Archive for » February, 2010 «

26
Feb
An Easy Chili Recipe That’s Great for Superbowl

It’s almost my favorite time of year. The Super Bowl. It’s not because I love football, but because I love the competition to see who can make the party’s most talked about “dish.I have a great suggestion for your dish. I found this easy chili recipe on cooks.com. Here is a quick tip for this recipe. If you make the chili the night before, it actually helps you in two ways. Firstly, this will save you a lot of time the day of the party. Second, when the chili is reheated, it helps all the flavors meld together for their spicy best.

 

Ingredients:

1 sliced pepperoni stick (Try Volpi’s Gourmet Pepperoni)

10 oz. Italian sausage

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion

1 green bell pepper

2 cloves garlic

1 c. red wine

½ c. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. each dry mustard and celery seed

2 tsp. chili powder

6 c. fresh tomatoes

1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans

1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans

1 (15 ½ oz.) can garbanzo beans

Jalapeno chili peppers to taste

 

Brown cut up sausage in same pot with the pepperoni. Be sure to poor off the fat from the pot and set aside. Next step is to brown the ground beer, drain it and set aside. Put pepper, garlic, onion and chili pepper in pot and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in wine and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer this for about 10 minutes.

 

Stir in mustard, celery seed, chili powder, salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

 

Mash tomatoes with hands. Next, add these to the pot along with the meats. Heat to boiling; simmer ½ hour, covered, stirring occasionally. Put beans and their liquid into chili and stir. Bring to a boil. Last step is to reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

 

This chili has great flavor and has just the right amount of kick to it. I like this recipe because it’s easy to find Italian sausage recipes, but it’s rare to discover a chili recipe that uses Italian meat. Volpi Foods, America’s oldest and most prestigious Italian meats producer, is the best place to find authentic Italian meats. Their hand-crafted meats add the perfect touch of flavor to any meal!

 

Don’t forget to offer a variety of cheeses and oyster crackers to put in the chili. For a new twist on chili, try adding macaroni noodles. The noodles really add a completely different taste to traditional chili.

 

There you have it! Have a little contest. Have your friends all guess what secret ingredient you put in the chili. As a prize, set aside a contain of the chili for the winner. My guess is everyone will be very surprised at the fact you used spicy Italian meats in you rchili. The cold winter season can not beat this zesty hot chili. Cheer on your favorite NFL team with this delectable dish!

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26
Feb
Ways To Cook Live Lobster That Has Been Delivered

Once you have received your live lobster for delivery be sure and leave the bands on the claws as long as it is alive. Sometimes they may slip during transit. You do not want a loose claw to grab one of your fingers as it would snap it into like a twig. Only take the bands off claws when the lobster has died.

Defrosting frozen lobster meat or whole lobsters can destroy the flavors of them. Instead take directly from the freezer and heat until they are warm not hot. This will give you delicious tender lobster that takes as fresh as the day you placed it in the freezer.

It is very simple to cook live lobsters and only takes about ten minutes a pound to boil. All you need is a very large pot for boiling them with salt added and crab or seafood boil if you want them to turn out with more of a Louisiana flavor. Place lobster head first into pot and cook until the shells turn a bright shade of red. This means they are ready to be moved from the pot.

Lobsters heads hold much of the water they were boiled in so making a slight hole in them will drain out the cooking juices and seal the flavors in. This helps the meat inside stay tender and just ripe with flavor.

The water that you cook the lobsters in can be used as a base for seafood soups, pasta dishes and casseroles. It will only add to the flavor of these dishes. You can also freeze the broth until it is needed.

Be sure your live lobsters are healthy. When you touch or handle a lobster its tail should curl downward and then go back to normal when let go of. You should always take a sniff of your lobsters before cooking to make sure they all smell of freshness. If there is a strange unrecognizable scent to them then never cook them as they could make you and your family sick. They are best cooked as soon as you receive them.

Timing is everything when cooking live lobsters. The harder shelled lobsters take more time than the softer shelled ones do. The softer shelled are considered to be the most tender of the two.

You can also grill whole lobsters on a hot to medium hot setting. Place the lobsters back onto grill and turn them once the shell turns a bright shade of red. Once turned cook about 5 minutes more until you think it looks done.

You can also split live lobsters for delivery and grill this way. Start with the meat side down and turn once 3-4 minutes is up and when on the shell side cook about 6-8 minutes more until shell is bright red shade and meat is very tender. It is important to remember not to overcook.

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25
Feb
grilling & low fat diet recipes

Through this article we will talk about chef’s recipes and in particular look at the reason why barbequing is so Common. Barbequing is an US tradition used for enterprise socializing and also in our personal lives. Every yr, statistics show that at minimum 90% of people go to at least 1 barbeque party or celebration. About 40 percent of families delight in throwing parties that center around the concept of barbequing. With statistics like that, one has to question the reason why barbequing is such a popular tradition.

First, grilling lets you produce a meal that is unmatched by any alternative sort of cooking or taste when it comes to chef’s recipes. The grilled smell and taste will perk up even the pickiest meat eater. Several meats and side dishes are used when barbequing. Traditionally, people prepare pork, beef, as well as fish on their grills. When going to your local grocery store, look for meats that are especially cut and packaged for barbequing. If you don’t find pre packaged meats, then odds are marinates as well as kits for grilling are somewhere nearby.

There is though some query relating to this once it comes to low fat weight loss diet and we can see that traditional side dishes include potato salad, beans, and coleslaw. These sides work well with the selection of meats obtainable and are easy to prepare and store until it is time to eat. Your classic condiment bar should consist of pickles, relish, and onions. Different types of grills will present different kinds of flavors. Charcoal as well as smoker grills offer a natural smoked flavor which is among the most known tastes of barbequing. Smokers also allow you to control slight changes in the favor of the meat by utilizing different types of woods. Yes, cooking and recipes may carry on to play a crucial component of our social and enterprise existence for years in the future.

