I’ve been having a lot of fun using my new KitchenAid Artisan mixer. There is so much more that you can do with a mixer and it has a lot of diversity. I always knew I could use it for mixing cookie dough and cake batters. But the other items you can make with it is what surprised me. The most shocking was ice cream. I know that there’s several different types of ice cream makers available on the market so considering to use a stand mixer for ice cream was thinking out of the box for me. However once I read the directions I thought it might be a fun activity to try out with my kids. The kids enjoyed it and though it is not something that I would do every day. We had a lot of fun. But in all honesty I’ll probably just buy another 1.5 quart ice cream carton the next time I hit the grocery store.
Archive for the ‘Cooking’ Category
Ice Cream Making with KitchenAid Artsian Mixer
Friday, February 10th, 2012The Best Cookware for Batters and Eggs
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012There’s a lot to read about the best cookware on our website, at the-best-cookware.com. I guess I would say I’m more of a breakfast maker. Dinners can be left up to my husband. Breakfast around my house usually consists of eggs, omlets, pancakes, waffles, crepes or any combination of the above. The thing is, you need to have a slippery surface with a lot of these dishes. That’s why nonstick is the best choice for these types of foods. The same goes for sandwiches. A grilled cheese sandwich can scorch quickly unless it’s cooked on nonstick. The best batters like crepes and pancakes won’t work well on anything other than nonstick. It just is the best for certain dishes. I found a large nonstick griddle that I use right on the stovetop. That is a great piece for pancakes. Crepes and omelettes work perfectly in the small fry pan. I love nonstick and it’s so easy to clean. Take care by using the right utensils and nonstick may be the best cookware ever.
Cook Yourself Thin Cookbook – the Dieters Savior!
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
People who are engaged in a diet program usually eat less, because in order to lose weight, they need to minimize the intake of carbohydrates and sugar. As a result, they also need to dent themselves of foods like pizza, pastas and sweet desserts. This is the common reason why people who are into a diet program are always tempted to break such a strict regimen; but no more! I present Cook Yourself Thin Cookbook! This cookbook contains numerous culinary choices of rich and tasty food especially tailored for individuals who need tasty yet healthy food. This means that you can enjoy eating delicious meals without worrying about increasing your weight. This is possible because the recipes in this cookbook can provide a rich and tasty alternative without the fats and carbohydrates of the original recipe. This is because the original fat containing ingredients are substituted by healthier ones. Now it is possible to stay slim even without the hardship of not eating delicious food.
Spend Great Time with Meal Delivery
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
I know my sister have been anticipating her husband’s 35th birthday next week and she seems to be having a hard time figuring out what to gift him. In fact, she has been searching online for the perfect gift for his husband. Some of her friends have given their own suggestions, but she seems not satisfied. So, I tried to convince her to order gourmet food gifts instead from Meal Delivery services. I think it would be the perfect way to make him feel special. She could also add more romance to it by setting up a lovely romantic ambiance and dinner set up and goes for a late night movie. She said that she liked the idea, so she immediately phoned a meal company. She ordered her husband’s favorite dishes, like Italian and Mexican dishes. She also bought materials for her dinner set up, such as scented candles and beautiful roses. I know that both of them would enjoy that perfect time together.
I Want My Own Juicer
Saturday, October 29th, 2011I might look into the best juicer that I can have. This is something that I have been thinking about for a bit. I have seen my friends go on juice diets, and I am quite impressed. I want to achieve the same things that they did. I am quite excited about it all, and I know that they made it possible because they had good juicers to help them out in their progress. This is something that I want for myself too. It is hard enough to want to lose weight, but it is harder to see my friends losing weight and looking good when they did not even mean to. All they did was bought a juicer, and everything just went well for them from there. I know how important this is to me. I am definitely enjoying their progress, and hoping for the same for myself when I get my own juicer.
