Archive for the ‘Cooking Tips’ Category

The Best Bread Recipes? You Make the Decision

Thursday, May 14th, 2009
Hendrika Van Aardt asked:


There is nothing like fresh homemade bread and these two will fill your home with all those lovely baking flavors so typical of bread baking.

Moist Potato Tea Bread

What You Need:

* 1 C of flour

* 1/2 t baking soda

* 1/4 t salt

* 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice

* 1 C cold sweet potatoes, mashed

* 1/2 C sugar

* 3 T canola oil

* 2 T of buttermilk

* 1 t vanilla extract

* 1 large egg

How to Make It:

1. Place the oven temperature on 350 degrees and allow the oven to preheat.

2. Lightly spray a loaf pan with a non stick cooking spray.

3. Dust the loaf pan lightly with flour and tap out any excess.

4. Place the flour into a mixing bowl.

5. Add the baking soda, salt and pumpkin spice.

6. Whisk together until the ingredients are blended well.

7. Place the mashed sweet potatoes into a separate mixing bowl.

8. Sprinkle the sugar over the top of the potatoes.

9. Pour the oil, buttermilk and the vanilla into the mixture.

10. Break the egg into the mixture then whisk until blended together well.

11. Transfer the sweet potato mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture.

12. Stir just enough to moisten the dry ingredients through.

13. Place the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

14. Bake 28 minutes or until a butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

15. Cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 12 minutes.

16. Invert the pan over a wire rack and allow the loaf to cool 1 hour before serving.

Serves: 1 loaf

Sweet potatoes make breads very moist so there’s no need for the extra butter or oil. Sweet potatoes are also a great source of beta carotene along other nutrients making them a healthy choice any time of year. Pumpkin can be used in place the sweet potatoes if you prefer.

The vegetables in this best bread recipe make it a very healthy bread to treat your family with.

Farmer’s Country Loaf

What You Need:

* 1 C warm water (110 degrees)

* 2 1/2 t active dry yeast

* 1 1/2 t salt

* 1 1/2 C + 2 T bread flour

How to Make It:

1. Pour the warm water into a mixing bowl.

2. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the water.

3. Allow the mixture to stand 5 minutes or until it begins to bubble.

4. Once the mixture begins to bubble, stir in the salt and the flour until well blended.

5. Use a flexible rubber spatula and knead the dough by folding it over and pushing it into the bottom of the bowl.

6. Knead the dough 4 times.

7. Sprinkle the remaining flour over the dough and continue to knead the dough as directed above for 5 minutes or until the dough is spongy.

8. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and push the dough into a ball shape.

9. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, place in a warm area and allow the dough to rise 1 hour.

10. Use the rubber spatula and stir the dough. Cover again and allow the dough to rise for another hour.

11. Sprinkle a flat surface lightly with flour.

12. Place the dough onto the floured surface and form a loaf.

13. Use additional flour on the board if the dough becomes too sticky.

14. Sprinkle a baking sheet with flour in an area about double the size of the loaf.

15. Place the loaf on the floured area, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise 1 hour or until it is double in size.

16. Set the oven temperature to 375 and allow the oven to preheat.

17. Remove the plastic wrap from the loaf.

18. Fill a spray bottle with water and spray the inside of the oven with the water.

19. Bake the bread 5 minutes then spray the oven again being careful not to spray the bread.

20. Bake the bread 12 minutes then spray the oven again.

21. Continue baking the bread 12 more minutes or until the bread is browned and crusty on top.

22. Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack 1 hour before slicing.

Serves: 1 loaf

This is a wonderful bread to serve with that Easter dinner. Be sure to have plenty of butter or better yet apple butter to smother each slice with.

This is truly one of our best bread recipes. Do not be afraid of the yeast. It is easier than you think. If you wish you can add one teaspoon of sugar to your dough, with your yeast, it will make the raising process faster; I often do it when I’m in a hurry. I also place the bread in any warm place I can find. I have a friend who places it in her bed, under the duvet, with the electric blanket switched on!! Can you believe it?

Okay, so now you have two of our best bread recipes, what do you think of them?



