Miscellaneous Information

How to Bake Frozen Rolls – un-defrosted

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Did you forget to defrost the rolls?  Do not panic.

  1. Preheat the oven to 225°.
  2. Take the rolls from the freezer and place them in the pan.
  3. Place the rolls in the oven on a middle rack.
  4. Place another baking sheet, half-filled with water, on a lower rack.
  5. Turn the oven off.
  6. After 15-20 minutes, check the rolls. If they have doubled in size, they are ready to bake.
  7. Now you can follow the package instructions to bake the rolls.

Source:  30seconds.com

Bread Dough Ornaments

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This is a relly low craft ability project!  Works for Easter, Valentines Day and just for fun.  You can just mold something too, but keep it fairly thin.  Otherwise it takes forever to bake.

Ingredients:

  • 4 c flour
  • 1 c salt
  • 1/2 c water

Useful tools, etc.:

  • ornament hangers, paperclips or ribbon
  • Ungreased cookie sheet
  • garlic press – makes hair or fur
  • Other miscellaneous kitchen tools
  • toothpicks
  • straws
  • cookie cutters
  • icing bag and tips (or cut the corner out of a ziploc bag and insert a tip)
  • bowl of water
  • Spray acrylic
  • Some patients and an imagination….

Directions. 

  1. Preheat oven to 275°
  2. Mix flour and salt together in a bowl.
  3. Gradually add water to mixture. (or mix salt and water and add to flour)
  4. Stir with wooden spoon till ball forms.
  5. Place ball of dough on floured board or pastry sheet.
  6. Knead for 10 minutes, till dough is not tacky any more.
  7. Roll dough out to a little less than 1/4 inch.
  8. Dip cutters into flour before cutting.
  9. Before baking use toothpick or straw to make hole in the top for ribbon or hangers.
  10. For colored dough add a little food coloring to some of the dough or just use acrylic paint after you have baked them and let them cool.
  11. Brush lightly with Water to attach dough decorations. Don’t use too much water because the dough pieces will not adhere to each other.
  12. Decorate as you wish.
  13. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes at 275°
  14. You can use acrylic paints and varnish for the sheen…Use your imagination

Source:  www.justapinch.com and years of attempted creativity.

 

Bacon Equivalents, Recipe Measurement, Equivalent, or Substitute

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Keep in mind, you can’t have too much bacon!

1 serving = 2 strips fried, baked, or broiled
1 rasher bacon = 1 strip
1 slice bacon = 1 tablespoon fried and chopped bacon pieces
1 slice bacon = 2 to 3 teaspoons real bacon bits
1 slice bacon = 2 to 3 teaspoons imitation bacon bits
1 slice bacon = 1 thin slice pancetta (about 3/4 ounce)
1 slice bacon = 3/4 ounce salt pork (in soups, stews, sauces)
1 pound bacon = 35 thin strips
1 pound bacon = 16 to 20 regular strips
1 pound bacon = 12 to 16 thick strips
1 pound bacon = 1 can cooked bacon (18 to 20 slices)
1 pound bacon = 1 cup bacon fat
1 pound bacon =1 1/2 cup fried and chopped bacon pieces
1 pound bacon = 3/4 cup bacon bits
1 1/2 pounds bacon = 3 ounces bacon bits
1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon = 4 slices
1/3 cup crumbled cooked bacon = 5 slices
1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon = 8 slices
2/3 cup crumbled cooked bacon = 10 slices
3/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon = 12 slices
1 cup crumbled cooked bacon = 16 slices (about 1 pound)
1/4 pound back bacon = 1 cup cracklings

Diced, raw bacon is roughly the same weight for cup measure as liquids. One cup would be approximately 8 ounces and 225 grams; 1/2 cup is about 4 ounces or 115 grams; 1/4 cup is about 2 ounces or 55 grams, etc.

Source:  The Spruce Eats

Crescent Rolls – Yes, You Can freeze Them

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Pillsbury Rolls (Crescent) can be frozen baked or unbaked without any danger to the texture, flavor, or taste. The fresh dough can be frozen for about a year and the baked rolls can be frozen for about 2 months for the best quality.