Breville Juicer Aids in Digestion
Saturday, October 8th, 2011With the use of a Breville Juicer, a person can receive many nutrients that are missing from their digestive systems. For example many enzymes that are found in foods are often cooked away. This results in the body being unable to pull out all of the useful nutrients from foods that are digested. As a result only about seventy fiver percent of all food ingested is digested properly. A juicer can help replace these missing enzymes in order to adequately absorb the important nutrients. As a result, a person will begin to notice certain changes within their bodies. For example, the feelings of heartburn or indigestion will disappear. An individual will begin to feel more energetic because their body is able to receive more energy to supply their body. If an individual has certain food allergies, the addition of enzymes will help them build up some what of a better tolerance.
Support the Ice Cream Maker
Monday, September 12th, 2011There are many things which deserve our support. Among the numerous things like going green, conserving our forests and preserving whales there is one thing which escapes our notice and this is our dedication to the ice cream and the ice cream maker. It is not everyone who likes sweets or keeps a special place for snacks and savories. It is thus a moot point whether the average Joe will think twice about dedicating, say, 10 minutes of his life a week for bettering these culinary rulers. If all of us were to become callous towards the confectionery creation, it is sure to lead man towards ruin. We should sit up and take notice of these things, which have more than a good following and push the good thing along. We do not have to get ourselves an ice cream maker, but we could reaffirm our faith towards these great pieces of art.
How to Make Your Baking That Extra Special
Thursday, August 18th, 2011Many people love baking however there is always that desire to elevate your humble ‘home made’ baking to a more sophisticated affair. This can be done in many ways and doesn’t involve having to invest a huge range of professional baking equipment! In fact there is now a wide range of professional bakeries who sell a variety of decorations and accessories from chocolate cake decorations to sugar flowers and edible glitter to help you elevate your home baking to a professional affair without the significant cost normally associated with buying in similar products. There are huge advantages to sourcing your cake decorations from a professional cake maker such as the ability to get added extras such as sugar flowers and wafer decorations which are normally confined to the ability of a skilled baker. This is not to say that home baking and home made food is substandard to bought in products however that doesn’t mean that for those special occasions you cannot aspire to create that something ‘extra special’!
Why You Should Purchase the Zojirushi Induction Np-hbc18?
Sunday, August 14th, 2011There are so many rice cookers in the market nowadays. Some would only cook 5 rice but the Zojirushi induction np-hbc18 has ten-cup capacity. With this, you will be able to cook large quantity of rice. This rice cooker is very ideal for large families. Also, if you host a party or gathering, you will definitely find this rice cooker helpful as it would really cook for more people. The features of this rice cooker are actually similar to the smaller Zojirushi rice cookers and they only differ in size and capacity. This rice cooker would do all the cooking process for you and with this, you wouldn’t have to monitor on it when you cook your rice. You can just leave it there and you just have to check on it when you’re ready to eat. This rice cooker is capable of giving you better tasting rice and that is because of the induction heating technology. Not all rice cookers have this technology and when a rice cooker has this, it is expected that it would be costly.
Quinoa Salad Recipes: the Basics of Cooking Quinoa Salad with Baked Marinated Tofu
Monday, July 11th, 2011If easy quinoa recipes are what you are thinking of researching, then you should never fail to consider preparing the quinoa salad with baked marinated tofu. This is one of the many quinoa salad recipes that are deeply enjoyed by a lot of health enthusiasts at present. For the salad, you will need uncooked quinoa, firm tofu, salt, cayenne, balsamic vinegar, sesame seeds, red or green lettuce leaves, roasted almonds, diced celery ribs, fresh and chopped cilantro and bell pepper. For the marinade, the ingredients that you will need would be tamari, Dijon mustard, water, minced garlic clove, nutritional yeast, cayenne and honey.
