27 not just mores Recipes

two-bite brownies bites (available at most grocery bakeries or places like costco and sam s club), fluffy white frosting (do not substitute regular white frosting as it is not the same consistency as the whipped fluffy variety), made from scratch chocolate frosting, powdered sugar, melted butter, more of cocoa (depending on how chocolate-y you like it), vanilla extract, half and half , to make it spreadable

any liquid can be reduced just by heating it - but why would you want to do that, answer comes back to two of our old friends, flavor and consistency (texture)., by reducing any flavored liquid you intensify its flavor and at the same time thicken it. you can continue this process until what you have left is a syrup if it contains sugar, or a sauce if it does not., this is 1 of the most important tools in the kitchen , believe it or not, because a great sauce can rescue an indifferent meal., literally any liquid can be reduced ., a few uses, wine is frequently used in cooking , both as a marinade and as an addition to sauces for meat., there are some problems with it though, 1 of which is that you need a really good wine and quite a lot of it to produce a reasonable sauce for, say, six people., on the other hand , if you use pure grape juice and reduce it to a syrup, that syrup, added to any sauce (or gravy if you prefer) will lift it into the realms of gourmet ., more , you don tsp have to make your reduction on the night you prepare your meal. you can reduce a liter of grape juice at any time to the consistency and flavor you want; then just store it in the fridge., you can do the same thing with any fruit juice - prune is sensational - and store it until needed. just about all of them will do things for ice cream, pies or tarts that will have your guests demanding the recipe, pork with apple sauce use a carton of fresh apple juice from the supermarket and reduce it. and if you want a real sensation add in a glass of apple brandy during the reduction process., are you getting an idea of how simple this is, take any carton of fresh stock straight of the shelf and reduce it. you will transform it into something even the manufacturer won tsp recognize. but beware, you need to start out with good quality in the first place, because when you reduce a liquid you intensify all the flavors, and not just the good ones., if it s salty to start with, for example, it will be salty beyond belief by the time you ve reduced it even by half. so if you are going to use a supermarket stock, make sure it s an extremely good 1., believe me when i tell you that stock cubes should not be used for reduction sauces., thickeners, because you will be tasting as you go (won tsp you ), you may find that you get the flavor you want before the desired consistency is reached., a couple of hints right now for your sauces., sweet ones can be thickened successfully without loss of color by adding in liquid glucose early on in the reduction process. surprisingly, this will add little in the way of sweetness and produces a beautiful velvety sauce when whisked., if you get it wrong and add too much, no problem. stir in a little extra water to thin it., reduction pans, reductions need to happen rapidly in serving to preserve flavors. and the greater the surface area of the liquid the faster the water will evaporate., however you may want to whisk something into the sauce while its cooking - such as butter or olive oil for example - and for that i find a small wok is best; 1 with a handle., a wok is less likely to reduce so fast that the sauce is burnt while your back is turned. but try both methods and see which you prefer. you may even end up using something totally different., no magic to this. whatever works for you, that s what you should use, in this and everything else to do with cooking., just bear in mind that what you re after is speed and ease of use. as well as a great tasting result, of course. :>), keeping, if they should dry out , simply add a little water and heat through., sauces containing meat juices of any kind must be frozen if you re going to keep them, and should be brought to boiling point before being used again. there is no need to thaw them out to do this, in fact it s better not to. simply drop the frozen cubes into a saucepan, melt them over a gentle heat, and then bring swiftly to the boil., why do you do this to avoid food poisoning, that s why. you are making sure that any bugs introduced into the sauce during the preparation process are killed off., worry , this will not be because of anything you have done wrong (i hope!), but because bacteria are part of our everyday lives and they exist in every kitchen, however clean., in fact your food , and especially your meat, is crawling with wildlife that you will never see. don tsp worry about them. careful handling and simple precautions will ensure that these miniature monsters can never multiply enough to harm either you or your guests.

