The Professional Chef |

If you have children, you probably know that the simplest task like making dinner can be quite a challenge. The kids might be asking for something from another room, they may be complaining about being hungry, or they might be fighting with each other. Whatever they are doing, it is always helpful to have a task to occupy them while you are cooking. One of the best things to let them do is make desserts for the evening.

There are many desserts kids can help make while you are cooking the main meal. You might want to bake cupcakes ahead of time and let them decorate them while you cook. You might also want them to create their own deserts using ingredients you place out.

For instance, you can have them create a fruit cocktail dessert. Simply place out cut fruit, pudding, whipped crème, and vanilla wafer cookies. Then give them bowls and let them decorate and design a dessert for everyone in your family. When they are done, they can slip the bowls into the fridge and present them after dinner is over.

Your children will love helping with the desserts and you will love the time you get to create a healthy meal for your family. After all, when the kids are happy and occupied, your whole house is happy. Of course, you need to tell them not to snack on the desserts until after they eat their main meal. Or else they may not be hungry at all!

Whenever you are about to sit down for a fine Italian meal, one of the first things that you will be greeted with is fine Italian salad. These salads can consist of many different ingredients, and they are there to set the stage and tone of the fine dining experience. You will find these salads on their own during the early afternoon in a café, or even in a backyard picnic with friends and family. Wherever you find these salads, you can be sure that they will contain some of the most robust and fresh ingredients that Mother Nature has to offer today.

Hot Or Cold, It Is Still A Salad

There are many forms of fine Italian salads available for you pleasures today, some of which are hot and some are cold. Whichever the salad you are enjoying tonight is usually determined by the type of meal you are having or what you are going to eat throughout the meal. This means that if you are eating later in the afternoon and you are eating poultry or fish dishes, you can expect that you will be served a warm pasta salad or salad consisting of perhaps tuna or salmon. When you are enjoying a fine poultry dish, the options are just as diverse and expansive when it comes to the salad being offered. With simple yet delicious ingredients, any salad that you are going to be offered with a fine multi course dinner is something that actually should be appreciated not ignored.

The Fine Details

When it comes to delightful Italian salads, you will see some wonderful ingredients such as black olives and feta cheese. These are great ingredients that will help bring the most out of a wonderful meal. There are many restaurants that will deal exclusively with salads as a form of light meal during the early parts of a day, not only within the streets of Italy but many places within the United States as well. Salad is a wonderful way to break up a meal as it not only offers you something to nibble on without getting full, it allows you to experience various tastes that can set the tone for the meal itself. There are various forms of every salad that you will or can expect for someone to offer at a meal. Whether someone chooses to go a traditional route with iceberg lettuce, or they want something a little zippier with romaine and spinach you can bet that this will be a wonderful way to nibble your way to a great main course.

Great With Seafood

When you are thinking about fine Italian salads as a course for your large meal with family and friends, you might want to consider seafood as an addition to this salad. Shrimp seems to be a big attraction for a salad, and when you serve shrimp salad as a side or small course within the meal you will usually receive praise for it.

Many people get stuck in a rut and find themselves eating in the same restaurant over and over again. Others have a few restaurants that they go to for their various cravings, but seldom look beyond these few choices. Los Angeles is one of the few places in the country where you can literally find every type of food that you could imagine. It is time to consider some other fine dining choices and broaden your horizons a little bit.

A quick look at the restaurants in the Los Angeles area will give you an idea of how many different types of restaurants that are available to you right in your own backyard. There are enough restaurants in the Los Angeles area that you could literally visit a new place every week for a very long time. This is a fun way to try new foods and discover other fine dining experiences in your own area.

To get started, make a list of the other fine dining restaurants in your area that you have not tried. You can separate them by the type of cuisine that is served, or you can just keep your list random. It might be more fun to keep the list random and just try the new type of food when it comes up on your list.

You should also do a little research when you are planning a night at a restaurant that is serving food that you have never eaten before. Many restaurants have their menu online so you can get a peek at some of the choices that you will have. It’s a good idea to make a rough decision on what you will be ordering if you are unfamiliar with the particular type of food. Ask your friends and family if they have tried the particular cuisine that you will be ordering and if they have any recommendations for you. Some foods can have a variety of dishes that include spicy foods. If you don’t enjoy spicy foods, you will want to know in advance which foods to order so that you can enjoy your meal.

