The Professional Chef |

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?

Millions of people have purchased products from a network marketing company without even realizing it. Some very famous businesses are actually marketing companies: Avon, Pampered Chef, and Mary Kay are all examples of this. These are clearly successful organizations, so it should come as no surprise that people can make a great deal of money by investing in a marketing company.

A person should do some research before investing in a marketing company. Each marketing company is different, so investors cannot always expect the same thing from each one. The first issue that people will need to consider is the products sold by the company. This is because it is very difficult for people to sell products that they are not passionate about. You do not want to invest in a network marketing company that sells software if you dislike computers. It is also important for people to test the products before they invest. A person may be selling products that he or she is passionate about, but problems can still arise if the products are of poor quality. Bad products make it very difficult to maintain a good customer base. Finally, the people selling the products should actually use them. Salespeople who use the product will be much more creditable than those who do not. If a salesperson uses the product, and enjoys it, he or she will make a much more convincing sales pitch.

The last step to being successful in network marketing is to get the proper training and practice. People who are interested in investing in a network marketing company can visit BlackDiamondUniversity.com to learn more about this opportunity.

No meal is complete without desserts. A dessert is a type of food that gives the finishing touch to at the end of the meal to make it perfect. The origin of the term is really interesting. The term “desserts” has been derived from Old French term “desservir” which means cleaning the table. Normally the desserts are sweet food. Some desserts like types of cheese have different flavors. The trend to have desserts at the end of the meal is comparatively new in the western culture. If we look back in time, we can see there was always a custom to have nuts and fruits at the end of the meal. It gradually turned into desserts. But sweet dish was comparatively new addition in the list. Common types of deserts are custards, fruits, pudding, biscuits, cookies, cakes, pastries, ice creams, gelatin desserts, pies, sherbets, soufflés, meringues, petits fours and trifles and many more.

Before the development of the sugar industry in the 19th century, sweet used to be out of reach for the middle class. It was a rare holiday delicacy. A sweet dish in the meal was a note of aristocracy at that time. After the sugar industry was mechanized, sugar became cheaper. And, as a result, it gradually took a permanent place in the full course meal. In some cuisine, dessert is not used as a separate part at the end of the meal. In those cuisines, sweet dishes are eaten during the meal. In some cultures the dessert is not at all a part of the meal. They are especially reserved for some special occasions. Desserts are often eaten as separate meal sometime after the meal. But obviously it is done when the setting has a casual tone. In American concept, any sweet dish that follows a meal can be a dessert. Be it milkshake or other drinks, there are many restaurants that are specialized in the domain of desserts.

There are lots of detox recipes these days that can help you eat healthily. Eating more fiber and drinking lots of water is the simplest way of detoxifying. Also, consuming lots of vegetables, fruits, beans and nuts is another way. A detox diet recipe also helps to get rid your body from toxins. Also, detox diet recipe will make your foods tastier,
without you being worried about your health.

Gazpacho Soup

Gazpacho Soup originated from the Spain. It’s a vegetable soup made with tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, bell peppers and bread moistened with water that is blended with olive oil, vinegar, and ice water and served cold. As it is made mostly of vegetables, it’s very good for your body and should be part of your recipe for a detox diet.

Detox Drinks

Another recipe for detox diet is detox drinks. Detox drinks are drinks made of fruits and are essentials for juice fasting; which is a body cleansing method. Fruit juice is quite easy to make as fruits are easy to come by. When fresh fruit is added to the freshly squeezed juices of organic vegetables, you have a good way to detox and clean out your body.

Alkalizing Raw Soup

This soup is another tasty soup that you should consider included as a recipe for a detox diet. It’s made of one avocado, spring onions, a cucumber, handfuls of spinach, garlic, green or red pepper and other nutritious vegetables.

Mediterranean diets

Mediterranean diets are gaining in popularity because they offer low-fat, low carb alternatives to our typical oily foods. With great Turkish recipes and Greek recipes that are available online with body detox diet plan, it is easier than ever to sign up. This type of recipe is an excellent recipe for detox diet.

