25 fast your Recipes

normal long grain rice, rice, water, your favorite salsa ., instant rice, instant rice, water, your favorite salsa .

pita bread (white or whole wheat), store-bought jar your favorite sauce (spaghetti or pizza), shredded mozzarella cheese (part-skim or whole milk), your favorite italian spices (garlic powder, oregano, basil, parsley, etc.)

chicken breasts ., general tsp s sauce mix ($1.25 at kroger )., frozen mixed stir fry vegetables ($1 at kroger )., cooked rice of your choice, i use jasmine rice., crushed red pepper flakes ., soy sauce ., water ., sugar ., flour ., egg (optional)

garlic clove, minced (any amount is fine, it s your choice), butter, low-fat milk, instant mashed potatoes, seasoning salt (or a little less if you prefer), pepper, drops worcestershire sauce, any kind of shredded cheese

cooked brown rice, bouillon cubes , i used chicken, zucchini (diced into chunks ), whole tomato (sliced then halved), purple onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick (then halved or to your liking), carrot, diced, red pepper (this may be omitted if preferred), olive oil, garlic powder

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.

olive oil, chopped onion, chopped mushrooms (your choice-portobella is good), sesame seeds, garlic salt, ground black pepper, all-purpose flour (may use 1/2 cup whole wheat flour to replace 1/2 cup white flour), fast rising yeast, salt, water, milk, olive oil, shredded cheddar cheese, egg white, water, sesame seeds

ripe avocado, peeled,chopped finely, tomato, cored ,seeds squeezed out, chunky salsa (mild, medium or hot for your taste ), spanish onion , coursely chopped into chunks, lime , juice of (optional)

frozen chicken breasts, boiled and re-frozen (see directions below), minced dried onion, dried parsley, your favorite seasoning salt , to taste, black pepper , to taste, a large cast iron pot or dutch oven, butter or margarine, frozen mixed vegetables (or 1 package), flaky refrigerator biscuits (like pillsbury grands), low-sodium chicken broth (a couple of large cans)

vegetables, cooked or canned, cut into bite-size pieces (i used green beans but potatoes, carrots, mushrooms...the possibilities are endless!), your favorite thick soup (i used amy s lentil, any cream of... soup will also work), plain soymilk (optional) or 2 tbsp milk (optional), flour, garlic cloves, minced, black pepper, margarine or 1 tbsp butter, breadcrumbs

semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, marshmallows, salted mixed nuts, chopped (your choice ), sweetened condensed milk, candy oil (optional)

butter (can use margarine), sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla, pie filling, your choice , cherry is popular, sugar , for dusting (optional)

extra-virgin olive oil , 3 turns of the pan, garlic, finely chopped, whole peeled tomatoes (recommended : san marzano), crushed tomatoes, (recommended : san marzano)* if san marzanos are not available, add a tsp sugar to your sauce, optional, coarse salt, a handful fresh basil leaves , torn, ziti rigate , with ridges, butter, all-purpose flour, freshly ground black pepper, a generous grating nutmeg, whole milk, shredded asiago cheese, shredded parmigiano-reggiano, sliced fresh mozzarella, crusty bread , to pass at table

whole wheat spiral pasta (or another pasta of your choice), cottage cheese (i use the 4% fat, but use the variety of your choice), garlic cloves (more or less to your tastes ), extra virgin olive oil, freshly grated parmesan cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli , cut into bite-sized pieces, salt and pepper

your favorite frozen french fries (i like steak fries of the new fast food fries ), nonstick cooking spray (preferable the olive oil stuff ), chili powder, salt, pepper

ground beef, italian seasoned breadcrumbs, egg, cheese (i vary romano or parmasian), granulated garlic, onion powder, salt, black pepper, water, pasta sauce, cannelloni tubes, 12 count (or stuffed shells )

elbow macaroni, dill pickles, minced, black olives, minced, green onions, chopped (to taste), mayonnaise (add more to taste), yellow mustard (optional), salt (to taste), pepper (to taste), shredded cheddar cheese (to taste)

cherry pie, by edra ward, time for memories, cherry pie . . ., brown crust and spice and sugar, jucie fruit , piled high., twas baked in the big oven, along with three or four, thier wonderful aroma, came floating out the door ., we watched through all the making, often got a taste . . ., was so delicious, not 1 must go to waste., helped to pick the cherries, that made it extra good, carried in the wood ., we saw the dough mixed quickly, how fast the rolling pin, smoothed it out, so nice and round, just right to fit the tin., firm deft fingers worked, soon each crimson sphere, was ready to be covered, sugar and spice., top would then be dotted, cinnamon , here and there, latticed upper crust, was put in place with care., when twas time for dinner, how everyone would beam, as grandma cut the cherry pie, pour the rich thick cream ., filling for cherry pie, into your favorite unbaked piecrust , place the filling, sugar, cornstarch, salt, cherry juice, red coloring