18 tip tasting Recipes

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

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.

soy sauce, white vinegar, peanut oil, chipotle chile powder, red curry powder, sea salt, lean beef sirloin tip, sliced into 1/8 inch strips, peanut satay sauce (such as a taste of thai )

olive oil, garlic cloves, to taste, peeled and sliced very thin (tip ( use a garlic mandolin), tomato sauce, tomato paste, dried basil (or to taste), salt, fresh ground pepper, pasta, shredded parmesan cheese (optional) or romano cheese (optional)

onion, chopped, chopped scallion, garlic cloves, dried thyme, crumbled, salt, ground allspice, freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon, minced pickled jalapeno pepper, or to taste (wear rubber gloves ), black pepper, drops of tabasco , or to taste, soy sauce, vegetable oil, chicken wings (about 3 1/4 lb), the wing tips cut off and reserved for another use

casserole, cooked mashed sweet potatoes (if you want to cook them the old fashioned way, bake the sweet potatoes at 350 until they re tender about 45 minutes for average sized potatoes; if you re in a hurry, boil / steam them in about a half inch of water. i cook mine skins on, but it really doesn tsp matter)., eggs, sugar (according to your taste), butter, softened (don tsp substitute margarine here!), vanilla extract, brown sugar, self-rising flour, butter, softened, pecans, coarsely chopped (tip : pulse on chop setting in your food processor.)

did you know that if you want to add vegetables to the soup you are making, they will taste so much better if you saute them first in a little butter. even though it s a little bit more work, it s worth the extra effort., what happens when you boil the soup too long the soup ends up losing its color ., i burned my soup once. have you ever done that here s a great tip to fix that. take the liquid part of your soup and pour it into a new, clean pan. then, add these ingredients: mustard, curry powder, chutney, or your 1 other of your favorite flavors. quantities are always to taste and you ll be amazed at how this tip really works, my all time favorite soup tips. every made soup that was too salty tasting all you need to do is place a raw potato into your soup pot and simmer it with the soup for about 15 minutes. not only does the potato slice absorb the extra salt, but as an added snack for the cook, it also absorbs all that flavor and becomes a fantastic taste treat, need your soup to be thicker - just sprinkle a little bit of instant mashed potato and stir in to thicken the soup. carefully continue adding the instant potatoes until you get the consistency that makes you happy., in a hurry and need to use canned broth instead of homemade give it a little extra flavor by taking your leftover chicken or meat bones and simmering it in the broth. simmer for about 15 minutes. then, strain the liquid and use the newly-flavored broth for your soup. this is a fantastic way to spice up the tinny flavor of canned broth and make it taste like its homemade., guess what a great resource a grocery store is for ready -to-use ingredients! simply make a visit to the salad bar (most large grocery chains have them now,) and gather up some of the pre-cut vegetables, cooked shrimp, and chicken or meat. how easy is that, if you have any leftovers of the pasta you cooked the night before , or even meat and vegetables - use them for instant nutritious substance for your soup. if your left over vegetables have already been cooked, simply puree them and use it as a thickener. deeeelish

ground coffee (or whatever you normally use to make 1 pot), water, vanilla extract

