My
Grandma, Mama and now I all used/use McCormick spices. They are easy to find, high quality and have a huge selection. The prices are pretty good and I think they are a good value. Until today, I had never really checked out their website, but was surprised at home nice it is. If you haven't done so, please check them out. They have some great recipes and cooking tips. I can highly recommend them.
Check them out here!
Showing posts with label cooking or cookbook links. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking or cookbook links. Show all posts
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Vanilla
If you are a baker or dessert maker you will find that one essential in any kitchen is vanilla extract. I love the scent and flavor of vanilla in baked goods, custards, French toast, you name it. And the best source for vanilla that I've come across is the Arizona Vanilla Company. They have an extremely high quality product and it comes at a fairly reasonable price. They carry a wonderful selection of vanilla extracts, both with and without alcohol and sugar added. They also carry an interesting collection of other forms of vanilla flavoring: whole vanilla beans, powdered vanilla, vanilla sugar and vanilla pastes. They even offer all of these made from several different varieties of vanilla beans: Mexican, Madagascar, Tahitian, Bourbon and Hawaiian. In addition to vanilla, they also offer other natural flavorings and flavored syrups. Customer service is very good and they are quick to answer any questions you might have. Shipping is fast too. The website also has a nice selection of recipes and ideas on using their various types of vanilla flavorings. My favorites are the Mexican vanilla extract and paste. You never tasted/smelled such pure and delicious vanilla in your life! Don't be fooled by lesser quality stuff, Arizona Vanilla Company is the best!!!
Oh, and right now they are having a Valentine's Day sale. When you order, just enter this code Valentine2011 at check out and you will get 15% off of your order. The code is good until midnight February 28, 2011. And as always, enjoy!
Oh, and right now they are having a Valentine's Day sale. When you order, just enter this code Valentine2011 at check out and you will get 15% off of your order. The code is good until midnight February 28, 2011. And as always, enjoy!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
What is your favorite cookbook?
I collect cookbooks and probably have a couple hundred of them. I especially like collecting ethnic cookbooks But my all time favorite cookbook, the one I use most often is my 1956 Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book that belonged to my Grandma Casey. It has notes she's written, as well as recipes she'd collected over the years. I use this book more than another other. But any of the Betty Crocker Cook Books are good and I can recommend them all. Another cookbook author that I highly recommend are the Mexican cook books by Diana Kennedy. She writes some awesome stuff about all kinds of regional delicacies and besides, her books are always a fun read. And finally, the Curry Bible, which has a great collection of curry recipes from all over the Far East. I've given a couple of copies of this book as gifts and all the recipients have loved the recipes in it.
So tell me, what is your favorite cookbook/cookbooks? Leave comment telling me and my readers about it. And if you like, tell me why you like it so much. Looking forward to hearing your opinions.
So tell me, what is your favorite cookbook/cookbooks? Leave comment telling me and my readers about it. And if you like, tell me why you like it so much. Looking forward to hearing your opinions.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
An Indian Meal
Aaron and I both love Indian food. One of our favorite restaurants is an Indian restaurant in Lawrence, KS and I often fix Indian food at home. I have a large selection of Indian and curry cookbooks too. One of my all time favorite Indian cookbooks is the Best Ever Indian Cookbook. It has mostly northern Indian recipes, which is probably the style of cooking most common to Americans. And there are enough meat recipes to keep most carnivores happy and with a smile on their faces. If you are not a carnivore, either a vegetarian or just trying to cut back on meat, you can omit the meat in many of these recipes and substitute paneer (Indian cheese), boiled eggs, tofu or another kind of vegetable. The sauces tend to be what makes the dish. And I find that Indian recipes really lend themselves to substitution. Use what you have and adapt the recipe as you go along. I also find, that with a few exceptions, Indian cooking relies on spices that are most common or easily found: cumin, cilantro, green chiles, crushed red pepper, cinnamon, ginger, etc. And I have also noticed that many grocery stores, even here in Topeka Kansas, are stocking more things that used to be a bit hard to find...coconut milk, five spice powder, naan, curry pastes, etc. And you may even be lucky enough to have an Indian import shop in your area where you can buy things. We have a very nice one here in Topeka, Cosmos, where I love to shop and always find the staff to be most helpful and kind. They also offer cooking classes as well.
