Free Recipes eBooks

Simple Cake Decorating Ideas

Sandy Bloom — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:02:59 +0000

Cake decorating is not as difficult as it seems. We look at the elaborately decorated masterpieces and feel completely intimidated. Here are a few simple ideas and hints to make your cake decorating project a winner.

- Buy readymade cakes, or make your cake from a mix.

- Make sure you have several pastry bags, a coupler, a flower nail, and 6 icing tips- #824 large open star, #23 small open star, #104 small rose, #125 large rose, and #109 and #129 drop flowers.

- A turntable makes icing a cake much easier. A lazy susan will work.

- Use decorations that are already made- fresh flowers, silk flowers, ribbons, and fruit are some of the items you can use.

- Always brush fresh fruit with a glaze to seal in moisture.

- Use a decorative cake plate or platter to present your cake.

- Use Ganache icing.

Ganache

1 pound semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream or evaporated milk
1/4 cup sugar
4 tsp. unsalted butter

Place the chocolate in a bowl.

Combine cream, butter, and sugar in a pan, bring the mixture to a boil.
Pour the mixture over the chocolate, stirring gently until it is melted.
Using royal or buttercream icing, ice the cake with a thin coating, and freeze for 15 minutes.
Place a cooling rack on a cookie sheet.
Make sure the icing is set, and place the cake on the cooling rack.

Quickly pour the ganache over the top of the cake and down the sides. You can use a spatula to smooth the surface if needed. The hot ganache will melt the icing, so only smooth as necessary. Tap the rack to remove any excess ganache, this can be refrigerated for later use.
Chill the cake until set, remove to a serving platter.

Fruit Flan

You can choose to purchase a pre-made flan, or bake one yourself.
Slice your choice of assorted fruit and arrange it on the cake surface in concentric circles.
Coat with apricot glaze.
Serve on a decorative cake plate or platter.

Apricot Glaze

12 oz. jar of apricot jam
2-3 tbsp. Water

Combine jam and water in a saucepan.
Bring ingredients to a boil.
Strain glaze and keep in the refrigerator until needed.
Heat to brush on fruit.

Piping

Using a pastry bag and the tip of your choice, you can create a number of cake decorations, ranging from flowers to simple borders. Basic icing recipes can be found on the internet. Work on a piece of waxed paper before you apply any icing to a cake.

Edible Flowers

Apply icing to your cake
Decorate the cake with piping if you desire
Distribute edible flowers in a decorative fashion

I hope that any, or all, of these tips will help you with your cake decorating projects. My suggestion is to gather all of the tips, tricks, and ideas you can find and print them out. Put your collection in a binder and the next time you are having a problem with your cake decorating project, you will have an answer at your fingertips.

Grilled All-American Burgers

Sandy Bloom — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 09:58:49 +0000

When it is barbecue time, serve these juicy All-American burgers. Use your favorite grilling method, but be sure to brush the hamburgers frequently with the special barbecue sauce. Prepare the sauce the day before to allow the flavors to blend well. The burgers can be shaped and refrigerated earlier in the day. Press the center of the burger down a bit to keep it fairly flattened while cooking.

Top ideas for dinner tonight:

•30-minute (or less) spring dinners
•Quick and easy chicken dishes
•Garden-fresh entrée salads

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, minced, or 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons catsup
1 tablespoon steak sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 teaspoon vinegar
Few dashes bottled hot pepper sauce
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 hamburger buns
American cheese slices (optional)
Lettuce leaves (optional)
Tomato slices (optional)
Red onion slices (optional)
Pickle slices (optional)

Directions

1.For sauce, in a small saucepan combine garlic or onion, catsup, steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, cooking oil, vinegar, and hot pepper sauce. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.

2.In a medium mixing bowl combine ground beef, salt, and pepper; mix well. Shape meat mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick patties.

3.To Cook by Indirect Grill Method: In a covered grill arrange preheated coals around a drip pan. Test for medium heat above the pan. Place meat on the grill rack over the drip pan. Cover and grill for 20 to 24 minutes or until instant-read thermometer inserted in side of burger registers 160 degree F, turning once halfway through grilling time and brushing frequently with sauce during the last 5 minutes of grilling.

