Kitchen Euphoria: Cooking

Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts

The Recipe Hacker

By Diana Keuilian

Break the recipe code for your favorite foods! Free of grains, gluten, dairy, cane sugar, and soy, The Recipe Hacker is a mouthwatering collection of your favorite comfort foods with a healthy twist. Learn to use easy ingredient substitutions to transform traditional dishes into real, healthy comfort food masterpieces, without sacrificing any of the flavor! Enjoy healthier, whole-food versions of Key Lime Pie Crispy Orange Chicken and Banana Pancakes Step-by-step photos, dozens of recipes, and delicious flavors will keep you coming back for more. Enjoy all the comfort foods you crave and keep your body (and skinny jeans) happy at the same time! Find out more here.

Cooking With Your Kids This Thanksgiving

by Peg Baron

Thanksgiving can be a little stressful when you have company coming and you have to cook the whole meal. Sure the company is bringing a pie and will help with the dishes and clean up, but you've got a whole lot of work ahead of you when you wake up on that special Thursday morning. Don't despair and stress - rally the troops!

If you're reading this, you've probably got one or two or more children running around that house don't you? Put them to work and give them all jobs. Just don't mention the words "work" or "job". Kids like to be helpful, especially when they see how much you appreciate it. Let them help!

First off, you need to have a plan. Take some time before Thursday morning to plot everything out. Of course you know what you want to prepare and serve - you do the same thing every year, don't you? So that's the easy part. Really look at each recipe and see what's involved. You could probably do it in your sleep, but your kids can't. Assign a recipe to each child, depending on their skill level. You may even want to find an easier version of the recipe. Go over the steps with your child and explain how it's all going to work. Do kind of a foodless dress rehearsal with them.

If the child is too young to do a whole recipe, just give them certain tasks in a recipe and have them help you. Little ones can melt butter in the microwave, mash the potatoes, wash the vegetables, toss the salad, and put the marshmallows on the sweet potato casserole.

This is one meal where everything seems to happen at the same time. To help prevent this, the kids can mash the potatoes ahead and keep them warm in the crockpot, ditto with the sweet potato casserole and veggies. If you don't have a way to keep them warm, time them to come out before the mad rush, put a lid on them and wrap them in several towels. They can stay quite warm that way. The salad can definitely be made earlier in the day or even the night before.

Try to schedule the prep time so there aren't too many people walking around the kitchen with sharp knives at once.

What about the pies? Kids love to make the pies! Go with the pre-made pie crusts if their pastry skills aren't quite up to snuff. Maybe they could pick the pies they want this year and shake tradition up a bit. I'm sure a Chocolate Dream pie is a tradition in someone's home even if it isn't (yet) in yours.

Keep one step ahead of total chaos by having someone wash the dirty dishes that are accumulating. Perhaps those who are watching football on TV could lend a hand! Not only will there be fewer dishes to do at the end, but it leaves lots more room for the cooks to prepare the grand feast.

If you give it some thought and plan ahead of time, this Thanksgiving could be a lot easier on you and a heck of a lot more fun for the whole family. Have a good attitude and lots of patience and just enjoy yourself. Your kitchen will be filled with those you love, and that's something to be thankful for.

Peggy is the editor of the popular Cookin' Kids Newsletter. Interesting themes, fun facts, silly clip art, easy recipes, kid jokes, cooking terms, and safety tips make this newsletter a hit with kids! Learn more about it at Cookinkids Newsletter

The Real History of Salsa

By Michael Sasaki

History of Salsa

The word "salsa" is the Spanish word for sauce. The salsas that many of us think of are salsa frescas or salsa cruda, fresh sauces served as a condiment aside a Mexican meal. These uncooked sauces might be pureed until smooth, semi-chunky, or the uniformly chopped pico de gallo (my favorite).

The Chile - Tomato Combination

The making of of a sauce by combining chiles, tomatoes, spices and other ingredients like squash seeds and even beans has been documented back to the Aztec culture. We have Spanish-born Bernadino de Sahagun to thank for the detailed culinary history of the Aztec culture. His extensive writings documented every food common to the culture. This is an excerpt from Sahagun's writings about the food vendors in the large Aztec markets:

"He sells foods, sauces, hot sauces, fried [food], olla-cooked, juices, sauces of juices, shredded [food] with chile, with squash seeds, with tomatoes, with smoke chile, with hot chile, with yellow chile, with mild red chile sauce, yellow chile sauce, sauce of smoked chile, heated sauce, he sells toasted beans, cooked beans, mushroom sauce, sauce of small squash, sauce of large tomatoes, sauce of ordinary tomatoes, sauce of various kinds of sour herbs, avocado sauce. (Sahagun, translated 1950 -1982). Ingredients Then and Now The paragraph above refers to many of the ingredients in our modern-day salsas."

