130 making good Recipes

lean lamb (1-1/2 inch cubes , beef can be substituted), clarified butter (use samna or ghee if available, or make your , see note), salt, pepper, onion, finely chopped, plain greek yogurt, egg white, pepper, coriander (see spices note below), cumin, paprika, cardamom, whole blanched almond, pine nuts, loaves pita bread (khubz, arabic pita-type bread is used in jordan), rice , raw measure, cooked (jasmine medium grain or basmati is good), parsley or chives, chopped for garnish

everywhere you look , there is a lot of emphasis on cutting the fat out of our daily diets, but who wants to cut out the fat if it means cutting out the flavor when it comes to baking, there is a way to cut down on your fat intake without changing the ingredients in your favorite recipes. if you switch to nonstick silicone bakeware, you can cut down on your fat intake with minimal effort. because the bakeware is nonstick, you never have to use butter, shortening, or grease on your pans or sheets to ensure easy food removal., first silicone items made exclusively for baking were small silicone mats that fit nicely on your cookie sheet and allowed you to bake cookies with out greasing the cookie sheet or worrying about the bottoms getting burned. these little mats were a huge success and stores were hard pressed to keep them in stock., as the popularity of these mats grew , manufacturers decide to explore the idea of making more bakeware from silicone. they began making spoons, spatulas, and whisks that could withstand high heats and could be used with nonstick cookware with no fear of ruining the coating. silicone utensils were the perfect choice for candy making or any other project that required a boiling and sticky liquid to be stirred., kitchen supply manufacturers also introduced silicone potholders and oven gloves. because they can withstand heats up to 500 degrees, they are the perfect insurance that you won tsp get burned when you pull a hot dish from your oven. they don tsp conduct heat the way that a cloth potholder does and they are much sturdier and easy to keep clean than traditional potholders. home canners fell in love with silicone baker s mitts because they could actually reach into a pot of boiling water to remove a hot jar of food once it was done processing. as an added bonus these durable potholders do double duty as lid grippers making opening jars a snap., once silicone hit kitchens in the form of baking mats , utensils, and pot holders, kitchen experts began to see the potential of this material in everyday baking. suddenly almost any type of bakeware that could traditionally be found in stainless steel, aluminum, glass, or stoneware was being offered in brightly colored silicone. stores began selling muffin tins, bread loaf pans, cake pans, and pie pans. the most popular pieces tend to be the specialty designed cake pans that allow you to make cakes shaped like everything from roses to pumpkins. they even have mini cake pans that make individual, fancy shaped cakes., popularity of silicone bakeware skyrocketed as cooks began to see the benefits of using this material in their kitchens. foods pop out of silicone pans with amazing ease. you never need to grease, flour, or even use cooking spray on a silicone pan and that adds up to lots of calories and fat grams saved with each meal. because silicone is very flexible, it is easy to bend and twist it so that cakes and breads pop out easily. you never have to force baked goods out of the pan, so they retain there shape and you don tsp see a lot of split and broken cakes., silicone is a bakers dream when it comes to making evenly cooked delicacies. the material distributes heat evenly, so you never end up with a cake that is burned around the edges and still not cooked in the middle. it also cools down quickly ensuring that your foods will not continue cooking and possibly drying out once you remove them from the oven., because silicone is nonstick , cleanup is a breeze. a little soap and water and any crumb left on your bakeware disappears. it is nonporous, so it never retains any odors from the foods you cook. completely versatile it goes from oven to table to freezer and can even be thrown in the dishwasher. once you are done cleaning it, storage is a snap. with its flexibility, you can twist it, bend it, fold it or mash it up so it can fit in the smallest of drawers or cupboards., if you haven tsp tried silicone bakeware , add a piece or two to your kitchen. you will be surprised at its quality and flexibility.

boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces, mushrooms, halved (i like crimini), water, frozen small whole onions (or 3/4 cup chopped onion), celery, sliced , 1/2 inch slices, carrots, thinly sliced, paprika (make sure to use good quality paprika for full flavor!), salt , to taste, dried rubbed sage, dried thyme, pepper, freshly ground , to taste, chicken broth, tomato paste, water or 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth or 1/2 cup vegetable broth, cornstarch, frozen green peas or 2 cups frozen edamame soybeans, cubed extra firm tofu (optional)

pizza crust (make your own or use the pizza dough in the tube), butter, garlic powder, louisiana chicken wing sauce, italian seasoning, in the butter, drained frozen chopped spinach, hidden valley original ranch dressing, hidden valley original ranch dressing mix, shredded parmesan cheese (use the good stuff), shredded baby carrots, onion (chopped small), fresh celery (sliced ), shredded mozzarella cheese, shredded provolone cheese