John

The Benefits of Organic Herbs

Friday, January 2nd, 2009
Anne Harvester asked:


Organic herbs are preferable to non-organics because they are not grown using chemical fertilizers or chemical pesticides. Chemicals can leave residues on plant matter, and work their way into the plant’s roots, leaves, stems, flowers or bark, and this means that they can reach your body if you were to ingest them. Instead, a healthier alternative is to forgo the chemicals and stick with organic herbs. Organic herbs and spices add zesty flavor to recipes, drunk as tea and several can also be used for medicinal purposes. Organic herbs can also be purchased in bulk and for wholesale prices. Organic herbs provide a tantalizing alternative to herbs grown with chemicals.

Bulk organic herbs provide you a ready supply of tasty spice available at your fingertips. You might choose to keep a supply of organic bulk herbs handy in the kitchen, where you go through them frequently during recipe preparation. Standbys such as wonderful pepper, bay leaf, basil, cumin, curry powder, and so many more will be used day in and day out in your meals. Quick recipes utilizing pasta are common around dinnertime, and pastas need deeply flavored sauces to accompany them. No marinara, for example, would be complete without Italian seasoning. Featuring garlic, oregano, basil sage and marjoram, your sauce will reach the peak of perfection when you add these special spices to your dish. Desserts are no different. Pies would be flavorless without the appropriate spices. Allspice was made for pumpkin pie and hot apple cider, two fall favorites. Vanilla beans are your freshest-tasting choice for its distinctive flavor in recipes and drinks.

Certain organic herbs also make fragrant teas. Peppermint or chamomile have been used for centuries to soothe the stomach and provide a relaxing tonic before bedtime to help bring on restful sleep. Organic bulk herbs can also be combined into unique tea blends to satisfy your specific tastes. If you need a sweet-tasting pick me up that doesn’t come loaded with calories, try a tea blend of peppermint, chamomile, licorice root and cinnamon. Each of these organic herbs is lovely on its own, but when blended together provide dynamic contrasts that will heighten your taste sensory pleasure.

Those who will resell the herbs in products or in use in restaurants will find considerable savings in wholesale organic herbs. These wholesale top-quality organic herbs can be purchased in bulk quantities for deep savings.

When people shop for herbs, organic products are their first choice. No one wants to add harmful chemicals to their diets or apply it in medications or cosmetics to their bodies. This purity factor is why organic products are so popular. When you can keep your shelves stocked with delicious and aromatic organic herbs, you will attract discriminating shoppers who will recognize their value and come back for more.



Frank

Interesting Story About Her Latest Cooking Creation

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008
Naveenk asked:


Our friend she, recently contacted us with an interesting story about her latest cooking creation. She’s annual Thanksgiving dinner must include apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies. Her husband insists on it even though she protests that only the apple pie typically gets eaten, and she tosses the bulk of the pumpkin and pecan pies into the trash after giving him a week to refuse any more desserts.

This year, she got inspired a week after Thanksgiving in her quest to avoid wasteful tossing of food into the trash bound for a landfill instead of for someone’s palate.

Beware: this is not an exact recipe. It’s a cooking style that relies on sound instincts on the cook’s part. Here’s what She did, but says you can modify at will and still get good results:

Since her pumpkin pie was made from canned pumpkin pretty much following the recipe on the label but substituting sweetened condensed milk instead of canned evaporated milk and baked in a graham cracker crust, she just dumped the three-fourths of the pie she had left into a mixing bowl and started stirring.

Then, she scraped the remaining two-thirds of the store-bought pecan pie from its too-thick crust and mixed that real good. Next step was to mix about a half cup of all-purpose flour with about a half cup of light brown sugar, then blend that into the pie mixture, after which she added about a quarter cup of honey, three-quarters cup of chocolate chips, about a half cup of coconut, and about a cup full of mixed dried fruit that included raisins, pineapples, cherries, and cranberries.

She dropped the mixture in “dollops” on a buttered clay baking dish and baked for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees, watching carefully for the edges and tops of the randomly shaped caakies to turn light brown. She cooled them slightly on a wire rack and test-tasted to her delight.

A hit! She says the same creative cooking technique could be applied to a leftover sweet potato pie with any variety of interesting ingredients including oatmeal, granola, and your favorite varieties of nuts (got some leftover from a holiday party you aren’t sure what to do with?).  Or, spice it up a bit with fresh natural nutmeg seed.

As they come out of the oven, personalize them even more using that excess holiday candy. Press a chocolate kiss, a bite-size peanut butter cup, or a piece of candy corn into them. For simplicity, you might even just sprinkle on a little white powdered sugar. If you are feeling super creative, mix up a batch of frosting (or cheat by using the store-bought kind) and slap two caakies together.

