Thursday, May 26, 2011
Good news!
The Cookbook has been approved for Apple, Sony and all EBook formats. Look for it soon on a web source close to you.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Balsamic Vinegar
So what is Balsamic vinegar? You may be surprised to find out that it is not vinegar in the usual sense. It is really a reduction of cooked white Trebbian grape juice. It has been made since the middle ages. One reference goes back to 1050. Today there are three types of Balsamic. Wikipedia has a great article on Balsamic Vinegar. Check it out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balsamic_vinegar
If you have not used Balsamic you are missing a great taste. Experiment with it and see what it can do. the older the vinegar the better. It gets sweeter and thicker the longer it ages. It adds a depth of flavor to any dish and a vinaigrette made with balsamic and a really good Olive oil is wonderful.
Try it!!
If you have not used Balsamic you are missing a great taste. Experiment with it and see what it can do. the older the vinegar the better. It gets sweeter and thicker the longer it ages. It adds a depth of flavor to any dish and a vinaigrette made with balsamic and a really good Olive oil is wonderful.
Try it!!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Cooking OOPS!
We all have them!! Every once in awhile we all have some cooking problems. I have had many! I also learned over time how to fix most of them. Here are some things I have learned.
Scorched food - if you forget to stir sauces or soups they will scorch. If you find that this has happened, and it is not too late to save the sauce, just pour the sauce into another pan or bowl. Do NOT stir or scrap the pan. Usually, the scorch will stay in the pan. Taste the food that you poured out. If it does not have a burnt taste use it otherwise the only cure is to start over.
Undercooked chicken or turkey. I once had a huge dinner planned with about 20 people for Thanksgiving. I went to the stove to find that the oven had been turned off! The bird was only half cooked. Dinner was in an hour. What could I do? I decided to carve the bird right then and put it in large roasting pan. I used a cooking thermometer to see what temp the bird was at. All the meat was about 100 degrees. As I carved the bird, I layered the meat so it was in one layer with white and dark separated. Then I added the drippings on top. I turned on the over to 400, covered the pan with foil and popped it in back in. When I checked the meat, it was all done to the proper temperature and thanks to the drippings, it was moist. Dinner was on time. (This was before I learned about brining a turkey. I highly recommend that!) So even if a meat is underdone and you are short on time there are way to make it work.
So what are your cooking Oops!?? Let me know and we can all learn about making it better.
Scorched food - if you forget to stir sauces or soups they will scorch. If you find that this has happened, and it is not too late to save the sauce, just pour the sauce into another pan or bowl. Do NOT stir or scrap the pan. Usually, the scorch will stay in the pan. Taste the food that you poured out. If it does not have a burnt taste use it otherwise the only cure is to start over.
Undercooked chicken or turkey. I once had a huge dinner planned with about 20 people for Thanksgiving. I went to the stove to find that the oven had been turned off! The bird was only half cooked. Dinner was in an hour. What could I do? I decided to carve the bird right then and put it in large roasting pan. I used a cooking thermometer to see what temp the bird was at. All the meat was about 100 degrees. As I carved the bird, I layered the meat so it was in one layer with white and dark separated. Then I added the drippings on top. I turned on the over to 400, covered the pan with foil and popped it in back in. When I checked the meat, it was all done to the proper temperature and thanks to the drippings, it was moist. Dinner was on time. (This was before I learned about brining a turkey. I highly recommend that!) So even if a meat is underdone and you are short on time there are way to make it work.
So what are your cooking Oops!?? Let me know and we can all learn about making it better.
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