54 they you Recipes

sugar, margarine, molasses, eggs, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg

gone are the days where the bride and groom share a slice of a 3, 4, or 5 tier wedding cake. nowadays some people are opting for a more simple cake solution, yet they still want the elegance that a large tiered cake offers. enter on stage the simple yet elegant cupcake., versatile cupcakes are standing along side and, in some cases, replacing larger cakes these days. below are some helpful hints if you want to use cupcakes for the main cake at your wedding., tip #1 : arrangement, how you arrange your cupcakes is as important if not more important than the taste. everyone wants a breathtaking wedding cake at their reception so arranging your cupcakes to give this appearance is very necessary., my personal favorite way of arranging my cupcakes is to stack 4 or 5 boxes on top of each other to form a tree of sorts. i choose boxes that are approximately 4 to 5 inches high. i like 24 inch square boxes then 18 inches square then 12 inches then 6 inches square. this gives me a cupcake ledge of 3 inches when the boxes are stacked., decorate your boxes as you wish. beautiful paper wrapped around the boxes then a ribbon all the way around is a great decorating combination ., your wedding cake cupcakes can then be placed on the ledges and on top of the boxes for a beautiful arrangement for your wedding., arrangement idea for your wedding cupcakes is to place cupcakes underneath raised cake platters. larger cakes or more cupcakes can be placed on top of the platters., how your cupcakes taste and even how many different flavors you offer are both very important to the overall success of your wedding cupcakes. i think 1 of the best reasons to have wedding cupcakes instead of a large wedding cake would be that you can have many different kinds of cakes. not everyone prefers the same type of cake and frosting so having 2 or 3 different types of cake flavors would be ideal., three of my favorite flavors are vanilla , chocolate, and lemon cupcakes. these are a great combination for any special occasion that you may choose to serve cupcakes. you can either serve all of the different flavors in the same cups with the same decoration or you can use different cups and/or different decorations for each cake flavor you choose., skimp on the ingredients for your wedding cupcakes. fresh cupcakes made from your favorite cupcake recipes are always the best choice. boxed cake mixes just won tsp cut i for special occasion cupcakes. the same goes for frosting. make your frosting instead of buying it prepackaged from a grocery store. if you don tsp feel confident making your own, you could always buy some freshly made frosting from a local bakery., presentation is everything when dealing with weddings. you should make sure your cupcakes are just the right size so they are absolutely gorgeous when presented. the entire purpose of serving cupcakes at a wedding is to give your guests a small taste of a wonderful dessert. small is the key word here. you don tsp want cupcakes that are larger than an actual teacup. if they are, then they should be called mini cakes and not cupcakes., also, it would cost you a fortune to bake mini cakes for each of your guests. the right size cupcake will offer just the right amount of cake for each person attending and will also likely save you money., be careful not to err on the side of your cupcakes being too small. if your cupcakes are too small, you may run out of cupcakes before you guests sweet teeth are satisfied. you also run the risk of having too much frosting on a small cupcake which could ruin the overall taste of your wedding cupcakes., i ve found that the perfect size cupcakes are baked in 1/2 cup wells that i fill approximately 1/2 to 2/3 full of cupcake batter. make sure you carefully measure the cupcake batter each time you fill a well. this will make sure that your cupcakes come out of the oven all the same size., i hope that these tips will help you produce the most beautiful wedding cupcakes that anyone has ever seen! good luck

green beans (i used a combo of green and purple beans) trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces, diced pancetta, (if you don tsp have pancetta , you can use bacon), extra virgin olive oil, onion, diced, whole tomatoes, peeled and diced (you don tsp have to peel them, but i like them better without the peel. if they are especially seedy, go ahead and remove the seeds otherwise, i would just leave them in. also, i peel my tomatoes by holding ad turning them, on a long fork, over an open flame until they pop, peel with a knife, the peel comes right off), dried italian herbs, red pepper flakes, salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

