What is a recipe??

Colin (my son) recently had a recipe for some blueberry/lemon cupcakes that he made with his friend Jill. He was without some ingredients and improvised the recipe. He used other ingredients that he thought would work well within the recipe...without going into detail..his version was fantastic....The point here is you can use recipes as a guide and make it great to your liking. Proportions in a recipe are helpful but you can create as you go along...think what would make a dish better or what you like when reading a recipe...This weekend I made 2 fun dishes...your variations on recipes can vary on your abilities in the kitchen and experience....I took a chix breast and rolled asparagus, proscutto, and gruyere cheese inside with a dijon/mustard sauce inside...took the same sauce and put it on top to hold panko bread crumbs sprinkled on top...baked it for 25 min at 400 degrees and put it ontop of egg noodles mixed with spinach with buttermilk bisquits on the side...easy stuff..sprinkled parsley on top....a real easy dish to do...looks great......Colin had a friend that is a vegetarian...so....made an alfredo dish the next night....here we go...some veggie pasta with an alfredo sauce....topped with grilled red and orange peppers-squash, zuchini, onions, cremini mushrooms, broccoli, and peas....topped it with grated parm cheese with kalamata olive bread....yummy!...Brings me to what I have been seeing and applying to my cooking lately...HEALTHY Recipes...I am going to add some whole grain recipes to my blog in the next  post...There are some great cookbooks and shows that are now "re-doing" some great recipes to be health conscious...Julia Child's...Mastering the art of french cooking is one of the greatest cook books I have read..Have you seen the movie "Julie and Julia"? Graham Kerr had a great show of French cooking and now has re-done that cookbook with healthy versions......whole wheats, bulgar, quinoa, etc. are the healthy choices now....lots of recipes (with your variations) are now on the kitchen front. Let's cook healthy!! Use healthy variations in your cooking...it will be great and no one will no the difference if you make it tasty..Paula Deens son is taking her recipes and making them healthy if you watch the cooking channel...I will post some whole grain/healthy recipes on my next blog...Let's talk diets......I am 6'2"..210 lbs...I am going to try the Ideal Protein diet that Sims work is now selling ( a guinia pig of sorts)...no carb/high protein....will let you know how that goes.....Think healthy!!! the best diet in the world is.....1)eat what you want 2)don't be stupid with #1 3) exercise on a regular basis!!!!  Love what you do...cooking or otherwise

Physics on Phood?

I got a book from some friends written by Alton Brown.He includes a lot of science in his recipes...I LOVE IT.. Have any of you  ever taken a physics class?? Food is Physics....whether it is boiling water or the molecular breakdown of proteins..never understanding this will probably never influence your cooking...whether you know it or not...but...understanding the physics can play a big part in your cooking experience...I have searched for  knowledge that I would love to share with you that will follow...I want to acknowledge some things I have gotten from this blog...thank you Jullian for your share of the emulsion process.....loved it!....tried a variation of it and it was a solid 10...PLEASE SHARE anything you may use to share with us.....Let's face it...we are all cooks in envy of the real CHEFS of this world...(yes, they deserve that praise)...and sharing our technique and methods helps us all to make great comfort food..I have made several dishes that I would like to share...my kids say are their favorites..but I will save those for my next post.....for now...I would like to give you a list of "fun facts" that I think will be either helpful or just fun....here they are:

*For cleaning smelly hands after chopping onions or garlic, just rub them on a stainless steel spoon. The steel is supposed to absorb the odor.

* Fresh coffee beans can also absorb nasty odors from your hands.

* If you happen to over-salt a pot of soup, just drop in a peeled potato. The potato will absorb the excess salt.

* When boiling eggs, add a pinch of salt to keep the shells from cracking.

* Never put citrus fruits or tomatoes in thefridge. The low temperatures degrade the aroma and flavor of these persnickety fruits.

* To clean cast iron cookwear, don’t use detergents. Just scrub them with salt and a clean, dry paper towel.

* If you are making gravy and accidentally burn it, just pour it into a clean pan and continue cooking it. Add sugar a little at a time, tasting as you go to avoid over-sugaring it. The sugar will cancel out the burned taste.

* Burned a pot of rice? Just place a piece of white bread on top of the rice for 5-10 minutes to draw out the burned flavor. Be careful not to scrape the burned pieces off of the bottom of the pan when serving the rice

* Before you chop chili peppers, rub a little vegetable oil into your hands and your skin won’t absorb the spicy chili oil.

