Date: 2009-11-08T18:33:00.003-07:00
By C. Kay Harris
I'm so thankful that it's turkey and chocolate truffles month! Thanksgiving is my favorite all-American holiday. When else can you stuff yourself silly with a feast that might include some veggies and turkey, but most definitely offers mounds of rich desserts? And, it's considered a good thing - a tribute to those fun-loving Europeans who came over and partied with the Wampanoag Indians on this day.
Arnold Schwarzenegger loves this holiday, too, perhaps due to his fun-loving European background. He's been quoted as saying, "I love Thanksgiving turkey... it's the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts." He might even be more fun than the Puritans who ate turkey and corn, and I believe chocolate truffles, at the original Thanksgiving table.
Since there was no Thanksgiving Day football game or Macy's parade when all this got started, they focused totally on food. Chocolate truffles were everywhere! They used them to decorate the top of the pumpkin pies; dropped them in their champagne-filled flutes; squished them between slices of warm bread (thus making the first pain au chocolat); and mixed them with their bowls of popcorn to munch on during the turkey races.
I'm proud to say we continue all those chocolate truffle traditions in my family except, being city dwellers; we don't have any turkeys to race. My Uncle Milton has his own tradition that I'd like to put a stop to. I'm thinking about gluing some truffles to the seat of my dress so when he goes for his annual grope - surprise! He might get mad, but so what? I think he'd enjoy dinner at Arnie's better anyway. They could gaze at those big, natural breasts together.
Sorry, I fear I've digressed. This is about thanksgiving, an exercise in personal development we are all reminded of at this time of year. However, I happen to be a very thankful person year round. I always say, 'thanks for last night,' 'thanks for the Lexus,' etc. But I'm especially thankful (and not afraid to show it) when I receive a beautiful box of chocolate truffles. To me, those bite-sized babies are worth their weight in gold.
I've been told that the true measure of a person's thanksgiving nature is when you can be just as thankful for someone else's gifts as you are for those bestowed upon yourself. That's kind of a tough one for me. But I'm working on it and want to take this occasion to tell you all that I hope you get tons of chocolate truffles to go with your turkey. And, I'm going to include that when we go around the table at our house to say what each of us is thankful for. Really, is there any better way to show the family what kind of person I am? Mmmm, I think not. So, thank you for giving me something else to give thanks for. I'm also adding Black Friday to my list - the perfect day for stocking up on chocolate truffles for Christmas gifts.
Hope to see you at the mall!
(P.S. For anyone naïve enough to believe all the above is true --- it's not! But, I'd like to talk to you after dinner.)
Get your box of devilishly delicious chocolate truffles from http://www.sininabox.com
Ms. Harris started Sin In A Box about a year ago. One night, her family decided to learn to make chocolate truffles. They pulled some recipes off the Internet and started experimenting. At first, she gave the truffles away at work. As people clamored for more and more, she realized that sin sells. So she started Sin In A Box.
Date: 2009-11-08T18:33:00.001-07:00
By KC Kudra
If you have bought a crockpot recently, you probably have one of the newer models. A lot of these have a saute feature, which means you can saute meat or vegetables in the crockpot itself.
This is obviously preferable to sauteing on the stove, then having to transfer the sauteed ingredient, plus everything else, to the crockpot. A crockpot is a great investment because you can cook everything from beef stew to French onion soup in it.
Converting Stove Top Recipes to Crockpot Recipes
A lot of people wonder how to make their favorite stovetop recipes in the crockpot. A low crockpot heat is about 200 degrees F and a high crockpot heat is about 300 degrees F. Fifteen minutes on the stove equals about an hour and a half in the crockpot on a high heat or four hours in the crockpot on a low heat.
Thirty minutes on the stove is about three hours in a crockpot on a high heat or six hours in a crockpot on a low heat. An hour on the stove is about four hours in the crockpot on a high heat or eight hours in a crockpot on a high heat.
These figures are approximate. It depends very much what you are cooking. You should also only use half as much liquid when converting a stovetop recipe to a crockpot recipe because water cannot evaporate from a crockpot like it does from a pot on the stove. The exception to this rule is when you are cooking pasta, beans or rice, because these soak up lots of water, whichever cooking method you use.
How to Make Crockpot French Asparagus Soup
If you like French onion soup recipes, perhaps you would like to try the following French asparagus soup recipe. Asparagus has a unique flavor and the following recipe combines it with onions, potatoes, chicken broth, and seasoning, for a healthy and delicious crockpot soup recipe. You will have enough French asparagus soup to feed four people and it is nice served with warm bread for dunking.