Recommendations from friends are another good way to find other fine dining restaurants that you have not tried before. Everyone has their favorite places to dine and you can learn a lot about the restaurants around you by asking others which they enjoy.

Online reviews are another place to find restaurants that you are unfamiliar with in your local area. Keep in mind that there will be both negative reviews and positive ones on most restaurant review sites. The key to finding a restaurant using these sites is to look for the ones that have more good than bad. You might also consider the points that are made in a negative review to determine what your experience might be in the restaurant. Every place can have an off night or the reviewer might be difficult to please. Just use common sense when reading these types of reviews. This is a great way to find some other fine dining restaurants in your local Los Angeles area to try out and enjoy.

What do you think of when you think about barbecue? Some minds go straight to burgers and hot dogs, other people think about kebabs, fish baskets and smoked meats. Here are the top five meats used for barbecuing each year and a few helpful tips on how to prepare them.

Beef: Steaks and burgers are the most common forms of beef to barbecue. Experts recommend buying beef that is fresh, not frozen. They also recommend a fattier cut of meat for the grill to keep the meat tender and flavorful. The best beef cuts for the grill are the rib eye, porterhouse steak, t-bone and strip steak. For an extra bit of gourmet extravagance the fillet mignon is always a favorite.

Pork is a favorite among avid barbecue enthusiasts. The most popular cuts of meat for the grill are ribs followed by pork butt and pork shoulder.

Chicken is good on the grill in any form, however the leaner breast meat will fare better if it is marinated, otherwise meat can become dry. Thighs and drumsticks do well on the grill due to their higher fat content.

Shrimp works well on the barbecue and is a popular choice for seafood lovers. It takes special care because shrimp cooks quickly and can easily escape and fall through the grill grate. Fish baskets and skewers are good cooking tool options for grilling aficionados.

Salmon is by far and away the most popular fish to grill. It has a hearty almost steak like texture and a flavor that goes well with a variety of barbecue type sauces. Salmon smokes well and cooks fairly quickly which makes it the perfect solution for those nights where dinner needs to be on the table fast.

No matter what meat you prefer, grilling experts and novices alike benefit from a pantry full of “secret” spices, rubs and sauces. Gourmet grilling planks and seasoned skewers will have friends and family asking, “What’s your secret?”

Spring is almost here. The birds are singing. The trees and flowers are starting to reveal the beautiful colors of the rainbow. With all that beauty beginning to unfold kids and Moms realize that another school year is coming to a close. This means that the refrigerator door will be constantly ajar with little eyes gazing hungrily inside looking for a quick snack or a gooey dessert.

A cache of sugar free blueberry muffins might just fill the bill for a quick kid friendly dessert. Blueberry muffins made with natural fruit sweeteners instead of sugar provide some good tasting nutritious ingredients.

The kids will love the flavor of these fresh baked goodies. Moms can make one batch of these kid friendly desserts that can last the entire week. These muffins can be served at almost any meal. They make great quick breakfast treats.

For the last days of school, stuff these sugar free treats in the lunch sack. Keeping a stash of sugar free snacks handy will make everyone happy. Kids can snack a little more and Mom will not have to worry about cavities or sugar shock.

Sugar Free Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

*1 cup mashed banana

*2 egg whites or 1 extra large egg

*1/3-cup vegetable oil

*½ cup unsweetened pineapple juice concentrate
(Minute Maid or unsweetened apple juice concentrate (any brand)

*1-tablespoon water

*2 cups all-purpose flour

*1-cup fresh or frozen blueberries, left to thaw in a strainer

*2 teaspoons baking soda

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Prepare 18 standard sized muffin cups with paper

3. In a large bowl stir together banana, egg, oil, concentrate and water

4. Add flour and mix

5. Gently stir in blueberries

6. Stir in baking soda quickly

7. Mix all ingredients together

8. Immediately spoon batter into prepared muffin cups

9. Bake about 20 minutes

10. Insert toothpick in the center of one muffin to check if muffins are done

11. Remove muffins from tins and cool on a wire rack

12. Serve warm or cool completely.

Store muffins in airtight container.

It is said that the pineapple originated in the Caribbean Islands from a shipwreck. The pineapple carried by an ill-fated Spanish ship was washed ashore. It was carried onboard, because the Spanish explorers ate it to prevent scurvy – a disease that causes Vitamin C deficiency.

