by: Kristin Johnson
What does holly, that untidy traditional greenery you just have to festoon your house with every year, have to do with not tearing your hair out before it's even Thanksgiving? Plenty. You can use H-O-L-L-Y to help you get organized.
1. H: Help
How many times have you tried to do the perfect turkey all by yourself just so your mother-in-law would be impressed? Here's a reality check: (a) If your mother-in-law is any kind of a real woman, she remembers that her mother-in-law put the exact same pressure on her, and (b) if she's the kind of person who complains because the cranberries come from a can, she's the kind of person who complains anyway and would be unhappy if she couldn't try to make you look like an incompetent nitwit, and how a woman like that could raise your wonderful husband is beyond everyone.
If that husband is such a great guy, get him in the kitchen. Sit down and plan what the two of you really want---he might not want a six-course dinner, which is fine, because you don't either. Get the kids involved. By now some of them are at that stage where they want to show off what they can do "all by myself," and you know that even though you hate your daughter's taste in music, she did make killer stuffing last Thanksgiving. And your son makes a great omelet for Christmas morning. Then there's your sister who loves to chat, so put her to work while you listen to her endless monologue.
Electronic help is great too---use a PDA or the family computer to keep a list of recipes and ingredients. There are many great, sometimes free, computer programs available.
2. O: Oh-No
Let's face it. You'll make mistakes. The sugar cookies will burn. You can always "eat" your mistakes and try again---just don't try a new recipe for the first time Christmas Day. In fact, plan for your mistakes. That's right. Most of us spend so much time agonizing over avoiding mistakes we forget that they are going to happen anyway, and not necessarily at our hands. So your best girlfriend Susan brought over deviled ham instead of double chocolate cake...there's a reason we have bakeries, right? Just cheerfully accept the mistake and move on. People can get over a slightly too well-done roast, but they will be downright uncomfortable if you spend the entire dinner moaning about it.
3. L: Love
You know Christmas is the season of love, and you can have as much fun with take-out pizza as you can with an elegant dinner if the company is right. One sure way to recapture love is to bake cookies together. There's nothing like the sight of kids rolling dough and decorating their works of art.
4. L: Let It Be
Sorry for the Paul McCartney overtones, but once you have your plan in place, stick to it---that doesn't mean you can't compromise slightly. Agonizing over turkey versus tofu causes you to lose your appetite, and is as harmful to your cooking as disorganization. Sticking to a decision and keeping your plan, no matter what everyone else thinks, gives you peace of mind.
5. Y: You
Remember that there will be stress around the holidays, but that your mind can choose not to give in. You can choose to refuse another beer because "I'm frazzled" or avoid inviting people you really can't stand just because your mind thinks you have an obligation to be popular and kill yourself feeding 25 people. You can throw snowballs, or, if you live in California, go throw some water on the wildfires...just take your mind off your cooking. You'll rediscover just why it is you're cooking and what you love about Christmas.
So that's your H-O-L-L-Y for a happy holiday. And when all else fails, there's chocolate.
About The Author
Copyright Kristin Johnson.
Kristin Johnson is co-author of the “highly recommended” Midwest Book Review pick, Christmas Cookies Are For Giving: Stories, Recipes and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts (ISBN: 0-9723473-9-9). A downloadablemedia kit is available at our Web site, www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com, or e-mail the publisher (info@tyrpublishing.com) to receive a printed media kit and sample copy of the book. More articles available at http://www.bakingchristmascookies.com.
kristin@poemsforyou.com
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Cooking with Annie Dote
by: Barbara Carr Phillips
The submission deadline to an anthology is looming and I want to write an essay for it. I take a seat at my kitchen table, and begin flipping through my journals for inspiration.
"What are you looking for," my husband asks. An innocent enough question.
"An anecdote," I reply.
"An Annie who?" he says, raising his eyebrows and casting a sideways glance at our teenage son. Our son grins and chuckles softly, knowing his dad likes to tease me about writers and their mysterious words and ways. I should have known.
"Not Annie, anec, an-ec-dote," I repeat. "Something I can build on to make a story."
"Uh-huh," he replies, "like a prescription or something?"
"No, not like a prescription. Well . . . kind of like a prescription, insofar as it relieves the dreaded symptoms resulting from staring at a blank page."
He and my son sigh in unison and grab a soda from the fridge. Thankfully, I'm saved-by-the-whistle. They disappear into the living room to watch the game, where they will discuss words and ways they can relate to, like "rebound" and "three second rule," (or is it five seconds? I don't know.)
What is an anecdote?
An anecdote is a short, entertaining account of an incident. Metaphorically speaking: an anecdote is life. Life that contains laughter and tears, and most importantly, an anecdote is a moment in life worth remembering.
When someone says, "I had a really great day," it doesn't mean everything about the day was really great. But a few moments were. A great moment makes an entire day fun. A few shining moments over a period of months can prompt us to say, "this is a great year" even though we've encountered losses, sadness, anger and all kinds of other unpleasant circumstances.
A way to identify a good anecdote is to pay attention to another person's reaction when you are telling them a story. For example, a few months ago I posted a little story on my mom's group list about a very frustrating but humorous moment I had with my toddler. My e-mail inbox filled up quickly with responses from other moms in the group who could relate to my saga and enjoyed the description of the incident.
"Aha," I thought, "that writes."
That evening, I sat down at my computer. I copied the message I posted, added an introduction, a little more background, a couple more related anecdotes and a conclusion. Then I e-mailed it to the editor of an anthology. Less than twenty-four hours later, I received an e-mail response.
At first I was a little worried. I thought a response that speedy could only mean I forgot to attach the manuscript. Or maybe she did receive it, and was promptly rejecting it.
I clicked on the e-mail and was happy to discover I received an acceptance. It's the first and last time I've received such a quick response, but if I hadn't been perceptive about how enjoyable the little anecdote was, I would have forgotten the incident completely and lost the story.
Keeping a personal journal is also a very effective way to capture your anecdotes until you can get back to them. Find a journal that is small enough to carry in your purse or pocket, and take it with you everywhere.
Record every interesting thing you hear, church sermons, funny things people say, lyrics to songs on the radio. Pretty soon, it will become second nature, and people will begin to peer at you curiously and say, "um, what are you writing in that little book?" They're worried you're taking notes about them, of course.
Journals are the writer's cookbook. We store our delicious morsels of words in them until it's time to write something nourishing. We may have lots of ideas, but if we don't record them, they are soon forgotten. Don't allow your writing to suffer from malnutrition. Take notes about your life!
May God bless you with the right anecdote to cure your blank page. And enough journals to keep you well fed. Happy writing.
About The Author
This article is available for free reprint provided that the author’s bionote is left intact and the article is published complete and unaltered. If you are using this article on a website or e-book, please make sure that the link in the author’s bionote is live or clickable. Email notice of intent to publish is required: bcarrphillips@yahoo.com.
Bionote: Barbara Carr Phillips believes you can meet any goal by journaling to it. To schedule an online or in-person journaling workshop for you or your organization, visit her website at: http://www.journalworkshops.com.
The submission deadline to an anthology is looming and I want to write an essay for it. I take a seat at my kitchen table, and begin flipping through my journals for inspiration.
"What are you looking for," my husband asks. An innocent enough question.
"An anecdote," I reply.
"An Annie who?" he says, raising his eyebrows and casting a sideways glance at our teenage son. Our son grins and chuckles softly, knowing his dad likes to tease me about writers and their mysterious words and ways. I should have known.
"Not Annie, anec, an-ec-dote," I repeat. "Something I can build on to make a story."
"Uh-huh," he replies, "like a prescription or something?"
"No, not like a prescription. Well . . . kind of like a prescription, insofar as it relieves the dreaded symptoms resulting from staring at a blank page."
