love food

2011-10-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

Rendang

Ingredients: 2 lb of beef, 20 pieces of shallots, 10 pieces of garlic, 150 gram red chili pepper, 50 gram ginger, 10 pieces of clove leaves, 60 gr kunyit, 300 gr candle nut, 5 helai salam, 8 cups of thick coconut milk, 8 cups of thin coconut milk.Direction:
Cut beef into several-bite sized pieces, and boil until half done

Skin shallots, garlic, and mix with chili, ...
Brown this spice mix for a few minutes
Boil beef and this spice mix in the thin coconut milk
Put in daun
Boil until dry
Add thick coconut milk, boil until coconut milk dries while mixing it occassionally

Sambal Goreng Petai

Ingredients: 7 eggs, 4 strings of "petai", 3 cups thick coconut milk, 250 gr ground beef, 4 pieces garlic, 6 pieces of shallots, 6 piece of red chili peppers, 20 gr javanese lemon, 1 tea spoon sugar, salt and pepper.Direction:

Remove the yoke of the eggs (use just the whites) Skin petai
Slice shallots, brown a little bit.
Mix ground beef with 2 egg whites, mix with sald, pepper to taste.
Form small balls.
Let the javanese lemon sit in a cup of water The rest of the egg whites put in a place holder, and steam cook
Cut into cube sized pieces
Grind chili, garlic, and add sugar
Heat pan with a little cooking oil, add shallots and the garlic mix above, followed by the petai a few minutes later.
Put in the javanese-lemon water, followed by the ground beef balls, add salt and pepper.
Let simmer for a while, then add the rest of the coconut milk and the egg-white cubes.
et simmer for another 3 minute.

2011-10-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

Clam Satay

Ingredients: 1 lb of clams, 5 shallots, 2 spoons of sweet soy sauce, 1 lime, salt and pepper.Direction:

Boil clams. After they are done, let it cool.
Take the meat out.
Slice shallots
Mix shallots, soy sauce, and lime juice with the clams
Add salt and pepper to taste
Put clams in skewers, barbecue for a little bit

Beef Satay

Ingredients: 300 gr beef, 5 shallots, 2 spoons of sweet soy sauce, 1 spoon of vegetable oil, 1 lime, salt and pepper.Direction:

Slice beef into bite sized pieces, slice shallots
Mix everything evenly
Put beef in skewers
Barbecue in medium heat until desired level (medium rare recommended).

Bali Satay

Ingredients: 350 gr beef, 1/2 coconut, 3 pieces of garlic, 4 pieces of red chili peppers, 1 spoon brown sugar, 10 gram corriander, 10 gram kencur, 1 lime, galanga, 1 teaspoon shrimp paste, salt and pepper.Direction:

Shred beef, shred coconut
Slice garlic and brown it.
Heat shrimp paste a little bit
Get lime juice
Mix garlic, chili pepper, brown sugar, corriander, kencur, galanga, shrimp paste with a blender
Mix evenly with beef and coconut and the spice mix above add salt, pepper, and orange juice
Form thumb-sized pieces from this mix, and stick each on a skewer
Barbecue until done

Evolution of Cupcake Wraps and decorations for cupcakes

2011-10-01T06:45:00.000-07:00

by: Dana March

I remember when I was younger, my grandmother would always have a cute little cupcake waiting for me

and she would lay out all of the decorations for cupcakes and let me decorate them when I arrived. My family get-together almost always ended up with white cupcakes, decked with lots of chocolate icing and sprinkles on top, as desserts. Today, the cupcake has evolved from the usual white cake flavor to the more elaborate forms, such as red velvet cupcakes, carrot cake cupcakes and many, many more.

While the housing and the flavor of the cupcakes have improved over the years, so have the accessories used in cupcake preparation and decoration-some new found, and some improved. These cupcake accessories have made the cupcake more interesting to cook and decorate.

Cupcake Wraps and Liners

Cupcake wraps and liners or round sheets of thin paper, such as parchment paper, are used to provide a thin barrier between the cake and the cupcake pan. The job of a cupcake liner is to keep the cupcakes moist and soft and also make it easier to remove the cupcakes from the pan after they have finished cooking and cooling.

White paper used to be the main style of cupcake liner available. Eventually manufacturers came out with plain colored cupcake liners that you could purchase for events such as birthday's and anniversaries. A couple of years later, colorful paper liners with designs that match your party theme were made available. If it's Spiderman or Hello Kitty you want, finding the paper liner that fits your needs is no longer a problem.

