The Professional Chef |

Creating an ambiance and enjoying a special dish with your family is easier nowadays, thanks to the many fancy restaurants and quaint dining places. However, a meal becomes extra special if prepared and done with care, as everyone enjoys the simplicity of home-cooked meals. Grilling the perfect Filet Mignon is likewise a treat. Enjoying this great dish also gives you a wonderful eating experience with family. So before you go out this evening, why not try cooking and grilling the perfect Filet Mignon and have it on your very plate.

Filet Mignon is a great example of high-quality meat. It is tender, moist and absolutely perfect for grilling. While many people go for Rib Eye and T Bone steaks, Filet Mignon is also a prime choice among meat lovers. The flavor may be mild and not as intense compared to other meat parts but grilling the perfect Filet Mignon also mean retaining and sealing in the juices and flavor of said meat cut. Many believe that grilling the perfect Filet Mignon requires lesser and quicker grilling time. It should be cooked quickly to not lose the flavor and avoid it from being dry.

Medium-rare is said to be the best way of having and grilling the perfect Filet Mignon. For the meat will be flavorless if overcooked. One of the most adapted methods in grilling is the touch method, where you have to press the meat slightly and compare with it your muscle down your thumb. This actually takes time to perfect and the only way to master it would be to constantly grill, cook and dine.

In grilling the perfect Filet Mignon, it also helps to wrap a slice of bacon over the whole meat cut. In this way, you will be adding additional flavor to a once mild and non-intense Filet Mignon taste. It is also best to pair it with sauces for a more flavorful effect. You can go for either barbecue sauces or prepared marinades. Garnishing and herbs can also be used in grilling the perfect Filet Mignon. For these seasonings add spice, sweetness and zest both to your marinades and basting sauces.

Wines, cheeses and grapes go well together but you can actually enhance the mild taste of your steak with premium wines and drinks. While this tip seems to be secondary, grilling the perfect Filet Mignon also requires additional tips and reminders. Besides, if you really want to create that sumptuous meal, you have to prepare and be ready from start to finish.

If you haven’t tried garage sales for finding merchandise to sell on eBay, maybe you should explore this option. There is a strategy for getting the most out of your garage sale shopping efforts. Here are a few tips to help you maximize your efforts, and minimize your time investment.

1) Plan ahead. Go to craigslist to look for garage sale ads in your area. More and more people are relying on craigslist for free advertising. Garage sales usually start on Fridays, and the posts on craiglist start appearing on Tuesdays. Check daily for new posts, and keep a list of sales in your area. You can also look at your local newspaper’s website for garage sale ads. The big neighborhoods will usually advertise there. You can find a lot of items quickly if you go to the neighborhood sales, versus sales scattered around town.

2) Go to sales in the affluent parts of town. First, they will have better items. Second, you have no idea of a person’s financial situation and they may be having a garage sale to pay bills.

3) Go early. Most garage sales will start at 8 AM. Arrive early to get the best selection. The earlier in the day you start the better chance you have of finding “good” stuff.

4) Take plenty of cash. You don’t want to have to take valuable time convincing the seller to take your check. Most people have a garage sale for one reason – to make money. They don’t want checks – they want cold, hard, cash.

5) Be prepared. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Take bottled water. Keep snacks in the car. Bring your cell phone in case you find something you are unsure about, you can call your spouse or a friend for their opinion.

6) Don’t be afraid to bargain or make offers. People have garage sales to get rid of stuff. They don’t want to have to haul it all back in the house at the end of the day. Make reasonable offers and be fair.

7) Use the “cash in hand” technique. I do this all the time. Say for example I find something for $20, and think it is overpriced. I inconspicuously take a $10 bill out of my pocket and walk up to the seller. Then, with the bill in plain view, I say, “Hi, I am interested in that item over there. I only have $10 left, would you take that?” Seeing the cash, the seller usually takes it. The idea is to be reasonable. The later in the day that you use this technique, the better it works.

I have some interesting stories about garage sales. I went to a huge neighborhood sale in my community last fall. The woman had all kinds of men’s items – really nice clothing, shoes, golf equipment, sporting goods, and “guy stuff.” I found a really nice pair of Justin lizard skin boots, barely worn, for $5. (These boots retail for about $300.) That was an amazing find. So, I went to pay for the item, and the woman started telling me how she and her husband had a fight and he left town on a hunting trip for a week. She was having a garage sale and getting rid of all his stuff that she didn’t like. I asked, “He isn’t going to track me down and get me, is he?” She just laughed, and said, “Probably not. I might sell his car, too.” Those boots ended up selling for $98 and were shipped to Germany. You might be wondering what to look for at garage sales.