He and my son sigh in unison and grab a soda from the fridge. Thankfully, I'm saved-by-the-whistle. They disappear into the living room to watch the game, where they will discuss words and ways they can relate to, like "rebound" and "three second rule," (or is it five seconds? I don't know.)
What is an anecdote?
An anecdote is a short, entertaining account of an incident. Metaphorically speaking: an anecdote is life. Life that contains laughter and tears, and most importantly, an anecdote is a moment in life worth remembering.
When someone says, "I had a really great day," it doesn't mean everything about the day was really great. But a few moments were. A great moment makes an entire day fun. A few shining moments over a period of months can prompt us to say, "this is a great year" even though we've encountered losses, sadness, anger and all kinds of other unpleasant circumstances.
A way to identify a good anecdote is to pay attention to another person's reaction when you are telling them a story. For example, a few months ago I posted a little story on my mom's group list about a very frustrating but humorous moment I had with my toddler. My e-mail inbox filled up quickly with responses from other moms in the group who could relate to my saga and enjoyed the description of the incident.
"Aha," I thought, "that writes."
That evening, I sat down at my computer. I copied the message I posted, added an introduction, a little more background, a couple more related anecdotes and a conclusion. Then I e-mailed it to the editor of an anthology. Less than twenty-four hours later, I received an e-mail response.
At first I was a little worried. I thought a response that speedy could only mean I forgot to attach the manuscript. Or maybe she did receive it, and was promptly rejecting it.
I clicked on the e-mail and was happy to discover I received an acceptance. It's the first and last time I've received such a quick response, but if I hadn't been perceptive about how enjoyable the little anecdote was, I would have forgotten the incident completely and lost the story.
Keeping a personal journal is also a very effective way to capture your anecdotes until you can get back to them. Find a journal that is small enough to carry in your purse or pocket, and take it with you everywhere.
Record every interesting thing you hear, church sermons, funny things people say, lyrics to songs on the radio. Pretty soon, it will become second nature, and people will begin to peer at you curiously and say, "um, what are you writing in that little book?" They're worried you're taking notes about them, of course.
Journals are the writer's cookbook. We store our delicious morsels of words in them until it's time to write something nourishing. We may have lots of ideas, but if we don't record them, they are soon forgotten. Don't allow your writing to suffer from malnutrition. Take notes about your life!
May God bless you with the right anecdote to cure your blank page. And enough journals to keep you well fed. Happy writing.
About The Author
This article is available for free reprint provided that the author’s bionote is left intact and the article is published complete and unaltered. If you are using this article on a website or e-book, please make sure that the link in the author’s bionote is live or clickable. Email notice of intent to publish is required: bcarrphillips@yahoo.com.
Bionote: Barbara Carr Phillips believes you can meet any goal by journaling to it. To schedule an online or in-person journaling workshop for you or your organization, visit her website at: http://www.journalworkshops.com.
Dutch Oven Cooking Basics
by: Robin Shortt
Pioneer Cooking
When you think of a cast iron Dutch oven, what comes to your mind? Pioneer cooking? Stews over the open fire?
Of coarse both are true, but they are still very much in use today and as for the Dutch oven, the possibilities are endless.
Dutch ovens can be used for frying, baking, boiling, and steaming as well.
Purchasing Your Dutch Oven
When purchasing your Dutch oven, make sure the lid has a raised ridge.
This is to hold your heat source, which will be briquettes.
This will help you to reach the proper temperature needed for whatever cooking you are wanting to do , with the exception of boiling or frying.
In which case you would want all the heat on the bottom.
Heating Fundimentals
If you are planning on baking, you need more heat on the top than on the bottom.
Put one briquette on the bottom for every 3 on the top of the lid.
For preparing stews, use one on the top for every 4 on the bottom. When roasting, put briquettes on the top and bottom evenly.
Best Temperature
To understand the temperature and number of briquettes needed takes a little math.
Each briquette adds about 25 degrees of heat.
A good starting temperature is 350 degrees F.
To figure out how many briquettes to use, take the size of the oven in inches, and subract three to get the number of briquettes for under it, and add three to get the number of briquettes for the top.
Preparing To Cure Your Dutch Oven
Now that you understand the basics of using your Dutch oven you need to prepare or cure your oven before using it.
Some cast iron ovens have a protective covering which you will need to remove .
You will need to do some scrubbing with a non-abrasive scubber.
Once the covering is removed, rinse and dry the oven and then let it air dry.
Curing It
To cure your oven, pre-heat your kitchen stove to 350 degrees. Place the Dutch oven on the center rack, with the lid open slightly.
Allow it to heat slowly until it is too hot to handle. Apply a thin layer of salt free cooking oil with a clean cloth to the Dutch oven inside and out.
Place your oven back inside the stove with the lid slightly open. Bake your oven for about an hour.
.Repeat
After baking , allow the Dutch oven to cool slowly.
When it is cool enough to handle, repeat the oil again the same as before and bake again.
When cool enough apply a third layer of oil, but this time it is ready for use.
Preparing your Dutch oven in this way prevents rust and makes for much easier cleaning as well
Cleaning
To clean your oven after use, scrape it out, add warm water, without soap, and heat it in the oven until the water is almost boiling.
For any food that sticks a little, use a non-abrasive scrubber.
Protect your Dutch oven again by warming it in the stove, applying a thin coating of oil and letting it cool. Its now ready for storage.
About The Author
Val and Robin Shortt are experienced campers and own three outdoor websites For more tips like these and to register for their Free newsletter visit: http://www.goodnightcampingequipment.com.
Robin@goodnightcampingequipment.com
Pioneer Cooking
When you think of a cast iron Dutch oven, what comes to your mind? Pioneer cooking? Stews over the open fire?
Of coarse both are true, but they are still very much in use today and as for the Dutch oven, the possibilities are endless.
Dutch ovens can be used for frying, baking, boiling, and steaming as well.
Purchasing Your Dutch Oven
When purchasing your Dutch oven, make sure the lid has a raised ridge.
This is to hold your heat source, which will be briquettes.
This will help you to reach the proper temperature needed for whatever cooking you are wanting to do , with the exception of boiling or frying.
In which case you would want all the heat on the bottom.
Heating Fundimentals
If you are planning on baking, you need more heat on the top than on the bottom.
Put one briquette on the bottom for every 3 on the top of the lid.
For preparing stews, use one on the top for every 4 on the bottom. When roasting, put briquettes on the top and bottom evenly.
Best Temperature
To understand the temperature and number of briquettes needed takes a little math.
Each briquette adds about 25 degrees of heat.
A good starting temperature is 350 degrees F.
To figure out how many briquettes to use, take the size of the oven in inches, and subract three to get the number of briquettes for under it, and add three to get the number of briquettes for the top.
Preparing To Cure Your Dutch Oven
Now that you understand the basics of using your Dutch oven you need to prepare or cure your oven before using it.
Some cast iron ovens have a protective covering which you will need to remove .
You will need to do some scrubbing with a non-abrasive scubber.
Once the covering is removed, rinse and dry the oven and then let it air dry.
Curing It
To cure your oven, pre-heat your kitchen stove to 350 degrees. Place the Dutch oven on the center rack, with the lid open slightly.
Allow it to heat slowly until it is too hot to handle. Apply a thin layer of salt free cooking oil with a clean cloth to the Dutch oven inside and out.
Place your oven back inside the stove with the lid slightly open. Bake your oven for about an hour.
.Repeat
After baking , allow the Dutch oven to cool slowly.
When it is cool enough to handle, repeat the oil again the same as before and bake again.
When cool enough apply a third layer of oil, but this time it is ready for use.
Preparing your Dutch oven in this way prevents rust and makes for much easier cleaning as well
Cleaning
To clean your oven after use, scrape it out, add warm water, without soap, and heat it in the oven until the water is almost boiling.
