If you adore the taste of key lime pie, but don't want to spend hours slaving in a hot kitchen, try a key lime martini instead. A creamy key lime martini is a tart and refreshing alcoholic beverage perfect for those sweltering summer nights, and it's sure to make the perfect dessert drink to curb a sweet tooth. This recipe fills one standard martini glass.
Instructions
1. Prepare your martini glass by rubbing a slice of lime around the rim and then dipping the rim in a bowl of lime cocktail candy.
2. Combine 2 1/2 ounces of high-quality vanilla vodka and 1/2 ounce of fresh-squeezed lemon juice in a drink shaker filled about three quarters of the way with large cubed ice. Place the lid on the ice, and shake thoroughly. Add 1/2 ounce of heavy cream to the shaker, and shake gently.
3. Strain your drink into the glass, filling just up to the line of sugary lime candy, and then garnish the glass with a slice of lime.
4. Make an impression with your key lime martini by garnishing with a gummy lime candy instead of fresh lime. You might also consider serving these sweet-and-sour drinks with graham crackers and lemon custard for a special treat.
Tags: lime martini, lime candy, martini glass, slice lime
Portable appetizers are a handy must-have for potlucks and picnics everywhere. The best appetizers are finger-food friendly and not too heavy -- they're meant to complement the main course, not replace it, although a thorough selection of ready-to-go appetizers could conceivably be enough to sustain a light lunch.
Cheese
A cheese plate is both simple and portable. Choose three cheeses -- something soft and spreadable, something firm or semi-firm and a blue cheese or something flavored. For soft cheeses, consider chevre, brie, Camembert or crescenza. For the firm cheese, cheddar is classic but also try Parmesan or its cousin grana padano, Manchego or an aged Gouda. If you don't like blue cheese, try a sage or chipotle cheddar or chevre topped with apricots or cranberries. Offer some dried fruit or a good jarred chutney and some crackers or sliced bread to accompany.
Crudites
Crudites is the French term for a raw vegetable plate. Cut peeled carrots and celery stalks into sticks. Scrub, top and tail radishes. Slice bell peppers of various colors into long thin pieces. Broccoli florets and whole green beans are better lightly blanched in boiling water, then shocked in cold water; this makes them more tender and easy to eat.
Dips
Along with your crudites, you might want to offer a dip. Dips meant to be served cold travel easily in a lidded plastic container and there are hundreds of recipes you can choose from. Many consist simply of a dairy product base plus vegetable and herb add-ins. Other dips worth exploring are peanut sauces, bean dips and Mediterranean specialties such as hummus. And you do not have to serve your dip with crudites; you can also offer crackers, bread sticks or chips.
Olives and Pickles
A spread of jarred olives and pickles -- an updated spin on what your grandmother might have called a relish tray -- makes for one of the simplest and most portable appetizers around. Simply choose a variety of olives and pickled vegetables and arrange them on a platter or divided dish. Your vegetables might include asparagus, green beans, beets, turnips, sweet or hot peppers, mushrooms or carrots.
Snack Mixes
It's easy and fun to mix up your own snack mix from seasoned nuts, pretzels, popcorn, cereal, dried fruit and any other ingredients that appeal to you. You can keep the mix savory or try up a sweet and salty trail mix type of combination. As an extra bonus, these mixes are quite portable and usually even keep well for a few days.
Dolmades
If you're seeking an elegant appetizer that still travels well, try making a batch of dolmades. Dolmades are grape leaves stuffed with rice, pine nuts and herbs. They are eaten at room temperature. "Dolmades" is the Greek term, but variations on this dish are found in Turkish, Israeli and other nearby cuisines.
Tags: blue cheese, dried fruit, green beans, travel easily
Make a custom pizza box for felt playpizza pieces.
Classic children's toys live on year after year, and felt play toys are among the most enduring of these playthings. Cut out pieces of felt in a variety of shapes and allow your children to use their imaginations to build an endless series of designs. Pizza felt play is a fun variety for children to use and simple for parents to make. After you create a set of felt pizza pieces, make a custom pizza box for your children to store the parts.
Instructions
1. Open up the top and bottom halves of the shirt box and set them on the table in front of you with the longer edges running vertically.
2. Create a flap in the box top. Cut the top right corner from the box opening all the way down to the box top surface. Cut the bottom right corner in the same manner. You will now have a box top with a loose flap on the right side.
3. Create a flap in the box bottom in the same manner. Place the box top on the box bottom with the flaps overlapping.
4. Tape the boxes together by placing a strip of tape along the long edge of the top flap where it overlaps the bottom flap. When you take the top off the box, you now have a connected flap between the two box halves.
5. Close the box and use markers to decorate your pizza box. Use your child's name in the name of the pizza restaurant and draw pizza pictures on the top.
For best whipped cream results, cream should always have 35 percent butterfat content.
Whipped cream is an essential ingredient, and often the crown jewel, for many desserts. This delicate creation, however, will separate if it's overbeaten or left at room temperature for a short period of time. There is an easy way to stabilize whipped cream before adding to frosting, pudding, jello and other desserts. This simple technique can enhance your dessert creations.
Instructions
1. Combine 1 tsp. gelatin and 4 tsp. cold water in a medium-sized pan. Let it stand until it is thick.
2. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from stove when the gelatin dissolves.
3. Remove from heat. Allow it to cool, but do not allow the mixture to set.
4. Beat 1 cup cream and 1/4 cup sugar until the mixture is slightly thick.
5. Slowly add the gelatin to the whipped cream. Beat the mixture at a high speed until stiff white peaks appear.
Age takes its toll on the delicate skin of the neck.
As we age, the skin under our chins may begin to sag and create an unattractive fleshy flap. This condition is a result of the loosening of the muscles and skin of the neck, or "turkey neck," and excess fat can contribute to developing a wattle. Aging is inevitable, but there are a few measures you can take to avoid turkey neck.
Instructions
1. Moisturize your neck just as you moisturize your face. It isn't necessary to purchase special creams and lotions, but it is important to slather the lotion you already use for your face onto your neck at the same time. Night creams are especially useful, since your skin is most receptive as you sleep. If you are using a wrinkle-fighting retinol product on your face, by all means, use it on your neck as well. If you'd like to try some new skin products, look for creams with ingredients that help the skin to generate collagen and elastin.
2. Prevent turkey neck and future skin damage with sunscreen. Sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher is the most effective way to protect your skin. Apply sunscreen to all areas of exposed skin--especially your neck--even on days that aren't sunny.
3. Try exercises to tighten the platysma and sternomastoid muscles of the neck. While sitting or standing, bring your lower lip up over your top lip then tilt your head back as far as you comfortably can. Or press your tongue against the roof of your mouth and tuck your chin down toward your neck as far as you comfortably can. Hold either of these positions for 10 seconds, and you'll feel tightness in your chin and along the front of your neck that lets you know the exercise is working.
4. Try a facial massage. A facial massage will provide anti-aging benefits such as increased circulation and tightening of the skin, but will also extend to the neck and chin areas to help strengthen weak muscles that may be causing the sagging tissue.
5. Schedule a surgical neck lift. Surgery is a surefire, albeit expensive, way to cure turkey neck. In some cases, preventive measures have been neglected or weight loss has been significant. Despite a lack of underlying fat and tight platysma and sternomastoid muscles, the skin of the neck still sags. In these cases, a neck lift, or Cervicoplasty, can do wonders. A neck lift involves removing the excess skin and tightening it up. If excess fat is a concern, a Cervicoplasty may also include liposuction to remove fat.
Tags: your neck, neck lift, skin neck, turkey neck, your face, facial massage
Armadillos can be a nuisance because of their tendency to destroy lawns. They live in burrows and often dig holes while hunting for insects, both of which can result in lawn destruction if they make their way onto your property. The best solution to an armadillo problem is to rid them from your yard altogether. An aggressive method such as repelling them from their home will be faster than other passive methods such as eliminating a food source or waiting until they fall into a trap.