Large tomatoes - We believe this references is to a large red tomato similar to what we eat to day.

Ordinary tomatoes - most likely this reference is to the tomatillo or tomate verde.

Smoked chiles - The chipotle or smoked jalapeno was a staple in the Aztec diet.

Avocado - cultivated by the Aztecs the avocado was an important source of fat and protein and was used in a sauce similar to what we call guacamole.

Two Delicious Salsa Recipes:

2 c fresh plum tomato, diced 1 c fresh green tomato, diced 1/2 c fresh green bell pepper, diced 1/4 c fresh purple onion, chopped. 1 tbsp jalapeno pepper, finely chopped 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped 1 clove fresh garlic, minced 1/4 tsp salt. 1/8 tsp coarsely ground pepper. 2 tbsp fresh lime juice 1 tbsp olive oil. Directions: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir well. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Serve with corn or flour tortilla wedges, poultry, or fish. Yield: 3 cups (approx 6 calories per tbsp).

Mango Salsa 2 medium ripe mangoes 1 small cucumber, peeled, diced (it says seeded, but I've never bothered) 1 ripe tomato juice of 1 lime (lemon works, too!) pinch of salt 1/2 - 1 small fresh chile pepper, minced, or Tobasco or other hot pepper sauce to taste (I have always used Tobasco) 1 Tablespoon chopped, fresh cilantro (It says optional, but I don't really think so).

Peel and chop the mangoes. In a large bowl, mix together the mangoes, cucumber, tomato, lime juice, salt, chile or tabasco, and cilantro. Let salsa sit for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend before serving. Mango salsa keeps refrigerated for 2 or 3 days.

Michael K. Sasaki is the founder of RecipeMatcher.com where you can find delicious salsa recipes.

Barbecuing Tender, Juicy Ribs

by Charles Kassotis

One of the biggest problems one encounters when barbecuing ribs is how they often become dried out and tough. If you are looking to create rib creations that keep the moisture in, try these little tricks. It may seem like a little extra work, but in the end it is worth it to get succulent ribs with the flair that comes from barbecuing them on the grill.

It may seem kind of silly to cook the ribs first, but it is a good idea to boil the ribs ahead of time. This way you know the meat is done, but you have not dried it out over the barbecue flame. Boiling the ribs will keep them moist, and juicy, and then you have only to baste them with your favorite barbecue sauce as you touch them up over the grill. They still have that great flame grilled taste, and your friends will wonder how you managed to keep them tender and juicy.

If you want even more flavor, you can cook them in the oven first. Get a roasting pan and marinate your ribs in whatever it is you like on them: barbecue sauce, spices, a little brown sugar. Marinate in the fridge for at least a couple hours, and then put them in the over for two to three hours. You can loosely cover them with a tent of aluminum foil to help trap in the moisture. After the ribs are cooked to your liking, toss them on the grill for that final, flavorful touch. If you have a charcoal grill, this can especially add a delicious taste.

Another way to get good barbecue ribs is to cook them in a large crockpot. This is not practical for beef ribs, but it works well for pork ribs, provided that you do not have too many. This can be an extra tasty way to deliver slow cooked flavor and texture and then touch it up on the grill. The combination makes an extra tasty grilling experience.

Even if you have a gas barbecue grill, it is possible to add flavor during the grilling, if you desire. Little wood chips used in smoking jerky meats can also be used with your grill. Simply find some small lava rocks (available at most landscape stores and nurseries) and place a few of them down in the grill. Sprinkle with the wood shreds. This can add flavor to your ribs, and even to any cut of meat. Just be careful that your grill can handle the addition. This can be very dangerous if you are not careful. Also remember that leaving the meat drippings from other grilling experiences on the grill section can also add flavor.

Grilling on the barbecue is a delicious proposition anytime. However, ribs can be especially challenging. If you are looking for a way to add the flavor of the grill to your ribs without sacrificing tenderness, try the above tips. This way you can enjoy juicy ribs with the added taste that comes from a barbecue grill.

