A fruit tray is easy, healthy and can be a beautiful addition to any buffet table. Seasonal fruit is colorful and tasty and also makes a great dessert, especially for those on special diets such as diabetics. Plan on 1/2 to 3/4 cup of fruit per guest, as well as 2 to 3 cups of fruit dip. A fruit tray can be made up to one day ahead, if kept refrigerated and well-covered.Serve as is or with an optional fruit dip.
Instructions
Arranging the Platter
1. Begin by cutting the melon and pineapple into even-sized chunks, about 1 to 1-1/2 inches. Rinse and drain the strawberries, leaving the stems on. Large strawberries can be cut in half. Remove grapes from the stems and rinse them well. Grapes can also be left in small bunches of 2 to 3 grapes. Allow the rinsed fruit to air dry thoroughly or gently pat dry with paper towels.
2. If you are using a fruit dip, fill the 2- to 3-cup bowl with the dip. Fold a small piece of masking tape to create a loop that is sticky on all sides. Place the tape loop in the center of the tray. Place the small bowl on top and fill with the fruit dip.
3. Add the fruit around the dip bowl. Start with one type of grapes and arrange in a wedge shape, with the smaller end in the middle. Place the cantaloupe next, followed by the strawberries, the other grapes, pineapple and finish with the honeydew melon. This will separate the two types of grapes and melons to make the tray more attractive and interesting.
4. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving. Transport by setting the tray on a bowl of ice to keep cool.
Simple Fruit Dip
5. Soften the cream cheese and whip in the powdered sugar until smooth.
6. Add the granulated sugar to the whipping cream and whip until soft peaks form.
7. Combine the cream cheese mixture, the whipped cream mixture, the lemon juice and zest together. Slowly add pineapple juice until dip is a soft,creamy texture. Keep refrigerated until serving.
Tags: Assemble Fruit, Assemble Fruit Tray, cream cheese, fruit fruit, Fruit Tray
A whole leg of lamb isn't the most obvious choice for the outdoor grill, but it can be grilled with great results. Have your butcher debone and butterfly the leg so that it's thin enough to grill. One leg of lamb will feed 8 to 12 people.
Instructions
1. One day ahead, unwrap the leg and discard any strings or packaging it came with.
2. Make sure the leg's boneless, butterflied and no more than 2 inches thick at its thickest point. If too thick, flatten it by pounding it with the flat side of a meat mallet.
3. Prepare the Basic Marinade and completely cover the leg of lamb with it.
4. Wrap the leg with plastic wrap and marinated for 24 hours, covered and refrigerated.
5. Prepare to cook by unwrapping the leg. Discard the marinade.
6. Season the leg very generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
7. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes while you prepare the grill.
8. Set the grill to high heat, but be prepared to lower it to medium. For charcoal cookers, prepare a hot bed of coals in the center, but leave enough space so that you can spread them around later to lower the heat.
9. Place the leg in the center of the hot grill. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once, until both sides are well-browned.
10. Lower the heat to medium, cover the grill if possible and cook another 7 to 15 minutes. Check the leg constantly with an instant-read meat thermometer. Different grills and variations in the meat will result in different cooking times. For medium-rare, remove the leg when the internal temperature reads 125 degrees F. For medium, remove the lamb at 135 degrees F.
11. Let the leg rest for 10 minutes before carving.
12. Carve by cutting thin slices against the grain of the meat.
You can roast and salt your own pistachios at home.
If you've purchased pistachios in a store, chances are they were roasted, salted and came ready to eat. If you have grown your own pistachios or obtained raw ones from someone else, you may be surprised by how different they are than the finished version. Fortunately, you do not need to resort to returning to purchasing prepared pistachios from the store--you can prepare pistachios at home and make your own roasted, salted treat.
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine the salt and water in a large saucepan and stir to dissolve the salt.
3. Add your pistachios to the saucepan and stir gently but thoroughly to distribute the salty water over the nuts.
4. Turn the heat under the saucepan to high. Stir the nuts continuously over the high heat until all the water has evaporated. This will leave a salty coating on your pistachios.
5. Spread your pistachios in a single layer on a baking sheet, then put the baking sheet into the preheated oven.
6. Bake your pistachios for 90 to 120 minutes, depending on your personal taste. Stir every 15 minutes during the roasting process to ensure an even roast.
Tags: your pistachios, baking sheet, pistachios home, roasted salted, salt your
Potatoes on their own, without the addition of butter, sour cream, gravy, or cheese, are often touted for being a healthy low-calorie, high-fiber food that is a good source of vitamins and minerals as well. Red potatoes are low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol while also containing good amounts of Vitamin B6, Potassium and Vitamin C. Depending on how they are cooked, their nutritional value might vary. The following information is based on one medium sized red potato, uncooked, weighing approximately 213 grams.
Calories
One medium sized raw red potato contains 149 calories; just 2.5 of those calories are from fat, while 135 are calories from carbohydrates and 11.2 are calories from protein.
Carbohydrates
One medium sized raw red potato contains 34.2 grams of total carbohydrates. That total is made up of 3.6 grams of dietary fiber, 28.4 grams of starch, and 2.1 grams of sugars.
Fats
A medium-sized raw red potato has just 0.3 grams of total fat. The potato also contains 29.8 milligrams of total Omega-3 Fatty acids, and 93.7 milligrams of total Omega-6 fatty acids.
Vitamins and Minerals
Red potatoes contain several different vitamins and minerals, including significant amounts of Vitamin C (18.3 milligrams per serving, or 31 percent of the recommended daily value); Vitamin B6 (0.4 milligrams, or 18 percent of the recommended daily value); and potassium (969 milligrams, or 28 percent of the recommended daily value). They also include much smaller amounts, 130 milligrams or less, of: Vitamin A, Vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic Acid, choline, betaine, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium.
Other
One medium-sized raw red potato provides 4.0 grams of protein, or 8 percent of a person's recommended daily value. The red potato also contains 172 grams of water and 2.3 grams of ash. It has zero grams of cholesterol.
Tags: daily value, recommended daily, recommended daily value, calories from, medium sized, medium sized potato, percent recommended
Need to lose weight in a jiffy for a big event? Or want to jump start your weight loss plan? The cabbage soup diet is a great way to drop those annoying pounds while enjoying a delicious soup. Keep in mind that it is not intended as a diet lasting longer than seven days, but your results will leave you sliding into those favorite pair of jeans.
Planning Your Diet
There are hundreds of different cabbage soup recipes, both published and online. Choose one that appeals to your taste, has a healthy amount of nutrients, and is easy to make. You will want to prepare at least two batches of the soup during your sevenday regimen. Feel free to break up the monotony by adding fresh herbs and spices to your soup. Be careful to limit your amount of sodium during the diet. While sodium will help balance electrolytes, too much salt will cause you to gain water weight.
Diet
The first couple of days on the diet are typically the easiest for most people. It's after the third day that fatigue, brain fogginess, and muscle aches set in. Drink plenty of water. Refrain from sodas, coffee, and alcohol. Take a multivitamin to ensure you get all the necessary nutrients. When hunger or tiredness begin, eat as much of the soup as you want. If you spice up your soup with a hot sauce, your stomach is fooled into getting full faster.
