Sunday, February 7, 2010

Chiese Characteristic: Almond Junket

Ingredients:150 grams (0.33 lb) ground almond
100 grams (0.22 lb) agar
300 grams (3/5 cup) milk
25 grams (5/6 oz) orange in syrup
100 grams (0.22 lb) sugar

Directions:

1. Wash the agar. Put 100 g (6 tbsp) of water in the pot and boil the agar over a low heat until it is completely melted. Add the milk, ground almond, 50 g (0.11 lb) of sugar and mix well as it is being cooked. Take it out when it starts to boil. Put it in a plate and when it cool off, put in a freezer.

2. Put 500 g (1 cup) of water in a pot, add the remaining sugar and bring it to boil. Bring it out and let it cool in a freezer.

3. Take the frozen almond out of freezer and cut into small squares of preferable size. Put into serving bowls and add the cooled syrup. Place petals of orange on top and serve.

Features: It has a strong and refreshing almond flavor.

Taste: Really delicious and sweet.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Making Chicken Enchiladas With White Sauce in the Crockpot

We are a family who loves chicken enchiladas. We also enjoy using our crockpot a few times per week.

I decided to try our family recipe in the crockpot and it came out wonderfully!! I began with five chicken breasts. Since the meat is boiled I buy chicken breasts with skin and bones. I find if I buy the skinless breasts it comes out too dry.

Bring the water to a boil and then cook about 45 minutes. Chicken should be cooked through. I allow the chicken to cool about fifteen minutes and then shred it. Many recipes suggest cutting it into chunks, we prefer the chicken shredded.

Now it's time to create the sauce. The sauce needs two cans cream of chicken soup. I look for the lower sodium soup when I buy it. If you buy regular cream of chicken, that's fine, but the sauce will be a bit saltier to taste. If your taste buds are used to salt, then you may find the lower sodium a bit too bland for your tastes. Next comes eight ounces of sour cream. I use the non fat sour cream. There is a definite taste difference between regular sour cream, low fat sour cream and non fat sour cream. Find the right taste combinations for your family in choosing soup and sour cream. Finally, you'll need a four ounce can of diced chilis. Try adding more or less chilis depending on how hot your family likes the dish.

If you want a sauce that is bit thinner, add in some milk. Since we only drink non fat milk, I tend to not add it in. If you're a family that drinks low fat or regular milk, you can add in one third of a soup can of milk and it will help thin out the sauce just a bit.

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Dip one or two tortillas in the sauce to moisten them. These are the tortillas you'll use on the top of your casserole.

Next, add in the chicken and mix well. It's now time to put everything in your crockpot. I buy whole wheat Mission tortillas. My crockpot that I use for this casserole is six quarts. To line the bottom of the crockpot I needed one and a half tortillas. Cover the bottom of your crockpot with the tortillas. Now add one third of your chicken. Lightly cover the chicken with a handful of shredded cheese. You can use cheddar or a combination of jack and cheddar cheeses. Repeat your layers two more times. I end with those dipped tortillas on the top. I put one more layer of cheese on top and it's ready to turn on. I put the crockpot on low for four hours.

Another alteration you can make is to tear the tortillas into strips, making it easier to cut when it's time to serve up the enchiladas.

When you serve the enchiladas, put a small spoon of sour cream, olives and/or a slice of avocado on top.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Make Your Halloween Perfect With The Best Kids Recipes

Halloween serves as a perfect time for hosting a kiddie party. Any kid would love Halloween, who doesn't? Food will always be the favorite aspect during Halloween. Over a hundred recipes were made especially for Halloween. Here are some ideas to enable you to create that perfect delectable menu.

Make sure that sugary treats are served in moderation. We should avoid having our guest suffer from sugar overload during your party. Enjoy the festivity by serving chicken meat sliced like fingers covered in blood (red sauce would do the trick). It isn't difficult to do, just keep in mind when creating each dish it should appear as human-like as possible.

To make it even more appealing and realistic include an almond sliced into halves as if they were human nails.

You should also try adding the same amount of food colorings including yellow, red and blue to your spaghetti. Once done it will create a disgusting brownish meal. Top it with green sauce like pesto, and dub it as "Swamp with Snakes Spaghetti Surprise".