* If you aren’t sure how fresh your eggs are, place them in about four inches of water. Eggs that stay on the bottom are fresh. If only one end tips up, the egg is less fresh and should be used soon. If it floats, it’s past the fresh stage.

* To banish ants from the kitchen, find out where they are coming in and cover the hole with petroleum jelly. Ants won’t trek through the jelly. If they are coming under a door, draw a line on the floor with chalk. The little bugs also won’t cross a line of chalk.

* Before making popcorn on the stove or in an air popper, soak the kernels in water for 10 minutes. Drain the water, then pop as normal. The additional moisture helps the popcorn pop up quicker and fluffier with fewer “old maids.”

* Don’t store your bananas in a bunch or in a fruit bowl with other fruits. Separate your bananas and place each in a different location. Bananas release gases which cause fruits (including other bananas) to ripen quickly. Separating them will keep them fresh longer.

* To keep potatoes from budding in the bag, put an apple in with them.

* If you manage to have some leftover wine at the end of the evening, freeze it in ice cube trays for easy addition to soups and sauces in the future.

* To clean crevices and corners in vases and pitchers, fill with water and drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets. The bubbles will do the scrubbing.

* After boiling pasta or potatoes, cool the water and use it to water your house plants. The water contains nutrients that your plants will love.

* When defrosting meat from the freezer, pour some vinegar over it. Not only does it tenderize the meat; it will also bring down the freezing temperature of the meat and cause it to thaw quicker...

* Baking soda is an extremely effective cleaner. Use it with vinegar to deodorize drains and clean stovetops and sinks..

* When you burn yourself in the kitchen, just spread mustard on the affected area. Leave it for a while and it will ease the pain and prevent blistering.

* For aluminum pans that are looking dull, just boil some apple peels in them. This will brighten up the aluminum and make your house smell yummy.

* If your salt is clumping up, put a few grains of rice in with it to absorb excess moisture.

* To clean fruit stains off of your fingers, rub them with a fresh, peeled potato. White vinegar can also do the trick.

* Keep iceberg lettuce fresh in the fridge by wrapping it in a clean, dry paper towel and storing lettuce and paper towel in a sealed baggie in the fridge.

* If your loaf of bread is starting to go stale, just put a piece of fresh celery in the bag and close it back up. For some reason, this restores a fresh taste and texture to the bread.

* When making a soup, sauce, or casserole that ends up too fatty or greasy, drop in an ice cube. The ice will attract the fat, which you can then scoop out.

* To reuse cooking oil without tasting whatever was cooked in the oil previously, cook a 1/4″ piece of ginger in the oil. It will remove any remaining flavors and odors.

* If your milk always goes bad before you can finish it, try adding a pinch of salt to the carton when you first open it. It will stay fresh days longer.

*Water that has been boiled and allowed to cool will freeze faster than water from the tap. This comes in handy when you’re having a party and need ice pronto.

*Remove tea or coffee stains from your fine china by mixing up a paste of baking soda, lemon juice, and cream of tartar. Rub it over the stains and they’ll come off easily..

*Drinking cranberry juice and eating blueberries regularly will help stave off urinary tract infections.

·  A dampened paper towel or terry cloth brushed downward on a cob of corn will remove every strand of corn silk.

·  A few drops of lemon juice added to simmering rice will keep the grains separate.

·  A jar lid or a couple of marbles in the bottom half of a double-boiler will rattle when the water gets low and warn you to add more before the pan scorches or burns.

·  A lump of butter or a few teaspoons of cooking oil added to water when boiling rice, noodles, macaroni, or spaghetti will prevent boiling over..

·  A roast with the bone in it will cook faster than a boneless roast - the bone carries the heat to the inside of the roast quicker.

·  A simple way to sharpen kitchen shears ... cut a piece of steel wool.

·  A slice of soft bread placed in the package of hardened brown sugar will soften it again in a couple of hours

·  Bread will stay fresh longer if a celery rib is stored with it in the package.
·  Brown gravy in a hurry with a bit of instant coffee straight from the jar ... no bitter taste, either.

·  Buy mushrooms before they "open." When the stems and caps are attached snugly, you know the mushrooms are truly fresh

·  Cheese won't harden if you butter the exposed edges before storing.

·  Chefs pound meat not to tenderize the meat, but to help even the meat so it cooks evenly

·  Cookies will spread if your dough is too pliable by allowing butter to get too soft. If your cookies are spreading too much, try refrigerating the dough for a couple of hours before baking

·  Cure for headaches ... take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

·  Don't just keep dental floss in your medicine cabinet. Keep some in the kitchen. It's a great tool. Unflavored dental floss is often better than a knife to cleanly cut all kinds of soft foods, soft cheese, rolled dough, layered cake and cheesecake.

