"All life is an experiment."Ralph Waldo Emerson
|
| |
Oil or Butter? They Are Both Fat!
Newsflash: there is a world beyond olive oil. Look, I like olive oil as much as the next person and I use it extensively in my cooking. However there are alternatives and there are very good reasons for using some of them. But let's just stay with olive ...
Shopping for Ingredients for a Well Stocked Kitchen
You've read your recipe. Now it's time to go shopping for all the ingredients to create your culinary masterpiece. Make a list of what you need. Do you have any ingredients in stock? Do you have enough for your recipe? Are the ingredients still fresh or ...
Spinach, Mushroom and Swiss Baked Omelet with Muffin Biscuits
Spinach, Mushroom and Swiss Baked Omelet ½ Cup Spinach 1/3 Cup Mushroom, sliced 6-8 eggs 1/3 Cup Milk ½ Cup Swiss Cheese, grated Black Pepper to taste Nutmeg to taste Cook the mushrooms and spinach over medium heat until all the liquid is ...
|
|
|
| |
Let's get right to it!
1. Add Sour Cream to your mashed potatoes.
2. After icing your cinnamon rolls, dust the tops lightly with cinnamon.
3. Always use special napkins - use seasonally-appropriate patterns and colors. If your family has a favorite sports team, serve their colors on the days they're playing. If you are NASCAR fans, by all means, go with your driver's colors on race day!
4. Never underestimate the elegance of candles. They set the mood and add mood to your setting.
5. Use freshly-grated Parmesan and leave the cans on the shelves.
6. Serve only coffee that has been freshly-ground and freshly-brewed. Top this coffee off with a dollop of whipped topping, and if you're really feeling "high brow", fresh shavings from a block of chocolate.
7. Use REAL crumbled bacon on top of your salads and baked potatoes. Leave the plastic containers of wanna-be bacon bits on the shelves beside the Parmesan.
8. Speaking of salads, add crumbled feta cheese to your tossed salads. You'll never want salads without it again!
9. Never, ever, under any circumstances - make salsa without fresh cilantro. If your store is out, drive to the next store. If, three stores later, you still haven't found any cilantro, skip the idea of salsa all together! Yes, it's that important.
10. Add zip to your loaf of French Bread. Spray, or brush, the top of the loaf with olive oil. Then sprinkle on dried red pepper flakes and dried onion flakes. Bake as usual.
11. Get a rounded ice-cream scoop of ice cream, roll in crushed nuts and serve on top of a plate that's been swirled with caramel or chocolate syrup. Then squeeze more over the top.
12. Do the same as above, but use coconut in place of the crushed nuts. This time, place the balls of coconut-covered ice cream on top of slices of pound cake. Now, pour some pineapple bits, juice and all, on top of the servings.
13. Serving Italian food? Softly play Italian music in the background.
14. Invest in several sets of dishes, as many as your budget will allow. Match the "mood" of your meal you're serving with the "mood" of the dishes you'll be serving it on. For example, if you're serving seafood, either a "Lighthouse" dish pattern, or blue dishes would be perfect. Asian food is great on black or floral dishes. Hamburgers? Red, white and blue!
15. When making grilled cheese sandwiches, use a thin layer of cream cheese alongside your typical slice of cheddar. Serve with a knock-out salad or your favorite soup.
16. Set aside a Saturday for Candy making. Try out fudge, taffy and even molded candies. If you have someone in the kitchen with you, it's even funner. If not, at least you don't have to share your spoils!
17. Make a tradition out of trying a new, challenging bread recipe on the first Sunday of every month (or any day of your choice, of course!) Start out with the basic loaf, then move on to Sourdough, Wheat, Irish Bread, French Bread, Twisted Loaves, etc.
18. Place sprigs of parsley on special dishes. Your family will appreciate the extra-special thought and it looks really pretty!
19. Buy thick "Texas Toast" for making French Toast. Prior to dipping into the egg bath, cut a slit in each of the bread's corners, fill each with 1 Tablespoon of softened cream cheese. Prepare as you normally would. Serve with syrup, a dusting of powdered sugar and a few fresh, plump strawberries. Delicious!!!
20. When serving Refried Beans, warm a small amount of Sour Cream until it has the consistency of whipping cream. Top each serving of beans with a teaspoon of the sour cream and top with chives or diced green onions.
Remember: Cooking is an art, so get creative and have fun with it!
About the Author
This article, and others, can be found at http://www.buttermilkpress.com, as can recipes, cooking tips, products, and more. Feel free to contact the author at joi@buttermilkpress.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
 
WRAL.com (blog) |
Recipe: Heart tartsWRAL.com (blog)By Susan Caldwell of Lil' Chef Calling all sweetie pies! This homemade take on toaster pastries makes a lip-smacking valentine snack. 1. Heat the oven to 400° and cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 2. On a floured surface, roll out the pie ...and more » |
|
Deliciously Healthy Italian RecipesMarketWatch (press release)It adds a delicious splash of flavor to any recipe. As a rule of thumb, she says, substitute an equal amount of olive oil for other cooking oils. -- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Has a rich, full flavor, fragrant aroma, low acidity and deep greenish-gold ...and more » |
|
Kitchen Call: February is a sweet spot on the calendarDu Quoin Evening CallThe recipes in her book are attributed to famous artists and royalty. The key to her recipes is that they all sound simple –– even creme brulee, which most cooks find incredibly difficult. So I included her version in her own words — mostly.and more » |
|
