Archive for the ‘Kitchenware’ Category
When people get married, they end up with a whole lot of kitchen gadgets. But I dare say that the bride will want to get her own personal frying pans, even if she got more than one as a gift. Your personal fry pan should be exact size, thickness, material, and feel. It should have a “just right” feel that will grow on her the longer she works with it. And it will give back with the best service ever.
But the family will grow and the fry pan will grow old. The bride who is now a mother will want to let it rest and maybe get a bigger one. When she decides to do this she will take the time to choose from different brands in the market. Again, it should be the right size (bigger than her old one), thickness, material, and feel.
Here’s a scintillating recipe for hash that can be cooked in a casserole dish; I’ve found a larger casserole dish tends to yield the best results. This recipe is great if you have leftover meat, even if it’s not the sausage used in this specific 
recipe.
Ingredients:
1 lb. pork sausage
1 chopped medium onion
1 chopped green pepper
2 grated carrots
3 cups diced potatoes
½ cup grated cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a skillet over medium heat, cook your sausage adding a little salt and pepper as you see fit. Next you’ll want to place all the ingredients into your casserole dish, with the potatoes layered on the bottom. Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes begin to soften. In the last few minutes, sprinkle grated cheese on top and cook until melted.
The importance of having the best kitchenware can’t be overstated. There is a saying that there is a tool for every task and that is especially true in the kitchen. People who have been cooking for years can attest, there is a right way of doing things and there is the other way.
When you have quality bakeware, you can be assured that the wrong chemicals are not getting into you food. Things with Teflon in them tend to get Teflon on the food. Teflon, fortunately, is not seen as a carcinogen and cancer causing agent. Get the cookware that best reflects what you would like your food to be.
Here is a Hot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches that you can sink your teeth into with out missing a minute of the big Game or the (commercials)
Ingredients
4 pieces, 6 ounces each, boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
Table spoon extra-virgin olive oil
Sauce for chicken:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup, 4 ounces, cayenne pepper sauce
Bib or leaf lettuce leaves
4 crusty rolls, split
2 cups sour cream
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 pound blue cheese, crumbled
Small red onion, thinly sliced
8 ribs celery, cut into sticks
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
Directions
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper, paprika and chili powder. Drizzle breast with a little extra virgin olive oil to coat. Pan grill chicken breasts 5 minutes on each side.
Heat a metal or oven safe glass bowl over low heat and melt butter in the bowl. Add hot sauce to the butter and combine. When the chicken breasts are done, remove from pan and add to the bowl and coat evenly with hot sauce mixture.
Place chicken breasts on bun bottoms and top with crisp lettuce. Combine sour cream, scallions and blue cheese and slather bun tops with blue cheese sour cream. Affix bun tops on sandwiches and serve with remaining sauce for dipping your veggies. Arrange Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches on dinner plates with red onion, celery and carrot sticks.
You might think every rolling pin is created equal, but this is actually not the case. There is a staggering variety of rolling pins in the cookware market, and each one is tailored to a slightly different task. One such variation on the standard rolling pin is the French rolling pin. The major difference between the French and standard version is that the French pin does not actually have handles. It merely tapers at both ends.
Frequent bakers often cite a preference for the French rolling pin, because it allows for more personal control. Bakers feel like they can manipulate the dough’s thickness better with this type of pin. Generally speaking, avoid crushing excessively hard items (such as nuts) with your French pin. You could damage the integrity of the surface, and this in turn can affect the ease of rolling out dough.
Caring for a French pin is the same as caring for any rolling pin. Merely wipe it down after each use, and don’t apply excessive water or soap. If it’s made of wood, never put the cooking tool in the dishwasher.
Here is a delicious recipe for a pumpkin pie inspired flan; a unique variation on the holiday favorite! In addition to the ingredients, you will need a saucepan, a blender and a flan pan. Ingredients:
1 cup pure cane sugar
1 can pumpkin pie filling (14 oz.)
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz.)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (5 oz.)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. allspice
6 eggs
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 F, and melt ½ cup of sugar (not all of it!) in the flan pan over medium heat. Continue to cook until it caramelizes, being careful not to burn it. Heat up a large saucepan with about an inch of water in the bottom, and move the flan pan into the saucepan. Combine the pumpkin pie filling, milks, eggs, remainder of the sugar, vanilla, and allspice in a blender, and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into the flan pan when done. Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean (often about an hour). When done, refrigerate for 3+ hours. Serve with whipped cream or fresh fruit!
This is my family’s favorite recipe for Pot Roast of Beef. This simple and flavorful recipe takes a little time, but it is well worth It! Great on a cold, Winter day. Prepare everything the night before, so that all you have to do in the morning, is take the crock-pot out turn it on and when you get home from long and cold day your dinner is ready.
Ingredients
3 pounds boneless beef rump roast, brisket or shoulder
1/2 cup water or beef broth
2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
2 large carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Put vegetables in bottom of stoneware.
Salt and pepper meat, then place in pot on top of vegetables.
Add liquid.
Cover and cook on LOW 10–12 hours (HIGH: 5–6 hours). Makes 12 to 14 servings.
What could be simpler than supping on a big, steaming bowl of soup in the middle of a cold winter day. A hearty soup — made with Squash and veggies, poultry, fish or dried beans — can be the main dish for your meal. Add some crackers or breadsticks on the side and perhaps fruit for dessert and you’re ready to eat!
Ingredients
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, cored, seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 pounds winter squash, such as West Indian pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 cups stock or water
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup grated Manchego cheese
Directions
Melt the butter in a large stockpot over moderate heat. Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato, garlic, jalapeno and salt and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add the squash and stock and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is falling apart and soup is thickened slightly. Puree soup with an immersion blender, or use a blender and return soup to a clean pan. Add the milk and heat gently. Stir in the cheese and adjust the seasonings.
Corn is one of the most versatile holiday foods ever. I routinely use it in a variety of tasty casseroles and stews. It also makes a perfect side dish to any meal. I don’t use canned corn though; for my family meals I only use fresh corn straight from the cob. You have to be careful though; I use this two step technique to protect my fingers when cutting fresh corn off the cob. Simple but very effective.
1) Hold the ear of corn so that one end rests on a cutting board.
2) Using a sharp knife, cut along the cob across the base of the kernels from the top end to the bottom end.
These all-American eats are easy to fix, inexpensive, popular with diners, and great with an almost limitless variety of seasonings and toppings.
Perfect Burger Tips
1) Be sure your ground meat is fresh. It should be bright pink without any unpleasant odor or dark spots.
2) Make use of kitchen gadgets such as a turner (i.e. spatula) or tongs when turning burgers to help retain their shape.
3) Avoid overmixing ground meat because it becomes tough with handling.
4) Grill ground beef burgers over high heat to sear the outsides and seal in their juices.
5) Since it’s the fat that gives burgers their natural juiciness and flavor, when using extra-lean meats, add moist ingredients for juiciness, extra seasonings for flavor, and grill them more slowly over medium heat.
6) Avoid pressing down on the burgers while they’re grilling; this squeezes out the juices and makes them dry and tough.
7) Never cook burgers to the point of dryness, but be certain they are fully cooked. The meat should show no signs of pinkness inside, the juices should run clear, and the temperature should register 160 F in the center.