Shop in your kitchen this holiday season give the gift that keeps on giving
Shop in your Kitchen this Holiday Season— Give the Gift That Keeps on Giving
Are you looking for ways to save this holiday gift-giving season? With your children’s teachers, neighbors, doctors, and even loving grandparents – your gift list just keeps growing. This year give the gift that keeps on giving, without blowing your budget. Homemade goodies reserve a special place amongst the array of store bought gifts. Fruitcake isn’t the only food worth giving this season.
One of my favorite gifts to give are quick breads. Too busy to cook around the holidays? No problem – quick breads are easy to make and can be made ahead of time and frozen.
I promise, Chocolate Zucchini Bread is one of my absolute favorite nutritious-and-delicious quick breads, so don’t let this combination startle you. Easy Cranberry Yam Bread is another family favorite that gets requested every year! Also, make the bread in different size loaf pans to give an assortment of different type breads—or maybe you need just a little something for a present.
Another great gift idea is my yummy Snack Mix. So easy to whip up, I often find myself craving the combination of this sweet and salty treat. You can use red and green M&M’s to get into that festive holiday spirit. Fill decorative containers with the Snack Mix and this fun gift becomes functional as they have the container to use forever.
The holiday season is often thought of as a season to splurge. Give your wallet and your waistline a break with these holiday favorites. By adding a personal touch to your next holiday gifts you can let your gift-giving list grow without worry. These delicious homemade recipes are the perfect economical gift everyone will enjoy — with a trim and terrific twist. Visit www.hollyclegg.com or thehealthycookingblog.com for more recipes.
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
This delicious chocolate bread gets extra moisture and nutrition from unassuming zucchini. Chocolate lovers will be delighted.
16 servings/serving size: 1 slice
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup skim milk
1. Preheat oven 350° F. Coat 9x5x3-inch nonstick loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In bowl combine flours, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder. In medium bowl, mix brown sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla until blended. Stir in zucchini and walnuts.
3. Using third of flour mixture each time, add flour mixture alternating with milk to zucchini mixture, stirring lightly after each addition just until moist.
4. Transfer batter to pan, bake 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Do not overbake.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories 177, Calories from Fat 72, Total Fat 8 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 27 mg, Sodium 108 mg, Total Carbohydrate 24 g, Dietary Fiber 1 g, Sugars, 14 g, Protein 3 g, Diabetic Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 fat
TERRIFIC TIDBIT: In quick breads, replace up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour – an easy way to add more nutrition to the bread and enhance the nutty flavor.
Easy Cranberry Yam Bread
Cream cheese gives this incredible, yet easy, bread a rich flavor packed with the natural sweetness of yams and a burst of cranberries. It will top your quick bread list. Toss in some pecans for added flavor and crunch.
Makes 16 slices
1 (8-ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 (15-ounce) can sweet potatoes (yams), drained and mashed
2 eggs
11/2 cups biscuit baking mix
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup dried cranberries, or 1 cup chopped fresh cranberries
1. Preheat oven 350°F. Coat 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in sweet potatoes and eggs. Stir in biscuit mix, cinnamon, nutmeg, cranberries until just blended. Transfer to prepared pan.
3. Bake 45 minutes — 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes before serving.
Nutritional information per serving
Calories 189, Protein (g) 4, Carbohydrate (g) 31, Fat (g) 6, Calories from Fat (%) 26, Saturated Fat (g) 3, Dietary Fiber (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 37, Sodium (mg) 231 Diabetic Exchanges: 1.5 starch, 0.5 fruit, 1 fat
Quick Tip
Mini loaves of quick bread make wonderful homemade gifts. Make ahead, wrap in plastic wrap, place in zipper-lock bags, and freeze until ready to give.
Snack Mix
Here’s an easy recipe that makes a great snack mix any time of day. Sweet and salty mixes are always a great combo and this mix is addicting!
Makes 20 (1/2-cup) servings
3 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
4 cups crispy wheat cereal squares
6 cups mini pretzels
1 cup soy nuts
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
1 cup candy-coated chocolate pieces
1. Preheat oven 250°F. Whisk together sesame oil, honey, soy sauce, garlic salt, and onion powder.
2. Toss together cereal squares, pretzels, soy nuts, and peanuts in large bowl. Drizzle oil mixture over cereal mixture, tossing gently to coat.
3. Scatter mixture on foil-lined jelly roll pan, bake 25 minutes, stirring often to prevent too much browning. Turn off oven and let cereal stay in oven 1 hour to continue crisping. When cool, toss with chocolate candies. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.