Tonight is Indian food night for Aaron and I. I am going to make Kashmiri chicken, curried mushrooms with coconut and curried pineapple. I'm also going to attempt making my own naan for the first time. I have the dough rising as I type. Should be a good dinner, wish some of you fine readers were here to enjoy it with us. These recipes all came from the Best Ever Indian Cookbook, as referenced above. If you like doing Indian cooking, I highly recommend this book. Enjoy! (I know Aaron and I enjoyed both cooking and eating these foods!)
Naan
2 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
4 tbsp. warm milk
8 tbsp. warm water (more or less)
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 tbsp. plain yogurt
2-3 tbsp. melted butter or ghee, for brushing the breads
Place the yeast in the warmed milk and allow to sit for about 15 minutes. to give the yeast time to activate. Then place in a large bowl with everything except the water and melted butter. Mix and add the water, about 2 tbsp. at a time until you have a soft dough. Knead about 15 minutes, until very smooth and elastic. Allow to rise, covered, in a warm place for an hour or so, until doubled. When double, preheat the oven to the highest setting, at the very least 450 degrees. If you have a baking stone, it is perfect for baking these. But if not, place one or two baking sheets into the oven to heat. When the oven is hot, knead the dough another couple of minutes, then divide into four balls. Roll each ball out on a floured board about 1/4-1/3 inch thick. Place each two rounds of dough on each baking sheet and return to the oven, baking 3-4 minutes, or until puffed up. Remove from the oven and place under the broiler for a few seconds or until the top is slightly browned. Brush with the melted butter or ghee and serve warm. Makes 4 breads, enough for 2-4 people, depending on how hearty their appetite is.
Kashmiri Chicken Curry
4 tsp. curry paste
4 tbsp. tomato ketchup
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. five spice powder
1 tsp. white sugar
8 pieces of chicken, skinned (I used a package of boneless thighs)
2 inch piece of fresh ginger root
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
salt to taste
Make a marinade of the following: curry paste, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, five spice powder, sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Then rub this mixture over the chicken pieces and allow to sit in the refrigerature for about 2 hour or overnight. Allow to sit on the counter about 10-15 minutes before cooking.
Peel and then grate the ginger root. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet and fry half of the ginger with the crushed garlic until golden. Take care not to scorch it. Add the chicken with any marinade and fry until the chicken is sealed on all sides. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and the oil begins to separate from the sauce.
Sprinkle the chicken with the lemon juice, remaining ginger and the chopped cilantro. Mix well. Serve hot with plain rice and/or naan.
Spiced Coconut Mushrooms
2 tbsp. vegetable ooil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 fresh red or green chiles, seeded and chopped (more if you like it really hot)
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
3 cups thickly sliced mushrooms (about 1/2 pound)
2/3 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
Heat the oil and stir fry the garlic and chiles a few seconds. Add the onions and continue to stir fry a few more minutes, until the onions begin to soften and color. Stir in the mushrooms and stir fry about 3 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Boil rapidly until the liquid reduces and coats the mushroom slices. It only takes a couple of minutes. Place in a serving bowl, sprinkle cilantro on top and serve hot.
Chile and Mustard Flavored Pineapple
1 lb. of fresh pineapple cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp. ground tumeric
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. white sugar
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (or to taste)
6-8 fresh curry leaves (optional)
Put the pineapple, water, coconut milk tumeric and first 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper, salt and sugar into a large skillet or wok. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer and allow to cook about 15 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken.
Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, heat the oil and add the mustard and cumin seeds. Stir fry until the mustard seeds begin to pop, then stir in the chopped onion. Cook about 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly, until the onion is soft and begins to color. Add the second 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper and curry leaves if using. Remove from heat and stir into the pineapple mixture. Stir well, then remove from the head. Eat hot or at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Tonight is Indian food night for Aaron and I. I am going to make Kashmiri chicken, curried mushrooms with coconut and curried pineapple. I'm also going to attempt making my own naan for the first time. I have the dough rising as I type. Should be a good dinner, wish some of you fine readers were here to enjoy it with us. These recipes all came from the Best Ever Indian Cookbook, as referenced above. If you like doing Indian cooking, I highly recommend this book. Enjoy! (I know Aaron and I enjoyed both cooking and eating these foods!)