Instructions
1. Spray castor oil around the burrows of the armadillos with a spray bottle or liquid chemical sprayer. This is a repellent that will deter armadillos from living in the burrows.
2. Use natural granular repellents to drive the armadillos from their homes. Spread a repellent that contains a mix of 10 percent rucinus communis oil and 90 percent attapulgite hormite clay in and around the burrows with a spray bottle or liquid chemical sprayer. This method is non-toxic.
3. Apply Permethrin in and around the burrows with a spray bottle or liquid chemical sprayer. Wait 10 days and apply a layer of Permethrin Pro if the armadillos have yet to leave.
Tags: around burrows, bottle liquid, bottle liquid chemical, chemical sprayer, liquid chemical, liquid chemical sprayer, spray bottle
Gorgonzola is a strongly flavored blue cheese made in Italy from cow's milk. Its soft and crumbly yet creamy texture and intense flavor allow it to work well either crumbled or spread onto other items that would not otherwise have a strong taste, such as salads, bread or crackers. While no other cheese tastes exactly the same as Gorgonzola, a few cheeses have a similar flavor and texture.
Roquefort
Roquefort cheese is a blue cheese made from ewe's milk. This cheese has a long history, allegedly stretching back all the way to Pliny the Elder. It is aged somewhat longer than Gorgonzola; Roquefort takes four to nine months to mature rather than Gorgonzola's three to six months. Roquefort is made in the French village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, where the seven producers of this cheese allow it to age in the local caves. Roquefort is creamier than Gorgonzola and has a milder taste, but works well as a substitute in many dishes or for those who do not appreciate Gorgonzola's intensity.
Bleu d'Auvergne
Bleu d'Auvergne is similar to Roquefort but is made with cow's milk rather than ewe's milk. While this cheese is also French rather than Italian, its flavor is nearly as strong as that of Gorgonzola. The flavor is significantly creamier than that of both Gorgonzola and Roquefort, however, with an added slight spiciness that Gorgonzola does not have. Bleu d'Auvergne ages to maturity much more quickly than many similar cheeses; it can be ready for the table in as little as four weeks. Like Gorgonzola, its flavor grows stronger after more aging, so you should try to purchase some that has been aged longer if you wish to match the strength of mature Gorgonzola.
Dolcelatte
Dolcelatte, also called Gorgonzola dolce, is very similar to Gorgonzola. Like Gorgonzola, it is an Italian cheese made with cow's milk. As its name (which literally translates to "sweet milk") suggests, however, it is a sweeter and less intense cheese. If you enjoy the flavor of Gorgonzola but simply find it too strong, dolcelatte is the ideal replacement in most cases. Its texture, however, is significantly softer than that of Gorgonzola. For this reason it works best as a substitute in dishes where you will spread the cheese or mix it with other ingredients, such as salad dressings or pasta sauces.
Tags: Bleu Auvergne, cheese made, rather than, than Gorgonzola, that Gorgonzola
A watermelon basket filled with a gourmet fruit salad makes the perfect centerpiece for a summer shower or outdoor reception. Follow these steps to make a watermelon basket.
Instructions
1. Choose a large ripe watermelon that sits without wobbling on a flat surface. It is important that the outside rind be blemish-free because your watermelon basket is made from the rind of the watermelon itself.
2. Use a sharp knife to score the rind prior to cutting it. First measure the height of the watermelon from the bottom which will sit on your table to the center of the top. The base of the watermelon basket will be half of this height. So score a line all the way around the perimeter of the watermelon halfway up from the bottom. Then locate the mid-point of the top of the watermelon. Use your knife to score a line that extends one inch to the right of this mid-point and also one inch to the left of this mid-point (it will be two inches wide). Draw these lines down from the top of the melon to where it meets the first horizontal line on the front of the watermelon basket and also on the back. This forms the handle of your watermelon basket.
3. Cut along the lines from the top of the basket's handle to the top edge of the watermelon basket. Then cut along the lines from the left outer edge of the basket to the left side of the handle. Cut the lines from the right outer edge of the basket to the right side of the handle. Be careful not to cut into the handle itself. Put the large wedges of watermelon aside to use to make melon balls to fill the basket later.
4. Scoop out the inside of the watermelon and slice the fruit from the inside of the handle. If you like a decorative scalloped or triangular edge on your watermelon basket, use your knife to evenly carve it along the top of the basket.
5. Use the watermelon that you scooped out of the basket to make watermelon balls. Add other fruits such as canned pineapple tidbits, orange slices, apples, bananas, strawberries, cherries and more to make a gourmet fruit salad. Mix them together and then pour the mixture into the base of the watermelon basket.
6. Tie a ribbon bow around the handle of the watermelon basket to match the colors of your other decorations. Everyone will rave about your creative edible centerpiece.
Tags: watermelon basket, your watermelon basket, lines from, watermelon basket, your watermelon
If you want to make some great barbecue, skip the expensive outdoor grills and bulky smokers. Cook your meat the way that people all over the world have been doing it since prehistoric times. Just get a shovel and dig a pit.
Instructions
1. Dig a pit in the ground. For a small family barbecue, it should be about 3 feet on each side and 3-feet deep. If you're having people over, you'll need a wider pit, but not a deeper one. Making it deeper makes the pit more difficult--and dangerous--to work with.
2. Find something to cover the pit. A sheet of plywood or a metal plate works well, and may already be sitting around in the garage or back yard.
3. Fill the pit with wood chips or charcoal and start the fire. It will take at least a couple of hours to get a good bed of coals, adding more fuel as it burns down, until you have a depth of at least 2 feet.
4. Spread the coals evenly and put something on top to hold the meat. You can use branches of green wood arranged in a lattice pattern, fire bricks, a metal pan or a grill.
5. Wrap your meat in unwaxed butcher paper and then in wet newspaper. Set it inside the pit. Cover the meat and roast it for 16 to 20 hours.
6. Uncover the pit, take out the meat, unwrap it and serve.
Believe it or not, a Flaming Doctor Pepper does not actually include the famous Dr. Pepper drink. The Flaming Doctor Pepper gets its name from the taste of the drink itself; yes, the flaming doctor pepper tastes like Dr. Pepper without any actual Dr. Pepper. This drink is actually done as a "bomb" style drink.
Instructions
1. Place the shot glass next to the drinking glass. Once you have done this, fill the large drinking glass with beer to the point that it is level with, or slightly above, the shot glass.
2. Fill the shot glass 3/4 of the way full with Amaretto. Be sure to leave enough room for more liquid, but make sure the shot is predominantly amaretto.
3. Fill the rest of the shot glass with 151 proof rum. Be sure to not fill the shot glass completely full, as you need to be able to pick it up.
4. When you are ready to "perform" the bomb and make the drink, take your lighter and light the shot on fire. The 151 proof rum will help make the drink flammable.
5. After the shot has been lit on fire, grab the large glass, drop the shot glass in that glass, and then drink the glass.
Tags: shot glass, Flaming Doctor Pepper, Doctor Pepper, drinking glass, Flaming Doctor, glass with, make drink
According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetics can enjoy small amounts of sugar, as long as they keep track of the total amount of carbohydrates consumed daily. This is because research has shown that blood sugar levels are affected more by the amount of carbohydrates consumed rather than the type of carbohydrate. This cookie recipe has lower carbohydrates than the average cookie, and should be easy for a diabetics to work into their diet as an occasional treat.
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together 1 cup baking sugar replacement (such as Splenda), 1 cup of natural peanut butter (smooth or crunchy), one egg and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Continue to stir the mixture until it is uniform in color and consistency.