Drawbacks and Results
The number one reason people abandon this diet is from improper planning. Having enough soup on hand is imperative. If you start to feel dizzy or light-headed do not drive, and refrain from physical activity. Workouts should be postponed until after the diet. Go on the diet with a partner or a friend. Emotional support is important to get you through the hunger pains. Visualize the benefits of the diet. Set out an article of clothing that has been feeling too snug. Constant reaffirmation is great for motivation. If you have a history of any medical or emotional problems, this diet is not the right one for you. Be cognizant of your body during this time, and if fainting occurs stop the diet immediately. For a quick diet fix, the cabbage diet is one of the most popular diets out there. You will be pleased with the slimming results, and you'll be on the fast track to choosing a longer-term diet plan.
While it's easy to add more spice and heat to a recipe that's too bland or mild, turning down the heat once you've added too much is a bit more difficult. When it comes to soup, the problem of overspicing can be particularly problematic as spice in liquid form is difficult to eat around. Luckily, there are a number of reliable ways to reduce the heat in spicy soup and make the meal experience less painful.
Damage Control
As soon as you discover that the soup is too spicy, you should start by performing a little damage control to keep the soup from getting any spicier. If there are any peppers, chilies or large flakes of red pepper that you can scoop out of the soup, do so; they'll continue to add more heat to the soup as they cook.
Next, remove the soup from the heat or turn down the temperature. The more it cooks, the more the spiciness will permeate, so the sooner you can stop the cooking and serve the soup, the better.
Fixing The Soup
If you'd like to make the soup less spicy, there are a few good ways to do this. The most surefire way, of course, is to add more of every other ingredient except the spice. This will reduce the overall saturation of spicy ingredients. A good way to do this is to mix a second, separate pot of soup (you can halve or even quarter the ingredients if you don't think you'll need to reduce the spice by fully half), then gradually mix in the unspiced soup until you get the level of flavor you want.
When this lengthy process isn't a possibility, you can reduce the heat in your soup by adding milk or cream, if it's appropriate to the recipe. Dairy products will lessen the effect of the heat within the soup. You can achieve a similar affect by adding par-boiled potatoes, since starches will do the same. For some soups, you might also add beer, since beer is grain based and essentially liquid bread.
Serve
If the soup is still a little spicy when you serve it, you can help counteract this problem with how you choose to serve it. Give diners plenty of bread and/or crackers to eat with their soup, as eating these will help control the heat. You can also serve the soup with milk or beer (the thicker and maltier, the better) as a beverage for the same reasons.
Serving the soup in smaller portions is another good way to help solve the spice problem. Spice lingers on the tongue, making large portions of spicy food more difficult to eat than smaller ones.
Tags: more difficult, reduce heat, serve soup, soup from, soup they
Wine has long been a mainstay in Jewish religious customs. The process of making wine kosher entails strict rabbinical supervision in every step of the wine-making process. This religious distinction is what separates kosher wine from non-kosher wine. The 1980s brought forth a significant bump in modern-day production thanks to serious Israeli winemakers and their desire to create sophisticated wines. Today, numerous kosher wines are produced all over the world, from Italy and France to Israel and California. Their flavors and complexities, body and texture challenge the best of the world's top wines, regularly winning awards.
Borgo Reale Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2007
World-renowned for its wine, Italy is an obvious choice when searching for the perfect beverage accompaniment for any dinner or celebration. The dry, red Borgo Reale Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2007, with its hints of rich ripe fruit and subtle spicy flavor, settles softly on the palate, falling purely. It's a sweet, fresh, appropriately blended medium-bodied wine, perfect for serving with appetizers, cheeses and roast meats.
Segal's Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve 2005
Dating back to biblical times, Israel has been held in high regard for its wine. Segal's Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve 2005 rivals any dry, red wine produced in more popular countries. Harvested in the Kadesh Valley to ultimate ripeness and aged for 14 months in a mixture of French and American oak, this rich complex wine offers ripe tannins, a powerful aroma and full body with a velvety finish.
Manischewitz Concord Grape
Manischewitz Concord Grape as well as all Manischewitz wines are made under the strict supervision of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. Produced in New York state, this line of flavorful wines varies from Loganberry to Cream Peach. Concord Grape is a sweet, hearty wine with balanced flavors and a distinct aroma particular to Concord grapes.
Create a wine and cheese party gift basket to bring to your next event. It is an easy way to have treats for a wine and cheese party and there is little preparation involved. You can make a big basket or a small one depending on how many people the host is having over.
Instructions
1. Start by choosing the wine on which you would like to center the basket. Sometimes it is good to choose a white wine and a red wine or maybe two of each depending on how many people will be attending. Usually three or four bottles is the maximum for this gift.
2. Go to your local craft store and choose a gift basket for this wine and cheese creation. It should be strong enough to hold the wine bottles and cheese. It is best to choose wooden baskets as they provide a solid bottom.
3. Buy the filling for your basket. Filling is a nice touch when it comes to building the basket. Choose a color that goes with the season or holiday.
4. Go to your local deli and choose the cheese you want. Choose a variety of cheeses, including Swiss, cheddar, smoked, or gorgonzola. Buy some crackers, too.
5. Add garnishes, such as a bottle of olives, pickles or canned oysters. You could buy fruit for the basket, as long as you are making this creation right before you go to the party.
6. Place the filling in the basket first, followed by the wine bottles, the cheese and the garnishes. Decorate with sparkles or ribbons. Don't forget a classy cheese knife.
7. Use cellophane to wrap the gift basket. Cut a piece big enough to wrap the entire basket and leave at least a 5-inch frill above the basket. Tie it with a ribbon.
Tags: wine cheese, bottles cheese, cheese party, depending many, depending many people, gift basket
Coffee table books are not only fun conversation starters to keep in your living room, they can also be interesting and useful bodies of work. If you think you have what it takes to create one of these books, follow this guide for some tips on get started.
Instructions
1. Pick a subject. Part of the fun of coffee table books is that they focus on one particular area of interest. Even the most specific of interests can find an audience. In fact, the more creative and specialized, the better. Some possible ideas for coffee table books could be: collections of photographs of historical figures, a compendium of knowledge of some sort of art or hobby, collector’s guides and original photographs or art.
2. Think outside of the box when selecting a subject for your coffee table book. In the ideal situation, a reader will see your book on the coffee table of a friend’s home and simply have to pick it up and rummage through those pages. Therefore, it is your job to make it look as compelling as possible.
3. Research your subject. The Internet is a great place to start this research, but you need to consider other sources also. If you want to write a book with a collection of information on a particular subject, you need to become as knowledgeable on that subject as you possibly can. For example, if you were making a coffee table book that was a collection of photographs and facts about vintage lamps, you would need to take pictures of vintage lamps, research the origin of lamps, research the categories of vintage lamps, and interview lamp makers and owners. In other words, you would need to become a walking, talking encyclopedia of vintage lamps.
4. Work with a professional photographer to get the right pictures to draw your customers in. Even if your book is a collection of old photographs, you should still consult with a photographer for pictures to fill pages in between the classic ones to show that your book has original work as well.
5. Write the text. Your book will need an introduction, captions for all of the pictures, essays in between photographs, and even indexes, photography credits and a bibliography. For this, you will need to work with an editor before you even begin submitting your book to publishing houses. No publisher will be interested in your coffee table book if the manuscript you submit is not flawless and completely free of grammatical and mechanical errors.
6. Do not skimp on the quality of the text. Pictures may hook someone in, but you want them to draw information from the photographs, and then read on. Thus, your text cannot be dull. You need to make the reading interesting for your audience and hook them in. Work with an editor who will be brutally honest on better your book so you can increase your odds of being published, and most importantly, have a well-written book.
