tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800845420463619732024-03-27T19:53:31.794-04:00A NAK for CookingA journey through the kitchen of a food lover on a budget.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-77619666704312663022013-02-23T16:44:00.001-05:002013-02-23T16:44:18.239-05:00My Food Resolution: Is it humanly possible?So, we're a couple of months into a new year. How are those resolutions going? I know, I shouldn't ask...this is one giant can of worms. So often we make resolutions revolving around food - typically eating less of it. And then we wonder why the resolutions fail and we fall off the wagon. That's why, for the last several years, I haven't made any New Year's resolutions at all - relating to food or anything else.<br />
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Until this year, that is. You see, I've decided to try my hand at a resolution about food that doesn't require eating less of it. I'm going to try making more of it from scratch. Little pantry things, like butter, potato chips, crackers, bread, etc. I figure, I will learn what's worthwhile to make from scratch and what's easier to just buy from the grocery store. <br />
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There are a few reasons why I'm thinking this will be a good exercise for me. First of all, it keeps me interested. Trying to make something I've never done before is an exciting adventure in and of itself. Then, there's the saving money aspect. Depending on how easy it is, making a lot of things at home ends up being cheaper than buying them in the store. Finally, I'll be able to put to rest some of the thoughts I have about "is it better for me to just buy it." I guarantee that some things will be so much of a headache to make myself that I'll never again question buying it pre-made at the store. But I'll never know until I try.<br />
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I suppose that this resolution will be the backbone of my blog for the foreseeable future, and I hope that you'll enjoy seeing how well (or not!) I can actually stick to my food resolution for once!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-13443943622408400132012-05-15T23:43:00.000-04:002012-05-15T23:43:40.669-04:00Decisions, decisions: Leaving behind my kitchenFor someone who very lovingly and painstakingly composes a kitchen in which the culinary muses are not thwarted in their inspiration, leaving behind that kitchen is an exercise in extreme self-control. This post is about my preparation to leave behind my kitchen for a few months, and how I decided what to bring with me.<br />
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Step 1) <i>Denial</i>: Nope. I'm not leaving my kitchen. Asking me to choose which pan to bring is like asking me which sibling is my favorite. Not gonna happen. I will bring everything with me if it kills me.<br />
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Step 2) <i>Sadness</i>: I have to leave things, there's just not enough room in my car. I just...I need to hug my KitchenAid mixer one more time. Just, you know....because I won't see it for awhile. And no, those aren't tears...the sunlight glinting off of my stockpot is just making my eyes water.<br />
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Step 3) <i>Resentment/Indignation</i>: Why do I have to choose? They should be giving me cookware where I'm going! I shouldn't have to stand for this, deciding between all of my cooking things which gets to come with me and which has to stay here, lonely! I'm not going to bring anything, and then I'll just starve! <angry toddler-esque pout><br />
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Step 4) <i>Rationality</i>: Ok, so this is just how the world works, and no, you cannot starve yourself. Just go through each piece methodically, one-by-one. Determine it's usefulness and make sure everything is multifunctional to the extreme. Pack everything in that big plastic tub you have set aside for kitchen and dining stuff, and move on. You have other stuff to worry about, too, you know.<br />
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This is what my rational brain decided to bring:<br />
1) Enameled cast-iron Dutch Oven: Useful for boiling pasta, making soups, baking casseroles in the oven, boiling eggs, making corned beef, making pasta sauce....essentially, anything liquid will work beautifully here.<br />
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2) 4 pieces from my cookware set with their lids. All of my cookware is oven-safe to 500 degrees F, so anything involving the oven can be done in these!<br />
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<li>Piece 1: 4-quart saute pan; Nice high sides, could be useful for dishes with some liquids (like jambalaya) or even for baking a round cake, cornbread, brownies, etc. (due to the flat sides)</li>
<li>Piece 2: 8-inch skillet; Perfect for eggs in the morning</li>
<li>Piece 3: 12-inch skillet; I already said that this was the one piece I used most from my cookware set...It wouldn't make much sense if I left it behind, would it?</li>
<li>Piece 4: 3-quart saucepan; Just in case the dutch oven is already in use. Bonus: It's perfect for packing in a couple of glasses so that they don't accidentally get crushed! (The same goes fro the dutch oven, too!)</li>
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3) Gadget Drawer: It's just a drawer of things, and these bits and bobs can fit into the nooks and crannies in between pots and pans. This also includes spatulas, and cooking utensils.<br />
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4) Immersion Blender: Makes it easy to make soups, smoothies, guacamole, hummus....you get the idea. But it's much easier to bring along than any other type of blender or food processor.<br />
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5) Cutlery: Chef's knife, paring knife, serrated paring knife, utility knife, 2 steak knives. All you need for everything from slicing bread to dicing tomatoes.<br />
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6) Mini glass cutting board: Actually, I didn't bring this with me. My wooden cutting boards are too big and bulky to bring. I found a 6" diameter cutting board at the dollar store when I arrived at my destination! Another alternative option would be the cutting "mats" that are about the thickness of a couple of sheets of paper. <br />
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Any other baking dishes are really unnecessary. Why? Because all you have to do is get a disposable baking dish/roasting pan/etc. from the dollar store or grocery store. If you're careful, you can wash and reuse. Then, when you're done, just recycle it, and there's no need to bring it home!<br />
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So far, my planning strategy doesn't seem to have left me high and dry, or wishing I hadn't brought something with me. Hopefully, it can carry me through until I make it back to my own kitchen!<br />
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-82039825470031516022012-03-14T14:35:00.000-04:002012-03-14T14:35:00.246-04:00Egg Salad: Simple and Scalable!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the great things about hard-boiled eggs is that they are so versatile when it comes to using them in recipes. Nothing gets simpler than just slicing up a hard-boiled egg and tossing it over a salad - but we can get pretty close! The following is a simple recipe for egg salad that is given in measurements <i>per egg</i>. That's right, people, it doesn't matter how many - or how few - eggs you want to use. I did a lot of testing on this to get the proportions just right: You don't want too much or too little sauce. This recipe allows you to scale it perfectly to the number of eggs you want, for just the amount of egg salad you want. As always, feel free to substitute/add/adjust spices to suite your own tastes. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Egg Salad: Simple and Scalable!</span></div>
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Prep Time: 5 minutes</div>
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Cooking Time: n/a</div>
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Yield: varies</div>
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<u>Ingredients</u>:</div>
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- peeled <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=580084542046361973#editor/target=post;postID=750484049255672996">hard-boiled eggs</a> - as many as you'd like!<br />
- 2 tsp mayonnaise <i>per egg</i><br />
- 1 tsp yellow mustard <i>per egg</i><br />
- 1 tsp sweet relish <i>per egg</i><br />
- ground black pepper<br />
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EASY NOTE ON CONVERSIONS: 3 tsp = 1 Tbsp, so if you scale the recipe up enough to have multiples of 3, you can just use a Tbsp! </div>
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<u>Directions:</u> </div>
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1) Put the mayo, mustard, and relish into a bowl big enough to hold all of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.<br />
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2) Sprinkle pepper to taste over the surface. I like to add the pepper at this step - before adding the eggs - because the pepper mixes better. It doesn't get stuck in clumps to the egg bits. This goes for all of the ingredients, actually.<br />
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3) Roughly cut pieces of the hard-boiled eggs into the bowl with the "sauce." Use any method you like. I just happen to think that the roughly cut pieces are great for texture...and it's a lot easier and quicker to to!<br />
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4) Mix thoroughly, but gently, so as not to squish the eggs.<br />
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Enjoy!</div>
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-7504840492556729962012-02-20T17:59:00.000-05:002012-02-20T17:59:05.905-05:00Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs, Every Time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So many of my friends have horror stories about growing up eating less-than-perfect hard boiled eggs. And after all, if the adults in your life couldn't make a hard boiled egg that didn't have a grey, crumbly yolk and a rubbery white, then why should you expect to be able to do any differently? Well, you should. And now (luckily for you), there's no more excuses as to why you can't have perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs every single time you make them.<br />
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This method comes from an old Betty Crocker cookbook tucked away in my mom's kitchen, and it hasn't failed us, yet. I also have a few tricks that I use in conjunction with the Betty Crocker method, which I've added in.<br />
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Now, let's get crackin! Sort of...<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs</span></div>
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Prep Time: negligible</div>
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Cooking Time: 30+- minutes</div>
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Yield: Variable </div>
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<u>Ingredients</u>:</div>
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- Fresh Eggs (as many as you'd like)<br />
- Cold Water</div>
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<u>Directions:</u> </div>
