Friday, 19 June 2015

Best Cookies: crunchy oat flour



These crisp, light, crunchy cookies are perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.

Oatmeal
 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar  
½ cup butter, softened 
½ cup shortening 
2 eggs 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
2 cups quick cooking oats, uncooked: 
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
¼ teaspoon salt

Addresses 

Combine sugar, butter and shortening in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; continue beating until well blended. Reduced to low speed; Add oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Beat, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.

Divide dough in half. Shape each half into 6-inch log. Wrap each in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate until firm (2-3 hours).


Heat oven to 350 degrees.


Cut logs ¼ - inches with a sharp knife. Place slices 1 inch apart on cookie without greasing. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes; Remove cookie sheets.

Thursday, 18 June 2015

Best Cookies: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies



These "cookies" are a delicious chocolate twist on traditional oatmeal cookie.

Chocolate oatmeal cookies

 1 ½ cups sugar
 1 cup butter,
 softened2 eggs 
2 ½ (1 ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate melted
 2 teaspoons vanilla
 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
 2 teaspoons baking powder
 ½ teaspoon salt 
3 cups quick cooking oats, uncooked:1 cup semisweet chocolate 

Addresses 
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
 Combine sugar and butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add the eggs, chocolate and vanilla; continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Reduce low speed; Add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until well blended. Stir in oats and chocolate chips by hand.

Place dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart on cookie without greasing. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until set. Sobrehorneado not.

Japanese cuisine



Tempura, sukiyaki, sashimi, sushi - even the words used to describe the most basic of Japanese dishes are exotic and beautiful. Japanese cuisine is easily one of the healthiest in the world, with its concentration on fresh fish, seafood, rice and vegetables. Chutney and delicate flavors of fresh foods complement beautifully, and methods of presentation turn even simple meals into beautiful events.

The Japanese have easily a dozen different names for rice, depending on how it is prepared and served with. The most common meal is a rice dish, a plate of white rice served with various toppings or ingredients are mixed. So popular it is the rice bowl has even made its way into the world of Western convenience foods alongside ramen noodles. Domburi is a bowl of rice topped with another food: domburi tendon, for example, rice with tempura and domburi gyudon is rice with beef. The Japanese adopted fried rice from the Chinese, and a century ago, when it was introduced curry, developed Kare Raisu, curry rice. Now it is a popular dish that there are many fast food restaurants that serve several versions takeaway.


Besides white rice served as a side dish, Japanese cuisine has onigiri - rice balls wrapped in seaweed, often with a 'surprise' in the middle and Kayu, a thin gruel of rice that resembles oatmeal.


As an island nation, it is not surprising that seafood is featured in Japanese cuisine. Sushi and sashimi are raw seafood with various spices. Impeccably fresh fish is the secret to wonderful sashimi and sushi, served with soy sauce and wasabi. The Japanese love of beauty and simplicity turns slices and chunks of raw fish into miniature works of art. Fish cut into very thin slices that is transparent may be arranged on a platter in a delicate fan that alternates pink salmon with paler flesh fish slices. Sushi is typically arranged to best display the colors and textures to their best advantage, turning the platter and plate into palettes for art chef.


Traditionally, meat plays a minor role in the Japanese diet, although it has had an increasingly larger role in the last fifty years as Japan becomes more westernized. Beef, chicken and pork can be served with several meals one week. One of the most popular meat dishes is 'yakitori' - chicken grilled on a skewer and served with sauce. A typical quick lunch might include a skewer of yakitori and a rice bowl with sushi sauce.


In an interesting twist, Japan has imported dishes from other cuisines and 'Japanized', adopting as part of their own kitchens. Korokke, for instance, are croquettes adopted from those introduced by the English last century. In Japan, the most common filling is a mixture of mashed potatoes and minced meat. Other Soshoyu - Western dishes that have made their way into Japanese everyday cuisine include 'omuraisu' rice and a tortilla hambagau, the Japanized version of an American hamburger.

Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Chicken broth




The basis of a good soup is usually a good broth. Once you know how to make a good broth, which can be used for an almost infinite variety of soups. This is a recipe I use for chicken soup is easy to make and tastes delicious. Usually make and freeze what you do not use.

1 whole chicken, about 3 pounds

8 cups wate
 
2 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2-3 sprigs of parsley

1-2 sprigs of sage

2 sprigs of rosemary

2 sprigs of thyme (please, no jokes Simon and Garfunkel)

2 tsp salt


Cut the chicken into pieces.

