Good Eats

Asia to Have Four Wealthiest Populations by 2050

2012-08-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

A rapid shift in the center of economic gravity will create the world’s four wealthiest populations in Asia, according to a Citi 2012 Private Wealth report. Only the US will remain in the top five among non-Asian nations.

Singapore already has the world’s highest per capita income on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis at $56,532, according to Knight Frank and Citi Private Wealth’s 2012 Wealth Report. It is followed by Norway at $51,226, the U.S. ($45,511), Hong Kong ($45,301) and Switzerland ($42,470).
By 2050 the rapid shift in wealth will have changed the complexion at the top. Singapore will remain on top with a per capita income on a PPP basis of $137,710, followed by Hong Kong ($116,639), Taiwan ($114,093) and South Korea ($107,752).
The US is projected to slip to fifth place with a per capita income of $100,802.
But not all of Asia will be among the world’s wealthiest. Japan — which is struggling with an aging economy and a moribund political system that suppresses change and growth— will have the weakest growth of all the world’s economies. By 2050 it will have slipped into the middle ranks of the world’s economies, along with Spain, France, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany.
The Asian economies slated to see the fastest growth are the emerging nations of India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, the Philippines, Mongolia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka. The only non-Asian nations in the top-10 in projected growth over the next 40 years are Nigeria, Iraq and Egypt.
The massive shift of wealth toward Asia and its inevitable consequences have prompted some noted super-rich people to make the shift themselves, according to a recent CNN article.
Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin moved to Singapore in 2009 has since renounced his U.S. citizenship. Jim Rogers, who co-founded the Quantum Fund with George Soros, also moved there in 2007.
“I have moved to Asia and my girls speak Mandarin, speak perfect Mandarin,” Rogers told CNN. “I’m preparing them for the 21st century by knowing Asia and by speaking perfect Mandarin.
“It’s easier to get rich in Asia than it is in America now. The wind is in your face. [The US] is the largest debtor nation in the history of the world. The largest creditor nations in the world are China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore. The assets are in Asia. You know who the debtors are and where they are. Look at Greece. Look at Spain. I mean, I don’t like saying this. You know, I’m an American, too. But facts are facts.”
If the global economic center of gravity could be placed in the middle of the Atlantic in 1980 and somewhere in northern California today, by 2050 it is likely to be somewhere in East Asia if measured by the wealth of citizens.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

2012-08-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

Nutritional Information
(per serving)

Calories	330
Total Fat	4g
Saturated Fat	1g
Cholesterol	72mg
Sodium	1,985mg
Total Carbohydrate	44g
Dietary Fiber	4g
Sugars	--
Protein	30g
Calcium	--

James Baigrie

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients

1/2 package(s) (7 to 8.8 ounces) vermicelli rice noodles
1/3 cup(s) Asian fish sauce
3 tablespoon(s) brown sugar
2 tablespoon(s) fresh lime juice
1 clove(s) (small) garlic, crushed with press
1 pound(s) chicken breast tenders
1/4 cup(s) water
1/2 head(s) iceberg lettuce, thinly silced
2 medium carrots, shredded
2 small Kirby (pickling) cucumbers, shredded
1/2 cup(s) (loosely packed ) fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/4 cup(s) unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped (optional)

Directions

Prepare outdoor grill for direct grilling over medium heat.
Heat medium covered saucepan of water to boiling over high heat. Add rice noodles and cook as label directs; drain.
In small bowl, combine fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and garlic. Transfer 3 tablespoons fish-sauce mixture to medium bowl; add chicken and toss to coat. Stir water into remaining fish-sauce mixture.
Place chicken on hot grill rack and cook 5 to 6 minutes or just until chicken loses its pink color throughout, turning over once. Transfer chicken to cutting board; cut into 1-inch chunks.
Divide noodles among 4 large dinner plates. Top with lettuce, carrots, cucumber, mint, chicken, and, if using, peanuts; drizzle with remaining fish-sauce mixture.

Pasta Salad with Lemon and Peas

2012-08-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

Small shell or bow-tie pasta is dressed in a light, lemony mayonnaise with green onions, fresh basil, and baby peas.

Calories	155
Total Fat	3g
Saturated Fat	1g
Cholesterol	4mg
Sodium	245mg
Total Carbohydrate	25g
Dietary Fiber	2g
Sugars	--
Protein	5g
Calcium	--

Ingredients

1 pound(s) bow-tie or small shell pasta
Salt
1 package(s) (10-ounce) frozen baby peas
2 lemons
2/3 cup(s) milk
1/2 cup(s) light mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon(s) coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup(s) (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced

In large saucepot, cook pasta in boiling salted water as label directs, adding frozen peas during last 2 minutes of cooking time. Drain pasta and peas; rinse with cold water and drain well.
Meanwhile, from lemons, grate 1 tablespoon peel and squeeze 3 tablespoons juice. In large bowl, with wire whisk, mix lemon peel and juice with milk, mayonnaise, pepper, basil, green onions, and 1 teaspoon salt until blended.
Add pasta and peas to mayonnaise dressing; toss to coat well. Cover and refrigerate up to two days if not serving right away.

Chicken Lo Mein

2012-08-16T22:16:00.003-07:00

This speedy, slurp-able supper will give the local Peking Palace some healthy competition. Crammed with crisp, just-picked veggies like snow peas, cabbage, and carrots, it's Asian made nutritious — and MSG free

Calories	600
Total Fat	10g
Saturated Fat	2g
Cholesterol	49mg
Sodium	1235mg
Total Carbohydrate	90g
Dietary Fiber	8g
Sugars	--
Protein	37g
Calcium	--

Kate Mathis

Serves: 4 Edit

Yields: 4 main-dish servings
Total Time: 45 min

Prep Time: 25 min

Ingredients

1/4 cup(s) oyster sauce
1/4 cup(s) lower-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoon(s) rice vinegar
12 ounce(s) chicken-breast tenders, cut into quarters
Pepper
2 tablespoon(s) vegetable oil
2 teaspoon(s) grated peeled fresh ginger
1 clove(s) garlic, crushed with press
8 ounce(s) sliced white mushrooms
1 bag(s) (14-ounce) coleslaw mix
2 cup(s) shredded carrots
3 tablespoon(s) water
12 ounce(s) spaghetti
6 ounce(s) snow peas, strings removed
1 teaspoon(s) cornstarch

In small bowl, mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, and rice vinegar until combined. Set aside. Heat large covered saucepot of water to boiling on high.
Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil on medium 1 minute. Add chicken and cook 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken just loses its pink color throughout, stirring occasionally. Transfer to clean bowl; cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
To same skillet, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and heat on medium 30 seconds. Add ginger and garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add mushrooms and cook 4 to 5 minutes longer or until beginning to soften, stirring occasionally. Add coleslaw mix, carrots, and 2 tablespoons water; cover and cook 8 to 12 minutes or until cabbage is just tender, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook spaghetti as label directs in saucepot of boiling water. Drain and return to pot.
Add snow peas to vegetables in skillet. Cook, uncovered, 2 to 3 minutes longer or until snow peas are just crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.
Transfer vegetables and chicken to pot with spaghetti. To same skillet on medium, add oyster-sauce mixture; cook 1 minute. In small bowl, combine cornstarch and remaining 1 tablespoon water; stir into oyster sauce in skillet. Heat to boiling; cook 1 minute or until sauce thickens.
Add sauce to spaghetti mixture; toss with tongs to combine. Divide lo mein among 4 bowls to serve.

Lo mein is typically made with fresh Chinese egg noodles, which can be purchased in Asian specialty markets. Spaghetti is an adequate easier-to-find substitute.

Top Ten Most Nutritious Vegetables and How to Grow Them in Your Garden

2012-08-16T00:06:00.004-07:00

A perfectly ripe, juicy tomato, still warm from the sun. Sweet carrots, pulled from the garden minutes (or even seconds!) before they're eaten. Growing your own vegetables is one of those activities that balances practicality and indulgence. In addition to the convenience of having the fixings for a salad or light supper right outside your door (or on your windowsill), when you grow your own vegetables, you're getting the most nutritional bang for your buck as well. Vegetables start losing nutrients as soon as they're harvested, and quality diminishes as sugars are turned into starches. For the tastiest veggies with the best nutrition, try growing a few of these nutrient-dense foods in your own garden. And don't let the lack of a yard stop you - all of them can be grown in containers as well.

Grow These Good-for-You Veggies

1. Broccoli

Broccoli is high in calcium, iron, and magnesium, as well as Vitamin A, B6, and C. In fact, one cup of raw broccoli florets provides 130% of your daily Vitamin C requirement.

Grow Broccoli in Containers: One broccoli plant per pot, pots should be 12 to 16 inches deep.

What to Watch Out For: Cabbage worm. If you start seeing pretty white butterflies fluttering around your broccoli, you're guaranteed to start seeing little green worms all over your broccoli plants. To avoid this, cover your broccoli plants with floating row cover or lightweight bed sheets. If you start seeing cabbage worms, simply pick them off by hand.

2. Peas

There is nothing like peas grown right in your own garden - the tender sweetness of a snap pea just plucked from the vine is unlike anything you can buy in at a store. Aside from being absolutely delicious, peas are high in fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, and Vitamin A, B6, and C.

Grow Peas in Containers: Sow peas approximately 2 inches apart in a pot that is at least 10 inches deep. Provide support for peas to climb up.
What to Watch Out For: Hot weather. Once the weather turns hot, pea production will pretty much shut down. Grow peas in early spring and late summer/autumn, or any time of year when temperatures are consistently between 40 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Beans (especially navy beans, great northern beans, kidney beans)

While snap beans (green beans/wax beans) are a great addition to any garden, it's the beans we grow as dried beans that are real nutritional powerhouses. Dry beans, in general, are high in iron, fiber, manganese, and phosphorous.

Grow Beans in Containers: Bush beans are your best option for growing in containers. Plant beans four inches apart in a container that is at least 12 inches deep.
What to Watch Out For: Harvest at the right time. Harvest dry beans when the pods have completely dried on the vine. The pods should be light brown, and you should be able to feel the hard beans inside. Shell the beans, and let them sit out a few days to ensure that they're completely dry before storing them in jars in a cool, dark, dry place.

4. Brussels Sprouts

The bane of many a childhood, Brussels sprouts get a bad wrap mostly due to overcooking. When prepared right, Brussels sprouts are sweet, tender, and delicious. They also provide tons of fiber, magnesium, potassium, and riboflavin, as well as high levels of Vitamins A, B6, and C.

How to Grow Brussels Sprouts
Grow Brussels Sprouts in Containers: Grow one plant per 16-inch deep container.
What to Watch Out For: Cabbage worms (see "Broccoli, above.)

5. Tomatoes

Fresh, homegrown tomatoes are the reason many gardeners get into vegetable gardening in the first place. There's just nothing that compares to eating a perfectly ripe tomato, still warm from the sun. Tomatoes are also incredibly good for us, packing plenty of fiber, iron, magnesium, niacin, potassium, and Vitamin A, B6, and C. They're also a great source of the antioxidant lycopene.

How to Grow Tomatoes
Grow Tomatoes in Containers: Container sizes will vary depending on the variety you're growing. If you're growing an indeterminate variety, your container will need to be at least 18 inches deep. For determinate varieties, 12 inches is a good depth, and for dwarf or "patio" type tomatoes, 8 inches is perfect. One tomato plant per pot.
What to Watch Out For: Tomato horn worm can be a problem in many areas - these large caterpillars should be removed by hand whenever you see them. Also watch out for signs of blight, which is a real problem in many parts of the U.S.

6. Red Bell Peppers

Red bell peppers are high in potassium, riboflavin, and Vitamins A, B6, and C - in fact, one cup of red bell pepper packs an amazing 317% of the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin C and 93% of the recommended Vitamin A.