4.To Cook by Direct Grill Method: Grill meat on the grill rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 14 to 18 minutes or until no pink remains, turning once halfway through grilling time and brushing frequently with sauce.

5.To serve, split and toast the buns on the grill. Serve patties in buns with cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pickle, if desired. Makes 4 servings.

6.Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare sauce; cover and chill up to 24 hours. Prepare and shape burgers. Cover with plastic wrap and chill up to 2 hours before grilling.

Grilled Tuna Fajitas

Sandy Bloom — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 09:54:40 +0000

Fish tacos are a popular snack/lunch/street food in many Hispanic coastal areas. This fajita expounds on the taco idea, making it bigger with bigger Mexican flavors. If you’re not familiar with tuna steaks, don’t equate them with the canned fish you grew up with; tuna not in a can is a meaty, truly delicious fish. Despite a few fancy ingredients, this fajita is meant for casual dining.

nutrition facts * Calories384 * Total Fat (g)6 * Saturated Fat (g)1, * Cholesterol (mg)30, * Sodium (mg)846, * Carbohydrate (g)56, * Fiber (g)3, * Protein (g)23, * Vitamin A (DV%)75, * Vitamin C (DV%)149, * Iron (DV%)19, * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Top ideas for dinner tonight:

•30-minute (or less) spring dinners
•Quick and easy chicken dishes
•Garden-fresh entrée salads

Ingredients

2 5- to 6-ounce fresh or frozen tuna steaks, cut 1 inch thick
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro or parsley
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 recipe Tomatillo Salsa (see below)
8 8-inch fat-free flour tortillas
Nonstick spray coating
2 medium red sweet peppers, quartered, stems and membranes removed

Directions

1.Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry. Place fish in a plastic bag set in a shallow dish. For marinade, mix lemon juice, cilantro or parsley, olive oil, garlic, black pepper, and red pepper. Pour over fish in bag; seal bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes, turning bag occasionally.

2.Meanwhile, prepare Tomatillo Salsa. Wrap tortillas tightly in foil.

3.Drain fish, reserving marinade. Lightly spray a cold grill rack with nonstick coating. Place fish on the rack of the uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Place red sweet pepper quarters beside fish and perpendicular to wire of grill rack. Grill fish for 8 to 12 minutes or just until fish begins to flake easily, turning once and brushing once with reserved marinade halfway through grilling. Discard any remaining marinade. Grill sweet peppers for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally. Place wrapped tortillas on grill rack during the last 5 minutes of grilling.

4.Flake fish into large chunks with a fork. Cut sweet peppers into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Immediately fill warm tortillas with fish and sweet pepper strips. Serve with Tomatillo Salsa. Makes 4 servings.

5.Tomatillo Salsa: Wearing plastic gloves, rinse 2 fresh serrano peppers. Halve peppers; remove seeds, stems, and veins. Finely chop peppers. Remove husks from 3 fresh tomatillos. Finely chop tomatillos (you should have about 1-1/2 cups). Stir together peppers; tomatillos; 3 green onions, thinly sliced (6 tablespoons); 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro or parsley; 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 clove garlic, minced.

6.Make-Ahead Tip: Up to 2 hours ahead, prepare Tomatillo Salsa. Cover and chill.

Lime Salsa Chops

Sandy Bloom — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 09:46:35 +0000

Fiery hot jalapeno jelly mixes with luscious honey and spicy cumin, bringing the flavors of old Mexico to your dinner table with these juicy, quickly made pork chops. Bone-in cuts of meat are typically more flavorful and tender but take longer to cook. Marinades are a great solution to this problem, allowing you to add and tailor flavorings while keeping cooking time to a minimum. This dish comes together in under 30 minutes.

nutrition facts * Calories479 * Total Fat (g)22 * Saturated Fat (g)4, * Monounsaturated Fat (g)13, * Polyunsaturated Fat (g)4, * Cholesterol (mg)124, * Sodium (mg)758, * Carbohydrate (g)17, * Total Sugar (g)8, * Fiber (g)2, * Protein (g)53, * Vitamin C (DV%)72, * Calcium (DV%)3, * Iron (DV%)11, * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Top ideas for dinner tonight:

•30-minute (or less) spring dinners
•Quick and easy chicken dishes
•Garden-fresh entrée salads

Ingredients

6 boneless pork top loin chops, cut 3/4 inch thick
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup lime juice
2 fresh serrano or jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon cumin seed, crushed
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 small cucumber, seeded and chopped
2 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons jalapeno jelly

Directions

1.Trim fat from chops. Place chops in a plastic bag set in a shallow dish. For marinade, in a small bowl combine onion, lime juice, serrano peppers, sesame oil, and cumin seed. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade for salsa. Pour the remaining marinade over chops; seal bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours, turning bag occasionally.