For more information on barbecues visit The Barbecue Spot

How to Become a Freelance Chef

by Keith Londrie

When you think about chefs, what do you think of first? Which aspects of chefs are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.

Becoming a freelance chef does not mean that just knowing how to cook automatically qualifies you to go into someone's home and cook for them. Obtaining the necessary industry (yes, it is an industry!) knowledge through a comprehensive training program puts you way ahead of the game. Knowing how to market yourself as well as how to go about everyday business functions like accounting, price-setting, scheduling, menu-planning, customer relations, and more can very well dictate whether or not your freelance chef business succeeds or fails.

Two of the biggest organizations in the business of training and bestowing accredited certifications to personal freelance chefs are the United States Personal Chef Association (USPCS) and the American Personal Chef Association (APCA). Both organizations offer information regarding liability insurance, software to help with scheduling and menu planning, tools and equipment, and local chapters provide coaching, advice, and other support for members.

Thanks to the advent of these trained personal freelance chefs, many families now have their favorite meals prepared for them up to several weeks in advance, ready to simply heat and devour. For many, this means getting a decent, home-cooked meal instead of relying on fast food or tv dinners. And most personal chefs not only do the cooking, they plan entire meals, do all the necessary grocery shopping, and clean up their mess when through in their client's kitchen. Personal chefs spend, on average, four to six hours twice a month in their customers' homes making such dishes as salmon with Parmesan crust, fettuccini Alfredo, crab cakes, and other fine meals. Some suggest and provide wines, as well.

Once you begin to move beyond basic background information, you begin to realize that there's more to chefs than you may have first thought.

Pricing averages from $7 to $15 per plate, but with savings found in time saved by not having to shop or do the cooking themselves, people from singles to seniors and professionals with little or no free time, find the service worth much more than the cost.

Training schools for freelance personal chefs provide cooking and business education through seminars, personalized mentoring sessions, classroom instruction, video- and audiocassette teaching, CDs, books, and online testing for a typical price of around $900. Information varies, of course, from school to school, but usually includes such things as checklists for starting out with your business, learning how to price, preparing recipes and planning menus, packaging prepared meals for storage, sanitation and hygiene, and more. Chefs who are already certified as personal chefs - and who are already successfully running their own personal freelance chef businesses - commonly provide instruction and support as mentors.

Personal chefs enjoy all the benefits of any other business owner - and all the responsibilities. Some freelance chefs cook for as many as 15 families. But to most, all the hard work is worth it. One personal chef summed it up nicely: "When you cook for a family for any length of time, you become a part of that family as well." And who would not enjoy that?

Don't limit yourself by refusing to learn the details about chefs. The more you know, the easier it will be to focus on what's important. In the meantime you can find out more by visiting the web site listed below.

Keith Londrie II has worked and researched the subject of chefs. To learn more information, please visit the new site for culinary information at define-culinary-arts-program-schools-restaurant-management.info

Madam Ha's Kitchen - A Taste of Sarawak

Madam Ha's Kitchen - A Taste of Sarawak, by Jane Ha

With a multicultural background that consists of Chinese, Malay, Indian and minority ethnic groups from both East and West Malaysia, borrowing and adapting from each other's cooking techniques and ingredients that spice up the kitchen, it is hardly surprisingly that Malaysian cuisine is often considered as one of the most well known in the region and has increasingly became popular throughout the world.

Many of the dishes are moderately spicy and rich in flavors from a mixture of ingredients including coconut, coriander, cumin, ginger, mint, nutmeg, pepper, tamarind, turmeric and many others.

Amongst the various spices mentioned, we’ll be looking at one particular ingredient that has been widely used by the locals and one that has earned international recognition over the years and is now synonymous with quality in the spice trade – “The Sarawak Pepper”.

Pepper, the “King of Spices”, originated from the south-western part of India and was first introduced to Sarawak by Spencer St John in 1856. The tropical climate of Sarawak is ideal for pepper cultivation, and is often available in white and black, ground or whole.

Over the past 100 years, Sarawak pepper has been exported throughout the world and has earned numerous awards and recognition and often featured in their culinary creations by top gourmet chefs all over the world due to its distinctive aroma and flavour.

This absolutely delicious dish is very easy to prepare and your family, friends and guests will, without a doubt, find it most palatable.

Ingredients:
500 g of fish fillet (eg. cod)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Dressing:
2 tablespoons of crushed black peppercorns
1 teaspoon of sugar
4 tablespoons of good quality oyster sauce
3 tablespoons of sweet cooking wine (or sherry)

Preparation:

Pour the tablespoonful of olive oil into the frying pan and gently heat up the oil.