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25
Feb
Egg Salad Surprises

Everybody loves eggs. We commonly meet them at breakfast table either scrambled or fried. However, these are actually tasty salad staples as well. Egg salad recipes are probably one of the easiest salads to make. Not only can it be served as is, but it can also be used as a sandwich filling. Below you will find recipes compiled from different sources. You may want to try one or two at home. Don't worry if you don't get to finish them, these salads can still make it to tomorrows sandwich. Now, enough said. Gab your things and let’s start whisking.

CHUNKY EGG SALAD
serves 4

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce or
1 teaspoon of prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
6 hard-cooked eggs
1 cup thin sliced celery
2 Tablespoons minced green pepper or red or green hamburger relish
sliced tomatoes or whole tomato
parsley for garnish

In a medium bowl, stir mayonnaise and next five ingredients until well mixed. Cut eggs into chunks or dice, as you prefer. Add eggs, celery, add green pepper or relish to mayonnaise mixture. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate till well chilled.

To Serve: Spoon mixture on tomato slices or into whole tomato. If using whole tomato, either cut off top and spoon out some of the middle, set on shredded lettuce and loosely fill with egg salad, or cut tomato into 8 wedges but do not cut all the way down, so that the tomato wedges will stay connected.

Garden Egg Salad Bowl
Makes 4 servings

6 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1/4 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup thinly sliced cauliflower
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup quartered and sliced zucchini
2 tsp. dried chives
3 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
Spinach leaves
Paprika
4 oz. cut julienne Swiss cheese
Tomato wedges
Pimiento-stuffed olives

The author is good at puppy training and he owns a online store which sells conract lens and ecommerce at http://pianoslesson.com/

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24
Feb
Cooking With Wine, Beer & Spirits

Alcohol is an ingredient in many recipes - it can be used to add flavor to a variety of soups, stews, sauces, marinades and desserts. The reason it is used is because the flavors in certain foods become fuller and more noticeable with alcohol.

Any alcohol can not be added to any food though; you must correctly match the right kind of food with the right kind of alcohol. If the match is not correct then the taste of a food will worsen.

Naturally, the less alcohol added to the dish originally, the less potency you will end up with in the dish after cooking. Despite what many people think, not all of the alcohol is burned off as a result of cooking it.

According to studies, most of the alcohol is retained after cooking for short periods of time. It is unlikely that the alcohol content retained will be sufficient to get the person eating the dish drunk though. It actually several hours for all of the alcohol in a dish to be burnt off.

As well as how much alcohol you add, the quality of it will also have a significant effect on how good the finished dish tastes. Avoid using cheap wines, liqueurs and beers, as using quality brands will give a much superior taste.

Should you wish to do so, you can actually avoid using alcohol in a dish for which the recipe says that it is required. Though you will not get the full bodied flavor of using alcoholic beverages, you can use non-alcoholic beer or wine in your recipes. To substitute flavored liqueur or rum in a recipe, use zests or extracts of juices and, for strong tasting liqueurs, use tomato sauce or juice mixed with Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce.

Next : Learn To Cook Online

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24
Feb
Instructions for Making Banana Bread

One of the delicious treats that you can make for your kids as well as the rest of the family is banana bread. It is full of vitamins and is not complicated to make. Send some to school with the kids for snack time, make it to serve as a desert or create a great alternative to the typical breakfast. Using bananas that are a tad more ripe than those desired for eating by themselves is another way of saving money. Here is how to start.

Gather the Ingredients

To start, gather all the materials and ingredients you need. Take 1 3/4 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 2/3 cup of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/3 cup of shortening or softened butter, some extra flour, cooking spray or butter to grease the pan and a cup of mashed bananas. Try to aim for 2 bananas mashed completely.

Making the Bread

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease all the surfaces of the inside of the pan. Sprinkle some flour into the pan, then shake the flour around until all the sides are already covered with flour. You can ensure that the bread will come out very smoothly this way. Mash the bananas, then mix them in with the other ingredients. Mix the sugar, baking powder, flour, salt and baking soda inside a medium-sized bowl.

Next put in your butter and mix all the ingredients together until this mixture looks like crumbs. The next step is to add two eggs. Mix this well and put in the pan you have prepared. Bake the bread at 350. This will take about 30 or 40 minutes to bake until it is done. Check the bread by pushing a toothpick into the center of the bread and when it comes out clean the bread is done.

A Few Last Tips

Use the proper size pan and it will make this process much simpler. A 4 x 8 inch deep pan is perfect. The oven should not be opened a lot since this will increase the amount of time the bread will have to bake. Every time you open the door, heat escapes and reduces the temperature in the oven.

Use bananas that are overripe or past, characterized by a lot of brown spots on the peel. These are generally sweeter compared to ripe bananas. If the bread is browning quickly, but the center is still raw, you can cover the bread using aluminum foil. The bread will continue baking, although the browning process is slowed down. If you have extra bananas and want to make 2 or more loaves in a single session, freeze the extra loaves to prevent these from spoiling. Always use oven mitts when taking the banana bread out of the oven to keep your hand from getting burning.

Chocolate Banana Bread Instructions

If chocolate banana bread is going to be made, you simply add a teaspoon of vanilla, a cup of chocolate chips (dark) and enough icing sugar to dust. This can be done when you are mixing the baking powder and flour together inside the bowl. Add the icing sugar then as well. The chocolate chips and butter can be melted by using a double boiler. This variety will take about an hour to bake and the loaf can be dusted with the icing sugar when it is done. Allow cooling for about 50 minutes before slicing.

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