The pineapple upside down cake was first recognized in 1924, in a fund-raising cookbook and again in 1925 in a Gold Medal Flour ad. In 1936, Sears Roebuck added it to its catalog; making is a familiar staple of American culture.

A pineapple upside down cake begins with a layer of sweet pineapple that is syrupy and glazed in butter at the bottom of a heavy skillet. This is topped with a cake batter and baked. After baking, the creation is flipped over, producing a beautiful upside down pineapple cake.

The most popular batter used in a pineapple upside down cake is a buttermilk mixture. It can be baked in a skillet or a square cake pan. The cake pan tends to hold more fruit if it is square, and it is easier to flip the cake in a square pan.

Basic ingredients include pineapple rings, butter, maple syrup, and light brown sugar, pitted cherries. The cake is made with butter, sugar, eggs, buttermilk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, flour, salt, baking power, baking soda and cinnamon.

Believe it or not, the pineapple upside down cake is a favorite of many to serve on April Fools Day. Some serve this tasty treat with ice ream and/or whipped cream. Keep in mind that although pineapples are a favorite, the upside down cake can also be made with other fruits including pears, cherries, applies, etc. The cake is best enjoyed when it is served warm.

Grilling lobster tails is no more difficult than grilling a steak or a piece of chicken. We have provided you with a basic recipe and technique to get you started. You can browse through our delicious lobster recipes by clicking on the link below.

Ingredients
4 Lobster Tails (Approx. 6-8oz each) 4 Tbsp Butter 2 Lemons 4 Wooden or Metal Skewers
Directions
If the lobster tails are frozen, make sure to thaw them well in advance. Put them in a ziplock bag in the fridge the night before, or soak them in cold water the day of. Bring your grill to a medium-high heat. We will be using direct heat here. Run a skewer through the tails for support, close to the shell side. If you didn’t do this, the lobster tails will curl up like shrimp do. This next step is optional, but strongly recommended. Bring a large stockpot of water to a full boil, then turn down the heat slightly and let the water come to a gentle boil. Submerge the lobster tails into the water and gently boil them for about 2 minutes. Remove the lobster tails from the water and place them on a cutting board, shell side (red side) down. Slice lengthwise (this can also be done with kitchen shears) through the softer white shell, the entire length of the tail. Place 1 tbsp of butter and squeeze 1/2 of a lemon into each lobster tail. Place the lobster tails on the grill, red shell side down. Grill, covered, for 2-3 minutes more. The lobster is done when the flesh is opaque and firm to the touch. Serve with melted butter, clarified if you’ve got it, and lemon wedges. Enjoy!

The history of barbecuing dates back long before the United States was founded, and tract houses with backyard barbecue grills spread across the suburban plains. It is said, even though some disagree, that the Taino Indians of Haiti were the first to use a form of barbecuing over open fire. In years to follow, English Settlers along the Atlantic Coast had their own barbecues. It is said in the year 1733, a gentleman by the name of Benjamin Lynda wrote in his diary, Fair and hot; barbecue at the Browns, which indicates social gathering was established at that time.

Today barbecuing is far reaching and especially grand sized in Texas, where a pit for fuel might be dug ten foot deep. Barbecue grills tend to be small in comparison and portable, fueled by charcoal, propane, or electricity. The smaller charcoal grills are best suited for two to four people, the thing with charcoal is the wait, sometimes twenty minutes or more before the coals are ready for grilling. Many barbecue purists argue that charcoal gives the food a better taste than the gas grills. There may have been some truth to this in the early days, but with the gas grills of today the food picks up flavor from the drippings on a cover over the burners, called a flavorizer bar, much the same as from the charcoal. I think most would agree once they got used to it, that you would be hard pressed to tell the difference, all other things being equal.

Once you decide to purchase a gas barbecue grill, several things should be considered. Size will depend on how often, and how many, you will be grilling for. The three or four burner models will handle almost any grilling to be done at home for the average family. If there is a side burner on the grill it will come in handy for completing all of your cooking outdoors. A couple of other things to consider are how well the grill is made. Some of the cheaper grills are made of very thin material, and will only last a few years. The burners on the cheaper grills suffer the same shortcomings, and will not last long if the grill is left outside. You might want to take a look at stainless steel barbecue grill with the cast iron, ceramic, or stainless steel burners. These will last much longer, and should give many years of trouble free use if well taken care of. Be sure to get a custom grill cover too, as this will keep your purchase looking like new for many years to come.