broccoli floret, mushroom, sliced, zucchini (leave the skins on for more colour and nutrition), red pepper, sliced (you can use green if you prefer , but the red just adds to the colour!), peas (fresh or frozen, just not canned ), olive oil, garlic cloves, minced, margarine, fat-free evaporated milk, low-fat parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, chopped (it would probably be best not to substitute for dried parsley), angel hair pasta

extra large egg (egg white only), cornstarch, soy sauce, boneless skinless chicken, cut in 1-inch bite size pieces (i use a mix of thighs and breasts), sesame oil (to saute the chicken), peanut oil , to saute the chicken (vegetable or canola oil will work fine, do not use olive oil), unsalted whole cashews, peanut oil (vegetable or canola oil will work fine, do not use olive oil), soy sauce, chicken broth, sherry wine (do not use cooking sherry or cream sherry, just use a cook dry sherry), sugar, red pepper, very very thin sliced in 1-2-inch pieces, diced scallion, white and green parts, crushed red pepper flakes, rice (use your favorite, i serve about 1 cup per person, you can make more if you like ), water chestnuts, cut in thin strips

fresh baby asparagus (you ll need about 18 stalks depending upon size), chopped scallions (2 or 3 stalks ) or 1/3 cup fresh sliced chives, slightly beaten eggs, flour, half-n-half , light cream or milk, frozen spinach - drained really well of its water and thawed, shredded cheese , use a combination of two or more cheeses such as goat, swiss and gouda or swiss, cheddar and monteray jack for some pizazz., pie crust (pre-made ok to use...so it s ok to cheat on this step my peeps), salt, fresh cracked pepper, garlic powder, nutmeg (preferably fresh if possible), homemade rustic pastry shell, flour, salt, chilled shortening, butter, freshly grated parmasean cheese, equipment needed : 1 working oven at 450 to start, fresh chicken eggs just laid (just kidding), bag of dried beans out of their plastic, tin foil to help with baking pie shell blind (not you but the pie shell of course), steamer for asparagus, couple of bowls to make work easier and a cookie sheet to make clean up easier by placing cookie sheet under pastry shell when baking quiche in avoiding any spills that may occur.

lemons , juice of, olive oil, garlic cloves, peeled and roughly diced, fresh oregano, minced, salt (to taste), chicken breasts or 1 lb chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces, whole milk yogurt (you can use low or no fat, but it isn tsp as creamy then), lemon , juice of, cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced (use more if you like , i m not the biggest cucumber fan, so i just use a little for crunch), garlic cloves, finely minced, salt (to taste), cooked pita breads, tomato, cut into 16 wedges, white onion , cut into vertical slices, wooden skewer (soak for 30 minutes before using), aluminum foil , 12-inch square, cut in half diagonally into triangles

steamers (soft-shelled clams; less than 2 inches in diameter), shallot, unsalted butter, beer (not dark ), chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves, easy to make more per person for a crowd, just double

warm water, honey (or sugar), active dry yeast (not the quick rise, just regular), bread flour, whole wheat flour (pillsbury has a very nice whole wheat), salt, olive oil (plus more to oil the pan)

biscuit mix (i use my own mix), milk, sugar, vanilla, egg, crushed graham cracker , per serving, chocolate chips , per serving, marshmallow creme , per serving