For any food that sticks a little, use a non-abrasive scrubber.
Protect your Dutch oven again by warming it in the stove, applying a thin coating of oil and letting it cool. Its now ready for storage.
About The Author
Val and Robin Shortt are experienced campers and own three outdoor websites For more tips like these and to register for their Free newsletter visit: http://www.goodnightcampingequipment.com.
Robin@goodnightcampingequipment.com
7 Need to Know Campsite Cooking Strategies
by: Eric Stephenson
Are you sick and tired of not knowing what to bring or what to cook when you go camping? Do you either pack the entire kitchen (including the sink) or you bring the absolute minimum and then have to use a fork as a spatula or two spoons as tongs?
If that sounds even the slightest bit familiar then you are in the right place. Over the past decade or so I have refined a list of 7 things that I use every single time I prepare for my next camping trip.
These strategies are relevant whether you are car camping, primitive camping, RV camping, scout camping or large group camping. You can very easily apply them across any type of trip, which is what really makes them worthwhile.
So here they are:
1. Plan the Meals – Okay common sense right? Well If I didn’t include this as the first and most important item I would get hollered at! But seriously, if you don’t plan the meals ahead of time not only do you not know what you’re going to eat you also have no idea what to pack as far as cooking gear is concerned. Do you need a spatula or tongs? Do you need a strainer or a frying pan?
2. Plan the Gear – This follows directly from number 1. Now that you know what you are going to eat for the trip you can now figure out exactly what utensils, pots, pans, containers and other miscellaneous cooking gear you need. And more importantly what gear you don’t need! My family and I do a lot of tent camping which means that we take my wife’s SUV, so we have a very limited amount of room that we must pack all of our “stuff” into. If I only need a 2 quart pot and a small frying pan well guess what, the 9 other pots and 4 other frying pans stay at home!
3. Plan the Condiments – Have you ever went camping and once you get there you realize that you don’t have ketchup, mustard or relish for your nice, hot and juicy steakburger you just cooked for yourself? Have you ever went camping and it took you 10 minutes to find the garlic powder because it found it’s own way to the bottom of the box you keep all your spices in? There is a fine line between having too many spices/condiments and not having enough but you have to walk that line. Even if you have a 40 foot Class A Mega Super Duper Motor home, you only have so much space. Sit down and look at the recipe’s you are going to use and then figure out what spices/condiments you can bring and which ones to leave at home.
4. 10% Above – Get 10% more food then you think you should take. If your family usually eats 4 hamburgers, take 5 or 6. If they usually eat 6 pieces of Corn on the Cob take 8. I don’t know for sure what it is but whenever you go camping everybody seems to be HUNGRY all the time. It might be because they are running around doing more stuff or it might be something in the air, I don’t know.
5. KIS – Keep It Simple. Realize that you are going to be in the middle of the woods. Is it possible to cook a Rack of Lamb with Herb-Dijon Nut Crust, Parisienne Potatoes, Green Beans Wrapped In Carrot Ring and Pureed Sweet Potato Basket? Yes it is technically possible. Should you attempt it? Heck NO! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying to plan 3 square of milk and cereal. I am saying to remember where you are going to be and the mostly primitive cooking tools you will have at your disposal.
6. Test Runs- If you are planning on cooking on a campfire, or using a new grill, or cooking in your RV for the first time on your next trip…Don’t Do It! Always, always, always do a test run at home before you get out there. Build a little fire in your backyard and figure out if you need some charcoal to bolster the wood fire and make it cook more evenly. Make sure you know how to hook up that new grill and where the hot spots are. It is really not a lot of fun to get out into the woods somewhere and burn your dinner to a crisp or have it sitting in the bottom of the campfire because of a “equipment malfunction”. So always do a test run.
7. Try a new Treat – Remembering strategy number 6, my family always tries a new treat whenever we go camping. Whether it be a new recipe for our green bean casserole or a naughty little after dinner snack, we try something new every time. This doesn’t have to mean something exotic that you’re not sure the animals would even like. Just look around on the internet, there are a ton of campfire / Dutch oven recipes out there for you to try.
Well that’s it, that’s my list of 7 Need to Know Campsite Cooking Strategies. This is not a wish-list or a group of things I pulled out of thin air. I use this list each and every time I plan a trip for my family, my friends and my troop. This list if used properly will keep you in good stead for your trips. You won’t run out of food, you won’t eat bland food, you won’t bring home a ton of unused and possibly spoiled food and most importantly dinner won’t be a chore while camping.
About The Author
Eric Stephenson is an avid camper and publisher of http://www.NJCampingInfo.com where you will get all the information you will ever need about camping in New Jersey as well as information about camping and the latest technologies and products related to camping. This article is copyrighted. It may be reproduced only if the hyperlinks here are left intact.
Eric@NJCampingInfo.com
Are you sick and tired of not knowing what to bring or what to cook when you go camping? Do you either pack the entire kitchen (including the sink) or you bring the absolute minimum and then have to use a fork as a spatula or two spoons as tongs?
If that sounds even the slightest bit familiar then you are in the right place. Over the past decade or so I have refined a list of 7 things that I use every single time I prepare for my next camping trip.
These strategies are relevant whether you are car camping, primitive camping, RV camping, scout camping or large group camping. You can very easily apply them across any type of trip, which is what really makes them worthwhile.
So here they are:
1. Plan the Meals – Okay common sense right? Well If I didn’t include this as the first and most important item I would get hollered at! But seriously, if you don’t plan the meals ahead of time not only do you not know what you’re going to eat you also have no idea what to pack as far as cooking gear is concerned. Do you need a spatula or tongs? Do you need a strainer or a frying pan?
2. Plan the Gear – This follows directly from number 1. Now that you know what you are going to eat for the trip you can now figure out exactly what utensils, pots, pans, containers and other miscellaneous cooking gear you need. And more importantly what gear you don’t need! My family and I do a lot of tent camping which means that we take my wife’s SUV, so we have a very limited amount of room that we must pack all of our “stuff” into. If I only need a 2 quart pot and a small frying pan well guess what, the 9 other pots and 4 other frying pans stay at home!
3. Plan the Condiments – Have you ever went camping and once you get there you realize that you don’t have ketchup, mustard or relish for your nice, hot and juicy steakburger you just cooked for yourself? Have you ever went camping and it took you 10 minutes to find the garlic powder because it found it’s own way to the bottom of the box you keep all your spices in? There is a fine line between having too many spices/condiments and not having enough but you have to walk that line. Even if you have a 40 foot Class A Mega Super Duper Motor home, you only have so much space. Sit down and look at the recipe’s you are going to use and then figure out what spices/condiments you can bring and which ones to leave at home.
4. 10% Above – Get 10% more food then you think you should take. If your family usually eats 4 hamburgers, take 5 or 6. If they usually eat 6 pieces of Corn on the Cob take 8. I don’t know for sure what it is but whenever you go camping everybody seems to be HUNGRY all the time. It might be because they are running around doing more stuff or it might be something in the air, I don’t know.
5. KIS – Keep It Simple. Realize that you are going to be in the middle of the woods. Is it possible to cook a Rack of Lamb with Herb-Dijon Nut Crust, Parisienne Potatoes, Green Beans Wrapped In Carrot Ring and Pureed Sweet Potato Basket? Yes it is technically possible. Should you attempt it? Heck NO! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying to plan 3 square of milk and cereal. I am saying to remember where you are going to be and the mostly primitive cooking tools you will have at your disposal.