3. Roll the dough into 12 balls.
4. Place the balls onto the baking sheet and gently flatten them. These cookies will not spread out the way normal cookies do during baking, so you can place them close together.
5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how you like your cookies. Baking for 10 minutes will render a soft cookie, while 15 minutes will produce a crisper, crunchy cookie.
6. Remove cookies from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before enjoying. Each cookie contains 6 grams of carbs.
A wedding cake should make a statement about the bride and groom's unique personalities and styles. It can be a beneficial exercise to explore wedding cake design options in the virtual realm, allowing you change colors, size and details with the click of a mouse. Many websites also offer tips and models to inspire you as you make a virtual wedding cake.
Instructions
1. Get inspired. Look in bakery shop windows or browse through the photograph albums that wedding cake designers keep on hand for interested customers. Bridal magazines are another source of images and articles about the latest in cake design. If you want to keep the experience virtual for the time being, check out the photographs of cakes on an online gallery, such as one on the sites in the Resources section.
2. Consider your options. Virtual wedding cake design has come a long way since the triple-tiered white-on-white. Recent trends include metallic accents, pyramids of gourmet cupcakes, white with graphic black details, calligraphy motifs, non-circular layers, bright contrasts (such as turquoise and poppy orange) and embedded jewels.
3. Remember chocolate. Many wedding guests will appreciate this favorite cake flavor standby. Chocolate need not look as boring as the Betty Crocker mix box. You can virtually design a chocolate cake that sports Polynesian blossoms or a rainbow of petals. Some people are even hiding a surprise layer of ice cream to complement the chocolate wedding cake.
4. Use an online planning tool. "Brides" magazine has a virtual wedding cake creator. Find a link in the Resources section. Users select colors, decorations and accents and watch the results develop before their eyes. Among the special details the template allows are sugar crystals, ribbons of frosting, abstract stripes and basket weave with pearls. Users can finish off the cake with wildflowers, leaves, roses, butterflies or shells.
5. Top off the cake with a traditional bride and groom figure, or try something different. You can monogram the cake with an initial or create a centerpiece with a crown, bow, bouquet, birdcage or tropical flower blossoms.
Tags: wedding cake, cake design, cake with, wedding cake, Your Virtual Wedding, bride groom, Make Your
Ice wines, made from grapes left on the vines to freeze, combine sweetness and acidity to make a distinctive beverage. Stored properly, they increase in both complexity and value. Most experts recommend choosing Riesling ice wines for aging.
Instructions
1. Select an area where the wines can remain undisturbed. While many oenophiles choose the traditional basement or wine cellar, an underground location is not essential. Wines do not like light, heat, noise or vibration, so pick areas away from foot traffic.
2. Store bottles on their sides in wine racks. Racks slant bottles so the cork remains wet, preserving the wine inside and allowing for maximum storage in minimum space. Grotto Cellars sells wine racks and kits, as does Wine Racks America and many other vendors (see Resources below).
3. Maintain a consistent temperature of 60 degrees F (+/- 5 degrees). Too cold and wines freeze; too hot and they transmute into vinegar. Chill individual bottles of ice wine before serving.
Green chili peppers can burn you; handle them with gloves.
You must remove the outer skin of green chili peppers to enjoy them. Each autumn throughout Texas, New Mexico and Colorado, chili roaster cages turn over a hot fire and fill the chilly air with the distinctive aroma of roasting peppers. The peppers are sold by the pound or in 10-lb. and 20-lb. burlap bags. Grocers and street vendors offer the service of roasting the peppers to loosen the outer skin. Buyers then take the peppers home and finish the process of removing the loosened skin. Chili season is a much awaited event, and people purchase enough chili for most of the year.
Instructions
1. Wash and dry the green chili peppers thoroughly.
2. Turn the broiler in the oven on high.
3. Place the green chili peppers side by side in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
4. Roast the green chili peppers approximately three to four minutes on each side.
5. Place the green chili peppers in a large container, cover it with plastic wrap and allow the green peppers to steam until cool.
6. Peel the skins off of the peppers. It may be necessary to do so under running water for skins that are stubborn to remove. Wear rubber gloves and even safety glasses. Handling the peppers without gloves will irritate the skin, and gas from the green chili peppers can do the same to the eyes. Unconsciously touching the face or eyes will result in a serious burning sensation.
7. Place the peppers in a plastic bag and freeze until ready for use.
Tags: chili peppers, green chili peppers, green chili, green chili, chili peppers, outer skin
A bowl's shape can help retain heat in water-based soups or cool cream-based soups.
Soup bowls are made from a variety of materials such as porcelain, stoneware, plastic, lacquer, and glass. Contemporary styles can depart from the round, open-face classic style to include other geometric shapes such as squares, rectangles and curved-bean styles. Bowls for the western market often include Asian influences and vice-versa. Oven-proof bowls perform double duty for cooking and serving.
Classic Style
The classic wide-rimmed bowl can hold up to 16 ounces or 22 ounces to the brim. These shallow bowls team well with thick, cream-based soups that should cool within a few minutes. This broad dish can also serve salads and pasta.
Two-Handled Bowls
Lugged soup bowls feature two small handles for serving hot soups, desserts and side orders. A cream soup bowl features two handles, a wide mouth and shallow cup. Coupled with a saucer, this style allows a used spoon to rest.
Soup Mug
An oven-safe ceramic soup mug can withstand baking and broiling for preparing piping hot dishes such as French onion soup. These mugs often include a lid and handle for easy transport between oven and table.
Cassole
The cassole is an earthenware bowl produced near Castelnaudary in south France. These brick-colored bowls feature a glazed interior and rim. The dish cassoulet, a stew of meat cooked with white beans, developed from this bowl.
Asian Soup Bowls
Noodle bowls can be a larger diameter and hold a larger volume of food often served as a meal in itself. Smaller soup bowls such as used for Japanese miso soup do not need a soup spoon. The diner takes the bowl in two hands and raises the bowl to his mouth to sip the soup. These lacquer or lacquer-like bowls sometimes include lids.
Plastic
Some lines of plastic food storage containers include bowls with coordinating lids for air-tight fresh storage. Advantages can include portability, ease of use in the microwave oven or cleaning in the dishwasher. A set can include a range of sizes that nests for efficient space-saving when not in use.
Tilted Soup Bowl
American inventor Jake Jacobs holds the patent for the tilted soup bowl. Spooning the last drops of soup at the bottom of the bowl is easier with the interior's tilted bottom. This shape can aid feeding for small children and patients in the physiotherapy and occupation therapy markets.
Tags: bowls feature, cream-based soups, often include, soup bowl, soup These
Heart-shaped Valentine cookies are an innovative holiday gift versus the usual flowers and chocolates. Many Valentine cookie recipes exist that will satisfy just about anyone's sweet tooth. These recipes include cookies on sticks, traditional hearts and flower cookies.
Cookies on Sticks
Cut heart shapes from your favorite cookie dough, and attach the base of each heart shape to a wooden craft stick. Decorate the cookies with colored icing or sprinkles after they cool. Once decorated, wrap them in red or pink cellophane for a festive look. Present the cookie lollipops to your special someone on Valentine's Day.
Traditional Heart Sugar Cookies
Cut heart-shaped cookies from sugar cookie dough. After baking, decorate the cookies with red or pink sprinkles, or add icing to them. A Valentine's message for your special someone may be written on the cookies with icing. Candy hearts and red hots can serve as toppers if icing is applied to the entire cookie.
Flower Cookies
Place some green foam at the bottom of a decorative basket. Bake some cookies on sticks, and insert them into the green foam so they resemble flowers. After arranging the cookies on sticks, add complementary items, such as chocolate candy, hot cocoa mix, and heart-shaped cookie cutters, for a creative look that special someone is sure to love.