2.For salsa, in a medium bowl combine the 2 tablespoons marinade, the tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, cilantro, and honey. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

3.Drain chops, reserving marinade. Transfer the marinade to a small saucepan. Add the jalapeno jelly to marinade; cook and stir until mixture boils. Set aside.

4.Grill chops on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 8 to 11 minutes or until chops are slightly pink in center and juices run clear, turning once and brushing occasionally with jelly mixture the last 5 minutes of grilling. (Or, broil on the unheated rack of a broiler pan 3 to 4 inches from the heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once and brushing occasionally with jelly mixture the last 5 minutes of broiling.) Serve the chops with salsa. Makes 6 servings.

Eliminate Red Meat

Sandy Bloom — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 16:17:00 +0000

If you’re thinking of changing to a vegetarian diet, how do you start? Do you just start shopping in the produce aisle of the grocery store? You might have some anxiety attached to this change as well, and this is understandable.

Try to think of this as adding to your dietary habits, rather than a drastic change. If your diet has consistently included red meat, perhaps you can start substituting other foods for the red meat. Or eliminate the most processed and high-fat meats first, such as bacon and hamburgers. Certainly try to eliminate fast food burgers, which have such a high fat and sodium content. If you think you’ll miss the taste of bacon in the morning, try substituting a turkey or vegetable-based bacon substitute. It won’t be the same, but you won’t be giving up the foods you’re used to all at once.

If you’ve had a health scare and feel the need to change everything at once, make sure you include a lot of variety in the foods you buy as you begin to discover new flavors and textures that you’ll like to replace the ones you’re used to eating. If you don’t need to make a dramatic change all at once, you’ll have a much greater chance of long-term success if you take it slow. Reduce the amount of red meat that you eat on a weekly basis, even if it means substituting pasta with marinara sauce for meat just one night a week. Increase the amounts of fruits and vegetables you eat. Start with raw vegetables at night before dinner so you’re not so hungry when you get to the main meal. Start reversing the proportions of meat and vegetables and make meat a side dish, with vegetables and grains your main course.

We’re creatures of habit and resistant to change. This is why so many diets fail, because we make drastic changes to facilitate dramatic results, quickly. This is a decision and a change you want to make for a lifetime. Make it a natural and gradual change and you can look forward to many more years of healthy living.

Christmas Rib Roast

Sandy Bloom — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 11:51:33 +0000

This elegant holiday rib roast, combined with fruit and onions, has a warm, spicy citrus aroma and flavor. The meat is seasoned with an anise, mustard, and garlic oil and served with a luscious Christmas fruit combination of pears, figs, apricots, and onions, which is then topped with steaming citrus-mustard gravy. A hearty and plentiful stuffing makes an excellent side dish for this winter dinner.

Nutrition Facts * Servings Per Recipe 12 servings * Calories397, * Total Fat (g)15, * Saturated Fat (g)5, * Monounsaturated Fat (g)7, * Polyunsaturated Fat (g)1, * Cholesterol (mg)75, * Sodium (mg)312, * Carbohydrate (g)38, * Total Sugar (g)27, * Fiber (g)5, * Protein (g)28, * Vitamin A (DV%)2, * Vitamin C (DV%)26, * Calcium (DV%)9, * Iron (DV%)22, * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

1 6-lb beef rib roast
1 Tbsp. anise seeds, lightly crushed
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups dried figs, apricots, and/or pears
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
12 red boiling onions, peeled and halved
2-1/3 cups orange juice
3 fresh pears, cut into wedges
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 325F. Trim fat from beef. In bowl, combine anise, oil, 2 tablespoons mustard, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; set aside 3 tablespoons oil mixture. Place beef on rack in a shallow roasting pan. Spread remaining oil mixture on top and sides. Roast 1-1/3 to 2-1/4 hours for medium-rare (135F internal) or 2-1/4 to 2-3/4 hours for medium (150F).

