Gravy is a thickened sauce, usually made from a base of extracts that run from meat and/or vegetables during cooking. Recently, extracts have tended to be bought in the form of ready made cubes and powders. Gravy is most commonly served with a Roast dinner, or Sunday roasts or with mashed or other popular types of potatoes. Thickened gravies are usually made starting with a roux (a mixture of animal fat and flour, corn starch, or arrowroot). The liquids from cooked meat, or the liquids from dissolved bouillon cubes (US)/stock cubes (UK) are added gradually to the mixture, while continually stirring to ensure that it mixes properly and the thickener doesn't clump. Sometimes, especially in more...
Japanese sauces
Soy sauce (US) or soya sauce is a fermented sauce made from soybeans (soya beans), roasted grain, water and salt. The sauce, originating in China, is commonly used in East and Southeast Asian cuisine and appears in some Western cuisine dishes, especially as an ingredient in Worcestershire sauce. Basic production overview Authentic soy sauces are fermented with koji (, the mold Aspergillus oryzae or A. sojae) and other related microorganisms. Authentic soy sauces are made from whole soybeans, but many cheaper brands are made from hydrolized soy protein instead. These soy sauces do not have the natural color of authentic soy sauces and are typically colored with caramel coloring. Virtually all soy...
Restaurant Quality Sauces at Home
We've all been served great sauces in our favorite restaurants and would love to recreate them in our own kitchens but we are not sauciers. (French term for sauce chef) Professional chefs go to culinary school for years to learn the secrets of making classic French sauces and the more modern sauces derived from them. So what are we supposed to do?Yes, there are some sauces that require strong cooking skills. Making a Hollandaise sauce with butter and egg yolks is difficult because so many things can go wrong but with a little practice and a lot of focus, anyone can make a decent Hollandaise.Mayonnaise is another emulsion sauce that many cooks imagine is too hard or two much work to prepare but...
Po-Boys: The Food of the South
A po-boy consists of a piece of French bread. Typically the French bread is cut in half. On the bottom half is usually placed the main ingredient of the sandwich, usually items such as fried seafood, roast beef, or hot sausage just to name a few. On the top half is where the items which make up the term "dressed" are usually placed, i.e. tomatoes, pickles, mayonnaise and lettuce. The two halves are put together to make what is known as a po-boy.Now, you ask, "What makes a good po-boy stand out above the rest? The first key ingredient is the bread.French bread comes in all shapes and sizes. Typically it is presented in a straight loaf. The loaf is then cut into smaller sections to make the...
The ins and outs of the French PressIs it even possible now days to have an absolutely best tasting, most full flavored coffee without traveling to South America? It is! And all the big coffee house know it too. That is why they are selling the ever gaining popular French Press. Now at first glance it looks like something great-granny on the wagon train might have had to make coffee. Well, except it now comes in stainless steel and slick black rubber. But the French Press is actually quite new. Yes, the Europeans had it before us, but even at that it is still considered a newer gadget in the kitchen.The French Press, even for coffee lovers is a little intimidating to say the least. I mean, it...
The ins and outs of the French PressIs it even possible now days to have an absolutely best tasting, most full flavored coffee without traveling to South America? It is! And all the big coffee house know it too. That is why they are selling the ever gaining popular French Press. Now at first glance it looks like something great-granny on the wagon train might have had to make coffee. Well, except it now comes in stainless steel and slick black rubber. But the French Press is actually quite new. Yes, the Europeans had it before us, but even at that it is still considered a newer gadget in the kitchen.The French Press, even for coffee lovers is a little intimidating to say the least. I mean, it...
Restaurant Quality Sauces at Home
We've all been served great sauces in our favorite restaurants and would love to recreate them in our own kitchens but we are not sauciers. (French term for sauce chef) Professional chefs go to culinary school for years to learn the secrets of making classic French sauces and the more modern sauces derived from them. So what are we supposed to do?Yes, there are some sauces that require strong cooking skills. Making a Hollandaise sauce with butter and egg yolks is difficult because so many things can go wrong but with a little practice and a lot of focus, anyone can make a decent Hollandaise.Mayonnaise is another emulsion sauce that many cooks imagine is too hard or two much work to prepare but...
