543 important Recipes

when things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in the day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two cups of coffee., a professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. when the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. he then asked the students if the jar was full. they agreed that it was., professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. he shook the jar lightly. the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. he then asked the students again if the jar was full. they agreed it was., professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. of course, the sand filled up everything else. he asked once more if the jar was full. the students respnded witha unanimous yes, professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. the students laughed., now , said the professor as the laughter subsided, i want you to recognise that this jar represents your life. the golf balls are the important things - god, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions - and if everything else was lost and only these remained, your life would still be full., pebbles are the other things that matter like your job , your house and your car., sand is everything else - the small stuff. if you put the sand into the jar first , there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. the same goes for life. if you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you., pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. play with your children. spend time with your parents. visit with grandparents. take time to get medical checkups. take your spouse out to dinner. play another 18. there will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. take care of the golf balls first - the things that really matter. set your priorities. the rest is just sand., students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. the professor smiled. i m glad you asked., it just goes to show that no matter how full your life may seem, there s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.

strawberries, hulled, sugar cubes (important to use ; it s the best sugar for jam, according to my mother)

roasted macadamia nuts, ground vanilla wafer cookies, dark brown sugar, unsalted butter, melted, fresh pink grapefruit juice, sugar, unflavored gelatin, fresh lime juice, imported white chocolate (such as lindt or callebaut), chopped, whipping cream, chilled whipping cream, chilled whipping cream, sugar, lime slices, cut in half, imported white chocolate (such as callebaut), shaved into curls (optional)

safflower oil, plastic 6-count lollipop mold (6-count ), imported white chocolate, imported bittersweet chocolate, lollipop sticks, red cellophane bags (optional), gold ribbons (optional)

zucchini, vegetable oil cooking spray, olive oil, onion, chopped finely, garlic cloves, minced, lean ground beef, tomato sauce, ripe tomato , cut into pieces, banana peppers or 1 jalapeno pepper, bay leaf, beau monde seasoning, honey, pepper, oregano (dried ), fresh mushrooms, sliced, cinnamon, allspice, fat cottage cheese, marsala wine, fresh grated parmesan cheese (use imported ) or 1/4 cup romano cheese (use imported), fresh parsley, chopped or 2 tsp dried parsley

chicken drumsticks, skin on (the skin is important for flavour, and is so tasty to eat!), water, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic clove, peeled and bruised, hot chili pepper , slit open, seeds removed

pizza dough, prepared but not baked (i suggest easy peezy pizza dough (bread machine pizza dough)), fresh imported mozzarella cheese, firm ripe tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil leaves , cut into thin ribbons (not dried), freshly grated imported parmesan cheese, salt

fresh chorizo sausage or 1 lb italian sausage or 1 lb fresh pork sausage, olive oil, sliced onion, sliced green bell pepper, sliced red bell pepper, chicken thighs or 8 chicken drumsticks (i use bone-in, or more), dry white wine or 1/2 cup vermouth, minced garlic (i tend to use more), good-quality chicken broth, saffron strand, paprika, ground coriander, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper, imported spanish rice or 2 cups italian rice or 2 cups converted rice (julia suggests uncle ben s; i use arborio), raw shrimp, in the shell, tomatoes, peeled,seeded,juiced,and roughly chopped, fresh green peas or 2 cups diced fresh green beans, blanched 5 minutes, chickpeas, fresh cooked or canned (i use black beans), black olives, pitted, lemons, quartered, parsley sprig

kosher salt, heavy cream, crushed tomatoes , in thick tomato puree, freshly grated pecorino romano cheese (1 1/2 oz), shredded imported italian fontina (1 1/2 oz), crumbled italian gorgonzola (1 1/2 oz), ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced, fresh basil leaves, chopped, imported penne rigate, unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

olive oil, garlic cloves, peeled, boneless lean pork, cut into 1 in cubes, parsley, finely chopped, salt, paprika, black pepper, pulverized saffron, onion, chopped, sweet red pepper, seeded & cut into strips, green pepper, seeded & cut into strips, water, ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, & chopped, short-grain rice (preferably imported spanish rice) or 1 1/2 cups medium grain rice (preferably imported spanish rice), boiling beef broth or 3 cups boiling vegetable broth

whipping cream, half and half, egg yolks, sugar, imported white chocolate (such as lindt), chopped, quartered stemmed strawberries, mangoes, peeled , pulp cut away from pit, sugar cones, imported white chocolate (such as lindt), chopped, vegetable oil, rainbow mix sprinkles (nonpareil), chocolate sprinkles and/or dark chocolate shavings, imported bittersweet (not unsweetened ) chocolate, chopped

garlic, salt, red bell peppers or 1 green bell pepper, roasted,peeled and seeded, stale french bread, fresh ripe tomatoes, peeled,chopped and put through a food mill, extra virgin olive oil, cucumber, peeled,seeded and chopped, high quality spanish sherry wine vinegar, hard egg yolk, salt, fresh ground black pepper, chopped tomato (optional), paprika (optional), chopped green pepper (optional), chopped serrano chili (optional), chopped hard-boiled egg (optional), mayonnaise (optional), chopped green onion (optional), canned tuna in vegetable oil (optional), chopped onion (optional), chopped imported black olives (optional), chopped imported green olives (optional), parsley (optional), cumin (optional), tarragon leaf (optional), pine nuts (optional), crouton (optional)

unsalted butter, sugar, golden brown sugar, water, dark unsulphured molasses, instant espresso powder, ground cinnamon, salt, walnuts, toasted,coarsely chopped, imported bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (not unsweetened ), imported white chocolate, finely chopped (such as lindt)

chocolate ice cream, walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped, chocolate wafer cookies, broken into pieces, unsalted butter, melted, whipping cream, imported milk chocolate, chopped (i like lindt), vanilla extract, marshmallows, whipping cream, vanilla extract

cake flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, chilled unsalted butter , cut into pieces (1 stick), egg yolk, whipping cream, cold water (about), white chocolate, chopped (preferably imported ), hot whipping cream, unsalted butter, room temperature (1/2 stick), fresh raspberries, white chocolate, chopped (preferably imported )

all-purpose flour, salt, unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces, lard or vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces, ice water, butter, softened, vegetable oil, chopped onions, paprika, imported swiss gruyere cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 cup), imported swiss emmentaler cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 cup), eggs, light cream, milk, salt, ground nutmeg, preferably freshly grated

dry beans (mayocabo or pinto), onion, chopped, green bell pepper, chopped, salt pork or 4 oz bacon, fresh epazote (important), salt, paprika, cayenne (40, 000 heat units), mexican oregano, cumin, ground, ground black pepper, chopped cilantro, fresh, garlic, chopped (from jar), beer , good , not sissy, juice from lacostena whole canned jalapeno (brand is important to me), jalapeno, fresh chopped

water, salt, imported polenta, unsalted butter, dolce latte gorgonzola, cut into chunks, imported fontina, diced, grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for the table, fresh ground black pepper