Tags: cookies sticks, cookies with, special someone, your special someone, cookie dough, green foam
The hard nights of winter can certainly make one long for the luscious days of summer. The sun, the beach and even those wonderful clambakes. But if you're stuck inside with three feet of snow at your door, don't fret. You can have your very own New England Indoor Clambake right from the comfort of your kitchen. Here's how.
Instructions
1. Cut the kielbasa. Slice it generously into slices that are about an inch thick. Then set it aside for a moment.
2. Saute onions and leeks. Place a generous amount of olive oil in the bottom of the stock pot and saute the leeks and onions for about 12 minutes over a medium flame.
3. Layer ingredients. It's important for the cooking that they be done in the following order. Potatoes, then salt and pepper. Add the kielbasa, littleneck clams, mussels, the steamer clams, then the shrimp and finally the lobster!
4. Pour white wine. Add the white wine over everything. (A little extra doesn't hurt!)
5. Cover and let simmer. Place the lid on top of the stock pot, crank the flame to medium-high and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Reduce heat. Take the flame down slightly so that it is a true medium flame. Let that cook for another 15 minutes.
7. Plate and enjoy! Give the potatoes the old fork test to make sure they are done, and be certain that the shell fish has opened. If not, give it 5 more minutes. However, usually, you are done. Separate the items onto different plates and bowls and you are ready to serve your guests and enjoy! Congratulations, you just learned do an indoor clambake!
Tags: Indoor Clambake, medium flame, they done, white wine
Flour can make a good substitute for cornstarch when cooking sauces and gravy.
Cornstarch is often used for thickening soup, gravy, sauce and stew. When it is heated, the cornstarch dissolves and adds a glossy shine to whatever food it is added to. If you don't have any cornstarch, you can use bleached wheat flour as a substitute. However, you will need to adjust the measurements a bit. You will also need to mix it in briskly as it doesn't dissolve as easily as cornstarch.
Instructions
1. Take the amount of cornstarch that the recipe requires, and double it. That is the amount of flour that you should use. For example, if the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of cornstarch, then use 1 cup of flour. After you have determined the amount, put the flour in a jar with a lid, and add twice the amount of water as flour. The water should be at room temperature.
2. Place the lid on the jar, and shake it well for about 30 seconds. Carefully open the lid, and use the butter knife or spatula to scrape around the bottom of the jar. This will ensure that all of the flour has been mixed well into the liquid. Replace the lid, and shake it again.
3. Pour the flour mixture into the sauce or gravy, and stir it thoroughly. Put the mixture over medium heat, and keep stirring it until it comes to a boil. Lower the heat, and let it simmer for about two minutes.
Popcorn syrup turns a delicious salty treat into an equally delicious sweet one. This old-fashioned concoction provided isolated farm families with a winter sweet, and homemade popcorn balls or munch is still an economical confection for your family. Follow the steps for a traditional caramel-corn syrup, or try out some quicker variations.
Instructions
Making Syrup
1. In saucepan, dissolve sugar in water, stirring with wooden spoon. Add butter and corn syrup. Bring to an active boil. As drops collect on saucepan sides, brush back into boiling mixture with damp pastry brush.
2. Warm candy thermometer under hot water faucet and attach to side of saucepan. Boil mixture, without stirring, until thermometer reaches 234 degrees. Remove syrup from heat.
3. Pour syrup over popped corn. Use wooden spoon to scrape the last of the syrup out of the saucepan -- it is extremely hot and can burn you. Carefully stir popcorn and syrup together with wooden spoon. Let cool, stirring occasionally, to break up clumps.
4. Rub your hands with butter if you plan to make popcorn balls. Let popcorn/syrup mixture cool just till you can handle it safely.
Mold corn into balls, using wooden spoon to help. Balls will be messy at first, sticking together better as they cool. Most cooks revisit them before they cool completely to improve ball shapes.
Variations
5. Substitute maple syrup for sugar and water. Follow directions for traditional syrup. Experienced Northeastern cooks caution: this works with 100 percent maple syrup. Do not try with part-maple or artificially flavored syrups.
6. Melt marshmallows with butter in a double boiler or microwave. (These are the only two ingredients you need.) Follow directions for pouring over corn and handling. Remember that marshmallows melted this way are much hotter than the campfire-toasted kind. Handle as carefully as traditional syrup.
7. Melt caramels with butter in a double boiler or microwave. You can use all vanilla caramels or a mixture of vanilla and chocolate caramel blocks. Do not use chocolate-covered caramels, unless you're ready to experiment a bit. Some chocolate coatings melt well but others turn granular because of other ingredients in the coating.
Pressure cooking ensures the safety of home-canned foods.
Many cooks who are short on time recognize the benefits of canning their homemade soups and stews. Our grandmothers used to home can their garden vegetables, fruits, meats, and jams and jellies. Not only was it a way to preserve food for later, but they saved money by growing their own food in home gardens. Canning your own hamburger-veggie soup is not only a connection to the past, but provides healthy food while helping money stretch in a tight economy.
Instructions
1. Peel and chop potatoes, carrots and onions for soup and place in bowls. Put a pan of water on the stove and bring to a boil, add all vegetables and cook until soft. Drain and place in bowl to cool.
2. Brown hamburger with a little salt and pepper to season and let cool. You may prefer to boil the hamburger in enough water to cover the meat to remove all the oil and grease from hamburger. If this method of cooking is chosen, just boil and drain the meat reserving the liquid to make stock.
3. Combine meat and vegetables with stock or vegetable juice and season with celery salt any any other favorite seasonings.
4. Place canning jars in dishwasher and run on hot setting. Put lids and rings in pan of hot water and boil to sterilize.
5. Place jar funnel on top of each jar. Fill the jars to an inch from the top with soup using the ladle or spoon. Pack loosely for even distribution. Run a clean butter knife down the inside edge of each jar to remove any bubbles before canning.
6. Place lids and rings on each jar and seal. Place canning rack on the bottom of the canner and place jars on top and fill with water enough to cover the jars. Bring to a boil and put the lid on. Let the steam vent out for at least 10 minutes.
7. Close the vent and let the pressure build up to 10 lbs. of pressure. Adjust the heat to maintain the amount of pressure required. Process pint jars for 60 minutes and quart-size jars for 75 minutes. When timing is done, turn off the heat and let the pressure go down on its own. After the gauge returns to zero the valve releases. Let sit for three minutes and vent steam before opening. Remove jars from water with jar tongs and place on clean towel to cool. Wipe down jars and lids when cooled with a damp rag. Check each lid to make sure it is sealed.
Impress your guests with an appetizing cheese tray.
Whether you're hosting the party of the year or a small dinner with friends, cheese trays are a quick and tasty party food with minimal preparation and maintenance. By providing a variety of choices, interesting garnishes and an artful display, you can wow your guests and provide a delicious snack to complement their meal.
Instructions
1. Choose your cheese types according to when you're serving them (i.e. as hors d'oeuvres or after dinner), how many people you're serving, and the theme (if any). Select three types of cheeses with varying textures to offer variety without overwhelming your guests with choices: one hard and dry, one soft and moist and one with an in-between texture. Mix cheeses with mild and strong flavors as well as cheese from different types of milk (i.e. cow, goat and sheep).
2. Add bread or crackers; fresh slices of bread and savory crackers complement the flavors of cheese. Provide breads with neutral flavors so they don't overwhelm the flavors in the cheese and serve them on a separate plate so they don't crowd the cheese tray. French and sourdough breads go well with a variety of flavors, as do wheat and butter crackers.
3. Cut the cheeses and decide how you will arrange them in your display. You can cut into any shape -- such as wedges or cubes -- but make sure the sizes fit the bread and crackers. You can even get creative with cookie cutters with softer cheeses. Arrange the cheeses in sections on the tray; or, if you are serving a large group and have more cheese than will fit on one tray, prepare separate plates for each variety. Each cheese should have its own knife to ensure the flavors don't mix.
