Tag: Kitchen

Homemaking – What Are the Vegetables and Fruit in Season in May?

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What are the vegetables and fruits in season in May? You may be surprised to learn that strawberries and asparagus are both in season in this month! However, there’s even more to the month than just strawberries! You can also enjoy asparagus, artichokes, and cherries, all of which are bursting with flavor. Keep reading to find out more about the best produce of May! It’s easy to get confused about what is in season, so keep reading to discover the perfect time to buy each item.

apricots

Fresh apricots are at their peak in May and continue to be in season until August. You can find them in many forms: dried, canned, jam, syrup, liquor, and much more. They are a delicious single serving snack and a great addition to salads. They also pair well with savory dishes such as a savory pilaf. For best results, pick apricots at their peak, and store them in the refrigerator.

Apricots are not only delicious but also nutritious. They contain powerful plant compounds called carotenoids, polyphenols, and vitamins. These compounds may help prevent age-related eye diseases. The deeper the color of an apricot, the more carotenoid content it contains. They can also improve the look of your eyes. So, you’ll want to enjoy apricots when they are in season.

While most fruits are available all year round thanks to imports, choosing in-season fruit is not only the best way to get the best flavor, but also support local growers. It’s also good for the environment, as buying local fruit and vegetables supports local businesses. Apricots are also a great addition to dishes during spring. Try preparing a colorful dish featuring the fruit while it’s in season.

artichokes

There are many health benefits of eating artichokes. They are incredibly nutritious and a serving of roasted or boiled artichokes contains about 60 calories. A medium-sized artichoke has plenty of magnesium, potassium, folate, vitamin C, iron, and powerful antioxidants. They are also beneficial for the liver and digestive system. Artichokes are available throughout the year, but their season is generally from late spring to early fall.

When using fresh artichokes in recipes, keep in mind that the baby ones are much more tender than the full-grown variety. Cut off the tough tips and the base; remove the choke and pale middle leaves. Sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning, and cook in salted water for 35 to 45 minutes. Once cooked, they should be easy to pull out a leaf. You can also use cooked artichokes in salads or as part of a side dish.

While artichokes are considered a mystery vegetable, they are actually a fantastic source of antioxidants and fiber. They contain 10.3 grams of fiber, mostly insoluble, which means they don’t absorb water but bulk the stool. This fiber acts as a scrub brush for the intestines. To get the most out of artichokes, make sure they are hand-picked from the stalks. Be sure to wash them before storing them. You can’t use their seeds since they don’t breed true.

asparagus

Asparagus are in season in May. While the vegetable will not be as sweet as broccoli, it can still be enjoyed in a variety of ways. For starters, they’re very easy to digest. You can make them into a tasty side dish or steam them whole. If you’re buying bundles at the grocery store, make sure to check the interior of the spears for any mushiness. If it looks beautiful on the outside, it probably is.

Asparagus comes in two basic varieties, the female and the male. Female plants produce seeds and crowd the garden beds. Male asparagus has larger stalks. Some new cultivars have only male plants, making them more cost-efficient. The stalks can be sliced or roasted for a flavorful side dish. Cooking asparagus is relatively quick and easy. Asparagus is available in a variety of colors and sizes. Depending on the size, each type has a slightly different taste and texture.

cherries

Cherry season begins in the eastern United States in October and extends through late February. The peak season for peaches is July and August. In May, cherries are available in supermarkets and fruit stands. Because of their short season, they are very expensive, even though they are available all year round. Many birds eat the crop before it is ripe, so they are expensive when they’re on store shelves. Here are some tips to keep in mind while buying cherries.

Cherries are low in calories but packed with nutrients. They contain vitamins C, A, and K, as well as potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Rainier cherries are especially high in potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Because they are so limited, people often pay a premium price for them. They’re in season for only two or three weeks, so the sooner you buy them, the better. While cherries are not in season throughout the year, they’re still worth a try when they’re in season.

lettuce

There are many benefits to eating seasonally. Not only is it more cost effective, but produce grown in season is also in high supply and available at a lower price. You can also support your local farmers, keeping money in the community and stimulating the economy. And don’t forget the environment! Eating locally is the smartest way to eat healthy. Here are some tips to help you make the best of your seasonal fruits and vegetables:

Choose colorful produce. Summer is the season for vibrant vegetables and fruits like cucumbers, bell peppers, and cucumbers. Summer squash, grilled corn, and zucchini are all in season at this time of year. Also, pick up some fruits, such as apples, pears, and mangos, which are in season in June. These fresh fruits and vegetables add a colorful touch to your plates and give you more ways to experiment with your recipes.

radishes

Radishes are edible greens from the roots of Raphanus sativus, which is related to mustard, turnip, and horseradish. They are available in many varieties, and contain significant amounts of vitamin C. They are part of the cruciferous vegetable family, which includes broccoli and cabbage. To get the most out of your radish purchases, make sure to purchase a variety that is in season in May.

They are fast-growing and need moist soil to grow. Nitrogen-rich manure and fertilizer are also beneficial in the growing process, and radish needs a rich and moist environment to grow. It can also be planted with other crops, such as the tomato family, to break the soil crust. You can harvest them after other summer crops, and save the best for fall! In addition to eating radish right now, you can also grow a variety of other plants and vegetables during this time, including peppers and potatoes.

You can eat radishes raw, as well as cook them. You can simmer them in a pot of broth or braise them with other spring vegetables. You can also pickle them and add them to salads and other dishes. You can also buy stinging nettles at select stands. In addition to the red skin, radishes are also available in green form. These are not as common as their white counterparts, but they can be eaten raw or cooked, and are a great addition to salads.

rhubarb

Rhubarb is an excellent source of vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. It is classified as both a fruit and a vegetable for tariff purposes, though its classification as a fruit has changed over time. It is particularly good for balancing desserts and adding a sour flavor to meat dishes. Its tartness can be balanced by adding sugar or honey, or by combining it with a sweet fruit such as strawberries.

Depending on where you live, spring produce is abundant. In warm climates, spring fruits and berries are abundant in May. Vegetables in the spring season are also plentiful and include asparagus, peas, and rhubarb. Rhubarb pairs well with other fruits and vegetables, and is a great addition to spring recipes. Grilling is also in full swing in May, so make sure to try a variety of spring vegetables and fruits!

zucchini

To grow in-season zucchini, look for a few key characteristics. Male zucchini have a thin, straight stem behind their flowers. The anther is located within, and should be loaded with yellow pollen. Female zucchini flowers appear two to three weeks after the males. Those who grow these plants are rewarded with the most tender and delicious fruit of all. Here are some other helpful tips to help you plant zucchini. Read on to learn how to grow zucchini in May.

First, choose an area where the zucchini plants will get a steady supply of water. Since these plants are shallow rooted, you’ll need to water them regularly – about an inch or two a week. Make sure you’re not disturbing the roots during transplant establishment or germination. Ensure there’s a steady moisture supply during these early stages of growth, or they will suffer from water stress. If possible, mulch the garden bed with garden compost, which will help retain moisture and keep weeds at bay.

How to Shop for Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables

Cooking – Basics Kitchen Skills Every Cook Should Know

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A professional chef needs to have many skills to keep customers happy, including knife skills, the ability to work long hours, and time management. These skills will help you succeed in your cooking career. You can start practicing them right now! Here are 25 skills every cook should know: (1) Handling knives correctly, (2) Preparing food without overcooking, and (3) Properly storing and preparing food. These are important qualities to have when working as a professional chef.

Beat eggs: Beating eggs is the basic starting point of many recipes. While it takes some practice, this skill can save you a lot of time. A good toaster will make this process quick and easy. In addition, an egg beater can make your job a whole lot easier. Once you have the right tools, you can even use a toaster to help you beat the eggs. Using an electric mixer or toaster will make your life easier.

Browning ground beef: Another basic skill, browning ground beef will save you a lot of time. You can brown 10 pounds of ground meat at once and freeze portions to use throughout the week. This will save you time and effort later. You should always stir the meat while cooking it and ensure that there are no pink streaks on the surface. If you are having trouble mixing ingredients, you can use an electric mixer. These kitchen appliances can speed up the process and increase the quality of your meals.

Learning to measure flour accurately is essential. Whether you are preparing a cake or preparing a meal for a family, you need to measure accurately and consistently. By making these small changes, you’ll be on your way to becoming a better cook. It will also improve your life in many ways. And once you master these skills, you will feel confident in the kitchen and be able to whip up a delicious meal for your family.

One of the most basic skills to learn is to brown meat. This is the most basic of all cooking skills. It is cheap, versatile, and saves you a lot of time. You can brown 10 pounds of ground beef at a time and freeze the portions for future use. You can save tons of money by frying or baking in large batches. The first step in this process is browning the meat. Once the meat is browned, you can cook it using a toaster.

You should also be able to level off flour. This is the method of leveling off flour when measuring dry ingredients. The correct way to level off flour is to fill the measuring cup a little loosely and then scrape it flat with a knife. The right amount of flour is essential when baking. In addition to baking, you should also know how to measure milk and sugar. These are some of the skills every cook should master.

Creativity is another of the most important skills in a kitchen. Cooks can experiment with food to impress their customers, and this is a crucial skill for chefs. With this kind of creativity, they can develop new recipes and experiments that will wow their guests. In other words, they can be creative and try out new things in the kitchen. Having this skill will also help you get a job in the restaurant industry.

Aside from baking, you should also know how to beat eggs. You can use the results to make a delicious meal. By beating eggs, you can easily prepare a delicious breakfast or lunch. You can even use them for your kids’ school meals. If you’re not a fan of eggs, you can always try to make a recipe with eggs. This is a very helpful skill for any cook. If you’re going to bake, you should learn how to measure dry ingredients precisely.

Aside from baking, another skill that every cook should know is how to beat an egg. This is essential because eggs are the base of most recipes. Be sure to practice this skill to improve the consistency of your meals. If you can’t do this, you might want to learn the skills that will make your meals more tasty. You can also use this skill to cook various types of bread. This will make baking easier for you and will make your life better.

COOKING BASICS | The FIRST thing you need to learn

Top 5 Ways to Preserve and Store Your Garden Harvest

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There is always a special feeling attached to planting in a garden, seeing it grow, harvesting, preserving, storing, and then enjoying the fruits of your hard work. The periods where you have more great yields from your garden harvest are indeed a blessing, but for you to enjoy your garden produce all year round you need to learn to preserve them. Food Preservation and storage is fast becoming somewhat of a lost art, and it is quite embarrassing. Our great-grandmothers and grandmas all witnessed the basic economic movements and placed real value in learning and teaching food preservation to their daughters to take similar actions.