What you will need:
* 2 pounds fresh asparagus
* 2 big potatoes
* 5 cups chicken broth
* 6 green onions
* A pinch each of salt and black pepper
* Sour cream and chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
How to make it:
Snap or cut the ends off the asparagus, then cut the spears into one-inch lengths. Finely chop the green onions. Peel the potatoes and cut them into half-inch cubes.
Put the broth, potatoes, asparagus and green onions into a crockpot, cover it and cook for about six hours on low, or until the potatoes are tender.
Puree the vegetables using a hand blender or transfer them to a blender or food processor with some of the liquid, then put the puree back in the crockpot.
Stir in some salt and pepper, put the lid back on, and cook on high for about thirty minutes. Serve the French asparagus soup garnished with a swirl of sour cream and some fresh parsley. Bon appetit!
As the parent of 4 boys, onion soup is a meal starter that gets rave reviews. One of the things my wife is asked often on her website about this culinary delight is what types of onion are used in making a delicious French onion soup. She has helped take the guesswork out of knowing what the different onions are in a comprehensive guide to onions.
A crockpot is a huge help in the kitchen. You can easily convert many stovetop recipes to crockpot recipes. You can also make the most wonderfully flavored soups. If you enjoy French asparagus soup, what about trying another delicious soup, like a French onion soup recipe?
Find the best crockpot recipes for this classic dish at FrenchOnionSoups.com
Date: 2009-11-08T18:31:00.000-07:00
By Nerida Murray
No traditional Thanksgiving menu would complete without a golden roasted turkey as the centerpiece.
But cooking Thanksgiving turkey can seem a daunting task.
Here are my tips to help you through it.
Firstly, you'll need to know the size of the turkey you need. So, around 3 to 4 weeks ahead of time get an estimate of how many people will be coming so you can plan out your Thanksgiving dinner ideas. You'll need to order your turkey 2 to 3 weeks ahead. Check with your supermarket or butcher to make sure.
If you decide on a fresh bird, leave it until the Wednesday to pick up so it will be well chilled and really fresh.
If you've had to buy frozen, then make sure you can pick it up on the Monday so it has time to thaw out.
The only safe way to thaw out a turkey is in the fridge. Leaving it on a bench or in a tub of water is far too risky.
If you are going to soak your turkey in brine you will need to pick it up even earlier so it's thawed before it goes into the brine mix.
Once your turkey is thawed, it's ready to roast. Keep it chilled until needed.
Your turkey could take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours to cook depending on its size so get an early start.
Rinse the turkey inside and out in plenty of cold running water. Pat it dry with paper towels and put it straight onto your roasting rack. Of course, you will have measured your roasting pan and oven before you bought your turkey!
Your turkey is now ready for seasoning or stuffing.
There are many different Thanksgiving stuffing recipes to choose from, all add flavor and help to keep your turkey moist. However, stuffing your turkey means it will need longer to cook, so keep this in mind when deciding on your Thanksgiving recipes.
Keep the stuffing mixture loose and fluffy and don't spoon it into the cavity tightly. There needs to be room for the stuffing to expand and for heat to penetrate evenly.
Remember to weigh your turkey after it has been stuffed to calculate the correct cooking time.
Truss your turkey with kitchen string or twine to help it keep a nice shape and then put it into the bottom of your preheated oven.
Baste your turkey every 30 minute or so, or as directed by your recipe. You may have to cover the whole turkey in tin foil to keep it from becoming overly dry.
Towards the end of the cooking time, start checking the color of the juices that run out when you pierce the deepest part of the thigh. A meat thermometer is also a great way to keep check on how well cooked your turkey is.
As soon as it is done, transfer the turkey to a tray and wrap it in a foil tent. Let it rest in a warm place until ready for carving. 30 minutes or so will make the job easier.
While the turkey is resting you have plenty of time to make up some gravy from the pan drippings and finish off any Thanksgiving side dishes that need to be warmed or baked.
You'll find more detail on cooking Thanksgiving turkey and a whole host of Thanksgiving dinner ideas on my website.
Enjoy keeping your Thanksgiving traditions alive this year by cooking a tasty turkey!
Nerida Murray is the editor of http://www.better-living-ideas.com the site that is all about your family and home life. Visit now for more Thanksgiving recipes and to find out about the kit that will help you have the best Thanksgiving yet!
Date: 2009-11-08T18:30:00.002-07:00
By Jennifer Weldon
There are so many cake decorating books for beginners out there, which ones are the best? Of course not everybody is looking for the same thing; you may be at a different level in your cake decorating than someone else. Whether you're a beginner in baking cakes, learning how to ice cakes, just starting out on borders, want to learn how to make flowers with buttercream or gumpaste, and maybe you're just starting to create 3 tier cakes for weddings. No matter what you want to learn there are available options for any level of cake decorating
Baking books are great for a beginner at baking. You can find baking books with step-by-step baking video lessons. Learn how to bake delicious cakes strong enough to decorate on. You will learn all the baking terms and how to trouble shoot so you don't waste product and money! It's great to know which ingredients play what role, to telling when your cake is done by just touching the top of it. As a cake decorator you will benefit to know how to bake cakes. There are tons of cake decorating classes out there that don't teach you a lick of baking. Well, how are you supposed to decorate a cake if you don't properly know how to bake one?