2.Meanwhile, combine dried fruit, onions, 1/3 cup juice, and reserved oil mixture. Fold 18×36-inch heavy foil in half to 18-inch square; place fruit mixture in center. Doublefold opposite foil edges, leaving room for steam. The last 1 hour of roasting time place packet beside roast. The last 30 minutes place pears in pan beside roast; stir once.

3.Transfer roast and pears to platter; cover, let stand 15 minutes. Remove foil packet from oven; set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon fat in roasting pan; whisk flour into fat. Whisk 2 cups juice with 1 tablespoon mustard; add to pan. Place pan over two burners on medium-high heat. Whisk until thickened and bubbly, scraping up browned bits; whisk 1 to 2 minutes more. Strain; serve with beef,fruits, and onion. Garnish with rosemary.

Serves 12.

Beat the Summer Heat with Crock Pot Cooking

Sandy Bloom — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 19:42:02 +0000

When the weather outside warms up, the kitchen can be a terrible place to be. There are many things you can do however, when it comes to cooking a nice home made meal that doesn’t require traditional stove top or oven cooking. Learn to utilize some of the lesser heat producing equipment in your kitchen, such as the crock pot, in order to truly beat the summer heat and keep your cool while preparing a nice hot meal for friends and family.

So, how does crock pot cooking really help beat the heat? Simply put, the crock pot in and of itself puts off far less heat when cooking than an oven or stove top. This is the first and possibly the best reason to utilize the crock pot in your summer meal planning. You should also consider the fact that by not heating the house by using your stove top or oven you are also preventing your air conditioning (or other cooling methods) from working overtime in order to compensate for the additional heat that other cooking methods introduce.

This makes crock pot cooking a win-win situation as the costs involved in operating a crock pot are far less than the costs involved in operating a stove or oven in general. Whether electric or gas, your stove and oven are often serious energy hogs. Add to that the fact that you are not raising the temperature in your home by traditional means of cooking and you are using even less electricity.

Unfortunately for most, the general consensus has been that crock pots were meant for comfort foods and hearty winter meals. The truth is that the crock pot should be one of your best loved and most often utilized cooking methods if you can manage it. When it comes to cooking with a crock pot, the options are almost limitless. Almost anything that can be baked can be made in the crock pot and many, many more wonderful and enticing meals and treats as well.

Benefits of Crock Pot Cooking

In addition to the cost benefits mentioned above when it comes to crock pot cooking there are many other benefits that are well worth mentioning. First of all, the bulk of the work involved in crock pot cooking takes place early in the day when you are refreshed rather than at the end of a hectic work or play day. This means that you are less likely to forget an ingredient or make other mistakes that often occur as we hurriedly prepare a dinner when we are exhausted from the activities of our day.

Second, many great crock pot recipes include the vegetables that insure we are getting the nutrients we need. So often, when preparing a meal at the last minute, vegetables and other side dishes are left out in favor of expedience. Crock pot cooking in many instances is a meal in one dish.

Another great reason to use a crock pot for your summertime cooking is the ease of clean up. Unlike pots and pans, most crock pot meals are made in one dish. This means that there will not be mountains of dishes to be either hand washed or loaded into the dishwasher (or if you are like me-both) afterwards. You can spend less time cleaning just as you spent less time slaving over a hot stove. Oh wait! Make that no time slaving over a hot stove. Once clean up is complete you can get back to enjoying the sun set, chasing the lightening bugs with your little ones, or waiting for the first star.

While there will never be a one size fits all best cooking method, crock pot cooking comes very close. If you have a crock pot collecting dust somewhere in the back of your pantry it is time to get it out, dust if off, and dig up some great summertime crock pot cooking recipes.

Source: AXXA Food

Chicken with Sourdough-Mushroom Stuffing

Sandy Bloom — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:03:43 +0000

Make chicken seem elegant with this slow-cooked delight. Your home will fill with the aroma of chicken and stuffing chock full of mushrooms and garlic. Drumsticks are rubbed with sage, lemon, salt, and pepper. Sourdough stuffing is then layered in a crockpot on top of the chicken and slow cooked to perfection. This will be easily become a family favorite.

