305 better uses Recipes

flour, sugar, splenda sugar substitute, baking powder, baking soda, salt, lemon , zest of (use 2 if you use plain yogurt), poppy seeds (i find this is the minimum you can use and still keep the right taste), lemon extract, egg , equivalent, plain fat-free yogurt (plain is ok, but lemon is better) or 1 (8 oz) container fat-free lemon yogurt (plain is ok, but lemon is better)

lukewarm water (90of to 100of), dry yeast or two 0.6-oz packages fresh yeast, crumbled, all purpose flour (i use king arthur bread flour), extra-virgin olive oil, coarse sea salt, note: i have found that adding anywhere from 1-2 tsp. of salt (table salt works just fine) to the flour while making the dough works as good or better than the coarse salt on top. it depends on your taste. i would suggest adding 1 tsp. of salt to the flour and maybe lightly adding the coarse salt before baking. or forgo the coarse salt altogether and add 1.5 tsp of salt to the flour for the dough. bread does needs salt to have a good taste., note 2: drizzle with olive oil before baking., note 3: you can knead with a little olive oil to keep from adding more flour and prevent dryness., add herbs of your choice and/or a grated favorite cheese. i have used rosemary, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, cracked black pepper, asiago, and parmesan in various combinations and it all worked out well.

pork roast (pre-diced pork works well for a faster preparation. just brown with onions), cooking oil or 2 tbsp lard or 2 tbsp bacon grease, chopped onion (not traditional) (optional), head minced garlic (taste great , but also helps prevent heart burn), flour, tomatoes, drained, diced green chilies (i use big jims, roasted, peeled and frozen by the bushel every fall), tomatillos, husks removed and coarsely chopped (optional), jalapenos (optional), water (broth is not traditional, but i like the flavor better) or 5 cups chicken broth (broth is not traditional, but i like the flavor better), ground cumin (or to taste), ground chili powder (or to taste) (optional), salt

butter (can use hard margarine), all-purpose flour, all-purpose flour, black pepper (more is better , i use freshly ground pepper), pan drippings (or see options below the recipe)

flour, baking powder (heaping), baking soda, cinnamon (can use more or less ), allspice, nutmeg, salt, eggs, light brown sugar (can use more ), butter ( is better!) or 1/2 cup margarine, melted ( is better!), unsweetened applesauce, chopped nuts, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg

onion, chopped, fresh minced garlic, green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped, oil, carrot, peeled and diced (about 1/8-inch), white button mushrooms, very finely chopped (can use less ), seasoning salt (or use white salt is better), black pepper, worcestershire sauce, chopped fresh parsley, chili sauce or 1/4 cup ketchup, grated parmesan cheese (can use more or less ), fresh breadcrumbs, full-fat milk (or use half and half), eggs , slighty beaten (if you are using extra large or jumbo only use 1 egg), ground turkey (use a mixture of both white and dark meat), chili sauce (or use 1 cup ketchup mixed with 2 tablespooons brown sugar)

all purpose flour ( i use bob s red mill pastry whole wheat flour or king arthur white whole wheat flour ), oatmeal ( i use old fashioned, not quick for better quality carb ), sugar ( use splenda for baking for sugar free or another type of sugar, brown etc as desired ), baking powder ( aluminum free ), raisins or dried cranberries or blueberries ( try nuts if you don tsp want the concentrated dried fruit.), fat free milk ( see note ) tepid, virgin coconut oil melted ( or olive ), egg lightly beaten , room temp ( or use egg replacer or how about unsweetend applesauce ), vanilla ( pure )

bone in chicken breasts, water, stalks celery, sliced in 1/4-inch pieces, carrots, peeled and sliced in 1/4-inch pieces, onions, chopped, minced garlic, salt (or to taste), white pepper (can use more ), black pepper (can use more ), cayenne pepper (can use more ), cumin (can use more ), chopped fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes and green chilies, original (rotel), diced tomatoes and green chilies, mild (rotel), heavy whipping cream (can use more ), corn, drained, corn tortillas, monterey jack and cheddar cheese blend, fancy shred (for topping), peanut oil or canola oil or vegetable oil, for frying tortilla strips, chicken base (better than bullion, can use more)