Here are some examples of what I have found, and how much the items sold for on eBay.

1) George Forman grill new in box , $5, sold for $30

2) Hooked on Phonics set, excellent used condition, $5, sold for $68

3) Mary Kay cosmetics, various items new in boxes, paid $1 each, sold for about $10 each (the lady was a Mary Kay rep getting rid of inventory)

4) Oscar de la Renta wool blazer new with tag, $5, sold for $52

5) Wagner wallpaper remover steamer new in box, $5, sold for $25

6) Dr. Martens shoes, gently worn, $3, sold for $47

7) Pampered Chef apple corer/peeler, used with box, $5, sold for $20

Men’s Nike Shox shoes, gently worn, $3, sold for $46

9) Yankee 20 oz jar candle, barely used (was lit once and the person didn’t like the scent), $1, sold for $12

10) Lexmark printer ink cartridge, new in box, $1, sold for $16 Look for items new in the package or new in the box. Look for gently used designer apparel and shoes.

So, you can see that garage sales are a great venue for finding items to sell. If you plan ahead, you can get a lot accomplished in one day. Learn more about selling on eBay Visit my blog for more eBay selling information

Grilled Shrimp is probably the most popular category of Shrimp Cuisine. You can purchase wonderful grilled shrimp entrée’s at Food Establishments around the world. But, when it comes to grilling shrimp at home, many people want to know how to grill shrimp for the best results.

Many expert chefs will tell you the #1 rule for grilling shrimp is to not over cook it.
Shrimp cooks very rapidly. Depending on the size shrimp you are grilling, 2 to 3 minutes per side is a normal cooking time. That’s it!

If you want to make the best Grilled Shrimp Recipes at home, just follow these easy grilling tips.

1. Purchase Raw Shrimp. You can purchase fresh or frozen shrimp, just make sure it is raw. You are going to be cooking it again on the grill so you do not want shrimp that is already cooked. It will become tough and chewy.

2. Purchase Large or Extra Large Shrimp. Shrimp that is any smaller can fall through the grill or doesn’t hold well on skewers if making grilled shrimp kabobs.

3. Rinse frozen or thawed shrimp under cold running water. If shrimp is not deveined, go ahead and devein shrimp now by making a shallow slice along the backside and pulling out the vein gently. Rinse shrimp under water. Check your shrimp recipe (if you are using one) to see if it calls for shelled shrimp or not. If you are not using a recipe or it doesn’t specify, you might consider leaving the shell on. Many people grill their shrimp this way. It retains the moisture better while grilling the shrimp. I personally prefer to remove the shell before grilling. I would rather have the grilled flavor on the shrimp itself and not the skin, plus I feel it soaks up the marinade very well if you are marinating your shrimp. You just need to watch your cooking time very carefully.

4. Pat Shrimp Dry

5. If you are going to prepare a marinated grilled shrimp, you can use shrimp that is frozen or thawed. If you followed step 2 above, your shrimp may have thawed slightly during the rinsing, cleaning process. Even if it is not completely thawed you can place it in your marinade. Place shrimp in a shallow bowl, cover with marinade, seal bowl tightly. Allow to marinade for ½ hour or longer. If using acidic marinades, anything with lemon or other citrus, you will use a shorter marinating time because the acid will start to cook the shrimp. Non-acidic marinades you can do for several hours.

6. If not marinating shrimp, prepare ingredients according to your favorite shrimp recipe.

7. Spray your grill grate with Pam Grilling Spray to prevent shrimp from sticking (or spray a grill basket if using one of those)

8. Preheat the grill to a medium to medium high heat.

9. Place shrimp, shrimp in grill basket or shrimp kabobs on grill.

10. Flip shrimp after approx. 3 minutes and continue cooking another 3 -5 minutes until all of the shrimps original color is gone.

11. Remove a shrimp from the grill and cool slightly then test (by eating one!) to see if it is done.

12. If it’s done remove all the shrimp to a platter and serve with your favorite side dishes.

Now you know the best grilling tips for making your favorite grilled shrimp recipes right at home!

If you are an accomplished scrapbooker, you’ve put in many hours experimenting with layouts, colors, placements, and accessories. You’ve discovered some great ideas and thrown out some that didn’t work so well. You might even have reached the point where every time you go through a pile of photos, you arrange them in your mind in to pleasing displays.

