50 tips your Recipes

gone are the days where the bride and groom share a slice of a 3, 4, or 5 tier wedding cake. nowadays some people are opting for a more simple cake solution, yet they still want the elegance that a large tiered cake offers. enter on stage the simple yet elegant cupcake., versatile cupcakes are standing along side and, in some cases, replacing larger cakes these days. below are some helpful hints if you want to use cupcakes for the main cake at your wedding., tip #1 : arrangement, how you arrange your cupcakes is as important if not more important than the taste. everyone wants a breathtaking wedding cake at their reception so arranging your cupcakes to give this appearance is very necessary., my personal favorite way of arranging my cupcakes is to stack 4 or 5 boxes on top of each other to form a tree of sorts. i choose boxes that are approximately 4 to 5 inches high. i like 24 inch square boxes then 18 inches square then 12 inches then 6 inches square. this gives me a cupcake ledge of 3 inches when the boxes are stacked., decorate your boxes as you wish. beautiful paper wrapped around the boxes then a ribbon all the way around is a great decorating combination ., your wedding cake cupcakes can then be placed on the ledges and on top of the boxes for a beautiful arrangement for your wedding., arrangement idea for your wedding cupcakes is to place cupcakes underneath raised cake platters. larger cakes or more cupcakes can be placed on top of the platters., how your cupcakes taste and even how many different flavors you offer are both very important to the overall success of your wedding cupcakes. i think 1 of the best reasons to have wedding cupcakes instead of a large wedding cake would be that you can have many different kinds of cakes. not everyone prefers the same type of cake and frosting so having 2 or 3 different types of cake flavors would be ideal., three of my favorite flavors are vanilla , chocolate, and lemon cupcakes. these are a great combination for any special occasion that you may choose to serve cupcakes. you can either serve all of the different flavors in the same cups with the same decoration or you can use different cups and/or different decorations for each cake flavor you choose., skimp on the ingredients for your wedding cupcakes. fresh cupcakes made from your favorite cupcake recipes are always the best choice. boxed cake mixes just won tsp cut i for special occasion cupcakes. the same goes for frosting. make your frosting instead of buying it prepackaged from a grocery store. if you don tsp feel confident making your own, you could always buy some freshly made frosting from a local bakery., presentation is everything when dealing with weddings. you should make sure your cupcakes are just the right size so they are absolutely gorgeous when presented. the entire purpose of serving cupcakes at a wedding is to give your guests a small taste of a wonderful dessert. small is the key word here. you don tsp want cupcakes that are larger than an actual teacup. if they are, then they should be called mini cakes and not cupcakes., also, it would cost you a fortune to bake mini cakes for each of your guests. the right size cupcake will offer just the right amount of cake for each person attending and will also likely save you money., be careful not to err on the side of your cupcakes being too small. if your cupcakes are too small, you may run out of cupcakes before you guests sweet teeth are satisfied. you also run the risk of having too much frosting on a small cupcake which could ruin the overall taste of your wedding cupcakes., i ve found that the perfect size cupcakes are baked in 1/2 cup wells that i fill approximately 1/2 to 2/3 full of cupcake batter. make sure you carefully measure the cupcake batter each time you fill a well. this will make sure that your cupcakes come out of the oven all the same size., i hope that these tips will help you produce the most beautiful wedding cupcakes that anyone has ever seen! good luck

tri-tip beef, cubed (chuck steak or ground beef works too), chicken broth (optional, but better than water or extra beef broth if the chili gets too dry), brown sugar, salt, masa corn flour , for thiickener (arrowroot or corn starch works too), onion, finely chopped, whole jalapeno pepper, seeded and quartered, cayenne pepper, beef broth, garlic cloves, diced, freshly ground whole cumin seeds (cumin powder works too)