3 Ways To Cook The Perfect Rice
Rice may be cooked by 3 methods, each of which requires a different proportion of water. These methods are boiling, which requires 12 times as much water as rice; the Japanese method, which requires 5 times as much; and steaming, which requires 2-1/2 times as much. Whichever of these methods is used, however, it should be remembered that the rice grains, when properly cooked, must be whole and distinct. To give them this form and prevent the rice from having a pasty appearance, this cereal should not be stirred too much in cooking nor should it be cooked too long.BOILED RICE - Boiling is about the simplest way. Properly boiled rice not only forms a valuable dish itself, but is an excellent...
White Barbecue Sauce - Sweet, Sour, Tickling...
BBQ sauce is generally a basic mixture of tomatoes, sugar and vinegar. Tomatoes used can be in various forms such as tomato sauce, paste, puree and even ketchup. Sugar adds sweetness to the barbecue sauce and can either be corn syrup, honey or molasses. The addition of vinegar, on the other hand, lends a sour flavor to the bbq sauce and can be in the form of beer, white or flavored vinegar, wine or citrus juices. In general, bbq sauces can be used throughout the barbecue process from preparation to cooking.Bechamel sauce or White Barbecue Sauce has a long and illustrious history. It has been a pet of the French food connoisseurs, since 1651. One of the mother sauces of French cuisine, the white...
The materials that you pick for your cookware are critical. I like anodized aluminum because it is the most durable I have found on the market today. I am super tough on my tools so, the strength of the pans is really important to me. Also, I need a non-stick surface. As a stay-at-home mom, I don't have time to scrub pans all day so for me, non-stick is nonnegotiable. So, all of the pieces that I touch on here are aluminum and non-stick.Essential ToolsThe first piece of cookware I recommend is a skillet in about a 10-inch size. I suggest this because this pan offers unbelievable versatility for the well-versed cook and a good learning curve for those who are not. Browning meat, frying eggs, toasting...
3 Ways To Cook The Perfect Rice
Rice may be cooked by 3 methods, each of which requires a different proportion of water. These methods are boiling, which requires 12 times as much water as rice; the Japanese method, which requires 5 times as much; and steaming, which requires 2-1/2 times as much. Whichever of these methods is used, however, it should be remembered that the rice grains, when properly cooked, must be whole and distinct. To give them this form and prevent the rice from having a pasty appearance, this cereal should not be stirred too much in cooking nor should it be cooked too long.BOILED RICE - Boiling is about the simplest way. Properly boiled rice not only forms a valuable dish itself, but is an excellent...
Over the past couple of years I have been trying to share my enthusiasm for wines made from non-mainstream grape varieties.Most of my friends are wine drinkers who enjoy the good life. If I suggested that they should eat lamb chops with mashed potatoes and peas for dinner every day they would be appalled. But almost every bottle of wine they open is Shiraz, Cabernet sauvignon or a blend of one of these varieties."But doesn't taste like Shiraz," they say after I give them a glass of wine made from an uncommon winegrape variety.Exactly, that's the point. The thing that makes wine such an interesting thing, apart from being a wonderful drink, is the endless variation wrought by grape varieties, wine...
White Barbecue Sauce - Sweet, Sour, Tickling...
BBQ sauce is generally a basic mixture of tomatoes, sugar and vinegar. Tomatoes used can be in various forms such as tomato sauce, paste, puree and even ketchup. Sugar adds sweetness to the barbecue sauce and can either be corn syrup, honey or molasses. The addition of vinegar, on the other hand, lends a sour flavor to the bbq sauce and can be in the form of beer, white or flavored vinegar, wine or citrus juices. In general, bbq sauces can be used throughout the barbecue process from preparation to cooking.Bechamel sauce or White Barbecue Sauce has a long and illustrious history. It has been a pet of the French food connoisseurs, since 1651. One of the mother sauces of French cuisine, the white...
Vanilla and Rum Sauces Make Holiday Desserts...
My mother's parents were English and many of the meals she fixed for us reflected this heritage. Christmas dinner was always roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Dessert was always plum pudding with warm sauce. There are many recipes for plum pudding and all are labor intensive. Mom made plum pudding from scratch a few times, but it was so much work she finally bought Crosse and Blackwell pudding imported from England.The plum pudding was served with warm vanilla or rum sauce. I did not like the rich pudding, so I only ate a spoonful. But I could have eaten an entire bowl of sauce. Mom also served apple pie with warm vanilla sauce. The combination of warm sauce and fresh pie from the oven was...