here are the basics of making an excellent cheese fondue , the proper way (or at least the lindysez way)., use good cheese , i use half emmental swiss and gruyere, grate them up and toss them with some salt and a good amount of pepper. let them sit out at room temp so they melt better . cut your bread (good french bread, but not sourdough) into bite sized pieces making sure to have crust on each piece. let those sit out for a while too so they aren tsp too soft., cheese that you use , you are going to use 1 3/4 cups of a dry white wine, such as a fume blanc, a california sauv blanc (don tsp use a new zealand 1 as most are too grassy) or a pouilly-fume. when you are ready to make the fondue, rub the pot with a clove of garlic (we like garlic, so we leave the clove in, but you don tsp need to); then place over a medium heat and add the wine. when the wine comes to a simmer, start slowly adding the cheese, sprinkling in a handful at a time, allowing each addition to melt (my dad said you always have to stir in the same direction, in a figure 8 motion, it works. if you stir in a circle you will end up with a big glop of cheese in the middle of a pot of wine, the figure 8 is key); keep adding until you have a nice thick sauce, then add a splash of kirsch and a pinch of nutmeg. put over a burner to keep it bubbling, and stir often when you dip your bread., a lb of cheese is enough for 4 people; or more if you are serving other things. and the amounts are guesstimates. i almost always grate too much cheese, so only add as much as you need to get the right consistency ; when you dip a piece of bread into the fondue, you want a nice coating of cheese and for the bread to absorb the wine. that s what it s all about, cheese, wine and bread. so use the best you can of each ingredient. and any left over cheese makes for a mighty good ham and cheese omelet.

i use a 3 1/2 to 4 lb chuck roast, well marbelized with fat, and if you can find a bone-in roast, that s better yet (but it s almost always boneless chuck that you find at the grocer). i like to quickly rinse the roast in cold water just before i lay it on the cutting board to coat it with seasoned flour. place the following ingredients in a small baggie and shake the closed bag to mix it up, flour, salt, garlic salt, crazy mixed-up salt (if you can tsp get this seasoning, use seasoned salt instead, but jane s is by far the best), pepper, use your hands to generously pat the seasoned flour into the roast, on both sides, flipping the roast a couple times and repeating the process., in a dutch oven or roasting pan large enough to hold the roast, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat - you want your pan and oil to be hot enough to sear the roast well when you put it in the pan. when the oil is just about to the smoking point, put the roast in and cover the pan. let the meat sear until nicely browned on the bottom, then flip the roast. let it sear for a minute or two on the second side, then add, beef stock (i much prefer the boxed stock to the canned broth - it just seems to give the gravy a much richer taste in the end), cover the roasting pan and place it in a pre-heated 300 degree oven. roast for 4 to 5 hours, until the meat is fork tender and falls apart easily. i check the roast each hour, quickly opening the lid, just to make sure the stock has not evaporated. as long as your pan has a good seal on it, this shouldn tsp happen. but if necessary, add more stock to the pan., an hour before the roast is done , prepare the mashed potatoes. peel 6 large red potatoes (these work better - at least for me - because they are much moister than the russets, so the mashed potatoes are creamier); cut into 1/4th, and place them in a large saucepan - rinse the cut potatoes 2 times in cold water, then cover them in fresh cold water and place the pan over medium high heat; boil until tender. this is usually about 30 minutes, but it depends on the size of your cuts, so just cook them until you can easily insert a fork into a potato. drain potatoes well, reserving 1 cup of the water for the gravy. add the following to the hot potatoes, butter, sour cream, milk, salt, crazy mixed up salt (use regular salt or garlic salt if jane s salt is not available), pepper, i use a hand masher , but you can use an electric mixer or however you chose to mash the potatoes into a creamy yet firm texture. add more milk if potatoes are too stiff. place the mashed potatoes in a buttered casserole dish, cover with foil, and place in the oven to keep warm while you make the gravy., prepare the gravy, melt 2 tbsp butter, stir in 1/4 cup flour to make a paste, stir in enough beef stock to thin the paste enough to pour., finished roast from the pan and place it on a plate; cover meat with foil to keep warm., place the roasting pan over a medium flame and bring the liquid to a gentle boil (i usually seem to have about 1 1/2 to 2 cups liquid in the pan when the roast is done - if you have less, just use the beef stock to increase your liquid)., use a whisk to gradually whisk in the butter/flour/stock liquid., add 2 tbsp beef base - i use tone s (i prefer beef base to buillon - has a richer flavor and is really worth having on hand, but if you can tsp find this, try knorr s beef buillon extra large cubes), add the 1 cup of reserved potato water, add 1/2 cup beef stock, taste the gravy and see if you want more seasoning. i usually find i don tsp need to add anything at this point, since i have the seasoning from the flour coating and the stock and the beef base. if you think you need more seasoning, add salt and pepper to your taste. beef base will also give you more saltiness., keep the gravy warm while you uncover the meat and use 2 forks to pull the meat apart into small to medium chunks., you are now ready to assemble...

