75 better your Recipes

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.

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.

baked cheddar broccoli rice cups, thanks to fountain ave. grill: http://fountainavenuekitchen.com/baked-cheddar-broccoli-rice-cups, simple to whip up with ingredients you have on hand, this side is a sure kid-pleaser that adults will enjoy as well. i employ 1 of my favorite kitchen tricks with this recipe: any time i use frozen broccoli or spinach that needs to be thawed and drained well, i put it inside a tea towel and literally wring it out. you will be surprised by how much water is released, and getting rid of it will prevent your finished product from becoming soggy., vary the cheese if you like or bake in a casserole dish or jumbo muffins tins. for my better-for-you ranch dressing, quick-cooking rice , like minute rice (can substitute about 2 cups regular, cooked rice and omit the 1 cup stock below), chicken stock, frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed and excess water squeezed out, shredded cheddar cheese, divided, homemade ranch dressing (see recipe), or store bought, eggs, lightly beaten, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, low-fat buttermilk, chobani 2% plain yogurt, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, canola or olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, minced chives, whisk all ingredients together ., dressing will keep for a week or so, covered, in the refrigerator., if you prefer a thicker dressing , use approximately 1/4 cup of buttermilk depending on your personal preference and intended use.

russet potatoes, skin peeled and cubed, bacon, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces, chopped carrots, chopped celery stalks, chopped onions, minced cloves of garlic, tb. coarsley ground pepper, tb better than bouillon , chicken stock seasoning in 3 cups of water or 3 cups of chicken stock, cream cheese, cubed and at room temperature ., heavy cream or milk (and you can use 2 tb butter mixed with 2 tb flour, fried in a pan and add 2 cups of milk to this, wisking well .. a cream sauce to be added to the finished soup for thickening added along with the milk) see comment below please.., before serving, taste your soup and at that time, you can add more pepper or salt. if you re serving the soup with a salty bread or with salted crackers, you do not need to add any salt. (there is enough salt in the bouillon seasoning and in the crackers, not to mention the bacon.)

boneless beef top sirloin steak, about 3/4 to 1 inch thick, seasoned salt , without msg, garlic granules, fresh ground black pepper, lemon & herb seasoning, extra virgin olive oil, divided, sliced cleaned mushrooms, onion , sliced julienne,strips separated, condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted, dry white wine or 1/2 cup water, dijon mustard , according to your preference,but more is better, hot cooked rice or 4 cups cooked wide egg noodles, as accompaniment use your favorite recipe, chopped fresh chives (to garnish )

butter, divided, vegetable oil, vegetable oil, onions , halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise (about 6 cups), assorted wild mushrooms, cut into bite-size pieces (such as crimini, oyster, chanterelle, and stemmed shiitake), garlic cloves, minced, minced shallots (about 1 medium), dry white wine, minced fresh rosemary, cornmeal (for dusting), garlic oil (make your own with a minced garlic clove in 1 tsp oil), grated fontina cheese (about 10 oz), lukewarm water, granulated yeast (3/4 packet, room temperature ), salt, sugar, extra virgin olive oil (the fruitier the oil, the better the flavor), unbleached all-purpose flour

apples (2 golden delicious and 2 macintosh or 4 of your favorite but the apple sauce is better if you), lemon juice, sugar (depending on the sweetness of the apples and how sweet you want the apple sauce), gingerroot, cinnamon

red delicious apple, reduced-fat peanut butter (better yet, make your own and use less salt), marshmallows or 5 -20 vegan

english muffins (fork-cut), tomatoes , cut into 12 slices, pepper , to taste, crispy bacon (use more bacon, if desired and the crispier the better), american cheese (white or yellow , your preference)

equipment, stock pot ., fresh pumpkin (smaller is better, from your garden is better yet), water

italian sausage, lean ground beef, olive oil, mushrooms , sliced as thinly as possible, garlic (depends on how ky you like it, i love so i use a lot), red wine (good wine or cooking wine, the better the wine, the better the sauce), italian spices (or if you have fresh italian herbs on hand,use them to your taste, but it does turn out much better), tomato sauce, peeled crushed tomatoes (you can also use fresh tomatoes, but this makes the sauce really watery), tomato paste, parmesan cheese, romano cheese (not totally necessary, but the parmesan is really good), sugar (helps cut the acidity), salt (i ve never really measured on a lot of the stuff, but it sounds about right.)

oil or 1/2 cup of applesauce for those of us watching our figures lol., honey or brown sugar., eggs, rolled oats or quick oatmeal uncooked., baking powder ., milk (i use 1 cup of cold water and 1/3 cup of powdered )., cinnamon or nutmeg i use both or to taste., chopped nuts ,apples (i use granny smith better for baking),crasins.dried cherries,canned peaches drained or other fruit take your pick you don tsp need to use all of these .

refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, taco seasoning, salsa, green onion, chopped, mexican blend cheese, diced tomato, tortilla chips, for dipping

go to the crafts store., purchase 1 or more bags of dried fruit, some plaster of paris, brown paint and a disposable cake pan., go home ., unwrap the dried fruit , carefully folding the wrapper inside-out and placing it at the bottom of your trash can. better yet, send it through your personal paper shredder and use it for insulation in the attic., mix the plaster of paris with water and pour into the disposable cake pan. place dried fruit on top, gently pushing in so it looks baked in the batter. let dry., take your fruitcake out of the disposable cake pan ., cover the top, bottom and sides with brown paint, avoiding the fruit., wrap your fruitcake in festive , colored saran wrap and finish with a bow. i like using red wrap because it gives a warm glow to the fruitcake., give your fruitcake to someone you want to impress. when they lift it, they ll say, wow! you must have made a really rich fruitcake! don tsp forget to smile and say, oh, its paris-style fruitcake., worry about someone trying to eat your fruitcake. nobody actually eats fruitcake... that s just a rumor. just so you know, the dried fruit won go bad because it has the same preservatives as twinkies, which have a shelf-life of about 237 years.

nonfat yogurt (your choice , though, fat free and whole both work well! if you can find greek yogurt, even better!), seedless cucumber , seeds scooped out, small diced, garlic clove, minced (to taste), lemon juice, dried dill (to taste), salt and pepper

meatballs (20-25 1-inch, use your favorite recipe or use frozen if you must), pineapple chunks (fresh is always better, however canned works well), bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces (green, yellow, red and or or orange), brown sugar, vinegar (i use apple cider), toothpick

cool whip or store brand non dairy whipped cream, your favorite chocolate instant pudding mix (the darker the chocolate the better and try not to use milk chocolate it s too light in flavor), your favorite chocolate syrup (hersheys, bosco etc), cinnamon , shaved chocolate and mint leaf for garnish (optional)

kielbasa ( the spicier-hotter the better, but it s your choice), butter, head, coarsely chopped cabbage, potatoes sliced, onion, sliced, apple slices (optional), water