Not only have the cupcake liners evolved into works of art, the big trend is to now wrap your cooked and decorated cupcake with cupcake wraps. Cupcake wraps are the new chic in the cupcake industry. Cupcake wraps are easy to handle and can make even the most novice bakers' cupcake look like a designer cupcake out of a couture cupcake shop.

Cupcake Towers

Cupcakes used to be baked and placed on a platter or maybe even a cake plate for display. They weren't displayed long in my house, as I remember as soon as they were baked, they were eaten. There was no time for fancy decorations and displays.

Nowadays, cupcakes are the centerpiece of the dessert table for many events. In fact, the latest trend in weddings is cupcake wedding cakes. Cupcake trees and cupcake towers are being used as wedding cupcake stands in order to display hundreds of elegantly decorated cupcakes replacing the traditional wedding cake in many weddings today. The guests of the party can even take their own cupcake home with them in specially made cupcake containers.

Depending on how large the event may be, cupcake towers can have 3 to 7 tiers at an average. Most of them can be easily taken down, washed and stored for future use while others are disposable so the host doesn't have to worry about cleaning the cupcake tower and storing after the party. The disposable towers are usually cheaper than the reusable ones; however, if you plan on having several events during the year, it would be beneficial to invest in a little higher priced, reusable tower that would really save you money in the long run.

Conclusion:

Cupcakes have always held a place in my heart and remind me of the simple things in life I enjoy. With that said, cupcake accessories available on the market, make simple things, a little more enjoyable.

There are many places to get ideas for cupcakes online. You can find an online cupcake store or cupcake blog that will have information about baby shower cupcake ideas, novelty birthday cakes and decorations for cupcakes.

How to Make a Perfect Grilled Chicken

2011-10-01T06:37:00.001-07:00

by: Angelica Florin
Grilling can be a fun, family activity during weekends. Spend your lazy afternoons in your backyard, and take out those grillers for a grilled chicken for your dinner.

Learning how to grill is not as hard as you would see on television. All you need is the proper temperature for your griller especially if you are using an electric grill. Nevertheless, if you have the conventional griller, try to find some dried wood or charcoal. Ignite the coals or wood by placing crumpled papers below each coal and then set the papers on fire. Do not pour gasoline on the coals or dried wood. The smoke coming from the coals will give a gasoline-like aroma to your grilled meat. These are your best weapons in grilling.

Choose the best part of the chicken. I usually use chicken thighs and legs since they are the fattiest parts of the chicken. These parts will yield a juicy, barbecued chicken. Although these may sound unhealthy, the taste is incredibly delicious. Some would still prefer grilling chicken breasts with the skins on.

Before you start grilling your chicken, do not forget to marinate them at least overnight. Yes, overnight. This is because the longer you marinade your meat, the better absorption of flavors happens. I prefer to use store-bought marinades as these save much preparation time in the kitchen. The downside of most ready-made marinades is their high sodium content. But if you have time, you can make your own marinade from scratch. In the recipe below, the marinade and the chicken were simmered together to speed up the process of grilling and also to let the flavors marry together. I like Asian-style marinades such as this:

For every kilo of chicken:

½ cup light soy sauce (available in the Asian section of grocery stores)

2-3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1 medium stalk of lemon grass (pounded)

3 cloves crushed garlic

1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

Combine all the above ingredients in a heavy skillet and let it boil for two minutes. Add in the chicken and simmer for another five minutes. Drain the chicken in a colander and reserve the marinade for basting during grilling. Basting is necessary so that the chicken won’t dry out. The marinade can also be made as a sauce by making a basic roux. This is simply done by placing a tablespoon of butter on a non-stick pan and let it cook for minutes. Pour over the marinade and whisk until the sauce thickens. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings accordingly.

You can also opt to make a dry, rub marinade. This dry rub is comprised of herbs and spices and a little oil. For chicken, dried or fresh tarragon and rosemary blends together very well. If you want a spicier, grilled chicken, add a pinch of chili powder and cayenne pepper. There are limitless marinades for grilled chicken. A little imagination and creativity are the keys. Make sure that when grilling the chicken, never let the flame flare up. This will result in burnt chicken. This does not appeal both to the eyes and to the palate. If this occurs, sprinkle a little water over the flame. Some also like their grillers to be covered during the grilling process.

Personally, I liked mine uncovered. There is just something about the smoke which is, for me, the essence of grilling. Grilled foods are best served warm, right off the grill with some salads or other vegetables of your choice.