35 makes better Recipes

butter ( makes it taste better), sugar, evaporated milk, semisweet chocolate chunks , can use milk chocolate, marshmallow creme, chopped pecans, salt, vanilla

carrot, sliced, diced onion, garlic cloves, minced, vegetable broth , fat-free vegetarian (make sure it s low sodium), water, green cabbage, diced, green beans (fresh is better ), tomato paste, kosher salt (or sea ), zucchini, sliced, paprika, shallot, diced, bay leaves, fresh thyme, fresh oregano, basil leaves, sage leaves

pinto beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, shoe peg corn, chopped celery, green pepper, onion (chopped ), pepper, chopped cilantro (fresh makes it taste better), red pepper (optional), sugar (diabetics and carb counters can use a substitute such as splenda), cider vinegar, canola oil, water

shredded cabbage and carrots from ready-to-eat package, poured loosely into a measuring cup and settled down ever so lightly with the finger tips., apple grated , should make 1 cup (i prefer brae-burn for its crispness), grated fresh onion (more is not better .), miracle whip (half the fat of mayo.), milk, level tsp sugar, salt

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.

active dry yeast or 1 tbsp of saf-instant yeast., warm water (105 to 115f), white sugar, salt, shortening (butter makes a better roll), eggs, orange juice (absorbic acid). it helps the yeast rise., lukewarm mashed potatoes, gold medal all-purpose or unbleached flour

chicken thighs, about 2 1/2 lb (note : i often remove the skins), kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, vegetable oil , preferably peanut oil (note: regardless of the oil you use, i sub half sesame oil here for extra flavor - it s great), soy sauce, honey, garlic cloves, minced (note : i often use up to 4 cloves here because i love garlic), fresh ginger, peeled and minced, toasted coriander (spread them over the bottom of a small skillet over medium-high heat and toss or stir them until dark brown and fragrant, 3-5 minutes. transfer to plate to cool, then grind in a small grinder or mortar and pestle. if you use pre-ground coriander, heat it a bit in a pan first and cool....it makes the taste better.), curry powder, cayenne pepper, my adaptations to the marinade and optional, chopped scallions, cilantro, hoisin sauce, unsalted butter (if you re browning the chicken on the stovetop before going into the oven), peanut butter (creamy or chunky, your preference), hoisin sauce, fresh lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, fresh ginger, peeled and minced, crushed red pepper flakes

broccoli florets- stems cut off (i prefer fresh ), white onion- sliced into thin rainbows, garlic- crushed and minced, fresh basil- about 4-5 leaves rolled up and cut into ribbons (try to use fresh, tastes much better!), red crushed pepper (or to taste if you can tsp handle a little heat!), salt, coarse black pepper- 5 grinds, parmigiana cheese- try to use a good brand, drizzle of balsamic glaze- i used store bought , but its easy to make at home too, pam- olive oil flavored, olive oil, cold water (for boiling ), cold water with ice (for blanching)

dried fruit compote with sambuca, this quick compote is a good choice for a winter dinner when you have little time to cook but want to make an impression. you can prepare it ahead (it s better made ahead), then spoon it over store-bought ice cream to create an original and memorable dessert. i also like it with blue cheese at the end of a meal, especially if there s a dessert wine on the table., dried peaches or nectarines, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips, dried pears , cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips, dried apricots, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips or quartered, golden raisins, dried cherries, water, sugar, cinnamon stick, lemon zest strips, fresh lemon juice, sambuca or other anise liqueur

onion, bell pepper (orange, red, or yellow make it look better), stalks celery, garlic bulb, butter, ham, diced, andouille (or other smoked ) sausage; sliced or chunked, bonless , skinless chicken breasts (raw, diced), shrimp (medium, uncooked, shelled, deveined ), beef broth, wine (white, dry ), rice (white, uncooked ), cajun/creole seasoning (i use emeril s essence ), cayenne pepper (vary this to turn the heat up or down), thyme

elbow macaroni , undercooked in boiling,salted water &,drained, butter, flour, dry mustard (colman s), cayenne pepper, cheddar cheese soup, melted butter, salt, milk (skim is okay, higher fat is better), heavy cream, grated medium cheddar, grated colby cheese, plain breadcrumbs , very coarsely grated from a stale loaf of crusty white bread (good country bread is best but if you use store bought crumbs, make sure they are roughly grated, no)

i have found for cooking heavy whipping cream is best. cook slow and temper (this is when u add some of the hot liquid to the cream to bring it up to temp.) before putting in a hot liquid. if it is cooked to long and too hot it will break up or separate. i also know it can dry up, but just follow these rules and it should be okay. cream picks up flavors pretty quick. i would thin 15 or 30 mins. is long enough to let the cream sit with ingredients, althought when i was making souffles and other desserts the cream was not a factor unless i beat it too long (it would dis-solve to nothing), didnt have a clean, cold bowl or cream was warm., cream, half & is at least 10.5% butterfat (milkfat), light cream is between 18 and 30% butterfat, light whipping cream is between 30 and 36% butterfat, heavy whipping cream is between 36 and 40% butterfat., colder cream is to start, and the colder it stays as you whip it, the easier and better it whips., if it is not cold enough , it doesn tsp whip , it churns (no air is incorporated) which makes butter., when whipping cream , add the sugar when the cream is mostly whipped, and the cream will whip to a higher volume. adding the sugar at., prevent cream from curdling when adding to coffee, use fresh cream. as cream ages, its lactic acid content increases. acid can curdle cream. the acid in coffee, along with coffee s heat, favor curdling of cream., here are some facts and tips on using cream or milk in hot dishes., lower the butterfat (milkfat) content, the more likely cream is to separate., half & is at least 10.5% butterfat (milkfat), light cream is between 18% and 30% butterfat, light whipping cream is 30% to 36% butterfat, heavy cream (heavy whipping cream) is 36% to 40% butterfat, hotter the liquid , the more likely cream is to curdle (separate). cream should never be added to a boiling liquid., when adding cream or milk, it is best to heat it up a bit before adding it to another hot liquid. it is partly the difference in temperature that causes milk or cream to curdle. the beginning results is lower volume., freezing cream : freeze only heavy cream containing 40% or more butterfat. heat to 170 to 180of for 15 minutes. for storage longer than 2 months, add 1/3 cup sugar per quart of cream. cool quickly. place in moisture-vapor resistant containers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace., cream whipped after freezing and thawing does not become as stiff as never-frozen cream. individual whipped cream garnishes can be satisfactorily frozen by whipping cream before freezing. place dollops of whipped cream on baking sheet and freeze. once solidly frozen, remove dollops and store in the freezer in freezer containers.

brussels sprout, fresh, washed, and sliced in half, olive oil, butter, garlic cloves, minced, white onion, minced, balsamic vinegar, bacon, cooked and crumbled, sliced almonds, toasted, salt, pepper