Naan
2 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
4 tbsp. warm milk
8 tbsp. warm water (more or less)
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 tbsp. plain yogurt
2-3 tbsp. melted butter or ghee, for brushing the breads
Place the yeast in the warmed milk and allow to sit for about 15 minutes. to give the yeast time to activate. Then place in a large bowl with everything except the water and melted butter. Mix and add the water, about 2 tbsp. at a time until you have a soft dough. Knead about 15 minutes, until very smooth and elastic. Allow to rise, covered, in a warm place for an hour or so, until doubled. When double, preheat the oven to the highest setting, at the very least 450 degrees. If you have a baking stone, it is perfect for baking these. But if not, place one or two baking sheets into the oven to heat. When the oven is hot, knead the dough another couple of minutes, then divide into four balls. Roll each ball out on a floured board about 1/4-1/3 inch thick. Place each two rounds of dough on each baking sheet and return to the oven, baking 3-4 minutes, or until puffed up. Remove from the oven and place under the broiler for a few seconds or until the top is slightly browned. Brush with the melted butter or ghee and serve warm. Makes 4 breads, enough for 2-4 people, depending on how hearty their appetite is.
Kashmiri Chicken Curry
4 tsp. curry paste
4 tbsp. tomato ketchup
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp. five spice powder
1 tsp. white sugar
8 pieces of chicken, skinned (I used a package of boneless thighs)
2 inch piece of fresh ginger root
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
salt to taste
Make a marinade of the following: curry paste, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, five spice powder, sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Then rub this mixture over the chicken pieces and allow to sit in the refrigerature for about 2 hour or overnight. Allow to sit on the counter about 10-15 minutes before cooking.
Peel and then grate the ginger root. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet and fry half of the ginger with the crushed garlic until golden. Take care not to scorch it. Add the chicken with any marinade and fry until the chicken is sealed on all sides. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and the oil begins to separate from the sauce.
Sprinkle the chicken with the lemon juice, remaining ginger and the chopped cilantro. Mix well. Serve hot with plain rice and/or naan.
Spiced Coconut Mushrooms
2 tbsp. vegetable ooil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 fresh red or green chiles, seeded and chopped (more if you like it really hot)
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
3 cups thickly sliced mushrooms (about 1/2 pound)
2/3 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
Heat the oil and stir fry the garlic and chiles a few seconds. Add the onions and continue to stir fry a few more minutes, until the onions begin to soften and color. Stir in the mushrooms and stir fry about 3 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Boil rapidly until the liquid reduces and coats the mushroom slices. It only takes a couple of minutes. Place in a serving bowl, sprinkle cilantro on top and serve hot.
Chile and Mustard Flavored Pineapple
1 lb. of fresh pineapple cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp. ground tumeric
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. white sugar
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (or to taste)
6-8 fresh curry leaves (optional)
Put the pineapple, water, coconut milk tumeric and first 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper, salt and sugar into a large skillet or wok. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer and allow to cook about 15 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken.
Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, heat the oil and add the mustard and cumin seeds. Stir fry until the mustard seeds begin to pop, then stir in the chopped onion. Cook about 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly, until the onion is soft and begins to color. Add the second 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper and curry leaves if using. Remove from heat and stir into the pineapple mixture. Stir well, then remove from the head. Eat hot or at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Great baking related website!
My friend Ardie/WI on my favorite chat forum gave me a link to a really cool really cool baking site. King Arthur flour is one of the top brands of flour nationwide and their website reflects their high quality product. Some great recipes and tips on using their flours. You can also order their products in case you can't find them locally.
I only wish my favorite flour company, Hudson Cream, had recipes listed on their website too. Hudson Cream is a local Kansas flour mill and one of the last small town flour mills left in the country. They have limited distribution, but well worth looking for. You can also buy their products from their website. Hudson Cream is the only brand of flour I use. Enjoy!