Can you freeze Pillsbury crescent rolls in their cans? No, you shouldn’t. There is usually a warning on the can telling you not to freeze. But some people still do anyway.  More often than not, the cans have been known to explode as they freeze. That’s because the dough contains water, which expands as it freezes.

Do this instead:

Freeing uncooked Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Step 1:  Open the can of Pillsbury rolls (Crescent). Bring out the fresh dough, and separate the roll of dough into single and separate rolls by following the serrated lines made in the dough. Roll each one separately and shape them as you like.

Step 2:  Get a cookie sheet (that will fit in your freezer) and line it with parchment paper, take your unbaked crescent rolls and place them individually on the cookie sheet making sure they are not in contact.  Place the tray of unbaked rolls in the freezer and leave them to freeze until the rolls have frozen solid -overnight.

Step 3: Take your frozen unbaked crescent rolls and transfer them into heavy-duty airtight freezer bags. Don’t stuff the bag full.  Leave about an inch of space. Expel as much air as you can from the bags by pressing them flat before sealing. Label the bags with a sharpie, stating the content of the bags and the date of the freeze.

Freezing Baked Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Step 1: Let the rolls cool down to room temperature.

Step 2: Wrapped each baked rolls separately in several layers of plastic wrap.

Step 3:  Pack the wrapped rolls into airtight freezer bags. Don’t stuff the bags full, expel as much air as you can before you seal. Before placing the bags into the freezer to freeze, don’t forget to label them.

Defrosting Frozen Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Remove them from the freezer and place on baking sheet. Leave them to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Once thawed you can bake as per cooking instructions and add about 5 minutes of extra cooking time to compensate for the cold dough.
To defrost frozen baked rolls, you can reheat them in the oven with the plastic wrap removed. Just place the rolls in the oven till it heats through and through.  You can microwave but quality will be poor.

Source:  Experience

 

Simple Scotch Box Oven and More

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The original directions called for a box that scotch whiskey was shipped in.  It was thought to be stronger than other boxed.  Actually that is not particularly important.  You can use the box to  take stuff to the camp out, make it into an oven and then use it to collect trash.

This is a small – maybe 2-4 person oven.  Larger box ovens can be made the same way.  We also discovered the foil covered box could be set on a barbecue to save bending over. Place the charcoal under the grate. Placing the food (if liquid like cake mix) on a level surface is a must!

Making the Scotch Box Oven

You will need:

  • A large cardboard box, 18″ x 12″ x 12″, or whatever size
    you can find that is large enough to fit around your pan,
    with room to spare on all sides.
  • Aluminum foil
  • Masking tape
  • Stapler (not absolutely necessary)

A box oven is made from an ordinary cardboard box.

  1. Cut off the flaps. The bottom of the box will be the top of the oven.
  2. Line the inside of the box with long sheets of foil, shiny side out. Make the first sheet long enough to cover both short sides and the bottom, with some foil hanging over each side. If your box is wider than your foil, you may need two strips laid end-to-end. Just overlap them and use your fingers to poke the extra foil into the corners. About 3 pieces of foil, overlapped, should be enough to cover the longer sides, going across the inside bottom each time and hanging extra foil over outside.
  3. Use tape to fasten the foil firmly to the outside of the box. Don’t use tape inside. It will burn. If you overlap the foil enough and press it tightly into the corners, it may even stay in place all by itself. Turn the box upside down to check.
  4. If the foil starts to come loose, use a stapler to fasten each strip to the side of the box. Make sure the sharp ends of the staples are inside the oven, so you won’t scratch yourself. Staples that have gone through cardboard do not close safely. If you need to put any staples in the bottom of the box (the top of your oven), check the outside for sharp points poking through. If you find any, pad them with masking tape.