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1) Place your eggs gently in the bottom of a pot. Make sure that the eggs lay in ONE LAYER on the bottom of the pot. <i>This is important for two reasons: 1) even temperature distribution and 2) less of a chance that the eggs will knock together while boiling and crack.</i><br />
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<br />2) Fill the pot with COLD water so that the level of water is about 1 inch above the top of the eggs.<br />
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3) Place the pot on the stove and cover. Turn the heat as high up as you can (<i>medium-high for electric is usually about as high as you should go, but I'll often go to high, anyway</i>) to bring the water to a boil as rapidly as possible.<br />
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4) AS SOON AS THE WATER COMES TO A BOIL: Turn the heat off, and remove the pot from the hot burner. <i>Why is this important? If you leave the pot on the burner, the burner will continue to heat the water (it doesn't immediately get cool just because you've shut the power off), and the eggs will become overcooked. This applies mainly to electric stoves, but gas stove supports can also become heated by the flames, so it's best to move the pot off whatever burner you were just using onto a cool one.</i><br />
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5) Leaving the lid on the pot, let it just sit there for 22-24 minutes.<br />
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6) While the pot of eggs is sitting <i>off the burner</i>, prepare a secondary bowl. Fill the bowl with very cold water, and place it in your kitchen sink under the tap. Make sure the tap water is also going to be nice and cold when it comes out of the tap.<br />
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7) At the end of the 22-24 minutes, take a slotted spoon/wire scoop/etc. and transfer the eggs directly into the bowl of cold water. Turn on the tap, and have the cold water running through the bowl while you're transferring the eggs. Leave the tap running for a minute or two.<br />
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This last step is crucial to having perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs.<br />
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Why, do you ask? For the same reasons that leaving the pot on the burner is a no-no: you will end up overcooking the eggs. Remember, the eggshell is like a little insulator, trapping the heat so that the egg continues to cook long after you've stopped adding heat to it. If you don't do something to remove that heat - and remove it <i>quickly</i> - you will end up overcooking the eggs.<br />
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Once the eggs have cooled for a few minutes under the cold water, it's time to peel! Unless, of course, you are planning on dyeing the eggs or not using them immediately. <br />
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<i>Note: </i>If you are not planning on using the eggs immediately, I recommend storing them with the shell on. Keep in mind, though, that the eggs will not be as easy to peel and you run the risk of them overcooking. If you are going to store the eggs, leave them in the cold water longer to make sure the heat is fully drawn out. Peeling immediately removes the insulator, so it's not as much of a problem!<br />
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<b>Peeling the Eggs - My way.</b><br />
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Is it reeeeally necessary for me to do a primer on peeling hard-boiled eggs? Probably not, but I will do it anyway. It's especially important to peel an egg properly when you're going to make a dish like deviled eggs that requires a nice, whole egg white.<br />
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1) Lay out a piece of paper towel to make cleanup easier, and gently knock the egg on the paper towel all the way around, creating cracks throughout the surface of the eggshell.<br />
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2) Find the air bubble. Every egg has one. There is air trapped inside the egg, and when the egg is floating in the water as it boils, the air bubble will rise above the yolk and white because it isn't as dense. The yolk and white then solidify, trapping the air bubble permanently in one spot right on the edge of the egg.<br />
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3) Once you've found the air bubble, take off the shell above the air bubble.<br />
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4) Continue removing the shell, separating the membrane from the egg white. This membrane is clear, and rests between the egg white and the shell. The shell sticks to the membrane, so peeling off the membrane is the easiest way to also remove the shell.<br />
<br />5) If there are miniscule shell pieces still stuck to the egg white, don't worry! All you have to do is run the egg under a gentle stream of cold water, and the shell pieces will wash right off. Then, dry with a paper towel.<br />
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6) Voila! You now have a perfectly cooked, perfectly peeled, ready to eat, beautiful hard boiled egg!<br />
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-40049050926630526222012-02-02T11:13:00.002-05:002012-02-02T11:13:49.343-05:00Butter and Southern Buttermilk BiscuitsI love cooking with friends and making people happy through food. What better way to start off the year, then, with a podcast where I teach everybody how to make homemade butter and Southern buttermilk biscuits!<br />
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Thanks to my friends at <a href="http://hourofthunder.podomatic.com/">Thor's Hour of Thunder</a>, you can cook along with Thor, Baldr, Loki, and me as I try to bring a little bit of Southern charm to the Valhalla kitchen.<br />
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The recipes are included in the description of the podcast. <br />
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Just a couple of suggestions before you start.<br />
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1) If you are going to try to cook along, try to prep as many of the ingredients before listening as possible. If you are thinking really hard about measuring, you might miss some of the important tips and explanations given as to why you're doing what you're doing!<br />
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2) For making butter: Room temperature cream will make butter in 10 minutes. Cold cream straight from the fridge will take 20 min or more. For the sake of your arms, I'd suggest letting the cream come to room temperature first.<br />
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You can also find the podcast and information through fellow blog site <a href="http://strictlycommercials.blogspot.com/2012/02/podcast-episode-47.html">Strictly Commercials</a>.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-37437373191808461892012-01-04T16:15:00.000-05:002012-01-09T11:12:21.478-05:00Happy New Year!It's hard to believe that another year has passed, and we're already going strong in a new one! (Yes, I'm a little late with this post). Part of this disbelief has to do with the weather (It should not have been 60 degrees through New Year's Eve), the fact that Christmas and New Year's both fell on weekends (reducing vacation time), and general exhaustion that goes hand-in-hand with holiday festivities.<br />
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So far, it looks like this year is going to start out strong with some great blog posts! There will be some things that I did for the first time and turned out fantastic, some more hints for what NOT to do in a kitchen, and maybe even a guest cooking slot on a podcast of a good friend!<br />
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Thank you all for your support thus far, and I wish you all the best in the kitchen for 2012!<br />
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~NicoleNicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-91241538884224251412011-12-15T23:32:00.000-05:002011-12-19T11:03:21.429-05:00Frozen Ground Meat - How to Thaw in a PinchOk, so you've just arrived home from work. You want to make a dinner that involves ground beef (or some other kind of ground meat). You reach for the freezer and suddenly, it hits you. I'm reaching for the freezer...the ground beef is frozen solid...<br />
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What do you do now?<br />
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Well, the following is a tip for when you need to thaw your ground beef (or other ground meat) in a short period of time - shorter than running it under cold water for a couple of hours. Is it the best way to thaw out frozen meat? Nope. The best way is to transfer the frozen meat into the fridge and let it take the time to thaw out - usually making the transfer the night before at a minimum. This tip is only if you have forgotten to plan ahead.<br />
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<b>Step 1:</b> Take out a frying pan and place it on the stove. If the dish you're making involves cooking on the stove, then try to do this in the same pan you plan on using for the meal. This will cut down on your dishes after cooking.<br />
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<b>Step 2:</b> Put the frozen ground meat into the pan, and get a spatula and fork/tongs/etc. ready.<br />
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<b>Step 3:</b> Turn the burner on the lowest possible setting. This will heat the pan enough to thaw the frozen outer layers of the meat, but not enough that the meat will start to cook. <br />
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<b>Step 4:</b> Let the block of meat sit in the pan for about a half a minute, then flip it over. The top layer should be nice and soft. Hold the meat firmly with a fork or tongs as you use the spatula to scrape off the top layer of thawed meat. Then, flip it over and repeat on the other side. Continue flipping the meat over and scraping off the thawed areas.<br />
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<b>Step 5:</b> Eventually, the block of meat will become too thin for this method to keep working, so just use the spatula to break it up into smaller pieces.<br />
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<b>Step 6:</b> Continue with cooking your meal.<br />
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Remember, the key here is to keep the pan at the lowest heat setting possible. Any higher, and you'll be cooking the meat while you're trying to thaw it - which makes timing cooking a little more difficult. It also makes it harder to make things like burger patties if the meat is already partially cooked.<br />
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I hope that this tip helps. I've had to resort to this method of thawing meat several times myself. Like I mentioned, it's best to plan ahead and thaw your ingredients slowly. If you don't though, here's a way that you can still cook the meal you want, even though your ingredients aren't necessarily ready.<br />
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Good luck!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-50010646558852768902011-12-12T21:24:00.002-05:002011-12-12T21:24:52.726-05:00Poor Little Citrus Fruit...Here I am again with another "Don't do this" post. This one took me completely by surprise, and the science-y part of my brain went, "huh....I wonder why that happened."<br />
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I turned my poor little lemons and oranges into rocks in less than 2 days.<br />