How to Grow Peppers
Grow Peppers in Containers: Plant one pepper plant per each 8 to 12 inch deep pot.
What to Watch Out For: Aphids and flea beetles are the two most common insect pests when growing peppers. While both can be controlled with insecticidal soap, which is a common organic option, you can also make all-natural, homemade sprays to deter these pests. A tomato leaf spray will get rid of aphids, and garlic/hot pepper spray works very well on a flea beetle infestation.

7. Beets

Beets are a great "two-fer" crop - you can harvest the beet roots, of course, but you can also harvest and eat the greens. Young beet greens are delicious when added raw to a salad, and larger beet greens can be sauteed as a quick side dish or used the way you'd use other greens such as spinach. Beet roots are very high in iron, potassium, and vitamin C. Beet greens are even better, as they are high in iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and Vitamins A, B6, and C.

How to Grow Beets
Grow Beets in Containers: Plant beet seeds three inches apart in a container that is twelve inches deep. Because each beet seed is actually a cluster of seeds, be sure to thin the seedlings to one per cluster. Thinnings can be added to salads or sandwiches.
What to Watch Out For: Knowing when to harvest. Beet roots are at their best when they are harvested small - between one and two inches across. At this size, they are sweet and tender. Larger beets tend to be kind of woody and less flavorful.

8. Leaf Amaranth

Leaf amaranth is a less-common vegetable that is well worth a try in your own garden. The leaves have a sweet and slightly tangy flavor that works well in a variety of dishes, from stir-fries and soups to simply steaming it all by itself. As a bonus, leaf amaranth is one of the few heat-tolerant greens. It won't bolt in the heat of summer the way spinach and kale are prone to. Nutritionally, leaf amaranth is very high in calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, riboflavin, zinc, and Vitamins A, B6, and C. Everyone should be growing this!

How to Grow Leaf Amaranth
Growing Leaf Amaranth in Containers: Scatter the tiny seeds over the soil's surface in a pot that is at least 8 inches deep. Harvest the leaves when they are two to four inches tall. You will be able to get at least two or three harvest before you'll have to sow more seeds.
What to Watch Out For: Leaf amaranth is fairly easy to grow, and relatively problem-free. Rarely, leaf miners can become a problem.

9. Carrots

Carrots are at their sweetest, crunchiest best when freshly harvested from the garden. These icons of healthy eating deserve their "good-for-you" rep - they're very high in fiber, manganese, niacin, potassium, and Vitamins A, B6, and C. Their only drawback is that they do tend to be high in sugar, so if you're watching your carb intake, you'll want to limit the amount of carrots you eat.

How to Grow Carrots
Grow Carrots in Containers: Sow carrot seeds two to three inches apart in a pot that is at least twelve inches deep. Look for shorter varieties, such as 'Thumbelina,' or 'Danver's Half Long.'
What to Watch Out For: Harvesting at the perfect size. Carrots are at their tastiest when harvested small. Leaving them in the ground too long can result in overly large, woody carrots. You'll also want to make sure to keep your carrots evenly moist, as letting the soil dry out too often can also result in somewhat bitter, fibrous carrots.

10. Leafy Greens

OK, I cheated here. I can't recommend just ONE leafy green, because they are all incredibly good for us, as well as delicious -- kale, collards, spinach, turnip or dandelion greens -- how can you possibly choose just one? In general, the "green leafies" contain high amounts of calcium, iron, potassium, and Vitamins A, B6, and C.

How to Grow Kale and Other Leafy Greens
Grow Greens in Containers: Grow one kale or collard plant per ten inch deep pot. Other greens can be grown a few plants to a pot -- they should be planted at least 4 inches apart and harvested small.
What to Watch Out For: Heat and cabbage worms. Most leafy greens are cool-weather crops, so they're best grown in spring and fall in most areas - hot weather will cause them to bolt. In addition, many of these greens are members of the Brassicas family, which means they are prone to cabbage worm infestations. Control them with the same methods outlined in the "Broccoli" section, above.

Try growing one or two (or all!) of these nutrient-dense, delicious vegetables in your own garden, and you'll get double the health benefits: healthy food and time spent outdoors, nurturing your plants.

Top 10 Healthiest Fruit

2012-08-16T00:01:00.002-07:00

This healthiest fruit list shows the most nutritious antioxidant fruit benefits.

You'll want to choose often from the healthiest fruit list in order to get the best fruit benefits. Then you can look better, think better and have more abundant energy.

But that's not all. It turns out that an apple a day (or an apricot, grapefruit, kiwi, papaya or bowl of blueberries) CAN keep the doctor away!

Besides being delicious and nutritious, by reducing your risk of colds, flu, heart disease, stroke and cancer, eating the healthiest fruits with the most antioxidant fruit benefits will help you to feel better and live longer.

The Healthiest Fruit with Antioxidant Fruit Benefits

1. Apples, with the skin, provide pectin, 5 grams of fiber and a heaping dose of flavonoid antioxidants. Apple fiber helps lower cholesterol and keep you regular. And the powerful flavonoids reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer. A medium apple has about 80 calories.

2. Apricots are a good source of vitamins A, C and E, potassium, iron and carotenoids. The lycopene found in apricots helps protect your eyes and prevent heart disease, LDL cholesterol oxidation and certain cancers – especially skin cancer. And the fiber in apricots helps relieve constipation. Plus 1 apricot has only 19 calories.

3. Bananas are a great source of potassium (about 400 mg), which helps lower your risk of high blood pressure and stroke and plays a key role in muscle function. Bananas are delicious and sweet to eat, making them a good sugar substitute and natural energy source. The fiber in bananas helps restore normal bowel action. A medium size banana has around 108 calories.

4. Berries are super high in powerful antioxidants, including vitamin C. Numerous studies show berries offer great protection against heart disease stroke, cancer and many other diseases.

Blueberries top the antioxidant fruit benefits list. Besides other health benefits, blueberries help prevent high blood pressure, macular degeneration and brain damage leading to Alzheimer's disease. 1 cup of blueberries has 81 calories and 4 grams of fiber.

Blackberries – a single cup of blackberries has 74 calories and a whopping 10 grams of fiber.

Raspberries – there are 60 calories in 1 cup of raspberries with 8 grams of fiber.

Strawberries – 1 cup of sliced strawberries has 50 calories and 4 grams of fiber.

5. Cantaloupes are packed with Vitamin C, potassium and carotenoid antioxidants. Cantaloupe can help reduce inflammation, prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease, boost immunity and help protect your skin from sunburn. Half a melon has 97 calories and 2 grams of fiber.

6. Cherries are very high in iron and disease-fighting flavonoids. They also have potassium, magnesium, C and E, folate and heart-protective carotenoids. Cherries can significantly reduce inflammation, arthritic pain, bad cholesterol and cancer risk. 1 cup of cherries has 88 calories.

7. Citrus Fruits are best known for flavor, juiciness and high vitamin C content. But they're also a good source of folate, fiber and other antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Citrus fruit has been shown to help reduce cholesterol, blood pressure and the risk of some types of cancer.

Pink or Red Grapefruit – half a grapefruit has just a scant 47 calories.

Oranges provide an impressive 50 to 70 mg of vitamin C and a medium orange has only 68 calories.

Lemons and Limes – 1 lime or small lemon has about 17 calories.

8. Kiwifruit, when compared ounce for ounce, has more than twice the vitamin C of an orange. It's also an excellent source of magnesium, potassium and vitamins A and E. Kiwis have been shown to boost the immune system and reduce respiratory diseases. 1 medium kiwi has 47 calories and 3 grams of fiber.

9. Papayas are loaded with vitamin C, folate, carotenoids and natural digestive enzymes that help with protein digestion. 1 cup of cubed papaya has 55 calories.

10. Red Grapes contain iron, potassium, fiber and an abundance of powerful disease-fighting antioxidants. Although red wine gets most of the publicity, dark colored grapes are the original source of the flavonoids, anthocyanins and resveratrol, which have been shown to help prevent heart disease and cancer. 1 cup of red or purple grapes has 60 calories.

TOP 10 Best Foods

2012-08-15T23:53:00.005-07:00

1. Sweet Potatoes

A nutritional All-Star — one of the best vegetables you can eat. They're loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Bake and then mix in some unsweetened applesauce or crushed pineapple for extra moisture and sweetness.

2. Mangoes

Just one cup of mango supplies 100% of a day’s vitamin C, one-third of a day’s vitamin A, a decent dose of blood-pressure-lowering potassium, and 3 grams of fiber. Bonus: mango is one of the fruits least likely to have pesticide residues

3. Unsweetened Greek Yogurt

Non-fat, plain Greek yogurt has a pleasant tartness that’s a perfect foil for the natural sweetness of berries, bananas, or your favorite breakfast cereal. It’s strained, so even the fat-free versions are thick and creamy. And the lost liquid means that the yogurt that’s left has twice the protein of ordinary yogurt – about 17 grams in 6 ounces of plain Greek yogurt.

4. Broccoli

It has lots of vitamin C, carotenoids, vitamin K and folic acid. Steam it just enough so that it's still firm and add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and a spritz of lemon juice.

5. Wild Salmon

The omega-3 fats in fatty fish like salmon can help reduce the risk of sudden-death heart attacks. And wild-caught salmon has less PCB contaminants than farmed salmon.

6. Crispbreads

Whole-grain rye crackers, like Wasa, Kavli, and Ryvita — usually called crispbreads — are loaded with fiber and often fat-free. Drizzle with a little honey and sprinkle with cinnamon to satisfy your sweet tooth.

7. Garbanzo Beans

All beans are good beans. They’re rich in protein, fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. But garbanzos stand out because they’re so versatile. Just drain, rinse, and toss a handful on your green salad; throw them into vegetable stews, curries, and soups; mix them with brown rice, whole wheat couscous, bulgur, or other whole grains.

8. Watermelon

Watermelon is a heavyweight in the nutrient department. A standard serving (about 2 cups) has one-third of a day’s vitamins A and C, a nice shot of potassium, and a healthy dose of lycopene for only 80 fat-free, salt-free calories. And when they’re in season, watermelons are often locally grown, which means they may have a smaller carbon footprint than some other fruits.

9. Butternut Squash

Steam a sliced squash or buy peeled, diced butternut squash at the supermarket that’s ready to go into the oven, a stir-fry, or a soup. It’s an easy way to get lots of vitamins A and C and fiber.

10. Leafy Greens

Don’t miss out on powerhouse greens like kale, collards, spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, and Swiss chard. These stand-out leafy greens are jam-packed with vitamins A, C, and K, folate, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, lutein, and fiber. Serve with a splash of lemon juice or red wine vinegar.

Top 10 Worst Foods

2012-08-15T23:52:00.003-07:00

TOP 10 Worst Foods

1. Artery Crust

Judging by the label, Marie Callender’s (16.5 oz) Chicken Pot Pie has "only" 520 calories, 11 grams of saturated fat, and 800 mg of sodium. But look again. Those numbers are for only half a pie. Eat the entire pie, as most people probably do, and you’re talking 1,040 calories, 22 grams of saturated fat (more than a day’s worth), and 1,600 mg of sodium (an entire day’s worth).

2. Triple Bypass

Can’t decide what to pick from a restaurant menu? No worries. Now you can order not just one entrée, but two… or three... all at once. Olive Garden’s Tour of Italy – Homemade Lasagna, Lightly Breaded Chicken Parmigiana, and Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo – comes with 1,450 calories, 33 grams of saturated fat, and 3,830 milligrams of sodium. Add a breadstick (150 calories and 400 mg of sodium) and a plate of Garden-Fresh Salad with dressing (350 calories and 1,930 mg of sodium) and you’ll consume almost 2,000 calories (an entire day’s worth) and 6,160 mg

3. Salt's On!

On average, a cup of Campbell’s Condensed soup has 760 mg of sodium. That’s half a day’s worth … assuming you eat only one of the 2½ servings that the label says the can makes. Campbell’s Healthy Request and Select Harvest, Progresso Reduced Sodium, and Healthy Choice slash the sodium to the 400s. Look for lower sodium lines in the 100s to 300s by Amy’s, Imagine Foods, Pacific Natural Foods, and Tabatchnick.