Using the Box Oven You will need:

  • A box oven
  • Tongs
  • 4 Small metal cans – smashed soda cans work great
  • Potholder
  • A small rack
  • Charcoal – glowing coals from charcoal chimney
  • Foil
  • A small rock
  • pencil
  1. Find a place that is smooth, level and out of the way.
  2. First cover the spot with foil, shiny side up. The foil helps reflect heat up into the food and keeps the area clean.
  3. Next set four metal cans in a square in the middle of the foil. They hold up the food so heat can flow under and around it.
  4. If you have a rack, set it across the tops of the cans.
  5. Set the oven over the cans. Place the pencil on top.  It should not roll.  The oven must be level or the cake (or other liquid things) will not cook evenly.
  6. Carefully draw around it with stick. This will show you where the box sits.
  7. Remove the box and use tongs to line up hot lumps of charcoal just inside the outline of the box, on all four sides. You will need one briquette for every 40 degrees of temperature. To find out how many briquettes to use, divide 40 into the temperature you need. If the division does not come out even, use one extra briquette.
  8. Now set the box down gently on its outline. None of the charcoal should touch the box. If you aren’t sure, lift the box carefully and check. Use a stick to push any briquettes that are too close.
  9. Slide the pebble under one edge of the oven to lift it slightly off the ground. Charcoal must have some air to burn. Let the oven heat for two to three minutes.
  10. Lift it gently and set it down nearby while you get the food.
  11. Set the food you want to bake on top of the cans or the rack.
  12. Put the oven and the pebble back, and you are ready to bake. About the same amount of time is needed to bake something in a box oven as in a regular oven. If the recipe calls for twenty minutes, wait twenty minutes before you peek. Sometimes, as in any oven, the food is not quite done when the time is up. If so, put the oven and pebble back and give it a little longer. If your recipe takes longer than forty-five minutes, you will need to add more hot charcoal. Start the new charcoal heating when you begin baking, and it will be ready when you need it. Just lift the box and use the tongs to line up the fresh charcoal. Don’t take the old charcoal out.

Starting Charcoal Using a Fire Starter and a Charcoal Chimney

Charcoal Chimney:

  1. Take a coffee can or #10 can and use a punch type can opener (“church key”) to make air holes around the sides of the bottom.
  2. Set the can in a safe place – out of traffic.
  3. Place a fire starter in the bottom of the can.
  4. Light it.
  5. Fill the chimney with charcoal. White smoke will show the charcoal is heating.
  6. Leave the chimney alone for about thirty minutes, until the top briquettes turn white.
  7. Use tongs to lift the charcoal into the oven.
  8. If you will need more charcoal, leave one or two briquettes in the bottom to start the next batch.

Fire Starters:

  1.  Fill the twelve cups of a cardboard egg carton (not foam) with sawdust or tiny shreds of paper.
  2. Squeeze the top of a can it make a pouring spout.
  3. Melt old candles or paraffin in the can over boiling water.
  4. Pour the wax over the sawdust.

or

  1. Tear off half a page of newspaper.
  2. With your knife, shave wax strips from an old candle and pile a small handful of them on the newspaper.
  3. Fold the paper into a loose ball and use it to start your fire.

or

  1. Fan fold a paper napkin or paper towel.
  2. Tie in the center with a 12″ piece of string.
  3. Hold by string and dip in melted wax.

Some Safety Basics for All Outdoor Cooking

  1. Make or collect all your equipment before you start.
  2. Choose a recipe and read it through. Be sure you have  everything you need.
  3. Have a bucket or pan of water ready to put out the fire.
  4. Tie back long hair and roll up loose or floppy sleeves.

Deciding where to cook:

  1. Look for bare dirt, concrete, or asphalt. Heat can damage grass or wooden decks.  An old metal wagon works too.
  2. Look up. Check for overhanging branches or buildings.  Heat rises.

Using the oven:

  1. Never touch anything but the outside of the oven with your bare hands. Remember that burning charcoal is much hotter than it looks, and the cooked food will be hot too.  Use tongs for the charcoal and potholders for the food.
  2. Stay close to your oven while the food bakes. Someone might walk by and get burned or spoil your recipe.
  3. Use your nose. Food should smell good as it bakes. If you smell something burning, check to see what is wrong.

Cleaning up:

  1. Using potholders, carefully fold the foil from under your oven into a bundle, with all the ashes and charcoal inside. Put it into a bucket of water and leave it there for at least two hours.  Never  put it into a trash can while it is still hot.
  2. Or, if you are absolutely sure no one will come near your cooking spot, leave the foil and charcoal alone until they cool – about two hours. Then fold it all up and throw it away.