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How did I manage this incredible bit of alchemy, you ask? Well, you see, I put them into the refrigerator. That should keep them fresh longer, you say? Not if they don't have the outer peel on them, it won't.<br />
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Here's how the tragedy unfolded:<br />
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I had a Christmas party this past weekend. I baked cakes, made chocolate, decorated the apartment, watched my favorite claymation movies, and generally gorged myself on the sundry joys of the Christmas season. One of my dear friends showed up early to make mulled apple cider, which included the use of fresh lemons and oranges. As she was using a standard peeler to remove most of the peels (leaving just a little bit of the white pith left), I was trying very hard to not jump right into the pot and swim around with them. After each lemon and orange had so graciously offered it's zesty goodness for the sake of the party, I diligently placed it into the fridge to keep. After all...they'll spoil if I leave them out, now that they have no peel left. What I didn't know was that that simple act sent the poor unsuspecting citrus fruits to their doom.<br />
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I've tried searching online for the cause of this phenomenon, but to no avail. My best guess is that the peel maintains the moisture within the fruit, preventing it from drying out. Therefore, if you have an unpeeled citrus fruit (even if it seems to be mostly intact and covered by a little bit of pith), you should put it in a sealed, airtight container or bag right away. I should have done the smart thing and put the orange in the fruit bowl with the blueberries and raspberries, and squeezed the lemon into the iced tea. But then again, you all wouldn't be reading this post, and I wouldn't have had my "huh, that's cool" moment of the evening.<br />
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So please, save a citrus fruit - don't leave it unprotected from the harsh elements!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-57403975828853396102011-11-27T13:24:00.001-05:002011-12-06T13:46:36.950-05:00Lard vs. Vegetable Shortening - My ExperienceFirst, let me set up the story behind this post for you.<br />
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My great-grandmother developed a set of Christmas cookie recipes from scratch while growing up in Sicily. It took years to develop the amazing pastries that we - the family - and those lucky enough to know us and, therefore, get close enough to eat some of these cookies, enjoy. It's the kind of recipe that we get asked for ALL the time...but we can't give it out. It was my great-grandmother's wish that her recipe never leave the hands of the immediate family.<br />
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Every year, for as long as I can remember, we used <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable_shortening">vegetable shortening</a> as the "fat" content for the dough. But this was not the way the recipe was designed. Just like pie crusts and other flaky doughs, lard was the original ingredient. So, this year, we decided to try the recipe the way my great-grandmother intended - with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lard">lard</a>.<br />
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To me, this made sense. It's a special set of cookies that we make once a year. I wanted - just once - to taste the real thing. Evidently, this didn't seem to make sense for many other people outside of the family - especially once we tried to find lard. It was nearly impossible to find in a grocery store. I walked into one very small store and asked if they carried lard, and you know what the cashier actually told me? She said, loud enough for all the people within earshot to hear, I quote: "Oh God, no! Just the thought of that makes me want to gag. I mean, I'm Southern, we used it in everything, but really, do you know how bad that stuff is for you?!" Well, cashier, I'm not using it in everything...I'm using it in cookies. And I'll think twice about the way you tried to humiliate me at the register next time I decide where I'm going to shop.<br />
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For this reason, I am giving you my unbiased experience with using lard versus vegetable shortening, and why, hand to God, I will be using <i>lard</i> instead of vegetable shortening in my pastries for the rest of my life. This, obviously, will not be of any help to those of you who are vegetarian or Jewish (lard is pork fat). But, for the rest of you, I hope this account from someone who has worked with vegetable shortening for over 20 years will give you something to ponder.<br />
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<i><b>Observation #1: Incorporation of the fat into the dough</b></i>. When mixing pastry dough that incorporates a fat into it, the goal is to keep the fat content nice and cool so that it doesn't melt. For this reason, the first step is to do what my nonna calls "cutting the fat into the dough." You use a funny looking metal device called a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastry_blender">pastry blender</a> to cut the fat up into smaller pieces. This incorporates the fat into the dough without having to touch it with your hands. Why is this important? Your hands generate - and radiate - heat from your body, which will warm up and begin to melt the fat. This fat incorporation step was much easier using lard, and the lard started to melt even with the use of the pastry blender. This is something I hadn't seen with the vegetable shortening. In general, it made making the dough so much easier (and when you're making enough cookies to use up multiple 5lb bags of flour, that's a big deal!).<br />
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<i><b>Observation #2: Consistency of the dough</b></i>. For this recipe, it is very important that the dough be neither too moist nor too dry. The texture is something that you learn as you go along. At this point, I still ask my nonna to check the dough, but I can pretty much hit the nail on the head as to when it is ready. I cannot remember a time when we did not have to add extra moisture to the dough once the wet ingredients had been incorporated. The dough has always been too dry....Until this year. For the first time, the dough was perfect without any extras added. Considering the main difference was the substitution of lard for vegetable shortening...we've all chalked it up to the lard.<br />
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<i><b>Observation #3: Cleaning up! </b></i>I love mixing the dough because, at some point, you have to dig right in with your hands. It's a very therapeutic - and arm strengthening - exercise throwing around over 5lbs of cookie dough over and over until it's fully mixed. The not so fun part is cleaning your hands afterward. Vegetable shortening made it a nightmare. The dough would stick to my hands like glue, and it would take about 10 minutes of scalding hot water interspersed with repeated applications and thorough scrubbing with dish soap before the stuff would be gone. Even then, my hands were left with an unsettling film. Not so with lard! I didn't even need soap half the time with this stuff - just some warm running water for a minute. And what did my hands feel like afterward? Why, they felt beautifully moisturized instead of sticky and filmy and not-quite-clean! Now, for those of you reading this still clinging to the idea that lard is soooooo much worse for you than vegetable shortening, I have an honest question for you. If vegetable shortening is subjected to that much work and heat and is still a sticky film remnant when outside your body, what must it be doing to the <i>inside</i> of your body? Lard, on the other hand, liquifies with body heat, and removes quickly and easily. It's still your call, but I know which I'd rather be putting inside my body. (<i>Note that this is meant as a "within reason" statement. Too much of either fat is going to be unhealthy for you - whether it was derived from animals or vegetables!)</i><br />
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<i> </i><i><b>Observation #4: Making the cookies.</b></i> Many of the cookies we make involve a twisting or "braiding" of the dough...sorta...It's hard to describe. In general, the thing you need to understand is that we do more than just roll out the dough and use cookie cutters. In the past, the dough would crack, fall apart, and cause me to do a lot of cursing in my head as I'm trying to fill up one cookie sheet with braided Christmas wreath-shaped cookies. This year, I was a pro. The cookie dough was smooth, easy to handle, and generally worked beautifully for everything from the cut-out cookies to the more-intricate wreaths. My nonna and my mom both commented on how great the dough was to work with this year - so it's not just me having gained some extra dexterity!<br />
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<i><b>Observation #5: THE ALL-IMPORTANT TASTE!</b></i> Last - but not least - we come to the evaluation of the taste and texture of the dough using lard instead of vegetable shortening. The verdict: These were the best Christmas cookies we'd ever made. My nonna said that the cookies hadn't tasted this good since she was a little girl (when her mom was still using lard before switching to vegetable shortening). My parents agreed that these were the best cookies they'd had. My brothers probably devoured their fair share of cookies before they even made it off the cooling table. And me? Well, you can probably guess what I thought. The only person who wasn't as thrilled was my grandfather. Why? Because these cookies were lighter and flakier...he preferred the harder, denser cookies that we got with the vegetable shortening. *shrug* To each his own.<br />
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In conclusion, if you are thinking about making a pie crust or other kind of pastry from scratch, I urge you to try it with lard instead of vegetable shortening - at least once. Based on what I've seen and experienced, I honestly don't think lard deserves such a bad rap as it gets when compared with vegetable shortening. I'm not saying that you need to start cooking with lard for <i>everything</i>. Going overboard is not going to be healthy no matter which fat source you choose. I'm just saying that, for things like pastries, just be open-minded. Don't automatically assume that veggie = healthy and animal = unhealthy. Do some more research, if you feel so inclined. Just give it a shot, and you'll probably be glad that you did. I know my family was. <br />
<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-24025974615341081442011-11-09T08:24:00.000-05:002011-11-14T14:46:22.181-05:00Crunchy Cheddar Chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This recipe is how I made Real Simple's <a href="http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/cheddar-chicken-recipe-00000000033194/index.html?xid=dailyrecnews-11-08-2011">Cheddar Chicken</a>, and is annotated with my own personal tips to make this recipe even easier (which is hard to believe, because it is such a simple recipe to begin with!). <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Crunchy Cheddar Chicken</span></div>
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Prep Time: 15 minutes </div>
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Cooking Time: 40 minutes</div>
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Yield: 4 servings </div>