She says she’s likely going to make pumpkin and pecan pies for Christmas and might even hide them after a couple of slices have been removed so she can make caakies for New Year’s with very little planning, shopping, and effort. Bet you could serve it with ice cream, but be sure you also offer your guests a fresh brewed cup of Thai coffee or tea or Tortuga gourmet coffee.



Laura

Holiday Dessert Shortcuts From Some Real Experts

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008
Michael DeVries asked:


I was having lunch in my favorite Thai restaurant last week while waiting to discuss an order for hand embroidered Thai shirts for employees, and I had the privilege of being seated near enough to a group of eight ladies that I could clearly overhear their conversation.

After the usual ice-breaker conversation about how everyone was and how things were with their respective jobs, one of them asked, “So, what’s everyone doing for the holidays?”

Answers included traveling to be with family, staying in town to attend an annual gathering of friends who live away from their families, and one ambitious one who announced she and her family would be meeting at their mountain cabin where she would cook the traditional Thanksgiving meal - all from scratch, including her apple and pumpkin pies.

The group quickly pronounced that ambitious one as insane even though she defended her fresh approach using organic and natural products, like honey in her pies and candied yams, as one of the greatest days of her year.

Finally, time came for the one who originally asked the question to answer the question. I’ve dubbed her the grandmother because she said her two children, their spouses, and five grandchildren were coming for Thanksgiving Day and she was planning to spend as much with them as possible.

Another lady asked the grandmother how she could spend any time with them while preparing a meal for that many people, and the answer really caught my ears, “You wanna hear a little secret?”

All heads nodded, so she continued, “I buy a really good brand of frozen apple pie, then let thaw for about a half-hour. Then I carefully slip it into my own pie dish, brush it with milk and sprinkle on a little sugar to give it that nice glazed top, then I bake as directed. Voila! In no time I have a pie people always rave about with very little effort.”

“Wow, that would also work with pumpkin pie,” one of the ladies planning to attend the friend get-together piped in. “That’s what I’ve been asked to bring this year and I was going to buy the pie at the bakery, but I think I’ll try ‘baking my own.’”

They all laughed heartily, then the conversation continued with a suggestion that you could buy an entire turkey dinner at the supermarket and serve it beautifully on china platters and bowls and never have to admit to not having done all the work.

They discussed the virtues of instant mashed potatoes and how adding a few spices and some extra butter enhances the flavor. They mentioned gravy mixes for a lump free topping on those potatoes. Brown and serve rolls from the supermarket, and frozen vs canned string beans for a casserole.

The general theme of this group was to minimize how much time they spent in the kitchen and maximize how much time they spent with family and friends.

As the lunch hour wound down, I couldn’t resist walking over to their table and presenting them with business cards with a World Shopper’s Club first order discount code on the back. In an apologetic introductory tone, I said, “I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation and I’d like to suggest you check out the food items we have to help you with your holiday cooking. We have soup mixes, desserts, and of course spices and honey for those you who like to cook,” as I deliberately gestured toward the previously proclaimed insane one planning to do the entire Thanksgiving meal from scratch.

Then, I thanked them in the best way I knew how by telling them with a wink ;) toward the grandmother that I’ll be providing an apple pie for my family’s Thanksgiving dinner. “Served from my own apple pie dish of course.” ;) .

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Please REPLY at:

http://i-shoptheworld.com/2008/11/16/holiday-dessert-shortcuts-from-real-experts/

and Share with All of Your Friends around the world Your Holiday Dessert, Thanksgiving dinner, and/or other Holiday cooking Shortcuts, Tips and “Tricks”, ok?

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REMINDER: Thanksgiving 2008 is Coming on November 27th!, so it is Important that you Order Everything You Need to cook All of Your Thanksgiving Dinner dishes Now! to insure You have Everything You Need in time and You are Ready for Your Thanksgiving Dinner, you know?

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… and Finally, …



Donald

Stress Free Thanksgiving Dinner

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008
Stephanie Maggio asked:


                                What Every Cook Should Know About

                                      Hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner.

By, Stephanie Maggio owner/chef of Maggio’s Personal Chef Service.

Hosting a Thanksgiving dinner can be quite stressful. The holiday season is already upon us and it seems we are busy even before the day gets here. First Thanksgiving, then Christmas, with New Years Day to follow. First, calm down. Here are some tips to relieve some of the stress so you too can enjoy the day with your guests.

