Rice Pudding
July 25, 2009
INGREDIENTS
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 4 cups milk
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
* 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart baking dish.
2. Beat together the eggs and milk. Stir in white sugar, uncooked rice, butter, vanilla extract, raisins, and nutmeg. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours in the preheated oven. Stir frequently during the first hour.
the cooking blog
July 23, 2009
There are varietis of King crabs in red, golden and blue, with red tasting the sweetest and blue yielding more meat. Golden is usually smaller than the other two. Relish the meat of alaskan king crab legs by dipping it in a bowl of hot melted butter, interspersed with sips of white wine to complete the delight. Then relax with contentment for such a delightful meal. But do try to wipe off that satisfied grin on your face.
If you think that stuffed quahogs are exotic dish, you are way off the mark. Quahogs are just a type of clams with round shell. They can be stuffed with all sorts of vegetables, herbs and sauces and even with crabmeat and baked, steamed, sauteed. You can have them as appetizers or as side dish.
So you are just starting to get into seafood, not a problem. Even the professional and experienced seafood connoisseur’s will agree, there is literally no end to the variety of dishes that can be prepared when using seafood. One simple example of this is to take any dish that you have already prepared in the past and then just add a seafood item to it. If you had a dish of steamed broccoli with rice and then added some steamed mussels, your dish would instantly change into a high quality, exciting, and tasty seafood dish.
Regardless of where you live, fresh seafood can now be delivered to you overnight. Quality Fresh Seafood is a great source for live lobster, shrimp, shellfish or any fresh fish filets. Even though items like shrimp do not fair well once they are removed from the ocean, thanks to them being cooked right away and then flash frozen, you can still enjoy them. There really is no reason not to enjoy the large and tasty variety of seafood the ocean has to offer.
the cooking blog
July 23, 2009
Seafood varieties ranges from fish like tuna, salmon and sardine to the slightly unusual like the blackened catfish cooked with pineapple or vegetable and herbs. Refrigerated and fast supply chain ensures that supermarkets and online vendors are able to provide fresh fish and any of the seafood variety. Only concern for consumers is the level of mercury and other toxins found in fish. Therefore, fresh fish are to be purchased only from trusted sellers.
Diversity in fish species ensures that you can enjoy sauteed tilapia, pan-grilled wild salmon or bass and grilled grouper. Delicious, tasty, healthy, good for the heart and gourmet food are some of the words and phrases used to describe the delicacies and justifiably so.
Oysters, clams, crabs, lobsters, shrimps and scallops are only a small part of the seafood variety from which you can chose. Seared scallops, grilled shrimps or steam mussels will cause your mouth to water. With a doubt, however, the experience of eating Alaskan king crab legs beats it all. It is very simple to prepare; the leg meat can be purchased cooked and frozen. In order to experience it all you have to do is to thaw, rinse and steam heat the meat. Boiling and baking are also common methods of preparatio
the cooking blog
July 23, 2009
Taking care of the old ticker requires exercise and a decent diet. There’s simply no substitute for either. We’ll leave the aerobic concerns to more informed minds and stick to the stuff that goes in the gut, namely the heart healthy foods everyone needs to stay fit, and the heart healthy cooking techniques that keep them that way. There’s no substitute for either of those either.
Low saturated fat, low cholesterol dishes are what we’re after here, and hold the butter and other added fats. The unhappy fact is that certain ingredients and preparation methods can add unwanted saturated fat and cholesterol to your food.
One can bake without fear, broil to the heart’s content and microwave all day (just don’t stand too close). Poaching is cool and steaming is even better. Seafood, chicken and vegetables are all good candidates for grilling. Lightly stir-frying or sautéing foods in cooking spray, small mounts of vegetable oil or reduced sodium broth are other healthy options. When roasting even skinless meats it’s wise to place meats on a rack so fat can drip away.
the cooking blog
July 23, 2009
There are lots of ways to cut out unwanted saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet that don’t take the fun and flavor out of meal time. Butter is not your friend, what with its 8 grams of saturated fat and 11 grams of fat per tablespoon. Salsa is your good buddy though, with 0 grams of saturated fat and 0 cholesterol found in 1/4 of a cup. Creamy salad dressings are notoriously loaded with the bad stuff, while a reduced fat Italian sports only 2 grams of fat and tastes just as good.
There are many fine and tasty herbs, spices and condiments that can add zest to some of the more bland heart health dishes. Herbs include oregano, basil, cilantro, thyme, parsley, sage, rosemary. Cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper and paprika are all acceptable spices. Along with the reduced fat or nonfat salad dressing and salsa there are old standbys like mustard, catsup, horseradish, reduced fat or nonfat mayonnaise, reduced fat or nonfat sour cream, reduced fat or nonfat yogurt and reduced sodium soy sauce. That’s to say nothing of Parmesan cheese, fruit preserves and simple red pepper flakes, none of which will harm you heart.