Nutritional information per serving
Calories 242, Protein (g) 8, Carbohydrate (g) 32, Fat (g) 10, Cal. from Fat (%) 37, Saturated Fat (g) 3, Dietary Fiber (g) 3, Cholesterol (mg) 2, Sodium (mg) 400, Diabetic Exchanges: 0.5 very lean meat, 1 starch, 1 other carbohydrate, 2 fat
How to make a hangi
How To Make a Hangi
What is a Hangi? In it’s most basic form a Hangi is the subterranean process of cooking food utilized by the indigenous people from Aotearoa. Strongly associated to the samoan Umu cooking technique, the Hangi cooking approach is most definitely alive these days largely because of the amazingly distinct taste it gives the food. The way a Hangi is prepared is undeniably unique. To put together and cook a Hangi is a laborious operation taking many hours which is typically spread over a couple of days.
Folks who have sampled Hangi cuisine can testify to the complete uniqueness of the flavoring it gives to the food. Hangi food is cooked underground. You heard right, the meal is actually buried in the dirt as part of the cooking process. Any foreign visitor to New Zealand must make the effort to find and taste a Hangi first hand. You can’t truly say that you’ve been to New Zealand if you haven’t eaten a Hangi. This short article briefly describes exactly how a Hangi is prepared in the traditional way. It will give you a much better idea of what is actually involved as well as precisely how much energy goes into planning and making a Hangi.
Step one is to find several specific volcanic rocks to use as a source of heat to steam the food. River boulders, sand stones and also various other sedimentary types of stones won’t do the job simply because they won’t heat up to a high temperature and if you try to raise the temperature of them they can explode, resulting in severe injuries to anyone close by. Finding the proper classification of rocks for this job is absolutely vital to the successful conclusion of ANY Hangi. The second step is when the stones are positioned in a fire and heated for a number of hours up to the point they’re bright hot. It really is important that this is a wood fire exclusively mainly because any different materials may taint the taste of the meal. In New Zealand there are a few exceptional types of timber which are best for this task mainly because they give a special smoky flavor. On the other hand, treated wood or coloring in the timber could make you ill as well as poison your hangi. The third stage is to dig the Hangi Pit. Have as many mates available for this step as possible. The fourth step involves filling the Hangi basket using a mix of raw, but thoroughly defrosted, meat, vegetables, stuffing and one or two steamed puddings. Hangi baskets are usually built with wire or iron. An additional crucial factor to take note of is the way your basket is packed. The spacing, depth and order of the stacking has a strong effect on the outcome of the prepared meal. When the fire has done it’s task the rocks should be transfered into the pit. It’s incredibly important that this particular phase is carried out as efficiently as possible because the more time the rocks are out of the flames, the more energy they will lose. It takes place near a scorching fire and is the most important step. The filled basket ought to be positioned upon the sizzling rocks the instant the exchange has taken place. The next step is to adorn the basket using soaked sacking fabric. The particular type of material used and the amount of material applied here is very important, as is also the depth and placement of these covers around the basket and stones. Once the basket has been sealed it’s time to get hold of those shovels once again and bury the whole thing completely until it’s closed snugly underground. Now that all the hard work is finished it’s time to settle-back and wait, enjoy a beer or two and after a couple of hours dig it up and with some luck if you’ve done the whole thing correctly it’ll be cooked properly.
Hangi food is traditionally served as a public buffet. The food is usually laid out on a table and folks typically help themselves as they please. Excellent Hangi accompaniments normally include fried bread and / or rewena bread. This information is not meant to be a full guide by any means. In order to prepare your own Hangi there’s a whole lot more specific material you need with regards to your equipment, preparation and timing. If any one of these aspects is off your Hangi could quite possibly turn out to be a complete failure. To avoid having to buy KFC it would probably be best to look for more detailed material if you happen to be unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the process.
Captains need experience
Captains Need Experience
My live in girlfriend and I eat fish for dinner at least three times a week. Our favorite fish is Flounder because it does not take long to prepare and it tastes great. We buy our fish at the local market and trust the dates on the package to know if the fish is fresh. One day after shopping I opened up my package of Flounder and it smelled awful. There was something wrong so I returned to the market and asked for a refund. The manager offered me a replacement and explained that occasionaly a spoiled batch gets thrown in with the fresh fish and it is impossible for him to control. He said the only way to be sure that the fish was fresh is to catch it yourself. I thanked him for the advice but refused the exchange and had my money returned.