6. Test Runs- If you are planning on cooking on a campfire, or using a new grill, or cooking in your RV for the first time on your next trip…Don’t Do It! Always, always, always do a test run at home before you get out there. Build a little fire in your backyard and figure out if you need some charcoal to bolster the wood fire and make it cook more evenly. Make sure you know how to hook up that new grill and where the hot spots are. It is really not a lot of fun to get out into the woods somewhere and burn your dinner to a crisp or have it sitting in the bottom of the campfire because of a “equipment malfunction”. So always do a test run.
7. Try a new Treat – Remembering strategy number 6, my family always tries a new treat whenever we go camping. Whether it be a new recipe for our green bean casserole or a naughty little after dinner snack, we try something new every time. This doesn’t have to mean something exotic that you’re not sure the animals would even like. Just look around on the internet, there are a ton of campfire / Dutch oven recipes out there for you to try.
Well that’s it, that’s my list of 7 Need to Know Campsite Cooking Strategies. This is not a wish-list or a group of things I pulled out of thin air. I use this list each and every time I plan a trip for my family, my friends and my troop. This list if used properly will keep you in good stead for your trips. You won’t run out of food, you won’t eat bland food, you won’t bring home a ton of unused and possibly spoiled food and most importantly dinner won’t be a chore while camping.
About The Author
Eric Stephenson is an avid camper and publisher of http://www.NJCampingInfo.com where you will get all the information you will ever need about camping in New Jersey as well as information about camping and the latest technologies and products related to camping. This article is copyrighted. It may be reproduced only if the hyperlinks here are left intact.
Eric@NJCampingInfo.com
The Secrets To Successful Cooking
by: Cusine Dumatre
Cooking is the process of using heat to prepare foods for consumption. Many common cooking methods involve the use of oil. Frying is cooking in hot oil, sautéing is cooking in a small amount of oil, stir-frying is a Chinese technique of frying quickly in small amounts of oil in a wok, deep frying is completely submerging the food in large amounts of fat, etc.
As people have become more health conscious, preparing foods in oil has become less desirable. With the advent of nonstick cookware, sautéing can be done at lower heats using vegetable broth and fruit juices instead of oil. Stewing refers to cooking slowly in a small amount of liquid in a closed container. Slow stewing tenderizes tough cuts of meat and allows flavors to mingle.
Another slow-cooking method is braising, in which meat is first browned, then cooked slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pan. Poaching is cooking food in liquid below the boiling point, while steaming is cooking food that has been placed above boiling water. Roasting means baking in hot dry air, generally in an oven. Baking refers to cooking in an oven and differs from roasting mainly in its reference to the type of food cooked-for example, one bakes a cake, but roasts a chicken. Another form called broiling means to cook by direct exposure to heat, while barbecue refers to cooking marinated food by grilling.
Dining with others is one of the most common and frequent social activities. It can involve a family dinner, a meal with friends, or form part of a ceremony or celebration, such as a wedding or holiday. More and more people study cooking in schools, watch how-to programs on television, and read specialty magazines and cookbooks. In fact, cookbooks as a group outsell any other kind of book except for religious works.
Cooking is the act of preparing food for consumption. It encompasses a vast range of methods, tools and combinations of ingredients to improve the flavor and digestibility of food. It generally requires the selection, measurement and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure in an effort to achieve the desired result. Constraints on success include the variability of ingredients, ambient conditions, tools and the skill of the person cooking.
The diversity of cooking worldwide is a reflection of the myriad nutritional, aesthetic, agricultural, economic, cultural and religious considerations that impact upon it. Cooking frequently, though not always, involves applying heat in order to chemically transform a food, thus changing its flavor, texture, appearance, or nutritional properties. There is archaeological evidence of cooked foodstuffs (both animal and vegetable) in human settlements dating from the earliest known use of fire.
While cooking if heating is used, this can disinfect and soften the food depending on temperature, cooking time, and technique used. 4 to 60°C (41 to 140°F) is the "danger zone" in which many food spoilage bacteria thrive, and which must be avoided for safe handling of meat, poultry and dairy products. Refrigeration and freezing do not kill bacteria, but slow their growth.
About The Author
Cusine Dumatre is the owner of N Cooking which is a premier resource for Cooking information. for more information, go to http://www.ncooking.com.
Cooking is the process of using heat to prepare foods for consumption. Many common cooking methods involve the use of oil. Frying is cooking in hot oil, sautéing is cooking in a small amount of oil, stir-frying is a Chinese technique of frying quickly in small amounts of oil in a wok, deep frying is completely submerging the food in large amounts of fat, etc.
As people have become more health conscious, preparing foods in oil has become less desirable. With the advent of nonstick cookware, sautéing can be done at lower heats using vegetable broth and fruit juices instead of oil. Stewing refers to cooking slowly in a small amount of liquid in a closed container. Slow stewing tenderizes tough cuts of meat and allows flavors to mingle.
Another slow-cooking method is braising, in which meat is first browned, then cooked slowly in a small amount of liquid in a covered pan. Poaching is cooking food in liquid below the boiling point, while steaming is cooking food that has been placed above boiling water. Roasting means baking in hot dry air, generally in an oven. Baking refers to cooking in an oven and differs from roasting mainly in its reference to the type of food cooked-for example, one bakes a cake, but roasts a chicken. Another form called broiling means to cook by direct exposure to heat, while barbecue refers to cooking marinated food by grilling.
Dining with others is one of the most common and frequent social activities. It can involve a family dinner, a meal with friends, or form part of a ceremony or celebration, such as a wedding or holiday. More and more people study cooking in schools, watch how-to programs on television, and read specialty magazines and cookbooks. In fact, cookbooks as a group outsell any other kind of book except for religious works.
Cooking is the act of preparing food for consumption. It encompasses a vast range of methods, tools and combinations of ingredients to improve the flavor and digestibility of food. It generally requires the selection, measurement and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure in an effort to achieve the desired result. Constraints on success include the variability of ingredients, ambient conditions, tools and the skill of the person cooking.
The diversity of cooking worldwide is a reflection of the myriad nutritional, aesthetic, agricultural, economic, cultural and religious considerations that impact upon it. Cooking frequently, though not always, involves applying heat in order to chemically transform a food, thus changing its flavor, texture, appearance, or nutritional properties. There is archaeological evidence of cooked foodstuffs (both animal and vegetable) in human settlements dating from the earliest known use of fire.
While cooking if heating is used, this can disinfect and soften the food depending on temperature, cooking time, and technique used. 4 to 60°C (41 to 140°F) is the "danger zone" in which many food spoilage bacteria thrive, and which must be avoided for safe handling of meat, poultry and dairy products. Refrigeration and freezing do not kill bacteria, but slow their growth.
About The Author
Cusine Dumatre is the owner of N Cooking which is a premier resource for Cooking information. for more information, go to http://www.ncooking.com.
Regional Cuisine – Down Home Southern Cooking
by: Kirsten Hawkins
I grew up in New England, the home of ‘plain cooking’, where corn on the cob is served as is with a slab of butter and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. We boil salted meats with vegetables and call it – well, a boiled dinner. Our clam chowder is white, our baked beans have bacon and molasses in them, and no one in the world has ever invented a food that was improved by the addition of curry. By the time I was eighteen, I could boil a lobster, steam clams and grill a pork chop to perfection. Then I moved to Virginia, picked up a roommate from North Carolina – and discovered a whole new world of down home country cooking goodness.
To an All-American Italian girl from Boston, the menus in restaurants were in a foreign language. Chicken-fried steak, grits, corn pone pudding, strawberry rhubarb pie – sweet potato pie?? In my mind, chicken and steak were two different meats, grits is what’s on sandpaper, corn is a vegetable – and what in the world is sweet potato doing in a crust? But I became a fervent convert to Southern cooking the first time my roommate made up a pan of the sweetest, tastiest, most perfectly melt-in-your-mouth delicious Southern baking powder biscuits and topped them with sausage gravy. From that day on, I was Sue’s disciple, standing at her elbow as she diced scallions to make up a mess of pinto beans, stirred the milk into a pan of drippings for milk gravy and rolled thin steak strips in chicken batter to make chicken-fried steak.