7. Work with a graphic designer to give your book the right look. The cover and subject will draw your readers in, so you need to make that as unique and compelling as possible. Furthermore, the layout and design within your book are just as important. A lot of publishing houses (should you choose to go to a publishing house) will guide this process, but this does not mean you cannot have an active hand in how your book will look.
8. Find a publisher (possibly by using the Internet or books like "Writer’s Market") that might be interested in printing your book. Get your manuscript and photographs in order, write a query letter, and submit it in a self-addressed stamped envelope. Individual publishers may differ on their submission guidelines, so be sure to take the needs of different publishing houses into consideration.
9. Consider self-publishing. Using the Internet, you can find all sorts of self-publishing houses that will help you make your book a printed and bound reality. However, then it will be up to you to help your book find its way into the hands of its readers.
10. Do not be overwhelmed. There are many options to consider when printing your coffee table book. Before the consideration of publishing your book even comes to mind, you have to be sure that what you have to offer is absolutely the best you can give. Research your topic heavily, and be creative with your presentation. Your book may just find its way onto the coffee tables of a living room near you.
Potluck gatherings are an inexpensive way to enjoy foods in great quantities as well as spare yourself kitchen time. Deciding what to bring to a potluck can incite stress and unnecessary worry. Don't get stuck in a rut preparing for a potluck. You can gather some useful potluck meal ideas to use at your gathering.
Triple Bean Salad
Triple bean salad is a popular, healthy potluck dish, often served as a side. This salad is comprised of three types of beans, usually Lima, kidney and red beans. The beans are tossed in a light dressing that is sweet to the taste. This salad is perfect for a summer potluck outdoors.
Casserole
No potluck is complete without a casserole. There are many different types of casserole dishes. Choose the best type of recipe that suits your taste and the season. Sometimes, the host of the potluck will set a theme or even provide a request for a casserole dish. Meatier casseroles are best in the winter months. Healthier vegetarian casseroles are perfect for outdoor potlucks in the warmer months.
Dessert Squares
The ending of a good potluck will have various deserts available. The theme of the potluck often shows best in the desserts. Squares, brownies and even frozen treats are good ideas for a potluck dessert. It is very common for different types of pies and fruit squares to take the forefront at potlucks. Raspberry squares are a healthy and delicious dessert choice for both summer and winter potlucks.
Many people use the terms "liqueur" and "cordial" interchangeably. While both are sweet and are most often served after dinner, the two drinks are different. Liqueurs are usually flavored with herbs, while cordials are made with fruit or fruit juices, such as this coconut libation.
Instructions
1. Pour 56 ounces of coconut milk into a large bowl. Add water, up to an amount equal to the coconut milk, depending on how you strong you want your cordial.
2. Add enough sugar to equal to at least half the amount of coconut milk so that a cloudy liquid is created. Mix well.
3. Place the yeast in a small bowl and mix in a few tablespoons of coconut milk. Add the yeast mixture to the large bowl and stir well.
4. Use the funnel to pour the mixture into the clean, dry soda bottle. Leave about 1 inch of space. Pull the balloon over the opening of the bottle.
5. Set the bottle in a cool, dark place and leave undisturbed for up to 7 days. Monitor the small surface bubbles created by the yeast. Note when the bubbles stop forming.
6. Set the coffee filter in a strainer over a large bowl. Slowly pour the cordial into the filter. Funnel and store the finished cordial in a glass bottle with a tight lid.
7. Serve in cordial glasses or pour into glasses with a splash of sparkling water. Refrigerate the unused portion.
At parties there is often a keg of beer. Kegs are popular because they can hold a lot of beer in one spot. Some people claim that tap beer tastes better than any other kind of beer. Most restaurants and bars have several different kinds of beer on tap, although their extraction methods work a little differently.
A keg mixes science with pleasure. Physics actually plays a huge role in the process. Kegs actually began to be used thousands of years ago by the Romans. Wooden casks were used then, but the science of storing beer has advanced far beyond that now.
The Aluminum Casing
Most beer kegs are constructed of aluminum or steel casing. They are designed to hold the beer at a constant pH balance of around 3.5, and are tested for durability to see if they can withstand being dropped or mishandled without breaking. The beer goes into the bottom of the container, and a section is made at the top for the CO2 and nitrogen. Usually the floor of the keg where the beer is stored is raised slightly, to keep the beer from getting trapped at the bottom when the keg is nearly empty, wasting the drink.
CO2 and Nitrogen
The beer kegs are pressurized with CO2 and nitrogen. Sometimes nitrogen is used, and sometimes CO2. Usually, however, a combination of the two is used. This keeps the beer at the right pH balance, and makes the tap work when pushed into the metal.
Modern Keg Standards
Modern kegs are usually constructed from an aluminum alloy. They have to withstand rough handling and maintain the pressure necessary to dispense the beer. Most kegs have a spot designated on the top for placing the tap into. Usually the bottom of the keg is "dimpled" (meaning that it is slightly dome shaped), so that more of the beer is extracted. Different kinds of beer use different materials to be pressurized. Guinness beers use nitrogen for a creamier beer.
Using the Tap
To use a tap, the tap is stuck into the designated spot on the keg. The tap is secured, and then pumped a few times to get the beer flowing out the spout. Once this happens, sometimes the beer flows out without any help and sometimes a handle has to be used to get it out.
Dispensing the Beer
The beer comes out of the spout attached to the dispenser, which is attached to the keg. The pressure of the CO2 inside the keg keeps the beer coming out at a high pressured rate. This makes it possible to extract all of the beer from the keg without having to tip it over.
The edible part of an artichoke is the flower of the plant.
The two main type of globe artichokes are the annual and perennial varieties, the latter grown for the flower. You can also find Jerusalem artichokes, or sunchokes, which are in a different genus but provide flavorful and tasty roots. California produces 100 percent of the chokes grown commercially in the United States. Artichokes require sun, well-drained soil and warm temperatures to flower. They can be grown as an ornamental plant and provide a floral curiosity in the garden. Annual artichokes are started by seed, and perennial types, which may live five to 10 years, can be started from pieces of root.
Instructions
From Seed
1. Fill a seed flat with seed-starter mix and plant the artichoke seeds 1/2 inch deep eight weeks before the date of the last frost.
2. Mist the flat until it is completely moist and place it in a room that is at least 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the flat misted until germination. Move the flat to a sunny location after the seeds sprout.
3. Clear debris out of a sunny garden bed using a hard rake several weeks before the last frost date. Pull all the weeds and remove rocks and roots.
4. Spread 5 inches of compost in the location where you will be planting and work it into the soil to a depth of 6 inches. At the same time, work in a balanced fertilizer at the rate of 1/2 lb. per 100 square feet of planting bed.
5. Plant artichoke starts three to four weeks before the last frost. Artichoke plants need to experience cool temperatures to promote flowering. If they are planted too late, they will not flower. Artichoke starts are the best bet for most zones. Seed doesn't have enough time to form large flower-producing plants in any but the warmest climates.
6. Space plants 18 inches apart in rows that are at least two feet apart. Cut slits in black plastic mulch and fit it around the plants. This increases the soil temperature and promotes quick formation of roots. Water the plants twice per week during establishment and then provide 2 inches per week over several applications.
From Roots
7. Harvest the flowers in midsummer before they open if you wish to eat them. You can also leave them on the plant and enjoy the unique purplish-blue blooms with the spiky anthers and scaly exterior petals. Most artichokes can produce for three to five years, at which point you need to dig them up and cut them into sections to divide them.