muffin pans, a special metal baking pan , sometimes referred to as a muffin tin, with 6 or 12 cup-shaped depressions. most often this pan is made from aluminum., muffin cups are, standard muffin cup is about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and holds 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter., giant or texas-size muffin cup is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter and holds 5/8 cup batter., muffin cup is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter and holds 1/8 cup or 2 tbsp batter., muffin-top cup is about 4 inches in diameter but are only 1/2 inch deep ., substituting a different size muffin cup, substitute another size muffin cup for original size listed in recipe. if substituting a larger size muffin cup the recipe will yield fewer muffins and if using smaller size muffin cup the recipe will yield more muffins. the bake time will be changed also. bake a larger muffin longer than the original time and smaller muffins a shorter time., tips on baking muffins, grease muffin cups by spraying each cup with no stick cooking spray or using a paper towel dipped in shortening to grease each cup., use paper liners in muffin cups for easy clean-up., if muffin cups are filled more than 3/4 full the muffins will have flat, flying saucer tops. if sufficient room is not allowed for muffins to expand before reaching the top of the cup the muffin will flatten on top., if some muffin cups will remain empty during baking , put 2 to 3 tbsp water in the unused muffin cups to keep the pan from warping., if baked muffins stick to the bottom of the muffin cup, place hot muffin pan on a wet towel for about two minutes., source : land o lakes, all about muffins, are you eating muffins or cupcakes, hot breads are always a hit and muffins are 1 of the easiest to make. they are more quickly and easily made than biscuits and no kneading, rolling or cutting is required. they can be a savory, last minute dinner muffin or a sweet delicious breakfast muffin. made using whole-wheat flour, wheat germ, bran, honey, fruits and nuts they can be very nutritious. but like the healthy granola craze which turned into candy bars, muffins also can quickly turn into cupcakes. eating cupcakes for breakfast is your choice, but don tsp tell yourself you are eating healthy breakfast muffins. a recent magazine article revealed some muffins available in new york delicatessens were claimed to be low fat, but actually contained up to 23 g of fat. that s more fat than two egg mcmuffins., what is the difference between muffins and cupcakes, some say cupcakes have frosting. a basic formula for muffins is 2 cups flour, 2-4 tbsp sugar, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 egg, 1/4 cup oil, shortening or butter, 1 cup milk. when the fat, sugar and egg ratio in a recipe reaches double or more than this, you have reached the cake level., other technical difference between muffins and cupcakes, method of cooking is different for muffins and cupcakes. the muffin method is by far the fastest and easiest. flour, sugar, baking powder and salt (all the dry ingredients) are mixed together. this is where the leavening can be uniformly dispersed into the flour. sugar is mixed with the flour to prevent the flour from lumping when combined with the wet ingredients., making and baking muffins, in a large bowl, oil (or melted butter) and egg are beaten together to form an emulsion to disperse the fat more uniformly. then the milk is stirred in. this much mixing can be done ahead and held. the two are combined just before baking., combine, cut and fold liquid into the dry ingredients. mix only to combine. batter will be lumpy but no pockets of dry ingredients should remain. the general rule is only 12 strokes., bake as soon as it s mixed. when filling cups, do not mix batter between scoops. excessive mixing causes loss of leavening., cake method for making muffins, sometimes muffins are made using the cake method , i.e. cream the fat and sugar, add eggs, add the dry ingredients and milk alternately. this is more time consuming but produces a lighter, more tender, cake-like muffin., perfect muffin, perfect muffin has a thin brown crust , a slightly rounded top with a pebbled appearance and a moist, even interior. there should be no peaks, no tunnels which are usually caused by excessive mixing and too much liquid (muffin batter should not be fluid)., more leavening is not better, just because a recipe is in print does not mean that it is in balance. a guide for leavening 2 cups of flour in a recipe is either 2 1/2 tsp double acting baking powder, or 4 tsp fast acting baking powder, or 1/2 tsp soda plus 1 cup buttermilk (for the acid) and 1 1/4 tsp baking powder. excess baking powder and soda taste bitter., here are a few tips for altering muffin recipes, substitute 2 egg whites for 1 egg in the recipe. if these are stiffly beaten and folded in at the end it will produce a lighter muffin with less fat., use non-fat milk instead of whole milk ., use salad oil in place of butter. in place of the fat in the recipe , use 1-fourth of the oil and replace the other three-fourths with fruit puree such as applesauce. jars of baby food fruits provide a quick choice of purees other than apple. adding non-gluten grain products (bran, germ, oatmeal, corn meal) for part of the flour makes a more tender muffin., create your own taste sensations, begin with the basic formula and change 1/2 cup of the flour to corn meal, bran, wheat germ, rye, oatmeal or leftover cooked cereal. add 1/2 to 1 cup chopped apple, dates, prunes, raisins, apricots, figs, blueberries, cranberries, cheese, nuts., make your favorite muffin mixes by measuring the dry ingredients twice (or more ) into two separate bowls. use 1 and package 1 with the list of wet ingredients to be added when mixing at a later date.