And there you have it. With a little planning, a bit of knowledge and a smidge of extra effort anyone, can eat right for their heart without giving up a healthy enjoyment of food.
the cooking blog
July 23, 2009
Liquids
• A specific liquid called for in a recipe may be varied if an equal quantity is substituted (such as substituting a 10 1/2 ounce can of soup plus 4 ounces of water for a 14 1/2 ounce can of tomatoes OR 1/2 cup beef or chicken broth for 1/2 cup of wine, etc).
• Roasts can be cooked without water when set on LOW. We recommend a small amount, however, because the gravies are especially tasty. The more fat or “marbling” the meat has, the less liquid you need. The liquid is needed to properly soften and cook vegetables.
Vegetables
Most vegetables should be thinly sliced or placed near the sides or bottom of the stoneware. Meats generally cook faster than most vegetables in a crock pot.
Cooking with Frozen Foods You can cook frozen meats in your crock pot, however it is best to use the following guidelines:
• Add at least 1 cup of warm liquid to the stoneware before placing meat in the stoneware.
• Do not preheat the crock pot.
• Cook recipes containing frozen meats for an additional 4 to 6 hours on Low, or an additional 2 hours on High.
the cooking blog
July 23, 2009
Beans
Beans must be softened completely before combining with sugar and/or acid foods (NOTE: Sugar and acid have a hardening effect on beans and will prevent softening). Dried beans, especially red kidney beans, should be boiled before adding to a recipe. Cover the beans with 3 times their volume of unsalted water and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes, reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender. Soaking in water, if desired, should be completed before boiling. Discard water after soaking or boiling.
Meats
• Due to the nature of a crock pot, meat does not brown as it would if it were cooked in a skillet or oven. It is not necessary to brown meat before slow cooking, however, if you prefer the flavor and look of browned meat, brown your meat in a skillet with a little oil, then place the meat in the stoneware and follow the recipe as usual.
• Trim fats and wipe meats well to remove residue. (If meats contain fats, brown in a separate skillet or broiler and drain well before adding to cooker). Season with salt and pepper. Place meat in stoneware on top of vegetables.
• For roasts and stews, pour liquid over meat. Use no more liquid than specified in the recipe. More juices in meats and vegetables are retained in slow cooking than in conventional cooking.
The Cooking Blog
July 23, 2009
Do you remember coming home from school and smelling a delicious dinner stewing in the crock pot? I do. Little did I know that delicious meal only took, at the most, 15 minutes to prepare. My mom was busy with school and work, so she did not have a lot of time to prepare meals. Lucky for me, we had a crock pot. She would do all of the grocery shopping on the weekend and we would use the crock pot two or three times a week. The main ingredients were chicken and some type of bean. Some of my favorite meals included baby back ribs, ham hocks and beans and roast beef.
Before you begin, there are a few guidelines that you should follow when using a crock pot. Whether you are cooking for a big group or a nice dinner, these tips will enhance your slow cooking experience.
Crock Pot Hints and Tips
The cooking Blog
July 23, 2009
If you can add potatoes and vegetables to the roast while it cooks you have almost all of the advantages of make-ahead. Once you pop them in the oven beside the roast you can pretty well ignore them until they are cooked.
So I tend to focus on finding appetizers, salads, side dishes and desserts that I can make ahead, or set out straight from the store, or vegetables I can cook alongside a roast. Then I can concentrate on the last minute items like slicing a roast, making gravy, and getting things on the table.
Probably the most important category for me is appetizers. I find it too stressful to be fussing at cooking something while the doorbell is ringing. If you are hosting by yourself you may find the same.
So I try to have a repertoire of make-ahead or buy-ahead appetizer recipes that work for me. Often I serve more than one, since some of my guests like to stick to very light appetizers, and others enjoy heartier ones.
You can build your repertoire of make ahead recipes for your home dinner parties. I suggest you start with appetizers. If you want to see some of my favorites, just go to my Make-Ahead Appetizers page on my website.
Enjoy minimizing your hosting stress and watching your guests’ eyes light up at the sight of your tasty, well presented appetizers.
The Cooking Blog
July 23, 2009
One of the “tricks” I find most useful for hosting stress-free dinner parties is to make some of the recipes ahead. I find that too many last minute jobs can overwhelm me, so I plan ahead to eliminate as many as possible.
The more dishes you can prepare a day or some hours before guests ring your doorbell, the more you reduce your stress. Here are some reasons:
• You avoid a last minute crisis if preparation takes longer than you thought it would.
• If you like to cook, you’ll have the leisure to enjoy what you’re doing instead of feeling frantic about a deadline
• You have time to clean up after you cook.
• If there is a disaster, say you burn something, you have plenty of time to come up with an alternate plan.
• If you have prepared the dessert ahead, you don’t need to leave the table for a long stretch just when the conversation is getting really interesting.
Put your imagination to work for you! Try to imagine your way through the last minute jobs you will have to get dinner on the table, and reduce them to a minimum you feel comfortable with. It helps to think about what all those last minute jobs are: setting out the ice water pitcher, lighting the candles, putting items in serving dishes and getting the guests to the table.