Some may be of the view that such skills are not as significant in this modern era, but I believe self-sufficiency is at all times very important. What necessary actions you take when you see an excellent deal at farmers’ marketplace or the grocery store? What is your response like when you get offers for agreement on a bushel of the harvest that always gets your attention in one way or another? What steps do you take when you get a bountiful harvest of green beans, berries, and others? There is only so much of anyone food you can eat before you start losing your appetite or it begins to go wrong. If you know much about preserving your garden harvest, you can apply it and use your preserved produce all year round. Learning to protect and store your garden harvest is a practical skill we all need to utilize.

Freeze your Harvest

An excellent place to begin preserving and storing your garden harvest is by freezing it. Freezing is a unique way of storing fruits such as berries and peaches that have a short lifespan especially once they are ripe. It is quite comfortable and straightforward, and anybody can do it. All you need do is cook your harvest into some preferred freezer-friendly meals, or wash and blanch them before preserving them by freezing. Blanching veggies are essential for the reason that it stops enzymatic action (preserving color, flavor, texture) and eliminates bacteria.

The only real drawback of freezing is that you have a limited amount of space in your freezer. You can also develop the habit of placing labels (with dates) on frozen food as well. By taking this step, you would know the content before pulling it out to defrost and how long you preserved it in there. The following fruits freeze particularly well:

  • Blanched apples and beans (including runner and French)
  • Blueberries
  • Cranberries
  • Gooseberries
  • Peas
  • Rhubarb
  • Raspberries

Can your Harvest

Canning is amongst the most useful ways to preserving food. Most of us still have memories of our grannies canning fruits and vegetables. It is almost a lost skill that needs reviving. There are two known canning approaches:

  • Pressure Canning. And
  • Water Bath Canning.

The water bath canning is safer for most produce like fruits and jams. Nevertheless, if you wish to can meat or low-acidic veggies like green beans, you will be required to make use of pressure canning to make sure the preserving is safe. If you live in areas with considerable altitude, you also are expected to pressure can.

Everything you make can be canned, from chili and green beans to peas and pie filling too. Canning is feasibly most splendid due to its zero-space requirement in your freezer or fridge. You can also store canned foods in your basement, pantry, root cellar, or on kitchen shelves. Heck, you can preserve canned foods underneath the spare bed if you do not have enough space! Properly canned food lasts a lot more than any other means of preservation or storage.  Canning offers a great way to preserve your garden harvest and feeding your home.

If you have not done the canning process before, it is best you learn from trusted guidelines available. One of the things to bear in mind with the canning process is that higher levels of heat can affect the nutritious content of your canned food. So, it is worth discovering other food preservation and storing types.

Dehydrate your Harvest

If you lack enough space for storage, you can also consider dehydrating your food. You even can begin by making use of your oven pre-configured to its minimum level. Try drying some slices of apple, cereal, or any other food type you use in baking all through the year. You can make further exploration and make fun of finger food like fruit leather, kale chips, and even dried vegetables that you can use in making soup.

Pickle  your Harvest

Another old-fashioned favorite, this method preserves and stores food by pickling it. When you hear somebody say “pickling” veggies, it at most times often implies they are keeping the vegetables in vinegar. Due to vinegar’s acetic acid constituent (should be no less than 5%), several sources say that produce conserved in it do not require to be chilled. Pickling involves dipping them in salt water made from salt, sugar, water, and other pickling spices. You also can make use of fresh leaves by inserting them in vinegar, then letting them stay close to 2 months in the dark. At this stage, you can strain them out and leave a pleasing flavored vinegar which you can use in dressings and other things.

The most frequently pickled item is obviously pickling, and it is an exceptional place to begin. But do not stop there. You can also pickle cabbage, carrots, okra, peppers, and a wider variety of other fruits and vegetables. Play with it and discover more choices you might like. Pickled plants make an excellent addition to snacks and salads all through the year. Once you begin pickling, you might just resolve to try fermentation on a bigger scale. It is a slippery slope, and you have been cautious.

Cold Store your Harvest

Another excellent method is the least Cold Store. It is the most straightforward means of preserving and storing food. Fruits like apples, cabbages, and root vegetables can be stored well in a cold, dark, and dry place. This storing option is the reason most houses have root cellars. Nowadays, your pantry might also be an excellent location for storing and preserving this type of product. If you are lucky to own a basement, you could smartly arrange some shelves around to keep loads of food for the coming months.

CONCLUSION

Learning a preservation and storage process for your garden harvest is vital to enjoying your hard work. Preservation and storage process for food during the harvest months are created to make your produce last long into the winter periods. Although some means might best be suited for some garden produce, you would always find a method to meet your demands. They are lots of information online relating to how to safely and adequately preserve and store your harvest. You can learn and apply such steps towards self-support and economic freedom. Learning new ways is always fun, and I can assure you would enjoy the processes involved in each of the techniques mentioned above. Yes, practice makes perfect, so whenever it is time to enjoy your garden harvest, always remember to set some aside and apply these storage techniques.

Recipe – Buttery Baked Carrots

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I found this recipe in one of my old cookbooks from the 1940s and it makes a quick and easy side when the weather is cool in the fall and winter. Especially, when you need to put a side dish on the table for a holiday celebration like Thanksgiving or Christmas. This can be a really easy side dish to make, if you take advantage of the shortcut method and replace the grating stage with matchstick carrots which simplifies the process and saves time.

Buttery Baked Carrots Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. Fresh Carrots
  • ½ cup Maple Blended Syrup
  • ½ cup Butter or Margarine, Melted
  • ½ tsp. Salt (Optional)
  • ½ Pepper (Optional)
  • ½ tsp. Cinnamon (Optional)

Buttery Baked Carrots Recipe Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Wash, peel and coarsely grate 2 lbs. fresh carrots, to measure 8 cups.
  • Place grated carrots in a 2 1/2- to 3 qt. Casserole pa
  • Add maple syrup
  • Add melted butter or margarine
  • Add salt, pepper, and cinnamon.
  • Toss gently until thoroughly coated
  • Place in oven to bake, covered
  • Use a pair of tongs to stir after about 15 minutes.
  • Return to oven for final 15 minutes, until carrots are tender
  • Stir before serving.

Buttery Baked Carrots Servings

  • Serves 6 to 8.

Buttery Baked Carrots Notes

  • Turnips, rutabaga or parsnips provide ideal alternates to the carrots in this delicious recipe
  • As a shortcut, the grated carrots can be replaced with matchstick carrots, which is a serious time saver.

Cooking – What is a Panna Cotta?

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The answer to what is a Panna cotta is simple: it is a sweetened cream that has been molded into a mold. It may be flavored with coffee, vanilla, or other flavors. A Panna cotta is best served cold. However, you can make it more festive by aromatizing it with flavors like chocolate or vanilla. A heavenly treat for any occasion, a Panna cotta is the perfect way to end your meal.

The first step in making a panna cotta is to combine milk, sugar, and gelatin. Heat the cream until it boils, and then add the vanilla extract. Stir until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Divide the mixture into 8 individual containers. Place the chia seeds in each, and pour the warm milk mixture over them. Repeat this process until the batter has filled all the molds.

The second step in making a panna cotta is to make the strawberry jam or the strawberry reduction. The amount of gelatin varies, so it is important to check the recipe before making it. Too much gelatin can result in a hard panna cotta, so make sure the mixture is right. If you’re vegan, you can substitute vegetable oil for the gelatin or use a sprinkling of vegan vanilla powder.

If you’re making a panna cotta, choose fresh fruit. This will ensure a mellow texture, as fresh fruit contains enzymes that break down the gelatin. If you’re using canned fruit, you can expect that the gelatin has already been heated. But, don’t worry, this recipe is still delicious! If you want to impress your guests, try it out!

Another key to making a panna cotta is knowing how long to leave it on the pan until it reaches its firm set point. Once a panna cotta is finished, it needs time to set. After all, gelatin molecules need to reorganize into a network. The first two hours after cooking, the texture of the Panna cotta is very different from what it will look like after it’s cooled.

While making a panna cotta, it’s important to remember that a panna cotta recipe contains sugar to give it the proper consistency. This affects the firmness of the Panna cotta, so reducing the amount of sugar may make it less firm. A simple way to change the texture and flavor of a Panna cotta is to substitute a sugar syrup for the sugar.

The most common method for preparing panna cotta is to prepare the ingredients before the cooking process begins. The three main ingredients are cream, sugar, and gelatin. You can add flavors to your Panna cotta with different types of milk or fruit purees. This is the most basic type of panna cotta, but it can be made with many different ingredients, including vanilla, chocolate, and even fruits.

Once you’ve prepared your panna cotta, make sure it’s chilled before serving. Then, serve it chilled and garnish with a few slices of ripe, red fruits and whipped cream. The layered dessert is the best way to make the best panna cotta! Once you’ve prepared your Panna, prepare the toppings. The final step is incorporating the flavors.

To make the perfect panna cotta, you should mix the ingredients well. The gelatin and sugar must be fresh, and the cream must be high quality. The cream should be whipped until it’s soft and pliable, and the gelatin should be free of lumps. The gelatin should be dissolved completely in the water and allow the mixture to cool. Remove it from the fridge and serve it cold when it’s ready.

To make a classic panna cotta, start by mixing the cream, milk, and gelatin in a saucepan. Then, add the sugar. To dissolve the gelatin, you should whisk well but leave a little lumpy texture. You can divide the mixture among four greased ramekins and serve. Simply sprinkle with fruit and garnish with berries and other delicious treats to serve.

Panna Cotta Vs Flan Or Custard

If you have ever had a flan or panna cotta before, you know they have the same basic structure. However, the ingredients are slightly different, and the two desserts require slightly different preparation methods. This article will explain the differences between the two types of custard to choose the best one for your next special occasion. You can use this information to choose which one is right for you.

The difference between panna cotta and custard can be quite subtle. The two desserts are similar and have very different textures. However, there are some key differences between them. This article will examine these differences to help you make the best choice for your special event. Once you have figured out the differences between the two, you’ll be able to choose which one is right for you.

The basic difference between flan and panna cotta is that flan is usually made with eggs to give it its thick, jiggly texture. A custard is a milk and cream, while a pudding has eggs and cornstarch. While flan has a more traditional taste, panna cotta is lighter and versatile.