Put the chicken and remaining ingredients in a large pot and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 3 hours.

Remove chicken and place in a bowl to cool.

Pour the stock through a colander lined with cheesecloth and chill.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones and freeze or refrigerate the chicken for another use.

Skim the fat from the action and refrigerate, freeze, or use immediately.


Yield: 

 About 6 cups of stock, about 4 cups chicken.

You do not feel bound by the ingredients and amounts listed in this recipe. You can use other herbs for a different flavor. You could add ginger peels and lemongrass for an Asian flavor. Let your wildest imagination.


No need to use a whole chicken either. You can buy chicken breasts bone and remove the bones before cooking. Only then put the bones in a plastic bag and put in the freezer. Then when you're ready to make the stock, just take the bones and use them in action.


Once you've learned to make this chicken stock, it can be used as a basis for many different soups ... chicken soup, cream of chicken soup, peanut soup ... again, just let your imagination run wild with her and enjoy!

Soul Food



The history of American soul food can be traced back to the days of slavery. More often than not, the slaves were given the most undesirable part of the meal, the leftovers from the house. This link with their own grown vegetables, the first plates of food for the soul were invented. After the slaves were freed, most of them were so poor they could only afford the most undesirable cuts, low cost of meat available to them. (The remaining parts of a pig unwanted as tripe, tongue, ears, and knuckles). As in the days of slavery, African Americans use their own grown vegetables and things they could catch or kill to complete their meals.

In the modern United States, soul food has truly evolved. It has become part of African American culture, with family members together on all occasions from birthdays to funerals, to spend time together preparing meals. The history of soul food is mainly an oral; recipes were never written down so while two families may be preparing identical meals, chances are you do not know very much alike. Different ingredients, cooking methods and techniques to prepare meals go food for the soul, causing the final results come out different.


One of the most obvious and widely recognized characteristics of African-American soul food is the fact that hot sauce and more intense spices are incorporated into meals as often as possible. For this reason, soul food is not for those who can not take the heat or are prone to burning!


Another characteristic of true African-American soul food is that nothing is ever wasted. Have originated from the remains of whatever. Stale bread was quickly converted into stuffing or a bread pudding. Maduro on bananas were whipped into banana puddings and other ripe fruits were put into cakes and pies, and leftover fish parts were made into croquettes or hush puppies.


Sunday dinners are definitely the times when soul food is commonly seen in the tables. Sunday dinners are for African American families together to prepare and participate in a big meal. Sunday dinners normally take all day (normally following a church ceremony), and family members come from far away to participate in this meal together. Sunday dinners took place in the form of fellowship, also, where various family members contribute a dish or two and form a big meal, either. Collard and mustard greens, kale, ribs, corn bread, fried chicken, giblets, okra, and yams are excellent examples of African-American soul food that might be found in a Sunday lunch.


Food for the soul is not generally a healthy option for a person who must control their diet. Fried foods are generally prepared with hydrogenated oil or fat, and generally tend to be products of flavored and seasoned with pork. Since this may be what contributes to such a high percentage of African Americans who are significantly overweight, methods of preparing food for the soul are now slowly starting to be refined, bringing a lot more healthy options to the table. Instead of products increasingly unhealthy pork, using products based in Turkey is becoming increasingly popular as time passes. Fried foods that are so beloved of the culture can now be prepared using a lower fat vegetable oil or canola.

Tuesday, 16 June 2015

Chinese Food



now holds a popular place among the entire population of the world. You'll find a Chinese restaurant in every major city and in many smaller areas of the world too. Why is Chinese food so popular? What about food China is healthy? What is the history of Chinese food?

The history of Chinese food 

The history of Chinese food1 is interesting. Unlike many cultures the Chinese believe that food preparation is an art and not simply a craft. The art of cooking Chinese food can include dishes and food preparation techniques which are difficult to develop and may require the expertise of an experienced chef. One such technique is noodle pulling (scroll down to the bottom of the page to learn more about this technique). Noodle pulling requires skill and lots of practice and results in a bowl of delicious noodles. This article will refer to noodle pulling later, but for now, back to the history of Chinese food.

Chinese food and the way it is prepared is much influenced by the two major philosophies, which influence the entire Chinese culture. These dominant philosophies are Confucianism and Taoism. Both have these philosophies have influenced the way that the Chinese people cook and the way they enjoy their meal.


