78 that your Recipes

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.

yellow cake mix, eggs (or as called for by your cake mix), oil (or as called for by your cake mix), water (or as called for by your cake mix), water , extra, instant vanilla pudding , the small box, peanut butter cups, broken into chunks, powdered sugar, cream cheese, cool whip

make and maintain your own sourdough starter, need a volume of at least 1 and 1/3 cups., there are several ingredient combinations for making wild, yeast sourdough, is to grate a raw potato. then add enough water to cover, enough flour to make a thin batter of about a cup and a, third in volume ., method is to use water that you ve boiled potatoes, in instead of the grated potato and water combination., you can also use flour , sugar and water. use 1 cup of, flour , a tbsp of sugar and enough water to make a, pancake consistency batter ., yet another is to simply mix together equal amounts of water, flour (whole wheat is best for this)., anything that provides food for the yeast and a good growing, environment will work. yeast needs sugar or carbohydrates, which it converts to sugar), and clear liquid., make your choice based on what you have handy and just because, what you d like to try. don tsp worry about whether or, not 1 set of ingredients will work better than another, because the chances are that they will all be equally, efficient in attracting wild (sour) yeast. there is no exact, recipe because there are so many other variables in each house, that will invite or dissuade wild yeasts from entering the, mixture. if at first you don tsp succeed, try, try again . the, most important thing is the method ., when you have decided on the ingredients you want , put them in, a glass container that will hold at least three times the, volume of the ingredients. mix lightly with a wooden or, plastic spoon as some metals will react to it. the working of, starter will mix itself ., leave the mixture undisturbed and loosely covered with a cloth, perforated plastic (to allow gases to escape) at warm room, temperature until it begins to froth or work and expand., this is a sign that wild yeasts have made themselves at home, what you re after. the new starter will rise up in, then fall again. when it has , it s ready for, use. (note: it will smell sour !), when you use it , always leave some in the container and add, flour and water back to equal what you ve taken out. most, recipes call for a cup of starter, so replace it with a half, flour and a half-cup of water and set it in a warm, place to work again ., you will probably see a liquid covering the top at 1 time or, this is called hooch , and it s exactly what it, sounds like , but don tsp drink it! actually, it s harmless, so, stir it back into the starter if the starter is thick, or if, either way ., keep sourdough in the refrigerator unless you use it at least, every third day. if you use it that often , you can leave it on, counter or any place where it s safe. if you can tsp, refrigerate it , you can keep it fresh by throwing out a cup of, it every second or third day and then replenish with flour and, water. wait until it works again before counting days ., a properly cared for starter can live indefinitely, but if you, leave it out without using it for too long, the yeast can, literally suffocate in its own waste products. if the starter, looks off color (grayish is normal) or turns pink, toss it and, start fresh ., what can you make with sourdough besides the traditional, bread , you can make biscuits, pancakes, pretzels, bagels, muffins , cornbread and even cookies! once you re comfortable, using it , you can experiment with your favorite yeast or, baking powder recipes. simply put , you substitute sourdough

sweet onion, diced, garlic, minced, red bell pepper, diced, ground turkey, lean ground beef, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes (preferable petite dice), tomato paste, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, eggs, lasagna noodles (your preference, i like no boil noodles), dried basil , thyme, oregano to taste, salt and pepper

salsa, your choice, canned black beans, rinsed and drained, tortilla chips

vegetarian chicken strips, lightlife smart strips chick n style seasoned veggie strips meat free (has 0 g of fat and 14 grams of protein), peas and carrots, chopped celery, chopped red bell pepper (optional, for added vitamins and a sweeter taste), sauted mixed mushrooms (i like crimini, which are tiny portobello mushroom, but whatever mushrooms you like, please use less), chopped leek (or scallion or shallot), vegetable stock (which has 0 g of fat), white wine (totally optional), garlic salt, fresh tarragon (optional as well ), sage, thyme, white pepper (or black if you prefer ), soy flour (for a thick gravy, if you like yours thinner, don tsp use all of this, just use enough until its the cup), worcestershire sauce

sugar, certo liquid pectin, red bell peppers , 3 cups fine chopped rough chopped seeds and stem removed, fresh raspberries, frozen without syrup is fine too, ghost bell peppers, habaneros, vinegar , 5 percent acidity (your choice or red wine-white ), pomergranate juice or 1 cup apple juice

rolls refrigerated pizza dough or 2 (10 oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls, hot dogs (if making babies, cut in 16 pieces) or 1 lb kielbasa (if making babies, cut in 16 pieces) or 8 cooked links sausage (if making babies, cut in 16 pieces), part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated (optional), low-fat parmesan cheese (optional), pizza sauce (optional) or 4 tbsp pasta sauce (optional), onion (optional), green pepper (optional), olive (optional), italian seasoning mix (or your own mix of oregano , thyme, parsley, etc.) (optional)

