Food & Drink Articles

Article / Updated 09-20-2023

Caramel corn makes a great treat for Halloween parties. This tasty treat includes three types of nuts and it’s bound to please your little goblins and ghosts and anyone else who likes the rich flavor and crunch of caramel corn. Nutty Caramel Corn Preparation time: 20 to 30 minutes plus 20 to 30 minutes for cooling Yield: 8 servings Ingredients: 10 cups popped popcorn 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 dark brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup corn syrup 1/2 cup water 2 tablespoons butter 1 cup raw whole almonds 1/2 cup whole raw cashews 3/4 raw pecan halves 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons baking soda Instructions: Rinse a large stainless steel bowl with hot water and dry well (this heats the bowl). Put the popped corn in the bowl. Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, and water in a heavy 6-quart saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally until it comes to a boil. Place a lid on the pot for 1 minute to allow the sugar crystals to wash down the inside of the pot. Remove the lid and clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pot without allowing the tip to touch the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and stirring When the temperature reaches 240 degrees, add the butter and almonds and continue stirring. At 270 degrees, add the cashews and continue stirring. At 285 degrees, add the pecans and cook to 300 degrees. Remove the mixture from the heat. Stir in the salt and baking soda; then pour the mixture over the popcorn in a stainless steel bowl and mix thoroughly with two had rubber spatulas to coat completely. Spread the popcorn mixture over aluminum foil and break clumps apart with your hands while wearing leather utility gloves. Per serving: Calories 473 (From Fat 149); Fat 17g (Saturate 3 g); cholesterol 8mg; Sodium 934 mg; Carbohydrate 80g (Dietary Fiber 4g); Protein 7g.

Article / Updated 09-20-2023

It's Halloween. Either you're getting your kids ready to go trick-or-treating or you're preparing for the onslaught of little candy hounds at your door. Hopefully, you've read the following ten tips beforehand so you'll have a fun, triumphant trick-or-treating night! Stock up: You don't want to be known among the neighborhood kids as the people who ran out of candy early in the evening. It doesn't bode well for you next year. Need a formula? Divide the average number of trick-or-treaters you typically get by the servings in each bag of candy. Then, take into account how many pieces of candy you like to give per child and adjust your bag count accordingly. If you do run out of candy earlier than expected, follow these instructions carefully: Immediately turn out the lights and TV. Stay low and retreat to the back of the house. You might think that handing out toothbrushes or granola bars rather than candy is doing what's best for the kids, but they will hate you for it. They want candy. Determine ahead of Halloween night what your parent candy tax will be. This might take some calculation, depending on the number of children you have and whether you intend to levy the tax based on the volume of pieces overall, or perhaps, different values for different types of candy. And now just a tad of seriousness about safety: Before your kids go out trick-or-treating, make sure they will be visible in the dark. Pick bright costumes or add reflective accessories and glow sticks to their ghoulish garb. Also on the safety side, make sure your kids' costumes fit properly and don't restrict their mobility or hamper their vision or hearing. Know the basic Halloween etiquette: Only approach homes that have their outside lights on. Add the color teal to your Halloween decor and help kids who have food allergies enjoy the holiday. A teal-colored pumpkin placed outside your door signifies that you'll have non-food treats (stickers, small bouncy balls, art supplies, etc.) available for kids with food allergies. Also, a child carrying a teal bucket signifies food allergies. Check out the Teal Pumpkin Project for more information. While you're considering the color teal, also consider blue — watch for trick-or-treaters with blue buckets, which can signify that they are autistic individuals. These trick-or-treaters (and some could be older than you'd expect) might seem hesitant and may not be able to say "trick-or-treat!" So, hand out some candy, and give them a warm Happy Halloween greeting. Want to have some fun with the older teenagers you know in your neighborhood who still go trick-or-treating? (This does not go for the trick-or-treaters with the blue buckets in the last tip.) Ask them to answer a quiz question before they get a treat, like "What's the square root of 49" or "How do you spell intelligence?"

