Saturday, April 29, 2006 

Cooking Tip #2: How to melt cheese

Bring cheese to room temperature before melting. Melt cheese over a low heat to help prevent toughening and separation of oils and liquid.

4/29/2006 08:39:00 AM | |

Friday, April 21, 2006 

Cooking Tip #1: Should I buy this piece of beef?

Make sure the package is cold and has no holes or tears. Excessive liquid in a package may indicate improper storage or beef that is past its optimum shelf life. Look for beef that is firm to the touch. Choose beef that has a nice cherry-red color, without any grayish or brown blotches. The exception is vacuum-packaged beef, which, due to a lack of oxygen, has a darker purplish-red color. When the beef is exposed to the air again, it will turn to a bright red.

4/21/2006 09:01:00 PM | |

Thursday, April 20, 2006 

Quick and Easy Goulash


Ingredients:


1 bag of dry egg noodles
1 pound of ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (optional)
1 can of corn half drained or 2 cups of fresh corn
1 can of kidney beans or 1 can of october beans
1 can of condensed tomato soup
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon of oregano
1 small garlic clover, chopped
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste


Directions:

Cook egg noodles according to package directions. In a large skillet, brown ground beef over, garlic and onion over medium heat. Drain grease. Remove from heat and add tomato soup, ketchup, salt, pepper and oregano. Mix well. Drain egg noodles. Combine meat mixture and egg noodles along with the corn and beans. Fold mixture together.

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4/20/2006 02:30:00 PM | |

Wednesday, April 19, 2006 

Sloppy Joe Casserole

Ingredients:


1 lb ground beef or hamburger
1 box of elbow macaroni (about 4 cups)
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped (or 1 can of mushrooms drained and chopped)
1 cup of barbecue sauce
1 cup of ketchup
1/4 cup of steak sauce
1 tablespoon of cumin
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Garlic to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees


Directions:

Cook the macaroni in a large sauce pan according to package instructions. Drain can set aside. In a large skillet brown and drain the ground beef or hamburger. Add the peppers and mushrooms to the hamburger and cook over medium heat until the pepper begin to become tender. In a bowl, combine barbecue sauce, ketchup, steak sauce, salt, pepper, garlic and cumin. Mix well. Add mixture to skillet and continue cooking over medium low heat for about 5-8 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove the hamburger mixture from the heat and stir in the macaroni. Fold it all together. Lightly spray a casserole dish with non stick cooking spray. Pour the hamburger and macaroni mixture into the casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese. Cover the dish with foil but leave it loose. Place in a 400 degree over for about 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until cheese is nice an brown, about 5 minutes.

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4/19/2006 08:20:00 AM | |

Thursday, April 13, 2006 

Emergency Cooking Substitutions

Dairy Products

Ingredient

Emergency Substitution

Buttermilk, 1 cup

1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon plus enough milk to make 1 cup.
Let mixture stand for 5 minutes before using.

Sour Cream, 1 cup

1 cup plain yogurt

Half-and-Half, 1 cup

7/8 cup milk plus 3 tablespoons butter

Yogurt (plain), 1 cup

1 cup sour cream or buttermilk

Eggs, 2 large

3 small eggs

Whole Milk, 1 cup

1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water

Asiago

Parmesan cheese

Ricotta

Cottage cheese

Light Cream, 1 cup

2 tablespoons butter, plus 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons milk

Cottage cheese - pureed, 1 cup

1 cup Sour Cream

Mayonnaise (for salad dressings), 1 cup

1/2 cup plain yogurt and 1/2 cup mayonnaise -OR- 1 cup sour cream -OR- 1 cup cottage cheese, pureed

Baking Products

Ingredient

Emergency Substitution

Active Dry Yeast, 1 package

2 1/2 teaspoons dry or 1/3 cake yeast, crumbled

Baking powder, 1 teaspoon

1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Cake flour, 1 cup

1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Cornstarch, 1 tablespoon

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour - Simmer about 3 minutes AFTER it has thickened

Flour, 1 tablespoon (for thickening)