Confucianism and Chinese cuisine 

Confucius was the man behind the Confucianism beliefs. Among many other standards Confucius established standards for proper table etiquette and for the appearance and taste of Chinese food. One of the standards set by Confucius (you might have noticed this at an authentic Chinese restaurant) it is that food must be cut into small small pieces before serving the dish. This is a custom that is definitely unique to the Chinese culture.

Knives on the table are also considered to be a sign of very poor taste by those who embrace Confucianism beliefs. Standards of quality and taste that perfect blend of ingredients, herbs and spices, a mixture resulting in the perfect combination of taste Confucius recommended required. Confucius also emphasized the importance of the texture and color of a dish, and taught that food must be prepared and eaten with harmony. Interestingly, Confucius was also of the opinion that an excellent cook must first make an excellent matchmaker.


Taoism and Chinese cuisine 

Those who follow the approach of the beliefs of Taoism in health benefits of particular foods vs. the presentation of it. Taoists seek foods that will increase their health and longevity. They look for foods that have healing powers. Many times these benefits were often referred to as 'life giving powers'. For example, the Chinese found that ginger, which can be considered a garnish or a condiment was found to be a remedy for upset stomachs or a remedy for colds.

What about food China is healthy? 

Chinese food, when authentic is probably the healthiest food in the world. Some restaurants, which are not authentic, prepare their menu with highly saturated fats or with meats that contain unhealthy amounts of animal fat. These Chinese restaurants are not recommended and they are authentic nor healthy.

However, good Chinese food is prepared and cooked with polyunsaturated oils. Authentic Chinese food does not require the use of milk-fat ingredients such as cream, butter or cheese. Meat is used, but not in abundance, which makes it easy for those who love authentic Chinese food to avoid high levels of animal fat. Many believe that authentic Chinese food is really the ideal diet.


Chinese restaurants in every part of the nation 

Whether in a Chinese restaurant in Tennessee to a Chinese restaurant in New York that they will find culinary dishes that are delicious and healthy. Savor the flavor with Chinese food.

Choosing Foods For Your Special Event



Choosing the right menu for a special event can be just as important as choosing a location. Food can communicate a theme, convey a feeling or set the mood of an entire night. If you are planning a high-class extravaganza, hot dogs and beer would not be appropriate. However, they could be the perfect choice for a birthday party on the lake. Taking great care in planning a menu shows your guests how much you appreciate, and great food can help to make a special day even more memorable.

If you are planning a birthday party for your child, an interactive food can be fun for your guests. Instead of working in the kitchen all day or spend $ countless orders pizzas, you'll save time and money by allowing guests to make their own special creations. A fun idea is to prepare a multitude of ingredients and let children make their own bagels or English muffin pizzas. They have a blast piling on strange combinations of ingredients, and enjoy feeling like adults in the kitchen.


For a more formal occasion like a party, snacks can be ideal for socializing guests and can be great conversation starters. The obligatory finger sandwich can be flavored by adding your own special pesto or cheese spread to a recipe tried and true. Experiment with different ingredients in pre-holiday weeks and try out your family. You will know when the reaction you're looking for, and you could end up spending much of the match scoring his recipe for your guests.


Plan a menu for a wedding can be quite stressful, especially when you are not sure exactly how many guests will attend. The rule of thumb is too much is better than not enough, even if it means having a lot of leftovers at the end of the night. You can choose to have a buffet dinner, or you can have a menu for your guests. It is important to consider your guests with special dietary needs. You should have vegetarian and low alternatives to their main courses sodium, and should have a healthy heart for those who must avoid foods high in fat menu.


Before a big meal, you must do all the dishes several times to perfect your recipes. His goal is to have guests asking for more, even after it's all over. Test your creations in a variety of people and make adjustments according to their suggestions. When cooking foods from their own recipes, it is important to remember the details of what he did every time you do it. So you know what went wrong when something is awful, and most importantly, what did not when receiving raving reviews.


Lots planning is the most important part of the restoration of his own party. Although most recipes say how many people they feed, they err on the side of caution. If a recipe feeds eight might want to count it as six or seven years, depending on how many guests you expect. The plan half of your guests want to come back for seconds. If you know that a dish is a favorite, be sure to do more. Although green beans can be the healthiest option, usually you can bet that the cheesecake will go much faster. Note that the greater the variety, the more people please, so even if you're a lover of steam plant, fleshy should probably prepare some options for your less health conscious guests.

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