Best Recipes: Yogurt
March 31, 2009
Best Recipes: Yogurt
by: Petrosyan
INGREDIENTS:
Dry skim milk, enough for 1 quart of milk
3 cups water only
1/4 cup yogurt
Mix milk-powder and water; slowly bring to boiling point; then cool to lukewarm temperature. Thin out yogurt by adding about 1/2 cup of the lukewarm milk; stir well to make it smooth. Add yogurt mixture to the rest of milk, blend thoroughly. Pour into serving size cups. Cover them with thick towel. (Paper toweling between cups helps maintain even, warm temperature). Leave undisturbed for about 5 to 6 hours (free from drafts and jolts). Refrigerate after it solidifies. Save some yogurt to start a new batch.
For this yogurt less water is used in proportion to drymilk than when making fluid skim milk. This produces a more concentrated product.
Appetite comes with eating!!!
About The Author
Petrosyan writes for http://www.healthfood.blogspot.com where you can find more information about Healthy food, Diet food, Food Safety, Kids food, Best healthy food recipes, Healthy weight loss …
Catalan Cuisine - A Guide
March 30, 2009
Catalan Cuisine - A Guide
by: Mike McDougall
Barcelona - a city renowned for its cultural diversity and multiple influences and in no area is this more noticeable than its cuisine. Heavily influenced by the surrounding Catalan region and its diverse geographical landscape the area is a melting pot of fresh vegetables and choice fish, poultry and game.
Catalan’s also have a growing reputation throughout Spain and the world and the region is fast becoming renowned for producing the best chefs and finest gastronomy in the country (a title that has been traditionally held by the Basques and one that they’re not going to relinquish without a fight). Men such as Ferran Aria have helped to put Barcelona on the culinary map. He is widely regarded as the world’s most innovative chef and his restaurant, El Bulli, two hours north of Barcelona, is regarded as one of the worlds best- the 27 course “degustation” menu has achieved cult status amongst foodies throughout the world.
Homemade Whipped Cream
March 30, 2009
Most grocery stores carry cans of whipping cream ready to spray onto your favorite desert. Some of these cans even come in chocolate flavor. But, instead of choosing to use canned cream how about whipping your own.
In the dairy case of your local grocery store you will find cartons of Ultra-pasteurized whipping cream, whipping cream, and baker’s cream. Each of these can be whipped up into a delightful topping for deserts.
Ultra-pasteurized whipping cream has been heated to above 280 degrees to extend its shelf life. It is just a bit more temperamental when it comes to whipping.
Whipping cream is more difficult to find in stores but it does whip up easier.
Baker’s cream is an Ultra-pasteurized version that contains vanilla flavoring. This is an excellent choice to top cakes or pies.
Whether using Ultra-pasteurized, whipping, or baker’s cream following a few simple steps will yield delightful results every time.
First chill all ingredients and utensils thoroughly. Place the carton of cream in the coldest location in your refrigerator. Allow it to chill overnight. Place the beaters and a deep narrow bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes before whipping.
Grandmas Peach Canning Recipe
March 29, 2009
Grandma loved to bake peach pies or top pancakes with peaches instead of syrup. During the summer months, she would buy baskets of seconds and freeze them. Freezing peaches was much easier and faster than canning them, so she rarely bothered with canned fruit. Since she didn’t have a vacuum sealer, she used containers to hold her peaches. However, Nan, my mother, and I all use a vacuum sealer to prevent freezer burn. I really recommend this recipe over the more traditional peach canning recipe, because it is so simple to do and is not as dangerous as using a pressure canner. (Those things make me nervous.)
Ingredients: Fresh peaches 3 cups of sugar 4 cups of water
Directions:
1. Wash peaches thoroughly.
2. Cut the fruit in half and remove the pit.
3. Peel the skin from the peaches.
4. Bring water to a boil.
5. Add your sugar to the boiling water and stir it in until it is thoroughly dissolved.
6. Let the syrup cool. Grandma put hers in the fridge for an hour.
Buy Fine Wine at Great Prices- A Strategy
March 28, 2009
Buy Fine Wine at Great Prices- A Strategy
by: Walt Ballenberger
Some years ago in a book by Lee Iacocca, who was President of Ford Motor Co. prior to taking over Chrysler Corp. and leading them out of bankruptcy, I read that Mr. Iacocca’s boss, Henry Ford II, drank two bottles of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild every day. Two bottles per day is an awful lot and wouldn‘t be advisable, but I did like the thought of drinking fine wine every day. Today, depending on the vintage, two bottles of Chateau Lafite can cost upwards of $1,000 or even more. If your name is Henry Ford you can no doubt afford this, but most of us have to settle for something a little less prestigious for our nightly dinner pairing.
The point of this article is simple: One can drink good, sometimes even excellent wines, at very reasonable prices.