Source:  Many years of experience.  There are other box oven variations too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High Altitude Baking Adjustments

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Why Does High Altitude Matter?
Anything 3500+ feet above sea level is considered high altitude. In a nut shell- as altitude increases, air pressure decreases. This affects baked goods in two main ways:

  1. They will rise more easily, and lose moisture faster. Liquids evaporate more quickly since water boils at lower temperatures – 212° at sea level and 208° at 2,000 ft .
  2. Leavening occurs faster, gas bubbles expand too quickly and create unstable baked goods.  They rise too quickly- before they can stabilize- and then collapse. Quicker evaporation also has ramifications. Baked goods dry out easier, they’re more prone to sticking, and sugar becomes more concentrated.

What Can You Do About It?
The good news is that with a few basic adjustments you can avoid high altitude baking disasters.  So much of high altitude can be trial and error. As altitude goes up, more adjustments may be necessary. Start with one or two adjustments at a time and make a note of what worked and didn’t. Good luck!

Oven Temperature: Increase oven temp by 15-25 degrees over 5000 feet. Evaporation happens more quickly the higher in elevation you go, so the idea is that a higher oven temperature will stabilize the structure of the baked good(s).
Baking Time:  Decrease by 5-10 minutes per hour of baking time. Baking at higher temperatures means baked goods will be done sooner.
Sugar: Decrease by 1-2 tablespoons per cup. Sugar concentrates at higher altitudes which can weaken the structure of what your baking.
Liquid: Increase liquid by 1 tablespoon at 3,000 feet. Add 1/2 tablespoon for each additional 1,000 feet.  Extra liquid helps baked goods from drying out due to higher oven temperatures and extra evaporation.
Flour: Add 1 tablespoon per cup of flour at 3,000 feet. Add an additional 1 tablespoon per cup for each additional 1500 feet.  Adding an extra bit of flour helps strengthen the structure of the baked goods.
Leavening: Decrease leavening agent by 1/8 teaspoon per 1 teaspoon at 5000 feet. Decrease by 1/4 teaspoon per 1 teaspoon 6000 feet to 7500 feet. Leavening is what gives baked goods their rise/poof.
Because leavening agents have more power at altitude, baked goods rise too quickly- before they can stabilize- and then fall flat. Decreasing the leavening allows the baked goods to rise more slowly and stabilize.
Eggs: Always use large eggs and take care not to over beat. Overbeating the eggs creates too much air and decreases the stableness of the baked goods. You can also just add an extra egg (especially in mile-high Denver!)
Yeast: You may need to decrease the amount of yeast by 15-20%. Give dough an extra rise by punching it down twice before forming it OR let it rise in the refrigerator to slow down the rise and allow the flavor to develop. Yeast bread dough rises more rapidly at higher altitudes and the rising period is shortened.
Yeast doughs can easily over-rise if not watched carefully. Good flavor is dependent on the length of the rise so adjust by using one of the two methods mentioned.

Source:  www.mountainmamacooks.com

Hard Boiled Eggs – More Than You Ever Wanted to Know

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This is what the experts say!  I say – take your chances and hope for the best.  Always boil a few extra just in case.  Use not farm fresh, room temperature eggs.  Peel them at room temperature, not cold from the fridge.  For altitude, add 5 minutes to boil/wait time.

Check the internet – there are directions for every other cooking device you can name.

How to Make Hard-Boiled Eggs That Are Actually Easy to Peel
Because no one has time to spend 15 minutes peeling an egg.

Why can’t all hard-boiled eggs be easy-peel hard-boiled eggs? For a food that seems so simple to make (eggs + water), boiled eggs can be utterly infuriating—especially when it comes to the peeling. You’ve been there: All that’s standing between you and egg korma (or egg salad) is a bunch of just-boiled eggs and yet it’s taking you 15 minutes to peel each one and you’re removing huge gashes of white with every tiny shard of stubborn shell. It’s enough to drive you mad, even if you aren’t very, very hungry.

