107 perfect cooking Recipes

onion, chopped, bell pepper, chopped, extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, minced, mushrooms, sliced, penne pasta (or substitute similar pasta of your choice), ricotta cheese (i use part skim), pasta sauce (use your favorite. i love vodka sauce with this recipe), chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (i usually use rotisserie from store for convenience, unless i ve planned ahead), mozzarella cheese (or blend ( wonderful with the pre-shredded italian mix with mozzerella, fontina, romano, parmesan, a), black olives, sliced, parmesan cheese, grated (preferably fresh grated, not canned ), breadcrumbs (fresh are perfect, but canned are fine)

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.

egg yolks, freshly-squeezed lemon juice, unsalted butter , cut into pieces, white wine, white vinegar, coarse salt and pepper to taste, toast english muffin slices under the broiler or in the oven for approximately 3 minutes or until golden brown. remove from broiler, spread with 1 tsp butter. in a large frying pan, cook ham or canadian bacon slices until lightly browned and place them on each english muffin half., if you can poach an egg read no further, use a pan that is at least 3-inches deep so there is enough water to cover the eggs and they do not stick to the bottom of the pan. note: to prevent sticking, grease the pan with a little oil before filling with water. add vinegar and salt to the poaching liquid; bring the poaching liquid to a boil and then reduce to a simmer before adding the eggs (bubbles should not break the surface). hint: when you poach eggs, adding a little vinegar and salt to the water will helps the egg to hold its shape. without it, the eggs will become skeins of protein tangling up in the water., break each egg onto a saucer or into small cups or bowls. slip eggs carefully into simmering water by lowering the lip of each egg-cup 1/2-inch below the surface of the water. let the eggs flow out. immediately cover with a lid and turn off the heat. set a timer for exactly three minutes for medium-firm yolks. adjust the time up or down for runnier or firmer yolks. cook 3 to 5 minutes, depending on firmness desired., water with slotted spoon. lift each perfectly poached egg from the with a slotted spoon, but hold it over the skillet briefly to let any clinging to the egg drain off. drain well before serving. top each english muffin half with 1 poached egg. spoon warm hollandaise sauce over eggs and garnished with a small parsley sprig or chopped chives.

olive oil (the more expensive the better, i prefer never to skimp on ), water, salt, pepper, basil, parsley, chopped, garlic cloves, crushed, mushroom, thinly sliced, onion, chopped, mozzarella cheese, shredded, parmesan cheese, grated, cottage cheese, tomato paste (11 oz is fine if you can only find 5 1/2 oz cans), canned tomatoes, bacon, chopped, salami, chopped, eggs, beaten, ground beef, lasagna noodle, cooked (12 of the 12x3 inch lasagna noodles is perfect)

lean ground beef, minced garlic, pasta sauce with mushrooms (prego is the perfect brand for this!), parmesan cheese (kraft grated), eggs, carton ricotta cheese, spaghetti, cooked and drained, mozzarella cheese, shredded

chopped cooked chicken, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped toasted sliced almonds, chopped green onions, mayonnaise, ground ginger, pillsbury perfect portions refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (twin pack from 15.4-oz package), sesame seeds , if desired

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.

if you purchase an unsliced loaf, cut the bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices. to prevent the butter from clumping during mixing, warm the milk in a microwave or small saucepan until warm to the touch (about 80 degrees). the french toast can be cooked all at once on an electric griddle, but may take an extra 2 to 3 minutes per side. set the griddle temperature to 350 degrees and use the entire amount of butter for cooking., pecans, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, cinnamon-raisin bread, whole milk , warmed (see note ), egg yolks, unsalted butter , melted, plus 2 tbsp for cooking, table salt, vanilla extract, dark rum, maple syrup, keys to perfect french toast, start with dry bread: drying bread in 300-degree oven before soaking and frying leads to toast that s soft, not soggy., hold the whites: using yolks, not whites , in soaking liquid cuts down on eggy flavor., soak properly : soaking bread in flat baking pan for just 20 seconds per side ensures even saturation and no sogginess

whole turkey (allow 1 lb of uncooked turkey per person from an 8 to 12 lb turkey), salt , to taste, pepper , to taste, spices