·  Don't throw out all that leftover wine ... freeze it into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

·  Drain deep fried foods on brown paper grocery bags as opposed to paper towels to retain crispness.

·  Egg shells can be easily removed from hard-boiled eggs if they are boiled in salty water and quickly rinsed in cold water.

·  Egg whites should always be at room temperature before whipping. Be certain there is no yolk in the whites and that the bowl and beaters are perfectly clean. Cream, on the other hand, should be well-chilled. For the largest volume, chill the bowl and beaters before whipping.

·  For a juicier hamburger add cold water to the beef before grilling (1/2 cup to 1 pound of meat).

·  For fluffier, whiter rice, add one teaspoon of lemon juice per quart of water. To add extra flavor and nutrition to rice, cook it in liquid reserved from cooking vegetables.

·  For fresh flavor in orange juice add the juice of one lemon.

·  For fresh-tasting lemon or lime juice year-round, freeze lemons and limes whole; thaw in microwave before squeezing.

·  For the perfect boiled egg, cover eggs with cold water and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a full boil. Remove the pan from the heat and cover. Let the eggs sit for 8-9 minutes. Drain the water and place the eggs in ice water to cool and stop the cooking process.

·  Ice cubes will eliminate the fat from soup and stew. Just drop a few into the pot and stir; the fat will cling to the cubes; discard the cubes before they melt. Or, wrap ice cubes in paper towel or cheesecloth and skim over the top.

·  If a recipe calls for 1 cup sour cream, you may substitute 1 cup cottage cheese blended until smooth with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/3 cup buttermilk.

·  If lettuce starts turning a little brown (but not slimy) it may not be suitable for salads, but it is for sautéing. Sauteed salad greens like lettuce, radicchio, and endive make an unusual but tasty side dish. Sauté lettuces just as you would spinach. Cook them quickly in a little olive oil, minced garlic, and salt. They taste great, and you cant tell that the greens were once a little brown.

·  If you have a problem opening jars ... Try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a on-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

·  If your cake recipe calls for nuts, heat them first in the oven, then dust with flour before adding to the batter to keep them from settling to the bottom of the pan.

·  Instead of adding raw garlic to sauces, sauté the garlic first for a milder flavor.

·  Instead of the water your recipe calls for, try juices, bouillon, or water you've cooked vegetables in. Instead of milk, try buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream. It can add a whole new flavor and improve nutrition.

·  Instead of using a pastry blender, mix flour with butter by grating cold butter into it.

·  It's important to let a roast -- beef, pork (pardon the expression), lamb or poultry -- sit a little while before carving. That allows the juices to retreat back into the meat. If you carve a roast too soon, much of its goodness will spill out onto the carving board.

·  Keep popcorn fresh and encourage more kernels to pop by storing in the freezer.

·  Lemons stored in a sealed jar of water will produce twice the juice.

·  Let cookies cool completely before storing. Store different types of cookies in separate containers so they'll keep their original flavor and texture.

·  Let raw potatoes stand in cold water for at least half an hour before frying to improve the crispness of french-fried potatoes.

·  Lettuce keeps better if you store in refrigerator without washing first so that the leaves are dry. Wash the day you are going to use.
  Make your own celery flakes. Just cut and wash the leaves from the celery stalks; place them in the oven on low heat or in the hot sun until thoroughly dry. Crumble and store in an air-tight container.

·  Marinate chicken in buttermilk to tenderize (doesn't sound kosher to me).

·  Marinate red meats in wine to tenderize.

·  Marshmallows won't dry out when frozen.

·  Microwave a lemon for 15 seconds and double the juice you get before squeezing.

·  Microwave garlic cloves for 15 seconds and the skins slip right off.

·  Never heat pesto sauce ... the basil will turn black and taste bitter.
·  Noodles, spaghetti and other starches won't boil over if you rub the inside of the pot with vegetable oil.

·  Pancakes are lighter and fluffier when you substitute club soda for milk in the batter.

·  Place green fruits in a perforated plastic bag. The holes will allow air to circulate while retaining the ethylene gas that fruits produce during ripening.

·  Poke a hole in the middle of the hamburger patties while shaping them. The burgers will cook faster and the holes will disappear when done.
·  Put meat used for stir frying in freezer for 45 min. to 1 hr. to make slicing easier.