8. Cut the root ball with a shovel or soil knife into three to four sections with a large section of the roots attached. The best time to divide artichokes is in fall. Bury the sections in organically amended soil that is well drained in a sunny location. Set the root sections at the same level they were growing as a full plant.
9. Mulch the plants with at least 3 inches of organic material prior to winter to protect the roots and add nutrients over the season. Cut back the foliage as soon as it begins to die back from the cold. Pull back the mulch in early spring as new foliage emerges from the crown.
Tags: last frost, weeks before, before last, before last frost, five years, sunny location, that least
Fresh hydrangea bouquets are popular not only because of their gorgeous colors ranging from bright purple to more subtle hues, but because they do not wilt and die as quickly as more delicate blossoms. It's not hard to maintain hydrangea bouquets, but you cannot just stick them in a vase and hope for the best. You need to pay attention and take steps to keep them perky. With a little care and effort you can keep hydrangea bouquets looking fresh as first-picked for as long as two weeks.
Instructions
1. Take fresh cuttings from your garden by snipping blossoms off with very sharp scissors. Bring a container of water with you and put the clipped flowers directly into it.
2. Refresh hydrangeas every two to three days by cutting 1/4 inch to 1 inch from the bottom of the stem at a 45-degree angle. This keeps air bubbles and sap from blocking the stem's absorption of water.
3. Dip freshly cut stems into alum, which is available in the spice section of your supermarket, and place them in fresh water.
4. Revive 4- to 5-day-old hydrangeas by boiling water and setting it aside to cool. Snip the stems of your hydrangeas at a 45-degree angle and place them in the hot water for 30 seconds. Remove them from the hot water and put them immediately into a vase of room temperature water.
5. Snip the stems of week-old hydrangeas at a sharp angle and submerge the entire bouquet--flowers and stems--in a basin or bathtub full of water. Leave them in the water for two to three hours. Shake off the excess water, snip the stems again, and arrange them in a vase.
6. Keep wedding or prom bouquets fresh by wrapping them in damp paper towels and keeping them in the refrigerator overnight.
Tags: 45-degree angle, hydrangea bouquets, place them, them vase, them water
Due to the pit in the center of the mango, you will need to cut the fruit to separate the flesh. Ripe mangoes can become slippery once cut open, so a cutting technique that involves both hands helps to control the fruit. Fortunately, you can cut and peel the mango at the same time with a versatile technique that avoids the pit and allows you to stabilize the mango.
Instructions
1. Rinse the mango under cool water. This will remove dirt and debris trapped on the skin.
2. Hold the mango with one hand. Place the mango on the cutting board so that it stands on its end. The stem side of the fruit will be facing down.
3. Cut one-half of the mango. Visualize the oval pit inside the mango. Begin cutting at the top of the mango down one side of the pit.
4. Repeat the cut on the other half of the mango. You will now have three pieces that consist of two halves and the center that contains the pit.
5. Cut cross sections into one-half of the mango. Do not cut through the peel when making these cuts. You will make cuts ½-inch wide lengthwise. Then make cuts ½-inch crosswise so that you end up with small mango cubes.
6. Remove the peel from the mango pieces and place them in a bowl. You can use your fingers to separate the peel from the fruit, or you may have to use a sharp knife. Repeat this process for the other mango half.
7. Lay the mango section with the pit on the cutting board. Use a small sharp knife to remove the pit; then remove the peel. Cut this section into ½-inch cubes.
Tags: cuts -inch, cutting board, half mango, make cuts, make cuts -inch, mango will
You can freeze crab soup more successfully than plain crabs.
Three ounces of queen crab cooked with moist heat contains approximately 147 percent of your daily recommended vitamin B12, 54 percent of your daily recommended selenium, 40 percent of your daily recommended protein and 26 percent of your daily recommended copper, according to SELFNutritionData.com. While you may not consume this much crab in a single bowl of crab soup, you can still obtain nutrients from this tasty dish. Raw crab meat becomes tough and dry when you freeze it, but these problems will be less noticeable when you freeze cooked crab in soup.
Instructions
1. Allow the soup to cool to at least room temperature. Ideally you should do this fairly quickly, such as by putting the soup in the refrigerator. This will minimize the time the soup sits at bacteria-friendly temperatures.
2. Transfer the soup into freezer-safe containers, then seal each container tightly. Put the soup into your freezer.
3. Store the soup in the freezer for up to three months. Transfer it to the refrigerator about 24 hours before you wish to eat it to allow it to thaw completely, then reheat.
Tags: daily recommended, percent your, percent your daily, your daily, your daily recommended, crab soup
Spilling milk on your car carpet can result in a sour milk odor.
If you spill milk or any food that contains milk on your car carpet, you must move quickly to try to remove the fresh stain. If you do not attempt to clean and remove the stain, you may face a sour milk odor as a result of the untreated stain. Sour milk odor can make driving or even sitting in your car uncomfortable. Luckily, you can still remove sour milk odor days after the stain has already set.
Instructions
1. Remove any remaining liquid using a paper towel or sponge.
2. Sprinkle the area with baking powder until it covers the area.
3. Sprinkle water on the baking powder and moisten the area.
4. Let baking powder and water dry completely. This may take overnight.
5. Loosen the dried baking powder and vacuum.
6. Treat the area with lemon juice if you can still smell the sour milk. Spray area with lemon juice.
7. Let stand for 15 minutes before blotting with a paper towel.
Tags: baking powder, area with, milk odor, sour milk odor, area with lemon
Baked chicken is a healthy choice for a main dish because white-meat chicken is low in fat, especially compared to red meat. Baked chicken is also a versatile entree that can easily be paired with your favorite side dish, whether you prefer mashed potatoes and gravy or grilled asparagus. Baking a whole chicken in the oven is often called roasting because the chicken is typically cooked in a roasting pan. You can bake chicken in a regular baking dish if a roasting pan is not available.
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Remove the giblets and the kidneys from the body cavity of the chicken. Insert your hand into the body cavity until you feel the bag of giblets. Pull firmly to remove the bag. Set the giblets aside for another use or discard the bag. Check if the chicken's kidneys are in the body cavity near the tail end of the chicken. They are red in color. If they have not been removed, pull them out of the cavity with your hand and discard them.
3. Rinse the chicken inside and out under cold running water. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
4. Cut half a stick of butter into 1 tbsp. pats. Slide the pats of butter under the skin of the chicken. Rub 1 tsp. of salt and 1/2 tsp. of pepper under the chicken's skin. Add additional seasonings, such as chopped fresh herbs, if you like. Rub them under the chicken's skin just as you did with the salt and pepper.
5. Truss the chicken's legs by holding them together against the chicken's body and crossing them in an "X" shape. Wrap them with kitchen twine and tie the twine in a knot.
6. Place the chicken breast side up in the roasting pan and slide it into the preheated oven. Cook the chicken for 20 minutes per pound plus an additional 15 minutes.
7. Check the chicken's temperature by inserting an instant read thermometer into the meaty part of the thigh. The chicken is done when the thermometer reads 165 degrees.
8. Let the chicken stand for 10 minutes before carving so it will retain its juices and flavor.
Tags: body cavity, Baked chicken, Check chicken, chicken skin, salt pepper
Use fresh, firm asparagus for asparagus seafood salad.
Asparagus and seafood salad is a light, refreshing salad that can be served as a full meal for lunch or dinner, or as a first course before a meal made with similarly fresh and light ingredients. To serve asparagus and seafood salad as a full meal, pair the salad with a glass of crisp, dry white wine like an oak-aged Chardonnay and a loaf of homemade garlic bread or a warm baguette and high-quality butter.