The truth of the matter is that making easy-peel hard-boiled (or soft-boiled!) eggs starts well before you get to the peeling. It begins with the eggs you choose, how you cook them, and how to treat them once your timer (yes, you must set a timer) dings. For eggs with yellow yolks set to your liking and pearly, smooth, unblemished exteriors, follow these guidelines for how to make hard-boiled eggs:

  1. Don’t use super-fresh eggs.  Farm-fresh eggs are going to be harder to peel—it’s a matter of their particular chemistry. To minimize frustration, save those straight-from-the-hen eggs for frying and scrambling and use a carton from the grocery store when you’re boiling.
  1. Start the eggs in boiling water.  Eggs added to boiling water rather than brought to a boil in the pot along with the cold water will be easier to peel. Plus, when you’re boiling eggs with the intention of jamminess—say, for soy-marinated eggs, this method allows for more precise timing. (Otherwise, you’ll have to watch closely to observe the exact moment the water comes to a boil.)  The biggest risk with adding eggs to boiling water is that they’ll crack and end up deflated and lopsided. To minimize that risk, scoot them in gingerly, using a spoon, then maintain a gentle simmer rather than a vigorous bubble so that they don’t knock around in the pot. Cook up to 8 eggs in a 2-quart saucepan—more than that and they might butt heads and crack open.
  1. Set a timer.  That’s 7 minutes for jammy eggs with firm but gooey yolks, 10 minutes for cooked through (but not chalky). If you’re using XL or jumbo eggs, you’ll need a bit more time.
  1. Use an ice bath.  Unless you halt their cooking, that timer was for naught. Let the eggs hang out in the cold water for a couple of minutes, until they’re just cool enough to handle, 2–3 minutes.  Using an ice bath helps halt the cooking process. Carry-over-cooking, be gone!
  1. Peel the eggs under the water while they’re still slightly warm. This keeps the pesky shells—which should slip off fairly easily—contained. It also helps if you crack the egg at the fattest end, where you’ll find the air pocket, and peel from there. If you’re still having trouble, peeling eggs under a running faucet can help the shells slide off.

Keep any eggs you won’t be using right away unpeeled, though—they’ll last longer that way!—and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Source:  Bon Appetite, Sarah Jampel

Classic Hard Boiled Eggs on the Stovetop

This is the old-fashioned straight up way of hard-boiling eggs. Water and heat—that’s all you need. And a kitchen timer. Just cover the eggs with water, bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let the eggs sit for about ten minutes.

  • Method:
  • Cover the eggs in a saucepan with water.
    Fill a saucepan about a quarter of the way with cold water. Place the eggs in a single layer at
    the bottom of the saucepan. Add more water so that the eggs are covered by at least an inch
    or two of water.
    The more eggs that are crowding the pan the more water you should have over the eggs. 6
    eggs should be covered by at least an inch, 7 to 12 eggs, 2 inches.
  • Heat the pot on high heat and bring the water to a full rolling boil.
    Adding a teaspoon of vinegar to the water may help keep egg whites from running out if an
    egg does crack while cooking. Also some people find adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the water
    helps prevent cracking as well as making the eggs easier to peel.
  • Turn off the heat, keep the pan on the hot burner, cover, and let sit for 10-12 minutes.
    If you have the type of stove burner that doesn’t retain heat when turned off, you might want
    to lower the temp to low, simmer for a minute, and then turn it off.
    Depending on how cooked you like your hard boiled eggs, the eggs should be done perfectly
    in 10-12 minutes. That said, depending on your altitude, the shape of the pan, the size of the
    eggs, the ratio of water to eggs, it can take a few minutes more.
    Or if you like your eggs not fully hard cooked, it can take a few minutes less. When you find a
    time that works for you, given your preferences, the types of eggs you buy, your pots, stove,
    and cooking environment, stick with it.
    If I’m cooking a large batch of eggs, after 10 minutes I’ll sacrifice one to check for doneness,
    by removing it with a spoon, running it under cold water, and cutting it open. If it’s not done
    enough for my taste, I’ll cook the other eggs a minute or two longer.
    I also find that it is very hard to overcook eggs using this method. I can let the eggs sit,
    covered, for up to 15-18 minutes without the eggs getting overcooked.
  • Strain the water from the pan and run cold water over the eggs to cool them quickly and stop
    them from cooking further
    Or, if you are cooking a large batch of eggs, remove them with a slotted spoon to a large bowl
    of ice water.
    I find it easiest to peel the eggs under a bit of running water.
    The best way to store hard boiled eggs is in a covered container in the refrigerator. Eggs can
    release odors in the fridge which is why it helps to keep them covered.
    They should be eaten within 5 days.
  • Pros: Simple and doesn’t require any special equipment
  • Con: Sometimes eggs are hard to peel, especially farm-fresh eggs
  • Best for: Easter eggs or egg salad

Steamed Hard Boiled Eggs

To do this, place the eggs in a steamer basket in a pan with about an inch of water, then steam for about ten minutes.