Down home southern cooking is no different than New England plain cooking – at least at its most basic level. Like any other regional style of cooking, it makes use of the ingredients that are plentiful and cheap. In New England we gussy up our dried beans with brown sugar and molasses, and serve them with thick, sweet heavy brown bread dotted with raisins – perfect fare for cold winter nights. In North Carolina, they simmer for hours with salt pork and onions and served with scallions for scooping and a side of flaky biscuits cut out of dough with a juice glass. Salty, spicy and flaky-good all at once, it’s a down home meal that makes my mouth water just to remember.
Some dishes just don’t translate, though. There is no New England substitute for a Southern barbecue sandwich – shredded pork simmered with spices for hours and ladled over buns in a ‘sandwich’ that really requires a fork. The ubiquitous ‘sloppy joe’ just doesn’t cut it. It lacks the spicy-sweet tang and buttery texture of real slow-simmered pork barbecue. Nor is there anything that compares with chicken fried steak – a dish that can’t be described in words without selling it short. If you’ve had it, you KNOW how good it is. If you haven’t, the idea of dredging and dipping strips of beef and frying it like chicken just doesn’t do it justice.
My New England Italian roots show wherever I go. Lasagna will always be a favorite meal, and New England boiled dinners still make my mouth water. But I know, deep in my soul, that when I go to Heaven, the diners will serve flaky Southern biscuits with sausage gravy and chicken fried steak. Some temptations even the angels can’t resist.
About The Author
Kirsten Hawkins is a food and nutrition expert specializing the Mexican, Chinese, and Italian food. Visit http://www.food-and-nutrition.com/ for more information on cooking delicious and healthy meals.
I grew up in New England, the home of ‘plain cooking’, where corn on the cob is served as is with a slab of butter and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. We boil salted meats with vegetables and call it – well, a boiled dinner. Our clam chowder is white, our baked beans have bacon and molasses in them, and no one in the world has ever invented a food that was improved by the addition of curry. By the time I was eighteen, I could boil a lobster, steam clams and grill a pork chop to perfection. Then I moved to Virginia, picked up a roommate from North Carolina – and discovered a whole new world of down home country cooking goodness.
To an All-American Italian girl from Boston, the menus in restaurants were in a foreign language. Chicken-fried steak, grits, corn pone pudding, strawberry rhubarb pie – sweet potato pie?? In my mind, chicken and steak were two different meats, grits is what’s on sandpaper, corn is a vegetable – and what in the world is sweet potato doing in a crust? But I became a fervent convert to Southern cooking the first time my roommate made up a pan of the sweetest, tastiest, most perfectly melt-in-your-mouth delicious Southern baking powder biscuits and topped them with sausage gravy. From that day on, I was Sue’s disciple, standing at her elbow as she diced scallions to make up a mess of pinto beans, stirred the milk into a pan of drippings for milk gravy and rolled thin steak strips in chicken batter to make chicken-fried steak.
Down home southern cooking is no different than New England plain cooking – at least at its most basic level. Like any other regional style of cooking, it makes use of the ingredients that are plentiful and cheap. In New England we gussy up our dried beans with brown sugar and molasses, and serve them with thick, sweet heavy brown bread dotted with raisins – perfect fare for cold winter nights. In North Carolina, they simmer for hours with salt pork and onions and served with scallions for scooping and a side of flaky biscuits cut out of dough with a juice glass. Salty, spicy and flaky-good all at once, it’s a down home meal that makes my mouth water just to remember.
Some dishes just don’t translate, though. There is no New England substitute for a Southern barbecue sandwich – shredded pork simmered with spices for hours and ladled over buns in a ‘sandwich’ that really requires a fork. The ubiquitous ‘sloppy joe’ just doesn’t cut it. It lacks the spicy-sweet tang and buttery texture of real slow-simmered pork barbecue. Nor is there anything that compares with chicken fried steak – a dish that can’t be described in words without selling it short. If you’ve had it, you KNOW how good it is. If you haven’t, the idea of dredging and dipping strips of beef and frying it like chicken just doesn’t do it justice.
My New England Italian roots show wherever I go. Lasagna will always be a favorite meal, and New England boiled dinners still make my mouth water. But I know, deep in my soul, that when I go to Heaven, the diners will serve flaky Southern biscuits with sausage gravy and chicken fried steak. Some temptations even the angels can’t resist.
About The Author
Kirsten Hawkins is a food and nutrition expert specializing the Mexican, Chinese, and Italian food. Visit http://www.food-and-nutrition.com/ for more information on cooking delicious and healthy meals.
Cooking Tips
by: Ronald Yip
You open the cookbook and see a recipe title or a photo that tempts your taste buds. Then you start to read the recipe, realize the preparation is more difficult than you first thought, and put the book back on the shelf.
Sound Familiar? Well here's a simple cooking tip to help get you started:
1. Abbreviations for Measuring
Tsp. = teaspoon
Tbsp. = tablespoon, which equals 3 teaspoons
C = cup.
Cooking Tip:
Get a set of measuring spoons. The set will usually have 1/4 tsp., 1/3 tsp., 1/2 tsp., 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon.
Dry measure cups look like little saucepans and can be leveled off with a knife or other straight-edged tool. They come in sets like the measuring spoons. Liquid measuring cups have ounce marking lines so you can measure however many ounces you need.
Cooking Tip: Some recipes require exact measurements to turn out right so learn to measure correctly.
2. Common Ingredients
Make sure you know what you need.
Cooking Tips:
Baking powder and baking soda are not the same.
Ask the produce manager at the market about fruits and vegetables, the meat manager about cuts of meat.
When trying something new, buy ONE. You can always go back for more if it turns out well.
3. Common Terminology
Bake:
Dry heat in the oven. Set oven control to the desired temperature while you're preparing the dish to be baked. Once the light that says it's heating turns off, the oven is at the proper temperature. Then put in the food--for best results, center it in the oven.
Boil:
Heat a liquid until it bubbles. The faster the bubbles rise and the more bubbles you get, the hotter the liquid. Some recipes call for a gentle boil--barely bubbling--or a rolling boil--just short of boiling over. Watch so it doesn't boil over.
Braise:
A moist cooking method using a little liquid that barely bubbles on the top of the stove or in the oven. This is a good way to tenderize cheaper cuts of meat. The pan should be heavy and shallow with a tight-fitting lid to keep the liquid from boiling away. There's a lot that can be done for flavoring in your choice of liquid and of vegetables to cook with the meat.
Broil:
Turn the oven to its highest setting. Put the food on broiler pan--a 2 piece pan that allows the grease to drain away from the food. In an electric oven on the broil setting only the upper element heats, and you can regulate how fast the food cooks by how close to the element you place it. Watch your cooking time--it's easy to overcook food in the broiler.
Brown:
Cook until the food gets light brown. Usually used for frying or baking. Ground beef should usually be browned (use a frying pan) and have the grease drained before adding it to a casserole or meat sauce.
Fold:
A gentle mixing method that moves the spoon down to the bottom of the bowl and then sweeps up, folding what was on the bottom up over the top. This is used to mix delicate ingredients such as whipped cream or beaten egg whites. These ingredients just had air whipped into them, so you don't want to reverse that process by mixing too vigorously.
Simmer:
Heat to just the start of a boil and keep it at that point for as long as the recipe requires. The recipe will usually call for either constant stirring or stirring at certain intervals.
Now you are ready to do the shopping and prepare that recipe that you've always wanted to try!
Happy cooking..