Article / Updated 09-18-2023

Bûche de Noël is French for Christmas log. This dessert with the fancy name is found in every pastry-shop window in France during the month of December. It’s simply a yellow sponge cake rolled around a white chocolate and cherry filling. You can start this the day ahead and let it sit overnight. Preparation time: 45 minutes; 8 hour cooling time Cooking time: 20 minutes Yield: 10 servings Yellow Sponge Cake for Bûche de Noël 1/4 cup whole milk 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 3/4 cup cake flour 1 teaspoon baking powder Pinch salt 3 large eggs 3 large egg yolks 1 cup sugar Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a jellyroll pan with pan coating, line with parchment paper, and spray again. Place the milk and butter in a saucepan over medium heat to melt the butter, or melt the butter together with the milk in a microwave. Stir in the vanilla extract; set aside, keeping warm. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixer's bowl, beat the eggs, yolks, and sugar on high speed using a balloon whip attachment until the mixture is light and fluffy and a ribbon forms, about 2 minutes. Resift the dry ingredients onto the egg and sugar mixture in three batches, folding after each addition. Start folding with a whisk, and finish up the last batch with a large rubber spatula. Drizzle the warmed milk and butter mixture over the batter a little at a time, folding all the while. If you add the liquid too quickly, it will sink instead of becoming incorporated. You’ll end up with a rubbery layer in your cake. Pour the batter onto a jellyroll pan, using an offset spatula to spread evenly. The cake will be thin. Bake for about 12 minutes, rotating front to back once during baking. The cake should be puffed and light, golden brown. A toothpick will test clean. Do not overbake or the cake will loose its flexibility. Place on a wire rack and allow the cake to cool completely while still in the pan. Use immediately or wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Whipped White Chocolate Ganache Filling and Frosting 3/4 pound white chocolate, finely chopped 2-2/3 cups heavy cream Place the chocolate in a large bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in a medium-sized pot and immediately pour the cream over the chocolate. Let sit for 3 minutes to melt the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. If many unmelted chocolate pieces remain, let sit for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally; the residual heat will melt any remaining chunks. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. Cherry Filling 14-1/2 ounce-can sour pitted cherries, water packed 3 tablespoons cherry liquid (from the canned cherries) 3 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons kirschwasser liqueur Drain the cherries, reserving 3 tablespoons of the liquid. Place the liquid in small saucepan. Place the cherries in small mixing bowl; set aside. Add the sugar to the cherry juice and stir together. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and add kirschwasser. Pour over cherries and reserve until needed. Begin assembly the day before serving or very early on the day of serving. Have ready a large, flat serving platter. It must be at least 18 inches long and 6 inches wide, and must be able to fit in your refrigerator. You can also create a tray by covering cardboard with aluminum foil. Per serving: Calories 627 (From fat 369); Total fat 41g (Saturated 24g); Cholesterol 229mg; Sodium 140mg; Carbohydrates 58g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 8g.

Article / Updated 09-15-2023

After you make fresh pasta dough, you need to roll it out and cut it into a pasta shape. You have some options when it comes to how you roll and cut your pasta dough: A rolling pin: Traditionally, Italian cooks would use a rolling pin or even a wine bottle. However, the dough is tough and resists your best efforts. In the end, pasta rolled with a rolling pin is usually too thick. A manual pasta machine: This machine rolls the pasta to an even thickness, and you can get the sheets of pasta quite thin. This machine also cuts the pasta. Most models can cut the pasta into fettuccine or spaghetti. A manual pasta machine produces two shapes — fettuccine or spaghetti. However, you can take the long sheets of dough that the machine rolls and cut them yourself to make other shapes. Electric extruders: Basically, these machines are a food processor and pasta machine in one. You put the ingredients in the machine and then press a button to knead and then extrude a variety of shapes. Unfortunately, most electric pasta machines don’t work all that well. After you cut out the pasta shape, you need to be careful to keep the individual pieces separated. You can keep fresh pasta on clean kitchen towels at room temperature for several hours before cooking.