4. Add garnishes to enhance the quality of the assortment. Olives and fresh fruits such as strawberries, pineapples and apples are common; nuts and dried fruit also enhance the flavors of the cheese.
Tags: flavors cheese, your guests, your guests with, bread crackers, cheeses with
Boiled peanuts are a popular Southern snack. Contrary to popular belief, mature peanuts do not make very good boiled peanuts. When selecting peanuts to boil, look for raw, green in-the-shell peanuts that are small and medium sized. Larger peanuts may be good for roasting, but they are not great for boiling. Weigh about two pounds of peanuts at the grocery store scale. The best salt to use with boiled peanuts is coarse kosher salt, but any salt will taste delicious on boiled peanuts provided you use it generously. The best pot for boiling peanuts is a large crock pot.
Make Boiled Peanuts
Rinse the raw peanuts in a strainer until the water runs completely clear. Boiled peanuts are cooked with the shells on, so do not deshell the peanuts before cooking. Place the washed peanuts in the crock pot and fill with hot water so it reaches several inches above the peanuts. Add 1 cup of salt and stir until the salt dissolves completely. Cover the pot and cook on high for about three to five hours.
Periodically, check the pot to make sure the water has not evaporated or soaked into the peanuts. The water level should remain above the peanuts at all times. Taste throughout the cooking time to make sure they are cooked to your personal liking. Once the peanuts are cooked, carefully strain them to remove the water and rest them on paper towels to cool.
Enjoying Boiled Peanuts
Since the process of cooking boiled peanuts is so time consuming, it's best to boil peanuts in mass quantities and freeze them for later enjoyment. Boiled peanuts will also keep fresh in the refrigerator for approximately ten days. Boiled peanuts are best to eat outdoors because the shell will tend to split and shred while eating, and can make a mess. If you are going to eat boiled peanuts indoors, make sure there is a saucer or bowl to catch the peanut shells. Boiled peanuts do not taste the same as roasted peanuts, so warn your consumers before they go biting into a roasted peanut for the first time.
Tags: make sure, above peanuts, boiled peanuts, Boiled Peanuts, Making Boiled, Making Boiled Peanuts, peanuts cooked
Mahogany, a type of tree found near beaches and roadsides, is best known for its wood, used in furniture and sculptures. However, the tree also produces a medicinal, edible fruit used to increase blood circulation and reduce cholesterol. You can make a bulk supply of mahogany fruit jelly to store for whenever you need a health boost.
Instructions
1. Wash the jars in the dishwasher, or hand wash them with soap and hot water and boil them for 10 minutes. Keep the jars in a pot of hot water until ready to use.
2. Wash and peel the fruit and chop it into small pieces. Remove stems and other hard parts, as well as any bad spots.
3. Mix 1/4 cup sugar with one packet of dry pectin.
4. Place the fruit in a large pot with 1 inch of water and stir in the sugar-pectin mixture. Cover the pot and cook over high heat, stirring regularly until the fruit is soft and uniform.
5. Add 4 cups of sugar to the mixture and bring it to a boil. Cook for one minute and remove the pot from heat.
6. Skim off any foam from the top of the fruit.
7. Take a spoon of the mixture and let it cool to check the jelly's consistency. If you'd like a thicker jelly, add half a pack of pectin and bring to a boil for one more minute.
8. Let the mixture sit for five minutes and stir. To omit fruit chunks, strain the mixture through a jelly strainer or cheesecloth. Otherwise, leave the mix as is.
9. Fill the mason jars with jelly, leaving 1/4-inch of space at the top. Place the seals and lids on the jars and put them in the boiling water canner.
10. Cover the jars with 2 inches of water and boil them for five minutes.
11. Remove the jars from the boiling water bath and allow them to cool. The jelly should last for up to a year.
Tags: boil them, boiling water, bring boil, five minutes, fruit jelly
Serve fried zucchini as a side dish to your favorite meal.
It's easier than you might think to make fried zucchini. The taste is unbeatable and this is a good way to sneak some vegetables into your family's diet. For even better flavor, prepare zucchini that's freshly picked from your own garden. This recipe will soon become a favorite.
Instructions
1. Wash the zucchini and cut it into slices. You can make the slices thick or thin and leave the skin on.
2. Beat 3 to 4 eggs well in a shallow, medium-size container.
3. Mix 2 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a separate container.
4. Pour cooking oil into a frying pan 1 to 2 inches deep, but no deeper than halfway up the side of the frying pan. Heat the oil over medium.
5. Dip both sides of the zucchini into the eggs and then into the flour mix.
6. Place the coated zucchini into the hot cooking oil, and cook about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
7. Remove the fried zucchini from the frying pan and place on a paper towels to drain. Serve with ranch dressing or another favorite dip.
Cake tins are molds used to create cakes of various shapes. The most traditional cake tins are rectangular, square or round. Some festive cake tins feature bunt shapes, leaf shapes and many others. Unusually shaped cake tins, usually featured around the holidays, often cost more than the traditionally shaped ones. With a bit of innovation and a couple of simple household objects, you can easily create your own completely customized cake tins in whatever shapes you wish for little cost.
Instructions
1. Locate a household object that is the shape you would like your cake tin to be.
2. Tear 4 sheets of tin foil large enough to cover the object. Tear 1 sheet slightly larger than the others to provide a shield between the object and the other sheets of tin foil that can be easily grasped and pulled from the other sheets of tin foil.
3. Place the longest sheet of tin foil onto the object first followed by the other 4 sheets.
4. Press the foil firmly against the object so that the foils completely conform to its shape.
5. Remove the foils from the object, and discard of the innermost, longest piece of foil that was pressed directly against the object.
Tags: other sheets, sheets foil, against object, cake tins, cake tins
Coffee drinks are very popular. You can very easily spend $5 to $10 in one visit to your local coffee shop. Learning make coffee drinks at home is a great way to enjoy those wonderful coffee drinks for a fraction of the cost.
Instructions
Learn to Make Basic Espresso
1. Purchase a quality espresso machine. There are many espresso machines on the market. They range in price and quality. Buy the best quality that you can afford.
2. Buy a superior espresso coffee. Your coffee drinks are only as good as the espresso beans that you purchase. If you do not have a local source, several online are available for fresh roasted espresso beans.
3. Learn to make shots of espresso. Follow the directions of your espresso machine. Use filtered cold water and your espresso beans.
Froth Milk With Espresso Machine
4. Fill a heat safe cup with milk. Use whole milk as it froths the best.
5. Heat the espresso machine. Your milk is frothed with steam from your machine. Ensure that it is ready to produce steam.
6. Insert froth attachment into the milk. Make sure it is fully covered.
7. Turn the espresso machine to the froth or steam option. It will make a hissing noise. Move the cup of milk around in a circle. Make sure that the froth attachment does not come out of the milk.
8. Move the selector of the espresso machine to "off." You can then remove your now frothed milked. Never expose the tip of the steamer when it is running; it releases steam at high pressure, and you could be seriously burned.
Learn to Make Basic Hot Coffee Drinks
9. Create an Americano. An Americano is a shot of espresso and six to eight ounces of hot water. It is very similar to an American cup of coffee.
10. Turn out a cappuccino. A cappuccino is a shot of espresso with six to eight ounces of frothed steamed milk added to it.
11. Mix a latte. A latte is a single shot of espresso. You then add six to eight ounces of steamed milk. Hold back the milk froth until the end.
12. Put together a cafe mocha. A cafe mocha is a latte with chocolate syrup added to the shot of espresso, before adding the steamed milk.