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<u>Ingredients</u>:</div>
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- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts<br />
- 16 buttery crackers (like Ritz)<br />
- 6 oz (3/4 cup) grated Cheddar cheese<br />
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped (or 1 tsp minced garlic)<br />
- 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper<br />
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted<br />
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<u>Directions:</u> </div>
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1) Preheat your oven to 350° F, and cover your baking sheet in aluminum foil. REMEMBER: Aluminum foil is <i>always</i> shiny side down. Do you need aluminum foil? No, not really. It just makes cleanup a lot easier. Also, I used my toaster oven for this. It's the perfect size, and requires a lot less energy to heat up and maintain the temperature.<br />
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2) Put the crackers into a large zippered plastic bag. This will make crushing them - and the steps following - a lot cleaner and easier than if you are switching between bowls like the original recipe calls for.<br />
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3) Get out your aggression from a long day at work. Crush the crackers until they are a reasonable size for breading the chicken. The buttery crackers are easy enough to crush - I just pounded them with my fist.<br />
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4) Add the grated cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper to the bag with the crushed crackers. Fun fact: if you don't have fresh garlic on hand, don't use garlic a lot, or don't feel like chopping it up, you can used minced garlic. A jar of minced garlic will keep for a long time in your fridge - and has the conversions for a clove of garlic already on the jar. This is what I used for my version of the recipe, and it turned out delicious just the same!<br />
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5) Close up the bag, making sure the zipper is fully closed, and shake to mix all the ingredients.<br />
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6) Put the butter into a microwave-safe bowl that is large enough to fit one chicken breast at a time. If your butter doesn't look like mine in the picture, don't worry. I used homemade butter instead of store-bought. <br />
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7) Take the time now to prep the chicken. Rinse each breast with cold water, and make sure that as much excess skin or fat as possible is removed. Pat dry with paper towels, and set aside.<br />
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8) Put the butter in the microwave, and heat until melted. BE CAREFUL: Butter will melt and overheat very quickly and easily. I suggest heating for 10 second intervals to ensure overheating does not occur. Once the butter is 98% melted, remove it from the microwave.<br />
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9) Dip the first piece of chicken in the butter, making sure it is thoroughly coated.<br />
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10) Transfer the chicken to the bag with the "breading," and gently press the mixture onto the chicken to make sure the "breading" fully covers the chicken. <br />
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11) Transfer the chicken to the baking sheet, and repeat until all chicken pieces are "breaded."<br />
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12) If any butter or mixture remains, pour over the top of the chicken. No need to waste delicious flavors!<br />
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13) Place in the oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes. The original recipe called for 25-30 minutes, but my chicken was sorely undercooked after 30 minutes. It definitely took closer to 40 minutes. Remember to double-check the chicken before you stop baking it and start eating. Don't trust the recipe to know exactly how your oven works! When you check to see if the chicken is done, always remember to check the thickest portion of the meat, as that will take the longest time to cook.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
Tips: For variations, try different cuts of chicken (drumsticks or thighs), but remember to remove excess skin and fat first. Also, try substituting about 3/4 cups of crushed cornflakes for the buttery crackers.<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-54692335764888966802011-11-04T09:09:00.000-04:002011-11-04T09:09:41.810-04:00Handy Tools: Cookie Scoop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A cookie scoop is not something that is absolutely essential in your kitchen, a spoon works just as well. It's just a nifty little gadget that makes life a little easier. For an investment of $10 or less, a cookie scoop makes portioning out cookies faster, cleaner, and more uniform.<br />
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A cookie scoop is like a mini, spring-loaded ice cream scoop. The bowl of the scoop is perfectly sized to make the right size cookie. When you squeeze the handle, a little bar on the inside of the scoop scrapes along the bowl and deposits the cookie dough on the baking sheet (or in an ice cube tray pocket, like for <a href="http://nakforcooking.blogspot.com/2011/10/pick-and-place-cookies.html">Pick-and-Place Cookies</a>).<br />
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There are two main benefits to using the cookie scoop:<br />
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1) <b>Your fingers stay cookie dough free</b>, so no need to wash cookie dough off of your hands in between batches of cookies.<br />
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2) <b>The cookies are uniformly sized, so baking times are consistent both in between batches, and across an entire sheet of cookies.</b> This is probably the most important bonus to the cookie scoop. It doesn't matter how much of a stickler for perfection you are - you cannot possibly make each and every cookie the exact same size if you are using a regular spoon. This can be a problem if you are baking multiple sheets of cookies at once, as the cooking times will vary depending on the size of the individual cookies. There's nothing more frustrating than a batch of cookies with some overdone, and some not done enough. If you don't bake cookies enough to be a spoon-scooping virtuoso, this issue can be even more exaggerated. <br />
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In the grand scheme of kitchen tools, the investment in a cookie scoop is a drop in the bucket. Still, though, make sure you decide based on how much you like to make cookies. You could probably find other clever uses for it in the kitchen, too. Maybe filling tarts, scooping ice cream onto tiny pies...other possibilities are certainly out there!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-83616212071652074562011-10-31T18:41:00.000-04:002011-10-31T18:41:54.867-04:00Pick-and-Place Cookies<br />
I love baking, and I especially love cookies. What I don't love is making a batch of several dozen cookies and having them <i>all</i> stare at me saying "eat me" in that singsong-y voice that cookies have. I also don't love when I really am in the mood for only one gooey, freshly baked cookie and have neither the time nor the ingredients to make an entire batch. And then there's that singing cookie thing again...<br />
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Is there a solution to this dilemma? Well, yes, there is, and it comes from the inspiration of ready-made food producers. There is both refrigerated and frozen cookie dough, which keeps the dough for a longer period of time. There is also this fantastic notion of refrigerated cookie dough that is already portioned out into individual cookie amounts. All you have to do is "pick" up the individual dough portion, "place" it on the cookie sheet, and bake.<br />
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Well, I went to work figuring out the easiest way to replicate this idea at home, and I came up with an easy, hassle-free solution. I'll give you a hint: it involves ice cube trays and the freezer. The result? Beautiful, freshly baked, ooey gooey cookies made from scratch in the quantity I <i>wanted</i> to eat, and in about 15 minutes after getting home from work. The best part is that this technique can be used with your favorite cookie recipe!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pick-and-Place Cookies </span></div>
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Prep Time: 15 minutes</div>
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Idle Time: Undefined <br />
Cooking Time: 9-11 minutes</div>
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Yield: Varies</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The above parameters may vary depending upon the cookie recipe you use.</i></span></div>
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<u>Ingredients</u>:</div>
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- One batch of your favorite cookie dough (I like the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag).<br />
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<u>Tools:</u></div>
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- Ice cube trays<br />
- Baking sheet </div>
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- Cookie Scoop (optional) </div>
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- Plastic Wrap/Plastic Freezer Bag</div>
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<u>Directions:</u> </div>
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1) Follow the instructions for your favorite cookie dough recipe. This includes preheating the oven.</div>
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2) Decide how many ice cube trays of cookies you would like to save for later. Remember, that each ice cube "pocket" will make one cookie. Make sure that the trays are washed and dried properly. </div>
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3) Using either a cookie scoop or spoon, fill each of the ice cube pockets in the trays with the right amount of dough for an individual cookie. Don't worry too much about over-filling, as the freezer will harden the dough, preventing blocks of cookies from sticking together.</div>
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4) Take the trays that are now filled with cookie dough and either cover them with plastic wrap or place them in a sealed freezer bag. this will help keep the cookies clean and free from rogue flavors that might be floating around your freezer.</div>
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5) Put the trays into the freezer. Make sure that they stay level, otherwise, the dough will run together before it has a chance to harden. If the portions of dough are not level with the top of the pockets, do not stack multiple trays, as this will mess up the cookie portions in the bottom tray(s). </div>
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6) Bake the rest of the cookie dough into cookies to enjoy now (mine took 9 minutes per batch).</div>
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7) Wait until the next time you get a craving for a cookie.</div>
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8) Preheat your oven to the required temperature. </div>