What Your Mother Never Told You About Cookware
The materials that you pick for your cookware are critical. I like anodized aluminum because it is the most durable I have found on the market today. I am super tough on my tools so, the strength of the pans is really important to me. Also, I need a non-stick surface. As a stay-at-home mom, I don't have time to scrub pans all day so for me, non-stick is nonnegotiable. So, all of the pieces that I touch on here are aluminum and non-stick.Essential ToolsThe first piece of cookware I recommend is a skillet in about a 10-inch size. I suggest this because this pan offers unbelievable versatility for the well-versed cook and a good learning curve for those who are not. Browning meat, frying eggs, toasting...
Habanero Chile Peppers -- Spice it up!
A friend of mine once told me there is more to the culinary life than chile peppers. He might be right, but he keeps telling me this over my diner table, so go figure.The habanero chile (Capsicum chinense Jacquin) is the most intensely spicy chile pepper of the Capsicum genus. Unripe habaneros are green, but the color at maturity varies. Common colors are orange and red, but white, brown, and pink are also seen.Most habaneros rate 200,000-300,000 Scoville heat units (SHU), with the Guinness Book of Records recognizing the Red Savinas variety, developed by GNS Spices of Southern California, as the 'World's Hottest Spice' at 580,000 SHU. For comparison, a Cayenne pepper is typically 30,000 to 50,000...
Pairs/Groups Of Words Often Confused - Part 5 of 6
PASSED, PASTPassed is the past tense of pass. Past means a time that has gone. "Time passed and we all forgot the incident." "In times past it was the custom for women to wear hats in church."PEACE, PIECEPeace means the absence of war (or even noise); piece is a portion of something.PEAK, PEEK, PIQUEPique means to excite or irritate; peek means to peep or snoop; peak as a noun means the summit or tip, and as a verb means to climax. So, you pique someone's curiosity; you don't peek or peak it. If someone annoys you, you become piqued rather than peeked or peaked.PLAIN, PLANEPlain means obvious, also unadorned or lacking in good looks; plane is a carpenter's tool or an abbreviation of aeroplane...
Vanilla and Rum Sauces Make Holiday Desserts...
My mother's parents were English and many of the meals she fixed for us reflected this heritage. Christmas dinner was always roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Dessert was always plum pudding with warm sauce. There are many recipes for plum pudding and all are labor intensive. Mom made plum pudding from scratch a few times, but it was so much work she finally bought Crosse and Blackwell pudding imported from England.The plum pudding was served with warm vanilla or rum sauce. I did not like the rich pudding, so I only ate a spoonful. But I could have eaten an entire bowl of sauce. Mom also served apple pie with warm vanilla sauce. The combination of warm sauce and fresh pie from the oven was...
What Your Mother Never Told You About Cookware
The materials that you pick for your cookware are critical. I like anodized aluminum because it is the most durable I have found on the market today. I am super tough on my tools so, the strength of the pans is really important to me. Also, I need a non-stick surface. As a stay-at-home mom, I don't have time to scrub pans all day so for me, non-stick is nonnegotiable. So, all of the pieces that I touch on here are aluminum and non-stick.Essential ToolsThe first piece of cookware I recommend is a skillet in about a 10-inch size. I suggest this because this pan offers unbelievable versatility for the well-versed cook and a good learning curve for those who are not. Browning meat, frying eggs, toasting...
Vanilla and Rum Sauces Make Holiday Desserts...
My mother's parents were English and many of the meals she fixed for us reflected this heritage. Christmas dinner was always roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Dessert was always plum pudding with warm sauce. There are many recipes for plum pudding and all are labor intensive. Mom made plum pudding from scratch a few times, but it was so much work she finally bought Crosse and Blackwell pudding imported from England.The plum pudding was served with warm vanilla or rum sauce. I did not like the rich pudding, so I only ate a spoonful. But I could have eaten an entire bowl of sauce. Mom also served apple pie with warm vanilla sauce. The combination of warm sauce and fresh pie from the oven was...