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Break off the woody ends of the asparagus spears by bending the opposite side of the asparagus tips. The back end should break off in its natural spot. Discard the back of the asparagus spears or reserve them for soup stock.
3. Place the asparagus spears in a baking dish in a row so that no spears are on top of others. Drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil and season to taste with sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake the asparagus spears in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until firm but fully cooked.
4. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Once the asparagus spears have cooled, chop them into bite-sized pieces and add them to a large mixing bowl.
5. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the onions and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until translucent but not browned.
6. Add the shrimp, scallops and squid to the saute pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring regularly, adding the lemon juice after 2 minutes. Do not overcook the seafood.
7. Transfer the cooked seafood to the mixing bowl with the asparagus and toss to combine. Add the olive oil, champagne vinegar and sea salt or kosher salt and toss again to fully combine.
8. Put the asparagus and seafood salad onto a large serving platter or into a serving bowl. Garnish the salad with chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and serve immediately.
Tags: asparagus spears, seafood salad, asparagus seafood, baking dish, full meal, kosher salt
In Japan, rarely is a meal served without pickled plums, carrots, cucumbers, onions or other vegetables. That's because pickles are good for the digestion. Pickles in the West usually are boiled and do not have the good enzymes, so all pickles are not equal. The following steps will help you buy a pickle maker or press for making pickles so you can add the good enzymes to your diet.
Instructions
1. Search the Internet for macrobiotics or Japanese pickles to find pickle makers that will make the healthiest pickles. Look for sites with authentic recipes, because these will help you after you find your pickle maker or press to make excellent and tasty pickles.
2. Find pickle makers that call for adding some kind of starter, brine or salt and that keep the vegetables at room temperature or below 70 degrees for anything from a day to a week.
3. Look for pickle makers that are simple glass jars with some kind of press attached. They all work by pressing the extra liquid out of the vegetable in the fermentation process.
4. Understand the pickle maker is not a fancy expensive gadget. You can press pickles at home between two bowls using books or rocks set on top. The trick is to find good recipes, instructions and to watch outside temperatures.
The growing season never lasts long enough to ripen all the tomatoes on the vine. Instead of tossing unripe tomatoes into the compost or eating fried green tomato sandwiches for weeks, try ripening the green tomatoes off the vine indoors. Or you can dig up the whole vine and allow the tomatoes to ripen on the plant in a cool, sheltered location. Either way, it is easy to turn green tomatoes into red ones at the end of the season!
Instructions
Pick and Box Method
1. Before the first fall frost, pick green tomatoes that have turned light green or greenish white and aren't rock hard. Darker green, very firm tomatoes typically rot in storage, so use these fruit in your favorite green tomato recipes.
2. Using scissors, clip the tomatoes off the vine. Wash the green tomatoes gently in tepid water and then allow them to air dry.
3. Wrap each tomato in newspaper or tissue paper. Set the tomatoes in a cardboard box in a single layer.
4. Place the box in a cool (between 55 and 70 degrees F), dark spot, like an unheated basement. The warmer the temperature, the faster the fruit will ripen.
5. Speed up the ripening process by putting two apples into the box. The apples give off ethylene gas, which encourages the tomatoes to ripen faster.
6. Check the tomatoes every couple of days and remove any fruit that begins to rot. When the tomatoes turn nearly uniformly red (or the color they are supposed to be when ripe), take them out of the box and set them on your counter to finish up the ripening process.
Pull and Hang Method
7. Plan on moving your tomato plants indoors before the first frost strikes. Dig a circle around the base of each tomato plant. Then, using the shovel as a lever, carefully pull the plant from the ground.
8. Gently shake excess soil from the root system.
9. Take the vine, green tomatoes and all, to a room with above freezing temperatures, such as an unheated basement or an insulated garage.
10. Pick any ripe fruit and trim away all the foliage using hand pruners. Leave the green tomatoes on the vine. Place disease-free foliage into your compost bin.
11. Tie a piece of twine to the base of the stem, just above the roots. Then hang the plant from a supporting structure, such as a rafter.
12. Check on the ripening process every few days. Pick the tomatoes when they begin to turn red. Fully ripe tomatoes tend to fall off the vine and this can bruise the fruit. Allow the semi-ripened fruit to finish ripening on your kitchen counter out of direct sunlight.
13. Once all tomatoes have been harvested, add disease-free vines to your compost bin. If the vine suffered from a disease during the growing season, dispose of it in your garbage.
Tags: green tomatoes, tomatoes vine, ripening process, each tomato, finish ripening, green tomato, green tomatoes vine
Use this stock in a light soup or consomme, or as the base for a sauce. Although it's classically made with veal bones, you can use lamb, ham, or chicken bones as well. Makes 1 gallon of stock.
Instructions
1. Rinse bones in cold water.
2. Cover bones with cold water in 10-quart stock pot.
3. Bring water to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to simmer and skim scum off top of water with a perforated spoon or ladle.
5. Drain bones and rinse them well.
6. Place bones in 10-quart stock pot.
7. Tie up bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, parsley stems and whole cloves in cheesecloth and add to pot, along with chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
8. Simmer for 3 to 4 hours, skimming the surface as often as necessary. Add water to keep bones covered.
9. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer lined with five to six layers of cheesecloth. Push ingredients down through the cloth and strainer with a ladle or spoon.
10. Let stock cool, then remove any fat from the top.
Brown rice is a healthy alternative to plain white rice. Although more nutritious, brown rice is more difficult to cook. Finding the perfect balance of texture can be difficult; a few minutes too little or too long and you may end up with crunchy kernels or a pot of mush. Partially cooking the rice and then steaming it is the most effective way to achieve perfect, restaurant-quality brown rice. One cup of uncooked brown rice will yield two cups of cooked rice.
Instructions
1. Rinse the rice in a strainer under cold running water for about 30 seconds.
2. Bring 12 cups of water to a rolling boil in a large pot over high heat.
3. Add the rice and salt to the boiling water. Stir it only once, then bring the water back to a boil. Allow the rice to cook in the boiling water uncovered for 30 minutes.
4. Pour the rice and water into a strainer over your kitchen sink. Allow the rice to drain thoroughly for about 15 seconds, shaking the strainer to release excess liquid.
5. Return the rice to the pot off of heat. Cover the pot with a lid or kitchen towel. Allow the rice to steam in the pot for 10 minutes. If your prefer softer rice, allow it to steam for a few minutes more.
6. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve warm.
Tags: Allow rice, brown rice, about seconds, boiling water, steam minutes
It's cost-effective and eco-friendly to make popcorn in your microwave.
Microwave popcorn is an incredibly popular snack due to its flavor and ease of preparation. Two drawbacks to the treat, however, are its cost over time and the amount of trash the packaging generates. Both of these issues can be resolved by purchasing popcorn kernels (which are much less expensive than microwavable varieties) and popping them yourself in a paper bag. The bag can then be composted, resulting in zero trash. Each batch of popcorn can be individually flavored to satisfy your craving at the time of popping.
Instructions
1. Combine 1/4 to 1/2 cup popcorn kernels, 2 tsp. olive or coconut oil, and powdered seasonings to taste in a brown paper bag. Toss the ingredients to evenly coat the kernels.