These are skills that others could benefit from, especially beginners who aren’t sure how to bring together all their choices in materials with all the photographs and other memorabilia they have. These beginners often look with envy at the things you do and wonder if they will ever be able to do anything that nice. From your point of view, you know that all it would take for them to focus their creativity is someone to show them a few basics. 

That someone could be you. If your community has a scrapbooking shop, you could show the owner some of your material and offer to teach classes a day or two a week. In small towns, the owners themselves usually teach such classes, but small business owners have so many other things to do, they may be grateful for the extra help-especially since you would be paid by the students, not by the store.

If your town doesn’t have such a store, you could offer classes in your own home for a few friends at a time. In the same way that some people have Tupperware or Pampered Chef parties, you could hold classes. You yourself would supply the materials and your class could sit around your kitchen or dining room table…perhaps your church or school would even allow you to use their space on a Saturday morning or weeknight to gather your students. 

If you’ve been at this for a long time, you know things that others would really like to know. It could benefit both you and those beginners for you to offer your skills in whatever way you can.

New York style cheesecake recipes are made with a combination of cream cheese and Italian cheese cakes made with ricotta cheese. In the early 1920’s, this particular silky style of cream cheese was developed in the New York area.

New York style cheesecake recipes were introduced by Jewish delicatessens in New York City. Arnold Reuben Jr., owner of the legendary Turf Restaurant at 49th and Broadway in New York City and a descendant of immigrants from Germany, claimed his family developed the first cream cheese cake recipe. Reuben’s cheesecake was so good, it won a Gold Metal at the 1929 World’s Fair.

The superior qualities that make Reuben’s classic New York style cheesecake are a graham cracker crust, a creamy texture, and distinct lemon flavor that is firm but light in density. Below you will find his Classic New York Style Cheesecake recipe.

Classic New York Cheesecake

Crust:

Heavily coat 10-inch spring form pan with cooking spray

1 1/2 cups commercial graham cracker crumbs

5 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. honey

1/4 cup sugar

Mix ingredients together with hands until well blended and crumbs appear moist. Pour into pan. With hands, spread evenly across the bottom and pat down firmly.

Filling:

5 8-ounce bars cream cheese, at room temperature

2 Tbsp. flour

1 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar

11/2 cups sugar

grated rind of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp. orange liqueur

3/4 tsp. vanilla

2 egg yolks at room temperature

5 eggs at room temperature

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place first five ingredients in large mixing bowl and beat on high until they are completely blended. Add vanilla and 2 yolks, and beat again. Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Pour into prepared pan. Batter will fill pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Top will be golden. Lower oven temperature to 200 degrees and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until top browns, cake feels bouncy to the touch, and a toothpick tests clean. Cool to room temperature. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Yield: 16-20 slices

The history of cheesecake is believed to have originated in ancient Greece. The first recorded mention of cheesecake was when it was served to the athletes during the first Olympic Games held in 776 BC. Centuries later, cheesecake appeared in America. The recipes were brought over by the immigrants.

If you ask a New Yorker, the only true cheesecake makers and connoisseurs are in New York. Every New York restaurant has their own version and thus the cheesecake from New York has been re-named New York cheesecake.

I hope you enjoy this New York style cheesecake recipe.

Copyright © 2005 Best-Coffee-Makers-Online.com. All Rights Reserved.

We all have special occasions that need a fast easy dessert. Whether it is for a birthday, the holidays or to celebrate something special like your child learning to ride a bike, sometimes you just need to be able to throw together a special dessert on short notice. Serving a dessert for various accomplishments makes your family feel special and makes the day memorable, especially if dessert is not a daily event at your house.

Easy desserts should consist of ingredients you have readily at hand. By having a few mixes and fresh ingredients on hand, it will be easy to pull together a nice dessert for any special occasion. Cake mixes, jello, instant pudding and other ingredients that keep well are a good place to start. By keeping a few in your pantry, you will be ready for any occasion.

Easy Parfaits

There is nothing more elegant or simple than a parfait. Served in a wine glass, everyone will ooh and ahh when you set them out on the table. You can make a simple parfait out of Jello cubes. Choose your favorite flavor, and let your Jello chill in a shallow pan. Once it has set, slice it into small cubes. Mix up a box of vanilla or banana pudding. Alternate layers of Jello cubes and pudding and top it off with whipped cream. Add a cherry, a couple berries, or some sprinkles on top for a finishing touch. You could also substitute fresh fruit for the Jello cubes for layers in the parfait.