any liquid can be reduced just by heating it - but why would you want to do that, answer comes back to two of our old friends, flavor and consistency (texture)., by reducing any flavored liquid you intensify its flavor and at the same time thicken it. you can continue this process until what you have left is a syrup if it contains sugar, or a sauce if it does not., this is 1 of the most important tools in the kitchen , believe it or not, because a great sauce can rescue an indifferent meal., literally any liquid can be reduced ., a few uses, wine is frequently used in cooking , both as a marinade and as an addition to sauces for meat., there are some problems with it though, 1 of which is that you need a really good wine and quite a lot of it to produce a reasonable sauce for, say, six people., on the other hand , if you use pure grape juice and reduce it to a syrup, that syrup, added to any sauce (or gravy if you prefer) will lift it into the realms of gourmet ., more , you don tsp have to make your reduction on the night you prepare your meal. you can reduce a liter of grape juice at any time to the consistency and flavor you want; then just store it in the fridge., you can do the same thing with any fruit juice - prune is sensational - and store it until needed. just about all of them will do things for ice cream, pies or tarts that will have your guests demanding the recipe, pork with apple sauce use a carton of fresh apple juice from the supermarket and reduce it. and if you want a real sensation add in a glass of apple brandy during the reduction process., are you getting an idea of how simple this is, take any carton of fresh stock straight of the shelf and reduce it. you will transform it into something even the manufacturer won tsp recognize. but beware, you need to start out with good quality in the first place, because when you reduce a liquid you intensify all the flavors, and not just the good ones., if it s salty to start with, for example, it will be salty beyond belief by the time you ve reduced it even by half. so if you are going to use a supermarket stock, make sure it s an extremely good 1., believe me when i tell you that stock cubes should not be used for reduction sauces., thickeners, because you will be tasting as you go (won tsp you ), you may find that you get the flavor you want before the desired consistency is reached., a couple of hints right now for your sauces., sweet ones can be thickened successfully without loss of color by adding in liquid glucose early on in the reduction process. surprisingly, this will add little in the way of sweetness and produces a beautiful velvety sauce when whisked., if you get it wrong and add too much, no problem. stir in a little extra water to thin it., reduction pans, reductions need to happen rapidly in serving to preserve flavors. and the greater the surface area of the liquid the faster the water will evaporate., however you may want to whisk something into the sauce while its cooking - such as butter or olive oil for example - and for that i find a small wok is best; 1 with a handle., a wok is less likely to reduce so fast that the sauce is burnt while your back is turned. but try both methods and see which you prefer. you may even end up using something totally different., no magic to this. whatever works for you, that s what you should use, in this and everything else to do with cooking., just bear in mind that what you re after is speed and ease of use. as well as a great tasting result, of course. :>), keeping, if they should dry out , simply add a little water and heat through., sauces containing meat juices of any kind must be frozen if you re going to keep them, and should be brought to boiling point before being used again. there is no need to thaw them out to do this, in fact it s better not to. simply drop the frozen cubes into a saucepan, melt them over a gentle heat, and then bring swiftly to the boil., why do you do this to avoid food poisoning, that s why. you are making sure that any bugs introduced into the sauce during the preparation process are killed off., worry , this will not be because of anything you have done wrong (i hope!), but because bacteria are part of our everyday lives and they exist in every kitchen, however clean., in fact your food , and especially your meat, is crawling with wildlife that you will never see. don tsp worry about them. careful handling and simple precautions will ensure that these miniature monsters can never multiply enough to harm either you or your guests.