  • Method:
  • Prepare pot and steamer basket:  If you are using a steamer basket, fill a saucepan with as much water as needed to reach the bottom of the steamer basket (about 1 inch or so). If you are not using a steamer basket, just fill the bottom of a saucepan with 1/2 inch of water.
  • Heat water to boiling.  Heat the water on high heat until it is boiling and producing steam. 
  • Turn off the heat
  • Add eggs to pot:  Gently place the eggs at the bottom of the steamer basket or the bottom
    of the pan.
  • Turn the heat back on again to medium high, and cover the pot.  This method works best if the eggs are in a single layer, but you can double them up as well, you’ll just need to add more time to the steaming time.
  • Set your timer and steam the eggs:  Set your timer for 6 minutes for soft boiled, 10 minutes for hard boiled with a still translucent and bright yolk, or 12-15 minutes for cooked-through hard boiled. If you have doubled up the eggs in the pan and they are not in a single layer, you may need to add a couple minutes or so to the cooking time for hard boiled.
    Note that many things will influence the steaming time, including altitude and the size of the
    particular eggs you are using.
  • Remove eggs to a bowl of icy cold water:  Remove eggs with a spoon to a bowl of cold water or ice water, or run cold water directly into the pan to cover the eggs and quickly cool them down.
  • Pros: Great for making easy-to-peel eggs with farm-fresh eggs
  • Cons: Can only cook about 6 eggs at once (more are ok, but the cooking time can be less predictable)
  • Best for: Deviled eggs, pickled eggs, salads like Nicoise salad
Source:   Simply Recipes, Carrie Havranek

Easy Hard Boiled Eggs (in oven)

Making hard boiled eggs in the oven AKA Baked Hard Boiled Eggs is a foolproof method for perfect hard boiled eggs every time!

Method:

  • First, preheat oven to 325ºF.
  • Place 12 large eggs (straight out of the fridge) into a muffin tin.
  • Bake at 325ºF for 25-32 minutes:
    25 minutes: Medium with a jelly consistency and hard to peel
    27 minutes: Moist, fully cooked, a little hard to peel
    30 minutes: Fully cooked and easier to peel
    32 minutes: Fully cooked, chalky consistency, and easiest to peel
  • While your eggs are baking, create your ice water bath. Fill a large bowl with water and then add ice.
  • Once your eggs are done cooking, remove the muffin tin from the oven and immediately transfer eggs into the ice water bath for 10 minutes. This will make the eggs easier to peel and prevent the yolk from changing color.
  • After 10 minutes, remove eggs from ice bath and either store in the fridge for up to 1 week, or peel and eat immediately.
    Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.

Source:  Fit Foodie

How to Make Boiled Eggs in the Microwave
Method:

  • Add 2 to 6 eggs in the bottom of a microwave safe bowl.
  • Cover the eggs with water at least 1/2 inch above the eggs.
  • Add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt for each egg (1 teaspoon for 2 eggs and 3 teaspoons for 6 eggs.)
  • Microwave for 4 minutes for 2 eggs, 5 minutes for 4 eggs, 6 minutes for 6 eggs.
  • Fill another bowl with ice and water or cold water.
  • If you want soft boiled eggs with runny egg yolks, immediately remove the eggs from the water and
  • plunge in a ice cold water.
    If you want hard boiled eggs, allow them to stay in the hot water for 2-3 additional minutes. Two minutes will give you just slightly creamy egg yolks. Three minutes will give you firm egg yolks.

Source:  Just Microwave It.

Copycat Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix

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Almost as good and a lot cheaper.

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 c instant minced onion
  • 1/3 c beef bouillon powder
  • 4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp crushed celery seed
  • 1/4 tsp sugar

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients.
  2. Store in an airtight container.

About 5 tablespoons of mix are equal to 1 1¼-ounce package.

Serves: Makes about 19 Tablespoons

Source: By Mille® on food.com

Villa Park Women’s League – GOURMET – December 21, 2013

Or give these a try.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 8 teaspoons dried onion flakes
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Mix ingredients well.
  2. Store in airtight container for up to six months.