First, decide how you want your Thanksgiving dinner to be set-up. Do you want buffet-style? With this set-up you would need a fairly large place to set the food. Your guest would then serve themselves and sit where you have provided. This is a very casual dinner and works well with a large guest list. Another way to serve your holiday meal would be pot-luck style. This way is much less stressful on the host as each of your guests would be bring a dish and usually a dessert. The host usually provides the main dishes such as the turkey, stuffing and gravy. So a sample way to work this would be to let each guest know what items to bring such as mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, rolls and such. Make sure your specific though so you do not end up having tons of greens beans! And yet another way to serve Thanksgiving dinner would be a more formal dinner setting at the table. This is my favorite and is a more intimate setting. To have a formal setting you would need a large table and smaller guest list. What we do at our home is set up two tables next to each other. One for the adults, and one for the kids. The kids can chat amongst their selves and the adults can visit with each other without everyone being separated. So deciding now what kind of Thanksgiving dinner style you want lets you plan accordingly.

The second thing you should do is start you baking now. Most baked goods freeze quite well. You could make and freeze pies, nut breads, unfrosted cakes and cookies. You can freeze fruit pies uncooked, wrapped in plastic wrap then cover in foil. To bake, place frozen pie in center oven at 375 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours or until bubbly and golden brown. To freeze nut breads, you will need to bake as usual and let cool completely. Wrap cooled bread in freezer bread according to size of loaf. To thaw just place on counter for about an hour, then slice as usual. To freeze unfrosted cakes, cool cake layers completely and wrap separately in parchment paper and then in foil. Let thaw on counter completely before frosting. Cookies freeze very well. Just bake according to recipes and cool completely. Store cookies in freezer bags or freezer containers such as lock-n-locks. Just thaw on counter until ready to display and eat. Doing this now will certainly help take a load off.

Plan your guest list. This may seem simple, but as you think about who you want over at your home, your list can grow to impossible numbers! Do you have a large family? If so, you may not be able to have many friends over. This is where you need to decide who you want to spend the day with. Traditions also play a part in this. Maybe you have the same people year after year, such as Grandma and Grandpa. If so, this will be easy because you already know. Ok, you now have your guest list ready.

Start your grocery shopping early! Don’t wait until the week of Thanksgiving to buy what you need. Not only are you risking empty shelves, but it is expensive to buy at the last minute. There are great sales starting around Halloween for baking supplies and such. Stock up now. If stuffing mix is on sale when you are at the market for milk, pick it up. You are going to need it anyway. You can also get cranberries cheap way before the big day. Cranberries freeze well too. As you buy items you know you will need, mark them down so when you get the rest of what you need, you do not over buy items. Turkeys also are on sale sometimes weeks before. You can get great deals like $5 turkeys limit 1. When you see this, go back again and pick up another to freeze!

Plan your cooking day. This will most likely be the day or two before. Decide what you have left to do and prep as much as you can. Mix up the stuffing for the bird and put into bowl and store in fridge. Also, you can make your rolls ahead. Cook up those cranberries. They will be much better the next day anyway after setting. You can also make your molded salads the day before as they also will need setting up. This is when you will defrost all those baked goods you froze the weeks prior to now. So if you need to frost the cake, now is the time. You can also bake up those pies you froze. Doing as much as you can on this day will help you to have more time with friends and family.

And Finally Thanksgiving Day! Your turkey is in the oven. When your guests start to arrive you need to enlist help. You may want to do it all and get all the glory for the hard work you have put in, but it is much better to let others help out and enjoy your day. Delegate tasks such as setting the table, organizing serving dishes and setting out appetizers for your guests to enjoy while the meal is being prepared. Snacking is an important part to hosting a party. This is a must when entertaining. So set out the appetizer trays and mingle with your guests because you have planned for this day and you will now enjoy it too!

Happy Thanksgiving,

Stephanie Maggio

928-503-4922

www.maggiospersonalchefservice.com

A sample Thanksgiving meal menu:

Roasted Turkey with Herbs

Cider Crusted Baked Ham

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan topping

Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Pan gravy

Cranberries with Grand Marnier Sauce (YUM!)

Molded Raspberry/Cranberry Salad

Homemade Rolls with Honey Butter

Green Bean Casserole (kids love this)

Bread Stuffing with Italian Sausage,Pecans,Raisins and Apples

Pumpkin Pie

Apple Pie

Pecan Pie





Elizabeth