Create those goofy meatballs that would serve as those creepy eyeballs. Simply season your meat (ground) then form it to a circular shape ensuring that both bottom as well as its top are flat, bake till its done. Slice cheese (mozzarella) round in approximately 1 inch of its diameter or the same size to that of half a dollar. Slice small tomatoes (either cherry or grape kind will do) in three. Slice olives (black) into half.

Then, arrange those goofy eye meatballs by simply placing one slice of the cheese pieces onto the eye meatball, followed by one sliced tomato onto its cheese then place your half olive(black) on top. Change each topping placement so that the eye meatballs would appear as if they were looking into various directions.

When serving some punch, how about making it into a ghoulish kind? Create your own punch then simply add some few ghoulish hands here and there. How to create those ghoulish hands? Prepare those none powdered rubber-gloves and fill them up with some red drink like cranberry juice. Make sure not to overfill it, to increase easy movement for those glove fingers.

Then, close the gloves tightly using elastic bands then freeze them flat onto some cookie sheet that has been placed with some paper towel. Cut the gloves open using scissors then simply add each to your ghoulish punch. Create a more scary effect by breaking some ghoul fingers then add each separately to your guests' drink.

Punch includes a quart of soda (lemon lime), a quart of lime drink and a cup of sherbet (lime). Ensure that sherbet will be added only before punch is going to be served. Stir to create foam on the mixed sherbet using soda. Sprinkle some chocolate powder onto the foams for that dirty look.

Dry ice gives you a touch of that smoky effect. To avoid accidents from curious little hands from touching dry ice which may result to some burn by putting the dry ice into containers not within children's reach, you can simply place them at the table's back.

Keep your dish as simple as possible yet familiar by adding a little twist. Name favorites with great and interesting Halloween names. Explore different food colorings like those in blue, green and brown to change how the dish appears.

Use common food but prepare each in various ways. Like blanch the head of one cauliflower, break them apart then rearrange(making it a lot easier when serving) cover it with some salad dressing while adding some squeeze bottled ketchup outlining every floret then use ketchup making it appear like brains. Enjoy your scrumptious spooky food this Halloween.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Homemade Wine Instructions - How To Make Homemade Wine

This article will tell you how to make homemake wine in the home which in fact tastes great (I mean, that isn't going to taste similar to vinegar or even sour grapes!).

You'll find a variety homemade wine instructions for how to make wine at home, however most of them won't create wine that tastes great. Why will they not really taste good? Because of wild yeast and acetic bacteria!

Wild yeasts and acetic bacteria are usually both opponents of effective wine-making. The acetic bacteria turns alcohol into acetic acid thereby switching wine to vinegar will be ever present in the air. Likewise, the yeasts and spores of fungi that turn wine insipid and flat or perhaps change it sour can also be in the air.

When using fresh new fruit and some other ingredients from your garden or in the stores, the bacteria, yeasts as well as fungi may also be existing, but fret no more because they may be easily destroyed so they do no damage.

You can get more homemade wine instructions from an expert by clicking on the links at the bottom of this article. If you are serious about learning how to make homemade wine then check out the information at the end of this article.

The components that you will be utilizing for making wines are usually packed in sealed containers so they won't be contaminated by the sources of so-called spoilage. However, water which you could be using consists of harmful bacteria that can ruin the wine or quite possibly the wild yeast can cause 'undesirable' ferments and also these kinds of ferments could allow 'off' flavors for instance bitter flavors.

Anyhow, you are able to do the following techniques before harmful yeast and bacteria destroy your wine.

1. Now if wild yeasts and bacteria are in the air they must be upon corks, inside bottles and jars; without a doubt, they are on all in which you use, but they might be very easily destroyed so that the success for making wine is actually guaranteed.

2. It isn't normally recognized how the molds upon cheese, half-empty containers of meat paste and jam are often yeasts developing presently there for it may be the yeast floating about in the air in which ruins the wines that you produce. Therefore, so as to beat these souring yeasts, you have to maintain your fermenting wines and completed wines covered carefully. Treatment of such completed wines is covered under the heading 'storing' and it is crucial that you cover fermenting wines.

3. When the ready yeasts are put into the prepared liquid, the top of the jar ought to be protected with a piece of polythene and this ought to be pressed down all around manually and a strong string ought to be linked firmly around. Through this you are able to keep airborne diseases away from the wine. It is also a good idea if you are using a Fermentation lock rather than polythene.