Yield:  1 packet
Source: Serah B

INGREDIENTS:

  • 8 teaspoons dried onion flakes
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Mix ingredients well.
  2. Store in airtight container for up to six months.
© 2017 Scripps Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved. http://www.geniuskitchen.com/223023

How to French a Rack of Lamb

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Show to french a rack of lambometimes you can buy the lamb already frenched.  Sometimes the butcher will do it for you.  And – Sometimes it is fun to be the “gourmet chef” and do it yourself.  To make Lamb Pops just cut the chops into individual pieces.  Some say divide before you french, others after.  After makes them more uniform.

 

 

Ingredients:
One rack of lamb

Special equipment:
A sharp, skinny knife

Method:

  1. Make cutting guideline:
  2. Stand the lamb rack up on one end so that you can see the “eye” of the lamb chop.
  3. Score the fat side at the edge about an inch and a half or so up the rib from the eye to use as a cutting guideline.
  4. Do the same on the other end of the rack.
  5. Cut fatty side to the bone: Using a sharp knife, cut through the fatty side of the rib roast, to the bone, from one marked end to the other.
  6. Then go back over your cut and holding the knife perpendicular to the roast, jab it in several places to go all the way through the other side, so that the reverse site gets “marked” with scores.
  7. Cut around the flesh of the rib bones: Turn the rib rack over, so that it is now bone side up. You should be able to see the markings made from the knife that got inserted from the other side. Those markings will delineate the boundary beyond which you will not cut.
  8. Working from the skinny ends of the rib bone, make a cut down along the bone, until you get to the previously scored marking.
  9. Then cut across to the next rib and cut up to the end of that rib bone.
  10. Continue to do this until all of the bones have had the flesh cut around them.
  11. Pull the fat and flesh from the bones.
  12. Turn the rack over again so that the fat side is on top, and begin to pull off the fat and flesh from the bones.
  13. Use your knife to help cut away any flesh that is sticking to the bones.
  14. Scrape away any residual flesh on the exposed bones.
  15. Use a towel to wipe the bones clean.

There you have it! Your rack of lamb is perfectly “Frenched”.

Source:  Simply Recipes

Simply Shrimp – TMI

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Shrimp, butter, garlic, lemon.  That is it! Saute in a pan, skewer and broil or BBQ.  Too easy!

.4 oz. is a standard serving size for protein-based foods.  However, think about who you are serving (football team vrs book club) and what else is being served (potatoes vs salad)  The guidelines become more about number/size than weight.

The grade of the shrimp( X/X ) is the number of shrimp per pound.  Depending on the size grade of your shrimp, this translates to the following approximate shrimp serving sizes:  (notice the larger the number, the smaller the shrimp). It would appear that the cooked, peeled (tail on/off) are graded on their raw weight.

The list below refers to unpeeled raw shrimp without their heads.  Peeled shrimp weigh about half as much as shrimp with shells,  No one will tell you about the ones peeled but with tails on!

Extra Colossal (Under/10 count per pound) 3 per serving

Colossal (Under/12 count per pound) 3 shrimp

Extra Jumbo (16/20 count per pound) 7 shrimp

Jumbo (21/25 count per pound) 5-6 shrimp.

Extra Large (26/30 count per pound) 7 shrimp

Large (31/35 count per pound): 8-9 shrimp.

Medium Large (36/40 count per pound)  10 shrimp

Medium (41/50 count per pound): 12 shrimp.

Small (51/60 Count per pound)  14 shrimp

Extra Small (61/70 count per pound)  16 shrimp

Tiny (over 70 count per pound) stop counting! just use “enough”

Fresh or Frozen

Not everyone has the luxury of buying really fresh or live (off the boat – and most shrimp are instantly frozen on the boat) shrimp. If fresh is not available to you, buy frozen as most “fresh” shrimp in the grocery stores is thawed-out frozen shrimp. Thawed shrimp has a shelf-life of only a couple of days versus frozen shrimp which retains their quality for several weeks.  Defrost shrimp in the refrigerator or in cold water. Shrimp cooks very quickly so defrosting in the sink or microwave is a big no-no.