To prepare, the tofu is pressed until you get most of its water. Roast almonds and set aside. Start making the marinade. After pressing tofu, it should be cut in eight equal pieces. Place it in a dish and pour the marinade. Make sure that the marinade covers all of the tofu slices. Set it aside for about one hour. The next step is to preheat your oven. Bake the tofu for about forty five minutes. While baking, the quinoa should be rinsed. After that, you need to place filtered water with cayenne and salt in a pot. Boil it and add the rinsed quinoa. Cover the pot and boil the mixture again. After that, you need to simmer the mixture for about fifteen minutes. Once done, the pot can be removed from heat. Set it aside for about fifteen minutes without uncovering.
The next step is to transfer the cooked quinoa in a dish or a platter to cool. Once it cools, then crumble baked tofu slices in it. Add diced bell pepper, celery, cilantro, balsamic vinegar and almonds into it. Season the salad with salt and mix well. You can then start lining the dish with lettuce. Spoon the salad into the lettuce and use red pepper strips and sesame seeds for its garnish. Serve.
Giant Cookie Pizza Using Vegan Cream Cheese a Treat for All
Saturday, July 9th, 2011In order to make a treat for the entire family to enjoy, you need little more than your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, some cream cheese and berries in season. Grab a pizza stone and fix this delicious dessert in no time, and the smiling faces and satisfied tummies will be thanks for effort you put in! (You may substitute vegan cream cheese and other non-dairy items if you wish.)
1 roll chocolate chip cookie dough (or your favorite prepared chocolate chip cookie recipe, halved)
1 8-oz container cream cheese or substitute, softened
½ cup sugar
1 tsp water
1 cup mixed strawberries, blueberries, raspberries (whatever is in season), sliced
whipped topping of your choice
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a pizza stone or baking pan, spread out the cookie dough and press into a round shape, keeping to about a ½ inch thickness. Bake the cookie dough for 15 minutes, checking for doneness, which is evident when the edges begin to turn brown. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once the cookie is cool, prepare topping. Mix softened cream cheese and sugar, adding the teaspoon of water if necessary to make the mixture very smooth but not liquid. Spread the cream cheese on top of the cookie evenly. Arrange sliced berries as desired. You may want to arrange in a circular fashion by color, creating a design. Add whipped topping right before serving.
Another great dessert that also includes cream cheese is of course cheesecake. Similar to this dish, you can substitute vegan or vegetarian cream cheese in place of cow’s milk cream cheese if desired. There are many blogs online that specialize in vegetarian recipes. If you would like to broaden your vegetarian cooking horizons, consider checking out one of the blogs or purchase a vegetarian dessert cookbook for more ideas.
Buying a New Grill
Sunday, June 26th, 2011I am thinking of buying a new grill but I am not sure which one to get. Although I did like the features of the grill that we have at home, I am considering getting a grill from a different brand. I already have a few grills that I am interested in. I read about these in a food magazine and I really like its features. However, I will have to read more reviews about it online to know what its advantages as well as disadvantages are. I have a friend who recommended the new Weber Q220 gas grill so I will definitely check that out as well. I will be going to the retail store within the week to shop for a new grill. It would be nice though if I can find a great deal for any of the grills that I am thinking of buying. I can’t wait to use a new one at home.
Choosing Silicone Cookware
Monday, May 16th, 2011Silicone cookware comes in so many different styles, as does traditional cookware, it is just a case of finding the right pieces of silicone bakeware for your needs. With everything from cake moulds through to spatulas, the ranges on offer are extensive, so you will never be short of choice. Once you have a good idea of what you are looking for, you are sure to be able to find the perfect piece.
Depending on whether you are just looking to add some new pieces to your collection, or whether you are looking for something specific to use with a certain recipe, you will be able to choose from a huge range of cake moulds, muffin trays, bread tins and much more. You will find all the standard measurements for cake tins are available in silicone, so for instance if you are looking for an 8 inch cake tin, you will be able to find an 8 inch silicone cake mould as an alternative.