Of course, the whole idea of fitting a fermentation lock is to avoid air and airborne diseases reaching the wine. To do so, firstly make sure the lock can be fitted to a drilled cork and the cork and then fitted to the jar. Water will be next poured into the level shown. On this rate, the gas formed during fermentation pushes through the water as bubbles; thus air borne-diseases are usually held out. You may also work with sterilizing solution or perhaps a smashed and dissolved Campden tablet.

Another advantage of using a fermentation lock in wine-making is that it implies whenever the fermentation has stopped. Thus while the fermentation ends permanently, the water returns to normal in so doing give the jar a vigorous twist and the chances are great that you will get fermentation on the go once again for a couple of days longer.

If the whole notion in using fermentation locks is to keep airborne diseases from damaging the wine, the first step is to be sure the bung as well as lock are airtight. However , if they are not, the gas leaking will stop air from reaching the wine throughout the early levels, but as it slows down the outgoing flow of gas through the leakage holes wouldn't be strong enough for this so the airborne diseases can very easily reach the wine.

Having fitted the lock on the bung and jar, make sure to run a little sealing wax wherever the bungs enter the jar and wherever the lock enters the bung. Really this particular precaution may not be required, but it is much better to be on the safe side. It's simple to get rid of one bit of the lock as well as bung and stick in a new bung when fermentation quit. The wine during this process can then be put away to clear.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Delicious Dining Has Never Been So Easy

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A classic situation that most of us have encountered in our lives is when we enthusiastically invite people over for a party and then realize belatedly that the huge amount of cooking has to be done either personally or to be ordered in. The cooking plans will be enough to guarantee you bed rest for a week after the event and food sourced randomly from outside is usually bland and tasteless. It makes perfect sense to opt for a catering service with established credentials like Chef direct northeast to step in at this juncture. Whether it is a barbeque, a formal get together, an office party, or even just a romantic tryst for two, the food is the piece de resistance and what makes the event memorable.

Most of the times, you approach an outside caterer is for weddings and other such engagements. Chef direct northeast makes wedding days memorable with their magnificent wedding catering and wedding reception buffets. The ala carte cuisine is mouthwatering and served in a manner befitting a top class restaurant. One can opt for a personal chef creating masterpieces for him at home or at an outside venue and the food is balanced with carefully chosen fine wines and desserts that round off a meal beautifully. Every detail is taken care of and the planning begins at the initial discussion stage where your tastes and preferences are taken into consideration and the menu is built on that. The superb cuisine masterpieces of chef northeast are guaranteed to make a wedding day perfect with no worries from your side. So whether one opts for a sit down meal or a wedding reception buffet, everything is beautifully coordinated and professionally rendered.

Corporate catering and buffets are expertly put together by chef direct north east. Finger foods are popular and are tastefully assembled in tasty and unusual combinations. These are presented on fine crockery for a classy effect. These finger foods can be delivered without any fuss in an insulated box with a chafing dish from which the food can be consumed hot and fresh.

Corporate catering and corporate buffets by chef direct northeast gives exquisite cuisine served onsite or offsite with a choice of set menus that include hot or cold as per personal preference. These can even be delivered to your office and served by trained personnel. Staff costs and traveling costs will be billed as extras as also any equipment hired onsite which is necessary. Marquee and garden events are also catered for and the carved buffet is a must-have.

One can make anniversary and engagement parties memorable with catering from Chef direct northeast. Romantic evenings, Mother’s day celebrations, birthdays, Christmas parties can all be made extra special with the splendid food, catering services and ambience created by the trained staff. When you decide to have outside catering done for your party, you are minimizing the time consuming labor, not to mention all the running around and hard work you will have to put in yourself, if you choose to do it yourself.

The specialty of the chef is his genuine passion for his craft that shines through in all his cooking. He has perfected and honed his skills with years of experience and he serves up a wide range of cuisines which encompass classic party food, finger food, Asian blends, special dietary needs meals and pub food. Low calorie, vegetarian, vegan and other healthy food are also offered as options. The chef also offers teaching classes to those who are interested.

Chef direct northeast covers the spectrum of social dining in their services and even caters for a minimum of two according to requirement. The best part about their services as vouched for by ecstatic clients is that they do not leave you with a mound of dirty dishes after a frenetically paced party. They actually wash and clean up leaving you to savor the lingering after effects of a superbly cooked meal without the heartburn of clearing up afterwards. The services also include pleasant and helpful staff, waiters and waitresses and even chairs, tables and flowers if you need them. You will have only pleasant memories of a wonderful occasion and heavenly food when you opt for Chef direct northeast.