risotto with sausage and cranberry beans, make risotto , you absolutely must use a specific type of rice called arborio rice (carnaroli and vialone nano are also used, some say superior, but are more difficult to find). these types of rice release starch when stirred in a liquid; it is this process which makes risotto, otherwise you just have a starchy mess of mush. these types of rice are identified by their fat round grains and pearly appearance. they can be used to make other sorts of rice dishes, such as pilaf, but other types of rice cannot be used for risotto. arborio is no longer that much of a specialty product; it can be found in most large, well-stocked grocery stores in the italian section. or sometimes, misguidedly, in the asian section., okay , so now we have the rice. you will also need some good, low-salt stock or broth - it should be low-salt not for health reasons, but because a good deal of it will evaporate, leaving its salt behind, and i like to have more control over the salt in a dish. it can be homemade, but i m not going to be a snob about it because, in truth, we go through gallons of store-bought stock in this household and i don tsp see that changing anytime soon. furthermore, risotto is actually a dish which can be whipped up out of thin air when it seems as though you have nothing to eat, as long as you have butter, rice, stock, maybe a few herbs, and some leftover parmesan. i like the kind of stock purchased in tetrapak cartons, because they are resealable and can be put in the fridge and used as needed. if you really want to use homemade but you don tsp have time to make stock or don tsp like the aroma of roasting bones in your house (i don tsp blame you), you can buy really great stock at north market poultry and game - it is expensive, but can be diluted with a 2- or 3-to-1 ratio of water to stock, so it stretches. my general guideline is to plan on 1/4 cup dry rice per person, and about 4 cups of stock to 1 cup of rice. of course, this isn tsp exact and will vary depending on your elevation and the phases of the moon, but it s a good place to start. i usually just use 4 cups of stock and then dilute with water or wine (or sometimes beer, if that s all i have) if i feel i m going to run out., well, we have rice and stock covered, now we just need our setup: place the stock in a saucepan on your rear burner, bring to a simmer, and leave it there with a 6-8 oz ladle in, and place a large, wide saute pan (must be really large, plan that your rice will at least quadruple in size) or dutch oven on the burner in front. get out your favorite wooden spoon and flex your stirring arm., nice thing about using sausage is it s so full of flavor you can leave out the usual onion/garlic/shallot/celery nonsense if you re tired and don tsp feel like chopping. furthermore, sausage goes from the freezer to the pan without suffering too much. okay, let s go, risotto with sausage and cranberry beans - serves 4, links italian sausage , or 1 lb bulk (or hot, or a combination - definitely with some fennel), casings removed, cooked cranberry beans or 1 can white beans, drained, arborio rice, beef , chicken or vegetable stock, butter, freshly, finely grated parmesan cheese , plus more for garnish, an oz) flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely, lemon juice , or juice from 1/2 lemon, salt and black pepper to taste, red pepper flakes to taste, optional, good balsamic vinegar , optional

chinese cabbage, thinly sliced or coarsely chopped ,as desired (napa cabbage, not bok choy), coarsely shredded raw carrot, scallion , including tops cut lengthwise several times,then into 1 inch pieces (green onions), water chestnuts , rinsed under very hot tap water,drained,and sliced, toasted sesame seeds, extra virgin olive oil (i use olive oil even though it isn tsp oriental, just tastier and better for you), toasted sesame oil , to taste, sugar, chopped fresh cilantro leaves, salt, more to taste, fresh ground black pepper, more to taste, ground ginger, more to taste, rice vinegar or 1/4 cup white wine vinegar, more to taste, soy sauce, more to taste, distilled vinegar, to taste (if needed to adjust tartness) (optional)

directions here are for mixing the dough in a bread machine, but baking it in your oven. if you need different directions, just message me and i will send them to you. (am using my bread machine as kitchenaide is out of commission right now)., way i added more nutrition & flavor to this loaf was by soaking my grains overnight, then adding them to machine (original recipe does not call for added grains). using a 1 cup measuring cup, i filled it 3/4 of the way full with a mixture of brown rice flour, quinoa and barley flakes (looks like oatmeal)-i dumped that into a dish and added 1/2 cup of warm water, stirred it around, and let it sit (covered) overnight so that the grains could absorb the water. i ve been reading a lot about grain (and whole grain flour soaking) and so far, this seems to have served me well. you can use any combination of whole grains-this is just what i used. next day when i was ready to make bread, i did this, i set my machine on the dough (or manual) cycle and layered these ingredients in the bread machine in the following serving, warm water, molasses, sugar, kosher salt, lemon juice (bottled ok-it helps the yeast and helps crumb be less tender), oil, whole grain mix i created, rye flour, vital wheat gluten (flour), bread flour (i usually use just a speck over 2 & 1/2 cups), active dry yeast (yes, 6 tsp), also need, egg wash to brush on top (1 egg, beaten well with a pinch of salt and a tsp of water) & oat bran to sprinkle on top & make it pretty., once the ingredients are in , press start and let your machine run thru the dough cycle., once that s complete , remove dough divide it in half, shape it freeform (i just make a round loaf), place shaped loaves on parchment lined baking sheet. cover dough with plastic wrap and let it rise until almost double in size (about an hour in my kitchen). when dough nears the end of it s rising time, preheat the oven to 375o (i bake it at 365o, but i m a bit neurotic about bread)., once oven is heated , brush loaves with egg wash, dust them with oat bran, score/slash them about 1/4 deep and load them into oven., bake 375o for about 30-35 minutes until loaf sounds hollow when bottom is tapped (or for 38-40 minutes at 365o)., cool on wire rack .

bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened and make sure it has at least 60% cocoa percentage), unsalted butter, at room temperature, eggs, at room temperature, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla extract, brewed espresso (you can add more or you can just not add it at all.....regular brewed or instant coffee will do just), kosher salt, all-purpose flour

flemish beef stew, american-style beer is used in this recipe. if you want to try another beer, go for a belgian ale - an imported pilsner might be too bitter., beef chuck, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch cubes, salt, black pepper, vegetable oil, unsalted butter, onions (6 to 8 medium), chopped (7 cups), turkish or 1 1/2 california bay leaves, pilsner-style beer such as budweiser, dijon mustard, thick) slices country-style bread, beef dry and sprinkle with pepper and 1/2 tsp salt., heat oil and butter in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown beef in 2 to 3 batches (without crowding), turning over once, until dark brown, about 5 minutes. transfer to a plate., add onions and remaining 1/4 tsp salt to pot and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally and scraping up brown bits from bottom of pot, until pale golden, about 5 minutes. reduce heat to moderately low and cover pot, then cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden, about 10 minutes more., add beef along with any juices on plate, bay leaves, and beer and bring to a simmer., meanwhile , spread 1 tbsp mustard on each side of bread slices, then place bread on top of stew. simmer stew, covered, until beef is very tender, about 2 hours., just before serving, stir bread into stew, breaking it up with a spoon, until it is incorporated and stew is thickened. season with salt., stew can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. reheat over moderate heat., makes 6 to 8 main-course servings.

mayonnaise (best foods aka hellmans east of the mississippi), fresh buttermilk, sour cream, garlic granules, onion powder, blue cheese (or more to taste, crumbled , try rogue creamery s bleu vein or oregonzola), mild feta cheese (crumbled, or to taste. use plain, not seasoned or in oil), dill seed, dill weed, lemon pepper, parsley (fresh, chopped ), fresh ground black pepper, parmesan cheese (freshly grated parmegiano reggiano, if you have it, just, please, not that stuff in a shaker can)

elbow macaroni, green peppers, fine chopped, red peppers, fine chopped, onion, fine chopped, scallion, chopped (1 cup after chopping), sharp cheddar cheese (more or less to taste), salsa (not chunky, just a basic medium heat , use mild if you don tsp want any heat), sour cream , depending on how creamy you like the salad (i have used low fat, but don tsp use no fat), fresh lime juice, limes , zested, fresh cilantro, fine chopped, ground cumin, salt, pepper

black beans, drained (not rinsed ), chipotle chiles in adobo, diced fine (more or less according to taste), onion, diced fine, minced garlic, salsa (i prefer a that is not chunky), tequila, cumin, chili powder (more or less to taste), olive oil to saute the onion and garlic, salt, pepper, monterey jack pepper cheese, grated, avocados, diced and a light mash (or 3 small), sour cream (no low fat), chipotle chile in adobo (just the sauce), lime juice, minced garlic, fresh cilantro, diced fine, salt, pepper, black olives, sliced, grated onions, tequila, olive oil

avocado, chopped, corn, drained (or 1-1/2cup frozen corn cooked drained and cooled), black beans, rinsed and drained, ripe tomato, seeded and chopped (more if you like ), purple onion, chopped, green pepper, chopped, cilantro, chopped, olive oil, red wine vinegar or 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, good seasons italian dressing (just the dry spices, not prepared)