Panna cotta is similar to flan, but it is more popular in Italy. It is made by placing gelatin in the mixture to thicken it. While flan is traditionally baked, Panna cotta must be served upside down. Despite the similarities, the differences are minor and easily overlooked. It’s important to know the difference between these desserts to make the right choice for your special occasion.

Panna cotta is the same as flan, but it is lighter. It uses gelatin for its consistency and is not considered a custard because it isn’t thickened with eggs. In contrast, a flan is thickened with gelatin and water. Therefore, a panna cotta is more like a pudding than a custard.

A custard is a rich, thick pudding made with gelatin. Its simple ingredients include gelatin and sugar. The difference between a flan and a panna cotta lies in how they are served. The former is served warm, while the latter is served cold. The former is typically served cold, and it is best to use unflavored gelatin.

A panna cotta is a basic custard made from milk and gelatin. Its light flavor is characterized by a combination of sweet cream and fruit. Unlike custard, panna cotta is made from dairy, not eggs. It is thicker than flan, using gelatin to thicken the mixture.

Panna cotta is a custard dessert. The layered custard is made from sweet cream. Its soft caramel top is what sets the two desserts apart. Creme brulee has a hard, caramel layer. The contrasting textures give a delicious dessert a distinct personality. The two types are similar in texture and flavor.

While flan is custard, it has little gelatin in it. Its main ingredient is gelatin. Its texture is very similar to that of a flan. Its ingredients are both made of dairy, but they differ in their methods and preparation. In general, a panna cotta is thicker than flan, but custard is a pudding, which uses gelatin to thicken it.

While flan is more commonly made from egg yolks and cream, it is more commonly called custard. While flan is made from egg yolks and cream, it contains eggs and gelatin. It is the most popular custard type, but it is also the most popular. It is a favorite of many Americans, especially in the south.

The Beauty And Simplicty Of A Panna Cotta

The Panna Cotta is an elegant super simple dessert to prepare, made with flavored milk and set with gelatin.

A variety of cream and milk types can be used to create a Panna Cotta which may include whole milk, skim milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk, or even in some cases a combination of milk and yogurt or cheese, such as, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, or cottage cheese.

Traditionally, the flavored Panna Cotta serves as a base and is decorated in flavored with additional toppings, sauces, fruits, and berries.

Most frequently seen in restaurant settings, Panna Cotta’s are a very simple and fashionable dish to serve at home and every cook should learn to make it.

How to Make Panna Cotta 

Cooking – Shortcut Corn Chowder

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The shortcut corn chowder is an easy soup for any weeknight. The basic soup only has three ingredients, which can be easily embellished according to your taste.

  • The shortcut corn chowder is an easy soup for any weeknight. The basic soup only has three ingredients, which can be easily embellished according to your taste. The basic ingredients are:
    • One can of condensed Cream of potato soup
    • One can cream of corn
    • Two cans equivalence of milk for one can equivalent of milk and one can equivalent of vegetable or chicken broth

      Combine and stir well in a saucepan. Then, heat on medium-low temperature, stirring occasionally, until the pot a thoroughly warm and just starting to simmer. At that point, it’s ready to serve.

      If you want to embellish the recipe a little bit here are some ideas:

    • Add some chopped fresh green onion or chives to that color
    • Some folks, like that a little bit of black pepper
    • Bacon bits or, even, a little butter

What is Fruit Butter?

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Apple and Rhubarb Fruit Butter

Fruit Butter is a preserve, much the same as Jams and Jellies, which once cooked to a paste has a dense, smooth, and creamy consistency and an excellent accompaniment for toast, scones, and bread.  However, fruit butter is much lower in sugar and sweeteners.  Fruit butter is an old concept, which has been in use, at least, since the 1700’s.

Recipe – Classic Cherry Pie

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Classic cherry pie is one of the much-loved summertime pies. You don’t need special ingredients, and the pie is deliciously satisfying with fresh filling and the flakiest lattice crust. Follow this classic cherry pie recipe and see how easy it is to make a tasty pie.

Basic Recipe Information

  • Approximate prep time: 25 minutes
  • Approximate cooking time: 1 hour
  • Servings: 6-8 Pieces

Required equipment

  • Oven
  • 9-inch pie pan
  • Mixing bowl
  • Large saucepan
  • Rolling pin
  • Whisk
  • Sharp knife
  • Measuring spoons and cups

Ingredients

Before we list the ingredients, let’s briefly talk about the cherries. The amount of sugar and lemon juice in the classic cherry pie recipe will differ depending on the type of cherries you use ( sweet or tart berries). You can use pitted fresh or frozen cherries, but the latter should be well thawed and drained.

For 2 1/2 lbs of sweet cherries (5 cups), you will need 3/4 cup (150g) of granulated sugar. When it comes to sour cherries, you increase the sugar to 1 cup (200g).

With sweet cherries, you will need 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. If it is the tart cherries, you will use 1 1/2 teaspoons.

Other classic cherry pie ingredients include:

  • 3 tablespoons (22.5 g) cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon (13g) vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon coarse sugar, to sprinkle
  • 2 pie crusts (if box frozen, thaw)
  • Milk for brushing crust

Preparation Directions

Step 1: Prepare the cherry filling.

Put 3 cups of the cherries in a large saucepan. Add in sugar, corn starch, salt, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk thoroughly. Cook while stirring the cherry filling over medium heat for approximately 6 to 8 minutes, or until it starts to thicken. Take the saucepan from the heat and transfer the filling to a mixing bowl. In the bowl, add the remaining cherries and stir to combine. Let the mixture cool.

Step 2: Transfer one pie crust to the pan.

Roll the crust on a floured surface as the cherry filling cools to make it a 13-inch diameter circle. Unroll it and gently place it over the 9-ich pie pan. Using a sharp knife, trim the edges so that the crust fits well in the pan.

Step 3: Prepare for baking.

Preheat the oven to 3750F. Line up a rimmed baking sheet with bakery paper for even baking and adjust the rack to the lower third.

Step 4: Pour in the cherry filling.

Transfer the filling into the pie crust on the pan. Makes sure to spread the mixture evenly, and then place dots of butter on top.

Step 5: Prepare the second pie crust.

Unroll and cut the crust into 3/4 to 1-inch strips with a sharp knife. Organize the pieces to form a lattice pattern on top of the pie. Merge the edges with the base pie crust. Then, make a few slits in the middle of the top crust. Well, this will allow steam to escape when baking the classic cherry pie.

Step 6: Sprinkle coarse sugar.

Brush the top of the pie crust with a small amount of milk before sprinkling the sugar.

Step 7: Bake.

Place your cherry pie on the baking sheet. Place on the center shelf and Bake at 3750F until you see the crust turn golden brown. You will also see bubbles through the slits. Baking your classic cherry pie should take 40 minutes to 1 hour.

Once cooked, remove the pie from the oven and wait for at least four hours for the dish to cool on a wire cooling rack before serving.

How to serve and garnish

Once cooled, slice the pie and pair it with vanilla ice cream. If desired, you can sprinkle a little powdered sugar over it to garnish.

Classic Cherry Pie

Parchment Paper

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  • Non-Stick Parchment Paper

Lining baking sheets and pans with parchment paper allows baked goods to release with ease, makes cleanup a snap, and keeps your baking pans, sheets, and stones in tip-top shape.

Line the sides of a springform pan with parchment to protect the layers of the cake.

Recipe – Blackberry Pie Bars

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With blackberry showing up in the fields and in the grocery stores, here’s a quick and easy way to put a nice treat on the dinner table or just have a nice snack.

Blackberry Pie Bars Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (385g/13.5 OZ)
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided (300g/ 10.6OZ)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Zest and juice of one lemon, divided
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch slices (230g/8 OZ)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 cups fresh blackberries (440g/16 OZ)
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch

Blackberry Pie Bars Cooking Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
  • Grease a 9×13-inch pan.
  • In a food processor, pulse together flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, cinnamon salt and lemon zest.
  • Add the butter, egg and vanilla extra. Pulsing until dough is crumbly. Pat half of dough into the bottom of the prepared pan, saving the remaining dough for the topping.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blackberries. Sprinkle the blackberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
  • Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown (you are only looking for the top to slightly brown, if you cook for too long – the bottom will burn).
  • Cool completely before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container.

Yield

  •  12 Blackberry Pie Bars

Recipe – Raspberry Rhubarb Refrigerator Jam

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Raspberry rhubarb is a great fruit for pies and compotes. But if you’re into cooking and want to really impress your family and guests, you should consider trying out this delicious fruit. It’s a fruit that’s popular because of the taste and texture and its somewhat delicate flavor. This fruit doesn’t have quite as much flavor as other fruits in jams and jellies, but it has a surprising amount of tartness. That’s why it’s great for blending into fruit-based sauces or even melting over some ice. This allows you to take it anywhere you might need a great fruit-based dessert.

You can use raspberry rhubarb in all kinds of different recipes. If you’re already using it in pies and fruit-based desserts, you may be missing out on a wonderful way to eat it. But if you’re not quite ready to try the fruit in its own right, you can still get great-tasting popsicles and pies made from the rhubarb.

Even if you don’t exactly consider yourself a “great” cook, giving raspberry rhubarb a try should be a fairly simple process. The tartness of the fruit will be a welcome change from any other fruits in a recipe, and once you’ve tried it, you’ll probably be able to incorporate more of it into your eating plan. The great taste of berries is one reason people tend to go with them so often when making pie and fruit-based dessert recipes. Giving it a shot and finding out what you’re really missing will make your next dessert recipe that much better.

Here is a quick recipe and easy refrigerator Jam that can be put on pancakes, scones, biscuits quickbreads or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Ingredients

  • 6 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb (600g/21.3OZ)
  • 4 cups sugar (500g/18OZ)
  • 1 package raspberry gelatin (6 ounces)
  • 1 can raspberry pie filling (21 ounces)

Preparation Directions

  • Combine rhubarb and sugar in a saucepan; cover and let stand overnight.
  • The next day, simmer, uncovered, until rhubarb is tender, about 30 minutes.
  • Stir in gelatin and pie filling. Bring to a boil.
  • Remove from the heat; cool.
  • Pack in containers and refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve.

Cooking – How to Blind-Baking a Pie Crust

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The whole idea of pie crust blind baking may sound somewhat daunting to the inexperienced or anybody without proper baking tutorials. But if you are preparing for Thanksgiving and you are already feeling scared by the notion of baking an entire pie, then I am here to help! Learning how to blind bake is no more than allowing the pie crust to bake within a short time frame before adding the fillings. It is a straightforward procedure made simpler once you learn the crucial stages. Now let’s take a little time to understand more.