2. Fold the top of the bag over twice.
3. Punch two holes in the folded over section of the bag, and then tie the bag closed with a piece of string.
4. Microwave the bag on high for two to three minutes, or until the popping slows to one pop per second.
If you are tired of serving a standard green salad alongside your main course, try making a bean salad instead. The salad provides a powerful nutritious combination of a high fiber and high protein count. The dish works nicely with freshly grilled foods. It is also an ideal dish to make on hot summer days because the only cooking required is to steam the corn; other than that, the salad simply requires mixing ingredients and allowing the flavors to blend. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
1. Peel the two ears of corn and steam them until they are tender, about 15 minutes. Cut the corn from the cobs and add the kernels to the large bowl.
2. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans and the black beans. Add the beans to the bowl.
3. Slice the jalapeno in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds and stem. Mince the jalapeno and add it to the bowl. Scrub your hands after handling the jalapeno. Any residual juice will burn your eyes if you accidentally rub them.
4. Cut the red bell pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and stem. Dice the jalapeno into bite-sized pieces and add to the rest of the ingredients. Cut the mango in half, remove the skin and cut the flesh off of the seed, cutting the fruit into bite-size pieces. Add the mango, pineapple and cilantro to the bowl.
5. Cut the limes in half, and squeeze the juice into the bean mixture, adding about 4 to 5 tablespoons. Add the 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar, one teaspoon of cumin, 1/3 cup of olive oil and three tablespoons of honey to the beans. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Refrigerate for at least an hour for the flavors to blend, and stir again before serving.
Lemons have always been popular in the kitchen because of their strong, distinct taste that can add a boost of flavor to a number of foods. While the zest of a lemon, which is shavings from the peel of the fruit, spices food nicely, it's lemon juice that is used most often. You can either squeeze it right from a lemon, or buy the juice at the store. Not only will it work as a potent flavoring, it will also add a number of health benefits to your diet.
Vitamin C
Lemon juice is high in vitamin C, which is one of the most important antioxidants out there. It attacks free radicals that can cause oxidative damage to cells and DNA.
Limonin
Present in the same amount as vitamin C, limonin is a special compound found in lemon juice. It helps prevent cancers of the mouth, skin, colon and gums.
Cholesterol
Limonin is also known to lower the amount of LDL cholesterol in the body. This is the bad cholesterol that can cause heart problems.
Immune System
The high levels of vitamin C found in lemon juice also help boost the immune system. In addition to fighting off free radical damage, it also promotes white blood cell growth so the body can fight intruding bacteria and viruses.
Arthritis
Recent findings published in the "Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases" show that lemon juice and its vitamin C count helps to lessen the effects of rheumatoid arthritis.
Tags: lemon juice, Benefits Fresh, Benefits Fresh Lemon, found lemon, found lemon juice
Cornbread stuffing, or dressing, is a common variation of traditional stuffing recipes, most of which rely a great deal on personal and family traditions. At its most basic, all stuffing consists of dried bread cubes stirred into butter or broth to moisten, with spices added. It is most commonly stuffed into poultry or included as a standalone side dish.
Geography
Cornbread stuffing is more popular in the southeastern United States than elsewhere in the country, as is typical of most cornbread recipes. Cornbread was once a staple of southern households, so there usually was plenty on hand. Cornbread was turned into stuffing to bake inside chicken, turkey, or wild fowl, or to provide a side dish for a stew such as seafood and sausage jambalaya.
Identification
Stuffing made with cornbread has a more dense texture compared to that made from wheat bread. It can be cooked up in very small batches or in amounts big enough to feed the largest families. Stuffing should be slightly on the dry side if used to stuff a bird, and kept moister if used as a side dish. One popular traditional Thanksgiving cornbread stuffing recipe features chopped onion and celery sauteed in a cup of butter, with crumbled or cubed cornbread added, along with salt, pepper, sage, and thyme.
Types
Many variations on the basic recipe are easy to try, most continuing Southern traditions. Including sausage or bacon in the stuffing adds great flavor. Substitutes for the crunchy ingredients might be apples, water chestnuts, carrots, or green or red bell peppers. Try adding walnuts to the apples, or create a completely different twist with pears or cranberries with pecans. A Creole recipe calls for numerous spices including cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, basil, and garlic. Add jalapeno peppers for a super-spicy cornbread stuffing.
Quick Options
If you don't have cornbread on hand and want a quick way to make some, boxed mixes are available. You also can buy cornbread muffins and use those for the crumbled bread, which will add a sweeter flavor. Packaged cornbread stuffing can be purchased as well, and you can try adding extra ingredients if you prefer.
Features
Cornbread typically is gluten-free, but if using a boxed mix, you'll need to check the ingredients to be sure. Although it seems like an oxymoron, basic cornbread stuffing is a vegetarian dish. It can be eaten on the side or stuffed into large mushroom caps, bell peppers, and in blooming onions or tomatoes. Cornbread stuffing makes a great after-holiday breakfast simply by serving two over-easy eggs on top.
Tags: cornbread stuffing, side dish, bell peppers, Cornbread stuffing, stuffed into
Apples turned into applesauce can make a healthy substitute for cooking oil.
Applesauce, particularly unsweetened applesauce, can be a low-calorie substitute for cooking oil in baking recipes. Cooking oil adds moistness to cakes and sweet breads, and replacing the oil with applesauce will do the same. Applesauce has a mild, almost non-detectable flavor in baked items, but, depending on the amount of applesauce replacing oil, it can change the texture. Determining how much applesauce to use as a replacement for oil in your recipes may take a little experimenting of making your recipe a few times with varying applesauce quantities.
Instructions
1. Replace half of the oil amount with applesauce in your recipe. If the recipe calls for one cup, use 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup oil. Measure the applesauce and oil using a measuring cup designed for measuring liquids.
2. Use an electric mixer, either a standing or hand mixer, to blend the oil, applesauce with any other liquid ingredients, such as eggs and flavoring. Then, add and blend in the sugar.
3. Add the dry ingredients, like flour, baking powder, or baking soda, to the liquid. Gently mix the dry and wet ingredients together using a spatula, instead of the mixer. Using a spatula and mixing gently until the ingredients are combined will help the texture of the final produce remain light and moist, not thick and rubbery.
4. Taste your baked item with half and half applesauce and oil to determine how much, if any, the applesauce altered the dish. If you cannot taste a difference, the next time you bake the dish, try using 2/3 applesauce to 1/3 oil. Again, see how much it affected the end result. You may decide you can completely eliminate the oil, or use only one or two tablespoons of oil, replacing it with 100 percent applesauce.
Tags: much applesauce, replacing with, substitute cooking, with applesauce, your recipe
When Halloween comes, the jack-o'-lanterns come out. To make one, you have to scoop the inner pulp and seeds out of a pumpkin before carving a face in the shell and putting a light inside. The leftover seeds often get discarded, and roasting them produces a healthy, tasty treat. But eat these? Do you consume them, shell and all, or use the world's smallest nutcracker to separate the inner kernel? Do not wait for fall; squash varieties populate the markets throughout the year and these gourds will stay fresh for months, meaning you can enjoy eating roasted pumpkin seeds all year long.
Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the seeds in a colander and run water over them to rinse off any strings or pulp still attached. Pat excess water off with paper towels.
2. Scatter the seeds onto the baking sheet in an even layer and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or until toasted.
3. Let the seeds cool completely before handling them.
4. Hold a single pumpkin seed in your hand and nip the pointed end of it off with your front teeth. Pull the shell apart and pick the kernel out from inside the shell. Discard the shell and eat just the kernel.