About The Author
Ronald Yip
Please visit my website at: http://www.recipeslovers.com
Visit Internet's Unique Market Place for Info Products at: http://www.alphasoft.cc/links/recipes.php
You open the cookbook and see a recipe title or a photo that tempts your taste buds. Then you start to read the recipe, realize the preparation is more difficult than you first thought, and put the book back on the shelf.
Sound Familiar? Well here's a simple cooking tip to help get you started:
1. Abbreviations for Measuring
Tsp. = teaspoon
Tbsp. = tablespoon, which equals 3 teaspoons
C = cup.
Cooking Tip:
Get a set of measuring spoons. The set will usually have 1/4 tsp., 1/3 tsp., 1/2 tsp., 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon.
Dry measure cups look like little saucepans and can be leveled off with a knife or other straight-edged tool. They come in sets like the measuring spoons. Liquid measuring cups have ounce marking lines so you can measure however many ounces you need.
Cooking Tip: Some recipes require exact measurements to turn out right so learn to measure correctly.
2. Common Ingredients
Make sure you know what you need.
Cooking Tips:
Baking powder and baking soda are not the same.
Ask the produce manager at the market about fruits and vegetables, the meat manager about cuts of meat.
When trying something new, buy ONE. You can always go back for more if it turns out well.
3. Common Terminology
Bake:
Dry heat in the oven. Set oven control to the desired temperature while you're preparing the dish to be baked. Once the light that says it's heating turns off, the oven is at the proper temperature. Then put in the food--for best results, center it in the oven.
Boil:
Heat a liquid until it bubbles. The faster the bubbles rise and the more bubbles you get, the hotter the liquid. Some recipes call for a gentle boil--barely bubbling--or a rolling boil--just short of boiling over. Watch so it doesn't boil over.
Braise:
A moist cooking method using a little liquid that barely bubbles on the top of the stove or in the oven. This is a good way to tenderize cheaper cuts of meat. The pan should be heavy and shallow with a tight-fitting lid to keep the liquid from boiling away. There's a lot that can be done for flavoring in your choice of liquid and of vegetables to cook with the meat.
Broil:
Turn the oven to its highest setting. Put the food on broiler pan--a 2 piece pan that allows the grease to drain away from the food. In an electric oven on the broil setting only the upper element heats, and you can regulate how fast the food cooks by how close to the element you place it. Watch your cooking time--it's easy to overcook food in the broiler.
Brown:
Cook until the food gets light brown. Usually used for frying or baking. Ground beef should usually be browned (use a frying pan) and have the grease drained before adding it to a casserole or meat sauce.
Fold:
A gentle mixing method that moves the spoon down to the bottom of the bowl and then sweeps up, folding what was on the bottom up over the top. This is used to mix delicate ingredients such as whipped cream or beaten egg whites. These ingredients just had air whipped into them, so you don't want to reverse that process by mixing too vigorously.
Simmer:
Heat to just the start of a boil and keep it at that point for as long as the recipe requires. The recipe will usually call for either constant stirring or stirring at certain intervals.
Now you are ready to do the shopping and prepare that recipe that you've always wanted to try!
Happy cooking..
About The Author
Ronald Yip
Please visit my website at: http://www.recipeslovers.com
Visit Internet's Unique Market Place for Info Products at: http://www.alphasoft.cc/links/recipes.php
Really Useful Time Management Tips from a Cooking Show
by: Inez Ng
In life, there are lessons available to use everywhere. We just have to have our eyes open to spot them. I have picked up some really useful time-management tips from watching a cooking show. Suspend your disbelief and let me explain further.
I don’t watch a lot of television because it can be a huge time drain. But I enjoy experimenting and cooking, so I do watch a few cooking shows now and then. One of my favorites is “30 Minute Meals” hosted by the ever perky Rachel Ray. Her claim to fame is that she can show you how to prepare healthy, great-tasting home-cooked meals in 30 minutes. Who can resist that?
After experiencing more than a few episodes of her program, I’ve come to realize that she is a master at using time. That’s how she can get so much accomplished in 30 minutes. And here are her “secrets” that you can easily adopt.
Spend time in Planning
Most cooking shows lasting 30 minutes will feature maybe one item. In “30 Minute Meals”, Rachel Ray generally prepares three to five items working alone in her kitchen. She doesn’t have helpers and the ingredients haven’t been pre-chopped or diced or julienned ahead of time. She doesn’t have another perfect soufflé sitting in the oven waiting for her to whip out at the end to show you how it should turn out. She really does the cooking in “real time.” So how does she do it?
Before Rachel Ray even steps foot into her kitchen, she has the entire process for preparing the meal planned out. Does the dessert take longer to cook than the entree? If so, then it makes perfect sense to start the preparation of the dessert first. She knows which sequence of steps is the most efficient based on the planning. She knows exactly which ingredients she needs from the refrigerator so that she only needs to make one trip, which saves her time.
So, here’s our real life application. When you look at your list of things to do, or errands to run, how can you use planning to become more efficient? How many “trips to the refrigerator” can you save by improving your planning?
Utilize Every Minute
This may sound like a no-brainer, but how many of us are really experts at this like Rachel Ray. She constantly talks about her “pockets of time.” When the water is heating up for pasta, she uses her pocket of time to chop onions, butter bread, cut up chicken, and anything else she can fit in. By using these little pockets of time, she whips up a meal in 30 minutes.
Now for our real life application: how many times have you put off doing something because you only had 15 minutes and the task takes an hour? What if you can’t find a whole hour to work on that task for another week, but you can actually squeeze in 15 minutes everyday for the next 4 days? By using your little pockets of time, you are able to complete the task this week instead of next week. That’s the secret to getting more done.
Become a master at this like Rachel Ray. If you only have 10 minutes before you have to go to a meeting, return one phone call. This gives you the perfect incentive to be efficient about concluding the call. Pick up pockets of time everywhere and see how much more you can accomplish during your day.
Simplify whenever possible
Rachel was making a creamy tomato soup one day. Everybody knows that home-made soup takes hours. What was she thinking? Instead of putting in whole tomatoes and letting then cook for hours and then straining and blending the mixture, she put canned tomatoes with some garlic and celery into a food processor, and added the mixture into her pot of hot milk. She simplified the process! Some gourmet will probably shudder at the thought, but the soup looked pretty appetizing to me, and I’m sure it is much better than opening up a can of Campbell’s.
Often times we do things a certain way because that was how we were taught. The sad truth is, how we were taught might not be the best solution anymore. Technology is changing everyday and there are so many more resources available to us now that were unheard of even a generation ago. The more steps there are in a process, the more opportunities there are for errors. Look at what you are working on and how you are completing the task and try to simplify it if at all possible. A direct result of that is improved efficiency, which results in more time for you.
Now you have the time management lessons I’ve learned from the cooking show. Apply them and see what a difference they make to your day. And if you’re cooking, I’ll be right over.
Copyright 2005 Inez Ng
About The Author
Inez Ng
Are your business results suffering due to an ineffective leadership team? Find out what coaching with Inez Ng can do for your leadership team at http://www.Realizationsunltd.com. Want to know about saving time handling emails? Check out her ebook at http://easyemailstrategies.com.
In life, there are lessons available to use everywhere. We just have to have our eyes open to spot them. I have picked up some really useful time-management tips from watching a cooking show. Suspend your disbelief and let me explain further.
I don’t watch a lot of television because it can be a huge time drain. But I enjoy experimenting and cooking, so I do watch a few cooking shows now and then. One of my favorites is “30 Minute Meals” hosted by the ever perky Rachel Ray. Her claim to fame is that she can show you how to prepare healthy, great-tasting home-cooked meals in 30 minutes. Who can resist that?
After experiencing more than a few episodes of her program, I’ve come to realize that she is a master at using time. That’s how she can get so much accomplished in 30 minutes. And here are her “secrets” that you can easily adopt.