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9) Remove a tray of cookie dough from the freezer. The cookie dough does not completely harden like an ice cube, but stays slightly sticky to the touch. Therefore, take a spoon and "scoop" out an individual cookie portion, placing it on a baking sheet. Repeat for the number of cookies you wish to bake.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B55db_xEOVk/ToTlC5ma_AI/AAAAAAAAACk/ouq1jzF39U8/s1600/100_6013_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B55db_xEOVk/ToTlC5ma_AI/AAAAAAAAACk/ouq1jzF39U8/s400/100_6013_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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10) Bake the cookies the required amount of time. Remember that you may need to add a couple of minutes to the baking time that was required for the freshly made cookie dough. This dough is coming from the freezer, so it will need a little more time. Just keep an eye on them and adjust the cooking time according to your dough and oven. My fresh batch of cookies took 9 minutes per batch, and my Pick-and-Place Cookies required 11 minutes per batch, as an example. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-17LWn8K4aN8/ToTlDAZOfiI/AAAAAAAAACo/UXJkhZXAcjo/s1600/100_6014_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-17LWn8K4aN8/ToTlDAZOfiI/AAAAAAAAACo/UXJkhZXAcjo/s400/100_6014_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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11) Enjoy! </div>
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-66537930116382381832011-10-24T22:19:00.000-04:002011-10-24T22:19:30.989-04:00Don't Freeze Milk-Based SoupsOk, so my blog revolves around suggestions for helpful hints in the kitchen. Things to do that help make your life easier, or recipes that work. Well, I'm beginning to think that posts about mistakes I've made might turn out to be just as important to you, so I'm going to start throwing those posts into the mix.<br />
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This post is about just that - a mistake I made that turned what <i>used</i> to be yummy food into something gross. I decided to freeze a cheddar corn chowder. Bad idea.<br />
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Freezing soup is a great way to save the food for later. Normally, this works beautifully. Not so with a cheese/cream/milk-based soup or chowder. You see, what I found out the hard way, is that the freezing process causes the cheese/cream/milk to separate into chunky bits floating in the clear-ish liquid base. Reheating did not fix this problem. I tried. It was more than a little gross and disappointing.<br />
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Bottom line - DON'T freeze a soup or chowder that has a cheese, cream, or milk base. Make sure you finish it before it goes bad. The freezer might be <i>my</i> friend, but it certainly wasn't my chowder's.<br />
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-67809919210078349042011-10-20T11:51:00.002-04:002011-10-20T11:51:09.685-04:00Simple Chicken Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Perhaps you aren't in the mood for a warm, fork & knife style sandwich for lunch, like the <a href="http://nakforcooking.blogspot.com/2011/10/fork-knife-chicken-sandwich.html">Fork & Knife Chicken Sandwich</a>. Well, fear not, odd duck (just saw a show with a food cart called "Odd Duck," so I had to figure out how to use that phrase!). This is a recipe for a simple - yet quite delicious - chicken salad that can also be made from the leftovers of the <a href="http://nakforcooking.blogspot.com/2011/10/roast-chicken-with-vegetables.html">Roast Chicken with Vegetables</a>. It can be eaten as a sandwich (which is my favorite), over a bed of lettuce, or with a fork and some crackers. As always, don't be afraid to tweak the proportions of this recipe to suit your own tastes. Once you get the hang of it, you can also experiment with other spices and ingredients.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Simple Chicken Salad</span></div>
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Prep Time: 5+ minutes </div>
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Cooking Time: N/A</div>
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Yield: 2 cups</div>
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<u>Ingredients</u>:</div>
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- 2 cups roast chicken, chopped (all skin and fat removed)<br />
- 3/4 - 1 cup mayonnaise <br />
- 2-3 Tbsp sweet relish <br />
- 2 tsp garlic powder<br />
- 2 tsp onion powder<br />
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<u>Tools:</u></div>
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- Bowl<br />
- Spoon/fork/spatula</div>
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<u>Directions:</u> </div>
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1) Make sure the pieces of chicken are approximately bite-sized and put them in your mixing bowl.</div>
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2) Add the mayonnaise, relish, garlic powder, and onion powder, and mix until well combined.</div>
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3) Taste and adjust the amount of each ingredient as you see fit. </div>
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4) Proceed with eating the chicken salad.</div>
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<b><u>Helpful Hints:</u></b></div>
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- I do not recommend freezing chicken salad. If you are going to freeze anything out of this recipe, just prep the chicken by chopping it up and freeze <i>that</i> in a container until ready to use. Make sure you thaw it thoroughly first...otherwise you'll be eating chicken ice cube salad...which is decidedly <i>not</i> appetizing.<br />
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- This is exactly what I do to make tuna salad. My nonna and mom have been making tuna salad this way for as long as I can remember, so I just transferred the recipe to chicken salad. All you do is substitute a can or two of tuna (I prefer the chunk white albacore) for the chicken.<br />
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- This recipe very much follows the "eehhhh, that looks like enough" measurement style. You pretty much add stuff until it looks right. After making this enough times, you will be able to make this without measuring and get it perfect every time.<br />
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Enjoy!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-12733965608501383202011-10-16T15:32:00.000-04:002011-10-16T15:33:00.421-04:00A Note About My Cooking StyleAs I've been writing my recipe posts, I've realized that there's something very important I should discuss with my readers - my cooking style. My cooking style is often reflected in the way I write my recipes, especially when I note that you should experiment with different spices or proportions of ingredients to suit your own tastes. This also means that my recipe measurements are the best approximation of the amount of an ingredient I use - so it's perfectly fine if you decide to use a little less or more of something, or substitute an ingredient for something you are more familiar with, or simply add something extra. In fact, I encourage this approach. You aren't cooking for me (although that would be very sweet of you) - you are cooking for yourself. Cook what will make <i>you</i> happy...cook like an Italian.<br />
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My cooking style is the result of growing up surrounded by Italian-style cooking. If you don't know how that works, let me give you a basic run-down. <br />
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- Cooking involves using your hands - be prepared to get messy. Become "one with the food," so to speak. When you put your heart and soul into a dish, it will show.<br />
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- Measurements are given as "pinch, dash, eeehhhhhh that looks like enough."<br />
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- Recipes are for the weak at heart.<br />
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- Meals are once-in-a-lifetime events. The proportions will always be slightly different, so you will never be able to <i>exactly</i> replicate a dish. That's ok - it makes cooking an adventure! It also helps you to cherish each and every meal.<br />
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- No two people will cook the same way, or use the same amount of a particular ingredient - this is what makes Nonna's pasta sauce <i>hers</i>, and why, try as I might, the same exact "recipe" will never let me make Nonna's sauce - only <i>my</i> sauce. <br />
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- The only way to learn to cook is to roll up your sleeves, and get into that kitchen.<br />
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To sum it all up is a quote that I have hanging in my kitchen: "Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon."<br />
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So what's the moral of the story? Read a recipe I've written and try it out. Add more or less of a spice. Substitute olive oil for butter for a different taste. Don't go out and buy ground beef - chop up some of the chicken that's already sitting in your fridge. Take my recipe and make it <i>yours</i>...make it work with the ingredients already sitting in your pantry. Yes, it's scary the first couple of times you try this because it may not work out. But you'll never get there if you don't give it a shot! In the words of Miss Frizzle from the Magic School Bus: "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!"Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-69394518463204170852011-10-13T16:08:00.001-04:002011-10-13T16:08:21.202-04:00Fork & Knife Chicken Sandwich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Part of making large meals to save your budget is learning how to deal with the leftovers. No one <i>really </i>wants to eat the same thing every day, but you also can't afford to buy a lot of different ingredients. This is a recipe for what I did with some of the leftovers from <a href="http://nakforcooking.blogspot.com/2011/10/roast-chicken-with-vegetables.html">Roast Chicken with Vegetables</a>. It is delicious, hearty, hits the spot, and only involves 3 extra ingredients that you should have lying around in your pantry.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fork & Knife Chicken Sandwich</span></div>
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Prep Time: 5 minutes </div>
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Cooking Time: 1-2 minutes (varies with microwave)</div>
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Yield: One sandwich</div>
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<u>Ingredients</u>:</div>
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- 1-2 cups roast chicken (pulled off the bone, all skin and fat removed)<br />
- 3 Tbsp of juices from roasting the chicken (more or less to taste)<br />
- 1 Tbsp mayonnaise<br />
- 2 slices bread<br />
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<u>Tools:</u></div>
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- Microwave<br />
- Microwave-safe bowl</div>
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<u>Directions:</u> </div>
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1) Put the pieces of roast chicken (already pulled off the bone, with all skin and fat removed) into a microwave safe bowl.</div>
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2) Open the container of juices from roasting the chicken. If you have not already removed the layer of fat since roasting the chicken, you will see a white "film" on the surface of the juices (which will be more firm - like Jello). Don't worry, this is normal!<br />