How to Blind Bake

All we are discussing here is about, how to bake the pie crust before the addition of your filling. You may be anxious to know why we do not just toss the crust into the oven without any additions — my response would be that during the baking process of the crust, series of steam makes the pastry layers to swell. The swelling is usually very uncooperative especially when the ultimate aim is to add fillings to the pie. Both faces of the pie crust will correspondingly sag after which they begin to crisp, producing a less striking effect. The perfect solution from our pie crust baking tutorials is to line the pies not yet baked with aluminum foil or parchment and press down for the lower part to not puff while avoiding slouch on the sides. You can get individual bargain pie weights, especially for this purpose. You can make use of dry beans (approximately one-half pounds), or you can get a little adventurous by making use of pennies from your savings jar.

With the edges turning golden, it implies the pie crust is ready. You can take away all weights and allow the baking of the pie crust to take a little more time. For a partly baked pie crust, you need the lower part to appear dry and chipped, but still maintaining its pale look. For a wholly baked pie crust, wait for the lower part to have a light golden appearance. The whole baking process would not take more time, ranging from 15 minutes to 25 minutes.

When is Blind Baking a Pie Crust Required?

Occasionally, Pie crust is necessary for Thanksgiving. On regular days, they are two periods when blind-baked pie crust is essential. These two periods are when:

  • making custard pie, and
  • using A no-bake (icebox) pie or cheesecake filling.

With custard pie, similar to pumpkin pie, moistness in the pie filling can turn the crust damp before it gets to the baking period. Blind baking till it is half-baked aids it in staying solid. With unbaked pie filling, similar to French silk pie, it only ensures the crust wholly bakes before the filling addition.

But do not fear much, with our baking tutorials you do not have to predict so often. Every recipe will practically always let you know if blind baking is essential. If you found a recipe with directions for a “cooled and cooked” pie crust, it is merely an alternative signal that you would need-blind baking for the crust beforehand.

Docking Or Weighting The Pie Crust

You may also find some baking tutorials that demand blind bake through “docking” as an alternative to pie weights. Docking is puncturing around the crust with the teeth of a fork. The tiny holes permit for the escape of steam, thwarting it from puffing, and provides the benefit of being faster and less frilly than making use of pie weights.

In my opinion, I still prefer the use of pie weights due to the additional support they provide as the baking takes place. If you use a very liquid filling, there is the possibility of having the filling seep into any tiny holes making the crust mushy.

Is This All That Is Required for Me to Know?

Well, Yes! For the pie crust, these are the initial stages of blind baking tutorials and also for other recipes you find. So, whenever you want to enjoy some Thanksgiving or other special occasions, blind baking pie crust is always a welcome idea.

I want to believe you learned a thing or two from my baking tutorials, feel free to start practicing and improve your baking skills!!

How to Blind-Baking a Pie Crust

Recipe – Cheddar Cheese Biscuit

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Cheddar cheese biscuit is a rich, tasty biscuit that conveys a mild taste of cheddar. Amazingly, they are made of just three ingredients: self-rising flour, cream, and cheddar cheese.

Self-rising flour, an unbleached blend of soft wheat flour and baking soda with a touch of salt not only yields soft and tender biscuits but also saves you time in the kitchen as you have two fewer ingredients to mix in. Apart from this convenience of having fewer ingredients to work with, self-rising flour has the advantage of imparting a tender texture to biscuits. This flour has the uniqueness of being softer and more finely-milled than all-purpose flour, a quality that makes it particularly suitable for making biscuits. It has lower-protein than all-purpose flour.

The cheddar ingredient is the cheese that is slightly crumbly, yet still moist and sharp enough to give a pleasant tang.

The heavy cream ingredient replaces the butter and milk that’s typical of traditional biscuits because it has the ideal ratio of water to fat in it to form a biscuit that has just enough structure to hold together as well as limit gluten development enough to keep the biscuits light and tender. More so, with the fats found in liquid cream and that found in solid butter is basically identical, the heavy cream ingredient in these biscuits end up giving it a rich buttery flavor even though there’s technically no butter in them at all.

Cheddar cheese biscuit if baked, cooled and served later same day are still tender/crusty – unlike most biscuits that tend to stiffen up fast once they cool.

Recipe Ingredients:

Ingredients

US measurement

Metric measurement

Flour, self-rising2 cups (8 ounces)226g
Cheddar cheese1 cup (4 ounces)113g
Heavy cream1 cup227g

Recipe Instruction:

Preheat The Oven:

  • Begin by preheating your oven to 425 degrees F while you line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

Gather The Ingredients:

  • Gather equal parts of flour and cheese by weight.
  • Also, gather half as much cream by weight.

Prepare The Dough:

The dough can be prepared either by using a food processor or the hands:

Using a food processor:

  • Get the cheese cut into few chunks.
  • Put the cut cheese and dough into the work bowl of the food processor.
  • Process until you have a smooth mixture (the cheese gets finely chopped).
  • Add the cream until you have a cohesive

Using your hands:

  • Grate or shred the cheese and toss it together with the flour.
  • Add the cream as you stir to make a cohesive

Transfer & Cut:

  • Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.
  • Pat the dough into ¾-inch to 1-inch thick, being mindful of the fact that the thicker the disc, the taller the biscuits will turn out.
  • With a 2-inch round biscuit cutter, cut rounds.

Baker’s Note: Sharp cutters work best and yield the highest-rising biscuits as they easily slice quickly and cleanly through the dough with no mashed-down edges or sorry-looking biscuits either.  Drinking glasses squash the sides of the biscuits causing them to rise unevenly and poorly.

  • Have the cut-out dough placed on an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Baker’s Note: Placing the cut-out dough close together, with their sides nearly touching in the baking sheets makes for soft-sided biscuits.

Bake The Biscuits:

  • Brush the biscuits’ tops with either cream or milk (butter) and place in the oven.
  • Bake for about 15-18minutes or until they turn golden brown in color.
  • Remove them from oven and serve at once.

Servings

  • The recipe yields 12-17 medium 2-inch biscuits.

How Best To Serve The Biscuits

  • It’s best eaten hot and fresh from the oven all by itself or served with ham, egg or bacon for breakfast, and totally satisfies.
  • Can be served warm. If older than 24 hours, drape them with foil and reheat for 10 minutes in a 350 degrees F oven before serving.
  • It can be served as an accompaniment to a salad lunch.
  • Serving it with a slice of freshly-picked, sun-warmed tomato will do quite nicely.
  • Serve with a pat of butter for brunches.
  • Can be served with gravy and fried chicken.
  • Topping your biscuits with Mushroom Sauce gives you a fantastic creamy meal.
  • Eating these biscuits with scrambled eggs makes it a quick meal that you can eat on the go.
  • You can set the fresh biscuits right on top of your bowl of soup as you break off little bits with every spoonful.
  • Smother your biscuits in smoky baked beans and enjoy!

How To Store The Biscuits

  • As a rule, store the biscuits under refrigeration.
  • It can also be left out at room temperature for some hours.

How Long To Store

  • At room temperature: Several hours.
  • Under refrigeration: Up to one month.

Some Useful Tips

  • Using a top-quality, extra-sharp cheddar such as Cabot Extra Sharp or Seriously Sharp makes for best cheese flavor.
  • Add about ¼ cup of Vermont Cheese powder alongside the flour if you need extra cheesy biscuits.
  • You can also make these cheddar cheese biscuits with light cream, half & half, whole milk, reduced-fat milk or skim milk. The difference is that the lower down the scale you go, the lesser the liquid needed to form cohesive dough; and again, the less tender the biscuits will turn out.
  • To make more or fewer biscuits, the cheddar cheese recipe can be scaled up or down. Only be sure to adhere to the formula: Equal parts of flour and cream by weight; half as much cheese by weight.
  • The baking powder built into self-rising flour is the non-aluminum type of baking powder that does not lend the little bit of extra flavor that regular/commercial baking powder usually imparts to baked goods.

If there is no self-rising flour on hand, adjust your recipe thus:

  • Reduce your all-purpose flour by 2 tablespoons less.
  • Add one tablespoon baking powder.
  • Add one teaspoon salt.

Basic Green Bean Recipe

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Cooked Green Beans

Here is a very basic way to cook green beans.  It would difficult to find a much simpler recipe for fresh green beans.

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces trimmed fresh green beans
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (optional)

Cooking Directions

  • Wash green beans gently in cool water
  • Prune the tips from both ends
  • Place green beans in a large skillet; pour in 1/4 cup water.
  • Bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water comes to a boil, cover pan and cook 3 minutes.
  • Uncover pan and stir in butter.
  • Cook until water evaporates (about 1 minute) and green beans are tender but firm.
  • Sprinkle beans with salt and pepper.

Servings

  • Serves 4 (serving size: about 1/2 cup)

How To Serve

  • Best served as a side dish to your main course

Related References

Recipe – Carrot Cake With Lemon Glaze

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Carrot cake is ubiquitous in the U.S. and comes in as many variations as anyone might want.  Usually, in some form of a layer cake.  This carrot cake recipe is intended to be easy to prepare, and by using a quick and easy glaze, rather than frosting, it has a bit of the traditional American Cottage Pudding feel to it.  Here to hoping it finds its way to your table.

Carrot Cake Ingredients

For Cake

  • Carrot – 375 gr (12 oz ) (3/4 lb)
  • Eggs – 4 pieces
  • Sugar – 150 gr (5 oz) (12 lb)
  • vanilla sugar – 15 gr ( 12 oz)
  • Vegetable oil – 100 ml (13 cap) (3fl)
  • Cinnamon – 1-2 tsp (5-10 gr)
  • Salt – 0,5 tsp (2,5 gr)
  • Baking powder – 15 gr ( 12 oz)
  • Flour – 350gr (12 oz) (3/4 lb)

For glaze

  • powdered sugar 125gr (4 oz n) (1/4 lb)
  • lemon juice 1 tbs (0.5 fl oz)

Carrot Cake Directions

  • Carrots grate on a large grater or grind in a food processor.
  • Combine eggs with sugar and vanilla sugar and salt mix with a mixer until smooth white lush mass.
  • Add the egg mixture to the grated carrot.
  • Add the cinnamon baking powder and vegetable oil to the eggs and carrots.

