526 don knock til Recipes

flour tortilla (per pizza), land o lakes roasted garlic butter spread, grated parmesan cheese, drained roma tomatoes (approx. 2-3 tomatoes) diced 3/8, fresh basil cut in 1/8 julienne strips, lobster meat cut in 1/2 - 3/4 chunks, italian six-cheese blend, red pepper flakes (to kick it up a notch, if you don tsp like spicy, you can make the pizza without this ingredient)

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.

flavor of this stew really depends on good fresh corn. don tsp forget to scrape the pulp out of the cobs (see below) or the stew will be watery and a little bland. this homey dish is usually served with a crusty, rustic loaf of bread to help sop up the sauce and plenty of hot sauce; you can also serve this over plain steamed rice., ears corn , husks and silk removed, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (8 to 10 thighs), trimmed, salt and ground black pepper, vegetable oil, kielbasa sausage , sliced 1/4 inch thick, red bell peppers , stemmed, seeded , and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, onions , minced, celery ribs , minced, cayenne pepper, garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 tsp), minced fresh thyme leaves , or 1/4 tsp dried, low-sodium chicken broth, bay leaves, minced fresh cilantro leaves, removing corn kernels and pulp from the cob, hold the cob on its end inside a large wide bolw and cut off the kernels using a paring knife., once the kernels are removed , firmly scrape the pulp and milk out of the cob using the back of a butter knife.

bacon, chop and cook til crispy, butter, broiler-fryer chickens, cut into quarters, white pearl onions (peeled and left whole ), mushrooms, sliced, garlic cloves (minced ), scallion (cleaned and cut up ), flour, dry red table wine, chicken bouillon cubes, boiling water, salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf

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)

onion, chopped, garlic cloves, crushed, ground ginger, garam masala, ground coriander, ground cumin, chili powder, chopped tomato, chopped spinach, cubed panir (fried til golden), plain yogurt, salt

avocado, cream cheese, alfalfa sprout, tomato (sliced ), banana pepper (pickled ), veggie bacon (cooked til slightly crispy), whole grain bread (i use flat bread, ciabatta or pita would also be great)

potatoes, peeled and cooked, butter, onion, chopped, rosemary, salt, pepper, cottage cheese , beaten til smooth, sour cream, eggs, beaten, flour

hot italian sausage meat, ground beef ; lean (you don;tsp need all the fat), whole yellow/spanish onions; chopped fine, whole head of garlic; minced, whole jalapeno peppers; seeded and chopped, dehydrated scotch bonnet peppers ; ***optional*** be careful handling this stuff it is hot and not for the faint of heart. this is the only warning you will get!!!!! seriously!!! and don;tsp touch your eyes. nose or private parts while making unless you wash the pepper oils off your hands first with soap and water. better yet, use rubber gloves when making.

head red cabbage, coarsely shredded (you don;tsp need a very big head), tart cooking apples like granny smith, peeled chopped, bacon drippings (save them puppies!), margarine, raisins, qts. cran-grape or cran-apple juice, white vinegar, sugar, black pepper

garlic bread, this goes great with any italian dish , and is simple to make., garlic powder, oregano, basil, dired minced garlic, kosher salt, parmesean cheese, butter, softened, italian bread, preheat oven to 375 degrees. combine spices in a mortar in pestle, and grind until the salt and minced garlic have been broken down and combined. if you don tsp have a mortar and pestle, simply put the spices in a zip loc freezer bag, and beat with the flat side of a meat tenderizer or rolling pin until crushed and combined. slice loaf in half length wise, and spread each half with a half stick of butter. divide the spice mixture in half, and spread each half evenly over each piece of bread. wrap each half in aluminum foil and bake for about 15 minutes. to crisp it up a bit, open the foil up and bake another 5 to 7 minutes.

soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil (use less if you don tsp like this or use olive oil), garlic - minced, asparagus, sesame seeds

fruitcakes get an awful lot of bad press , especially the mass produced varieties, but a rich homemade version can be incredibly delicious., fruitcake is a mixture of fruits and nuts with just enough batter to hold them together. when wrapped in cloth and foil, saturated with alcoholic liquors regularly, and kept in in tightly closed tins, a fruitcake may be kept for months or even years, have it your way ..., if there are certain fruits you don tsp like , you can always include more of another, or some of your own favorites. dried fruits cooked in juice can take the place of candied fruits, and seeds can replace nuts. to convert a favorite dark fruitcake recipe to a light fruitcake, leave out the dark spices, use light colored fruits (golden raisins, dried apricots, etc.), and replace dark corn syrup or molasses with light corn syrup

boneless chicken breasts, yellow onion, sliced, portabella mushroom, chopped fine, fresh spinach , microwaved in covered bowl til just soft,and seasoned with, lemon juice, salt and pepper, fontina, sliced (or other sharp or rich cheese), flour, seasoned with, salt , and, pepper, olive oil, dried basil, dried tarragon, salt and pepper, phyllo pastry sheets (approx. 12 x 18 ea.), butter, melted & combined with, olive oil (for brushing phyllo)

potatoes, peeled or unpeeled ,boiled til soft, onions, finely chopped, celery, finely chopped, green bell peppers, finely chopped, whole wheat flour, minced fresh parsley

active dry yeast, warm water, white wine, room temp, honey, olive oil, all-purpose flour, divided, salt, ricotta cheese, cream cheese , softened til creamy, grated asiago cheese, dried parsley flakes, pancetta, chopped, shallot, halved and thinly sliced, minced garlic, frozen chopped spinach, drained and squeezed dry, artichoke hearts , packed in water drained and quartered (or coarsely chopped), coarsely chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil or 1/2 cup water, drained, fresh sliced mushrooms, chopped roasted red pepper, sliced black olives, chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp. dried ), oregano, fontina, thinly sliced, grated asiago cheese, ground cayenne pepper, fresh cracked pepper, lightly toasted pine nuts, coarsely chopped

lasagna noodles, cooked, squash, sliced in big thin pieces, steamed til soft (yellow, patty pan and or or zucchini), olive oil, onion, chopped, garlic, minced, green pepper, chopped, chard leaves, chopped to bite-size pieces, squash, chopped (optional), diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, vodka, fresh basil, chopped, fresh thyme leaves, chopped, rosemary, chopped, salt, fresh ground pepper, smooth cashew butter (or 1 cup soaked , drained cashews), water, lemon juice, garlic cloves, minced, nutritional yeast, salt, fresh ground black pepper, fresh basil , choppedd, extra firm tofu, pressed for 1/2 hour (wrap in towel and put under something heavy), nutritional yeast