Pairs/Groups Of Words Often Confused - Part 5 of 6
PASSED, PASTPassed is the past tense of pass. Past means a time that has gone. "Time passed and we all forgot the incident." "In times past it was the custom for women to wear hats in church."PEACE, PIECEPeace means the absence of war (or even noise); piece is a portion of something.PEAK, PEEK, PIQUEPique means to excite or irritate; peek means to peep or snoop; peak as a noun means the summit or tip, and as a verb means to climax. So, you pique someone's curiosity; you don't peek or peak it. If someone annoys you, you become piqued rather than peeked or peaked.PLAIN, PLANEPlain means obvious, also unadorned or lacking in good looks; plane is a carpenter's tool or an abbreviation of aeroplane...
PASSED, PASTPassed is the past tense of pass. Past means a time that has gone. "Time passed and we all forgot the incident." "In times past it was the custom for women to wear hats in church."PEACE, PIECEPeace means the absence of war (or even noise); piece is a portion of something.PEAK, PEEK, PIQUEPique means to excite or irritate; peek means to peep or snoop; peak as a noun means the summit or tip, and as a verb means to climax. So, you pique someone's curiosity; you don't peek or peak it. If someone annoys you, you become piqued rather than peeked or peaked.PLAIN, PLANEPlain means obvious, also unadorned or lacking in good looks; plane is a carpenter's tool or an abbreviation of aeroplane...
We've all been served great sauces in our favorite restaurants and would love to recreate them in our own kitchens but we are not sauciers. (French term for sauce chef) Professional chefs go to culinary school for years to learn the secrets of making classic French sauces and the more modern sauces derived from them. So what are we supposed to do?Yes, there are some sauces that require strong cooking skills. Making a Hollandaise sauce with butter and egg yolks is difficult because so many things can go wrong but with a little practice and a lot of focus, anyone can make a decent Hollandaise.Mayonnaise is another emulsion sauce that many cooks imagine is too hard or two much work to prepare but...
Let's first get one thing straight right off the bat. Anybody who thinks that when they walk into a Chinese restaurant and order their meal that they get anything resembling what Chinese people really eat, has been eating in Chinese restaurants either way too often or not often enough. Having said that, we're going to concentrate on what we refer to as "Chinese American" restaurants, because in reality, that's what they are.The stereotypes of who eats Chinese food are beyond silly. Other people besides Jews eat Chinese food, or what we call Chinese food. The reason these stereotypes exist is because many years ago when the modern day Chinese American restaurant started to become popular, the...
Food Allergies
Food AllergiesThe foods that adults or children react to are those foods they eat oftenA Food Allergy is defined as an individual's adverse reaction to food. Almost any food can trigger a reaction in a person who is susceptible. Other terms for Food Allergies are "Food Intolerances and Food Sensitivities."For adults, the common foods that cause allergic reactions include: shellfish such as shrimp, crayfish, lobster, and crab. (Of note; if you are allergic to one of the shell fish, you are probably allergic to others or all of them.); peanuts, a legume ; tree nuts such as walnuts; fish; and eggs. Adults usually do not lose their allergies.Children are somewhat different. The common food allergens...
Restaurant Quality Sauces at Home
We've all been served great sauces in our favorite restaurants and would love to recreate them in our own kitchens but we are not sauciers. (French term for sauce chef) Professional chefs go to culinary school for years to learn the secrets of making classic French sauces and the more modern sauces derived from them. So what are we supposed to do?Yes, there are some sauces that require strong cooking skills. Making a Hollandaise sauce with butter and egg yolks is difficult because so many things can go wrong but with a little practice and a lot of focus, anyone can make a decent Hollandaise.Mayonnaise is another emulsion sauce that many cooks imagine is too hard or two much work to prepare but...
Wine Selecting Tips - Basic Advice on Choosing...
Wine has played a kingly role in the history of the world. People have drunk it in majestic rituals and it has lived in the palace cellars. It has survived through the medieval times and has been used by the priests to cleanse the body and cure devotees their common maladies. Whereas it used to be enjoyed only by kings and noblemen, today wine is ubiquitously consumed by people all over the world. A buffet or a fine dining experience will not go well without a Chardonnay, for instance. Most people drink wine to loosen themselves up, after a hard day's work. Others imbibe wine as a form of epicurean art. A meal will always be more enjoyable if paired with a great tasting wine. The complication...
The Food Pyramid
Just a few calories ago, the government revised the food pyramid. You can see it at It has a snazzy new logo with a stick figure dashing up the Steps To a Healthier You on the side of the pyramid...