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3) Use a spoon, or something similar, to skim the fat off of the top if you have not already done so. Just throw it directly into the trash. Once you've skimmed the fat off, you won't need to do this again, as more fat won't develop on the surface.<br />
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4) Once the fat has been removed, spoon about 3 Tbsp of the juices (more or less to taste) over the chicken waiting in the bowl.<br />
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5) Microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until the chicken is nice and hot and the juices have liquified again. Time will vary depending upon your microwave and the amount of chicken you are reheating.<br />
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6) Prep the bread by spreading mayonnaise on both slices, and seasoning with pepper, to taste. Place the bread - mayo side up - on a plate.<br />
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7) Use a fork, your hands, or some other utensil to place the pieces of chicken on the bottom bread slice. <br />
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8) Drizzle the juices left in the bowl over the chicken, letting the rest get soaked up by the bottom slice of bread. Put the top slice on, and break out the fork and knife!<br />
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Enjoy!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-9759378911010455472011-10-10T11:00:00.001-04:002011-10-10T11:00:36.285-04:00Handy Tools: Roasting PanA roasting pan, like the one I used to make <a href="http://nakforcooking.blogspot.com/2011/10/roast-chicken-with-vegetables.html">Roast Chicken with Vegetables,</a> is specifically designed to make the process of roasting as easy as possible. Roasting is such an easy way to make a meal that will save you a lot of money in the long run, so having a roasting pan is extraordinarily useful because it makes the process all but foolproof. The following are the features that make a roasting pan (with lid!!!!) so useful:<br />
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1) <i><b>Perfect size and shape</b></i>. No need to fiddle with making sure that the chicken will fit in the pan, the pan is deep enough to hold the liquid, or the lid will fit over the turkey. A roasting pan is designed to handle exactly these food items - making sure that your meal will fit!<br />
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2) <i><b>Dome-shaped lid</b></i>. Get a roasting pan that has some kind of dome-shaped - or at least very tall - lid. The purpose of this shape is twofold. First, the height of the lid helps accommodate larger items, allowing you to cook more in a smaller space. The second - and most important feature - is that it helps with self-basting. This fact is so important that I'm going to give it its own number in the list!<br />
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3) <i><b>Self-basting lid</b></i>. The dome-shaped lid of roasting pans (that come with them) today is self-basting. What does this mean? Well, remember the water that I put in the bottom of the pan in the <a href="http://nakforcooking.blogspot.com/2011/10/roast-chicken-with-vegetables.html">Roast Chicken with Vegetables</a> recipe? As the roasting begins, the chicken (or turkey, etc) will loose flavorful juices, which will mix with the water on the bottom of the pan. Now, remember back to Thanksgiving commercials from when you were little, and they'd show a woman taking a turkey out of the oven, and using a baster (nozzle with a bulb on the end) to take the juices from the bottom of the pan and drizzle it over the turkey. This is a crucial step for making sure that the turkey (or chicken, etc) does not loose flavor or moisture. Well, the self-basting lid does this for you. As the water/juice mixture heats up, it evaporates. When it hits the lid, it condenses and falls back down onto the chicken (in my case). It's one less thing you need to worry about while the chicken is roasting, but the flavor and moisture will still be there.<br />
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4) <i><b>Grate.</b></i> Most roasting pans will come with a grate with handles that rests in the bottom of the pan. This keeps the chicken and vegetables off of the bottom of the pan (which helps prevent sticking and burn spots), and makes it easier to lift the chicken out of the roasting pan for carving. <br />
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As far as kitchen tools go, a roasting pan is a great investment that will help make things like roasting easier, but can also be used without the grate to cook other dishes. Make sure you get one with a lid....otherwise, you'll need a baster and a fondness for acting out old Thanksgiving commercials. Just enter the search "<i><b>Hi-dome roaster</b></i>" in your favorite search engine, and I guarantee you'll find one at a price your wallet can stomach. Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-82035739858454886812011-10-01T23:00:00.000-04:002011-10-01T23:00:34.340-04:00Roast Chicken with Vegetables<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nothing is easier to get you started cooking than a roast chicken. Cross my heart. Not only is making a roast chicken <i>easy</i>, it is also incredibly easy on the wallet - especially if you get a chicken on sale! In addition, the leftovers from a roast chicken are delicious just reheated as is, or they can be remade into sandwiches, chicken salad, and countless other dishes. I firmly believe that a key to being happy with cooking is to eat a variety, otherwise you won't want to do it. You can have a variety with a roast chicken, without much more investment in other ingredients.<br />
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One of the things I like to do is compare prices for ready-made food and food I make myself - just to make sure that I am really saving money. Here's a quick comparison of a store-bought, ready-to-eat rotisserie chicken and the roast chicken that I made myself. (Just a note, roasting and rotisserie is the same method of cooking, it's just that the latter of the two rotates while it cooks). One approximately 4lb store bought chicken will cost you $6 on average: that's $1.50/lb. I just bought a 9lb chicken on sale for $8, or $.89/lb. In order to buy 9lbs of chicken ready made at the store, you'd have to spend an extra $5.50. Let's say you buy a chicken once a month. That adds up to $66 per year that you can save by making a chicken at home. Sound like a chunk of money you'd like to save? Thought so.<br />
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So, here's my basic recipe for Roast Chicken with Vegetables. You can certainly roast a chicken without the veggies, but you're already investing the time to roast a chicken...what's cutting up a few veggies and throwing them in, too?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Roast Chicken with Vegetables </span></div>
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Prep Time: 20 minutes </div>
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Cooking Time: Varies based on the size of the chicken</div>
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Yield: Varies</div>
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<u>Ingredients</u>:</div>
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- One roasting chicken<br />
- Olive Oil<br />
- 1 Fresh Lemon<br />
- ~2 tsp Herbs de Provence (or a similar substitute).<br />
- Several Root Vegetables (Onions, Carrots, Potatoes, Yams) One or two of each should do. Feel free to experiment with other root veggies, too.<br />
- Water - enough to cover the grate at the bottom of the roasting pan. <br />
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<u>Tools:</u></div>
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- Roasting Pan or other oven-safe piece of cookware with a lid (just make sure the chicken will fit first!)<br />
- Cooking Twine (optional)<br />
- Cooking Thermometer (optional)</div>
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<u>Directions:</u> </div>
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1) Preheat the oven to 350F.</div>
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2) Remove the bird from the wrappings. Make sure you do this over the sink, as there will be blood that will drip out. You don't want to have to worry about cleaning blood off of your countertop.<br />
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3) Reach into the cavity of the bird and remove the packet of "stuff" (a.k.a. giblets). This packet has the innards of the chicken in it. Sometimes the bird will come with the giblets, and sometimes it won't. It's best to check and make sure because you <i>do not</i> want to roast the bird with the giblets still inside.<br />
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4) Rinse the chicken - inside and out - in cool, clean water. Pat the chicken dry with some paper towels, and place the bird - breast side up - on a dish or pan. This will help keep the chicken in one place as you season it. A dish or pan will also catch any excess seasoning that falls off, making your cleanup easier.<br />
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5) Take a piece of cooking twine and tie up the legs of the chicken. This is an optional step. It just makes handling the bird a little bit easier.<br />
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5) Take the fresh lemon and cut it in half. Insert both lemon halves into the cavity of the chicken. In lieu of lemon halves, you could also use stuffing.<br />
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6) Gently separate the skin covering the breast from the meat. Try not to tear the skin, and do not remove it. The skin helps retain moisture and prevent the meat from becoming too dry. <br />
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7) Once you have the skin loosened, pour some olive oil (about 1 Tbsp) and herbs de provence (about 1 tsp) in the pocket formed beneath the skin. Rub the olive oil and herbs into the meat as best you can. Add more oil or herbs as you see fit. This will also vary depending upon the size of the chicken you use. The purpose here is to help infuse flavoring directly into the meat, rather than only on the skin (which is not always eaten).<br />
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8) Use another Tbsp of Olive Oil and tsp of herbs to cover the skin of the chicken. Don't forget to cover the skin of the wings and legs in addition to the breast.<br />
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9) Fill the bottom of the roasting pan with water until it just covers the grate at the bottom. <i>If you don't have a roasting pan, make sure to read the amended directions after step 12.</i><br />
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10) Place the chicken in the roasting pan, on top of the grate, breast side up.<br />
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11) Roughly cut the vegetables to be roasted with the chicken. Large chunks are fine.<br />
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12) Toss the vegetables around the chicken in the roasting pan.<br />
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<i>Amended directions for use without a roasting pan: Chop the vegetables first, and scatter them across the bottom of your pan. Then, fill the bottom of the pan with about an inch of water. Use the vegetables in lieu of a grate to hold up the chicken, and put the chicken on top of the vegetables - still breast side up.</i><br />