4. Tortilla Terror

Interested in a Chipotle Chicken Burrito (tortilla, rice, pinto beans, cheese, chicken, sour cream, and salsa)? Think of its 970 calories, and 18 grams of saturated fat as three 6-inch Subway BLT Classic Subs! Skipping the cheese or sour cream cuts the saturated fat to 6 grams, but you still end up with 750 calories and more than a day’s worth of sodium. Yikes!

5. Factory Reject

People don’t expect light desserts at The Cheesecake Factory. But the Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake kicks things up a notch. If it weren’t served on its side, this one would stand over six inches tall. And upright or not, the slab of cake still weighs in at three-quarters of a pound. What do you get for all that heft? Just 1,760 calories and 2½ days’ worth of saturated fat (50 grams), mostly from chocolate, sugar, cream, white flour, and butter.

6. Burial Grands

No one thinks of cinnamon rolls as health food. But each Pillsbury Grands! Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll with Icing has 310 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat plus 2½ grams of trans fat (more than a day’s worth) and 5 teaspoons of sugar. Companies are dumping their partially hydrogenated oils left and right, yet Pillsbury still makes most of its rolls and biscuits with the stuff.

7. Transgression

“Excellent source of ALA Omega 3,” declares the Land O’Lakes Margarine box. Who knew that Land O’Lakes stick margarine was so heart healthy? It isn’t. Each tablespoon of the spread has 2½ grams of trans fat (more than an entire day’s limit) and 2 grams of saturated fat. And beware of other trans-filled sticks by Blue Bonnet, Parkay, Country Crock, and Fleischmann’s. At least those brands don’t imply that a bit of ALA outweighs the harm caused by the margarine’s trans and saturated fat. Shopping tip: Look for tub margarines – most have little or no trans fat.

8. Starbucks on Steroids

The Starbucks Venti (20 oz) White Chocolate Mocha with 2% milk and whipped cream is more than a mere cup of coffee. It’s worse than a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese. Few people have room in their diets for the 580 calories and 15 grams of saturated fat that this hefty beverage supplies. But you can lose 130 calories and almost two-thirds of the bad fat if you order it with nonfat milk and no whipped cream.

9. Extreme Ice Cream

An average halfcup serving of Häagen-Dazs ice cream squeezes half-a-day’s saturated fat and a third-of-a-day’s cholesterol into your artery walls and makes a nearly 300-calorie down-payment on your next set of fat cells – if you can stop at a petite half-cup!

10. Stone Cold

Cold Stone Creamery’s Oh Fudge! shake (chocolate ice cream, milk, and fudge syrup) starts at 1,250 calories for the “Like It” (16 oz) size. That’s more than a large (32 oz) McDonald’s McCafe Chocolate Triple Thick Shake. The “Love It” (20 oz) has 1,660 calories and the “Gotta Have It” (24 oz) reaches 1,920 calories (just about an entire day's worth) and 69 grams of saturated fat (3½ days’ worth). That's the saturated fat content of two 16 oz T-bone steaks plus a buttered baked potato, all blended into a handy 24 oz cup.

Family Recipes tips

2012-08-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

Family Recipes for the Brand New Cook

By readiqra

All About Pasta
Basic Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients: 5-6 cloves of fresh garlic minced
4-5 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 Large can tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1) Pour olive oil into a heavy sauce pot and on low heat saute garlic. Cook for a few minutes stirring frequently.
2) Add dried basil and oregano to garlic
3) Add tomatoes and stir
4) Then fill the empty tomato can with water and add to sauce.
5) Add salt
6) Keep on low-medium heat stirring every half-hour. Sauce should bubble a little but you don't ever want it to boil furiously.
7) Simmer sauce for at least 5 hours. You may need to add a bit more water as it cooks down.
8) BIG RULE FOR SAUCE: Don't ever let it burn! If you go to stir your sauce and it sticks to the bottom of the pan start over! It will taste bitter.
This recipe can be doubled or tripled as needed!
Lasagna
Ingredients: Prepare a double batch of sauce either same day or day before
1 box of "no boil lasagna noodles"
1 large container of ricotta cheese
1 large (biggest they've got) container of Romano or Parmesan
2 bags of shredded mozzarella (2 cup's per package)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
1) You'll need a 13 "x 9" baking pan.
2) Empty ricotta into a large bowl
3) Add one egg to ricotta. Mix well
4) Add cinnamon to ricotta mixture
5) Add 1/2 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese to ricotta. Mix well.
6) Then pour enough sauce into the baking pan to completely cover the bottom
7) Then layer 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom leaving a little room in-between them because they expand when they cook.
8) Then pour enough sauce onto each lasagna noodle to cover them completely.
9) Then sprinkle a 1/4 cup of Parmesan onto covered noodles
10) Then taking big spoonfuls of ricotta mixture, place them over noodles:
11) Then sprinkle a large handful of mozzarella over the whole thing
12) Continue layering until you run out of noodles or space!
13) On your last layer, just sprinkle the top with Parmesan. If you use the ricotta or mozzarella on top it will burn.
14) Then cover your masterpiece with tin foil
15) And bake in a 350 oven for 1 hour. Remove the tin foil for the last 15 minutes of baking.
This will serve a house full of people, especially if you serve it with garlic bread and a big salad!
Vegetarian Meatballs
Ingredients: 1 package Morningstar farm Harvest Burgers recipe crumbles (you will find this in the frozen foods section)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 cup flavored breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon olive oil
1) Dump package of vegetarian meat crumbles into a bowl. (You can microwave it for 1 minute to take the chill off)
2) Add eggs, garlic powder, cheese and breadcrumbs. Mix well
3) Try to make a ball out of mixture. If it's too dry and you can't get the stuff to stick, add another egg.
4) Make each ball whatever sized meatballs you want
5) Pour olive oil onto baking pan and spread around the pan with your hands.
6) Place meatballs on a baking pan
7) Place in 350 oven for about a half-hour.
8) You can then add the meatballs to your sauce or eat them dry.
These make excellent sandwiches especially on a sub roll. Slice the meatballs and place in sauce, heat the sauce and then put meatballs and sauce on a roll with a slice of provolone cheese! Delicious!
PASTA RULES
1) When cooking boxed pasta do it according to the directions on the box! (If you try to cook pasta in too little water it comes out very sticky)
2) Taste test pasta frequently and when it is a little chewy, it is done!
3) Always remember your mama when you eat it
Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
Ingredients: 1 small purdue oven stuffer roaster chicken with a pop up thing to tell you when its done
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika powder
4 strips of turkey bacon
1/4 cup olive oil
5 medium sized potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 package chicken gravy mix
1) Remove chicken from packaging. Be sure you don't contaminate any of your counter tops with raw chicken. It usually contains salmonella and you can get the whole household sick if you touch raw chicken to any surface that someone will later eat off of.
2) Wash the chicken under warm tap water.
3) Pat dry with a paper towel
4) Rub chicken with a teaspoon of olive oil
5) Rub 1/2 teaspooon garlic powder into chicken (Or you can cut a clove of fresh garlic and rub that into your chicken)
6) Then sprinkle paprika onto chicken evenly
7) Place strips of bacon over chicken, but be sure you leave your pop up thermometer so you can see when it pops!
8) Place chicken in 350 oven
9) After about one hour of baking time, place your peeled and cubed potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of your garlic powder to them and add the olive oil and mix well
10) Then carefully add the potatoes to your roasting chicken. It is easy to burn yourself doing this so I recommend you take the chicken right out of the oven and place on the stove top while doing this. Replace in oven.
11) Continue cooking chicken until the thingy pops up. (I usually stir the potatoes once while cooking, but this is not necessary)
12) When you've removed chicken from oven, let it stand for about 5 minutes, then carefully remove it from pan and place on serving tray.
13) For gravy: Remove the colorful pan drippings (the stuff that looks brown) Get as much as that as you can and place in a separate small pan. Then add one package of chicken gravy mix and mix according to directions!
The roast potatoes are easiest to make, but if you prefer you can make mashed potatoes instead!
Mashed Potatoes for Four
Ingredients: 8 medium sized potatoes
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup milk
1) Peel potatoes and place in a large pan of boiling water
2) Boil approximately 1/2-3/4 of an hour (until potatoes can be easily pierced with a knife or fork)
3) Drain potatoes
4) Leave in pan.
5) Mash potatoes well either using a mixer or potato masher
6) Add butter
7) Add milk
8) Mix REALLY WELL
Frozen peas or fresh cut green beans go well with this meal. Just follow directions on package of frozen peas to cook or if your using fresh, beans or peas, steam or boil for about 10 minutes
Mama's Homemade Biscuits
Not everyone likes homemade biscuits but for those of us who do, they are totally worth the effort!
Ingredients: 2 Cups white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
5 Tablespoons butter
3/4 cup of milk
1) Mix flour, salt and baking powder well
2) Add butter and "cut" butter and dry mixture together using two knives or you can use a mixing whisk
3) When mixture looks like crumbles, Add milk all at once and mix,
4) When it is all blobs together, add a little flour (not a lot) just enough to make it workable and spread dough on counter about 3/4-1 inch thick using your hands. Try not to over-handle the dough. Spread out to the thickness you want for biscuits (I like mine about 3/4 of an inch thick)
5) Cut with a cutter or a glass for biscuits the size you want
6) Place on un-greased baking sheet close together so that biscuits touch each other (they are very friendly) and bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes- or until golden brown on top.
Cranberry sauce goes very nicely with a chicken dinner too!
Chicken and Olives
Ingredients: Chicken parts. Bone in breasts work well
1 lb of large green olives (found in deli section at supermarket)
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of oregano
1/8 cup olive oil
1) Sprinkle chicken parts with olive oil, garlic powder and oregano
2) Place in a baking pan
3) Pour olives all over chicken
4) Bake at 350 for one hour.
Homemade Pizza
Ingredients: One package of either frozen bread dough or 1 package of prepared pizza dough that you can buy at Market Basket
For Sauce: 1 small can of Hunts tomato sauce
3 cloves fresh garlic
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon basil and oregano
Cook using same directions as for other sauce but you
Only need to simmer for about an hour
(OR you can use leftover spaghetti sauce!)
1 package mozarrella
1) Spread dough out on a large cookie sheet. (Don't grease sheet or dough won't spread) You can put a little flour down on cookie sheet.
2) Spread sauce over pizza dough
3) Sprinkle cheese
4) Bake at 450 preheated oven
Grilled Portabello Mushrooms
Ingredients: 1 large container of either sliced or whole mushrooms
1/4 cup tamari sauce (can be found in the oriental section of grocery store)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon honey (if you have it-if not, its not that important
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1) A few hours before you fire up the grill, wash and pat dry your mushrooms
2) Then in a small bowl, mix your tamari, and spices with the honey and olive oil
3) Then pour mixture over mushrooms and let stand at room temperature for a few hours, making sure both sides of mushrooms get soaked in sauce
4) (You make need to make another batch of sauce)
5) Fire up grill.
6) Place mushrooms on grill
7) Turn frequently. It also doesn't hurt to brush mushrooms with more marinade sauce from time to time
Serve with fresh garden salad and a homemade potato salad
Potato Salad
10 medium potato's
3 eggs
1 large onion
1 package good seasons Italian dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1 large jar Hellmans Mayonaise
Paprika
1) Fill a large sauce pot with cold water. Add eggs and potatoes. Boil potatoes in their skins.
2) When you can easily stick a knife or fork into them, remove them from the stove
3) Dump boiling water into sink
4) Fill pan with cold water. You may need to do this several times because the hot potatoes make the cold water hot again.
5) When potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove skins. They come off easily once they've been boiled.
6) Once they've been peeled, cut potatoes into bite sized pieces and put in a large bowl. (I usually cut them as I've finished peeling each one. They sometimes fall apart as you peel them)
7) Once all potatoes are cut, then peel your onion and shred it into your potato mixture.
8) Then sprinkle good seasons mixture packet into your potatoes
9) Add oil and vinegar
10) Mix well
11) Cut hard boiled eggs into potatoes
12) Add polonaise to taste. (Some like more than others)
13) Sprinkle paprika on top to look pretty
Macaroni Salad
1 box elbow macaroni
2 eggs
2 medium sized green peppers
1 large onion
1 seedless cucumber
1 very lovely tomato
And anything else you can think of to add! Some suggestions:
Zucchini
Olives
Lightly steamed broccoli
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1 packet Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
Mayonnaise
1) Boil macaroni and eggs.
2) As soon as pasta is cooked run it under cold water and keep it there until fully cooled
3) Dice green peppers, cucumbers and tomato (and any other veggies your adding)
4) Grate the onion into the bowl (you can do this separately and then add after)
5) Drain pasta and add to onion and veggies.
6) Sprinkle Good Seasons Italian dressing onto pasta
7) Add oil and vinegar and mix well
8) Slice up eggs to put in salad.
9) Add mayonnaise to taste
10) Sprinkle some paprika to make it look pretty
Broccoli Quiche
1 Pillsbury pre-made pie crust (you can find this in the dairy section of supermarket)
1 head of fresh broccoli
5 fresh garlic cloves
5 fresh eggs
1 cup milk (can be any kind-whole, skim or even cream if you like!)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup provolone cheese (any kind of cheese can be used here)
1) Wash broccoli. Peel stems. Steam until tender
2) Let broccoli cool.
3) Pour oil in frying pan. Chop garlic and add to oil. Saute gently being sure not to brown garlic.
4) Then chop broccoli up into bite sized pieces and add to oil and garlic
5) Let simmer 5-10 minutes over low heat.
6) Then remove your pie crust from refrigerator. Place it in a pie plate being sure you squeeze pastry together where there are any gaps.
7) Spread broccoli and garlic mixture evenly in pie plate
8) Spread cheeses evenly over mixture
9) In a separate bowl, add eggs and milk and beat together
10) Then pour eggs into pie plate and sprinkle with a little paprika
11) Put tin foil around the edges of the pie plate for first 3/4 of an hour of baking in a 425 oven. Then remove tin foil for last 15 minutes of baking. You can reduce the temperature of the oven if it looks like its baking too fast.
12) You can tell if quiche is done by poking it with a knife and having the knife come back clean.
A taste of India
Vegetable Curry
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium to large sized onions diced
9 cloves of fresh garlic minced
1" piece of fresh ginger minced
3 Tablespoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large green pepper diced
1 cup frozen (or fresh) peas
4 medium sized potatoes
1/2 cup real sour cream
1) Saute onions and garlic and ginger together over low/medium heat
2) When onions look transparent, add curry powder and cinnamon and continue cooking even if the curry powder sort of sticks to the pan
3) After 5 minutes, add the peppers peas and potatoes. Cook 5 more minutes
4) Then add 1 cup water
5) Cover pan
6) Simmer over low/medium heat covered for about half to three quarters of an hour
7) Then remove cover and continue cooking over low heat until the color of the curry starts to darken a bit.
8) Just prior to serving add the sour cream to the curry but don't continue to cook otherwise it will curdle. (This step is optional)
9) Serve with Basmati rice
Puri's
1 hand full of wheat flour
1 hand full of white flour (same sized hand fulls)
1 tsp salt
3 TBSP oil
1) Mix the two flours together
2) Then make a well in the middle of the flour.
3) Pour oil in well
4) Then pour enough water in the well to make a dough.
5) Knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes
6) Set in a bowl with a wet towel covering it, preferably in a warm sunny location.
7) After dough has set for 1 hour, then take a pinch of dough enough to make a very small sized meatball with and roll into a ball
8) Pour a small dish of oil that you can put on the counter, so you can roll the ball out onto the oiled counter.
9) Roll ball into a flat round disk.
10) Then heat oil in a frying pan. Enough oil to deep fry. (about 2 inches deep)
11) Set stove at medium high heat. When you think oil is hot, try throwing a drop of water into it. If it sizzles and pops, your oil is ready to rock and roll
12) Then place your dough disk in the oil
13) Pat the Puri using a spatula. The puri should begin to puff out like a blowfish.
14) After a minute on one side flip it over and cook another minute on the other side.
15) Remove from oil and drain oil off before serving.