boneless skinless chicken breasts, real butter, water, fresh green beans, italian dressing (not creamy or you can always make your own), firm tomatoes or 3 roma tomatoes, chopped (optional)

fresh breadcrumbs, asiago cheese, shredded, salt, pepper, eggs, lightly beaten, chicken breasts, pounded thin, olive oil, butter, gouda cheese, thinly sliced, sun-dried tomato, olive oil, butter, shallot, diced, skim milk, flour, white wine (your choice ), frozen spinach , defrosted and squeezed dry, salt and pepper, to taste, allspice, asiago cheese, shredded

make use that your bowl and the beaters of you mixer are completely void of any grease and place them both in the freezer before starting to make the whipped cream, every 1/2 pint of whipping cream add 1 egg white and sweeten to taste.whip well, white of the egg stiffens the cream and gives it a smooth and airy taste,that can not be duplicated., enjoy

article, those of us who are blessed with living in the lone star state may take for granted the steaming hot, flavorful corn tortillas that many mexican restaurants still provide free to patrons. cities and towns of any size at all frequently have a tortilleria, that is, a tortilla factory, where freshly-made tortillas or fresh masa (tortilla dough) can be purchased. or maybe not., in any case , a resourceful cook, particularly 1 who relishes tex-mex fare, will want to be able to produce a batch of corn tortillas. there is nothing quite like the aroma of hot, handmade tortillas. your own tortillas will not only rival the restaurant variety, they will taste even better because they are so fresh., according to the tortilla industry association, tortillas are more popular today in the u.s. than all other ethnic breads, such as bagels, english muffins and pita bread., average (say 6- to 7-inch) corn tortilla contains about 60 calories, a gram or so each of protein and fat, 12 g of carbohydrate and 44 milligrams of calcium. since they are made exclusively of corn flour and contain no wheat gluten, they are an ideal bread alternative for those who are gluten intolerant., but most of all , they are good., corn tortillas are the foundation of classic tex-mex dishes like enchiladas , gorditas, quesadillas, tacos and tostados. mexican cooks have been patting them out for millennia; tortillas are the bread of mexico., this article will concern itself with corn tortillas, rather than the wheat flour tortillas that originated in northern mexico., ingredients for tortilla making are incredibly, and somewhat deceptively, simple. there are only two: corn flour and water. we could get so basic as to detail the process of making corn flour with parched corn and slaked lime, and grinding the resulting product ourselves, but no 1 would do that. and besides, there is a product made by the quaker oats company called masa harina that makes an excellent corn tortilla. masa harina may be difficult to find in some, principally northern, areas of the u.s., and you may have to ask your grocer to serving it for you. it can also be obtained by mail order, although it is a bit pricey ($3.95 for 2 lb, plus shipping), compared to what you pay for it in a local supermarket., whatever you do , don tsp confuse corn flour with corn meal. corn meal is made from a completely different process, and it simply won tsp work for tortilla making., need a big cast-iron skillet or griddle and a tortilla press, too. tortilla presses have become pretty easy to find in kitchen-supply stores. not exactly a high-tech gadget, if you pay more than $20 for 1, you ve paid way too much. if you can tsp find a tortilla press, it is possible (but not preferable) to press out your tortillas on a flat surface using a heavy, flat-bottomed dish. you ll also need some plastic bags of the sandwich or freezer variety, but more about that later., in most every recipe for corn tortillas, the proportion of ingredients called for is 2 cups of masa harina to 1-1/4 to 1-1/3 cups of water. however, the difference between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup, while only 4 tsp, can be critical.

six oz jars of marinated artichoke hearts, drained well, romano or asiago cheese, your favorite, eight oz package of cream cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, garlic, minced, juice of 1/2 lemon, blanched slivered almonds

diced tomaoes, rotell diced tomatoes with chilis (your choice on heat, i usually use mild), white and yellow corn - drained, black beans - drained and rinsed well, jalapino rings from jar - diced - more if you like, vadalia onion, diced, crushed garlic, sliced black olives - drained, lime juice give or take, cumin, cyanne pepper (optional), handful cilantro - chopped

flour tortilla, i like to use the uncooked kind and cook myself, they taste so much better than the dried, old store, deli ham, deli turkey, onions , dip the store bought chip dip variety usually found in the refrigerated produce section, spinach leaves, cleaned and dried, shredded carrots, shredded cheese , any kind that your kids like, bell peppers

shortening or 3/4 cup margarine, sugar, egg, mashed ripe banana (3 medium), all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, rolled oats, chopped pecans (or your nut of choice), raisins

margarine , 1 stick, graham cracker crumbs, condensed milk, coconut, m &, nuts, chopped (your choice )

pasta, your choice, italian dressing, caesar salad dressing, mayonnaise, grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, sliced pepperoni, italian sausages , cooked your choice of flavor, ham , cut 1 inch thick from deli-any you like, celery ribs, diced small, tomatoes, sliced in half, purple onion, diced small, shredded mozzarella cheese, shredded cheddar cheese