Seafood Steakhouse NYC
Seafood as a food item has been loved and liked by people since early days. To really enjoy eating seafood, one must know very well how to taste and eat seafood in a steakhouse at NYC. You will not have to search in far away places; to find a steakhouse in NYC that will serve you the seafood of your liking. Seafood has been a very vital part of human cuisine as this is easily available and also easily accessible.Traditionally steakhouse serves steak cooked in varying degrees to suit the taste bud of steak lovers. Steak is a dish that is made of a slice of meat mostly beef. A typical steak dinner or lunch consists of a steak along with a side dish, mostly containing a potato dish, pasta or mushroom...
Many families owned a crock pot or a slow cooker. It has become one of the most useful and must-have appliances in the kitchen for the family. The slow cooker has gained much popularity because of the many benefits of its usage. One of the benefits is that it can help to prepare a wide variety of delicious food. Besides, many easy crock pot recipes of favourite dishes are widely available, such as the crock pot chicken recipe, beef stew recipe, pork roast recipe, etc. By simply using one of these recipes, one can easily prepare a delicious meal for the family. Another benefit of using the slow cooker is that the dishes prepared by it are nutritious. This is because mainly fresh, wholesome...
Theme parties are always great fun for any child's birthday party.Does your child have a favorite movie, book, TV show, favorite character, or maybe your child likes animals or has a favorite sport or past time. Well how about using one of your child's favorites as the theme for their birthday party.Planning Your PartyIf your child is old enough, sit down with them and ask what kind of theme they'd like for their party. Then, keeping your budget in mind, as well as space limitations and preparation time, choose a theme and start making plans.Once you've decided on a theme for your child's birthday party, you'll find that everything begins to fall right in place.Kid Birthday Party InvitationsYou and...
ZOO Animals ... in the Kitchen
These are Kid Friendly Recipes that are fun to make and perfect for any kids party, any time. To make the foods even more fun for the kids, re-name the recipes to match the party theme. For example, Pigs in a Blanket can be called, "Piglets in a Blanket" for a Winnie the Pooh Party or Colorful Fruit Parfaits can be called, "Jungle Fruits" for a Zoo, Safari or Madagascar party. Silly Face Pizza You will need: English muffins (one half per guest), pizza sauce, shredded American or Mozzarella cheese; assorted pizza toppings. Split the English Muffins in half and give each child one half. Let each child add pizza sauce, cheese and the toppings of their choice. Bake pizzas on cookie sheet at...
The history of Salsa sauce originated with the Inca people. Salsa (combination of chilies, tomatoes and other spices) can be traced to the Aztecs, Mayans and Incas. The Spaniards first encountered tomatoes after their conquest of Mexico in 1519-1521, which marked the beginning of the history of Salsa sauce. Aztec lords combined tomatoes with chili peppers, ground squash seeds and consumed them mainly as a condiment served on turkey, venison, lobster, and fish. This combination was subsequently called salsa by Alonso de Molina in 1571.Charles E. Erath of New Orleans was the first person in salsa sauce history who began manufacturing Extract of Louisiana Pepper, Red Hot Creole Peppersauce in 1916. A...
Italian Food-Buon Appetito!
The pleasures and love of Italian cuisine are known the world over. Italian cookery and recipes vary from region to region, and on the whole it is very healthy and nutritious, using natural ingredients that are in season.Most traditional and 'speciality' dishes as we know today, are on the whole derived from simple peasant cookery, for example the Pizza, which could be found a couple of centuries ago on the streets of Naples being sold by street vendors to those that had no cooking facilities of their own at home.Although there are essential ingredients that every Italian kitchen should have, (including basil, garlic and olive oil!), the most important ingredients are passion and creativity.Italians...
With so many different pastas available now, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to work out which one is what. Well sit tight and we will take a quick journey into the world of pasta and determine which one is what.Cannelloni Cannelloni are large hollow tubes which are stuffed with sauce mixture. My favorite is ricotta and spinach sauce that is then baked in the oven with a tomato sauce over the top.Conchiglie Conchigle is the shell shaped pastas. These come in a variety of sizes from tiny shells that are good in soups to very large with can be stuffed. It is a good short pasta that is great with chunky sauces and attractive in pasta salads.Farfalle Bow shaped, this pasta is very useful and...