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

chicken leg quarters, split, onions, diced (or 1 medium onion), garlic cloves, minced, tomato soup (can substitute a can of any sort of tomatoes, just make sure they re good and mashed up), cream of chicken soup, milk (if you don tsp have any , it s cool, water works good, too), water, dry sherry, red hot sauce (frank s cooks up the best when flavor, not spice is the key, substiture your own favorite), dried oregano, butter, salt and pepper

extra lean ground beef, ro-tel tomatoes, beef broth, chili powder, onion soup mix (i use lipton ), ripe avocados, good quality balsamic vinegar, lime and cilantro flavored salsa, super stuffer taco shells, shredded cheese (to make it easy i use a pre-shredded mexican mix), taco sauce (i use la victoria mild), sour cream, sea salt (ground ), pepper (ground ), shredded lettuce (optional), chopped olive (optional)

eggs, salt, milk, honey mustard, paprika, ground nutmeg, cayenne pepper (a pinch), butter, divided, sourdough french bread , large round artisan-style, cut in half to make 4 sandwiches, swiss cheese, good quality, rotisserie-cooked chicken, thinly sliced (i prefer the breast), parmesan cheese, freshly grated, sliced cooked ham, good quality (i prefer off-the-bone from the deli), honey mustard (optional) or raspberry preserves (optional)

chopped fresh mushrooms (a mix of button and cremini is good), diced zucchini, chopped green bell pepper, chopped red sweet bell pepper, vegetable broth, bulgur, dried basil, dried marjoram, dried thyme, celery seed, black pepper, head of cabbage, shredded muenster cheese, divided (you could leave out to make vegan or use parmesan cheese), lemon juice, salt, black pepper, tomato sauce, ketchup, lemon juice, maple syrup, hot pepper sauce , to taste, worcestershire sauce (optional)

spinach ala tom, i wanted to add that some cream cheese, sour cream added to this mixture would make a great dip, just add some milk to the cream cheese if needed to make it less thick, just don tsp over do it. i would add after all the other ingredients are cooked., a recipe something like my dad used to make , except he put 2 eggs in it and scrambled it all together, i don tsp do that. i also added a few things to it. of course all you velveeta fans can add that instead of the fresh parmesan., green giant frozen chopped spinach, oscar mayer chopped bacon ( in the yellow plastic pouch in the salad isle of your store) it s really lower fat and easier to use than regular bacon and it also tastes good., a small yellow onion diced, unsalted butter, amount of fresh shredded parmesan cheese for garnish .

milk chocolate bars - i buy the big ones that are always on sale at christmas time , but any size will do, just make sure it adds up to 20 oz. if you like darker fudge, substitute some or all of the 20 oz. with the semi-sweet chocolate bars., butter (not margarine!), softened to room temperature. also, a little extra for your pans., semi-sweet chocolate chips. use a good brand , as in nestle s, hershey s, or ghiradelli. if you prefer lighter fudge, use milk chocolate chips., granulated (white) sugar, evaporated milk, marshmallows, vanilla , use the real stuff, nuts, chopped

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)

whole milk, half-and-half, banana, soft fruit (apricots, peaches, pears, etc.), safflower oil, honey ((for babies over 12 months), tofu (for protein, you can leave this out if you want), whole milk vanilla yogurt (or his favorite fruit flavor), pudding , vanilla flavor, made with whole milk (i use homemade that i make with half and half and alot of sugar, for extra calories), pureed carrots (this adds good vitamins) or 1/4 cup squash (this adds good vitamins), vanilla, cinnamon