Cook’s Note:

If desired, you can add spices such as cardamom and dry ginger, as well as dried fruits (raisins, dried apricots and so on).

  • Add the well-sieved flour and fold in until smooth

Cook’s Note:

When sifted, the flour is well saturated with oxygen, and the cake becomes lusher.

Prepare a baking dish

  • Coat the baking dish with vegetable oil, butter, or shortening, and sprinkle in flour or cocoa, so, that the cake does not stick to the bottom and sides of the dish; or line use baking paper.
  • Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/4 gas

Once preheated, bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, and the top is a lite golden brown. Check doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick near the center of the cake, when removed the toothpick should come out clean and dry (absent of uncooked cake mix)

  • Remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack or heat tolerant service.

Prepare lemon glaze to decorate the Cake.

  • To make the Lemon glaze, mix lemon juice with powdered sugar until uniform
  • Once your cake has cooled completely, top it with the with glaze. You can leave it out protected or in the refrigerator overnight, to allow the glaze to distribute evenly and to soak into the cake, somewhat to make the cake moist and delicious. Bon Appetit!

What is a Trifle?

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Single Serving Trifle

What is a Trifle?

  • A Trifle comes from the European, especially English, food tradition, which is custard or cream layered with fruit over cake that has been soaked with alcohol, usually Sherry. This dessert has been in Europe in the form we would recognize today, at least since the 1700’s.

When are Trifles Commonly Served?

  • Trifles are traditional served as an after-dinner dessert.
  • In the United States, Trifle recipes often appear around the fall and winter holidays, but there many very fine Trifles for other seasons of the, for example, the English Strawberry Trifle is an excellent spring recipe.

Related References

What Is A Parfait?

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Yogurt Parfait

What Is A Parfait?

  • The word Parfait comes originally from French, meaning ‘perfect’ and appears in everyday use in English around 1890. The definition of a Parfait depends on how formal you want to be in the description, so, here are few definitions.

The Traditional Definition Of A Parfait

  • The traditional Parfait is a frozen dessert made with cream, eggs, and sugar.

The American Definition

  • The American approach is a looser approach to the Parfait is often some form of ice cream or other daily (e.g., Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, etc.) layered variety fruits, syrups, cereals, nuts and whipped cream.

How Long Can You Store Riced Cauliflower?

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You have purchased your cauliflower and you’ve got your appliances and utensils out, so, you might as well go ahead and fix a large batch of riced cauliflower.  Once you’ve made that large batch of riced cauliflower, it leads to the question, how long can I store riced cauliflower? So, here are a few quick notes about storing riced cauliflower which may be helpful.

Storing Riced Cauliflower In The Refrigerator

  • Raw riced cauliflower may be stored up to a week (seven days). Once cooked, riced cauliflower can be stored an additional three or four days, if rapidly cooled and place in the refrigerator immediately. Obviously, Riced cauliflower should be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

Storing Riced Cauliflower In The Freezer

  • Riced cauliflower may be frozen and stored up to a year. If you choose to make large batch riced cauliflower and freeze it, I recommend that you freeze in meal size packages. Additionally, once you’ve packaged your cauliflower, you should freeze it laying flat. This will make it more stackable and save space in your freezer.

How To Make Riced Cauliflower Rice

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Riced cauliflower is simple to prepare and with a little creativity a versatile supplement to your meal making. Riced cauliflower may be substituted for rice and such things as soups or used to stretch foods, especially, almost homemade dishes. For example, if your family likes rice or mashed potatoes which you want to stretch or would like to reduce the calories of each serving adding riced cauliflower in moderation, of course, will do this very nicely.

How to make cauliflower rice

Two Prepare Your Cauliflower For The Food Processor

This is a quick and easy task, basically, stripping it down and cutting into the usable pieces for easy chopping by the food processor, which consists of:

  • washer cauliflower with warmish water
  • on a cutting board with a large sturdy knife, chop off the leaves and the hard center stalk
  • cut the cauliflower into 1-2 inch florets.

How to Make Cauliflower Rice

To convert your florets to riced cauliflower you can use a food processor. I find food processors fast and easy and here are the essential steps:

  • Put the florets into a food processor.
  • For smaller food processors, you may need to do this into multiple small batches.
  • Don’t overfill your food processor. For best results feel your food processor to about the center of the slicing blade. Otherwise, you may end up with large pieces which need to be cleaned out and reprocessed.
  • Pulse your food processor several times until it arrives at the size and consistency you desire, usually, about the size of sushi rice grains. At least, that’s the size I use since I don’t really cook with long grain rice.

Cooking Note

alternatively, you can use a hand grater or high-speed blender to riced cauliflower as well, but usually, the results are not quite the same.

Shopping Note

I’ve not had any difficulty finding frozen riced cauliflower in the local grocery stores and it can be a timesaver if you prefer not to do a couple of bulk batches on a weekend or on a given day. Also, if you don’t have the time, tools, or desire to make riced cauliflower yourself the grocery store version can be a real timesaver and still provide a healthy food alternative. When working with frozen riced cauliflower from the grocery store I usually either let it fall in the refrigerator until ready to use it or give it a quick spin in the microwave according to the instructions on the package before including it in my other dishes which I may be preparing.

Uses of riced cauliflower

I find riced cauliflower to be exceptionally useful and I use it in any number of ways so here’s a quick list of some of the ways that I have used it:

  • adding rice cauliflower to my rice cooker on preparing a fresh batch of rice.
  • Adding riced cauliflower to instant mashed potatoes to make almost homemade mashed potatoes and achieving the same effect as I get to my rice.
  • Adding a small helping of rice cauliflower to a soup or stew. I usually do this in the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking as riced cauliflower doesn’t take long to cook. I especially like to do this in soups where a small quantity of rice or potatoes is added.
  • Adding riced cauliflower in the grated cheese later of many dishes will nicely incorporate them into your meal. For example, adding riced cauliflower to the different cheese layers of a lasagna may happen to be making.

These uses of riced cauliflower not only stretch the dish, but it also reduces the calories of each serving and improved nutrition.

If you want to use it straight is a seasoned side dish, that works very well too, and we frequently do so.

Home Bread Machine Loaf Sizes

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In the United States, the typical home Bread machine has a range of loaf sizes, which can range from:

  • 1 lb.
  • 1.5 lbs. and
  • 2 lbs.

Related References

Are Couscous Pasta?

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Couscous

The short answer is, yes, Couscous are pasta.

Couscous are a form of pasta, which is made from hard wheat rolled into grains or beads of various sizes.  Different regions of the world make couscous from millet, Barley, Cassava or Sweet Corn, well.

Other names for Couscous

Israeli couscous, Jerusalem couscous, pearl couscous, couscous, Kuskus; Maftoul, Moghrabieh; Seksu; Kusksi; Keskesu; Kouskousaki, ptitim

Cooking Tip – Break Eggs Into a Separate Bowl First

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Egg Cracked Into Checking Bowl before Use

To prevent mishaps and damage to more than the egg you’re currently working with, it is strongly advised break each egg one at a time into a separate bowl or a breaking bowl, if you will. This allows you to work with each egg and ensure it’s of the quality you want before combining it with other eggs or other ingredients and regretting an unpleasant surprise.

Things like a piece of eggshell falling in can be more easily retrieved from a single egg than several eggs. Worse yet, if for some reason you should come across the bad egg, you can simply dispose of the egg wash the dish and move on the next egg without having lost anything but the egg that was bad. This minimizes risk before transferring the egg it to your mixing bowl.

This using a separate bowl, also, applies to separating eggs; always do them one at a time to prevent one broken yolk from spoiling a bowl full of whites.

Related References

Recipe – Basic Plain Biscuits

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This is a yummy biscuit that you can cut into any shape with a biscuit cutter. It’s a great recipe for even kids to follow being neither fiddly nor time-consuming. Its dough can be used as a base for making a variety of other flavors as dried nuts, chocolate chips, coconut chips or chopped nuts can be added to these biscuits. You can also add flavors like vanilla, lime or lemon and use a biscuit cutter to make them into shapes to give a biscuit that’s absolutely yummy.

Ingredients

Ingredients

US
measurement

Metric
measurements

Flour, plain

2 1/3 cups

350 g

Flour,
self-rising

2/3 cup

100 g

Sugar,
granulated

5/6 cup

125 g

Butter,
salted, softened, diced

5/6 cup

125 g

Golden syrup

5/6 cup

125 g

Egg, large,
lightly beaten

One large

One large

Directions

Prepare The Tray For Baking

  • Have at least two baking trays covered with baking parchment for each batch of biscuits to chill and cook on.
  • Set both of them aside.

Combine dry Ingredients

  • Add the flour to a mixing bowl.
  • Add the sugar and mix thoroughly.

Add Other Ingredients

  • Add the butter to the combined dry ingredients.
  • Using only your fingertips, rub in the butter until you have a fine breadcrumb-like mixture.
  • With the butter evenly mixed in, make a well at the center and add the syrup and the lightly beaten egg.
  • Mix thoroughly, drawing in any flour that is at the side of the bowl and stop once a ball is formed.

Roll The Dough

  • Create enough clean space for rolling on a work surface, and place the ball of dough on it.
  • Share the dough into two and squash each into an even-sized flattish disc.
  • Either roll the dough straight away as it is soft and pliable. Otherwise, you can cover and chill until ready for use.

Cooking Tip: Using extra flour for rolling toughens the dough; to check this, roll your dough between two sheets of baking parchment without additional flour following these steps:

Put one disk of dough on a sheet of baking parchment.

Using either your hands or a rolling pin, gently squash the dough down and cover with a second sheet of parchment.

Now use the rolling pin to properly roll the dough until it is 5mm thick all over.

If the top sheet crinkles as you roll, pause to pull it off and smooth it down and continue the rolling.

For perfectly-even rolling, rolling guides are available at Specialist Shops.

While still sandwiched between the two parchments,  transfer the sheet of rolled dough to a baking tray ensuring that they are not too close together as the dough usually spreads a little on being baked.

With the tray evenly spaced out in the oven, cook the biscuits for 12-16 minutes depending on the oven you are using.

Cooking Tip: Be particularly mindful of the first biscuits that you bake until you get accustomed to both the recipe and your oven.

Cool And Keep

Get the trays off the oven when the biscuits are evenly cooked (when they are just starting to form a golden brown color).

Carefully lift the hot and fragile biscuits off the baking trays onto a cooling rack.

Allow the biscuits to cool completely before you store them.