Pick a simple but delectable Valentine Day dessert recipe to add the finishing touch to your Valentine dinner. Chocolate is a lovely gift for Valentine’s Day, and it’s good used to add a note of indulgence for your dessert. Another good choice is succulent fresh fruit, which is always so welcome in winter. Any pink or red fruit is ideal, such as strawberries, raspberries or rhubarb. Tropical fruits are also an excellent choice, and for the simplest dessert of all, you could simply serve a platter of sliced fruits such as juicy mango, halved passion fruits, fresh pineapple chunks and papaya wedges. Add some cubes of chocolate cake, and a scattering of shelled nuts, and you’ll have an instant and delectable Valentine’s Day dessert.

Here are more ideas for Valentine’s Day desserts.

Make it pink
Early forced rhubarb is a lovely shade of fresh pink that looks so pretty in a mousse. Chop 450g (12 oz) fruit and simmer covered for 10 min in a pan with 50ml (4 tbsp) fresh orange juice, 1 cinnamon stick and 25g (5 tsp) caster sugar, until the rhubarb is tender. Remove the lid and cook for another 5 mins until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly and leave to cool. Fold the fruit through 150ml (2/3 cup) 0% fat Greek yogurt, spoon into glasses and chill for 2 hr. This makes six individual portions, and keeps for 1-2 days refrigerated. Just add chocolate
Prepare a plate of mixed fruit cut into bite-sized pieces. Put 200g (1 ½ cups) dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl and add 50g (1/4 cup) butter, 75ml (1/3 cup) water and 2 tbsp Malibu or brandy. Place over a pan of barely simmering water, so the base of the bowl is just above the surface of the water. Stir occasionally until melted, then stir until smooth. Serve with forks for spearing the fruit and dipping into the chocolate sauce. Celebration sorbet
Put 600ml (2 ½ cups) apple and mango juice into a pan with the zest of a lemon and 75g caster sugar. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil, simmer for 1 min, then pour into a bowl to cool. Strain into a container and place in the freezer for about 4 hours. Remove from freezer and whisk well to break up the ice crystals, then freeze until firm. Serve piled into glasses and decorated with mint leaves, with chocolate finger biscuits. Heart-shaped delights
Any dessert can become a Valentine dessert, if you add a heart-shaped decoration. Many cookware shops sell heart-shaped moulds and cutters, which you can use to bake cakes and cookies for the day. Or make a heart-stencil, by cutting a heart out of sheet of thin card. Place the card with the heart-shaped hole on top of a cake or pile of pancakes, and dredge with icing sugar. Lift off stencil carefully.

Keep it healthy, by using low fat ingredients and choosing chocolate with a high proportion of cocoa solids, for these Valentine’s desserts.

Turkey Fryer Recipes are all the rage this time of year. You normally think of fried chicken, not turkey, well you will soon discover how delicious fried turkey can be. Be careful though; follow the directions of your fryer carefully as to not cause an accident.

The following are three recipes you must try:

DEEP FRIED TURKEY
1 turkey, 12-15 lbs, thawed
5-6 gallons peanut oil
1 stick butter
3 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 lb salt pork, chopped to a fine mince
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large outdoor turkey fryer
1 turkey marinade injector
1 mesh strainer
salt and pepper

Set up your turkey fryer outside; make sure the fryer is away from flammable objects such as your house. It is wise to remove little children and your pets from the area you will be frying in. You will also need a heavy-duty wire to lower and raise the turkey from the grease, most fryers provide this.

The turkey must be fully thawed before frying, as excess water will cause the oil to bubble up.

Combine salt pork with minced garlic and 1 tsp. of peanut oil and fry in a pan on low heat for 30 minutes. Add to the pan soy sauce, paprika and butter and cook until butter has melted. Stain this mixture to remove bigger bits and then pour into marinade injector. Inject the turkey; remove pop-up timer and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Cooking the Turkey
30 minutes before cooking remove the turkey from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. The oil in the fryer should be 350° degrees for optimal cooking and the turkey must be dry when going into the oil.

Most turkey fryer recipes call for peanut oil, add this up to the line inside of the turkey fryer. Slowly place the turkey breast side down into the fryer basket. Allow the oil temperature to lower to 300°F and continue frying, it is recommended that you fry for 4 minutes per pound of turkey.