how to cook nachos...

2012-08-11T20:46:00.000-07:00

Simple, deadly nachos...

Let me preface this excerpt from my ordeal by explaining I thought of this while eating a pack of cookies, I blame them having 25% less fat than usual.

God this is tasty, really good but the plate is heavy in my hand, not heavy like sunday dinner heavy, heavy like whole chicken heavy...

I'm sort of intimidated. I decided to use a spork, it's the utensil I'd be least embarassed dying with in my hand. Futurama as watching material, though I may need a few episodes...

Eight minutes, about a quarter way, the sheer density is brutal, though the mixtures of flavours is insane...

I am flummoxed and loving the touches of philly, they're like little cooling oases (is that the plural of oasis?) in this desert of meat, cheese and crisps oh and pasta... The ham really comes through!

Gah I think I have nacho dementia!

Usually that parmesan like taste of cheap mac and cheese would be overpowering, here it just blends in to the miasma of corn and chilli, it's very beefy and not that spicy, should not have but any lard in the cheese sauce, maybe used plain nachos and it needs way more philly to emulate sour cream... Or sour cream. Water is no help, coffee helps taste wise but no thirst help. I need beer. I need it to survive this ordeal.

Or maybe a smoke break to let my stomach compress the current bolus of thinly veiled nutritional suicide.

At this point I switched to videoing...

In general don't eat this unless you hate yourself, everything included is meant for 2-4 people. The total damage, between 3300 and 3500 calories, I was a little heavy handed with the lard (had no butter for the cheese sauce) and use sour cream, no amount of cream cheese can take the salty dryness away from this. Salsa would be amazing here... Ok I realise adding more food to it seems foolish, however the problem isn't the amount, it's the taste and density of it all...

*Update, I followed a few linkbacks and in more than one place I've given my country and my eating habits a bad name... I do know what normal nachos are, this wasn't ever going to be normal nachos...

Step 1Ingredients

Uh yeah...

- A big can of chili
- A big bag of nachos
- A pack of mac and cheese
- some cream cheese
- A fundamental disregard for your health

Step 2Starting

Cook the mac and cheese up.

While it's cooking preheat the oven to 200C

Put a thick base of nachos in a baking tray.

Oh rearrange the oven shelves to fit, this is really tall...

Step 3Layering up

Begin with a base of chilli - don't heat the chilli first, the canned chilli cold makes a brilliant mortar for the nachos.

It'll settle and lower with heat.

Basically the formula is simple.

Nachos
Chilli
Nachos
Mac and cheese
Nachos
Chilli
Nachos
Chilli
Mac and cheese at the top

I garnished with cream cheese, I'm not sure why I did that in retrospect. It helps though...

If you have salsa, well actually if you have the wit to add salsa do, it'll make it way more palatable.

Step 4Cooking

I did fifteen minutes at 200C

When I checked it looked edible, but I went for another five minutes.

Step 5Plating up

I managed to get the spatula under the pile.

Lifting didn't work, my spatula just started to bend...

Instead I tipped the whole lot up and used the spatula to direct the avalanche of stuff and patted it in to a large and surprisingly jiggly mound.

I should've known when I lifted it out of the oven by how heavy it was but once it was on a plate and piled up it started to look a lot more threatening.

Step 6Epilogue.

A while later.

I feel pretty good, though this is the longest I've been full since christmas and that was more from continuous eating and drinking.

Would I do this again?

Yes, a million times yes, though salsa and veg, peppers and juicy tomatoes.

I'm surprised though, calorifically it weighs in much healthier than a trip to the kebab shop (Heavily loaded doner on chips with cheese and house sauce + half pound kebab burger, they're awesome, two quarter pounders with a bunch of kebab meat on top...

However this leaves you way more full...

Turkey Recipe

2012-08-11T20:25:00.004-07:00

This is the turkey recipe you have been searching for! We've got you covered with instructions on how to cook your Thanksgiving turkey, because you have arrived at the #1 turkey roasting how to guide on the internet!

The technique described in this Instructable resulted in the beautiful 15 pound bird pictured below. It turned out to be one of the juiciest, most delicious turkeys to ever grace the delicate taste buds of Noah's family and friends since the pilgrims got all antsy in the pantsy more than 500 years ago.

This method has been thoroughly tested year after year at Thanksgiving dinners everywhere. Following the tips in this Instructable, you can make one that's just as good, if not better!

Step 1Gather materials

I find that I don't roast turkeys too often, so when I do, I put in the extra effort to make them come out as good as I can because they'll be feeding a lot of people, and I might not be making another one until next year.

With that in mind, gather the following ingredients, and don't skimp on quality if you can.

A 15 - 25 lb turkey depending on how many people you'd like to feed. Figure on 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of the whole turkey per person.

I prefer fresh, unfrozen turkeys if possible, but often you'll have to get a frozen bird. If it's frozen, give yourself at least three or four days lead time in the refrigerator for the turkey to thaw before you plan to roast it. DO NOT roast a frozen bird, you'll be sorry.

1 stick of butter
2-3 stalks of celery
2-3 carrots
1 onion
fresh thyme
fresh sage
fresh parsley
chicken stock
meat thermometer (this is the key to telling when your turkey is done cooking. I don't trust the red pop-up dot)
turkey baster
butchers string (cotton string safe for cooking with)
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
suitably sized roasting pan with a rack

Step 2Wash sink and pull out bag of organs

Once you've gathered everything you'll need to roast the perfect turkey, it's time to start working.
The whole turkey is going to need to be rinsed, rubbed down with kosher salt, and then rinsed again in cool water. The best place to do this is in the sink, so I did all my dishes and then washed the inside of my sink with soap and water to make it food safe.
The turkey will likely come with the neck, liver, kidneys and heart wrapped up in a bag or piece of paper, or plastic bag stuffed inside the body ca

I also throw away the red pop up thing because they can be inaccurate from time to time and are not nearly as helpful as an actual meat thermometer.

Step 3Rinse the turkey, rub with salt, and re-rinse

With the turkey sitting inside the clean sink, rinse the surface of the turkey's skin and inside the body cavity with cool water.

Then, take a copious amount of kosher salt and rub the whole turkey down. This step helps to flavor the turkey initially and helps clean out any turkey juices that may have accumulated during the defrosting process.

Some may feel that the salt dehydrates and toughens the meat ever so slightly, however I have never found this to be the case. My grandmother always gave a quick salt rub to fowl while rinsing them and she cooks a mean bird.

When the whole turkey is rubbed down, turn on the water again and re-rinse the bird thoroughly washing away all the salt.

Step 4Prep ingredients and stuff bird

Cut the carrots, onions and celery into large chunks. Chop 1/2 of the sage, 1/2 of the parsley and 1/2 of the thyme, leaving the rest of the bunches intact.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. As you can see from my picture, setting my oven temperature is a bit of a guessing game at my house. I use a thermometer that lives inside the oven to know how hot is in there for sure. This is a good idea for anyone, since many ovens don't have the best thermostats.

With the oven pre-heating and ingredients chopped, it's time to stuff the turkey.

Start by taking one quarter of an onion, a piece of celery and a chunk of carrot and stuff them inside the body cavity. Continue stuffing some of each items inside the turkey until the turkey is full. Don't jam too much in there. A stuffed turkey will quickly give you diminishing returns since the more you put inside, the longer the turkey will need to cook for, and the dryer it will be.

Tie the remaining bunches of parsley, sage and thyme together using a piece of butchers string and place them inside the turkey with the rest of the stuffing.