lasagna noodles, shredded cooked chicken , left-over roasted chicken is perfect, butter, onion, chopped, fresh mushrooms, sliced, crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes , to taste, butter, flour, canned chicken broth, half-and-half, mozzarella cheese, shredded, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese

shrimp, white pearl onions (frozen are perfect, they are soft, easy to skewer and cook quickly, 2 boxes will be around 24 onions), unsalted butter, mango, pureed, fresh minced ginger, cilantro, fine chopped, kosher salt, ground black pepper

potatoes, cooked, carrot, cooked, rabbit, cooked (meat from ribs and neck is perfect), pickled cucumber , in brine, green onion, cheddar cheese, grated, egg, hardboiled, baby green peas, canned, mayonnaise, salt , to taste, drops tabasco sauce , to taste

pork and beans (dig out the , drain off the extra sauce), bacon, cut in pieces (i buy the precooked stuff. there s a big debate in the family about whether you should use cooked or raw bacon. i prefer cooked so that i can eat it with the beans. and 1 package of precooked is perfect.), onion, cut in chunks (i process until pretty fine with a food processor), green pepper, cut in chunks (ditto food processor), worcestershire sauce, ketchup, brown sugar

butter, chopped onion, chopped green bell pepper, chopped green onion, chopped celery, diced cooked ham, garlic, crushed and minced, chicken broth, tomatoes , coarsly chopped(i hate so i use crushed in a can to equal 5 cups!), chopped parsely, kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper(more or less to your taste but i think this is the perfect amount for all taste buds), bay leaf, uncooked rice , rinced, raw deviened shimp in shell!! this is important for flavor, chopped green onion

peanut oil, minced garlic, minced ginger, salt, sliced leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and dried, day-old cooked rice ; vongerichten recommends jasmine but this is the perfect way to use up any leftover rice you have, especially from chinese delivery, eggs, sesame oil (for some heat but the same awesome, flavor, use hot sesame oil ), soy sauce

blueberry dessert wraps, quick, delicious and elegant. perfect for easy entertaining., sugar, cornstarch, orange juice, blueberries fresh or frozen, reduced fat cream cheese softened, confectioners sugar, vanilla extract, flour tortillas 7-inch flour tortillas, butter, prepare sauce : in a small saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in orange juice. cook and stir over medium heat until sauce is clear and thickened, about 5 minutes. stir in 1 cup blueberries and return to a boil. boil and stir for 1 minute., prepare filling : in a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until light. add confectioners sugar and vanilla. beat until smooth and creamy., assemble wraps : spread a tortilla with about 2 tbsp of the cheese mixture. place about 6 frozen blueberries across the center of each tortilla. roll jelly-roll style. repeat with remaining wraps. in a medium skillet, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat; place half of the wraps seam side down in skillet and cook turning occasionally until evenly browned, about 3 minutes. remove from pan and keep warm while cooking the remaining wraps., serve topped with hot blueberry sauce.

mile high lemon meringue secrets, lemon meringue pie may be an american classic , but it can be tricky to prepare. there s the crust with all its issues, then the tart filling and the meringue itself, which is all too prone to weeping. and that topping is never, ever as tall and fluffy as we would like. we wanted to figure out how to make a perfect lemon meringue pie with a sky-high topping. here s what we discovered, make the meringue with a hot sugar syrup (what the professionals call italian-style meringue). this ensures that the meringue is cooked through and stable enough to be piled high on top of the filling. the addition of a little cream of tartar to the egg whites while mixing also helps to stabilize the meringue.flavor the filling with both lemon zest and lemon juice for the brightest citrus flavor. remember to strain the filling to remove the zest, which would mar the otherwise silky smooth filling.use a rubber spatula to spread the meringue over the filled pie, making sure to stick the meringue to the edge of the pie crust to prevent the topping from shrinking. once all the meringue is on the pie, use the spatula to make the spikes and peaks of meringue., all-purpose flour , for dusting, brisee (pie dough) for 1 single 9 inch pie crust, egg, heavy cream, cornstarch, cake flour, salt, sugar, egg yolks, lightly beaten, fresh lemon juice, lemon rind, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, egg whites, sugar, salt

pasta, water (4 pints to every 8 oz of pasta), salt, olive oil