Going Green with Smoothies
Thursday, April 7th, 2011Usually, when you hear about people going green, the first things that come to mind are the environmentalists promoting the use of natural sources for energy. Well, that is not just for the environment, but it is for your body, too. Clean eating involves consuming all natural foods so that your body can maximize the nutrients the food has, giving you natural sources of energy. One way to consume clean foods is through smoothies. Most of the time, fruits are used in smoothie recipes. But green smoothies are also on the rise where you add green vegetables in your usual smoothie. So what else can this kind of smoothie offer you?
Well, if you are already consuming your daily requirement of fruits, why not add the vegetables as well? After adding your favorite fruits in the smoothie, you can add a little of the greens if you do not like vegetables much. In this way, the flavors of the vegetables are overpowered by the fruits. Therefore, you get to enjoy your favorite smoothie, but at the same time you are able to make your smoothie healthier.
Turning your smoothies green can also help you maximize the nutrients you can get from vegetables. Most of the time, vegetables come out of you the way it was when it entered you. Greens are tough to digest and usually they just pass by your intestines. But by blending the vegetables into a smoothie, your stomach will be able to digest the greens much easier since they were already broken down by the blender. You also get to absorb more of the greens’ nutrients.
Finally, green smoothies are able to alkalize your body. The food that you might be eating may be high in acidity. But if you are consuming green smoothies, your body’s pH level can be stabilized. This will lessen the risk of acid leaching the calcium from your bones.
Gluten Free Gift Baskets: Gift Ideas That Its Recipients Will Love
Saturday, March 26th, 2011Foods are always considered to be great gifts especially if these are cheerfully and artfully wrapped in a gift basket. The recipients of these gifts will surely love it. However, if you wish to offer such gift basket to someone who is gluten-sensitive, then you must be very careful in choosing its contents. You have to make sure that you have placed into the gift basket foods that are gluten free. Here are a few ideas if you wish to offer gluten free gift baskets:
1. Cookies. Gluten-free cookies are known to create a perfect gift. You can choose to either create them yourself or buy from specialty shops. If you decide to make it, make sure that you use gluten free cookie mix for it.
2. Quinoa. This is also among the best gifts that can be included in your gift basket. This is considered to be very healthy so you will never worry about damaging the health of the person you are giving it to. You can also expect its recipient to create a variety of recipes from it.
3. Fruits. These are considered to be great gifts as they are known to be naturally free of wheat. Fruits like apples, kiwi, bananas, pineapple and oranges can be included in your gift basket and you can expect its recipients to love them.
4. Mixed Nuts. These are only good if the person you are giving these does not have any forms of allergy with nuts. If you have chosen to include this in your basket, make sure that you read its labels first. Check if there are added ingredients in the nuts to ensure that it is indeed free of gluten.
These are just few of the many gluten free gift baskets ideas that you can try to give to those people who are close to you. By offering these gift baskets to them, you can expect to see genuine smiles on their faces.
The Makings of the Best Charcoal Grill
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011What makes the best charcoal grill? Does it have to have a lid? Will the large grilling area suffice for the high price place on it? Does it have add-on features that make your grilling preparation a lot easier compared with the others? Picking the right charcoal grill, to say the least, would need a lot of input from the buyer himself. A little research will also help him reckon what he needs in a charcoal grill. There are many features that different brands offer. What makes it most difficult is that the features that we want may not be all present in a single brand. Not all charcoal grills have gas ignition system, or a temperature control that makes it work wonders. Sometimes, the presence of spectacular features may compromise the grilling area, which would actually prolong your cooking time especially when you want to grill in large quantities. There are a lot of considerations that we have to look into when looking for the best charcoal grill.
Use Coupons to Save on Food Items
Thursday, January 13th, 2011Coupons are attractive and an excellent way to save hundred of bucks each year. There are number of websites on an internet that provides grocery coupons to print, you just have to go through number of websites which will take few minutes of your precious time. You can also find these coupons in the news papers and magazines but the easiest way to search for a free coupon online is to open any search engine and enter “food coupons” in the search bar before hitting the search button. You can also look for a big company on the internet, sign up for their newsletter and they will send you a free coupon or discount vouchers to your email address as a token of gift. The food coupons can be in any form; they can come in a cash back offer or buy one get one free offer. You’ll save money in both offers. You can use these coupons online or any of the nearest food chain or grocery store.