·  Rescue stale or soggy chips and crackers ... Preheat the oven to 300F. Spread the chips or crackers in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes. Allow to cool, then seal in a plastic bag or container.

·  Sausage patties rolled in flour before frying won't crack open during cooking.

·  Steak sauce with a kick ... De-glaze your frying pan (after searing your New York steaks) with brandy. Add two tablespoons of butter, a little white wine and a splash of Grand Marnier (that's an after-dinner cordial). Serve over steaks ... you'll never use steak sauce again

·  Sunlight doesn't ripen tomatoes, warmth does. Store tomatoes with stems pointed down and they will stay fresher, longer

·  Tenderize pot roast or stewing meat by using two cups of hot tea as a cooking liquid.

·  Thaw fish in milk for fresher flavor.

·  Thaw frozen meat and poultry in the refrigerator and not on the kitchen counter where bacteria can grow.

·  The best way to store fresh celery is to wrap it in aluminum foil and put it in the refrigerator ... it will keep for weeks

·  To determine if an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh; if it rises to the surface, throw it away.

·  To keep cauliflower white while cooking, add a little milk to the water.

·  To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

·  To keep salt from clogging in the shaker, add 1/2 teaspoon of uncooked rice.

·  To make lighter and fluffier mashed potatoes, add a pinch or two of baking powder to the potatoes before whipping.

·  To remove egg shells from a batter, use the remaining shell to attract the piece

·  To thaw foods more quickly, place frozen foods on a metal surface, like a metal tray or heavy frying pan. Metal conducts room temperature better than formica, wood, glass or tile

·  Too salty ... add cut raw potatoes to soups or vegetables and then discard once they have cooked and absorbed the salt. A teaspoon each of cider vinegar and sugar added to salty soup or vegetables will also remedy the salty situation

·  Two drops of yellow food coloring added to boiling noodles will make them look homemade.

·  Use a gentle touch when shaping ground beef patties. Overhandling will result in a firm, compact texture after cooking. Don't press or flatten with spatula during cooking.

·  Use margarine instead of butter to pan-fry or sauté. Butter burns quickly.

*  Use paper bags rather than plastic to store lettuce and celery in the crisper. They will stay fresh longer.

·  Vinegar brought to a boil in a new frying pan will prevent foods from sticking

·  When braising meat, cook it at a low temperature for a long time to keep the meat tender and have it retain all the juices.

·  When browning ground meat, brown several pounds and drain. Divide evenly in freezer containers and freeze. Unthaw in microwave for quick fixing next time.

· When mincing garlic, sprinkle on a little salt so the pieces won't stick to your knife or cutting board.

·  When picking a melon, smell it for freshness and ripeness. Check to see that the fruit is heavy in weight and that the spot on the end where it has been plucked from the vine is soft.

·  When scalding milk, first rinse the pan in cold water to prevent sticking.

·  When separating eggs, break them into a funnel. The whites will go through leaving the yolk intact in the funnel.

·  When slicing a hard boiled egg, try wetting the knife just before cutting. If that doesn't do the trick, try applying a bit of cooking spray to the edge.

·  When tossing a salad with a basic vinaigrette, always make the vinaigrette at least 1/2 hour ahead of time and let the mixture sit to allow the flavors to marry. Pour the vinaigrette down the side of the bowl, not directly on the greens, for a more evenly dressed salad.

·  When using all-purpose flour, keep in mind that one pound flour is the equivalent to 4 cups.

·When using dried beans and peas, keep in mind that 1 cup dry beans or peas makes 2 1/2 (that's two and a half) cups cooked.

·  When using fresh herbs such as dill, chives, parsley, etc., hold them together in small bunches and snip with kitchen scissors. It is a lot faster this way, and you'll find the herbs will be light and fluffy, not bruised and wet as they often get when chopped.

·  When using granulated sugar, keep in mind that one pound sugar is the equivalent to 2 cups.

·  When using rice, keep in mind that 1 cup of uncooked long-grain white rice makes 3 cups cooked.
·  When using spaghetti, keep in mind that 8 ounces of uncooked pasta makes 4 cups cooked.

·  When working with dough, don't flour your hands; coat them with olive oil to prevent sticking.

·  Whenever possible, warm your dinner plates slightly in the oven before serving so the meal stays a little bit hotter.

·  You can correct greasy gravy by adding a little baking soda to it.

**You need to love cooking and share what you do……RB

Hope you liked these....looking forward to you sharing...