Meat-Lover Fusion Fried Rice - Budget Recipes
This extremely hearty, rib-sticking dish is great for warming you up on cool nights. It combines food ingredients from several cultures, including Chinese, East Indian, North American and others. It started as a way to use up leftover meats and rice, but turned into its own unique variation of Chinese fried rice.Equipment Wok is preferred but a large non-stick frying pan will do.Second frying pan to make omellette. General notes The white steamed rice should be prepared the previous night, or at least cooled for a few hours. Fluff it up with a fork while it is hot, to prevent clumping when it has cooled. [If it's too clumpy when you cook the next day, break it up gently with a wooden spatula.]The...
Jazz Up Your Meals With Almonds
The dictionary defines an almond as the kernel of the fruit of a tree. But Silk Road traders thought of almonds as a portable and tasty food source. Many cultures, including the Romans, reserved almonds for celebrations. Today, many of us prepare holiday recipes that contain almonds.Why have almonds been popular for centuries?The answer: Almonds have a unique flavor and give food an extra crunch. Toasted almonds and golden raisins, for example, turn basic cooked rice into a tasty pilaf. Almonds give green and meat salads an extra flavor punch. Adding 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract to vanilla pudding mix makes it taste like made-from-scratch.Put almonds on your grocery list and jazz up your...
Quick Low Carb Cooking
Low Carbohydrate Diets have helped a lot of people to lose weight. The purpose of this article is not to inspire you to low carb. Only your doctor can tell you if it's right for you. What you will learn are some fantastic ideas to cook and prepare great low carb meals fast.One of the neat things about a low carbohydrate diet is that it is so simple. Meal preparation can be done quickly because it is not complex. The more complex the recipe, usually the more carbohydrates it has because it would involve sauces, etc.Grilled MeatsThe basics of a low carb diet are proteins and vegetables. So in it's most simple form, that can mean a nice grilled steak with a salad. That can be done in 10 to 20...
A Murder Mystery Halloween Party
A Murder Mystery Halloween PartyThrowing a Murder Mystery Halloween party will leave your guests dying to get there to see what the mystery is all about, thrilled to participate in solving the mystery, and talking about your party for months and years afterwards.If you want your home to be "the place to be" this Halloween, read on for some great ideas for a fun (and safe) murder mystery party for kids and adults alike.WhereAt your home - as you'll see, a party like this may involve decorating several of the rooms in your home, or you can confine it to your basement or family/great room. If the weather is warm enough (even if cool), you can have at least some of the party on your...
History of Ketchup
Ketchup dates back as far as 1600 AD when sailors traveling to China discovered a sauce made of soy or oysters...
Cranberries - Not Just For Thanksgiving!
Don't save cranberries for your Thanksgiving feast! They're way too valuable to limit to just once a year. A mainstay of this traditional American feast, cranberries count among just three fruits indigenous to North America.The Pilgrims named the red berries, but Native American Indians used them long before Europeans set foot on the new land as a healing agent and a dye for fabric.Sailors ate cranberries to ward off scurvy and bartered with them for other goods.Today, commercial growers raise cranberries throughout the northern United States and Canada.HEALTH BENEFITS Loaded with antioxidants, flavinoids, and polyphenols, this little red berry reigns as nature's medicine chest.Long known to...
The evidence is overwhelming - Real extra virgin olive oil not only enhances the taste of food but is good for you, consider the following headlines:Olive oil 'acts like painkiller' - BBC Mediterranean Diet Adds Years to Your Life (high intake of ... olive oil) - Oleic Acid Key to Olive Oil's Anti-Cancer Effect - Reuters.comHowever, there is a dark side - fraud in the olive oil marketplace:Olive oil's slippery supply line - Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Are You Getting What You Pay For? - ABC News 7Online "A clear case of fraud ..... almost all of the virgin and extra virgin olive oil produced by large commercial Italian olive oil plants" "of 73 olive oils ... in the U.S. Only 4 per cent were pure olive...
Boring Dinner? Save It With Sauce
Busy people tend to fix the same meals day after day. What's more, busy people may panic at the thought of having guests for dinner. You may be one of these people. Worry no more, because these sweet and savory sauces turn basic food into restaurant fare. Better yet, you can make these sauces in minutes.I made up the Warm Apple-Cinnamon Sauce recipe when my grandkids were coming for dinner. "This tastes like apple pie without the crust!" my grandaughter exclaimed. My teenage grandkids liked the sauce so much they ate dessert twice. Instead of maple syrup, you could serve this sauce with whole grain pancakes and waffles.The Rum Sauce With Raisins is perfect for the holidays. Serve it over...
