59 your basic Recipes

racks of spareribs (4 to 6 lb total ), apple cider , plus additional for spraying the ribs, whole lemons (optional), halved, basic barbecue rub or your favorite commercial brand, your favorite homemade barbecue sauce or your favorite commercial brand

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.

sloppy joe meat (sloppy joes or your favorite), frozen corn, thawed (optional), sliced green onion, colby-monterey jack cheese (or mexican blend , cheddar, etc.), pizza dough (1/2 of basic )

shells manicotti (1 box) or 12 -14 cannelloni tubes (1 box), ricotta cheese (low-fat or part-skim), freshly grated parmesan cheese (divided 3/4 cup & 1/4 c), egg yolks, chopped fresh basil, lump crabmeat (optional) or 1/2 lb roasted & shredded cooked chicken (optional) or 1/2 lb chopped fresh spinach (optional), salt, fresh ground black pepper, tomato sauce (any jar sauce is fine, ricotta parmesan is my fave or use your favorite homemade basic .), butter or 4 tbsp margarine, all-purpose flour, milk (i use 1%), salt, fresh ground black pepper, nutmeg

tsuyu sauce, dashi stock (you can make your own , or use premade, i used premade), soy sauce/shoyu, mirin, sugar, green onions, sliced fine, sesame seeds, lightly toasted, sheet nori , cut into thin strips, these are the basic toppings , you can also add grated ginger, grated yuzu, chopped shiso, or wasabi as desired (choose 1 of these, not all, or the flavors will get muddy).

chocolate syrup (if chocolates not your thing, just add less), sugar-free vanilla syrup (i use torani sugar free vanilla), ice cubes (like an 8oz glass full of ice, roughly), milk (like an 8oz glass full, basically)

hoagie rolls , hollowed out, olive oil, mozzarella cheese, shredded (if you like very cheesy meatball subs, you may want to have extra mozzarella on hand for topping), meatballs (i use family favorite basic , see recipe posted separately), fresh tomato sauce (see recipe posted separately), grated parmesan cheese (fresh or canister, your preference)

pizza crust (i use the basic pizza dough), red grapes, sliced in half, italian sausage, browned and crumbled, fresh goat cheese (or to your taste preference), extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

all purpose flour, water, eggs, salt, olive oil, ricotta, eggs, lightly beaten, mozzarella cheese, diced, freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling, minced fresh parsley leaves, salt and pepper, basic marinara sauce (recipe follows) or store-bought sauce, basic marinara sauce, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic , smashed, onion, minced, crushed tomatoes or whole canned tomatoes, gently crushed with your hands, dried oregano , or 1 tbsp fresh minced oregano, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes (optional)

variable to your choice but basically, lettuce - not too much, chopped cabbage, sliced onion, sliced tomatoes, sliced red pepper, sliced green pepper, orange segments, sliced fresh peach, pineapple chunks (fresh or tinned ), sliced apple, kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced, halved grapes, salt and pepper, thousand island dressing

dry lasagna noodles, cooked and drained, fresh basil leaf , torn into small pieces, white sauce, shrimp or 1 1/2 lbs crab or 1 1/2 lbs imitation crabmeat or 1 1/2 lbs mussels or 1 1/2 lbs oysters or 1 1/2 lbs squid (basically, your choice), fat free mozzarella cheese or 2 cups low fat mozzarella, shredded, fat-free cottage cheese, shredded parmesan cheese, egg

recipe (6 servings) basic boiled grits, grated sharp cheddar cheese, tabasco sauce (or your favorite sauce), freshly grated nutmeg, white pepper, fresh shrimp, bacon, peanut oil, sliced mushrooms, sliced scallions, garlic, peeled and run thru a garlic press, lemon juice, tabasco sauce, fresh, chopped parsley, salt and pepper

recipe pasta dough , recipe follows, ricotta cheese, egg, lightly beaten, chopped fresh parsley leaves, grated parmigiano-reggiano , plus more for garnish, chopped cured ham, mozzarella cheese, diced, salt, ground black pepper, basic tomato sauce for pasta, warmed, your favorite jarred pasta sauce (recommended: emeril s homestyle marinara), sliced fresh basil leaves, all-purpose flour, eggs, extra-virgin olive oil, salt

head escarole, head curly endive lettuce, head romaine lettuce or 1 head lettuce, radishes, turnip, your favorite salad dressing (i suggest the balsamic vinaigrette, bacon dressing, or mustard dressing from basic vinaigrette dressing with 8 variations )

marinara sauce, grated cheese ( cheddar, mozzarella, jack), red pepper , julienned, caramelized onions, blanched broccoli florets, mushrooms, shredded carrots, use your favorite vegetable, basic pizza dough, sugar, warm (110 f degrees ) water, dry yeast, flour, salt, olive oil

chicken or vegetable stock/broth (preferred brand: kitchen basics), concentrated crushed tomatoes, heavy cream, coarse salt and black pepper, leaves fresh basil , cut into chiffonade, for garnish, soup toppers, for garnish , recipe follows, crusty bread , 4 inches across, 1/4-inch thick-slice artisan breads at counter in market, cracked fresh garlic , optional, extra-virgin olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, shredded cheese to compliment your soup: provolone, asiago, cheddar, gruyere, swiss, etc.

recipe basic pizza dough , recipe follows, olive oil, sliced yellow onions, salt and freshly ground black pepper, sliced green bell peppers, italian sausage, crumbled, provolone, sliced, button mushrooms, sliced, your favorite tomato sauce, mozzarella, sliced, active dry yeast, sugar, warm water (110 degrees f), lard or vegetable shortening, all-purpose flour, salt, olive oil