I've moved away from stuffing turkeys with an actual bread based stuffing. The increase in mass slows the cooking process down, forcing the turkey to cook for too long, and thus dry it out. The onions, carrots and celery are just really there to impart flavor to the meat and drippings, not to be eaten as your typical Thanksgiving stuffing. To learn how to make a great stuffing that's prepared entirely outside of the turkey, check out scoochmaroo's Stuffing.

Step 5Melt butter and herbs and rub the turkey down

Take the stick of butter and melt it in a small pot over low heat. I thinned my butter a bit with 1/4 cup of olive oil. I normally thin out butter with olive oil since it keeps it from browning as fast, a feature that will be useful when roasting a turkey for several hours in a hot oven. We want nice crispy brown skin, but we just don't want it to form before our turkey is finished cooking. More on this later.

Once the butter has melted, turn off the heat and add in in the chopped thyme, parsley and sage. Then add a generous amount of salt and pepper, and mix well.

Pour the butter mixture over the entire turkey, rubbing it all over the turkey's skin and body cavity.

Step 6Tie it up

Cut three lengths of the butchers string.

Wiggle one piece of it under the back of the turkey between the turkey and the rack on the roasting pan. Take the ends of the string and make a bowtie knot on top of the turkey breast tying the wings to the turkey's sides.

Take the second piece of string and do the same thing, only this time tying the legs in position a bit lower down on the turkey.

Finally, take the third piece of string a tie the ends of the turkey legs together, tucking the flap of extra skin and fat underneath the legs, thus holding it in the position seen below.

Some turkey roasters suggest tying, or sewing the entire body cavity shut. This seems unnecessary to me and even undesirable since it will impede the flow of juices and drippings into the pan.

Step 7Add stock, cover in foil and roast

Pour in a bit of stock, 1 or 2 cups depending on the size of your roasting pan, to keep the drippings from burning on the bottom of the pan.

Then, cover the entire pan in heavy aluminum foil enclosing the turkey inside, with as few seams in the foil as possible.

I use toothpicks to keep some space between the aluminum foil and the turkey so that the foil doesn't get cooked on to the turkey breast and rip off some of the delicious crispy skin when the foil is removed later on.

Your oven should have reached the correct temperature by now, so make note of the time, and put your turkey in to roast.

Alternative Method:

There's another method to consider at this point.

Many people support cooking the turkey breast side down for the first hour or two of cook time, and then flip the breast up for the remainder of the roasting. I like this idea in principle, but not actually in practice.

First of all, flipping a 15 pound 350 degree turkey is a real challenge. Second, from the times I've experimented with this method, I haven't really been convinced that it results in a juicier turkey breast. The juices from the turkey don't really begin flowing heavily during the first hour of cook time anyway, so the turkey breast doesn't receive as much extra basting in this position as people believe. Plus, turkey basters aren't just for artificial insemination - we've got those things in the kitchen for a reason, so grab it and do some basting of your own.

If you'd like to experiment, cook your turkey breast side down to start and find out for yourself. But, be warned, the breast will have the imprint of the rack on it when you turn it face up again. So, if you're planning on having your turkey ogled at before it's carved, be aware that the breast might have some cosmetic damage.

Step 8After 2 hours

The first two hours of cooking are the easiest, and also the hardest. It's easy because you don't have to do anything, and hard because you'll need to resist the urge to look. It's not like there's a party going on in there, so just let it be.

After 2 hours you can take a peak and make sure that everything is going to plan. Peek inside, do some initial basting, if any juices have collected, re-wrap the aluminum foil and put the turkey back in the oven to continue roasting.

If you really want to know what the turkey looks like during the first two hours of cooking, check out the pictures below and spare your own turkey the disruptions.

Step 9After 3 hours, check and baste

Different size turkeys cook for different amounts of time. After 3 hours at 375 degrees, my 15 lb. turkey looked as pictured below. Now's the time to do some serious basting and ready the turkey for it's final phase of roasting.

During this final phase, you'll have some decisions to make, and what you decide will determine just how amazing your turkey will come out. I'd have to say it's the most influential part of the whole process.

So, take a deep breath, remove the foil completely, put the turkey back in the oven, and read on.

Step 10Cook until meat is 165 degrees

This is the final and most important phase of roasting. The whole house will be smelling like glorious juicy turkey, family members that you haven't seen since last year will be chewing your ear off, there'll be 15 other dishes being cooked at the same time, and so it's easy to get distracted. If you take the bird out too soon, you'll be serving undercooked turkey. Take it out too late, and everything will be dry and tough.

In order to hit it just right, get yourself a meat thermometer and check the temperature of the turkey every 15 minutes during the final phase of cooking.

The goal is to get the turkey to reach 165 degrees in the thickest section of the thigh. Plunge the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh and take a temperature reading. Try not to have the tip of the thermometer touching the turkey bone, but just nestled deep inside the meet.

While you're getting the temperature of the turkey to hit its mark, you're also trying to brown and crisp the skin. With the foil removed, this will happen rather quickly. You've got only a few variables to manipulate. Basically, there's the foil covering, the temperature of the oven and the time you cook the turkey for. Thus, it becomes a balancing act between these three things in order to reach the final perfectly cooked turkey.

If the skin is browning too quickly, but the meat is still less than 165 degrees, cover the turkey in foil to slow the crisping process.

If the meat reaches 165 degrees before the skin crisps to your liking, remove the foil, crank the oven up to 400 degrees, and take the turkey out as soon as the skin crisps up, so as not to overcook the turkey.

If all has gone to plan, after 3 hours of cooking, the turkey should be fairly close to 165 degrees in the thigh already, and so that final 30 - 45 minutes of foil-less roasting should really just be to crisp the skin, baste the bird more often, and impart that final savory roasted flavor onto the flavor profile.

Step 11Eat the tastiest turkey ever

Once the turkey reaches 165 degrees at the thickest section of the thigh, and the skin has thoroughly browned crisped to your liking, remove it from the oven and simply let it sit.

The turkey will need to cool for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.

Remember, don't throw away those great pan drippings, use them to make some delicious Gravy.

Marvel at the wonderfully roasted turkey you've just prepared, share it with your family and friends, and reward yourself as the turkey roasting hero that you are!

Turkey Recipe

2012-08-11T20:25:00.003-07:00

Step 1Gather materials

A 15 - 25 lb turkey depending on how many people you'd like to feed. Figure on 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of the whole turkey per person.

1 stick of butter
2-3 stalks of celery
2-3 carrots
1 onion
fresh thyme
fresh sage
fresh parsley
chicken stock
meat thermometer (this is the key to telling when your turkey is done cooking. I don't trust the red pop-up dot)
turkey baster
butchers string (cotton string safe for cooking with)
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
suitably sized roasting pan with a rack

Step 2Wash sink and pull out bag of organs

I also throw away the red pop up thing because they can be inaccurate from time to time and are not nearly as helpful as an actual meat thermometer.

Step 3Rinse the turkey, rub with salt, and re-rinse

With the turkey sitting inside the clean sink, rinse the surface of the turkey's skin and inside the body cavity with cool water.

Some may feel that the salt dehydrates and toughens the meat ever so slightly, however I have never found this to be the case. My grandmother always gave a quick salt rub to fowl while rinsing them and she cooks a mean bird.

When the whole turkey is rubbed down, turn on the water again and re-rinse the bird thoroughly washing away all the salt.

Step 4Prep ingredients and stuff bird

Step 5Melt butter and herbs and rub the turkey down

Step 6Tie it up

Step 7Add stock, cover in foil and roast

Step 8After 2 hours

Step 9After 3 hours, check and baste

Step 10Cook until meat is 165 degrees

Step 11Eat the tastiest turkey ever

How to fry a turkey

2012-08-11T20:24:00.001-07:00

How to fry a turkey

This is a recipe for frying a turkey. This is something I learned from my family in Louisiana. I think it tastes better than baking, and it's quite a bit faster as well!

Step 1Ingredients

Ingredients and special tools:

1. Turkey

2. Turkey Frier

3. Oil (I use peanut oil but other oils would work)

4. Fuel for fryer (ussally propane)

5. Thermometer

Step 2Heat Oil

1. Fill fryer no more than two thirds full with oil. Anymore than two thirds, and you risk the over flow of oil as well and a huge grease fire. You just need enough oil to submerge the turkey entirely.

2. Heat oil to about 325 degress Farhenheit.

Step 3Prepare Turkey and place in frier

Prepare turkey however you wish. Injection marinades are recommended. Most friers come with a tukery holder that holds the turkey in the frier, so place the turkey on that.

When oil is up to tempature, CAREFULLY place the turkey in the frier. This is when alot of people catch on fire, so just be mindfull of the oil level.

Cook for three minutes per pound.

Step 4Voila!

After the turkey is done cooking, remove from the frier and let the oil drain for a few minutes. I would turn off the flame first to prevent a grease fire.

Save the used oil as it can be filtered and used again, or perhaps for fueling some cars.

How to Brine and Roast a Turkey

2012-08-11T20:22:00.003-07:00

How to Brine and Roast a Turkey

A few weeks ago, I read that there was a need for an Instructable on roasting a turkey. So I beat feet to the store and grabbed a gobbler. Several days later, I found karencv's guide to roasting a turkey. Don't that beat all?

Despite this setback, I pressed forward. My technique uses a brine, which differs somewhat from Karen's recipe. Credit to Alton Brown of Good Eats for much of this recipe.

Why brine? A brined bird is juicier, and can be much more flavorful. The meat is amazingly tender--some people will defy that your bird is really finished cooking!

Step 1Gather the Hardware

I follow AB's recipe fairly closely, with a few important differences. But basically, here's what you'll need:

HARDWARE:
oven capable of reaching 500F
1 medium-large roasting pan
1 5gal bucket, run thru dishwasher if possible
1 large pan
1 in-oven probe thermometer (with alarm, if possible)
heavy-duty aluminum foil
1 large ladle (helpful, not mandatory)
1 gallon pitcher (helpful, not mandatory)
tongs
tray or cookie sheet
paper towels
knife or kitchen shears

Step 2Gather the Software

"Software" is everything that can be cooked. This includes:

Turkey:
1 turkey (up to 16lbs)
Canola Oil
various old vegetables* (carrots, onions, celery) to line bottom of roasting pan

*If you don't have old veggies, just get a rack for your roasting pan instead.

Brine:
1 Cup kosher salt
1/2 Cup light brown sugar
1 gal *"stock"
*I made a combination of beef and chicken stock, and apple juice because it was what I had available. You can use these, as well as vegetable broth and other juices that aren't too sweet (i.e. don't use grape or Kool Aid :^{) The beef stock doesn't harm the flavor.}
1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns (or same amount of ground if you have that)
1/2 tablespoon green peppercorns (optional, just add more black pepper if you don't have this)
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries (optional)
1 gallon water + ice

Aromatics (don't do this prep until the day of the baking!):
1 red apple, sliced (gala is nice)
1/2 med onion, sliced (yellow or white is good)
1 cinnamon stick (broken into smaller pieces)
1 Cup water
4 sprigs rosemary (fresh is best)
6 leaves sage (fresh is best, but I only had dry)

Step 3Combine brine

Combine all brine ingredients except ice water in a pot or pan and bring to a boil.

Stir to dissolve solids and then remove from heat.

Allow it to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until Thoroughly Chilled.

Step 4Brine Yer Bird

With a fully-thawed bird, you are now ready to brine. You can do this the night before you plan to bake your bird.

The great thing about a brine is it doesn't make the meat taste salty. That's because the salted water (infused with your added flavors) will begin penetrating the meat as soon as you dunk it. After a few hours, the salt will reach equilibrium, meaning no more salt will be added to the bird from the brine. At that point, leaving the bird in the drink won't make it any saltier.

Clean your sink thoroughly. I use a product called Greased Lightning to remove any gunk. Then I use soap and water and finish with a light bleach spray to sterilize. Then rinse completely.

Set the turkey in the sink and open the sack up. At either end you'll find a bag of goodies. I freeze this and use it later for turkey broth. You can discard it if you prefer. Don't leave these bags in the bird!