If you prefer creamy desserts, you can make a wonderful parfait with chocolate pudding and whipped topping by alternating layers of each ingredient in a wine glass. Top it with more whipped topping and add a few shaves of chocolate. The shavings will make your parfait look like it came from an expensive restaurant. Everyone will be amazed at how much time you spent (but you didn’t!) preparing such an elegant dessert.

Easy Baked Desserts

If you prefer something baked, a simple gingerbread can easily be put together using a mix. It can even be baking during dinner, as hot gingerbread makes a lovely, easy dessert. Hot gingerbread is a wonderful easy dessert served plain, with sprinkle powdered sugar on top, or served with hot lemon pudding poured over it. If the gingerbread has time to cool first, you can serve it with whipped topping and a sprinkle of cinnamon for an elegant touch. Cold gingerbread is also very good with hot lemon pudding poured over it.

If your family prefers chocolate, you can easily bake a chocolate cake and serve it simply with either whipped topping and chocolate curls on top or with powdered sugar sprinkled over the top. To make it appear even more elegant, add a couple fresh strawberry slices beside the cake, set into a small dollop of whipped topping.

These easy desserts can make any meal special, and they take very little time to make. Your family will be astounded at the care you have shown by making their accomplishment even more special by celebrating with dessert.

Holidays and special occasions often call for an easy dessert. Find one that fits your menu at JelloRecipes.net that will be suitable for any occasion. Whether you are looking for that traditional recipe, you remember from your childhood or a contemporary recipe to fit special dietary needs, this site will serve up something special.

Despite all the options out there, many of us find that we fall back on the same old desserts week after week. While they taste great at first, you can quickly get sick of pies, ice cream, or cake. If you are looking for the next great dessert, but find yourself intimidated by some of the recipes out there, you are not alone. Sometimes it seems like food journals and magazines fall on either side of two extremes – difficult and time consuming or the same things we always make.

The good news is that there are a lot of interesting and tasty desserts out there, and they do not need to be hard to make. Some may require a few unusual ingredients or techniques, but once you make them once or twice; you will get the hang of it. Here are a few ideas for great desserts to mix things up a little at your house.

Dessert Pizza

We see them at restaurants, but it rarely occurs to us to make these pizza-shaped desserts at home. However, they can be quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive. Try making sugar cookie dough or brownie batter from scratch, or buy prepackaged versions for a quicker crust. Top sugar cookie crusts with fresh fruit in season (apples and brown sugar are a real winner), chocolate, nuts, and lots of other tasty choices. Just remember to cook crusts entirely or partially before topping to avoid sogginess.

Ethnic Desserts

American cuisine has gone on to include a lot more dishes from other cultures in recent years. Many households regularly include Italian, Mexican, Chinese, and even Indian, Thai, and Japanese food for dinner. If you serve a meal based in another culture, never forget to include the desserts. Cultures throughout Asia have variations on Sweet Mango Sticky rice, for instance. Indian fruit lassis are a delight, and gelato makes a nice change from ordinary ice cream. 

If you or your family is a little concerned about strange foods, start by including some exotic ingredients in more ordinary dessert dishes. Lychee fruits, while strange looking, are a pleasant addition to the standard fruit salad, as are pineapple, mango, kiwi, and passionfruit.

Forgotten Favorites

Of course, you do not have to search far for new desserts. Some of them are old favorites that we just have not made in a while. Check out your older cookbooks for easy desserts your mother or grandmother used to make, and remember not to be afraid to experiment a little. Just be sure to do it when you have plenty of time – a deadline is never a good match for creativity in the kitchen. However, even desserts as humble as Jello, bread pudding, and cobbler can be a real treat without being difficult.

Why do we resort to barbecuing only a few times a year.  Sure, it’s tough to get old smokey, or your Big Baby Double Barrel DIY Smoker rolling in February if you live up in the hinterlands, but man!  Should we not do all we can to keep the smoke ring alive for as far into the year as we can? 

Now, it’s easy for me to say this, as I live down here in the Orlando, Florida area.  The warm climate and vast number of barbecue restaurants – Brock’s Smoke Hut in Winter Haven, FL is one of my personal favorites – definitely helps keep BBQ on the Brain.