Discover Make Basic Iced Coffee
13. Prepare your favorite hot coffee drink.
14. Fill a large glass with ice. Fill it to the top. Keep in mind much of the ice will melt.
15. Pour your coffee drink into the ice filled glass. Enjoy your favorite coffee over ice.
News about the possible health benefits of drinking red wine sparked a boom in the consumption of red wines starting in the 1990s and continuing today. Holding wine tastings or wine and cheese parties has become a common way for wine-lovers to entertain their friends. Knowing the proper etiquette for serving red wine can make those activities more enjoyable for all.
History
Evidence suggests that the fermenting of grapes for making beverages may have started as long ago as 6,000 B.C. in the Middle East, and some archaeological findings suggest it might have started even earlier. Wine probably came to Europe a little later, about 4,500 B.C. The beverage has been important to several religions, from the Greeks and their god Dionysus to the early Christian church, where wine was a sacrament.
Considerations
If you're among long-time friends, you can serve any wine in any kind of glass, even a simple tumbler. However, for dinner parties or more formal events, you should have good red wine glasses, like the one pictures. If you're new to choosing and serving wine, you may not realize that glass shapes are different for serving white wines, sparkling wines and red wines. White wine is served in slim, tall glasses, while the bowl of a red wine glass is usually shorter and wider. This allows for swirling the wine and capturing the scents that rise from the red wine.
Types
Red wine can be classified by region or by grape type. Many European wines are named after the region they are grown in, such as Burgundy or Chianti. Other wines are called by the type of grape they are produced from, such as Merlot or Pinot Noir. Wines can either be varietals made from just one type of wine, or they may be blends of several types of wine. Red wines also vary in taste and dryness. The amount of residual sugar that remains in the wine after the wine-making process determines whether it is sweet, dry or semi-dry.
Misconceptions
The general etiquette for serving wines is that whites are served chilled, while reds are served at room temperature. While this is true, it doesn't mean that you can never put a bottle of red in the refrigerator. "Room temperature" ideally means around 60 degrees, the temperature of a typical wine cellar. If you don't store your wine in a wine cellar, it may be 79 or 80 degrees on a warm day. In warm weather, it's perfectly acceptable to put a bottle of red wine in the refrigerator a few hours before you're expecting company, and then let it warm back up to around 60 degrees by setting it out on the table a few minutes before guests are scheduled to arrive.
Features
Red wine is typically sold in a glass bottle with a cork. However, in modern times, plastic corks or even screw tops have begun to replace real cork in some places. Having a screw top doesn't necessarily mean the wine is cheap or inferior. Some bottlers find that it's too easy for the cork to disintegrate and ruin a good bottle of wine, and so they opt for the screw top. Wine can also be purchased in a bag or box. Corked wine typically begins to oxidize immediately and is often no good for drinking after a few days of being opened, while boxed wine can stay fresh for up to a month. Generally speaking, despite the convenience of boxed wines, bottled wine is considered classier for entertaining and high-end public events.
Function
Red wine can be drunk by itself as an aperitif or a nightcap. It can also be paired with cheeses for a light meal or snack. An inexpensive red "table wine" can also be served with a full lunch or dinner. Red wine can change the way you experience food, either interfering with the taste of the food or heightening the flavor. This is why there are entire websites and books dedicated to teaching wine-lovers pair different types of wine with different kinds of food.
Benefits
In recent years, a lot of attention has been given to the potential benefits of red wine for heart health. Studies have shown a correlation between moderate wine-drinking and lower risk of heart disease. Those who have one or two glasses of wine a day have a lower risk for heart disease than those who don't drink at all, but the benefit disappears in heavy drinkers. Red wine appears to have more health benefits than white wines, and researchers believe this may be due to red wine's high concentration of chemicals called polyphenols, or another chemical called resveratrol.
Tags: around degrees, bottle wine, etiquette serving, have started, health benefits, heart disease, lower risk
Italian food has made its way into our hearts and our grocery stores. We no longer need an Italian grandmother to slave in the kitchen for hours on hours creating a delicious pasta sauce. Now, thanks to modern conveniences, Americans can go to a nearby grocery store and buy a great jar of Ragu Old World Style Smooth Pasta Sauce. However, with obesity levels and the rise in diabetes, paying attention to the nutritional information of a product is very important.
Calories and Fat
One serving of Ragu Old World Style Smooth Pasta Sauce is 1/2 cup. One-half cup of Ragu has 70 calories; the calories from fat are 25. There are no trans fats or saturated fats, and only 2.5 grams of fat per serving.
Label Facts
This Ragu sauce has no cholesterol. It has 10 grams of carbohydrates, constituting 3 percent of the daily-recommended amount of carbohydrates. One serving contains 6 grams of sugar and 2 grams of fiber. This is not a sufficient source of fiber; it is important that consumers look elsewhere to fulfill the daily recommended intake of fiber. The amount of protein is low, as well; there are 2 grams per serving. Like the fiber, it is important to get protein from another food source.
Sodium
The sodium level in this sauce is very high. One serving contains 580 milligrams; that constitutes 24 percent of the daily recommendation for sodium. If you have high blood pressure and have been told to watch your sodium intake, it may be better to look for a pasta sauce with less sodium.
Vitamins and Minerals
This particular Ragu sauce has 10 percent of the daily recommendation for vitamin A, 4 percent for vitamin C, 2 percent for calcium, and 4 percent of the daily-recommended amount of iron.
Tags: daily recommendation, daily-recommended amount, fiber important, grams serving, pasta sauce, Pasta Sauce
Food dehydrators can be bought from home goods stores.
Dehydrating foods is beneficial for camping and hiking, allowing for more compact food without the worry of spoiling. A warm bowl of soup will certainly hit the spot at the end of long day of hiking or camping in the wilderness. With a food dehydrator from your local kitchen goods store, you can easily make your own dehydrated soup.
Instructions
1. Prepare your soup. If you are using a canned soup, open the can. If you are making soup from scratch, prepare and cook your soup as normal, with the exception of the amount of water used. A puree consistency is preferred to an overly watery consistency.
2. Using solid tray liners or plastic wrap, drop the soup onto the tray in small circles no more than 3 inches in diameter. Keep the droplets thin, no thicker than 1/4 inch.
3. Load the trays into the dehydrator and set the temperature for 145 degrees Fahrenheit; leave them until dry. Drying time will depend on many factors, including the consistency of the soup and thickness of the soup loaded into the trays.
4. Once dry, carefully remove the dehydrated soup and place immediately into an air-tight glass container or a vacuum-sealed plastic bag.
5. When ready to eat, place soup in a bowl and add boiling water to rehydrate. Heat the soup, and add more water as needed until satisfied with the consistency.
Grill your chicken teriyaki to ensure it is moist and tender.
Chicken Teriyaki is a staple of Japanese cuisine. The name Teriyaki means "lacquered" and "grilled" -- a combination of the two Japanese words "Teri" and "Yaki." This classic dish is prepared by marinating the chicken overnight in a sweet sauce and then grilling the meat to give it a glazed surface. In order to get the most tender chicken possible, avoid freezing the meat prior to cooking and avoid overcooking the meat, which will make it dry and tough.
Instructions
1. Prepare your marinade in a large bowl. Mix together your pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and white pepper. Stir the marinade to mix the ingredients thoroughly and then take a small quantity of the sauce and set it aside in a smaller bowl---this will be used to dip the chicken once the meal is prepared.
2. Set the chicken breasts into the marinade and cover with plastic wrap. Set the dish into the refrigerator and marinate the meat for at least 24 hours.
3. Turn on your outdoor grill when the chicken has finished marinating and set the temperature to medium-high heat.
4. Brush the grill's grate with a light coating of oil and set the chicken onto the grill. Depending on how thick the meat is, you will need to grill it for five to seven minutes on each side. Test the chicken by cutting it open to make sure the meat is not pink.