Nutrition Facts * Servings Per Recipe 8 servings * Calories412, * Total Fat (g)17, * Saturated Fat (g)5, * Monounsaturated Fat (g)5, * Polyunsaturated Fat (g)4, * Cholesterol (mg)146, * Sodium (mg)1450, * Carbohydrate (g)27, * Total Sugar (g)2, * Fiber (g)3, * Protein (g)39, * Vitamin C (DV%)17, * Calcium (DV%)7, * Iron (DV%)19, * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Top ideas for dinner tonight:

•30-minute (or less) spring dinners
•Quick and easy chicken dishes
•Garden-fresh entrée salads

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
2 tablespoons finely shredded lemon peel
1 tablespoon ground sage
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
8 small chicken legs (thigh-drumstick piece), skinned (about 5 pounds)
1/4 cup butter
4 cups quartered or sliced fresh cremini, baby portobello, shiitake, and/or button mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8 cups sourdough baguette cut into 1-inch pieces (about 10 oz.)
1 cup coarsely shredded carrot
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
3 tablespoons snipped flat leaf Italian parsley

Directions

1.Lightly coat the inside of a 5-1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the lemon peel. In a small bowl combine remaining lemon peel, sage, seasoned salt and pepper. Remove 3/4 of the mixture and rub onto chicken legs. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2.Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet; add mushrooms and garlic. Cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until just tender. Stir in remaining sage mixture. Transfer mushroom mixture to a large bowl. Add bread cubes, and shredded carrot. Drizzle with chicken broth, tossing gently.
3.Lightly pack stuffing on top of chicken. Cover and cook on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.
4.Transfer stuffing and chicken to a platter.
5.In a bowl combine reserved lemon peel, walnuts, and parsley; sprinkle over chicken. Makes 8 servings.

Floating Hand Punch

Sandy Bloom — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 08:02:59 +0000

The kids will get a kick out of this spooky hand punch at their next Halloween party. You make these hands by filling latex gloves with a sugar-free punch and freezing them. You can make different colors and add items to them for special effects, such as gummy worms or plastic black spiders. After they are frozen, just cut the glove off and place them in the punch bowl to keep the punch cold and creepy!

Top ideas for dinner tonight:

* 30-minute (or less) spring dinners
* Quick and easy chicken dishes
* Garden-fresh entrée salads

ingredients

* Clear plastic or latex gloves
* Desired punch
* Gummy worms (optional)
* Twist ties
* Scissors
* Sugar-free fruit-flavored drink mix

directions

1. If the gloves have a powdery residue inside, turn them inside out and soak in warm water or wipe with soapy water and rinse. Allow gloves to dry. Or, turn gloves inside out, leaving the powdery side to the outside.

2. Prepare your favorite fruit-flavored drink mix and pour into the gloves. (Sugar free liquid freezes better than liquids with sugar.) Add enough drink to fill the gloves loosely but not so full that the fingers will not move. If you wish, add a few gummy worms to each “hand.” Fasten the gloves tightly with a twist tie. Place paper towels on a cookie sheet and lay the hands on the paper towels. Freeze. When hands are frozen solid, carefully cut off gloves with scissors. Float hands in a bowl of punch for scary fun.

recipe source
BHG.com

Spider Cupcakes

Sandy Bloom — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 07:40:21 +0000

Here is a fun recipe that your children are going to love helping with. These `spooky’ spider treats will be a hit at your Halloween bash. The baked cupcakes are topped with orange, white, or yellow frosting. Add a gumdrop to the center and make the spider’s legs with black string licorice. Kids will delight in making them almost as much as in eating them.

Top ideas for dinner tonight:

* 30-minute (or less) spring dinners
* Quick and easy chicken dishes
* Garden-fresh entrée salads

ingredients

* Baked cupcakes
* Vanilla frosting
* Orange paste food coloring
* Yellow paste food coloring
* Red and/or black string licorice
* Black, orange, or yellow gumdrops
* Edible glitter

directions

1. If desired, tint vanilla frosting with orange and yellow paste food coloring. Frost cupcakes with white, orange, or yellow frosting.
2. Push eight 2-inch pieces of string licorice into a gumdrop, forming a spider, and press into the top of each frosted cupcake. Sprinkle the cupcakes with edible glitter.
3. Make-ahead tip: Store decorated cupcakes in an airtight container up to 24 hours.

recipe source: BHG.com