Your turkey may also come with a wire leg holder to keep the legs together. It can be tough to remove, so be gentle.

Rinse the turkey inside and out.

Now for the brine...

Drop some ice cubes into the bucket to make it easier to set the turkey down.

Then place the bird in the bucket breast-down.

Pour in the brine. I used a ladle to keep down the mess.

Add ice and top off with water.

The cavity of the turkey should also fill up with brine, so you might have to jiggle the turkey to get it to fill up.

Cap the bucket and put it in a cool place for 6 to 8 hours.

Step 5Ready to Bake...@ 500F!

Take your turkey out of the brine and discard the brine. Rinse the turkey inside and out, and then dry using paper towels inside and out.

Take this time to form the aluminum triangle to the breast meat. Set that aside.

Move the rack in your oven to its lowest position and set to 500F. That's right...500F.

For the aromatics...combine apple, onion, cinnamon stick, rosemary and sage in a microwave safe container. Add a bit of water and nuke it for 5 minutes on high while you do the next steps.

Break or roughly chop the old vegetables (celery, carrot, onion) and cover the bottom of your roasting pan. This keeps your turkey off the bottom of the pan. If you have a rack that fits the roaster, you can use that instead.

Add a little water to the pan (this step will prevent oil from burning during the 500F phase, and won't steam the bird at all).

Set the bird on a nonslip surface (in the roaster is ok, but I happen to have a plastic tray and paper towels instead). Trim off the neck and tail fat. These can go into turkey broth later, but will burn if not trimmed now.

Now lift up the wing and tuck it under (see pictures). This helps the gobbler sit in the roaster.

Coat the entire outside of the bird with canola oil. Don't be chicken--just use your hands like I did.

Use tongs to stuff the cavity with your steamed aromatics.

Bake your Tom Turkey for 30 minutes at 500F. This will make him brown up nicely! If you get any smoking, turn on your blower or open some windows. But you shouldn't if you added the water like I said ;)

Step 6Remove, Probe, ReLoad...Eat!

After 30 minutes, the turkey is ready to come out...so he can go right back in.

Lower temp to 350F.

Insert the probe thermometer in the thickest part of the turkey breast. Be careful not to hit bone. If you do, just back out a little bit (don't make a bunch of holes!).

Set the thermometer to alarm at 161F.

Carefully cover the breast with the aluminum foil triangle...don't burn yourself!

Return the turkey to the oven, minding the probe cable--don't crimp it.

If you don't have a probe, a 14 to 16 lb bird will take about 2 1/2 hours to bake. Use an instant read thermometer to take the temperature of the thick part of the breast after that time. If it's at 160ish, pull it out.

Let the turkey rest for 15 minutes before carving. Do Not pull out that stupid popup timer before then!

Bon apetit

2012-08-11T20:16:00.004-07:00

How To Make Buttercream

Buttercream Cupcakes

Butter-Cream Cake

How To Make Buttercream

Hey Everyone Liz here!
So today I'm going to take you through the steps of making butter-cream. Now these are not personal steps, these are steps that I have learned but do not personally use. When I first started making butter cream it was rough. The butter cream never came out the way I wanted it to. It never was the right consistency and it never held its shape. However, I have learned to make it correctly and so far so good!
Thing you will need:

1 bag confectioners Sugar
Crisco
Milk
Vanilla Extract (clear)
Butter

Step 1.
Put About two big spoonful's of Crisco into a large mixing bowl. Add a medium spoonful of butter. And a teaspoon of Milk
Step 2.
Add a cup of confectioners sugar to you Crisco, butter, and ,milk. Be sure to only add a cup at a time as needed.
Step 3.
Next start to mix you ingredients together with an electric mixer. Butter cream will start to mix together. If it comes out into little pieces in the shape of balls make sure to add a little more milk (about a teaspoon). The butter cream will start to become fluffy. If it is watery then you need to add more sugar. If you feel you did not make enough for what you are covering then just add more Crisco along with milk butter and sugar into the same bowl. Keep mixing for about five minuets until butter cream gets to the consistency that you prefer. Don't be afraid to add more sugar. When mixing your mixer should not be able to mix the butter cream smoothly on the Low setting. You will need to have it on high setting because the butter cream will become Thick, that how you know its ready!

How to make cake

2012-08-11T20:15:00.001-07:00

How to make cake

I love to make home made pizza and desserts

This is a basic instruction for making my favorite cake " Angel Food cake".

Step 1Things you will need.

First get all of your ingredients together. and pre-heat oven to 325
you will need 1 cup of cake flour
1 1/2 cups of sugar
10 eggs(at room temperature)
1 1/4 teaspoons of cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup confectioner"s sugar,for top of cake

Step 2Mix cake flour

Mix cake flour 1 cup with 1/2 cup of sugar in a bowl,put aside.

Step 3Step 3-egg white

Separate egg whites from yolk ,it helps to do one egg at a time in a different bowl,in case you break the yolk.
you do not want yolk in your whites.
then throw away yolks.
In a mixing bowl add the egg whites from 10 eggs and beat on high speed,until they are stiff.
Slowly add the 1 1/4 teaspoons of cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt continue beating for about one minute..

Step 4Add rest of sugar

Add rest of sugar 1 cup ,slowly while still mixing egg whites .
then remove bowl from mixer and stir in your 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract.

Step 5Add flour mix

Now get your cake flour 1cup that you mixed with 1/2 cup of sugar.
Slowly in 1/2 cup lots fold into egg white mix.

Step 6Put in tube cake pan

Put mix into a un-greased 10 tube pan or bunt cake pan
smooth top .
Put in pre-heated oven at 325 in middle of oven.
It will take 50 minutes to 55 minutes.
Take cake out of oven when it is nicely browned on top.

Step 7Turn cooked cake up-side down

Turn cooked cake up-side down on wire rack .
If cake does not un-mold use a spatula around the edges to loosen it.
Let cake cool for 45 minutes to one hour.

Step 8Sift over cake

Now lightly sift over your cake the confectioners sugar.
You can put a stencil over cake top first to make design,or just use all confectioners sugar on top.

Step 9Slice and enjoy!!

How To Make Sorbetes (Home-made Ice Cream)

2012-08-11T20:13:00.003-07:00

How To Make Sorbetes (Home-made Ice Cream)

Sorbetes is a Filipino version for common ice cream usually peddled from carts that roam streets in the Philippines. This should not be confused with the known sorbet. It is also commonly called ‘dirty ice cream’ because it is sold along the streets exposing it to pollution and that the factory where it comes from is usually unknown; though it is not really “dirty” as the name implies. It is usually served with small wafer or sugar cones and recently, bread buns.
You can make ice cream in various recycled packaging materials, such as coffee cans, zip-lock bags, and stainless steel containers. Whatever container and method you use though, it’s important to take note of the temperature of the ice cream all throughout the process, particularly during chilling and freezing.
There are five stages in making ice cream: preparation, scalding, chilling, first freezing, and final freezing. In the preparation stage, you need to measure the required ingredients and put them in individual containers.
Materials Needed:

Bowls Casserole Grater
Large whisk
Measuring spoons and cups
Pocket-type thermometer
Steel paddle
Sieve screen
Stainless steel container
Weighing scale
Wooden bucket
Wooden ladle

Ingredients (4 Gallons Yield):

1 kg White sugar
1/2 kg Skimmed milk
1/2 kg Butter milk powder
600 g Cassava flour
2 leaves Pandan
7 kg Table salt
4 pcs Egg yolks
2 cans 300ml Condensed milk
1 can 300g Cream
1/2 bar Cheese
1 kg Grated coconut
2 tbsp food color (egg yellow)
3 tbsp Vanilla
7 tsp or 34.5ml rhum or brandy
1/4 ice block

1. Preparation

Once all the ingredients are ready, extract coconut milk from the grated coconut using 4 cups of water. This will be your first extraction-a substance that’s called kakang gata in Filipino. Set it aside.
Extract more coconut milk from the same grated coconut, this time using 8 cups of water. To remove the coconut bits from it, don’t forget to filter the coconut milk after the extraction. Set the second extraction aside likewise.
Get the eggs and separate the white from the yolk. Beat the egg yolks, then mix them with the second extraction of coconut milk.
Once the mixture is blended well, slowly add the skimmed milk and the buttermilk powder while mixing the mixture with a whisk. Some ice-cream makers use either skimmed milk or buttermilk powder, but if you want to make your ice cream a bit more special, you can mix the two powders. You just need to maintain the required 1-to-1 proportion.
After blending the mixture, set it aside. (Mixing milk and egg gives rise to custard.)
Get the cassava flour and dissolve it in 2 cups of water. Once the cassava flour is completely dissolved, filter it using a sieve or cheesecloth. Also set aside.
Get the stainless steel container and prepare it to hold the cream mixture.
Spread 1/4 kg of white sugar at the bottom of the stainless steel container to avoid unnecessary coagulation of the cream.

2. Scalding

Scalding helps dissolve the sugar, infuses the other flavors evenly, and improves the texture; it makes the ice cream creamier and smoother.
Start the scalding process by boiling a gallon of water containing twisted pandan leaves for 5 minutes.
Dissolve the food color in water.
After boiling the water, take out the pandan leaves and pour the water into the stainless steel container.
Also pour in the cassava flour mixture and, using the steel paddle, continuously stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture achieves a viscous (thick) consistency.
Add the kakang gata as you continuously stir the mixture.
Also pour in the custard mixture and continuously stir until it attains a paste-like viscosity. Then add the dissolved food color.
Once you achieve the right viscosity, you can start chilling your ice cream mixture.

3. Chilling
To chill the mixture, cover the stainless-steel container and put crushed ice in the wooden bucket. The ice should surround the stainless-steel container and above the level of the mixture inside the container. The chilling stage will only start when the temperature of the mixture reaches 4°C to 0°C. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.
While waiting for the ice cream to be chilled, prepare the flavoring. For this project, we will make mango marmalade.

Put 1 1/2 kg minced ripe mango in a casserole together with 1/2 cup white sugar and a teaspoon of calamansi extract.
Simmer in medium to low fire until the mango mix becomes a thick syrup.
Stir the marmalade to avoid scorching.
After cooking, let the marmalade cool.

4. First Freezing
After chilling the ice cream overnight, you can now freeze it by putting more ice in the wooden bucket. You need to put the crushed ice and the rock salt alternately. Using the paddle, compact the ice and the salt each time you put in more ice. Compacting lessens the air gaps that cause the ice to melt faster.
During the first freezing stage, the temperature should further drop to -18°C to -20°C. While freezing the ice cream, paddle the outer part of the mixture to prevent the frozen mixture from adhering to the sides before it can be stirred. The stirring process allows the cream mixture to expand.
While still in the freezing stage, get the steel handbeater and start stirring the cream to let it expand. Once it expands to half of the container, mix in the following while continuously stirring the cream mixture:

3/4 kg of white sugar together with the grated cheese, mango marmalade, condensed milk, cream, and vanilla.
Add crushed ice and salt to the wooden bucket whenever necessary.
As you stir the cream mixture, you will notice that the consistency will become thicker and creamier. You will also notice that it is expanding.
Once the cream expands up to the brim of the container, add the rhum or brandy.
Make sure to stir the mixture down to the bottom to distribute the flavor and the other ingredients evenly.
Taste the cream.

5. Final Freezing
At this stage, you may now pack the ice cream in small containers like pint containers, small cups, half-gallon or gallon containers, and freeze the cream in these containers. Or you may simply put the ice cream in the stainless steel container for final freezing. During the final freezing stage, you need to cover the container tightly and add more crushed ice and salt in the bucket as well as on top of the container. Let it stay for 2 hours or until frozen.
Now your ice cream is ready for consumption. Keep it frozen until it is ready for serving. The shelf life of this ice cream product is 7 to 10 days, depending on temperature fluctuations. If you can maintain the temperature between -18°C and-25°C, the shelf life of the ice cream would be longer and the quality would be better.