Making Chicken Enchiladas With White Sauce in the Crockpot

We are a family who loves chicken enchiladas. We also enjoy using our crockpot a few times per week.

I decided to try our family recipe in the crockpot and it came out wonderfully!! I began with five chicken breasts. Since the meat is boiled I buy chicken breasts with skin and bones. I find if I buy the skinless breasts it comes out too dry.

Bring the water to a boil and then cook about 45 minutes. Chicken should be cooked through. I allow the chicken to cool about fifteen minutes and then shred it. Many recipes suggest cutting it into chunks, we prefer the chicken shredded.

Now it's time to create the sauce. The sauce needs two cans cream of chicken soup. I look for the lower sodium soup when I buy it. If you buy regular cream of chicken, that's fine, but the sauce will be a bit saltier to taste. If your taste buds are used to salt, then you may find the lower sodium a bit too bland for your tastes. Next comes eight ounces of sour cream. I use the non fat sour cream. There is a definite taste difference between regular sour cream, low fat sour cream and non fat sour cream. Find the right taste combinations for your family in choosing soup and sour cream. Finally, you'll need a four ounce can of diced chilis. Try adding more or less chilis depending on how hot your family likes the dish.

If you want a sauce that is bit thinner, add in some milk. Since we only drink non fat milk, I tend to not add it in. If you're a family that drinks low fat or regular milk, you can add in one third of a soup can of milk and it will help thin out the sauce just a bit.

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Dip one or two tortillas in the sauce to moisten them. These are the tortillas you'll use on the top of your casserole.

Next, add in the chicken and mix well. It's now time to put everything in your crockpot. I buy whole wheat Mission tortillas. My crockpot that I use for this casserole is six quarts. To line the bottom of the crockpot I needed one and a half tortillas. Cover the bottom of your crockpot with the tortillas. Now add one third of your chicken. Lightly cover the chicken with a handful of shredded cheese. You can use cheddar or a combination of jack and cheddar cheeses. Repeat your layers two more times. I end with those dipped tortillas on the top. I put one more layer of cheese on top and it's ready to turn on. I put the crockpot on low for four hours.

Another alteration you can make is to tear the tortillas into strips, making it easier to cut when it's time to serve up the enchiladas.

When you serve the enchiladas, put a small spoon of sour cream, olives and/or a slice of avocado on top.

This is a dish that my entire family enjoys.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Try These Old Fashion Vegetable Casseroles For Some Great Side Dishes

Side dishes are an important part of the meal even though the main course gets most of the attention. Here are some old-fashion recipes for some great vegetable casseroles to use as side dishes. Try these soon: Crumb Topped Baked Eggplant, Spinach Casserole, or Donna's Scalloped Carrots.

CRUMB TOPPED BAKED EGGPLANT This recipe is from an old church cookbook I found in my mother-in-law's things.

1 medium eggplant
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup cracker crumbs
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Cut and cook eggplant in salted water until tender. Drain eggplant and combine with the soup, onion, and milk. Put into a buttered baking dish and sprinkle the cracker crumbs and grated cheese over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 6.

SPINACH CASSEROLE This recipe was found in an old Midwestern cookbook.

3 boxes frozen chopped spinach1 cup sour cream1 pkg onion soup mix4 tbsp butter1/2 cup bread crumbs1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook and drain the spinach. Mix sour cream and onion soup mix. Toss with the spinach until well coated. Empty into a lightly greased casserole dish. Melt the butter and add the bread crumbs and cheese. Add to top of casserole. Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes or microwave 8 to 10 minutes on high.

DONNA'S SCALLOPED CARROTS This is another old recipe from the midwest.

1 sm onion (grated)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt (I recommend using less!)
1/4 tsp mustard
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp celery salt
2 cups milk
12 carrots, sliced and cooked
1/2 lb sharp process cheese, grated
3 cups buttered crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet saute the onion in the butter until onions are tender; add flour, seasonings, and milk. Cook until mixture is thick. In a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish (I recommend a light spraying with nonstick cooking spray), arrange a layer of carrots and a layer of cheese. Repeat layers until all the carrots and cheese are used, ending with cheese. Pour the hot sauce over all. Top with the buttered crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

*You can substitute 1/4 pound of American cheese for half the sharp cheese, if desired.

Enjoy!