chicken breast for every 2 people being served. i usually use boneless/skinless for this unless i am going to cook them over a wood fire. then i would use skin on and bone in, thick cut bacon (apple smoked or maple will add another flavor level). choose a bacon that you love the taste of., amounts of the vegetable you use depend upon how many people you are feeding . for only 2 i would use 1/2 of each color of bell pepper for example. for 8 i would probably use a whole or nearly whole bell pepper., red, green, yellow, orange bell peppers, cored , seeds removed, sliced into strips., vidalia onions (sweet and mild ) or red onions (zing) cut into strips, yellow and green squash cut slightly thick then in half, asparagus cut into 1 1/2 inch bites, grape tomatoes, garlic cloves left whole for now, mushrooms (your favorite type , of course!), fresh green beans, broccoli and cauliflower can be used too; but make them bite sized pieces, olive oil (have at least a cup or two available depending on how many you are cooking for. you need this to roast the vegetables and for making your croutons!), day old french or italian bread cut up into good sized bites, bigger than what would come in a box of croutons, i cut it up 1 1/2 to 2 inches., fresh grated parmesan or romano cheese, garlic granules , fresh cracked pepper, italian seasonings...or fresh marjoram, basil and thyme, (cut up the basil into small bits), some times i ll add some peas and corn to this as well. also optional would be a couple of boiled eggs..., kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper (white pepper could be added, but it is going to add a significant jolt in the heat/pepper pop department!)

whole chicken, cast iron skillets full of your favorite cornbread. folks with this recipe you can make it from scratch or you may use a good mix (just do not use a sweet mix), yellow onions, celery, eggs, white bread toasted, sleeve plain salted crackers, poultry seasoning (folks go buy a new 1 don tsp use the 1 that has been in your cabinet for 17 years ), salt and pepper to taste (sorry i do not have measurements for these)

olive oil, sweet onions, poblano peppers or 3 green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and diced to make about 1-1/2 cups, garlic cloves, minced, kosher salt, boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, 3 to 4 inches long, new mexico chile powder or 2 tbsp dried ancho chile powder, dried chipotle powder (to taste), ground cumin, ale (preferably a good mexican brew) or 12 oz beer (preferably a good mexican brew), beef stock, kidney beans, rinsed and drained, red onion, chopped, tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped, cilantro, coarsely chopped, sour cream or 12 oz whole-milk plain yogurt

chicken, cut in cubes try to make them all the same size so they cook equally (i prefer a mix of boneless breasts and thighs, 1-inch cubes for skewers), mangoes, cut in 1-inch cubes (make sure it isn tsp too ripe, you want sweet but firm, papaya is a good substitute), red bell pepper, cut in 1-inch pieces (optional), onions, cut in quarters, lime, cut in wedges, mexican seasoning (see mexican seasoning recipe below, if you have a favorite dry rub or seasoning , you can use that as), wooden skewer (soaked in water for 30 min, so they don tsp burn), olive oil, ground red chili powder (not chili powder that you use for chili con carne, cayenne is a good substitute), mexican oregano (every day dried oregano is fine), cumin, paprika, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, pepper

i fell in love with this recipe. i love anything tomato based. this is like tomato sauce and chunks of all your favorite fish. you add whatever fish you like. and get a huge loaf of crusty bread and butter! i basically modify this recipe to my own sauce, so can you add what fish you like. just a great great recipe! you can make this your own! everyone thinks this is italian it is not. chip in . chip in as a call heard on the world famous fisherman s wharf in it s early heyday before world war ii. this was a call for san francisco s mainly italian immigrant fisherman coming home with their catch of pacific seafood to donate a small portion of their catch for a communal fish stew prepared on the docks. anything would do. a few clams, mussels. adding some red snapper, a crab or two, some scallops some halibut or flounder, anything to add to the fragrant stew that would soon be served to the club of san francisco fisherman who would talk about the days catch and dunk san francisco sour dough bread into the rich broth. eventually the broken english cries of chip in turned into chip-in-o . hence the name cioppino . this is a rich seafood stew with not much care as to how it was assembled. this consisted of throwing the days catch into a big pot and pouring sauce into the pot with the shellfish and chunks of what fish was available. let all these flavors enhance each other for awhile and you have the most flavorful and messy to eat stew that ever was., turns around the pan in a slow stream ) extra-virgin olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, flat fillets of anchovies, drained, garlic, crushed, bay leaf, fresh or dried, celery ribs, chopped, onion, chopped, good quality dry white wine ( i am sure even beer works), chicken stock, chunky style crushed tomatoes, fresh thyme, leaves removed (about 1 tbsp), handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped, cod, cut into 2-inch chunks, salt and pepper, shrimp , ask for deveined easy-peel or peel and devein, sea scallops, raw mussels , scrubbed, a loaf of fresh , crusty bread, for mopping up!! or 2 loaves depending on quanity and people eating this.