Spend time in Planning
Most cooking shows lasting 30 minutes will feature maybe one item. In “30 Minute Meals”, Rachel Ray generally prepares three to five items working alone in her kitchen. She doesn’t have helpers and the ingredients haven’t been pre-chopped or diced or julienned ahead of time. She doesn’t have another perfect soufflé sitting in the oven waiting for her to whip out at the end to show you how it should turn out. She really does the cooking in “real time.” So how does she do it?
Before Rachel Ray even steps foot into her kitchen, she has the entire process for preparing the meal planned out. Does the dessert take longer to cook than the entree? If so, then it makes perfect sense to start the preparation of the dessert first. She knows which sequence of steps is the most efficient based on the planning. She knows exactly which ingredients she needs from the refrigerator so that she only needs to make one trip, which saves her time.
So, here’s our real life application. When you look at your list of things to do, or errands to run, how can you use planning to become more efficient? How many “trips to the refrigerator” can you save by improving your planning?
Utilize Every Minute
This may sound like a no-brainer, but how many of us are really experts at this like Rachel Ray. She constantly talks about her “pockets of time.” When the water is heating up for pasta, she uses her pocket of time to chop onions, butter bread, cut up chicken, and anything else she can fit in. By using these little pockets of time, she whips up a meal in 30 minutes.
Now for our real life application: how many times have you put off doing something because you only had 15 minutes and the task takes an hour? What if you can’t find a whole hour to work on that task for another week, but you can actually squeeze in 15 minutes everyday for the next 4 days? By using your little pockets of time, you are able to complete the task this week instead of next week. That’s the secret to getting more done.
Become a master at this like Rachel Ray. If you only have 10 minutes before you have to go to a meeting, return one phone call. This gives you the perfect incentive to be efficient about concluding the call. Pick up pockets of time everywhere and see how much more you can accomplish during your day.
Simplify whenever possible
Rachel was making a creamy tomato soup one day. Everybody knows that home-made soup takes hours. What was she thinking? Instead of putting in whole tomatoes and letting then cook for hours and then straining and blending the mixture, she put canned tomatoes with some garlic and celery into a food processor, and added the mixture into her pot of hot milk. She simplified the process! Some gourmet will probably shudder at the thought, but the soup looked pretty appetizing to me, and I’m sure it is much better than opening up a can of Campbell’s.
Often times we do things a certain way because that was how we were taught. The sad truth is, how we were taught might not be the best solution anymore. Technology is changing everyday and there are so many more resources available to us now that were unheard of even a generation ago. The more steps there are in a process, the more opportunities there are for errors. Look at what you are working on and how you are completing the task and try to simplify it if at all possible. A direct result of that is improved efficiency, which results in more time for you.
Now you have the time management lessons I’ve learned from the cooking show. Apply them and see what a difference they make to your day. And if you’re cooking, I’ll be right over.
Copyright 2005 Inez Ng
About The Author
Inez Ng
Are your business results suffering due to an ineffective leadership team? Find out what coaching with Inez Ng can do for your leadership team at http://www.Realizationsunltd.com. Want to know about saving time handling emails? Check out her ebook at http://easyemailstrategies.com.
Light Calorie Cooking: How To Cook Low Calorie Foods Which Still Taste Fantastic
by: DivineRecipes.com
Many people these days want to control their diets so they are eating low calorie foods, but low calorie foods that still taste great. The way to get low calorie foods that taste great is through light calorie cooking. There are a few tips to consider when embarking on light calorie cooking adventures where the calories are low but the taste is high.
Margarine As Opposed to Butter
When following recipes when preparing a meal, there are many recipes that now list a choice between using butter as an ingredient or margarine. By using margarine in the recipe instead of butter the cook cuts the caloric content significantly yet still keeps a good taste overall. It is very hard to tell the difference between margarine and butter that is used in cooked foods and since margarine is lower in calories it is a great substitute. So, the next time you are cooking and run across a choice between butter or margarine as an ingredient make the healthy and low calorie choice by using margarine. The taste will remain great and it won't affect your waistline!
Splenda as Opposed to Sugar
Another great way in which to save on the caloric intake is to use Splenda in one's recipes as opposed to sugar. Splenda consists of sucralose, which was approved for sale on the market in the late 1990s. Not only is this ingredient low in calories but it is great tasting as well. Splenda is also a wonderful ingredient to use in baked foods as it is heat stable and there is no real loss of the substance during cooking. For these reasons, Splenda is a great ingredient to use when cooking using those recipes which call for sugar. You won't notice a difference, but you will enjoy great foods and beverages with considerably less calories!
These are two ways in which a calorie-conscious individual can make fantastic light calorie meals that are abundant in the taste department and easy on the waistline as well.
About The Author
DivineRecipes.com features over 25,000 food and drink recipes including light cooking and vegetarian recipes. Visit http://www.DivineRecipes.com to start cooking tonight.
Many people these days want to control their diets so they are eating low calorie foods, but low calorie foods that still taste great. The way to get low calorie foods that taste great is through light calorie cooking. There are a few tips to consider when embarking on light calorie cooking adventures where the calories are low but the taste is high.
Margarine As Opposed to Butter
When following recipes when preparing a meal, there are many recipes that now list a choice between using butter as an ingredient or margarine. By using margarine in the recipe instead of butter the cook cuts the caloric content significantly yet still keeps a good taste overall. It is very hard to tell the difference between margarine and butter that is used in cooked foods and since margarine is lower in calories it is a great substitute. So, the next time you are cooking and run across a choice between butter or margarine as an ingredient make the healthy and low calorie choice by using margarine. The taste will remain great and it won't affect your waistline!
Splenda as Opposed to Sugar
Another great way in which to save on the caloric intake is to use Splenda in one's recipes as opposed to sugar. Splenda consists of sucralose, which was approved for sale on the market in the late 1990s. Not only is this ingredient low in calories but it is great tasting as well. Splenda is also a wonderful ingredient to use in baked foods as it is heat stable and there is no real loss of the substance during cooking. For these reasons, Splenda is a great ingredient to use when cooking using those recipes which call for sugar. You won't notice a difference, but you will enjoy great foods and beverages with considerably less calories!
These are two ways in which a calorie-conscious individual can make fantastic light calorie meals that are abundant in the taste department and easy on the waistline as well.
About The Author
DivineRecipes.com features over 25,000 food and drink recipes including light cooking and vegetarian recipes. Visit http://www.DivineRecipes.com to start cooking tonight.
The Secret to Cooking for a Crowd
by: Debbie L Boynton
Having a large family growing up, I learned to cook in a big way. With 5 brothers and 3 sisters plus Mom and Dad, I started out cooking for eleven people by the time I was twelve. Mom needed help and taught her daughters to cook at an early age. I’ll never forget the first time I fried chicken all by myself. My brothers ridiculed my over-done chicken mercilessly.
I’ll never forget the first meal I cooked away from home. My sister and I moved out together, just the two of us, and, after settling in, prepared our first meal for just us. We cooked like we were taught: 5 pounds of potatoes for mashed potatoes, 2 whole chickens for fried chicken, 2 quarts of green beans. To this day, we still laugh about all that food we had left over.
So needless to say, cooking for a large gathering is no problem for me. I take on the task of hosting my husband’s family for Thanksgiving and while most people worry about having a dry turkey, my biggest dread is cleaning the house.
So what is the secret to cooking large? Like cooking any size meal, the secret is in the planning. You will need extra and larger everything. Plan your menu, inventory your serving dishes, pots and pans, plates, forks, knives, spoons, drinking glasses at least a week in advance. Buy everything you need ahead of time, right down to butter for bread and ice for drinks.