5. Slice the meat and serve over a bed of rice with the sauce you saved from the marinade.
A great Chicken Casserole that your children will love too.
Instructions
1. Trim the fat from your chicken and boil it or crock pot it, until it is fully cooked.
2. Pre-Heat Oven to 325.(You can use chilled chicken or freshly cooked) Cut all of the chicken into cubes or shred. Your choice.
3. In a bowl mix the soup and sour cream together. When it is well blended - add the chicken and mix.
4. Place the contents of the entire bowl into a casserole Dish. Smooth over with a turn to make the entire surface flat.
5. Next take your pack(s) of Ritz crackers, grabbing the unopened bad from each end. Crush the crackers in the same manner you would smash an aluminum can. This will make perfect crumbs with no mess.
6. Open one end and cover the entire Chicken mixture with the crumbs. Bigger pieces are fine and no need to re-crush.
7. Take the 1/2 stick of butter and cut individual pats of butter and distribute evenly over the entire casserole.
8. Cover with foil and bake at 325 for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, remove the foil and allow the crumb mixture to cook to a slightly brown.
9. Remove and serve. Your kids will love this. You can serve with a side a vegetables of your choice. i prefer corn or green beans with this.
Deep Fry Coke is all the rage at state fairs. If this dessert sounds weird to you, recall that cornbread around a hotdog on a stick probably sounded weird, but the corndog has become a regular at state fairs everywhere. Today almost everything can be fried, including Coca Cola.
Instructions
Make the Fried Coke
1. Find a great funnel cake recipe. Instead of adding water and sugar to the batter, add a cup and a half of Coke to the recipe. Mix it well until it acquires a thick consistency.
2. Add some vegetable oil in a deep fryer. Heat the vegetable oil until it gets to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Spoon or pour the batter carefully into hot vegetable oil in a circular motion. You can add the batter to a turkey baster to make it easier to pour.
4. Let the batter fry for about a minute, and then flip it with tongs to the other side. Fry it on that side for another minute.
5. Remove the cooked batter and lay it on paper towels to drain.
Serve the Fried Coke
6. Place the fried Coke on a plate while it is still warm.
7. Drizzle it with some Coca Cola syrup.
8. Add whipped cream and a cherry.
Tags: Coca Cola, Deep Coke, Fried Coke, pour batter, state fairs
Irish stew and dumplings is a filling, mouth-watering, classic Irish stew. The sauce is rich and thick, and the tender lamb will melt in your mouth. Warm up with a big bowl of Irish stew and dumplings on a cold day.
Instructions
Irish Stew
1. Place the meat in a large pot or dutch oven and pour enough meat stock or water to cover it. Season it with salt and freshly-ground pepper.
2. Stir in the carrots, onions, turnip, celery, potatoes and fresh parsley and cook the stew for 35 minutes.
3. Thicken the stew with flour if needed, and add the dumplings.
4. Cover the pot tightly and cook the Irish stew with dumplings cook for about 20 minutes.
Dumplings
5. Sift the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
6. Cut in the butter with a fork or a pastry knife until it looks like large crumbs.
7. Add a bit of water if the mixture is too thick.
8. Place the dough on a lightly floured board and roll it until it's about 1/2 inch thick.
9. Cut the dumpling dough into small squares and drop it into the hot stew.
Tags: Irish stew, Irish stew dumplings, stew dumplings, stew with
Select the perfect white wine by determining your personal taste.
There is much more to wine than simply its color. Red wines can taste significantly different from each other, as can white wines. A Chardonnay, for example, can offer distinctive citrusy notes. A Sauvignon Blanc, on the other hand, is more likely to taste like other fruits such as apples or melons and may even offer a somewhat herbal flavor. Selecting the best white wine depends on your personal preferences and your intended use for the wine.
Instructions
1. Consider whether you intend to drink the wine alone or with a meal. Dry white wines generally work better with food than sweet white wines, which are best when sipped alone.
2. Make a list of the flavors or traits you enjoy in a wine. Write them down. For example, you might enjoy specific fruit flavors in a wine, such as cherry, melon, apple, pear or berry. You might prefer general flavor descriptions, such as spicy, smoky, musky or toasty.
3. Visit a wine or liquor store to peak to a specialist there about your preferences. Show her your list and tell her how you intend to use the wine -- such as with a meal, for cooking or to drink alone. She may ask what you intend to serve with the wine, as different white wines work better with different foods. Give her a general price range and ask her to show you several types of wine that would suit your taste and purposes.
Tags: white wines, better with, wine such, with meal, work better, work better with, your personal
For kids allergic to wheat, it is important to come up with appealing choices for what they can eat rather than concentrating on the rather long list of what they cannot. Many favorites, such as pizza and pasta are usually made from wheat, so substitutes have to be found for these. Many gluten-free products are on the market today, but even without buying these usually expensive alternatives, you can come up with healthy and tasty meals for kids.
Avoiding Wheat Products
For protein, kids can still have their hot dogs, providing they are the all-beef variety. Even though they can't have the bun, kids probably won't miss it too much if they have catsup to dip their dogs in ketchup with some potato chips on the side; the same goes for hamburgers. Instead of macaroni and cheese, substitute a cheesy rice dish. Instead of prepared chicken nuggets, make chicken strips on skewers. Yogurt and eggs prepared any way without using wheat are also good sources of protein.
Give kids an opportunity to try out all kinds of fruits and vegetables prepared and/or served in a variety of ways as a major element in their diet; for example, some possibilities kids might enjoy include applesauce, fresh pineapple spears, baked pears, stuffed halved acorn squash and cooked baby carrots with a pinch of brown sugar. Potatoes, including sweet potatoes, can be slivered and baked in a little oil on a cookie sheet. Some kids might like to eat loaded baked potatoes with margarine, sour cream and broccoli bits. Let kids dip raw vegetables such as thin zucchini slices and tiny cauliflower flowerets into all kinds of dips (make sure to check that prepared dips are wheat-free).
Using Substitutes for Wheat
On its website, the Boston Children's Hospital lists the following substitutions for 1 cup of wheat flour: 1 cup rye meal, 1 1/4 cups rye flour, 1 cup potato flour, 11/3 cups rolled oats or oat flour, or 5/8 cup rice flour plus 1/3 cup rye flour. Although textures will vary, it is possible to use these substitutions for many ordinary recipes, especially those for cookies.
Recipes created specifically for those allergic to wheat are readily available. You can buy cookbooks devoted to such recipes or look online for a site such as the one listed in the Resource section, which includes recipes for pizza crust and chicken nuggets.
Tags: allergic wheat, chicken nuggets, come with, kids might, their dogs, they have, what they
When ordering octopus in a restaurant you will often be served the tentacles, which are tasty, but quite chewy. Preparing and eating octopus at home gives you the advantage of selecting the freshest meat and allows you to try other parts of the octopus so that you might prepare to your meet your particular tastes.
Instructions
1. Purchase the freshest octopus that you can find. Most good seafood markets will display the entire octopus, cutting off the parts you select. While tentacles make common appetizers, the head parts, such as the mantle and siphon, are the most tender and easiest to prepare. Don't shy away from the eyes, many people believe fried octopus eyes to be the best part of the meat.
2. Boil octopus in salty water for 35 minutes, or until the color of the meat becomes a vibrant deep purple. The amount of salt will depend on both your taste and the amount of octopus that you are preparing. Precooking the octopus meat will help to eliminate any chewiness.
3. Deep-fry pre-cooked octopus for a mouth watering appetizer, dipping thin strips first into egg white and then into flour or fish fry batter. How you prepare the flour or fish fry is up to you, you may add salt, pepper, cumin, garlic or any other spices that you enjoy. Deep-fry the battered octopus pieces in a wok or deep fryer until they are a crispy golden brown. Serve deep-fried octopus with lemon or a classic marinara or tarter sauce.