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13) Put the lid on the roasting pan and place in the oven.<br />
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14) Roast the chicken at 350F according to the following rule of thumb: 30 minutes per pound and add 15 minutes if there is a substantial stuffing (i.e. the lemons don't count as stuffing).<br />
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15) The chicken should be done when the meat of the inner thigh close to - but not touching - the bone reads 165F. The stuffing (if applicable) should also read that temperature. I did not use a thermometer this time because the chicken came with a pop-up timer. See that little white plastic piece in the picture? That's the timer. When it "pops" open, the chicken is done. <br />
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16) Carve and serve. Use a spoon or ladle to get some of the juices from roasting to drizzle over the meat and vegetables. I tried to get a pretty picture of the plate of food, but the drumstick fell apart before I got it to the plate. I left it like that to illustrate how tender this chicken was.<br />
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Things to do after you've eaten:</div>
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1) Whatever chicken is left, carve and put it away. This will make life easier when you want to use the leftovers.</div>
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2) Collect the veggies and save them in a separate container, too.</div>
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3) Don't throw out the juices!!! Instead, strain the juice into another container (to remove the larger chunks of vegetable or chicken from the juice). Let the juice come to room temperature before putting it in the fridge. When the juices cool in the fridge, they will solidify and a fat layer will form on the surface. This is normal. Just use a spoon to skim off the layer of fat into the trash. The juice will re-liquify when heated.</div>
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I've made several different dishes from the leftovers, and they are still coming. I will post them, too, to give you some more ideas of what to do with the leftovers. </div>
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Enjoy!</div>
Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-55698083562253521972011-09-27T19:59:00.000-04:002011-09-27T19:59:16.350-04:00Handy Tools: Pizza Stone & PeelI realized that, in making some of my recipes, I use tools that a lot of people might not know about: what they are, how they work, is it really worth the investment.<br />
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Here's a post explaining the tools I used in the recipe for <a href="http://nakforcooking.blogspot.com/2011/09/pull-apart-flatbread.html">Pull-apart Flatbread</a>: the pizza stone and the pizza peel.<br />
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<u><b>Pizza Stone</b></u> <br />
The pizza stone is a fantastic device for baking pizzas and breads. It is made out of earthenware or ceramic and, much like a good piece of cookware will do on top of the stove, a pizza stone evenly distributes heat inside the oven. By absorbing excess moisture, it also helps give a crispiness to bread and pizza crust that a normal baking sheet simply cannot accomplish.<br />
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<i><b>Bottom line</b></i>: A pizza stone turns your regular oven into a brick oven.<br />
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<u><b>Pizza Peel</b></u><br />
A pizza peel can best be described like a giant spatula. You've probably seen one, if you've ever watched somebody make pizza. Essentially, it is used for putting pizza/bread/etc into a brick oven, or removing the delicious little morsel after cooking.<br />
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<i><b>Bottom line:</b></i> A pizza peel makes working with pizza on a pizza stone much easier. <br />
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<u><b>Recommendations</b></u><br />
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So, if you are wondering whether or not you need/want a pizza stone, think about the following questions:<br />
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1) <b>What do you want to cook?</b> If you already bake your own bread, or make a lot of pizza at home (Pizza stones work great for frozen pizzas, too! It's not just for made-from-scratch.), then I would honestly consider a pizza stone. It's something you know you already enjoy doing, and you will get a lot of use out of this tool. If you are only <i>thinking</i> about baking bread or making pizza, start out with just a baking sheet. Wait to see if you even enjoy cooking those things. If you don't enjoy it, you won't use the pizza stone enough to make the investment really worth it.<br />
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2) <b>Can you afford a pizza stone?</b> A complete pizza stone kit can run anywhere from $30 and up. You can also find pizza stones to fit something as small as a toaster oven to as large as 14" x 16" x .5". Base the decision on your own budget and how much you think you will use this. If you are a bread-baking fiend, then I'd probably save up for a really good pizza stone (just like you'd save up for a tool for any other hobby - knitting needles, really nice yarn, a good sewing machine, a camera). If you will only use it sparingly, going whole-hog won't really help you all that much. Get a smaller stone, and save the "extra" money for something else you will use much more often in the kitchen.<br />
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3) <b>Is a pizza stone easy to care for?</b> Absolutely. As far as kitchen tools go, pizza stones are one of the easiest things to have around. Pizza stones are porous - one of the reasons they make breads and pizza crusts so crispy. This means that the only thing you should use to wash it is pure, clear water - absolutely no detergent! The stone will soak up detergent like there's no tomorrow, and you will ruin the stone. For cleaning, just use a brush or detergent-free scrub pad to get off any bits that are stuck and rinse with water. Pizza stones (much like cast iron) develop a seasoning and hardness after repeated use - increasing the quality of the stone. Unlike cast iron, you do not need to "re-season" a pizza stone. Instead, a pizza stone can just be left in the oven permanently (Except for oven self-cleaning cycles! Remember to remove it during those times!). Whenever the oven is being used, just put the baking sheet or pan on top of the stone, and the stone will develop further. Remember, a pizza stone will crack if exposed to extreme heat changes, so make sure you put it into a cold oven first - then preheat the oven. Let the pizza stone completely cool in the oven before removing and rinsing. These are pretty universal ways to care for a pizza stone. Always refer to the instruction and care manual when you get one.<br />
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So, what do you all think? Are you considering getting a pizza stone? Do you already have one and want to share your thoughts and suggestions? Feel free to leave comments!<br />
<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-80531197525326885682011-09-25T18:59:00.000-04:002011-09-25T18:59:27.456-04:00Pull-apart Flatbread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Some of the best recipes come from making something out of seemingly random things you find in your fridge. Be creative, and use what you have in your own fridge to make this a unique and budget-friendly dish!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pull-apart Flatbread</span></div>
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Prep Time: <10 minutes</div>
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Cooking Time: 8-10 minutes</div>
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Yield: approx. 10 pieces </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The above parameters may vary depending upon the brand of biscuits you use.</i></span></div>
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<u>Ingredients</u>:</div>
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- One can of country-style biscuits </div>
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- Olive Oil</div>
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- Sliced Ham</div>
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- Sundried Tomatoes packed in Oil</div>
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- Minced Garlic</div>
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- Italian Seasoning</div>
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- Sour Cream</div>
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- Corn Meal (optional) </div>
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<u>Directions:</u> </div>
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1) Preheat your oven according to the directions on the biscuit package. </div>
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2) Set out a baking sheet, aluminum foil, or pizza peel on which to assemble the flatbread. If you have a pizza stone, use the peel only for transfer. This is <i>not</i> a bread that should be placed directly on the oven grates, as the pieces will fall through. Bake only on a "solid" surface.</div>
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3) Sprinkle corn meal on the surface of the baking sheet/aluminum foil/pizza peel.</div>
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4) Open the can of biscuits, and remove the first piece. Flatten the biscuit between your palms until an even 1/8"-1/4" thick. Place it onto the sheet/foil/peel. Repeat this with all of the biscuits, tiling them together, and pinching the dough to form the "flatbread."<br />
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5) Drizzle the bread with olive oil, then break the sliced ham up into smaller pieces. Toss the ham, sundried tomatoes, minced garlic, and italian seasoning over the surface - evenly distributing the ingredients as much as possible.<br />
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6) Transfer the flatbread to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes (or according to the directions for the biscuits you are using). Any ingredients you top the flatbread with should be able to be eaten with only the cooking time required for the bread. If the ingredients need more cooking first - cook it separately beforehand, then toss on the flatbread to maintain the warmth. Be careful to not overcook those ingredients!<br />
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7) When the dough is cooked to a nice golden brown, remove the flatbread from the oven.<br />
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8) Cool slightly before serving with a dollop of sour cream for dipping.<br />
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This is great for lunch, as a side dish for dinner, an appetizer, or something nice to bring to a potluck-style party, as it's easy to serve. Try different toppings or dipping sauces based on what you have in your fridge. </div>
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Comment to share your own variations. I'd love to hear how you make yours! </div>