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.

st. louis ribs 1 rack, soak, sugar, salt, water to cover, sugar 1 cup, paprika 4 tbsp, black pepper 1 tsp, lawrys seasoned salt 3 tsp, molasses powder 2 tbsp ( i found powdered molasses on line, waiting for it to arrive) see ingredients for substitution., baste, ketchup 1/2 cup, brown sugar 1/4 cup, chili sauce 1/4 cup found near the ketchup in the store ., apple cider 1/4 cup, liquid smoke 1/4 cup, lemon juice 3 tsp, molasses 1/4 cup. substitute for powder. watch your end cooking time as the sugar will want to burn easily. but it gives the nice char effect and taste., pic of the slab is the prime cut of ribs. i personally think they are better than baby back ribs. st. louis have way more meat. i stand to be corrected but st. louis ribs are the section of ribs you see in the pics. you pay more but you don tsp get the brisket or top part of the whole rib cage. there is a flap of meat on the back side to cut off. the ribs you see ready to be marinated are like the fillet mignon of the rib. geez these taste so good i can tsp hardly wait to cook two sides today for the 4th. marinating since last night. i am killing myself writing this.

tomato (cheapest is best here, since they re soupy to start with), tomatoes, peeled (if they re in season, else don tsp bother) (optional), onion, chopped, garlic, minced, red bell peppers (only if you like it) (optional) or 1 small green bell pepper (only if you like it) (optional), best olive oil, contadina tomato sauce, contadina tomato paste, salt, dried oregano, fresh basil, minced (hard to have too much basil)

fresh broccoli (5-6 cups florets ), bacon, chopped red onion, dried cranberries (if you use craisins, be sure they re not orange-flavored!), mayonnaise, sugar, red wine vinegar

beef broth, italian stewed tomatoes, beef, cut into small cubes, bakers potatoes or 1 russet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes, onion, chopped, jalapenos (optional), whole kernel corn, drained, sweet peas, drained, canned green beans, drained (or fresh, if you prefer , but they don tsp tend to be as tender), salt and pepper

store bought angel food cake, cheesecake flavored pudding, prepared with skim milk (i use instant pudding for ease, but either works- as long as you allow time for cooked pudding to co), fat-free whipped topping, strawberries, sliced, blueberries, blackberry

vegetable oil, boneless skinless chicken breast, thick yogurt, ketchup, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, pepper, corn flake crumbs