This is an easy brownie recipe you are sure to make again and again. These brownies are very rich and chocolatey and not too sweet...
Spicy Crab Cakes
Good golly, these seafood specialty delights pack such a ferocious taste wallop that once you start popping them, you'd be hard pressed to stop! My zesty crab cake wonders make the perfect New Year's party appetisers or family gathering fillers, so by all means dig in liberally, to welcome 2006 with a bang...SPICY CRAB CAKES2 lg. eggs1/2 lb. fresh lump crabmeat1 c. ricotta cheese1 c. (4 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapenos3 tbsp. snipped chives3/4 c. fine seasoned dry bread crumbs1/4 c. salad oil1 (7 oz.) jar roasted red peppers, drained1/3 c. mayonnaiseIn medium bowl, whisk eggs until blended. Stir in crabmeat, cheeses, chives and 1/4 cup bread crumbs. Form heaping tablespoonfuls of...
Let's talk about meat fondue recipes and what you need to know first. Meat fondue also known as oil fondue is a method of cooking all kinds of meats, poultry, and seafood in a pot of heated oil.Each person participating in a fondue experience, cooks his/her meat by placing a small portion or chunk on the end of a long fondue fork and placing it inside the pot of oil to cook. When the meat has finished cooking in the oil, it's then placed on a small plate where you can then dip each piece of cooked meat into previously prepared sauces. Meat fondue recipes can also be prepared as a broth fondue, replacing the oil with your favorite broth - chicken, vegetable, or beef - to name a few.Below, I've...
These crockpot recipes will keep your kitchen cool in the summer heat. Bring any of these delights to your summer parties, and your friends will be delighted, drooling, and lining up for the recipe, - and seconds...Appetizer:PIZZA DIP1 large cream cheese softened 1 jar pizza sauce 1 small can chopped olives 1 medium onion chopped 1 pkg. sliced pepperoni (and what ever else your pizza loving heart desires!) 1 pkg. grated cheese for pizzaSpread cream cheese in the bottom of slow cooker/Crock Pot. Then mix up the pizza sauce, onion, olives and pepperoni and spread on top of the cream cheese. Sprinkle with the pizza cheese and cook on low until the cheese on top melts. Serve with tortilla chips...
The Art of the Marinade
It's a sad fact that these days it has become almost essential to marinade most cuts of meat, unless you intend to casserole them.I'll go into why that is the case a bit later on, but for the time being let's just examine why we use marinades at all.Principally there are two reasons. One is to add flavor, and the other is to tenderize. Usually, we are trying to do both.It's worth bearing in mind that marinating is a cooking process, even though heat is rarely applied. The importance of recognizing this is that, like any other cooking process, you can overdo it.It's not just a case of putting the meat or fish in a sauce and leaving it there until you are ready to use it. Many of the fruit juices we...
Seafood Recipes for Clambake, Lobster Pie and...
Before we start talking seafood, you should understand one thing. This writer is a dyed-in-the-wool New Englander with an Italian heritage and two chefs in the family...
Cooking -- What You Need To Know
From ancient times till the nineteenth century cooking was basically a survival skill. The nineteenth century marked the division of cooking into two main categories.The two branches were defined by the French, were there is 'normale cuisine' which means home cooking, and 'haute cuisine', which is cooking conceived like an artform. The major difference between the two branches is that one form should be considered as practical cooking while the other is more like cooking with a view to demonstrating skill.The boundary between ~normale cuisine~ and ~haute cuisine~ gets thinner and thinner over time. New professional kitchen equipment and more information about cooking allow people to perform like...
Here is my favorite spaghetti sauce that I can eat by the spoonful. After I make this, I find myself eating bowls of just the sauce. I personally like to dip crusty french bread into the sauce, and eat as is. If you are feeling a bit on the wild side, you can always pour this Chunky Meaty Spaghetti Sauce over a bed of pasta.Happy Cooking!Ingredients:* 1/4 cup Olive Oil* 2 pounds of meat (combination of ground beef and italian sausage)* 2 large onions, sliced* 1 green bell pepper, sliced* 1 red bell pepper, sliced* 12 cloves garlic, thinly sliced* 1/4 cup Flour* 2 cups red wine* 1 can beef broth* 2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes* 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste* 1/4 cup Sugar* 1 pint fresh...