After both deciding that it was wise to catch our own fish,the next weekend we both were at the boat dock at six in the morning. There we saw two fishing boats that were going to spend the day searching for Flounder.One of the boats was brand new and had a sign up saying that this was going to be its maiden voyage. We marveled at its beauty and start going abroad. On the boarding plank stood the captain. He was dressed in whites and wore the most impressive cap. It had a gold eagle broadly displayed on the brim. He introduced himself and spoke about his ivy leauge education and his top grades but he admitted that he was never out to sea. My girlfriend was so impressed with him that she was ready to sign on. but I said before we do that lets check the older fishing boat and find out why it seems to be getting more fishermen going on board. We then spoke to the other captain who was an old man with over fifty years of fishing experience. He said that his boat may be old but it was sea worthy. I spoke to some of the fisherman on board and they told me that they never returned from a fishing trip with less than twenty five fish. I was sold and ready for a fishing trip on the old boat. But my girlfriend insisted on going on the maiden voyage with the handsome new captain. We compromised and decided she would have her choice, but I would stay with the experienced captain and we would meet on the dock at six on the return of the boats.
At six oclock I was waiting on the dock for the return of the fishing boat with my girlfriend on board. My fishing bag was packed with ice and there was over fifty large Flounder in it. At nine there was no sign of the boat she was on. I asked some of the workers on the dock what had happened to the boat that was on its maiden voyage. They replied that it had run aground and was being towed in. At midnight I saw a broken down boat coming into port towed by a coast guard cutter. My girlfriend was on the deck and weeping. I welcomed her as she came down the plank. We then went home and had a great Flounder dinner. She promised that she would never go on a boat again with a captain without sea experience. Even if the captain was handsome.
melpol
Italian cooking its history revealed
Italian Cooking — Its History Revealed
For some the thirst for knowledge is unquenchable, and the more information they uncover the deeper they delve to satisfy their thirst. Where would we be without such inquisitive minds? We owe a lot to those people and their passion for the world and all its wonders. Most of the things that make our life so pleasant have resulted because of those indefatigable individuals who strove to prove their amazing theories. It is often said that necessity is the mother of invention, and that is certainly true for early man who stumbled across the means to cook his raw food and provide heat. So in this vein it is entirely understandable that those who have a deep interest in the history of Italian cooking would want to study the way in which it started and evolved.
There is a great deal written about the origins of Italian cooking but evidence of its existence first appears in the history of ancient Greece.
The popularity of Italian has obviously been enjoyed for thousands of years and research into this subject would make for fascinating reading. The history of Italian cooking can be researched easily on the internet where there are countless articles and information relating to this subject. As regards the internet, it is an amazing and constant source of information that can be found on just about anything that you have an interest in. By just typing the words ‘history of Italian cooking’ into a search engine you will open up a plethora of data and it is up to you to decide how much information on the history of Italian cooking will satisfy your curiosity.
Many people prefer the physical pleasure of leafing through pages and extracting information. If you are interested in the history of Italian cooking the librarian at your library will be able to point you in the right direction and even make suggestions to titles for further reading as will any good stores that specialize in books.
There is no doubt that knowledge opens the mind, and to learn more about the history of Italian cooking one would need to share and exchange views and information through discussion. Most Italians are justifiably proud of their exceptional cuisine and would probably relish the idea of passing on any stories that may have been passed on to them from grandparent to parent. Who knows where this passion will take you? It may give you a desire to pursue entirely new and exciting projects!
Emeril cooking recipes emeril cooking recipes a great chefs legacy
Emeril Cooking Recipes — Emeril Cooking Recipes A Great Chefs Legacy
Emeril Lagasse, the Professional Chef
Emeril’s famous phrase on his TV show is ‘kick it up a notch’. Food lovers around the world love him as a simple man who enjoys food and loves to share his recipes with all those who are interested in cooking. He
has a fund of recipes that he shares with everyone on his TV show.Those who would like to add to their recipes and everyone who loves to cook can go to Emeril’s TV show, which has a fund of the most delicious, tasty and mouth-watering recipes. Emeril does not go for low fat dishes — his dishes, apart from being flavorful and absolutely outstanding, are rich and irresistable. On his show, you will realize how much he enjoys cooking and loves good food.
Emeril’s Live Cooking Shows
Emeril enjoys interacting with people, so he has live shows in many locations, and people can see him and his cooking in person. If fortune favors you, he may come to your town and you might be able to be a guest
on his show and taste his excellent dishes.There may be reasons why you cannot watch his TV show — maybe it’s a
time factor, or work issues, in which case you can browse around book stores, and you will find his books with all his favorite recipes. They can also be found on the internet. As you go through the internet, you
will be able to get as many recipes as you wish, and if you are entertaining, what better way is there than to go on the internet and take your pick of his recipes.
As you go through Emeril’s recipes, you will find that he does not confine himself to any particular type of food. He covers a wide range of food, and adds his own personal touch — he likes flavor and spices, his
favorite phrase being ‘kick it up a notch’. He chooses appetizers, main courses, desserts and starters, and they are all worth trying and sampling if you get a chance to see him live.