seasonal fish and vegetables are used in tempura. the ingredients for tempura in the recipe below are only a few of the many, many common ingredients that lend themselves to this treatment. shrimp; squid; small whole fish like perch, smelt, and goby; white-fleshed saltwater fish; eggplant; green beans; onion rings; sweet potato slices; bell pepper strips; mushrooms - the list could go on for several pages. chicken, beef and pork, however, are not usually prepared as tempura because of their relatively heavier, identifiable taste. chicken and pork are deep-fried in other ways, and beef is often given a more highlighted preparation, say, in sukiyaki., http://japanesefood.about.com/od/tempura/a/cookingtempura.htm, basic steps for cooking tempura, prepare the ingredients ., make tempura batter ., heat vegetable oil in a deep pan to 340-350f degree., lightly dip ingredients in the batter and immediately fry them until crisp. it takes longer to fry vegetables than to fry seafood., drain tempura on a rack ., serve right away with tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce) or salt. tempura is best served hot. *grated daikon radish is a common condiment., tempura batter recipe - japanese recipe, http://japanesefood.about.com/od/tempura/r/tempurabatter.htm, egg, ice water, all purpose flour, preparation, beat an egg in a bowl. add ice water in the bowl. be sure to use very cold water., add sifted flour in the bowl and mix lightly. be careful not to overmix the batter., tempura dipping sauce recipe, tempura dipping sauce is called tentsuyu in japanese. serve this sauce with tempura., dashi soup stock, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, preparation, put mirin in a pan and heat. add soy sauce and dashi soup stock in the pan. bring the sauce to a boil., tips for making crispy tempura, by setsuko yoshizuka, tip 1: ice, use ice water for the batter. this is really important to prevent the batter from absorbing too much oil., tip 2: batter (tempura batter recipe), do not make the batter ahead of time. try not to over mix the batter and not to coat ingredients with the batter too much., if you are frying both seafood and vegetables, fry vegetables first. then, fry seafood. fry vegetables at 340f degree and fry seafood at 350f degree., tip 4: oil temperature, check the temperature of frying oil , drop a little batter into the oil. if the batter comes up right away instead of sinking to the bottom of the pan, it s about 360 f degree. if the batter goes halfway to the bottom and comes up, it s about 340f degree. this is said to be the right temperature to fry tempura.

chicken wings, tips removed and wings cut in half at joint, hoisin sauce, less sodium teriyaki marinade & sauce, garlic, minced, ground ginger, garlic chili sauce (or adjust to your taste), brown sugar

chicken wings (separated at joints and tips discarded), seasoning salt, butter, louisiana hot sauce (or use hot sauce of choice), cayenne pepper (adjust amount to suit taste), garlic powder, fresh ground black pepper

bananas (green tip or ripe ), honey (to taste) or 1/4 cup maple syrup (to taste, or use both), chopped walnuts or 1/3 cup pecans, shredded coconut, nutmeg, cinnamon, graham cracker tart shells or 8 -10 graham cracker pie crust

chicken wings, tips removed, peanut oil (for frying ), chili sauce (bennett s or other brand), lemon juice, vinegar, prepared mustard, reduced-sodium worcestershire sauce, onions, finely chopped, green peppers, finely chopped, salt, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, flour, seasoned to taste (for coating )

tri tip or chuck roast, some fat trimmed off(leave some for flavor) cut into about 4 or 5 large pieces, a yellow onion quartered, garlic cloves cut in quarters, jalapeno, chopped- stem and seeds removed if you dont want to spicy, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, salt to taste, i add about 1 1/2 tsp, water

waffles, biscuit mix, egg, oil, club soda, hormel real bacon bits (tastes like fresh bacon and are always soft), french pecan-praline cream topping, cool whip dessert topping, pecan-praline liquid mix, powdered sugar, pan-fried apples and bananas, apple, cored and sliced into rings, banana , sliced middle to tip, maple peach syrup, maple syrup, peach jam

ginger root, grated, teriyaki sauce, flat iron steaks or tri tip steaks 1-inch thick, grill seasoning (recommended: montreal steak seasoning by mccormick ), vegetable oil, for drizzling plus 3 tbsp, sea scallops, toasted sesame seeds, chopped chives, salt and freshly ground black pepper, toasted sesame oil, napa cabbage chopped into 1 1/2-inch dice, red onion, quartered and thinly sliced, garlic, grated, seedless cucumber , cut into 1/4-inch sticks then 2 to 3-inch pieces, asian hot chili sauce or hot sauce, to your taste, rice wine vinegar, limes , zested and juiced, freshly chopped cilantro leaves