You might also want to add a few items such as a cooking glove, long handled fork, and maybe a long handle spatula. A grill brush for cleaning will also be helpful. Another item to consider is an extra propane bottle. It is a wise purchase since you will only run out of gas when you are using your grill. Also worth noting is that all propane and natural gas grills can be hooked to a permanent supply line if desired. Check with your local gas company for assistance.

If grilling is new to you, you will find yourself cooking outside more than you ever imagined. I personally cook outdoors on many occasions year-round. There is just nothing like a home cooked meal on your new barbecue grill. Happy Grilling!

What exactly is in those boxes of instant stuffing mix? Secret ingredients that only large food companies are allowed to buy? Are they cooked in some special way that we can’t hope to imitate in our home kitchens?

Hardly. In fact, you can use common ingredients you probably already have to make a stuffing that’s just as good as the ones you make from commercial mixes.

You’ll need:

Bread – two slices for each person A few teaspoons of butter, margarine, or oil A little clear soup, such as chicken bouillon A pinch or two of dried thyme A sprinkling of your favorite seasoning – we like Club House Garlic Plus Optional – one onion and three sticks of celery for every two people

Stale bread is good for this, unless, of course, it’s started to go moldy. If it’s not stale, put it in the toaster for a short time, just until it starts to get crisp, not browned. You can use bread straight out of the freezer. You can trim off the crusts, but you don’t have to. Either way, cut each slice into about 16 squares.

If you’re using the onions and celery (I recommend you do, but your kids might not like them), chop them into very small, thin pieces. Melt the butter and fry them in it until they’re just softened. Then add the bread squares.

If you’re not using the vegetables, just put the bread squares in the melted butter. Once they’re in there, stir to keep them moving. Put in the thyme and other seasoning now.

When the bread begins to brown, put in a little of your clear soup. It’s impossible to say how much – every batch of stuffing is different. Just add it, little by little, until the stuffing holds together.

Bouillon or other soups made from dried mixes are good for this. You should make them with a little less water than the package directions say. Canned or homemade broth can also be used, though I haven’t tried these. You might have to add a little salt to them.

Taste to see if there’s anything else you want to add. Then the stuffing is ready to go into your turkey. If there’s too much for the turkey, just put it into a baking dish, cover it, and cook it along with the turkey for about 45 minutes.

This is fresh, homemade, and as tasty as anything you can make from a stuffing mix.

Did you know that some of the hardest restaurant recipes to obtain are those for desserts? It’s true.

The big chain restaurants spend time and money creating special “signature” dessert treats. In many cases they invest more in coming up with a new twist on a gooey double-fudge ice cream cake than they do in figuring out more ways to dress up their hamburgers. It just makes economic sense.

Loyal patrons of a given restaurant may really like the hamburgers, or the pasta, but it’s those sinful desserts that often draw them back, meal after meal. Truly, a magnificent dessert can be the most addictive item on the menu.

That’s why, as I’ve discovered through my own research, getting a recipe for a restaurant’s top dessert item can be extremely difficult. But remember, it is just a recipe, after all–a list of ingredients plus instructions on how to put them together.

As I’ve written previously, the most direct way to obtain recipes for a restaurant’s menu offerings–even desserts–is to ask. Often, though, you’ll be politely rejected. Or, the manager might just vaguely tell you something like, “Well, it’s just some vanilla ice cream and a little hot fudge and some nuts and a cherry,” while leaving out important details: Whose vanilla ice cream? How is the fudge heated? Etc. Often there will be some secret ingredient that he will conveniently neglect to mention at all.

I’m grateful therefore to the many unsung heroes of the Internet who have done the detective work to discover the exact recipes used to create some of the most mouth-watering restaurant desserts in America–and who have shared them with the world.

If your favorite restaurant serves up an especially tempting dessert that you’re just dying to get the recipe for, chances are you can find it on the Web. You just need to put your best search skills to work and be persistent. Someone out there has it–and has either posted it for free on some chat board or has put it into an inexpensive e-book along with other so-called top-secret recipes.

This is the information age, after all. And really, what more crucial information is there to us foodies than the knowledge to duplicate our favorite sinful desserts right in our own kitchens?