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Honey, 1 cup

1 1/4 cups sugar plus 1/4 cup liquid

Self Rising Flour (1 cup)

1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
plus 1/2 teaspoons salt

Semisweet Chocolate, 1 ounce

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate plus 1 tablespoon sugar

Semisweet Chocolate chips, 1/2 cup

3 ounces semisweet chocolate

Unsweetened Chocolate, 1 ounce

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tablespoon margarine

Powdered Sugar, 1 cup

1 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch processed in food processor

Tapioca, 1 tablespoon

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Cream of Tartar, 1 teaspoon

3 teaspoons of lemon juice -OR- 3 teaspoons of vinegar

Gelatin, 1 sheet

one 1/4 ounce envelope unflavored powdered gelatin

Maple Syrup, 1 tablespoon

2 teaspoons of maple sugar -AND- 1 teaspoon of water

Baking Soda

There is NO substitute for baking soda

Butter, 1 cup

1 cup margarine -OR- 1 cup vegetable shortening (for baking only)

Flour - Cake, 1 cup

1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour - sifted

Shortening, 1 cup

1 cup softened butter OR 1 cup margarine minus 1/2 teaspoon salt from the recipe.

Marshmallows, Mini, 1 cup

8 to 10 regular marshmallows

Seasoning Products

Ingredient

Emergency Substitution

Lemon Peel (Zest), 1 teaspoon

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Mustard, dry, 1 teaspoon

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Fresh Herbs, 1 tablespoon

1 teaspoon dried herbs

Garlic, 1 clove

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder or minced dried garlic

Fresh Gingerroot, 1 tablespoon

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Vanilla Bean, 1 inch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Allspice, 1 teaspoon ground

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Apple Pie Spice, 1 teaspoon

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
plus 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
plus 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice plus 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Fish sauce

Worcestershire sauce or light soy sauce with salt

Saffron , 1/8 teaspoon

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Asian Basil

equal amount any fresh basil variety

Tomato Sauce, 2 cups

3/4 cup tomato paste plus 1 cup water

Tomato Juice, 1 cup

1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water

Onion, 1 small

1 teaspoon onion powder
or 1 tablespoon minced dried onion, rehydrated

Chili Sauce, 1 cup

1 cup tomato sauce, 1/8 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons vinegar (White or Apple),
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, dash of allspice and a dash of fresh ground cloves

Worcestershire Sauce

Bottled Steak Sauce

Spearmint, Dried, 1 tablespoon

1/4 cup fresh chopped mint

Liquids

Ingredient

Emergency Substitution

Lemon, 1 medium (fresh juice)

2 to 3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice

Orange, 1 medium (fresh juice)

1/4 to 1/3 cup orange juice

Amaretto, 2 tablespoons

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Sherry, 2 tablespoons

1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Marsala, 1/4 cup

1/4 cup dry wine plus 1 teaspoon brandy

White Wine

Bottled White Grape Juice or Apple Juice

Red wine, 1/4 cup

1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar

Tomato Juice, 1 cup

1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water

Maple Syrup, 1 tablespoon

2 teaspoons of maple sugar -AND- 1 teaspoon of water

Red Wine - Sweet

Bottled Grape Juice or Cranberry Juice

Worcestershire Sauce, 1 tablespoon

1 tablespoon bottled steak sauc

4/13/2006 02:58:00 PM | |

Sunday, April 09, 2006 

A ready to eat breasfast

Ingredients:


32 oz frozen hash browns
1 lb cooked ham cubed
1 onion diced
1 green pepper diced
1 1/2 c shredded cheese (you can mix several types)
12 eggs
1 c skim milk
1 t salt
1 t black pepper



Directions:

Divide potatoes, ham, veggies and cheese so you can create several layers of each in the slow cooker. Start with the hash browns, then ham, onions peppers and last cheese. Repeat until you have several layers. Beat eggs, milk salt & pepper pour over layers in the slow cooker cover and turn on low. Cook for 10-12 hours overnight.

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4/09/2006 12:32:00 AM | |

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