Servings

  • Yields 24-30 biscuits.

How Best To Serve The Biscuits

They are best when served warm.  Although, I will admit that like them just fine cold with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk.

How Best To Store The Biscuits

  • Cool and place the biscuits between layers of parchments in an air-tight tin or plastic container.

How Long To Store Biscuits

  • If cooled and properly packaged, the biscuits can be stored for up to one week. if properly packaged they can be frozen for months.

Biscuit Tips

  • In making the dough, you can use your hands or a food mixer with the paddle attachment. To avoid the kitchen being filled with clouds of flour, start the mixing process on the lowest setting.
  • Try not to work the dough any more than is necessary as overworking toughens it.
  • These biscuits will lose their crunch if not cooled properly before storing.

How To Stream A Pumpkin Or Winter Squash

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  • Winter Squash In Steamer

Steaming winters squash is my most used method of preparing winter squash.  I find it quick, easy, and once streamed, the squash is easily used.

Kitchen Equipment

  • A streamer—for large squashes I repurpose my pasta pan.
  • A pair of tongs
  • A large metal spoon – Usually use a large tablespoon, but any strong large metal spoon will do fine.
  • A scrap bowl to keep the bits and pieces out of the way, until you are ready to deal with them.
  • A kitchen Cleaver to cut the squash
  • A cutting board
  • A table fork

How To Prepare The Squash Or Pumpkin For Streaming

  • Wash the exterior of the squash to remove any debris
  • On a cutting board, use the Clever to remove a small quantity from both ends
  • Trimmed End Of Winter Squash
  • Slice the squash lengthwise on both side to its center
  • Winter Squash Cut Lengthwise
  • Scrape out seeds and membranes set aside.
  • Using Spoon To remove Seeds and Membranes
  • Measure the depth of your steamer and cut both halves into lengths slightly shorter, so, the squash will fit into your streamer.
  • Cut each section lengthwise down the center, effectively quartering large quash. If you are dealing with a smaller squash you may want to leave it in halves, if they are not too large. For very large squash you may need to cut them into more section.  The goal is to get them to fit and to be in roughly equal size chunks.

How To Steam Your Winter Squash

  • Add water to just below, an inch or so, the base of your stream insert
  • Fill your stream with the first batch, loosely pack so the stream can circulate easily
  • Winter Squash Loosely Loaded Into Streamer
  • Cover and turn on high
  • Once the stream is flowing, reduce to a medium or medium-low heat
  • Let the squash steam for a few minutes. This can vary depending on the thickness of the flesh of the squash.  For thick squash 15 minutes for thinner squash 10 minutes, then start checking your squash for doneness every few minutes.
  • Test with a table fork, when the fork can be inserted easily through the flesh to the outer shell of the squash you squash is done
  • Testing With Fork For Doneness
  • Turn off and let cool. I’m usually working with large winter, so, I use tongs to move the squash to a heat tolerant bowl or pan to cool while I fill my steamer and cook the next batch.
  • Using Metal Tongs To Move squash to a cooling Bowl or Plate
  • Once cool, use a metal spoon to remove the flesh from the outer shell and place in a container of your choice.

Caution:  Stream squash is extremely hot and can burn you, as can the steam. So, be careful and let the squash cool before handling and don’t get in too big of a rush to start removing the flesh from the shell.

  • Separating Flesh from Shell With A Spoon

Uses of Steamed Squash

  • Steamed squash is very useful and can be used in any number of ways, such as soups, pies, bread, cakes, and/or mash. It can be added to other dishes like macaroni and cheese (and other dishes) as a partial cheese substitute.
  • Also, it can be added to dog food in moderation to provide fiber and added nutrition. We are giving it to our dogs, we like to add some home-grown yogurt too for added flavor and benefit for our dogs. By the way, we check with our vet and she recommends adding some squash to a dog’s diet.

Storage Of Steamed Squash

  • In the refrigerator steamed squash can be stored for three or four days before used.
  • Once cooled streamed winter squash can be placed in freezer containers and frozen for up to a year. Keep in that it will come out of the freeze and be watery, but it perfectly usable.
  • Streamed winter squash can also be canned, if care is taken, and stored in your pantry or cellar up to three years.

How Not To Waste The Scraps

There are several ways to take advantage of the squash scraps. Among them are:

  • Roasting the seeds for a snack and other uses
  • If you are a gardener, growing non-hybrid seed (and/or grow no other variety which could cross breed), you can dry the seeds and use them for a future
  • Composting the scraps to make a garden soil additive
  • If you happen to have livestock, feed it to them, they will love it. Especially, chickens, cattle, and pigs.

Cooking Terms – What is Conchiglie Pasta?

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Big shell pasta (Conchiglioni) on a red checkered tablecloth.

Definition Conchiglioni

  • A type of pasta which is shaped like a small conch shell.
  • It is commonly used in pasta salads and with meat sauces. The smaller version of conchiglie is called Conchigliette and the larger version is called Conchiglioni.

Cooking Substitutions

  • Subsites in cooking for Conchiglioni pasta are farfalle, fusilli, gemelli, macaroni, rigatoni, or ziti.

Cooking Soup Bones at Home

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What are soup bones?

Soup bones, also known as stock bones, can be found in stores are usually leg/shank bones. They are round and have marrow and normally cut in about 4-inch lengths. If you don’t see any, ask someone in the meat department.  Also, you can save fresh bones and trims at for this purpose, as well.

How to Prepare the Bones For Making Broth

Adding roasting bones before adding them to the slow cooker will give your broth a richer flavor and some nice beef scraps to add back to the broth if desired.

Roasting the Soup Bones

  • Preheat your oven to 400 F
  • Lay the bones, evenly spaced, on a lightly oiled baking sheet
  • Roast 400 F till well browned all over;  approximately 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

How to Make the Broth

  • Put in a large stock pot or Slowcooker with all the scraped browned bits and fat from the baking sheet.
  • 4 quarts filtered water
  • Add an onion, couple carrots, stalk celery, salt, peppercorns and water to cover the bones.
  • Simmer and skim the scum that floats up till no more scum appears.
  • Continue simmering for 2-3 hours adding a little more water, if necessary.
  • Remove bones and strain.
  • Taste for seasoning and simmer longer to reduce for a stronger broth, if desired.

Broth Storage

  • Bone broth can be stored long-term at home by either canning which can be stored for up to three years. you may want to consider your normal meal size and use a variety of jar sizes for different purposes.
  • Bone broth can be stored by freezing if you have space for up to about a year.  To honest, it never lasts that long around our house. it is just too useful for soup, stews, and chills,   Freezing in ice cubes, then placing it in a freezer container, makes it easy to use the broth in small quantities.

How To Bake Spaghetti Squash

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This an easy way to cook Spaghetti Squash (especially during the fall and winter months) for use as a vegetable side or in other recipes.

Ingredients

  • 1 Spaghetti Squash (approximately 3 pounds)
  • ½ Cup water

Tools and Equipment

  • 1 Non-stick baking pan or baking sheet, slightly larger than the Spaghetti Squash
  • 1 Table fork
  • 1 Medium mixing bowl or storage container

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350F
  • With a kitchen cleaver or large knife
  • Cut the spaghetti squash in half length-wise. I like to first cut a small portion of both ends, before doing this step.
  • Scrape out seeds and membranes set aside.
  • Place halves, cut side down, in a large baking dish
  • Add 1/2 cup water.
  • Bake at 350F for 45 to 50 minutes or until tender.
  • Remove squash from oven.
  • Turn cut side up; cool for 10 minutes.
  • Scrape inside of squash with a fork to remove spaghetti-like strands.

Yields

  • About 4 to 5 cups

Winter Energy Tip

  • If you’re not going to bake anything else, once you turn the oven off, open the door slightly and let the heat escape into the house. This will warm your house without burning additional energy.

Nutrition and value tip

  • Rather than disposing of the seed, you can separate them from the membranes and use them to make roasted a seed snack.

Cheeses and Cheese Substitutes Used for The Filling of Cheesecake

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Ahhh cheesecakes, dessert for the gods. It is so simple to prepare! Also, another feature of cheesecakes we all love is the fact that this dessert offers plenty of flexibility. The regular cheesecakes come with a tasty crust, overflowing with cream cheese filling. The significant alterations occur with the constituents placed either in the lining or above the cheesecake. There are loads of cheesecake fillings to pick from as you would usually bake your cheesecake or put in the fridge to set. Cheesecake is undoubtedly a delicate topic when you choose to go dairy free.  Fortuitously, if you elect to get rid of them from your diet, the cravings will usually diminish with time.

In the intervening time, you may want to substitute your cheesecake filling for holding down this addiction. But there are times we run out of ideas, especially when other folks ask about cheesecake filling substitute ideas for cream cheese to fit their dietary needs. Luckily, there are a lot of practical and delicious filling substitutes that will have you relishing the constancy and taste of your cheesecake recipes. So, if you are in search for an ideal cheesecake filling substitute, maybe for baking, cooking, or for spread and dips on your food, then my selections have got you covered. I will show you some excellent and fantastic cheesecake filling substitute that can be used to replace it. There are several flavors to choose from to enjoying your cheesecake however you like, but I believe the ideas below are probably the best choice to go for anytime:

  • Cottage Cheese
  • Cream Cheese
  • Neufchatel
  • Raw Cashews Blend
  • Ricotta Cheese
  • Tofu
  • Yogurt

Cottage Cheese Filling for Cheesecake

The cottage cheese filling is another excellent cheesecake filling substitute that can be used in place of traditional cream cheese filling. Though it must be sieved first, the outcome is productive and still tastes fantastic. Cottage cheese filling is made from cheese curd but distinct for most cheese, which is dehydrated and colored. It also retains its whey content since it is not pressed dry, but drained only. The cottage cheese filling, in contrast to its relations, does not experience the maturation process (aging) and it can also be washed to get a diverse taste, soft, and sweet flavor. Cottage cheese filling also has more fluid than cream cheese filling.

Cottage cheese filling for cheesecakes is preferred by dieters for the reason that it is low in calories and combines well with fruits, vegetable, and others. It is also a good provider of bone-building calcium and protein.

Cream Cheese Filling of Cheesecake

All thanks to cream cheese filling, the unique taste of cheesecake is rich. A slight hint of saltiness is occasionally used for biscuit crust. The mixture of the even consistency of the crunchy texture of the crust and the cream cheese filling all adds up to the complete indulgence. This cheesecake filling substitute makes a good part of cheesecake essential. The cream cheese is a soft cheese with approximately 33% fat content. It is mainly a popular choice for cheesecakes fillings as it provides a smooth texture. Although, known as sweet cheese it has a minimal acidic aftertaste which aids to stop cheesecakes from having a cloying taste.