Now place the fish fillet into the frying pan and fry the fillet on both sides until cooked.

Remove the cooked fillet onto the serving dish, leaving the excess oil in the frying pan.

Add the crushed black peppercorns into the remaining oil in the frying pan and turn up the heat slightly and stir fry until you smell the distinctively and spicy aroma rise from the pan.

Add the oyster sauce into the frying pan and continue to stir. Add a little water if the sauce appears too thick. It should be slightly runny.

Add the sugar to give it that little taste of sweetness to tame the pepper.

Lastly, add the cooking wine / sherry to give it the final sweet peppery flavour.

You are now ready to pour the hot mixture over the cooked fillet and serve.

Enjoy !

Copyright © 2004, MillionEbooks.com. All rights reserved. http://www.millionebooks.com/

About the Author:
Renowned cooking instructor / presenter of ASEAN cuisine

Thai Recipe Downloads

Casseroles

Best Casserole Recipe: Wonderful Wild Rice Casserole, by Donna Monday
Wild rice is healthy and delicious, but sometimes it gets boring. Well, here's a wild rice recipe that will spice things up a bit.

1 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed 3 cups water 6 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces 1 cup chopped onions ½ cup chopped celery ½ cup chopped carrot 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 1 (10 ½ oz.) can condensed chicken and rice soup

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In medium saucepan, combine wild rice and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 50 to 60 minutes or until rice is tender and water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, grease a 1 ½-quart casserole dish.

In large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet; drain on paper towels.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Add onions, celery, and carrot; cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in mushrooms; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in soup and bacon.

Add cooked rice to skillet; mix well. Spoon into greased casserole; cover. Bake 30-35 minutes.

Best Casserole Recipe: Easy Tex Mex Hash, by Donna Monday
Here's a great Tex Mex recipe if you love cheesy hash browns with a little extra kick.

1 pound lean ground beef 1 tablespoon oil 3 cups (24 oz.) package frozen potatoes O'Brien with onions and peppers 1 cup thick and chunky salsa 2 teaspoons chili powder, optional 1 cup shredded Colby Monterey Jack cheese blend

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet, brown ground beef. Remove beef from skillet; cover to keep warm. Discard drippings.

In the same skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add potatoes; cook and stir 8 to 10 minutes or until browned. Stir in salsa, chili powder, and ground beef. Cook 5 to 8 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stir occasionally.

Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook 2 to 4 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Best Casserole Recipe: Vegetable and Bean Polenta Pie, by Donna Monday
Here's a great meatless polenta recipe for those who enjoy this traditional Italian staple.

Polenta

1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal 2 ½ cups chicken broth 2 tablespoons margarine or butter 1 egg, slightly beaten ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Filling

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil 1 cup coarsely chopped onions 1 cup coarsely chopped green bell pepper 1 small zucchini, cut into ½-inch cubes 1 (15.5 oz.) can dark red kidney beans, drained 1 (14.5 oz.) can tomato paste 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9 or 10-inch deep-dish glass pie pan.

In medium saucepan, combine cornmeal and broth. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in margarine, egg and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add onions and bell pepper; cook and stir until tender. Stir in zucchini, beans, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 5 minutes.

Spread cornmeal mixture in bottom and up sides of greased pie pan. Spoon vegetable mixture over top. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Best Casserole Recipe: Reuben Casserole, by Donna Monday
If you enjoy a hot, delicious, Reuben sandwich, you'll love this Reuben casserole recipe. Instead of bread, it features garlic mashed potatoes - yum!

3 cups hot water 1 cup milk ¼ cup margarine or butter 1 tablespoon mustard 1 package roasted garlic mashed potatoes 1 (6 oz.) package sliced corned beef, cut into ½-inch pieces 1 (14 ½ oz.) can sauerkraut, rinsed well and drained 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese 1 tablespoon caraway seed, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease an 8x8-inch square baking dish.

Heat water, milk, and margarine to rapid boil in 3-quart saucepan; remove from heat. Stir in mustard. Stir in both packets of potatoes and seasoning just until moistened.

Let stand about 1 minute or until liquid is absorbed. Whip with fork until smooth.

Spread 1 ½ cups of the potatoes into baking dish. Top with corned beef. Spoon remaining potatoes over top; spread gently. Sprinkle with cheese and caraway seeds.

Bake 20 minutes.