risotto with sausage and cranberry beans, make risotto , you absolutely must use a specific type of rice called arborio rice (carnaroli and vialone nano are also used, some say superior, but are more difficult to find). these types of rice release starch when stirred in a liquid; it is this process which makes risotto, otherwise you just have a starchy mess of mush. these types of rice are identified by their fat round grains and pearly appearance. they can be used to make other sorts of rice dishes, such as pilaf, but other types of rice cannot be used for risotto. arborio is no longer that much of a specialty product; it can be found in most large, well-stocked grocery stores in the italian section. or sometimes, misguidedly, in the asian section., okay , so now we have the rice. you will also need some good, low-salt stock or broth - it should be low-salt not for health reasons, but because a good deal of it will evaporate, leaving its salt behind, and i like to have more control over the salt in a dish. it can be homemade, but i m not going to be a snob about it because, in truth, we go through gallons of store-bought stock in this household and i don tsp see that changing anytime soon. furthermore, risotto is actually a dish which can be whipped up out of thin air when it seems as though you have nothing to eat, as long as you have butter, rice, stock, maybe a few herbs, and some leftover parmesan. i like the kind of stock purchased in tetrapak cartons, because they are resealable and can be put in the fridge and used as needed. if you really want to use homemade but you don tsp have time to make stock or don tsp like the aroma of roasting bones in your house (i don tsp blame you), you can buy really great stock at north market poultry and game - it is expensive, but can be diluted with a 2- or 3-to-1 ratio of water to stock, so it stretches. my general guideline is to plan on 1/4 cup dry rice per person, and about 4 cups of stock to 1 cup of rice. of course, this isn tsp exact and will vary depending on your elevation and the phases of the moon, but it s a good place to start. i usually just use 4 cups of stock and then dilute with water or wine (or sometimes beer, if that s all i have) if i feel i m going to run out., well, we have rice and stock covered, now we just need our setup: place the stock in a saucepan on your rear burner, bring to a simmer, and leave it there with a 6-8 oz ladle in, and place a large, wide saute pan (must be really large, plan that your rice will at least quadruple in size) or dutch oven on the burner in front. get out your favorite wooden spoon and flex your stirring arm., nice thing about using sausage is it s so full of flavor you can leave out the usual onion/garlic/shallot/celery nonsense if you re tired and don tsp feel like chopping. furthermore, sausage goes from the freezer to the pan without suffering too much. okay, let s go, risotto with sausage and cranberry beans - serves 4, links italian sausage , or 1 lb bulk (or hot, or a combination - definitely with some fennel), casings removed, cooked cranberry beans or 1 can white beans, drained, arborio rice, beef , chicken or vegetable stock, butter, freshly, finely grated parmesan cheese , plus more for garnish, an oz) flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely, lemon juice , or juice from 1/2 lemon, salt and black pepper to taste, red pepper flakes to taste, optional, good balsamic vinegar , optional

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

pasta shell (not the jumbos you stuff, or the small ones, they don tsp work well, you could sub with a rigatoni or ), frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well, artichoke hearts , in water, drained and chopped, onion, fine chopped, minced garlic (more if you want, to taste), ricotta cheese (don tsp use the low fat), fontina cheese, grated (mozzarella would be a good substitute), parmesan cheese, grated (1/4 cup for the cheese mixture, 1/4 cup for the topping), egg (extra large would be fine), grated fresh nutmeg, olive oil, pasta water, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper

mussels without shells (i prefer them in the shells but then you must make 100% sure they are fresh - wash and rinse them before you cook them ----- when i serve i take them out of the shells but leave a few in to use the shells as a spoon ), prepared white sauce (if you are not in the mood to make your own . ....but you should it is easy), water to cook them in (or if you like dry white wine), dry coriander, freshly ground black pepper, dry herbs, celery salt, fresh cream, tomato paste, wholewheat seed bread )

links italian sausage (mix of hot and sweet or whatever you have. the hot sausage really makes the soup though), browned and sliced (doesn tsp have to get all the way cooked in the browning), bacon, cooked, chopped , and drippings reserved, celery stalks, diced medium, onions, chopped, carrots, chopped, yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped (don tsp peel when you do the other veg, wait until the soup s on and you re ready to add them, then peel and chop), lentils (brown is classic for the recipe, green/red/yellow are cool too), tomato paste (or all of 1, they re a pain to keep. if you re really cool and have it in a tube about 2 tsp), bay leaves, thyme (if you use fresh sprigs, throw 4 in), flat leaf italian parsley, chopped, lots o water (bout 8-10 cups), salt and pepper to sweat the veg and then to taste after the taters go in and cook for about 20)

light margarine (i use a healthier margarine with no tfas or hydrogenation), low sodium chicken broth , without msg, leeks , slice into thin coins, throwing out woody green parts (can substitute with an onion or a bunch of green onions, but do not substitute with garlic!), precooked specialty sausage, in bite size pieces (i use roasted red bell pepper chicken sausage, unless i m making clam chowder, then i use a lb of), potatoes, cut into small cubes (so they cook fast ), salt, vegetables (i use fresh broccoli, chopped into oblivion, but you can use frozen corn, frozen peas or a mixture,), evaporated skim milk (you can substitute for evap. whole milk if fat is not an issue), warm water, salt and pepper, instant mashed potatoes (more for thicker)