The cream cheese filling for cheesecakes is more than a condiment for midnight bagel lovers. The thickness and smooth consistency of cream cheese filling make it an ideal cheesecake filling substitute, mainly if you are fond of other types of cheesecake filling. When next you choose to prepare another cheesecake, you can as well get ready to create some great moments with the king of soft cheeses!

Neufchatel Cheese Filling for Cheesecake

The Neufchatel cheese filling has less fat than cream cheese, is milder and has more moisture. It also produces creamier cheesecakes. Neufchatel is also a good cheesecake filling substitute for cream cheese and can be used in similar quantities. It also has identical packaging to cream cheese, but you will notice the variation the instant you open it. This cheese makes a great substitute in a cheesecake. There are notable variations between American Neufchâtel and traditional French Neufchâtel. The American Neufchâtel cheese is very much comparable in taste and feel to cream cheese, but is softer and soggier, with a lesser amount of fat of approximately one third that of usual cream cheese (lower-fat alternative).

This cheesecake filling substitute has seventy calories per one-oz. Serving. Neufchatel cheese also contains one-gram carbohydrate, two grams of protein, six grams of fat, and 2% calcium.

Raw Cashews Blend

The Raw Cashews blend spread is undeniably scrumptious. Folks who have tried dipping into this vegetarian cashew cheese habitually arrive at the same conclusion, “this is delicious, it does not taste anything like cheese.” For those not too conversant with a raw diet, crushed nuts or seeds (cashew) and water are combined to create this dairy-free cheese. Raw Cashews blend creates incredible vegetarian cheesecakes. It also produces the best outcomes when making a neutrally flavored filling for cheesecakes. You can include any other additional aromatics or flavorings to augment your cashew cheesecake recipe. You only have to pulse and add some creative ideas to it, and taste. You can preserve your cashew spread for the constancy of hummus or ricotta, so it acts like a cream cheese spread that is superb with chips, or vegan sticks, crackers, or slathered on sandwiches or wraps.

Cashew cheesecake is picture-perfect for anyone who wants a cheesecake filling substitute for dairy products or for the audacious connoisseurs who desire to try a new cheesecake recipe. I promise you would never get disappointed with Cashew cheesecake, as it is jam-packed with rich flavors and not to mention nourishment from the essential elements, raw cashews. Typical Cashew Cheesecakes comprises a wide range of B vitamins. These B vitamins include B12, calcium, copper, fiber, healthy fats, magnesium, manganese, vitamin C, vitamin E, phosphorus, protein, and zinc. The Cashew cheesecake is not only mineral and vitamin-rich especially when likened to the regular dairy cheesecake filling substitute, but it is also considerably more comfortable for several folks to digest, tastes, and make it convenient to use!

Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta cheese is largely well thought-out to be amongst the healthiest cheese with its low-fat content. A hundred grams of Ricotta cheese comprises around five grams of saturated fat. Ricotta cheese is gotten from whey, the bit that is remaining when hard cheese is hard-pressed. The whey is heated till it creates a curd. The curd is now made to pass over a fine cloth, resulting in a piece of cheese that is firm with slight grainy feel. But the low salt presence and high levels of vitamins give ricotta cheese the nourishing edge. A low-fat ricotta cheese is also awesome with fruit, mixed with other constituents.

Tofu

Tofu creates a charmingly creamy and light filling for the vegetarian variety of cheesecake. Making it a day earlier, permit its flavors to grow stronger. Tofu cheesecakes are exceedingly nutritious and filled with protein. Silken tofu is the softest form of tofu and is regularly used in dips, dressings, and spreads. The soft feel makes it a good cheesecake filling substitute for eggs and creamy cheeses, cottage cheese, and ricotta cheese.

Tofu cheesecakes are always a beautiful looking masterpiece, and it is a no-bake vegan cheesecake. You can make Tofu cheesecakes for your non-dairy or vegetarian friends and family and take advantage of the protein, too. You can include Tofu cheesecakes as part of your healthy recipes for a show-stopping sweet course. Do not get too concerned though; you can also group Tofu cheesecakes into your easy recipes.

Yogurt Filling for Cheesecake

Yogurt Filling makes a pretty good cheesecake filling substitute. For those periods when you wish to join the fun but are in search of something a little light, you can try Yogurt Filling for Cheesecake. The Yogurt Filling for Cheesecake is silky smooth and completely nourishing. Yogurt cheesecakes are very creamy, as the cream cheese becomes replaced with yogurt. The Yogurt Filling for Cheesecake is super healthy with low-fat protein that you and your friends and family will enjoy!

While the regular cheesecakes filled with constituents like cream cheese, heaving whipping cream, sour cream, and whole milk, yogurt does the job even better, making your cheesecake delicious and light. Besides, Yogurt Cheesecake is super easy to make. I love how yogurt can be put to use in quite a lot of ways. It does not matter if you are making Yogurt Cheesecake for brunch, dinner, or even a smoothie. It at all times seems to discover its place!

Conclusion

On a general level, cheesecake is blimey created from simple constituents like cheese, eggs, milk, sugar, and new individual cookies. If you or your household is getting bored or use a particular cheesecake, you might want to consider trying others. They are a variety of cheesecake filling you might want to try out. The prominent ones are listed above, and they all have unique flavors and attribute you would love. For the cheese portion, soft cheese, like cottage and cream cheese, or even ricotta can be made. But, if you or a member of your household has milk antipathy or lactose bigoted, you are also in luck as you find several excellent vegetarian cheesecake alternatives as substitutes.

A Home Cook’s Biscuit And Scone Primer

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American-style biscuits are groups of small baked goods with firm brown crusts and soft interiors. Biscuits, though varied in shapes, sizes and recipes have some basic characteristics:

  • Fats rather than lard, butter or cream give all biscuits their tenderness.
  • Flours, fats, liquid, and leavening enhances tenderness, fluffiness, and flakiness of the end products.
  • Minimal mixing checks gluten formation and a tough texture.
  • All biscuits taste best when eaten warm and fresh from the oven.

Although there are different methods for preparing and topping biscuits, the recipe ingredients are the same. Most recipes use:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Butter (softened)
  • Buttermilk
  • Shortening
  • White sugar

Cooking Tip: Shortening is any fat that is solid at room temperature and used to make crumbly pastry and other food products, (e.g., lard and margarine (excluding butter)).

History of The Biscuit

It’s noteworthy that the beautiful golden biscuit of today shares a lineage with the hardtack – the longtime nourishment of sailors and traveling soldiers.

The word ‘biscuit’ which was coined from the medieval Latin word ‘biscoctus’ means ‘twice -cooked,’ describes the cooking technique of biscuits in those days.

It was the early European settlers in the US that introduced a simple style of cooking usually based on ground wheat and warmed with gravy.

In the early 19th century, the biscuits emerged as a distinct food type with cooks producing cheaply produced additions to their meals that required no yeast, which was expensive and difficult to store. Without a leavening agent, except pearlash, it was quite hard beating and folding the beaten biscuits in a bid to incorporate into the dough the air that causes it to expand and rise when heated in the oven.

The first biscuit cutter, a board hinged to a metal plate on which different biscuit cutter shapes were mounted was patented in 1875 thus providing a platform for rolling the biscuits out.

Today pre-shaped, ready-to-bake biscuits are sold in supermarkets in the form of small refrigerator cylindrical segments of dough encased in cardboard cans.

Biscuit Description

Beaten Biscuits

  • In beaten biscuits, the dough is beaten (for about 30-45 minutes) either against a hard object or with a mallet or any heavy object to give a classic texture which is both crisp and chewy.
  • Traditional recipes for beaten biscuits do not include any powder (or leavening agents) but uses the beating to incorporate air and develop the gluten
  • Traditionally served with ham and mustard.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

  • Flour shortages during the civil war led to combining pure white wheat flour with starchy sweet potatoes to make sweet potato biscuits.
  • The sweet potatoes add natural sugars to the biscuits dough and also maintain the fluffiness of the biscuit.
  • They taste great when eaten warm with a dab of butter.

Benne Seed Biscuits

  • These are usually prepared by toasting the seed of the benne seed plant and incorporating them into the dough.
  • Alternatively, the seeds are pounded into powder before being added to the flour.

Skillet Biscuits

  • Skillet biscuits are more about a cooking technique than a particular recipe.
  • It is made by cooking biscuits close together with their bodies touching in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop.
  • This cooking technique of blocking the lateral expansion of their neighbors causes them to rise higher.
  • Meanwhile, the skillet while giving the biscuits crispy and buttery edges also keeps their interiors fresh and soft.
  • It’s a good food for hot days.

Scones

  • A scone is a small quick bread made from wheat, barley or oatmeal usually with baking powders as a leavening agent.
  • American-style scones’ basics are flour, butter, sugar, egg and a riser.
  • They often have fillings like nuts, blueberries, strawberries,
  • Most fillings are spices like cinnamon and poppy seeds.
  • Eggs can be added for flavor and vibrant coloring, but usually, results in a slightly cakey texture.
  • They are often baked to a dry and soft-of crumbly texture with a slightly crusty brown top.
  • They are typically large and rectangular.
  • American-style mass produced scones tend to be doughier than the homemade ones.

Cooking Tip: Biscuits along with cornbread and soda bread are called quickbread because you use baking powder instead of yeast to make them.

Baking Powder Biscuits

  • Also called plain biscuits or buttermilk
  • Related to the scones, though not as sweet.
  • In making this, you use as little liquid as possible – just enough to allow the dough form a ball as too much liquid toughens the biscuits.

Rolled Biscuits

  • Rolled biscuits are a very popular baking powder biscuit.
  • During baking, it rises to about twice its original height with its interior being light, fluffy and tender, and the crust – a crisp, even golden brown.
  • Well-prepared rolled biscuits have a flat top with straight sides.
  • Horizontal circles around the sides indicate flakiness.
  • Its soft texture not only makes it an apt sponge for sausage gravy but also a vehicle for juicy strawberry shortcake.

Buttermilk Biscuits

  • These are rolled out, folded and aptly laminated to give e a structure of alternating layers of dough and fat.
  • These folds serve to create the biscuit’s flaky and peel-able layers.
  • They usually have a flat top and are cut out using a round cookie cutter (but can also be cut into squares).