Entertaining can be fun, and Emeril’s shows provide entertainment as well as the most mouth-watering recipes. He is a people person, and enjoys interacting with his guests while providing them with all the tips
necessary to make the recipe a huge success.There are any number of recipes to choose from, and your friends who are food lovers, may also be watching Emeril’s show. They may be able to give you some tips based on
his recipes, and you could both exchange notes, and perhaps try out some of his recipes together, as it’s always more fun doing exciting things together. This way, you can help each other and exchange ideas, and
maybe use your own techniques to produce a delightful and innovative dish.
The functions of a commercial food processor
The Functions Of A Commercial Food Processor
A commercial food processor is an electric kitchen appliance that chops, shreds, slices and blends different kinds of food. Nowadays it is considered a basic requisite for every home and restaurant. A commercial processor can be used to prepare a number of recipes. They also make the preparation of meals simpler and faster. It was invented by Pierre Verdan who was a catering company salesman. The device involved a bowl with a rotating blade at the bottom. It evolved into a motor driven food processor used by the commercial catering industry in the late 1960’s. The first one was designed by the Robot Coupe Company. From then on it is been widely used in almost all restaurants, shops and catering establishments for commercial purposes.
It is like the blender performs several cooking tasks. Its uses however are restricted due to it having a single fixed blade. A commercial food processor in contrast has a mixture of exchangeable blades that are driven by an electric motor. They have varying attachments like a dough blade, an egg whip, julienne disc, citrus juicer and a French fry disc. It can perform tasks like chopping, shredding and grating, mixing, kneading and slicing which are very crucial in a commercial setting like a restaurant.
There are a broad range of brands and models available on the market. All these types differ in power, speed, bowl size and shape of blade for instance. Generally a commercial food processor would come in three general bowl sizes. These are the mini, compact and full sized bowls. Equally your establishment or company can go in for a food processor that has varying speeds or pulse settings. The speed pattern could be varied with the use of buttons or through a touchpad panel. It has been fitted with a heavier base that gives it greater stability when the processor is in use. Furthermore most processors have safety mechanism that prevents the motor from operating if the bowl is not rightly attached to the base.
One thing worthy of note is that before you purchase a food processor to use for commercial purposes, take into consideration the cooking needs of your organization. This is to ensure that you buy the required one that has features you would eventually use. The quality of meals served or given to customers would also be enhanced.
Recipes for cooking smart tips to get the best from your recipes
Recipes For Cooking — 5 Smart Tips To Get The Best From Your Recipes
The phrase “health freaks” is well known. But a new phrase “cooking freaks” can be coined for those immensely in love with their kitchens! Their conversations center round cooking recipes and they are constantly awaiting opportunities to surprise everyone—family members, friends, relatives—with innovative dishes! The praise that follows the consumption of every mouth-watering dish is enough reward for them!
Cooking recipes are very easy to find and hoard. Just take a look around—book stores, stores supplying health food, grocery stores—all of them have recipes in stock. It comes as a boon when you find these recipes in unusual places like gift shops offering special items. But the best place to get cooking recipes is of course, the Internet. There are literally hundreds to be found on different web sites! The one who loves to cook is truly lost for words when being flooded with so many recipes!
If you dislike the idea of having so many loose pages around, just purchase a bound cookbook. Modern cookbooks give illustrations of what a dish will look like after it has been cooked. Generally, the recipes you collect come minus pictures. So there is a certain amount of apprehension when trying out something new, wondering if the dish will really turn out well or not. You need have no such doubts where recipes come with accompanying pictures. You are willing to try anything!
The possibilities of what you can do with all these cooking recipes is endless—
(1) Imagine a time when you want to make a special occasion even more special with a fabulous cooking creation of your own. Your recipes come in very handy then!
(2) You could throw a “Let’s exchange cooking recipes” party where each guest brings the recipe as well as the prepared dish.
(3) A recipe club could be started where members exchange recipes or even demonstrate the preparation of a new dish at a weekly get-together or a monthly get-together.
(4) If you have been collecting cooking recipes over the years, why not think about authoring your own cookbook?
(5) Collecting a favorite chef’s famous recipes can become a hobby, if nothing else. Not only do you possess recipes for all occasions, you improve your own culinary skills by trying out new dishes all the time.
All said and done, should your inexperience in cooking come in the way of trying out the cooking recipes you have collected so far, well, just turn on the television to watch cooking shows and learn. DVDs about cooking are also available. As a last resort, join cookery classes! The choice of wanting to learn alone or with others rests entirely with you!