Article / Updated 09-15-2023

Strand pasta, such as spaghetti, is best served with sauces that are rich in oil, which keep the very thin pasta from sticking together. Flat ribbon pasta is excellent with rich, creamy sauces. Also, flat ribbon pasta works well with simple butter sauces. Explore the different types of macaroni described in the charts, find out how long they need to boil in water to cook, and see what they look like. Strand pastas Italian Name and Translation Approximate Cooking Time Description Capelli d’angelo (“angel hair”) Cooks quickly, in 3 to 4 minutes The thinnest pasta of all. Cappellini (“little hairs”) Cooks in 4 to 5 minutes Slightly thicker than angel hair. Spaghetti (“little strings”) Cooks in 10 to 12 minutes Long, medium-thick strands. Vermicelli (“little worms”) Cooks in 5 to 6 minutes Thin strands. Flat ribbon pastas Italian Name and Translation Approximate Cooking Time Description Fettuccine (“small ribbons”) Cooks in 8 to 10 minutes Flat strands Linguine (“little tongues”) Cooks in 8 to 10 minutes Long, thin ribbons. Tagliatelle (“little cuts”) Cooks in 7 to 8 minutes Like fettuccine, but a bit wider

Article / Updated 09-15-2023

Filled with meat, cheese, seafood, or vegetables, stuffed pasta (or filled pasta) are best coated with simple tomato or light, cream-based sauces. Stuffed pasta dough is often flavored and tinted with spinach, tomato, saffron, or mushrooms. Typically, stuffed pastas are fresh or frozen. Frozen stuffed pasta takes longer to cook than fresh. This table gives the cooking times (how long they need to boil in water) for frozen stuffed pastas. If you buy fresh stuffed pasta, just follow the directions on the package. Cooking times for frozen stuffed pastas Italian Name and Description Stuffing Approximate Cooking Time Agnolotti (half-moon shaped) Stuffed with meat or cheese Cooks in 7 to 9 minutes Ravioli (little square pillows) Stuffed with meat, cheese, fish, or vegetables Cooks in 8 to 10 minutes Tortellini (ring-shaped little twists) Stuffed with meat or cheese Cooks in 10 to 12 minutes

Article / Updated 09-15-2023

Pasta sauces are as varied as pasta shapes, but the classic pasta sauces stand out. After you get to know the classic pasta sauces, you can begin experimenting with different ingredients. Alfredo: A rich sauce of cream, butter, Parmesan cheese, and freshly ground black pepper (usually tossed over fettuccine.) Alle Vongole: Pasta (usually spaghetti) tossed with clams, olive oil, white wine, and herbs. Carbonara: Crisply cooked bacon (usually Italian pancetta) combined with garlic, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and sometimes cream. Credit: PhotoDisc/Getty Images Marinara: The basic Italian tomato sauce, slow cooked and infused with garlic and Italian herbs (such as oregano and basil), is easy to adapt to different recipes by adding mushrooms, ground meat, or vegetables. Pesto: Fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil blended to a fine paste. Primavera: A mixture of sautéed spring vegetables (such as sweet red pepper, tomatoes, asparagus, and snow peas) and fresh herbs. Credit: PhotoDisc, Inc. Puttanesca: A sauce of anchovies, garlic, tomatoes, capers, and black olives. Ragù alla Bolognese: A long-simmered sauce of meat (usually ground beef, veal, or pork) and tomatoes, named for the city of Bologna, where it was invented. For a true Bolognese, you brown the meat lightly and then cook it in a small amount of milk and wine before adding tomatoes.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 09-15-2023

Cooking for yourself is a skill anyone can do, whether you are 16 years old or 96 years old. Making your own meals from scratch can be immensely satisfying while also saving you money, allowing more control over your nutritional intake, and providing an outlet to express your creativity. Being able to shop, prep, cook, and feed yourself is the ultimate in self-sufficiency that will bring you energy and joy for the rest of your life.