4. Saute pre-cooked octopus for another tasty option. Add approximately two pounds of octopus slices to a pan with eight tablespoons of olive oil, 150 ml of red wine, six tablespoons of red wine vinegar, one large chopped tomato, four bay leaves and two teaspoons of dried oregano. Saute the octopus for 1 hour, adding wine and water if the sauce begins to dry. Eat with rice, salad and garlic bread.
5. Pickle pre-cooked octopus for a spicy treat, packing strips loosely into a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Add equal amounts of red wine vinegar and olive oil to fill the jar, and add four or five crushed garlic cloves, a pinch of salt and pepper and one teaspoon of dried thyme. Allow the octopus to pickle in the tightly sealed jar for 5 days before eating with lemon wedges and dry bread.
Tags: octopus that, pre-cooked octopus, flour fish, salt pepper, wine vinegar, with lemon
Many people do not realize how easy it is to make egg noodles. Homemade egg noodles are a wonderful addition to stews and soups, and are delicious with butter or gravy when served as a side dish. Once you try homemade egg noodles, you're going to want to have them often. Read on to learn make egg noodles.
Instructions
Preparing the Dough
1. Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Beat the two eggs and add them, along with the milk and butter, to the flour and salt mixture.
3. Knead the dough for about five minutes until it's smooth and place it in a bowl.
4. Cover the dough in the bowl with a clean towel or other cover.
5. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes in the covered bowl.
Making the Egg Noodles
6. Spread a very light coating of flour on the surface where you were going to roll the dough.
7. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 inch.
8. Cut the dough into the shapes and lengths that you want to for your recipe. It is easily to cut the dough using pizza cutter or a sharp knife.
9. Give the dough time to air dry before cooking.
10. Place your homemade egg noodles into a large pot filled with boiling salted water, and cook the egg noodles until they are al dente. The noodles can cook in as little as three minutes, depending upon their thickness.
Stocking a Mexican spice cupboard is a culinary adventure that opens up a new world of flavors. Finding the spices is no longer as difficult as it once was, given the growing number of ethnic supermarkets and online stores catering to foodie explorers.
Dried Chiles
Stock up on the star of the Mexican kitchen, dried chiles. There are dozens of different chiles, but the most common include ancho, pasilla, guajillo and chipotle, which is a smoked jalapeno.
Powdered Chiles
Choose powdered chiles for convenience. A dash of chipotle powder adds a smokey, hot flavor to dishes, while ancho powder has a chocolate-like flavor that can give a little touch of spice to a dessert dish.
Yucatan Spice
Give roasted meats a tropical flavor with a coating of achiote paste. Made from annatto seeds, this flavoring paste is used in the Yucatan and the Caribbean, particularly on pork dishes.
Sweet Spice
Look for Mexican cinnamon---called "canela"---which is longer, paler, softer and a little sweeter than the more familiar hard, dark cinnamon sold in short sticks in the spice aisle. Mexican chocolate is flavored with ground canela.
Cumin
Buy "comino" seeds rather than ground cumin. Most recipes call for just a small amount, and the best taste comes from freshly toasted, ground seeds.
Dried Herbs
Explore new seasonings, including Mexican oregano, which has a stronger flavor than Greek or Italian oregano. Epazote is added to bean dishes to help prevent bloating and gas, while toasted avocado leaves bring a light anise flavor to dishes.
Homemade vinegar will add a whole new taste to your salad dressings. After you make apple jelly from "Make Apple Jelly," you can use the remaining peelings and pulp to make vinegar. Fall apples make the best cider for vinegar. This recipe yields 5 gallons.
Instructions
1. Wash and core apples. 20 pounds of apple pulp will equal roughly 1 gallon of juice. You can also use fresh apple cider.
2. Crush apples and press through cheesecloth for juice. You can use a cider press to crush the apples and squeeze the juice in larger quantities.
3. Make starter by adding 1 package of wine yeast to 1 quart of juice.
4. Pour starter into a stone crock or a food-grade plastic bucket and add enough cider to make 5 gallons.
5. Cover with cheesecloth or lay lid lightly on bucket.
6. Stir mixture daily and keep at around 60-80 F degrees, and avoid exposing to direct sunlight. After a few weeks, the mix should start to smell like vinegar.
7. Taste vinegar periodically until a desired flavor is reached.
8. Filter vinegar through several layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter.
9. Pasteurize vinegar by heating it to 140 F degrees, but do not exceed 160 degrees.
10. Pour hot vinegar into hot sterilized bottles.
11. Cool vinegar and store at room temperature out of direct sunlight.
The object of the game quarters is to bounce a quarter off a table and into a shot glass. You can play the drinking game quarters, but be warned, this simple game takes a bit of skill.
Instructions
Play the Drinking Game Quarters
1. Invite your friends over. It doesn't have to be a considerably huge party, but this drinking game does require a few people to join you. You will need some type of alcoholic beverage for everyone to drink. Beer is probably ideal. You will also need a shot glass and a quarter.
2. Gather the participants in a circle around the table.
3. Set the shot glass in the middle of the table.
4. Get the quarter out. Whoever has a quarter handy goes first, but everyone sitting around the table will get their turn.
5. Bounce the quarter into the shot glass. Aim the quarter so that when it bounces off the table it has a bit of an arc. This makes it easier to get an idea of control your aim. If you miss, the quarter is passed clockwise to the next participant. If you get the quarter in the shot glass you go again and get to order anyone you want to take a drink.
6. If a player gets the quarter into the shot glass three times in a row they get to make up a new rule. The penalty for breaking this new rule is having to take a drink. You want to create a rule that will be easy for your increasingly inebriated friends to break. For example, you could outlaw the use of a word. Anyone who says the word must take a drink, but you may think twice before telling them to do so, depending on what the word is.
Tags: shot glass, into shot, into shot glass, take drink, around table, Drinking Game Quarters, game quarters
As fondue restaurants spring up across the nation, the fun of dipping tasty morsels of food into a communal pot of cheese or chocolate takes on a completely new flair. Expanding upon a 1970’s favorite, the new fondue craze caters to high-end diners with discriminating palates. With a little creativity, you can create your own four-course fondue extravaganza.
Instructions
Make a Four Course Fondue Meal
1. Create a festive atmosphere for your four-course meal: cover the table with a cloth; serve the drinks in long-stemmed glassware and find a central location for your fondue pot. (Make sure the pot is accessible to all your guests.) If you plan to serve more than four guests, consider using two fondue pots.
2. Start the meal off with an appetizer cheese fondue, created by pouring a little wine in the fondue pot and adding shredded cheeses, minced garlic and diced peppers. Add your choice of seasonings, and stir until creamy. Dip cubes of bread, fresh vegetables or slices of green apples for a delicious first course.
3. Follow the appetizer with a green salad, prepared with your choice of vegetables and dressings. This gives you time to wash the fondue pot in preperation for your entrée. Add some flair to your salad with toasted nuts and aged grated cheese.
4. Bring the fondue pot back to the table, filled with a steaming blend of wine, fresh herbs, spices, garlic and seasoned broths. Provide a large platter of cubed chicken, pork tenderloin and fillet mignon. Provide guests with an additional fondue fork during this course, as meat requires extended cooking times. (The fondue fork can become dangerously hot while cooking the entrée.)
5. Dip the meat into the boiling broth. The broth must be simmering to cook the meat sufficiently. 1-inch chicken chunks take approximately 3 minutes to cook and the other meats take between 3 and 5 minutes.
6. Combine melted white chocolate with your choice of caramel, marshmallow crème, peanut butter or a desert liquor. Amaretto and rum are excellent choices. Provide a platter with chunks of fresh strawberries, bananas, pound cake and brownies for a creamy delicious end to a spectacular four-course fondue meal.