If you’re jonesing for a BBQ fix, but bad weather has you down, you might want to check out a cool little gadget I came across just recently surfing the net.  It’s called the Plek 66, made by a company called Rocal – out of  Barcelona, Spain – and it’s so cool. 

The Plek 66 barbecue is ideal for lofts, houses and places where space and design play an important role. Designed for those seeking a new concept in functionality.

What can I say – I’m a gadget fan!  Think about it, you can get this baby going just about anywhere!   Very practical and designed to occupy little space, the Plek 66 barbecue folds to a thin rectangle when you’re not using it. Unfolded, you’re presented with two grill grates, a big container for storing charcoal and ashes, and two useful side shelves. Put this baby on the floor of your nice warm cozy spot and get to barbecuing!  What’s not to like? 

Of course, I’m not saying that the Plek 66 is your most practical choice.  But since when have Barbecue Gear and being practical ever mixed company?  Shoot, I bet there are more than a few out there who could reverse engineer this bad boy and post the instructions on their favorite Barbecue Discussion Board!

Do cooking measurements matter? When a recipe calls for a pinch of this and a dash of that, does it really matter how much you put in? What will happen if you leave an ingredient out?

If you’re an inexperienced cook, you wonder about the answers to these and other questions. Let’s take the mystery out of cooking measurements once and for all.

What’s a Pinch or a Dash?

A pinch of an ingredient (usually a spice) is literally the amount of the ingredient that can be held between your thumb, your index finger, and your middle finger. A small pinch is the amount of an ingredient that can be held between your thumb and one finger (take your pick which one you want to use). A dash, on the other hand, is a measurable amount – less than one-eight of a teaspoon but more than one-sixteenth.

Converting Cooking Measurements

Follow this table to convert U.S. measurements to metric:

1/5 teaspoon…1 ml

1 teaspoon…5 ml

1 tablespoon…15 ml

1 fluid ounce…30 ml

1/5 cup…50 ml

1 cup…240 ml

2 cups (1 pint)…470 ml

4 cups (1 quart)…95 liter

4 quarts (1 gal.)…3.8 liters

1 oz. weight…28 grams

1 pound…454 grams

What If It Gets Left Out?

Including all the minor ingredients is more important in baking things like cakes, cookies, and pastries, than it is in meat loaf, omelets, and salads. Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to follow the recipe. Whoever wrote the recipe experimented with the cooking measurements to get them just right.

Now, if you know you can’t stand the taste of cumin, and you want to substitute oregano for cumin in a meat loaf recipe, that’s one thing. But leaving ginger out of ginger spice cookies is just wrong.

Measuring Tools

The importance of cooking measurements has led to a whole industry of cooking measuring cups and spoons. One of the most popular cooking measuring cup sets today is a blue ceramic set that looks just like a big coffee cup, marketed by Nigella Lawson the beautiful and famous television chef.

The most popular measuring spoons are heart-shaped measuring spoons by RSVP International. These spoons have arrow handles and heart-shaped measuring spoons. They make the user smile every time they use them.

The final cooking measurement device every cook needs is a scale. The best scales are digital, with the ability to accurately weigh items in bowls or plates or on slips of waxed paper.

Asparagus raclette or indoor grilling is so much fun to do with a group of your favorite people. Raclette has a long history but it has evolved to a social gathering of friends and family and providing a fun way to eat together.

This vegetable recipe for raclette grilling is just as delicious as traditional raclette, but appeals to those that like more vegetables with their meat.

What you’ll need:

- 2 lbs/1kg small new potatoes (cooked)

- 1 1/2 lbs/800g Swiss Raclette cheese (cut into slices)

- asparagus spears (parboiled or sauteed crisply)

- proscuitto or parma ham

- broccoli, carrots and beans (steamed lightly)

- Baguettes

- Gherkins, pickled onions

Prepare your raclette dinner or appetizer just as you would for traditional Swiss raclette. Include aparagus spears wrapped in a selectin of hams. You can also substitute the carrots and beans for the aspargus.

Place the wrapped vegetables in a side dish to be served later. When you are ready, place the wrapped vegetables on a small raclette dish and top with a slice of the Raclette cheese. Place the dish under the grill and cook until cheese is bubbly.

Serve the cooked vegetables with the potatoes and other condiments and baquette slices.

You should count on using about 1/4 lb of Raclette cheese per person and have more vegetables ready than you think you’ll need as this type of Raclette tends to disappear quickly! It’s a fun way to get together, have a meal or appetizer and of course, have a great time.