (50g) chopped spring onions 120g (4oz) mushrooms, sliced 1 medium tomato, diced oil 330g (12oz) can asparagus, drained
Quick Guide to Wedding Catering: Part Two
April 26, 2008
Quick Guide to Wedding Catering: Part Two
by: Amy Spade
So you’ve tasted the offerings of the caterer and you’ve selected your main menu options. What about drinks?
What’s on tap
Much like selecting the menu options, you will need to factor in what kinds of drinks everyone would like to drink. The easiest way to take care of this is to offer a full service bar. In this way, guests can have mixed drinks of all varieties or they can stick to wine and beer.
You want to plan this option out carefully as you may end up paying more than you would like. Check with the provider as to how many drinks each guest can have, or can expect from the supply that will be brought. In most cases, there is no limit.
A word of advice: Don’t ever have a cash bar. Making your guests pay for their drinks when they may also have paid for their outfits and transportation is just a lot to ask.
What to choose for everyone
In terms of wine and beer, tastes and varieties are enormous—how does someone choose?
All About Baking: Quick Breads
April 25, 2008
The Versatile Quick Bread
It’s no wonder quick breads are so popular. They are easy, fast-as the name implies, nearly foolproof, versatile, and oh, so good. We commonly know them as sweetened loaves with fruit or nuts, somewhere between yeast breads and cakes in texture and sweetness. They are leavened with baking powder and baking soda. Banana bread and date nut bread are typical though some books list recipes for savory varieties.
Quick breads have less sugar and less fat than cakes. The nuts often found in quick breads add to the fat content. The fruit adds to the moisture as well as the flavor. Because quick breads tend to be drier than cakes, they are often spread with butter, cream cheese, or jam. Peanut butter is one of our favorite toppings.
Quick breads tend to be more dense and moist than muffins though the batter for quick breads can be baked in muffin tins. Generally, muffin batter is thinner than quick bread batter.
Delicious Vintage Chocolate Recipes For All Seasons
April 24, 2008
Delicious Vintage Chocolate Recipes For All Seasons
by: Victor Carlton
Whether it’s a party, a quiet day in the house or just cruising downtown with friends, there’s always an occasion (or excuse) to gratuitously munch on chocolate.
Everyone loves chocolates, especially the types made from those secret vintage recipes. Listed below are a few of such.
CHOCOLATE JELLY WITH CRYSTALLIZED GREEN GAGES
Dissolve in a quart of water three tablespoonfuls of grated chocolate and let it come to a boil. Simmer for about ten minutes. Add a cup of sugar and a box of gelatin (that has been softened in a cup of water) and strain through a jelly bag or two thicknesses of cheese-cloth. When almost cold, add a dessertspoonful of vanilla and a tablespoonful of brandy. Then whisk well, add half a pound of crystallized green gages cut into small pieces and pour into a pretty mould. When cold serve with whipped cream.
CHOCOLATE MARBLE CAKE
Zucchini Carrot Salad
April 24, 2008
Summer is nearing and it is time to start thinking about serving succulent garden grown or farm fresh salads. This zesty Zucchini Carrot Salad recipe is certain not to disappoint you or your guests as it is an attractive meal to dish out after a hot summer’s day! No cooking is involved; consider serving it with bread, if so desired.
Ingredients:
1 {one} bunch of romaine lettuce, cut into quarter sized pieces
1 {one} medium head iceberg lettuce, cut into quarter sized pieces
2 {two} medium or one large zucchini, sliced thinly
3 {three} green onions, sliced
1 {one} can — 6 oz. of pitted ripe olives, small, drained
1 {one} cup thinly sliced or chopped carrots
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of finely chopped bacon
1/2 cup of Italian dressing
Directions:
Toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl except for the salad dressing and the chopped bacon.
Pour dressing over the salad and toss.
If desired, sprinkle liberally with bacon.
Servings:
6 to 8 people
Substitutions:
Select imitation bacon, low calorie Italian, Caesar or Greek dressing
The Secrets Of Making A Perfect Roasted Duck Salad
April 23, 2008
The Secrets Of Making A Perfect Roasted Duck Salad
by: Jonathan Teng
ROAST DUCK
5 lb Duckling,excess fat removed
1 T Soy Sauce
1/2 t Salt
1/2 t Peppercorns,Szechwan, Coarsely Ground
2 T Honey
2 T Vinegar,Chinese, rice
DRESSING
1 t Mustard,dry
Salt
Pepper,white, ground
2 t Sugar
1/2 t Garlic,finely chopped
1 1/2 T Soy Sauce
1/3 c Stock,chicken
1/3 c Vinegar,Chinese, rice
1/3 c Oil,vegetable
Oil,vegetable (for deep fat frying)
3 1/2 oz Mai fun,(rice sticks)
2 c Lettuce,iceberg, shredded
6 T Scallions,slivered (garnish)
Cilantro (coriander) (garnish)
1 t Sesame seeds,lightly toasted
For Roast Duck:
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Rub some soy sauce, salt and pepper into the cavity of the duck and place the duck on a rack in the roasting pan. Stir together the honey and the vinegar and brush some over the duck. Roast the duck until crisp and golden, about 1 hour, occasionally brushing with honey-vinegar mixture. Cool.