5. Alternatively, eat the entire seed whole, including the shell, if you do not mind the rougher texture.
Chokecherries are widely available in North America, and with the proper materials, wine making is moderately easy. Chokecherry wine is recommended as a dry wine, but a little sweetener can be added to transform it into a semisweet, as long as the unique flavor of the chokecherries isn't covered up with sugar. This type of wine is appropriate for red meat dishes, as well as tart desserts. Learn make chokecherry wine by following these steps.
Instructions
Make Chokecherry Wine
1. Prepare the chokecherries. Wash the fruit, and remove stems, leaves, and cherries that are badly bruised.
2. Mash the chokecherries. Place cherries in the nylon straining bag and mash with the hands, squeezing out juice in the primary fermenter. Do not break the pits. Keep all the pulp in the nylon straining bag, tie the top, and set the bag aside for now.
3. Add half the sugar, the remaining water, acid blend, tannin and crushed Campden tablet to the mashed fruit in the primary fermenter. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Submerge the nylon straining bag in the fermenter with the mixture, cover, and let stand 12 hours (room temperature is fine).
4. Add pectic enzyme, and squeeze nylon bag to extract juice. Cover again, and allow the mixture to set for another 12 hours.
5. Stir in yeast nutrient and yeast, and squeeze the bag again to extract juice. Cover, and let it sit for seven days.
6. Extract as much juice as possible from the nylon bag and remove from mixture. Pour in the remaining sugar, and stir until it's dissolved. Pour the mixture into the secondary fermenter, and air-lock it. Allow it to sit for 30 days in a cool, dry place during fermentation.
7. Transfer the wine into a new secondary fermenter using the siphon hose. This is to rid the wine of extra sediment. Air-lock the mixture into the new secondary fermenter, and allow wine to sit for another two months. (Clean original secondary fermenter.)
8. Repeat step 7, and allow wine to ferment for six months before serving.
Tags: secondary fermenter, into secondary, into secondary fermenter, nylon straining, allow wine, Chokecherry Wine
Mashed potatoes can be used to thicken soups or in other recipes.
Mashed potatoes, whether homemade or from a box, are simple to make and serve as a complementary side to many main dishes. Mashed potato recipes often make such a large amount that you find yourself with leftover mashed potatoes. Rather than waste food and throw them away, you can use mashed potatoes as an ingredient in many other recipes and create a new meal with your leftovers.
Instructions
Leftover Mashed Potato Patties
1. Place your leftover mashed potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add 1/4 cup bacon bits or crumbled cooked bacon for every four cups of leftover mashed potatoes. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste.
2. Mix the mashed potatoes and other ingredients with a wooden spoon until the bacon bits are evenly dispersed throughout the potatoes.
3. Cooking oil makes the outside of your patties brown and crisp.
Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in your iron skillet over medium heat. Smear the oil around the bottom of the pan with your spatula.
4. Form your mashed potato mixture into patties similar in shape and size to hamburger patties. Place three or four patties in your skillet and brown on each side for three to four minutes. The patties should be golden brown in color and crisp on the outside.
5. Remove the cooked potato patties from the iron skillet and place on a plate covered with a layer of paper towels. Allow the paper towels to absorb excess oil while the patties cool for a minute. Flip the patties over and change to clean paper towels if you want the oil absorbed from both sides.
Leftover Mashed Potato Burger Casserole
6. Brown 1 lb. ground chicken or turkey and 1/2 cup onion in your cast iron skillet. Cook the meat until no longer pink to ensure it's fully cooked.
7. Mix your ingredients without scratching your pan by using a wooden spoon.
Add 2 cups cooked green beans, your can of tomato soup, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to the cooked ground meat and onions. Stir all the ingredients together until mixed well.
8. Scoop the ground meat mixture into an 8-by-8-inch baking pan.
9. Grated cheese makes a tasty topping for your casserole.
Beat one egg in a mixing bowl, then stir in the leftover mashed potatoes. Spread the egg and potato mixture over the ground meat mixture in the baking pan. Top off your mashed potato burger casserole by sprinkling 1/2 cup grated American cheese over the potato layer.
10. Bake your leftover mashed potato burger casserole in an oven heated to 350 F, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Tags: mashed potatoes, leftover mashed potatoes, ground meat, iron skillet, leftover mashed, paper towels
Mojo sauce is a spicy and citrusy condiment and marinade popular in the Caribbean, especially Cuba. It is most frequently used to make mojo potatoes, but meat dishes marinated in mojo sauce are more common in the United States. Mojo pork is the most-popular meat dish featuring mojo sauce in Cuba, where a whole pig is often marinated in the sauce and roasted outdoors. Luckily, the recipe works just as well when scaled down to make a 3-to-5 lb. mojo pork roast in the oven.
Instructions
1. Prepare the roast early in the morning if you want to serve it for dinner. Start by whisking all ingredients together except for the garlic and pork in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Prepare the pork by piercing it all over with a small bladed knife or an ice pick. Cover the entire surface of the pork roast with holes spaced about 1 inch apart.
3. Insert the sticks of garlic into the holes in the pork. There will be more holes than garlic sticks, so try to space the garlic evenly throughout the pork. Push the garlic sticks deeply into the pork so the garlic doesn't protrude from the meat.
4. Place the pork roast into the bowl of marinade and turn it a few times to coat. Refrigerate 6 to 8 hours. If possible, turn the roast every 2 hours while it is marinating.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 450-degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the pork roast from the marinade and place it on the rack in your roasting pan. Insert the meat thermometer so that the tip is in the thickest part of the meat.
6. Roast for 10 minutes at 450 degrees, then reduce the heat to 250 degrees. Roast for another 2 to 3 hours, until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 150 degrees.
7. Remove the pork roast from the oven and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain and serve.
Pine nut oil is a pressed vegetable oil made from the nuts of pine trees. The "nuts" are actually seeds, and there are roughly 20 different species used to press the oil. Pine nut oil has many uses, including culinary, nutritive, and medicinal. Learn use pine nut oil to improve your health, suppress your appetite, and increase your protein intake.
Instructions
1. Use pine nut oil as a carrier or base oil for aromatherapy and massage oils. Dilute 10 drops essential oil of choice in two teaspoons (10 ml) pine nut oil, and massage into the skin. Pine nut oil has a very light texture, and is easily absorbed by the skin.
2. Use pine nut oil in the kitchen. It can be used in soups, spreads, pesto, and many different sauces. Many Mediterranean dishes incorporate pine nut oil, such as pine nut oil tapenade, and baba ganouj, which is an Egyptian eggplant spread.
3. Use pine nut oil to heal gastrointestinal problems. Take one teaspoon (5 ml) of pine nut oil three times per day, at least thirty minutes before meals, to heal gastritis and peptic ulcers. Increase this dosage to two teaspoons (10 ml) for duodenal ulcers, and you'll soon be on the mend.
4. Use pine nut oil as an appetite suppressant. According to a study performed by Lipid Nutrition, pine nut oil releases and boosts appetite suppressing hormones, known as cholecystokinin (CCK), up to 88 percent for as long as four hours. Try taking one teaspoon (5 ml) of pine nut oil three times per day before meals to suppress the appetite.
5. Use pine nut oil to increase your protein intake. Pine nuts have the highest amount of protein of all nuts. Add some nuts or pine nut oil to your diet, or take a supplement to increase protein. This is especially helpful for vegetarians and vegans.
6. Use pine nut oil as an overall health tonic. The oil has been used traditionally to treat inflammatory disorders, digestive problems, and to improve cardiovascular health. Pine nut oil also contains large amounts of antioxidants, which are good for the entire body - organs, skin, hair, and blood.