Once you have your menu and inventory planned, jot down a time schedule. Have the house cleaned and seating arrangements completed the day before so you can focus on the meal, otherwise you’ll be pulling your hair out trying to get everything done on time. The easiest thing to cook is a one-dish meal, like pot roast or lasagna with few side dishes.
· Main dish, Pot Roast w/carrots and potatoes
o cook in roaster, 3-hour oven time, serve on platter
· Side vegetable, steamed broccoli
o cook in 3 qt. steamer, 20 min stove top time, serve in blue bowl
· Bread, buy brown and serve rolls (or make from scratch ahead of time)
o oven time 15 minutes, last thing to cook, serve in basket, buy new towel
After detailing each dish, make a timetable. Example, for a 6:00 dinner:
2:00 Start pot roast; have in oven by 2:30
4:00 Peel potatoes, slice carrots; add to pot roast by 4:30
4:30 Set tables
5:15 prepare broccoli, start to cook by 5:35
5:35 Prepare rolls for cooking, in oven by 5:45
5:45 Transfer pot roast to platter
5:55 Transfer broccoli to bowl
6:00 Bread’s done, transfer to basket and cover with towel
Sit down to delicious meal and enjoy. And for your test, I now present the world’s best pot roast recipe. It’s my own, passed to me from my Mom.
Pots you'll need:
oven going roasting pan
10-inch skillet
1 or 2 Chuck roasts (2-3 lbs ea.)
1 large or 2 med. onions, sliced
6 carrots (or more as needed)
6 potatoes (or more as needed)
1 can onion soup +1/2 can water*
Can mushroom soup (or golden mushroom)
1/4 tp.salt or Murray's Seasoning Salt
1-2 cup mushrooms (optional)
*2 cans for 2 roasts, or substitute
1-2 pkg. onion soup mix, per directions.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
1. In large oven roasting pan, add onion soup and water.
2. Slice onion and add 1/2 to bottom of roaster. Set aside.
3. Heat skillet on high on top of stove. When hot, sear roast on all sides until brown on the outside.
4. Place seared roast(s) on top of onion/onion soup in roaster.
5. Sprinkle with salt.
6. Cover with remaining onion slices and can of mushroom soup, undiluted (optional)
7. Cover with alum foil, sealing tightly and put in oven.
8. Set timer to cook for 1 hour for 1 roast, 2 hours for 2 roasts.
9. Peel potatoes and cut into quarters.
10. Slice carrots.
11. When timer goes off, add potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. Cover and cook for 1 more hour.
Done when vegetables are tender. Time may have to be adjusted depending on how many vegetables there are. I have filled the pan to the brim and had to cook an additional 1/2-hour.
You can eat this roast with a fork it is so tender. You can substitute a sirloin roast, but chuck works best in my opinion.
Ummm-Ummm Good Comfort food! And so pretty on the plate. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!
Warm wishes
DebbieB
PS. Use those leftovers: get some beef stroganoff soup mix and dry egg noodles. Cook the soup, cook the noodles and combine in large skillet. Chop up left over pot roast, vegetables and all, and add to skillet along with left over juice. Heat thoroughly and enjoy!
About The Author
Debbie Boynton has been cooking and sharing recipes for many years. She shares more information on this topic at: www.infodepot.biz/recipes-and-cooking
You may use this article freely on your website as long as this resource box is included and this article remains unchanged! Copyright © 2005 Debbie L Boynton
Having a large family growing up, I learned to cook in a big way. With 5 brothers and 3 sisters plus Mom and Dad, I started out cooking for eleven people by the time I was twelve. Mom needed help and taught her daughters to cook at an early age. I’ll never forget the first time I fried chicken all by myself. My brothers ridiculed my over-done chicken mercilessly.
I’ll never forget the first meal I cooked away from home. My sister and I moved out together, just the two of us, and, after settling in, prepared our first meal for just us. We cooked like we were taught: 5 pounds of potatoes for mashed potatoes, 2 whole chickens for fried chicken, 2 quarts of green beans. To this day, we still laugh about all that food we had left over.
So needless to say, cooking for a large gathering is no problem for me. I take on the task of hosting my husband’s family for Thanksgiving and while most people worry about having a dry turkey, my biggest dread is cleaning the house.
So what is the secret to cooking large? Like cooking any size meal, the secret is in the planning. You will need extra and larger everything. Plan your menu, inventory your serving dishes, pots and pans, plates, forks, knives, spoons, drinking glasses at least a week in advance. Buy everything you need ahead of time, right down to butter for bread and ice for drinks.
Once you have your menu and inventory planned, jot down a time schedule. Have the house cleaned and seating arrangements completed the day before so you can focus on the meal, otherwise you’ll be pulling your hair out trying to get everything done on time. The easiest thing to cook is a one-dish meal, like pot roast or lasagna with few side dishes.
· Main dish, Pot Roast w/carrots and potatoes
o cook in roaster, 3-hour oven time, serve on platter
· Side vegetable, steamed broccoli
o cook in 3 qt. steamer, 20 min stove top time, serve in blue bowl
· Bread, buy brown and serve rolls (or make from scratch ahead of time)
o oven time 15 minutes, last thing to cook, serve in basket, buy new towel
After detailing each dish, make a timetable. Example, for a 6:00 dinner:
2:00 Start pot roast; have in oven by 2:30
4:00 Peel potatoes, slice carrots; add to pot roast by 4:30
4:30 Set tables
5:15 prepare broccoli, start to cook by 5:35
5:35 Prepare rolls for cooking, in oven by 5:45
5:45 Transfer pot roast to platter
5:55 Transfer broccoli to bowl
6:00 Bread’s done, transfer to basket and cover with towel
Sit down to delicious meal and enjoy. And for your test, I now present the world’s best pot roast recipe. It’s my own, passed to me from my Mom.
Pots you'll need:
oven going roasting pan
10-inch skillet
1 or 2 Chuck roasts (2-3 lbs ea.)
1 large or 2 med. onions, sliced
6 carrots (or more as needed)
6 potatoes (or more as needed)
1 can onion soup +1/2 can water*
Can mushroom soup (or golden mushroom)
1/4 tp.salt or Murray's Seasoning Salt
1-2 cup mushrooms (optional)
*2 cans for 2 roasts, or substitute
1-2 pkg. onion soup mix, per directions.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
1. In large oven roasting pan, add onion soup and water.
2. Slice onion and add 1/2 to bottom of roaster. Set aside.
3. Heat skillet on high on top of stove. When hot, sear roast on all sides until brown on the outside.
4. Place seared roast(s) on top of onion/onion soup in roaster.
5. Sprinkle with salt.
6. Cover with remaining onion slices and can of mushroom soup, undiluted (optional)
7. Cover with alum foil, sealing tightly and put in oven.
8. Set timer to cook for 1 hour for 1 roast, 2 hours for 2 roasts.
9. Peel potatoes and cut into quarters.
10. Slice carrots.
11. When timer goes off, add potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. Cover and cook for 1 more hour.
Done when vegetables are tender. Time may have to be adjusted depending on how many vegetables there are. I have filled the pan to the brim and had to cook an additional 1/2-hour.
You can eat this roast with a fork it is so tender. You can substitute a sirloin roast, but chuck works best in my opinion.
Ummm-Ummm Good Comfort food! And so pretty on the plate. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!
Warm wishes
DebbieB
PS. Use those leftovers: get some beef stroganoff soup mix and dry egg noodles. Cook the soup, cook the noodles and combine in large skillet. Chop up left over pot roast, vegetables and all, and add to skillet along with left over juice. Heat thoroughly and enjoy!
About The Author
Debbie Boynton has been cooking and sharing recipes for many years. She shares more information on this topic at: www.infodepot.biz/recipes-and-cooking
You may use this article freely on your website as long as this resource box is included and this article remains unchanged! Copyright © 2005 Debbie L Boynton
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