Do you have basic knowledge on how to bake cakes but would like to know how to substitute ingredients for specific diets. Learn about the different icings and the purpose for each of them. There are great ways to make sugar-free icings that will still hold your piping and taste great. Learn how to prepare your cakes for your decorating and the elegant designs you can create.
Want your main focus on all the decorating techniques? You will learn how to pipe borders, flowers, and techniques for creative figure piping. Brush and dusting technique on a cake is a rare technique not taught in most books. You will have the opportunity to improve you cake writing skills and where to save money on your utensils and tools. Get great tips and tricks for exploring new ideas. Learn how far your imagination can take you!
If you already know all of the above and want to take your cake decorating skills to the next level, you should really focus on the cake decorating book that will teach you all about how to decorate your cakes with fondant, ganache, and gumpaste. Don't think it stops there though; your level of cake decorating only gets higher when you're introduced to sugar molds, spun sugar, and pulled sugar.
You can start creating cakes only your imagination has seen. Turn your vision into reality from home. You don't need to take specialize classes or go to school to become a professional cake decorator or to learn just for fun. You should find your learning tools that work best for you! Don't think you can't learn how to decorate cakes from a book, some books will show you techniques on DVD you just need to know which books are best.
There are some great cake decorating books for you. At any level of cake decorating. Stop wasting money with private classes and find your cake decorating book today!
Date: 2009-11-08T18:29:00.001-07:00
By Therese Heckenkamp
Want to make an elegant treat that looks like you spent all day in the kitchen, but you're short on time? With the following tips, you can make homemade tasting petit fours in half the time. In this fast-paced world, who wouldn't appreciate the ease with which these mini masterpieces come together?
First, decide what kind of easy petit four you'd like to create. Your decision will likely be based on what ingredients you have on hand. Fortunately, not all petit fours are made out of cake. Some are cookie or fruit-based. This expands your range of possibilities.
The glaze is simply melted chocolate. Decorations? Sprinkle on some jimmies while the glaze is still wet.
Cake-based Petit Fours
Use a ready-made pound cake or bake one from a mix. Pound cake is sturdier than typical cake, so this will stand up better to the process of cutting and glazing, although you needn't rule out other varieties of cake entirely.
If using a mix, do be sure to bake your batter in a larger, shallower pan so that when you cut the cake into little pieces they won't be so thick and top-heavy that they fall over!
Cut your cake pieces into 1 inch, or 1 1/2 inch sized squares, rectangles, or triangles; or use a small round or heart-shaped cutter. If you chill or freeze the cake pieces before coating, this will make them sturdier, and the glaze will set faster.
Put the cake pieces on a wire rack over waxed paper. Spoon the glaze (see below) over the cake to cover the top and the sides completely. You may scrape the drips off the waxed paper and reuse (after reheating to a smooth, pourable consistency).
Once the glaze has set (you may speed the process by putting the rack of petit fours in the fridge), carefully place the petit fours into little paper candy or muffin liners and arrange on a tray. You could pipe a little frosting decoration on the tops, but that's entirely optional.
Non-cake Petit Fours
Now things really get easy! Choices include marshmallows, fruit, and cookies.
If using marshmallows, freeze for about 10 minutes first, then stand them on end on a wire rack and glaze.
Fruit choices include thick banana slices, strawberries, and cherries. Again, chill them first to help set the glaze.
For cookie petit fours, shortbread squares work well and are easy to coat with glaze. Another option is to sandwich two Oreos with frosting, set on a wire rack, then spoon on glaze to coat completely. Use this same cookie sandwiching trick to build height to other kinds of cookies, such as pastel wafers or graham crackers.
Finally, carefully place the petit fours into little paper candy or muffin liners and arrange on a tray. You could pipe little frosting decoration on the tops, but that's entirely optional.
Easy Petit Four Glaze
In a bowl or saucepan, melt dark, milk, or white chocolate candy coating or chocolate chips according to package directions. Keep warm while using so that the glaze stays smooth and pourable. Consider using peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, or mint chocolate chips for variety! (If the glaze does not become thin enough, melt some shortening or butter in the glaze.)
Visit PetitFourRecipes.com to find all things petit four-related, from recipes to tips, products, and more!
You may also enjoy browsing Cake Toppers Galore
Therese Heckenkamp writes for various websites and has published a suspense novel, "Past Suspicion."
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