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Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-50133546967345509632011-09-23T10:12:00.000-04:002011-09-23T10:12:15.181-04:00The Freezer is Your FriendSo, you've spent valuable time, effort, and money making a good meal. The amount of food you've made is too much for just you for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow. Let's face it, even the most diehard foodie can grow weary of eating the exact same meal several days in a row. So, what do you do to save that food?<br />
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Freeze it.<br />
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Walk down the freezer aisle in the grocery store and look at all of the frozen meals populating the freezers. How do you think they did it? Premade food, put in a microwaveable container, and frozen. Sound like something you can do? Of course!<br />
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I've done this with a lot of things: Eggplant Parmesan, Baked Ziti, Crabcakes, Pancakes, Soup...you can try it with just about anything. Just portion the leftovers into individual portions, and freeze them separately to make your own "frozen meals." Then, the next time you're running out the door with no time to make lunch, just grab a meal out of the freezer and go!<br />
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<i>Quick Tip</i>s:<br />
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<li>Soup: I suggest using a plastic freezer bag for individual portions of soup. It makes it much easier to remove the soup for reheating.</li>
<li>Pancakes: When you make pancakes from a mix, make the whole batch of 23 or so 4" pancakes. Let them cool, then pack them into a freezer bag and freeze them. To reheat, pop one out, wrap it in a paper towel, and microwave until warmed (timing will vary depending on your microwave, mine takes about 45 seconds).</li>
<li>Bread: Saving bread or biscuits is just the same as saving pancakes - just pop them in the freezer and either microwave or toast to reheat.</li>
<li>Vegetables: Frozen veggies is almost a no-brainer. If you have veggies that you might not use in time, freeze them!</li>
<li>Meat: If you want to freeze chicken pieces, ground beef, or any other kind of meat, just make sure you separate the meat into amounts that you will use in one serving. If you don't, you'll have to wrestle with frozen chicken or steak stuck together until it thaws a little. </li>
<li>Butter: Buy or make your own butter in larger quantities, and throw most of it into the freezer until you need it. </li>
<li>Buy some frozen foods in bulk. This will save you time (chopping veggies) and money (fresh veggies can be quite expensive in the off season), while opening up new options for quick and delicious meals if you haven't had time to go to the grocery store.</li>
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Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-87424113519270881972011-09-22T20:04:00.000-04:002011-09-22T20:04:12.274-04:00Getting Started: SpicesSpices are what make cooking <i>fun</i>. They also are a good way to jazz up ordinary ingredients without too much investment. The only problem with spices when you are first starting out is that they are expensive. Luckily, once you have a particular spice, it will usually last awhile. It's that first purchase, though, that really hits your wallet. Here are my suggestions for how to build your spice cabinet:<br />
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1) <b style="color: #f3f3f3;"><i>Start with the spices you grew up with</i></b><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">.</span> The key to cooking on a budget is to cook with what you already have in your fridge/pantry. You will be able to do this a lot easier and faster - and with fewer heartbreaking mistakes - if you blend spices that you're familiar with. <br />
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Take this personal story as an example: I grew up with a lot of Italian food, so I can blend the standard Italian spices into a flavorful meal usually just by eyeballing it. I did <i>not</i> grow up, however, with various spicy powders. So one day, I made a meal that called for chili powder. Well, I didn't have chili powder, but I <i>did</i> have cayenne pepper. Not being used to spicy foods, I didn't realize that cayenne pepper is a lot hotter than chili powder. Also not being used to spicy foods, I decided to follow the recipe...which meant I did a 1 to 1 substitution of cayenne pepper for the chili powder. Those of you who are familiar with these spices are probably giggling in foresight. Well, the dish was a lot hotter than I would have liked, and I didn't enjoy the many meals the recipe provided as much as I should have - especially knowing that the reason was that I messed up. <i>Take away message</i>: If you have limited spices available, your meals are safer with spices you are familiar with until you learn how to use new ones. <br />
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2) <i style="color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Try new spices with a recipe.</b></i><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"> </span> Despite the fact that I blatantly messed up a recipe, the safest way to get used to new spices is with a recipe. I don't even want to think about how that meal would have turned out if I had eyeballed the cayenne pepper... So, when you want to try a new flavor, find a simple recipe that calls for one or two new spices. Pay close attention to the amount of spice that is being added in comparison to the other ingredients, so that you learn how to use these spices. This use of a new recipe will also allow you to add spices incrementally, slowly building your spice cabinet. Before you know it, you'll have a whole world of flavors at your fingertips!<br />
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3) <i style="color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Make your own spice blends.</b></i> If a spice blend you want is something simple, or something you are very familiar with, just blend it yourself! Perfect example: Cinnamon Sugar. Please, for the love of food, don't buy the fancy little dispenser of cinnamon sugar. Just mix it yourself - it's only two ingredients. You can save so much money by mixing your own combinations because companies charge more to do that work for you.<br />
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4) <i style="color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Buy the spices you use most often in bulk.</b></i><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"> </span> Buying spices in bulk usually ends up saving a lot of money in the long run, so if there are certain spices you use very frequently, buy it in larger quantities. The savings will add up over time!<br />
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Now - go get that spice cabinet started!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-80539733733682447382011-09-22T10:24:00.000-04:002011-09-22T10:24:48.806-04:00Most Used Cookware #1: 12" SkilletThe true workhorse of my kitchen - the 12" skillet. I use this skillet for just about every meal I make. There are too many things that this darling piece of cookware is capable of doing to even begin listing them. Just trust me when I say that deciding which piece was the #1 most used piece of cookware in my kitchen was a snap. The most difficult decision I had was deciding whether or not to include a cover for it in the title (I decided not to...but I'll say now that having a cover will greatly extend the usefulness of this skillet...and a helper handle, just because it makes life easier when handling a 12" skillet full of sauteed vegetables that need to be poured into another pot). <br />
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Why do I use this skillet for every meal instead of a smaller one?, you might ask. The answer is one word: leftovers. One of the keys to eating on a budget is cooking more than you can eat in one meal. This way, you have leftovers to bring to work/school/wherever for lunch the next day without even having to lift a finger in the morning. This drastically reduces the opportunity to make excuses about being late for work, or not having anything to make for lunch, and really, will eating out for lunch the third time this week really break your budget? Yes, yes it will, if you keep adding it up. Using the 12" Skillet helps me to minimize the occurrence of this cycle of next-day-lunch laziness, and my wallet thanks me repeatedly for it.<br />
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That, my dear readers, is why the 12" Skillet (with cover!) is the most used piece of cookware in my kitchen.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-41586760630162709872011-09-21T20:15:00.000-04:002011-09-21T20:15:19.600-04:00Most Used Cookware #2: 3Qt SaucepanAh, the saucepan. Think of this as a baby stockpot. Soups, small batches of pasta, vegetables, making yogurt (yes, that's right)...boiling, sauteing, steaming, baking (if oven safe)....really, the possibilities are endless. You can do anything and everything in this pan that you could do in a stockpot or skillet, except with either less or more space, respectively. Granted, sauteing will be a little more awkward in a saucepan than in a skillet, but in a pinch (and with smaller portions!), you can make it work.<br />
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When trying to decide on which size saucepan I thought was the most useful, it was actually a toss-up between the 3Qt and 2Qt saucepans. I finally decided to go with the 3Qt as the most used. The reason being this: If you had to go with two pans of the top four, I would definitely recommend a saucepan as one of the two. When ultimately deciding on which pieces to get first, I suggest erring on the larger side. You might be surprised at how much you will really use that extra quart of space...and how annoying it is when milk starts to foam all over your freshly cleaned stove and it's because you used the 2Qt since the 3Qt was being washed...but that's a story for another post.<br />
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And the #1 Most Used Piece of Cookware in my kitchen is......(<i>drum roll please</i>)Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-580084542046361973.post-86863755115429221872011-09-21T11:30:00.000-04:002011-09-21T11:30:21.701-04:00Most Used Cookware #3: 8" SkilletThe 8" Skillet is perfect for all the smaller things that need to be done on the stove top. I especially like to use it for a quick breakfast, making this pan the third most used in my kitchen. This little cutie is the perfect size for cooking eggs of all types, sauteing only a handful of vegetables for one meal, grilled cheese, a burger, cooking a smaller component of a dish that needs to be added to to the larger pot/pan, and the list goes on.<br />
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The usefulness of this skillet is that it is just the right size for small dishes where a bigger skillet would just be too cumbersome. Also, in recipes (or meals) that call for ingredients to be cooked separately from each other, you need a second pan - and usually only one that is smaller.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Bonus:</span></b> If you get a pan that is oven-safe, use it to bake small side dishes rather than a big baking pan, or to combine cooking techniques like sauteing and roasting. <i>Just remember to keep a pot holder over the handle once you take it out of the oven. After enough cooking, you might not think twice about grabbing the handle of a skillet that's sitting on the stove, which can result in serious burns to your hands if that skillet has recently been in the oven!</i>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02931321702319815947noreply@blogger.com0