Drop Biscuits

  • It takes about 25 minutes for a minimally stacked pantry to be prepared.
  • The preparation is done by cutting cold butter into the dry product: flour, baking powder, salt and the buttermilk.
  • The result is an irregular-shaped (amorphous) crusty and tender interior.

Angel / Cowboy Biscuits

  • It’s also called ‘combination biscuit’ because it uses both baking powder and yeast to create fluffy, buttery buns.
  • Though tender-textured like a biscuit, it has a spring, bread-like bite.

Cooking Tip: For bread-making beginning cooks, combination biscuits are a perfect place to begin as using the combination of leavening agents makes the recipe almost fail-proof.

Cream Biscuits

  • Cream biscuits are simply produced by whisking flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together.
  • Gently stir in a full-flat heavy cream to avoid gluten formation.

Different Types Of Biscuits

Drop Biscuits

  • It’s a biscuit made by dropping baking powder biscuits from a spoon into a pan for baking.
  • Addition of extra liquid to the dough changes its texture to look like stiff pancake batter such that small spoonfuls can be dropped into the baking sheet hence the name – “drop biscuits.”
  • Some drop biscuits because of their large size and rough exterior texture are at times called ‘cat head’ biscuits.

Rolled Biscuits

  • Rolled biscuits differ from drop biscuits in that the dough is rolled out flat and cut into rounds.
  • When baked, the round shapes expand into flaky, layered cylinders.

Angel /Cowboy Biscuits

  • Angel biscuits are a biscuit made from fine (soft) flour and owes its tender, light and texture and airiness to three leavenings: yeast, baking powder, and baking soda.
  • It is the yeast that also gives it its nice
  • They are also called ‘brides ‘

Scones

  • It’s a single-serving quickbread usually made of wheat, barley or oatmeal with baking powder (not yeast) as a leavening agent and baked in sheet pans.
  • It’s often sweetened and glazed with egg wash.
  • The American-style scones usually possess a higher ratio of fat to flour than British scones which are more buttery with some add-ins like dried fruits, nuts, and chocolate.

Shortcakes

  • Shortcakes are a sweet biscuit that is topped with fruits (usually strawberries), juice-based syrup and cream.

Baking Tips For Biscuits

The backing is a science. Everything from the slightest changes in ingredients to cooking temperatures, time, etc. can either make or mar your recipe. To forestall any ugly occurrence while ensuring that your biscuits turn out perfect, observe these seemingly simple tips:

Make Out Enough Time

  • Be sure to give your baking the time it requires – never rush the process because a few minutes can make a whole lot of difference.
  • Undertake the baking only when you have created enough time for it.

Study Your Recipe

  • Carefully study the recipe in detail to ensure that all ingredients you need are both right and ready before commencing your baking.

Pre-Heat Your Oven

  • Turn your oven to preheat while you are putting the ingredients together being mindful to pre-heat newer ovens for about 14 minutes and older ones for 20 minutes. Preheating allows enough time for the center of the oven to heat thereby letting the biscuits bake evenly.

Weigh Ingredient Correctly

  • Use a kitchen scale to get your weights right as incorrectly-weighed ingredients can make your baking attempts disastrous.
  • Measuring implements such as cups, spoons, should be used.

Use The Right Equipment

  • Your recipe determines the type of equipment use – bakeware molds, pastry molds, silicone spatula are a few that you will need.

Room Temperature Is Key

  • If your recipe demands that ingredients such as butter, milk, be used at room temperature, strictly adhere to it.
  • You may let the ingredients stand on the counter for a while to come to room temperature.

Begin With Easy Recipes

  • It is advisable to start off with easy recipes and gradually delve into the more complex ones when you are more confident that you’ve gotten a good hang on baking.

Use An Oven Thermometer

  • An oven thermometer should be kept in the oven to be exact with the temperature as you move on because there’s always the possibility of the oven temperature going off especially if the oven is an aged

Chill Your Biscuit Dough

  • If certain firmness is needed for your biscuit dough especially chilling, be sure to do so before using as this not only enhances the flavor but also turns out solid and fluffy biscuits.

Use A Pastry Bag

  • Use a pastry bag, a scoop, or cookie press to make even, drop cookies as it helps keep your biscuits similar in size, shape, and texture.
  • Using a special biscuit drop-scoop can also help make your end product uniform in size and shape.
  • If baking just a sheet of cookie, ensure that you put the oven rack in the center position.
  • If you are planning to bake more than one sheet of cookies at a time, the cookies closest to the heat source brown faster. Therefore, rotate the cookie sheets during baking to avoid uneven browning / over-browning.

Keep Your Oven Doors Closed

  • Avoid a situation where you continually open and close the oven door this can ruin your biscuits.

Test For Doneness

  • In testing for doneness, use a combination of the toothpick method and checking the biscuits color.
  • You may also carefully touch the biscuits’ tops while pressing down slightly – if they pop back, then they are done.

Cool Your Biscuits Before Stacking

  • Let the biscuits cool awhile on the baking sheet before placing them on cooling racks ensuring that they are not close together to avoid sticking
  • Stack them on each other only when they’ve cooled completely.0something like saran wrap, double- wrap the cooking dough and put in a zippered bag.
  • Mark the container to indicate the recipe type and date of production.
  • Use within the recommended storage time for best flavor and texture.

Cooking Tip: Most dough and cookies can be stored in the freezer for up to 6weeks.

Clean Utensils With Warm Water

  • Use warm (not hot) water to clean the utensils and mixing bowls after baking since (if) your dough contains flour as hot water causes the flour to clump and harden thereby making utensils harder to clean.

Biscuit Recipes

Scone Recipes

 How Almost Homemade Can Make Your Thanksgiving Meal Healthy, Fast And Easy

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Benefits Of Almost Homemade Cooking:

Checks food wastage:

  • Almost homemade checks food spoilage and wastage as you incorporate items that are either too small for use or to be preserved into your dishes with no stress.

Higher nutritional value:

  • Almost homemade can be combined with prepackaged dishes in such a way that you either add or substitute the ingredients in order to beef up the nutritional value of some dishes while reducing the calories and fat levels.
  • Again, a particular ingredient in a prepackaged recipe that a family member is allergic to can be avoided by substituting it with other items from your stock. This can go a long way to checking food allergies and sensitization.
  • Many ingredients in products are chemicals which are detrimental to our bodies. In almost homemade, you can use natural ingredients that enhance color, taste For instance, pure vanilla, not artificial; real eggs not egg substitutes, butter not lard or margarine can be used.
  • You also have a chance of staying away from products that have been genetically altered to increase the size and some other factors by opting for organically grown items for your combinations.
  • In almost homemade, you to some extent put a check on not only the ingredients used in preparing the dish but also on how much of it you consume.

Makes for variety:

  • Fresh vegetables can be added to prepackaged dishes to create variations on a dish.

More servings from the same quantity:

  • You can have more servings from the same quantity of stock if you augment the prepackaged store-bought item with stocks like meat, fruit, and vegetables.

Brings the family together:

  • Almost homemade creates an opportunity for the family to spend time together. This has the advantage of not only letting the children learn about food preparation as they help either by reading the recipe aloud or by mixing some ingredients for use in the meal preparation.
  • More so, as they cook and eat meals together as a family, parents get the chance to groom the children on both healthy eating habits and good table manners.

 Money-saving:

  • With just a few selected items from the store, you can combine some fresh ingredients from your stock thereby spending less than you would have if everything were to be bought from the store.

Portion-control:

In almost homemade, you can regulate your food portions unlike in restaurants and fast food joints where you are usually tempted to eat almost everything that you are served.

Relieves stress:

  • Almost homemade can be both pleasurable and relaxing as both cooking and cleaning involve exercise and every form of exercise reduces one’s dopamine level as well as other mood-enhancing hormones.

Enhances creativity:

  • Almost homemade gives you the chance to be imaginative, creative and artistic. As you look forward to great recipes, you will try out ingredients that you have probably never used before.
  • You may also attempt making something that is usually in one form in a different form altogether.

How To Make Prepackaged Recipes Healthier

A good prepackaged recipe should have ‘real food’ ingredients. In other words, it should have carbohydrates, proteins, and fats which combine not only to keep you fuller for longer periods but also give better blood sugar control and a broader spectrum of nutrition. This implies that it should be low in sugar, low in salts, trans-fat-free while tasting great.

The saturated fat content should be 3grams or less to make for a healthy heart.

The sodium content should be in the range of 500-600mg ie 2300mg daily for healthy people. For someone who eats four meals daily, that is 575mg per meal.

Basically, a healthy prepackaged recipe should be one that you can recreate in your own kitchen.

Armed with these facts, you need to look for recognizable natural ingredients in your store-bought  prepackaged recipe and follow these tips as you substitute or exclude certain ingredients altogether while giving your meals a taste and nutrition boost:

The Traditional Recipe for Roasted Turkey Dish

Turkey is a naturally lean source of protein. To make the traditional recipe for roasted turkey dish healthier, you should:

  • Remove any excess skin to reduce fat further.
  • Cut the salt content in half.
  • Add more of the flavored herbs: rosemary, oregano, and parsley.

The Traditional Recipe for Mashed Potato Dish

Mashed potatoes are naturally calorie-dense, particularly in carbohydrates. To make this dish healthier:

  • Substitute potato with cauliflower as you’ll be eating enough of starch in the course of the Thanksgiving day. This substitution really cuts down on carbohydrate and calories.
  • Substitute whole for skim milk and exclude butter so as to reduce total fat. This not only cuts down on the fats but specifically the saturated fats. It cuts 27 calories, and with the exclusion of cheese, cuts an additional 26 calories.
  • Substitute butter with trans-fat free margarine so as to decrease saturated fat, as butter is a tasty killer in the recipe due to its high-fat

Cooking Tip: For creamy mashed potato fans who love the texture, without the added regular cheese fats, Laughing Cow Cheese is recommended.

The Traditional Recipe for Stuffing

Due to the very high carbohydrate content of Stuffing:

  • Substitute the white bread with 100 percent whole wheat bread so as to increase fiber.
  • Substitute butter with olive oil, vegetable oil, or unsalted butter (my personal choice).
  • Add fruit such as diced apple, diced prunes, golden raisins.
  • Add additional diced fresh celery

Cooking Tip: A tablespoon of butter is equivalent to 2 teaspoons of olive oil.

A List Of Thanksgiving Day Almost Homemade Recipe Ideas

Related References