How To Make Homemade Cake Frosting

2012-08-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

How To Make Homemade Cake Frosting

Types of frosting to make at home

There are lots of different options for making frosting to decorate a cake. It's often tempting to buy pre-made products to save yourself time. As good as some of these products are, home-made frosting is even better. Once you have got to grips with the basic recipes, you can start to experiment with different flavors. There is an element of trial and error involved as everyone has different taste buds and some people have more of a sweet tooth than others, but the following frosting recipes are a great place to start.

Source: own photo. copyright a. macbean

Simple Buttercream Frosting Ideas

Vanilla Buttercream
To make enough simple vanilla buttercream frosting to cover a dozen small cupcakes take

1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups icing (powdered) sugar.
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pop the softened butter into a bowl and add the icing sugar and vanilla extract. Blend together until smooth.
Salted Caramel Buttercream - to cover approximately 10-12 cupcakes.
Ingredients:

To make the caramel:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp water
1/4 cup cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
Place sugar and water in a small pan and bring to the boil gradually. Simmer until the liquid turns a dark caramel color - but don't let it go too dark. Take off the heat and add the cream and vanilla - take care as it may splutter a little - and stir until you have a smooth caramel. Leave to cool for 20 minutes. Alternatively, you could buy a ready made caramel sauce for this recipe. Just make sure it's of a pourable consistency.

To make the salted caramel buttercream:

1/2 cup salted butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups icing (powdered) sugar - sifted
Mix the butter and salt together and add the icing sugar, little by little, ensuring that the mixer is on a slow speed. When this has come together, add in the caramel (cooled) and mix again. If the caramel is not cool enough, it will make the frosting runny. What you need to do if this is the case, is put the frosting into the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes before use. This is a recipe you need to taste as you go along - the level of salt you want will depend on your individual taste and you may want to even it out by adding a little more sugar.
This frosting goes really well with chocolate cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese frostings are absolutely delicious - smooth and creamy and luxurious. A classic combination is red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. The frosting is really simple to make and the key to getting it just right is to use good quality ingredients and to ensure that your frosting has a nice smooth texture. Some cream cheese can have a slightly grainy texture, and if this is the case, you'll need to ensure it's mixed really well.
Classic vanilla cream cheese
Ingredients (for up to 10 cupcakes)

1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup softened butter (unsalted)
3.5 cups of icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together the cream cheese and softened butter in a large bowl until you have a smooth consistency. Sift the icing sugar into the cream cheese / butter mix and put the mixer on at slow speed. Add the vanilla extract and combine thoroughly. Use immediately or pop into the refrigerator until needed.

Source: own photo. copyright a. macbean

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

This goes really well with a classic vanilla cake and makes a wonderful summer treat. My recipe uses fresh strawberries. You should always use fresh fruit where possible to get the best natural flavor.
Strawberry cream cheese frosting (for 10 cupcakes)
Ingredients:

1/2 cup of softened butter (unsalted)
1/2 cup of cream cheese (use full-fat)
3 3/4 cups powdered (icing) sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries

Instructions: Mash the strawberries with a fork and use a paper towel to pat away some of the liquid. Now put the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and salt into a bowl and mix well - be careful to mix slowly at first or you'll get covered in powdered sugar. Once everything is well incorporated and smooth, add in the strawberries and mix well. If you find the frosting is a little runny, refrigerate if for 30 minutes before use.

Source: a macbean own photo

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

For a rich, cream, delicious, stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth type frosting, why not try my cream cheese with peanut butter. This goes beautifully with my favorite chocolate cake recipe.
Peanut butter cream cheese frosting (contains nuts!) - for 8 cupcakes
Ingredients

1/2 cup of cream cheese
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups of powdered sugar
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla.

Instructions
This is really easy. Just put the ingredients into a bowl and mix until everything is well incorporated. I like to use chunky peanut butter for a bit of texture, but you can choose smooth if you prefer. Also, I don't like this particular frosting to be too sweet, but you may want to add in a little extra powdered sugar to suit your own taste.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC) is made by making Swiss meringue and then adding in butter and flavorings. It uses egg whites and the finished product is smooth, creamy and delicious. A lot of people think it will be complicated and it is more time consuming than some of the other recipes but this type of buttercream is actually very simple to get right. If things appear to go wrong, it's usually just a case of continuing to beat the mixture until it comes back to being smooth, silky and glossy.
Ingredients (fills and covers a 6 inch cake)

4 egg whites
1 cup white sugar (just ordinary granulated sugar)
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt.

Method
Create a double boiler by putting your mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water (water should not touch the bottom of the bowl). Put the sugar and egg whites into the mixing bowl over the double boiler and stir continuously until the temperature reaches 140 F / 60 C. If you don't have a sugar thermometer, you're looking for the point where the sugar has all dissolved. Test this by dipping a spoon into the mixture and running your finger over it to check for granules remaining.
When the meringue mix has reached the correct temperature, take off the heat and whisk (using balloon whisk attachment) until the meringue is cooled and forms thick silky peaks. This may take up to 10 minutes. Now add in the butter, a tablespoon or so at a time and mix well. There is a risk of the mixture appearing lumpy and curdled - if this happens don't despair, just keep mixing and it should come together okay. Once you have a glossy, smooth and creamy mix, add in the vanilla and pinch of salt. Mix this well. If the frosting is runny, put it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes and then take out and mix again until smooth. Pipe onto your cake using the nozzle of your choice.
Swiss meringue frosting can be frozen so if you want to make a larger batch and put some aside for another time, it should be fine for up to 8 weeks in the freezer.

Step by step instructions for making Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Click thumbnail to view full-size

The ingredients you will need are 4 egg whites 1 cup white sugar (just ordinary granulated sugar) 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp salt. Be careful not to get any egg yolk in the whites.

Source: own photo. copyright a. macbean

Mistakes to avoid

Don't put powdered sugar into a mixer and turn the speed on to high - you'll get coated in the stuff.
If your icing looks a little runny, don't keep adding more sugar to it. Pop it in the refrigerator for half an hour and it should come right.
Don't use butter that's too cold you'll end up with chunks of it in your frosting.
If your Swiss meringue buttercream looks as though it's splitting or starts to look like scrambled eggs, don't throw it out and start again. Keep beating it and it will eventually come right.
Don't put butter into the Swiss meringue while it's still warm - you'll end up with a gloopy mess.
If your frosting comes out of the refrigerator a little too hard, don't add a lot of water to loosen it. Try mixing it and if need be add a very small amount of water, one drop at a time to thin it out.
When using egg whites, don't get any yolk in them as you won't be able to form meringue. Also, ensure your bowl, utensils etc are really clean.

How To Make Chocolate Ice Cream

2012-08-11T20:09:00.001-07:00

How To Make Chocolate Ice Cream

Come summers and we are left blazing in the heat luring ice cream parlours for dollops of creamy chocolate ice cream. Going out, every time you are craving to have a scoop of ice cream in a parlour, is not possible.
That does not mean you sit at home killing your desires hopelessly. Ice cream is one thing you can easily prepare at home without taking the pains of going out because the ingredients required to prepare chocolate ice cream are handy and if you look out in your kitchen you’ll find them there! Little knowledge is a dangerous thing for sure, so here is the complete recipe to some cool and creamy chocolate ice cream!

Ingredients to prepare Chocolate Ice cream

2 cups of milk
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoonful of Vanilla Extract
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of cream
2 eggs
4 ounces of chocolate (unsweetened, easily available in the markets).

How to prepare Chocolate Ice Cream

Take out the chocolate on a flat pan and heat to melt it. Make sure the flame is between medium and low.
While the chocolate is melting away, take 1 ½ cup of milk in another pan and heat it too in the similar manner.
Now mix the milk into the melted chocolate and start stirring it. Remember to stir it slowly.
The mix should be stirred until it becomes thicker.
Now take a bowl and put in the sugar.
Add the eggs to it and start beating it.
After beating it thoroughly, pour in the thick chocolate and stir it slowly.
Add cream, salt, vanilla into it and start stirring again.
While stirring add another half a cup milk into it and stir it properly to avoid forming any clumps.
The mix should now be put in an ice cream maker.
Freeze for a minimum of 3 hours.
Garnish the chocolate ice cream with some almonds and chocolate syrup.
The ice cream can be served with hot chocolate brownie pastry too for total chocolate indulgence!

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How to make a pizza easily at home

2012-08-11T20:08:00.001-07:00

How to make a pizza easily at home

When hunger bites, pizza serves to be the perfect form of food. Originally born in Italy, a pizza today is a famous food worldwide.
You travel to any part of the world and you will surely find a pizza. The preparation style and toppings may differ but it actually remains the same old pizza that one and all love binging on. Pizza generally is only a call away from you when you really want to have it; but if you prepare it at home you not only save money and earn extra brownies on the health factor but you really feel that the effort you’ve put in is really worth it. What’s more is that making pizza at home is real fun! So put on your cooking hat, wear your apron and set out on making a pizza at home, a tasty, hot and a healthy pizza.
The very first step in making a pizza is its dough. Here you have to ensure that you make a fluffy, soft and a firm pizza base. Making a pizza base is half the work done already! For the recipe to make the pizza dough refer to the article:-

Ingredients for making the pizza

Tomato sauce
Shredded Cheese depending on how cheesy you want your pizza to be.
Olive oil
1 finely chopped green capsicum
2 finely chopped green chillies
1 finely chopped onion
4 finely chopped jalapeno (in case jalapeno is not available mushroom too can be used)

Step by step methodology for preparing the pizza at home: recipe

Take a pan and spread some olive oil onto it.
Put the flattened dough on the pan.
Take the finely chopped onion, mushroom (if you are using jalapeno do not sauté it) and green chillies and sauté it in olive oil.
Pour the tomato sauce on the surface of the dough kept on the pan.
Spread it all over the flattened dough with a spatula.
Add the green chillies, mushroom and onion along with the green capsicum.
Finally add the shredded cheese on it.
Now set your oven temperature to 475 degrees and put the pan into it.
Cook for about 15 minutes and you will see the crust turn to golden brown and the cheese melt into it.
Take out the pizza and cut into four equal parts.
The pizza is ready to be served with some frizzy cold drink!

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how to make a Chocolate Icing

2012-08-11T20:06:00.002-07:00

Chocolate Icing Recipe

Leet’s face it, nothing finishes off a cake like a thick layer of moist chocolate icing. It might not be great for the waistline, but it sure pleases the taste buds! Below you’ll find several great chocolate icing recipes – one for simple chocolate icing, one for fluffy chocolate frosting and one for chocolate cream topping.

Simple Chocolate Icing Recipe

This is a great icing recipe when the kitchen cupboards are a bit bare or you don’t have much time

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of icing sugar
1/4 cup of cocoa (not hot chocolate powder)
25 grams of butter

Method:

Sieve the cocoa and icing sugar into a bowl.
Chop the butter and add to the bowl.
Add one tablespoon of hot water and mix all the ingredients until they form a smooth, glossy paste of a uniform colour.

Chocolate Frosting Recipe

Chocolate frosting takes just a little longer than simple chocolate icing, but it’s well worth the extra time. Fluffy, decadent and utterly delicious! An electric mixer is useful for this recipe, but you can also make it by hand using a wooden spoon and a little elbow grease.

Ingredients:

120 grams of butter
2 ½ cups of icing sugar
½ cup of cocoa
1/3 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Method:

Chop the butter, place it in a bowl and cream it using an electric mixer or wooden spoon.
Add the cocoa and the icing sugar a little at a time and beat into the butter.
Add the milk and vanilla essence, mix until smooth and light.

Chocolate Cream Cake Topping

This is a sumptuous topping that adds a creamy moistness to any cake.