Article / Updated 09-15-2023

This cake is a fun centerpiece to any Halloween party. After you bake two recipes of the Chocolate Cocoa Cake and whip up three batches of stiff decorator frosting, follow these steps to finish a ghostly Halloween creation. For the decorations you will need: 1 pound of black licorice Four 2-x-4-inch squares of chocolate (from a 7.5-ounce chocolate bar) Black food coloring gel Red food coloring gel Thirty-six red and purple square-shaped sour hard candies, broken into jagged pieces with a meat tenderizer 14.4-ounce box chocolate graham crackers, finely ground in a food processor Four skeleton pops Two ghost cupcake picks Two pumpkin cupcake picks One plastic glow-in-the-dark skull-and-crossbones ring One witch cupcake pick Prepare a cake board that’s approximately 18-x-24 inches in size. Use plywood or fiberboard that’s wrapped with cake foil or Halloween wrapping paper covered with clear heavy cellophane wrap. Stack the cakes toward the back of the board as follows: Set the two square cakes one on top of the other to form the bottom floor of the house. Center the loaf cake on top of the bottom floor; set the half-loaf on top of that floor; and set the one-eighth piece on top of the half-loaf to form a witch’s perch. Lay lengths of licorice around the top and base of each level, except for the witch’s perch. Using chocolate frosting as glue, affix chocolate bar squares to the center of the bottom layer to make the mansion’s door. Mix 2 cups of chocolate decorator frosting with black food coloring gel. Outfit a pastry bag with a coupler, a #7 tip, and black frosting. With black frosting, pipe a square window on either side of the mansion door. Pipe four square windows on the second story of the house, three square windows on the third story, and an oval-shaped window on the witch’s perch. Also pipe a doorknob and an awning on the door. Mix 1 cup of white decorator frosting with red food coloring gel. Outfit a pastry bag with a coupler, a #4 tip, and red frosting. Along the top edge of the first three floors (not the witch’s perch), pipe a string of pointed red drips to look like seeping blood. With an icing spatula, spread 2 cups of untinted chocolate frosting in front of the house. Outfit the black frosting bag with a #10 tip, and, over the chocolate frosting yard, outline a crooked walkway leading to the front door. Fill in the walkway with crushed hard candies. Spread the chocolate graham cracker crumbs on either side of the walkway. With the black frosting bag, pipe frosting onto the candy tops of the skeleton pops. Scatter the skeleton pops to resemble trees in the mansion’s yard, sticking them into the frosting in the front yard, and mound chocolate crumbs at the base of each pop. Refit the black frosting bag with a #67 tip, and pipe drooping black leaves on the skeletons’ hands. Stick the ghost picks and pumpkin picks on the second and third floors of the mansion, and push the skull-and-crossbones ring into the oval-shaped window on the witch’s perch. Insert the witch pick into the very top of the house.

Article / Updated 09-14-2023

Mistakes are bound to happen as you explore barbecue cooking, but they are a part of the BBQ adventure. Here are five rookie mistakes to avoid: Being in a hurry. If you want fast, cook a grilled cheese. If you want barbecue, chill out. Slow is the essence of barbecue. Cooking at low temperatures for a goodly amount of time is what makes barbecue barbecue and makes the meat melt in your mouth. Before you cook, put some thought into how much time you're going to need, how you want to season or sauce your product, and the sides you want to serve with it. Good planning makes you less likely to get distracted when your meat needs you most. Taking meat from fridge to fire. Putting meat onto the grate right from the refrigerator adds a lot of cold air to your smoker, and that's likely to lead to condensation of creosote from the charcoal. The creosote floats up via the smoke and onto your meat, adding an undesirable flavor and texture. So let your meat sit at room temperature for about an hour before cooking. Most recipes count on your doing so and advise cooking times that are based on the meat starting at about room temperature. Letting meat rest at room temperature for more than an hour is a bad idea. When it gets too warm, it also becomes susceptible to bacteria. Adding sauce too early. Two mainstays of barbecue sauces, sugar and tomatoes, have low heat tolerance and cook faster than meat. Apply these types of sauces too early and you'll end up with a burnt, black, crackling coating before the meat is done. So wait until the meat is almost finished cooking before you add a sweet sauce with tomatoes. A minute or two on each side of the meat over a low to moderate flame is all the time the sauce needs to add taste and texture. Poking holes into the meat. Don't use a fork to move the meat. You want to keep the precious juices inside the meat, so use tongs. Stab it, and you provide a sure route for the juices to ooze out, taking with them any hope you had for great barbecue. Forgetting rest time: Slice into meat before giving it a chance to rest, and you lose almost half the juices. Meat juices go where the heat is lowest, so give them a chance at your cutting board and they run for it. Allow the meat to rest after you take it off the heat: The juices will be reabsorbed by the proteins that set them free in the first place. Cut into a well-rested piece of meat, and you find tender juiciness rather than a puddle around your desiccated pork chop.