The easiest way to do this is to wait for your local liquor store to have their periodic sales. For example, about once a month a large liquor store nearby our home, which carries a reasonably good selection of wines from around the world, has a sale for 15% off for those on their “family plan”. So that’s obviously the time to stock up.
Use Spices To Cook Like A Connoisseur On A Paupers Budget!
March 27, 2009
Use Spices To Cook Like A Connoisseur On A Paupers Budget!
by: Beth Scott
Don’t have the money to make delectable dishes?
Or just don’t know the secrets of flavoring with spices and herbs, and making food stretch?
The former is not right no matter what your income is.
If you have the income to buy enough food to at least feed your family then your income is large enough to make whatever you feed them enjoyable, even if it’s a vegetable dish.
Yes, with the right spices or herbs, and recipes, the children in your family will come to love vegetables. My family has several favorite veggie dishes, that our kids like so much they want seconds. And the main secret to them are the different spices we use.
These dishes range from ratatouille, eggplant parmigiani, to stewed tomatoes and stuffed zucchini.
Just as they do with vegetables; spices, herbs, and sweeteners are the secrets to making all foods delicious.
These three food miracle workers can be relatively inexpensive if you know where to look.
In most health food stores (and in select supermarkets in growing numbers) there is a wondrous invention called a BULK section.
The Stuff of Poetry ? Mead
March 26, 2009
People have been drinking fermented beverages since the dawn of civilization. At first, the production of alcohol may have been accidental. Over time, it became an art.
Mead is a beverage made from fermented honey. This very drink was the founding father of wine and beer. A purist might just stick to just the simplest recipe of honey, water, and yeast, but some people, like myself, add a few additional ingredients to compliment the main ingredient.
My first introduction to mead was on my birthday. I prepared a medieval feast, each ingredient carefully chosen to be historically accurate or at least as accurate as it could be. A friend of mine brought along mead made by a brewery also known for brewing Tej, an Ethiopian honey wine. It was a welcome accompaniment to the sweet and savory flavors of the various medieval dishes.
I acquired a taste for mead while in Denmark. I was attending a folk school, and two of our favored activities were singing and drinking. A local liquor store carried mead in a ceramic bottle. The label depicted two Vikings, who seemed rather happy enjoying their brew out of horns. My friends and I started having little parties we appropriately dubbed "Viking Giggle Fest."
The Cuisine Of Madrid - A Guide
March 25, 2009
The Cuisine Of Madrid - A Guide
by: Mike McDougall
The Madrid region (one of Spain’s smallest), as one would expect, is largely dominated by the capital city itself. It has been said, by gourmands and food critics alike, that Madrid does not really have an individual cuisine all of its own, rather it draws on influence from the whole of Spain, absorbing a rich tapestry of flavours and ingredients and throwing them into it’s own gastronomic melting pot. This is certainly true to some extent; in no other city in Spain are visitors likely to be presented with such a wide cross section of the nations flavours. Despite this fact Madrid does still boast a few dishes that are synonymous with the capital and by absorbing so many influences; Madrid has become one of Spain’s richest gastronomic regions.
Cucumbers with Yogurt & Mint
March 25, 2009
Almost every day I eat with my energy in mind, but I don’t let that be the end of it. I take what I have learned about what works best for my body and take it one step further in order to connect with the changing seasons!
While there are many effective ways to get more energy and build your productivity, I’ve found it very important to pay attention to the seasons.
“But wait a minute,” you say. “Aren’t I supposed to be eating great food all of the time?”
Yes, you are! And after you understand what foods work best for your body, you should then adjust to fit the seasons. Over the past few years, I’ve found this to be the best way to get healthy, build my productivity, and increase my energy, and one of the best summer foods that helps with all of it is cucumbers:
Cucumber
? Contains 90% water ? Relieves edema ? Effective diuretic ? Cleanses and purifies the blood ? Helps break down protein (better digestion = more energy!)
Cucumbers with Yogurt & Mint
4 Servings
Buying, Storing, and Preparing Apples
March 24, 2009
When buying apples, look for those that are firm and brightly colored. Shiny red for Macintosh, Rome and red Delicious. Clear green for Granny Smith and golden yellow for Delicious. Always avoid bruised apples. When an apple is damaged, the injured cells release polyphenoloxidase, an enzyme that hastens the oxidation of phenols in the apple, producing brownish pigments that darken the fruit. It’s easy to check loose apples. If you buy them packed in a plastic bag, turn the bag upside down and examine the fruit.
Store apples in the refrigerator. Cool storage keeps them from losing the natural moisture that makes them crisp. It also keeps them from turning brown inside, near the core, a phenomenon that occurs when apples are stored at warm temperatures. Apples can be stored in a cool, dark cabinet with plenty of circulating air.
Check the apples from time to time. They store well, but the longer the storage, the greater the natural loss of moisture and the more likely the chance that even the crispest apple will begin to taste mealy.