Give Cooking Quinoa a Try!
Friday, November 19th, 2010Quinoa is a food that I came across a few years back and one that I really enjoy using in cooking. I find that my family likes it so much that we are always trying to find new ways to used it. I love the fact that it is so healthy and makes it so easy for me to give my family foods that do not have unnecessary preservatives. Not only is it easy to prepare, but it can also be used in many different ways.
If you are new to quinoa, the first thing that you probably want to know is how to cook quinoa. Learning to cook something new can be very intimidating, especially if you are not all that skilled in the kitchen. The good news is that there is nothing complicated in the cooking quinoa process. One thing that you may not know, however, is that quinoa must be rinsed prior to cooking. Once the quinoa is rinsed just bring it to a boil in a pot with twice as much liquid as quinoa. Cover and cook at a simmer for fifteen minutes.
Once I have cooked my quinoa I can think about what type of dish that I want to add it to. I am always trying to get my family to eat more vegetables and one thing that we really enjoy is a good stir fry recipe. To make it even healthier I will add in a cup of cooked quinoa in the last few minutes of cooking. Another great way to enjoy quinoa is in soups. If you have a favorite soup recipe that is creamy, you can still get all the health benefits of quinoa by using quinoa flour as the thickener. Or, if you have a soup that normally would call for rice or pasta, just add in quinoa instead.
Cooking King Crab Legs in the Oven
Monday, October 11th, 2010King Crab Legs are a delicious and luxurious tasting treat which can be found in the frozen food section of good food shops, or ordered online from frozen seafood specialists.
There are several different methods of cooking King Crab Legs. My preferred method is cooking King Crab Legs in the oven.
When cooking King Crab Legs it is important to first ensure they are defrosted. You can do this by leaving them on a plate in the fridge over night.
Cooking King Crab Legs in the oven is usually easier as boiling and steaming require a very large pan, which many homes do not have available.
To cook, set your oven to high and spread the King Crab Legs in a single layer on a baking tray and add about a centimetre of water . Cover with aluminium foil and bake for around 15 minutes. You can test that the crab legs are heated through by pushing a sharp knife or metal skewer into the joint, if the blade feels hot, the meat is warmed through.
The Tassimo Hot Beverage System is No Ordinary Coffee Brewer
Tuesday, September 28th, 2010You don’t get to fully enjoy the pleasure in every cup of coffee you get from your old traditional coffee brewer. There’s just so much hassle and mess when brewing with that old brewer of yours. Then it is time to make a change and choose Tassimo.
With a Tassimo coffee maker, you can brew coffee without leaving any mess and without feeling any hassle at all. It only takes less than a minute to be able to brew a cup of coffee when you have Tassimo. The Tassimo brewer should be more appropriately called as a hot beverage system rather than just a coffee brewer. The Tassimo hot beverage system can also make other hot beverages like tea and hot chocolate other than just coffee. Making latte and cappuccino can also be prepared with Tassimo. All these are made possible with the use of its special pods called the Tassimo T discs.
The Tassimo T Disc contains just the right amount that is needed to make that one cup of drink. Tassimo can only brew one cup of drink at a time taking about less than a minute for each cup. This is more practical since you get to brew as much cups as you can consume. With everything that is necessary for brewing sealed and contained in every disc, you have nothing left to do but place the disc inside the brewing machine and press a button.
The brewing process starts with the brewing machine scanning the bar code that is printed on the label of each Tassimo T disc. The brewing machine then adjusts some of the brewing processes according to the bar code. With the use of the bar code, every different drink is brewed perfectly. No matter what time you want to have a drink, you can easily make one cup with a Tassimo brewer.
Delight more in every cup of drink that you make with a Tassimo. You don’t get to experience any hassle while making all the different drinks that you want and you get to even share more great tasting cups of hot drinks with everyone else.