olive oil (i use enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of my pot), onion, chopped, garlic cloves, minced (or to taste, the more the better i use 6 extra large cloves), dried basil (rubbed between fingers to release flavor), dried oregano (rubbed between fingers to release flavor), crushed red pepper flakes (optional or adjust to taste), tomato paste (can use two cans for a thicker richer sauce if desired), whole roma tomatoes, undrained (break up with a fork before cooking, go ahead and use two cans if desired!), dry red wine (you may omit if desired but good to add in, can use white wine), sugar (optional or to taste), salt (or to taste, a good tomato sauce needs lots so don tsp be shy with the ), fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

refried beans (or better yet fry your own! pintos, red beans, black beans-whatever), taco seasoning mix (or mix your own with garlic powder, comino, chili powder), salsa or 3 tbsp taco sauce, sour cream (can use fat-free), avocados, lemon juice, canned green chilies, sliced black olives, monterey jack cheese, shredded, chopped tomato, chopped green onion, alfalfa sprout

eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, bread (the older, the better; and i use texas toast ), more, as needed ) butter, maple syrup , jam, powdered sugar or strawberry sauce - see recipe below (for topping)

butter, half-and-half cream (the half and half cream is better to use) or 1/4 cup milk (the half and half cream is better to use), kraft cheez whiz, shredded cheddar cheese, salt, fresh ground black pepper (optional and to taste)

vegetable oil (i use crisco ), soy sauce, garlic clove, crushed, brown sugar (i used sugar twin to keep the calories down), fresh ginger, minced (fresh is better though) or 1/4 tsp dried ginger (fresh is better though)

pasta (i prefer campanelle or fusilli from barilla), sugar snap peas, center-cut bacon, chopped, shallot, chopped (should be about 1/2 to 2/3 cup. red onion can be subbed but then up garlic), garlic cloves, chopped, red wine (the better the wine, the better the meal!), red pepper flakes, black pepper , divided into two 1/4 tsp, red wine vinegar, parmesan cheese (i mostly used kraft reduced fat with a few tbsp fresh mixed in), fresh parsley, salt and pepper

steaks , ny strip, bone in suggested (don tsp skimp on quality), kosher salt, black peppercorns, coarsely crushed, butter (clarified & unsalted), shallots, minced, beef stock (i use better than boullion) or 3/4 cup broth (i use better than boullion), brandy or 1/4 cup cognac, heavy cream, green peppercorn , in brine, drained and slightly crushed

orange basmati rice, basmati rice or other long grain rice, cold water, chicken base (i use better than bouillon,or 2 tsp chicken bouillon granules), shredded orange zest, salt, chicken, boneless skinless chicken breast halves, filleted, butter or margarine, olive oil, chopped green onions, shredded orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper, raisins, coarsely chopped