Ingredients:

1 cup of single cream
150 grams of dark chocolate

Method:

Place the chocolate in a bain marie and melt over a low heat. If you don’t have a bain marie pour a few inches of water into a large saucepan and place a smaller saucepan so that it’s base sits in the water. Put the chocolate in the smaller saucepan and bring the water to a low boil. If you are tempted to just melt the chocolate in a saucepan over direct heat – don’t. The chocolate will melt, but it will also become stiff and coagulated and its flavour will be impaired.
Once the chocolate is melted remove from the heat and stir in the cream.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and allow to cool.
Stirring occasionally during the cooling process will help to keep the topping consistent.
When the mixture has reached room temperature apply to your cake.

Chocolate Heaven

A fresh-baked cake is a treat at anytime, but why not go that extra mile? Use one of the chocolate icing recipes above and take your friends and family to chocolate heaven.

Pesto Pasta Salad with Chicken

2012-08-11T20:01:00.001-07:00

Pesto Pasta Salad with Chicken

Eating on the go shouldn’t mean sacrificing taste. Put this simple pasta recipe in plastic containers along with some plastic forks and paper towels. It’s tasty and easy to clean up!

Pesto Pasta Salad with Chicken
Serves 4-6
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS
For Basil Pesto
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 small garlic clove, peeled
2 packed cups basil leaves
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil, divided

For Pasta Salad
1 pound spiral pasta
2 pounds chicken tenders
1 cup tomatoes, halved
3 tablespoons pine nuts
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

INSTRUCTIONS

Process pine nuts and garlic in a food processor until the texture of coarse sand; about 30 seconds.
Add basil and parmesan cheese, process until a paste forms. Add 1/3 cup olive oil. Process to incorporate; about 10 seconds.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking liquid. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water until the pasta is room temperature.
Heat an electric griddle, or large nonstick skillet. Coat with non-stick spray and cook chicken over medium heat until golden on both sides, about 8 minutes total. Let cool, then dice.
Place pasta in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, 1/4 cup pesto, pine nuts, lemon juice and zest. Toss to coat. Add pasta cooking liquid, a few tablespoons at a time, to coat pasta and thin the pesto sauce. Add chicken, toss and serve.

How to organize your Refrigerator

2012-08-11T20:00:00.001-07:00

Refrigerator Organization

With so many groceries to stow, it's important to keep your refrigerator clean and categorized. From sanitizing shelves and organizing items to tips for tossing perishables, we have every detail covered.

Well, you don’t want your fridge to fall into the same trap. Here are some tips to get your fridge in order.
Grab Your Garbage Can As always, the first step to getting organized is figuring out what should stay and what should go. Go through your entire fridge and toss the items that you know you won’t eat (like Aunt Milly’s fruitcake) or food that’s expired (like the milk you bought before you went on vacation).
While you’re doing this, look for any similarities between the stuff you’re junking. Do you bring a lot of doggy bags home from restaurants? Do you buy too much of certain items? Do you buy a large jar of an ingredient for a recipe you make once, then never use that ingredient again? If there are any patterns, you should adjust your cold-storage habits.
Prominent Places for Popular Items Designate the easiest-to-reach areas to be only for the foods and drinks that you use often, and hard-to-get-to areas for what you don’t eat or drink that often, but won’t spoil.
For instance, keep your milk and juices on the most accessible shelf, butter and eggs on the second most accessible shelf. Also, place taller drink containers at the back of the shelf and shorter containers in front, so you can easily see what you have (or what you need).
Make Sure Everything’s Cold Enough The temperature in a refrigerator isn't the same throughout. Some spots, like the top of the door, are warmer, while others, like the drawers at the bottom, are colder. You should take advantage of this when you decide where to place perishable items in the fridge.
The most perishable items, like meat, fish and dairy, should go as far down the main compartment as is convenient. Don’t put them in one of the doors compartments, because they may spoil more quickly.
Use the Compartments...Sometimes The meat drawer is the best place to store raw meat because it’s usually the coldest part of the fridge. And the vegetable crisper drawer is a little more humid, perfect to keep your greens from turning into browns too quickly.
But just because it says "eggs" and "butter" on some of the compartments on the fridge door doesn’t mean that you should use them for that. These warmer areas on the door are better suited for less-perishable items in jars or bottles like salad dressing, salsa, condiments, jellies, jams and canned drinks.
A Home For Little Things You often find cheeses, fruits, vegetables and other small things in a refrigerator perched precariously on top of a jar or rolling around the bottom of a drawer. Get a handle on these little foods with a plastic container designated for each type. Then you’ll know exactly where to find any cheese, for example, and not have to search for the little piece of Gruyere that found its way to back of the bottom shelf.
An organized refrigerator starts when you put your groceries away. When you have a system, it becomes easier to put food away as well. You’ll really appreciate an organized refrigerator when you’re in the middle of cooking a big meal, and realize that you need something immediately, and you know exactly where it is.

How to make Gift Wrap Storage

2012-08-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

Gift Wrap Storage Ideas

With all the holiday parties and gift-giving this winter holiday, wouldn’t it be wonderful to have all your gift-wrapping supplies right at your fingertips? With a simple clothing hamper you can make it happen! Just follow these easy home organization steps to create your own holiday craft storage hamper that will be a useful gift-giving and time-saving tool for years to come.

Holiday Supplies Storage Hamper
Everyone has their own short-term solutions for storing gift-wrap and wrapping accessories like bows and tags. Even with the best craft storage intentions, wrapping can be a challenge to keep organized. Many times the necessary supplies end up scattered in various places around the home and aren’t right there when you need them. Just follow these step-by-step instructions for creating a winter holiday craft storage hamper so your wrapping paper, bows, tags, ribbon, and more can go wherever you need them to, in one portable and organized container.
1. Purchase a plastic or woven wicker hamper with handles and a removable lid. It should be tall enough to hold tubes of wrapping paper upright, while still allowing you to close the lid.

Tip: If you choose a woven wicker hamper, look for one that’s lined with fabric to protect your supplies from tearing.

2. Attach hooks through holes in the wicker weave or at the top of the hamper for hanging various supplies. Here are a few options for using your hooks:

Keep gift bags close at hand and looking great by hanging them from their handles on the hooks.
Use hooks to hang a bag with handles to hold bows, ribbon and tags.
Hang a bag that will hold your holiday cards and list of recipients or address book.
Use a pencil case with 3-ring binder holes to hold your scissors, tape, pens or any other small wrapping accessories. Include a few pens in festive colors to add a special finishing touch to cards and tags. Hang from a hook using a binder hole.
Or try this easy, no-sew pocket idea for storing small wrapping accessories.

No-Sew Felt Pocket

MATERIALS
Felt in a festive color (12” x 9” if it is pre-cut)
Spool of 1/4-inch ribbon
Scissors
Ruler
Heavy-duty hole-punch

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut a 12” x 9” rectangle of felt.
Lay felt flat on a table and use a permanent marker to lightly mark dots 1/2” from the edge and 1/2” apart on each side. Use the ruler to keep the dots lined up. (Leave approximately 1” without dots in the center where the felt will be folded in half.)
Keep felt flat and use your hole-punch to create holes along two sides of the rectangle where you made your dots.
Fold the felt in half, leaving an opening at the top.
Thread the ribbon through the holes, tying a knot or bow at the bottom on each side.
Tie the top ends of the ribbon to the hamper through the wicker holes or onto a handle or hook. (Feel free to experiment with how you tie the ribbon.)

3. Fill your hamper with various tubes of gift-wrap, tissue paper and a few flattened gift boxes in various sizes. Use fabric or sturdy plastic drawstring bags to hold boxes and tissue paper in their own separate compartments. This way, you won’t have to dig through the hamper to find the supplies your looking for. Simply grab the bag with the items you need.
4. Keep the hamper light so you can take it wherever it’s needed. Set-up your portable gift-wrapping station near your dining room table, in a rec room or family room. Look for areas with large spaces and flat surfaces so you can spread out.
5. Store the hamper in an easily accessible yet out-of-the-way place when not in use. Good craft storage options could be a linen closet, underneath a basement staircase or in a corner of your laundry room.
After the Holidays
After the winter holiday is over keep these ideas in mind to help make your holiday supplies storage hamper work for you all year round.

Personalize Your Greetings
This winter holiday is a great opportunity to catch up with friends and family and show you care. Keep all those cards you received from loved ones last year in a gift bag or felt pocket on your storage hamper for easy reference. Also, keep a notepad in the bag to jot down events and accomplishments throughout the year you know you’ll want to share when it’s time to send out your holiday greetings. We all know how easy it is to forget things during the hectic holidays!
Stock Up to Save Time & Money
Another way to save time—and a good deal of money—is to stock up on your wrapping paper, ribbon, bows, cards and gift bags and boxes right after the winter holiday when retailers offer huge discounts. Also look for sales throughout the year on things like tape and stationery. Buy all you’ll need for the coming holiday season and store it in your hamper. It will be there when you need it during the busiest of all seasons.

How to Organize your Kitchen

2012-08-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

Organize the Kitchen

Whether you’re cooking a big Thanksgiving meal or an everyday dinner, creating clean kitchen organization can make all the difference. A well laid-out kitchen makes time spent cooking a more efficient and enjoyable experience for you.

Start with the Fridge
Before you do anything else, clean out and organize your refrigerator so you have plenty of room for all of your Thanksgiving goodies. Just grab your garbage can and this article on the Functional Fridge to help you get it in order. When you organize, make sure to leave plenty of room for the items you’ll be buying for your meal, any dishes or drinks your guests may bring and dinner leftovers.
Organize Your Tools and Spaces
Look at your workspaces and the organization of your kitchen items. Are there appliances crowding your countertops? Do you have to dig through a disorganized drawer to find what you need? This may be a good time to sort out your tools.

Start out with a clean and organized workspace. Make sure all of your kitchen surfaces are wiped down and decluttered. Whether you have a large expanse of countertop or limited space, designate at least one area to keep clear for food preparation at all times.
Create a kitchen work triangle. For efficient kitchen organization, set up three main workspaces: preparation area, cook & serve area and clean-up area. It’s called the kitchen triangle, and connects these three areas with your refrigerator, sink and stove at each point.

Organizing your most important tools and ingredients around these key kitchen zones will help you take fewer steps to get to the items you need for preparation and cooking. Try keeping useful items in each zone—for example, storing your dishes and silverware between your cook & serve and clean-up areas will help you get dinner to the table faster and dishes put away after washing more efficiently.
Organize your spice rack. Store herbs and spices in groups that are commonly used together for easy use. Fennel, sage and rosemary are good examples. To keep them fresher longer, don’t keep spices directly over your stove or in direct sunlight.

Tip: Check your herbs and spices for freshness when you organize. Dried herbs and ground spices should last for around 1-2 years. An easy way to tell if they’re past their prime is to shake a bit out on your hand and check the color and scent. If most of the color has vanished and the scent is bland or non-existent it’s time to replace it. When you buy new herbs and spices, label the containers with the date to help keep track of freshness.

Getting Ready to Cook
Before a special dinner or even when planning out your weekly meals, take some time to organize your recipes, cook times, ingredients and tools. These organized living tips will help get you started on a path to efficient cooking in your kitchen.

Having helpers in the kitchen can be wonderful, but if they’re new to your kitchen organization style they may have a few questions. Giving your helpers a quick kitchen tour to help them find everything or setting out tools and ingredients before cooking starts will help everyone cook smoothly together.
Sharpen your knives. Keeping your knives sharp is safer and will cut your preparation time in half. When a knife is sharp it requires less force to make cuts and is much easier to control. As always, store sharp knives separately from other utensils in a knife block or rack, to prevent cutting yourself or nicking other silverware.
If you need to cook several side dishes at once, choose casseroles that fit into your oven with spaces in between and stagger pans on upper and lower racks. Good airflow in the oven allows food to cook much faster and more evenly, so avoid covering racks with foil or trying to cook too many dishes at once.

Once your kitchen and cooking necessities are organized for efficiency you’ll really notice how much faster and easier your cooking time can be. Being in your kitchen should now be comfortable and stress-free even when cooking a special meal.