Tags: your protein intake, before meals, increase your, increase your protein, nuts pine, pine three
Strata is similar to both quiche and French toast in that it contains eggs and bread. The difference is that you combine the eggs and bread with meat, cheese and vegetables, and then cook the strata in a casserole or baking dish. Asparagus cheese strata is a simple-to-make, delicious meal that's great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Instructions
1. Brush butter on one side of the whole wheat or white bread slices.
2. Put half of the bread in a greased 13-by-9-by-2 inch baking pan or dish with the buttered sides facing up.
3. Sprinkle ? cup of the cheese over the buttered bread.
4. Place the asparagus and ham or sausage on top of the cheese and bread.
5. Take the rest of the buttered bread and cover the asparagus and meat, buttered side up.
6. Gently beat the eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the mustard, salt, onion and milk. Pour the mixture over the bread.
7. Tightly cover the strata and refrigerate overnight.
8. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Uncover the strata and bake for 50 minutes (or until golden brown).
9. Take the rest of the cheese and sprinkle it on top of the strata. Bake for 10 more minutes, or until the cheese has melted. You know it's ready when a knife inserted in the center of the strata comes out clean. Serve warm.
White wine is generally served with seafood dishes.
Fresh lobster are a specialty dish of the New England states. White wine is generally served with seafood dishes due to the acid content bringing out the flavor. Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc are recommended by wine experts Paul Lukacs, Marguerite Thomas and Brad Prescott, as an accompaniment to boiled lobster.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a crisp, light and acidic and full-bodied wine. Its popularity is due to flexibility in styles and savored with the taste of seafood. Hints of melon, vanilla, reduce the salty texture of lobster.
Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc flavors hints of fig, herbs, grass with tartness. The wine has a crisp, dry and light flavor with an oaky and smoky texture. Sauvignon Blanc has a light yellow and bright hue when poured in the glass.
Riesling
Riesling is a lighter, sweet wine than Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay and reduces the richness of boiled lobster. The wine is of German origin flavored with fruitiness and balance of acids.
Tags: Sauvignon Blanc, boiled lobster, crisp light, generally served, generally served with
Ever wanted to make fresh salsa just like they serve in the best Mexican restaurants? Well, now you can. Follow these easy steps to the best tasting salsa you have ever had. And it's a healthy weight and diet choice too.
Instructions
1. Take 3 of your tomatoes. Chop two into rather small pieces. Now take the third tomato and chop into a bit larger sized chunks.
2. Take that fourth tomato and simply squeeze it for it's juice. Squeeze it right over top of those tomato pieces you cut in step one. Get every thing you can out of yoru squeeze. I find it easy to cut my tomato in half and squeeze one side at a time.
3. Add in your 4 oz. can of chillies. If they are not already chopped, do so at this time.
4. Take your white onion and chop it into mostly fine pieces leaving a few larger pieces as well. The larger pieces of onion and tomato add a little variety and chunk to your salsa...keeps it from being overly liquid.
5. Take your two jalapeno peppers and chop them into your growing bowl of salsa. I leave out as much of the seeds as possible. It's the seed that carries the heat, so add them if you want to turn up the temperature on your salsa.
6. Now season your salsa to taste. I recommend you start light on the garlic powder. You can always add more at anytime. I usually start with a 1/4 teaspoon. Then add salt and pepper to your liking.
7. Finally, squeeze half a lemon for it's juice and add right into your salsa. This gives it that finishing touch.
8. You are ready to enjoy your freshly made salsa. Get out those tortilla chips and have at it. Enjoy!
Tags: your salsa, Take your, Amazing Homemade, Amazing Homemade Salsa, Homemade Salsa, into your, larger pieces
There are two aspects of making wine that must be considered before calling a wine organic: what happens in fields and what happens in the winery. It is possible for a wine to be considered organic if the winery processes are not totally organic, but it's impossible for a wine to be considered organic if the farming processes are not organic.
Wine grapes
Organic Practices in Farming
In order to be considered organic in the wine farming process, grapes cannot be treated with pesticides, fungicides or herbicides. Growers must not use chemical fertilizers.
Organic Practices in the Winery
In the winery, there must be no inorganic additives such as oak chips for flavor or certain strains of yeast. There is also a ban on excessive manipulation of the wine in processes such as reverse osmosis and excessive filtration.
Categories of Organic Wine
There are four categories of organic wine: 100% organic, organic, made with organic ingredients and some organic Ingredients. Organic wines must contain no sulfites except for those naturally occurring. Wines categorized as containing some organic ingredients may include sulfites.
Biodynamic Farming
Biodynamic farming was a practice developed by Rudolph Steiner. It treats the whole vineyard as an ecosystem; this farming process uses natural predators to solve pest problems. It also uses compost for fertilizer. All of these aspects eliminate the elements that make wine farming inorganic.
Difficulties with Organic Wine Farming
Many say that wine making is organic until something goes wrong. Often a blight or weather problem will threaten an otherwise organic farming process; that may force cultivators to make a difficult decision. Growers can stay organic and lose their crop, or they can lose the organic label and keep their future wine.
Tags: considered organic, farming process, organic farming, Organic Practices, Organic Wine, some organic
Meat loaf is a dish that originated in Germany and has been prepared in America for decades. The name "meat loaf" comes from its bread-like appearance after being baked. It became popular in the United States during the Great Depression, when it was prepared to save money and stretch a meager food budget. Today, many different variations exist and remain popular throughout the country. This recipe yields approximately 4 to 6 servings of applesauce meat loaf, which has a slightly sweet taste and a light texture.
Instructions
1. Rinse and finely chop the onion and bell pepper and put them in a mixing bowl. Add the ground beef, pork sausage, applesauce and ginger. Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add the croutons to the meat mixture and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a 9" x 13" ungreased baking pan and spread out evenly.
3. Place the baking pan into the oven and bake the applesauce meat loaf for 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and pour off any excess grease. Replace the pan in the oven.
4. Bake the applesauce meat loaf for an additional 45 minutes and remove. Pour off any excess grease and cut into thick slices. Serve immediately or refrigerate for sandwiches the following day.
Gathering fruits and vegetables that are abundant in-season and dehydrating them for later consumption is a good method of keeping a well-balanced diet year-round. Dehydration removes all the moisture from a fruit or vegetable, extending its shelf life from days to up to a year. Proper storage of dried foods is critical to this process. Glass canning jars are ideal, because they are durable and will show any moisture immediately. Plastic and metal airtight containers are also acceptable for storing dried fruits and vegetables.
Instructions
1. Wash and dry storage containers and lids. Any moisture in the storage container can cause dried foods to become moldy.
2. Allow dried fruits and vegetables to become completely cool, waiting about 45 minutes after dehydration before storing them. Warm foods can generate moisture.
3. Sort dried fruits and vegetables into amounts you're likely to use for individual recipes. Pack cooled foods gently, but firmly into containers, leaving about 1/2 inch of head-space.
4. Keep fruits dried with sulfur or sulfites separate from other dried fruits. Before packing these fruits in metal containers, pack them in plastic food storage bags. The sulfite reacts with metal and will discolor your fruit.
5. Use a piece of masking tape to label each airtight container. Mark the label with the type of food item and date preserved.
6. Store dried fruits and vegetables away from sunlight, heat sources and moisture. They are best stored in dark locations, such as a closed cupboard away from stoves, refrigerators and other heat-generating appliances. Keep your dried foods stored at room temperature or cooler.