I only wish my favorite flour company, Hudson Cream, had recipes listed on their website too. Hudson Cream is a local Kansas flour mill and one of the last small town flour mills left in the country. They have limited distribution, but well worth looking for. You can also buy their products from their website. Hudson Cream is the only brand of flour I use. Enjoy!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Another Online Food Encylopedia
Practically Edible Food Encylopedia bills itself as the largest online food encyclopedia and it just might be. I find it a go to site when I have any problem identifying a food item or term. It is another site that I can spend hours reading on. I would advise any good foodie to check it out.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Some favorite cooking sites and forums.
I love cooking and anything to do with food. I not only enjoy doing the actual cooking and eating, I also enjoy reading about it as well. I have a huge library of cookbooks and books about cultural aspects of food. I also have a large number of websites that I visit for information about cooking and food as well. Here are a few of my favorites:
In my personal opinion the absolute best all around cookbook is the Betty Crocker Cookbook. I have my grandma's copy that is dated 1956 and is the second edition. My mom had a later edition and it was from that one that I got my start cooking. The recipes are time tested, easy to follow and always tasty. Luckily, Betty Crocker also has an excellent website and the recipe section has just about anything you would want to find in their hardback cookbook. I use it quite often. http://www.bettycrocker.com/Recipes/
Another favorite recipe site is AllRecipe. They have a very wide variety of recipes to choose from and often numerous variations on each type of food you are looking for. Another recipe site that I use often: http://allrecipes.com/
If you are looking for just the perfect cookie, cake, pie or other sweet thing, then Joy of Baking is the website for you! A limitless collection of baking and dessert recipes. I've found some treasures on this site too! http://joyofbaking.com
If you want to know what specific foods are or various kitchen gadgets are used for, then Cook's Thesaurus is the place for you. It is an exhaustive encyclopedia of just about anything connected with food, the kitchen and cooking. I can spend hours just reading on this site. For anyone interested in good food, this is a must to have in your bookmarks folder. http://www.foodsubs.com
And finally, if you are are interested in the place of food throughout history, then I have just the website for you! Food Timeline is just that, a timeline of what foods came about when and how they fit into society at the time. A fascination site that is another one I can spend hours reading on. http://www.foodtimeline.org
These are just a couple of my favorite food/cooking sites. If you have one that you'd like to share, post it in the comments section. I'm always happy to find new and interesting recipe or food sites!
Happy eating, y'all!
After posting this I remembered one more site that I wanted to add to this. An extensive and informative food/cooking forum that I've found quite helpful.
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/ Enjoy!
In my personal opinion the absolute best all around cookbook is the Betty Crocker Cookbook. I have my grandma's copy that is dated 1956 and is the second edition. My mom had a later edition and it was from that one that I got my start cooking. The recipes are time tested, easy to follow and always tasty. Luckily, Betty Crocker also has an excellent website and the recipe section has just about anything you would want to find in their hardback cookbook. I use it quite often. http://www.bettycrocker.com/Recipes/
Another favorite recipe site is AllRecipe. They have a very wide variety of recipes to choose from and often numerous variations on each type of food you are looking for. Another recipe site that I use often: http://allrecipes.com/
If you are looking for just the perfect cookie, cake, pie or other sweet thing, then Joy of Baking is the website for you! A limitless collection of baking and dessert recipes. I've found some treasures on this site too! http://joyofbaking.com
If you want to know what specific foods are or various kitchen gadgets are used for, then Cook's Thesaurus is the place for you. It is an exhaustive encyclopedia of just about anything connected with food, the kitchen and cooking. I can spend hours just reading on this site. For anyone interested in good food, this is a must to have in your bookmarks folder. http://www.foodsubs.com
And finally, if you are are interested in the place of food throughout history, then I have just the website for you! Food Timeline is just that, a timeline of what foods came about when and how they fit into society at the time. A fascination site that is another one I can spend hours reading on. http://www.foodtimeline.org
These are just a couple of my favorite food/cooking sites. If you have one that you'd like to share, post it in the comments section. I'm always happy to find new and interesting recipe or food sites!
Happy eating, y'all!
After posting this I remembered one more site that I wanted to add to this. An extensive and informative food/cooking forum that I've found quite helpful.
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/ Enjoy!
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