Remove the turkey to a serving platter and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the bird upside down fro at least 20 minutes so the juices will redistribute to the breast. Flip the turkey right side up and serve with garnishes of choice.

CAJUN FRIED WHOLE TURKEYS
2 whole turkeys
16 oz. bottle Italian dressing
1 tbsp. garlic powder or garlic salt
1 tbsp. onion powder or onion salt
1 tsp. celery salt
1/3 bottle paprika pepper
1/2 can of beer (optional)
3 tsps. poultry season
1 tsp. salt (omit this if using garlic or onion salt)
1 tsp. pepper (black)
1 tsp. pepper (white)
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 dashes Tabasco

Wrap legs with foil and-or wire. Mix all ingredients and inject into each bird at least 12 hours before cooking and place in the refrigerator. Deep-fry the turkey using peanut oil, 4 minutes per pound. The oil in the fryer should be at 340 degrees.

DEEP FRIED HONEY TURKEY
12-14 lb. turkey
5 gallons peanut oil
SEASONING:
1 bottle Italian dressing
1/8 c. Lea & Perrins
Onion salt
Lemon salt
Garlic salt
Lemon juice
4 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. brown sugar

Heat seasonings on stove until melted down then pour though a strainer. Insert into turkey with an injector. Be sure to season the outside of the turkey as well, butter, salt and pepper works nicely, then refrigerate overnight.
Fry turkey in wire basket at 300 to 310 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes. 4 minutes per pound.

Turkey fryer recipes are pretty consistent, all go into the fryer but it’s the seasonings that make them unique. Get creative and see what flavor combinations you can come up with to have a delicious fried turkey.

German people love to eat, and they certainly know how to cook. My grandfather was born and raised in the communal society of the Amana Colonies in Iowa, and I’ve attended many family reunions and dinners in the Colonies over the years. Food was designed to stick to the ribs and keep hard-working men healthy and strong. Although my grandfather passed away while my mother was still a little girl, some of the recipes for foods he loved have come down through the family. Special German dessert recipes for cookies and rich pastries, such as Peppernuts (sugar cookies) and Apfelstrudel (apple strudel), were a beloved part of my childhood.

Peppernuts were among the German dessert recipes I remember. You start making Peppernuts with 1 cup of softened butter, one cup of lard, and 3 cups of sugar. Cream them together until fluffy. Add 4 eggs and beat until very creamy. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons baking ammonia, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 4 cups flour. Beat well. Form into small balls and bake at 350 degrees until the edges are brown, around 10-12 minutes.

All the cooking in the Amana Colonies was done in communal kitchens. After graduating from 8th grade, girls were put to work in the kitchens under the direction of a head cook. Their job was to turn out all the food, including preparing the German dessert recipes, which the colonies would eat each day. At mealtime children were sent to the kitchens with covered pails so that they could pick up the food allotted to their family and bring it home. Everyone worked hard, and no one worried about calories.

Apple strudel is another of the delightful German dessert recipes that smells heavenly while it’s baking. For this recipe you need to start with 10 1/2 oz. of flour, 1/6 oz. of salt, 1 1/2 oz. of melted lard, and 5 1/3 oz. of warm water. This will give you the basic dough for the dessert. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. Divide into 3 loaves, brush each with melted butter, and allow to raise in a warm place for an hour.

While you’re waiting for the bread dough to rise, you can mix your filling. Start by peeling, coring, and slicing 5 1/2 lbs. of Golden Delicious apples. Mix 5 1/3 oz. of sugar with 1 1/2 oz. of dark rum, 5 1/3 oz. of raisins, the zest and juice from two lemons, and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon. Toss this mixture with the apples. Mix 10 1/2 oz. of bread crumbs with 10 1/2 oz. of melted, unsalted butter. Take one loaf of dough and stretch it to fit a strudel sheet. Cover 2/3 of the sheet of dough with bread crumbs. Spread apple filling on the remaining third. Cut the edges even and roll the dough up. Place on a cookie sheet, brush the top with melted butter, and bake at 400 degrees for for 60-90 minutes.