peel a banana from the bottom and you won tsp have to pick the little stringy things off of it. that s how the primates do it., take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. if you leave them connected at the stem , they ripen faster., store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. it will stay fresh much longer and not mold, peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking., add a tsp of water when frying ground beef. it will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking ., reheat pizza, heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to medium-low and heat till warm. this keeps the crust crispy. no soggy micro pizza., easy deviled eggs, put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. seal , mash till they are all broken up. add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. just throw bag away when done easy clean up., expanding frosting, when buying a canned frosting, remove frosting to a mixing bowl and beat with your electric mixer. the amount will come close to doubling., squirrel away, keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. the cayenne pepper doesn tsp hurt the plant and the squirrels won tsp come near it., flexible vacuum, get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. it can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings., reducing static cling, pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. place pin in seam of slacks and -- at da! -- static is gone., measuring cups, before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. dump out the hot water, but don tsp dry cup. next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out., foggy windshield, hate foggy windshields buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. when the windows fog, rub with the eraser! works better than a cloth, reopening an envelope, if you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. viola! it unseals easily., conditioner, use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. it s a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. it s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn tsp like when you tried it in your hair..., goodbye fruit flies, get rid of pesky fruit flies , take a small glass fill it 1/2 with apple cider vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid, mix well. you will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever, get rid of ants, put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. they eat it , take it home, can tsp digest it so it kills them. it may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works & you don tsp have the worry about pets or small children being harmed

beef stew meat , sirloin tips or chuck steak chunks, olive or other oil for browning, au jus mix , low sodium if available, brown gravy mix , low sodium if available, your favorite seasonings (no salt ), water, divided, wide egg noodles or other choice of starch to serve

flour, seasoned with, salt & pepper, beef cube steaks , cut bite sized, oil, onion, sliced , to taste, water, divided, green pepper, sliced , to taste, gravy, your choice (i like onion, mushroom and beef)

tri-tip steak, cut into large chunks, water, anejo tequila, garlic clove, minced, serrano chili, diced, kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, green tomatillo sauce, tomato sauce, monterey jack pepper cheese, grated, black beans, diced chilies, dozen flour tortillas

olive oil flavored cooking spray (or your choice ), egg, water, chopped sweet onion, chopped white mushroom, chopped bell peppers , chopped asparagus tips, chopped broccoli, can be added or 1/2 tbsp chopped ham or 1/2 tbsp crumbled bacon, can be added, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, chopped tomato , as garnish if desired

pumpkin puree (fresh or canned ), almond milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk), cornstarch, cinnamon, ground ginger, pure vanilla extract, stale baguette, sliced diagonally in 1 inch pieces (see above tip) or 8 pieces thick sliced bread (see above tip), cooking oil, for the pan

beef tips , uncooked bite sized, sweet onion, chopped, dried basil, oregano, garlic, farfel (see recipe below ), chicken stock, beans, your choice white or 1 (15 1/2 oz) can dark red kidney beans or 1 (15 1/2 oz) can pinto beans, drained, fingerling potato, diced, catsup, all-purpose flour, flax seed, ground, salt, eggs

use these tips to create , bake and store your perfect cheesecake, bring all ingredients to room temperature before mixing. this usually takes 30 minutes., soften cream cheese in the microwave : place unwrapped 8 oz cheese in a microwaveable bowl and microwave on high for 15 seconds. add 15 seconds for each additional bar of cheese., mix filling only until combined. don tsp over-mix ., use a springform pan so that the sides can be removed ., butter sides or use a metal spatula around the edges immediately after removing the cheese cake from the oven., place springform pan on a shallow pan , like a pizza pan , or cover bottom and up 1 inch around the sides with aluminum foil to avoid leaks in the oven., place a shallow pan of water in rack below cheesecake to keep oven moist., open oven door while baking ., a perfectly baked cheesecake will be puffed around the edges. when shaken , about an inch in diameter in the center should jiggle., cool slowly (about an hour) on a wire rack, away from any drafts., store in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for up to four days ., bottom of the pan can be removed from the cheesecake once the cake has firmed in the refrigerator. use two spatulas to move cake to serving platter., garnishing a cheesecake should only be done within 1 to 3 hours of serving., cheesecakes taste best when brought to room temperature. this takes about 30 minutes., securely wrap an already firm (about 4 hours in the refrigerator) cheesecake to be put in the freezer. cheesecakes can be kept for up to 2 months in the freezer., thaw frozen cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator .

fruitcakes get an awful lot of bad press , especially the mass produced varieties, but a rich homemade version can be incredibly delicious., fruitcake is a mixture of fruits and nuts with just enough batter to hold them together. when wrapped in cloth and foil, saturated with alcoholic liquors regularly, and kept in in tightly closed tins, a fruitcake may be kept for months or even years, have it your way ..., if there are certain fruits you don tsp like , you can always include more of another, or some of your own favorites. dried fruits cooked in juice can take the place of candied fruits, and seeds can replace nuts. to convert a favorite dark fruitcake recipe to a light fruitcake, leave out the dark spices, use light colored fruits (golden raisins, dried apricots, etc.), and replace dark corn syrup or molasses with light corn syrup

sirloin , tri tip cut into 4 oz portions (or use your favorite steak), salt, pepper, granulated garlic, canola oil, mixed salad greens (frisee, radicchio, spinach, arugala), couscous, coconut milk, mint leaves (finely chopped ), kaffir lime leaves (fine julienne, stems discarded or 1 oz. fresh lime juice), bell peppers (red and green, fine diced ), red onions (fine diced ), olive oil, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, parmesan cheese (shredded )

did you know that if you want to add vegetables to the soup you are making, they will taste so much better if you saute them first in a little butter. even though it s a little bit more work, it s worth the extra effort., what happens when you boil the soup too long the soup ends up losing its color ., i burned my soup once. have you ever done that here s a great tip to fix that. take the liquid part of your soup and pour it into a new, clean pan. then, add these ingredients: mustard, curry powder, chutney, or your 1 other of your favorite flavors. quantities are always to taste and you ll be amazed at how this tip really works, my all time favorite soup tips. every made soup that was too salty tasting all you need to do is place a raw potato into your soup pot and simmer it with the soup for about 15 minutes. not only does the potato slice absorb the extra salt, but as an added snack for the cook, it also absorbs all that flavor and becomes a fantastic taste treat, need your soup to be thicker - just sprinkle a little bit of instant mashed potato and stir in to thicken the soup. carefully continue adding the instant potatoes until you get the consistency that makes you happy., in a hurry and need to use canned broth instead of homemade give it a little extra flavor by taking your leftover chicken or meat bones and simmering it in the broth. simmer for about 15 minutes. then, strain the liquid and use the newly-flavored broth for your soup. this is a fantastic way to spice up the tinny flavor of canned broth and make it taste like its homemade., guess what a great resource a grocery store is for ready -to-use ingredients! simply make a visit to the salad bar (most large grocery chains have them now,) and gather up some of the pre-cut vegetables, cooked shrimp, and chicken or meat. how easy is that, if you have any leftovers of the pasta you cooked the night before , or even meat and vegetables - use them for instant nutritious substance for your soup. if your left over vegetables have already been cooked, simply puree them and use it as a thickener. deeeelish

brown sugar, fresh ginger or 1 tsp ginger, dry, garlic cloves, crushed or 1 tsp garlic, dry, dried tarragon (or your favorite spice), soy sauce, red wine vinegar

how to: use your favorite way to cook , steam etc, potatoes as desired, oil as desired , i use olive, vinegar ( i like white or red wine, herbs ( esp parsley, basil , dill ), salt and pepper to taste, splenda for sweetness

make sure the shortening and baking powder or baking soda are fresh., measure the ingredients carefully to ensure your biscuits will rise well and be light and fluffy., cut the shortening into the flour using a pastry blender , two table knives, or a wire whisk until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. thoroughly blending the shortening and dry ingredients produces flaky biscuits, make biscuits the same thickness , roll the dough between 2 dowel rods or sticks, 1/2 inch thick and 14 inches long., push the biscuit cutter , dipped in flour, straight down into the dough for even-sized biscuits. cut biscuits as close together as possible., if you don tsp have a biscuit cutter , use a sharp knife or use cookie cutters for fun shapes

chicken wings, tips removed and wings cut in half at joint, hoisin sauce, less sodium teriyaki marinade & sauce, garlic, minced, ground ginger, garlic chili sauce (or adjust to your taste), brown sugar

gluten-free high-protein flour blend, coconut flour, milk powder of choice or darifree non-dairy powdered milk alternative, salt, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, agar or gelatin, egg, honey or agave nectar, unsweetened applesauce, room temperature, light olive oil or melted butter + extra for brushing, cider vinegar, seltzer water, room temperature, tip to make yeast rolls , simply replace the baking powder and baking soda with 2 packages instant dry yeast and let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes prior to baking., high-protein flour blend, this nutritious blend works best in baked goods that require elasticity , such as wraps and pie crusts., bean flour (your choice), chickpea flour or soy flour, arrowroot starch , cornstarch or potato starch, tapioca starch/flour, white or brown rice flour