What is your family’s favorite recipe? Where did you get it? Was it something Grandmother learned when she was a young bride? Was it a sushi recipe that won a prize for Uncle Lyle at the state fair?

A recipe scrapbook album would be a wonderful gift for family members. Imagine giving each one a collection of family recipes, each with its own bit of history, in a recipe scrapbook album.

You can make those recipe scrapbook albums following these steps.

Recipe Scrapbook Album Materials

Prepare to make your recipe scrapbook album by assembling the following minimal materials. You may want other things as well, but these 7 are recommended for a complete recipe scrapbook album.

* Family recipes, as many as possible – neatly written or typed

* Photographs of how the recipe looks when ready to serve

* Photographs of the person credited with creation of the recipe

* Notes of things people always say or remember about the recipe

* Scrapbooking paper (acid-free) reminiscent of cooking

* Food preparation stickers and charms

* Recipe “instruction” tags

Themes for Recipe Scrapbook Albums

Your overall theme is for a recipe scrapbook album will, of course, be recipes. In keeping with that theme, each page or section will have a specific theme in the category of recipes.

Browsing through your recipes and photos, look for natural groupings. If there are several recipes from Grandmother, theme a section of your recipe scrapbook album for those. If Uncle Lyle has more recipes than his singular prize-winning sushi, set aside a section for him in your recipe scrapbook album.

Perhaps you will find it easier to divide your recipe scrapbook album into themes such as appetizers, main courses, side dishes, desserts, and beverages. Each of those could be a page or section theme.

Recipe Scrapbook Album Page Layouts

Once you have your themes, you are ready to lay out the pages of your recipe scrapbook albums. There are many approaches to page layout, and you may have one you have used often. Here is one way of doing it.

1. Select the photo(s) to be used on a 2-page spread or single page. If they are colored photos, select scrapbooking paper to complement them. Be sure you use acid-free paper to protect your memories.

2. Lay out your scrapbooking paper to fit the page. Be creative with your paper. Nostalgic kitchen wallpaper is a good choice for old recipes. Italian recipes might find a home on red and white checkered paper reminiscent of a tablecloth. If your recipe scrapbook album includes a recipe for Fish and Chips, you might want scrapbooking paper on that page to look like an old newspaper.

3. Once you have placed your scrapbooking paper, begin to arrange the recipe and accompanying photos. Typed recipe cards are fine, but if your recipes are hand-written by the person who created them, it will give your recipe scrapbook albums a more personal touch.

4. Frame your photos and recipes after they are placed. You can find a wonderful array of frames in scrapbooking supplies stores. Or use your own creativity. If Grandmother always wore an apron when preparing that delicious chocolate cake, create an apron “pocket” of cloth or cardstock. Tuck into it one or more recipes. Another idea is to make fold-open frames for the recipes in your recipe scrapbook album. Simply cut an appropriate size piece of cardstock and fold it in thirds. Adhere the center third to your scrapbook, top it with the recipe, and fold the other two sides shut over it. You might even make the folded card look like cupboard doors.

5. Once your photos and recipes are framed on the page, add a few lines of journaling that capture the family memories associated with the recipe. In my own files, I have a recipe for cookies served by the host the evening my husband and I first knew we would become more than friends. Personal notes about such memories add immensely to recipe scrapbook albums. My mother’s fresh, home-baked bread is remembered as Dad’s favorite base for yellow mustard!

6. When each page layout is completed, each element glued firmly in place, you are ready to add stickers and charms – embellishments. You may use commercially made embellishments for your recipe scrapbook albums, and you may add more intimate touches as well. If Grandmother loved lace, and even crocheted her own, adding a touch of lace to her page will help family members remember that. Since Uncle Lyle always used that bright green “sushi grass” (baran) to separate his sushi, be sure you include a piece of it on the sushi recipe page.

Finally, you may want to leave a few blank pages at the end of your recipe scrapbook albums so that future recipes can be added later.

Recipe scrapbook albums can be made during a prolonged family reunion, giving everyone something to do with their hands while catching up on family news.