A Cupcake for Every Day of the Month

Cooking Tips : 

Be A Superb Cook With These Easy, Simple Tips

Many people see preparing meals as a negative way. This article will present you with some advice that will make cooking enjoyable.

Slice your meat very thinly on the bias for stir-fry dishes. This can take up much time and somewhat difficult procedure.

Always keep your spices away from light in a dark and cool place. Your food will taste better if your spices are fresher.

Try adding cauliflower to your mashed potatoes to cut some calories and fat.The taste of cauliflower will blend nicely with your potatoes while picking up the other ingredients. Cauliflower has the same texture and color as potatoes, while lowering calories from classic mashed potatoes.

They behave like a sponge and just soak up a lot of that water. Wipe the mushrooms off by hand with a cloth to clean them.

Garlic is just one of many tasty ingredients that offers flavor with a drawback: garlic can transfer to your hands. Try rubbing your hands on stainless steel sink after you work with the garlic or other potent ingredients. This handy trick cleanses your hands thoroughly and prevent the smell will not be transferred to what you are going to handle.

Plan on preparing a big pot of stock so that the excess can freeze and used later. Good chicken stock that you make at home makes a great starter for soups, casseroles, casseroles and more.

Add some chicken broth to vegetables when you cook them. Chicken broth is great for preventing sticking and incorporating some flavor.

This will prevent them from burning up while you are cooking. Use two parallel skewers as opposed to a single skewer to keep food falling off.

This will allow your food the maximum amount of flavor possible.

Place unripened fruits in a plastic bag that is perforated right after you have poked small holes into. If you put them in the bag with holds the air will go through the bag, and the gas will stay in, keeping the fruit fresh and tasty.

You can make stock yourself. You should always have stock when you are cooking other things. Creating your own stock allows you cook.

Blot your ground beef with a paper towel before you cook it. It is a good idea to always advisable to blot away the moisture. Any moisture in left in meat will be released as the meat cooks. The moisture will sizzle and steam away when it hits the heat of the pan. This prevents the meat to steam instead.

Be creative in your approach to cooking. You don't always have to follow the recipe exactly. That is a sign of cooking finesse make a true cook!

Raw onions emit sulfurous gas. This unappetizing gas can damage the flavor of fresh salsa. Rinsing the raw onions gets rid of the gas.

This allows you to economize on the amount of gas or electricity used when cooking, as well as prevent other dangerous situations resulting from distractions.

A meat thermometer should be used to check that the meats properly. All of meat have a minimum internal temperature in order for safe consumption. There is bacteria present in the meat, so cooking it to a high enough temperature to kill it off is important to avoid food borne illnesses.

Trussing refers to the method of tying a turkey with string for baking. Trussing helps to keep the legs and wings next to the bird closely. If they are untied, they tend to easily burn while the body of the bird continues to cook.

A good way to cook is with poultry is to first brine the bird. You can soak your poultry by soaking the meat in brine for about an hour before you cook it.

There are many ways to prepare oysters. You can prepare oysters in other ways than raw on the half shell with some drizzled lemon juice. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and pepper over them and broil until oysters bubble. You can also choose to saute oysters. You can bake oysters while still in their shells. Put them in a standard casserole dish, add fresh breadcrumbs and a small dab of butter on each oyster, and bake for 4 to 5 minutes. Serve hot on toast points or a baguette when your butter starts bubbling.

You can reduce the stress of preparing a large meal for family meal. Instead of letting your stress turn to panic, try to have everything ready to go in advance. Set out measurements, utensils and spices the night before, so they will be ready to go the next day.

Fruit is especially well on a grill. You can slice nectarines, melon and bananas. Cook them on a cleaned grill until you are able to see grill marks. Serve the grilled slices of fruit with pound cake or ice cream.

Shake things up if your family is tired of the same old frozen corn on the table at dinner each night. Add coconut flakes to your corn to provide a Thai-inspired taste.

Certain fruits, including apples, bananas, avocados and bananas, quickly turn brown as their cut sides oxidize. Lemon and salt water will stop the process, but it's better to use is pineapple juice.A small dip works well, so there is no need to soak the fruit.

Learn to appreciate sturdy greens that appear in the colder months. Winter greens like broccoli rabe, kale, broccoli rabe and kale. Wash greens well as they tend to absorb dirt easily during growth. Submerge the greens into cold water in a bowl, shake them off, and shake off the excess water.

You should take the excess fat from your soup or stew. Place an ice in a spoon and skim it along the surface. The ice draws the fat should stick to the surface of the spoon and be easily removed from the dish. Another option is to absorb the excess fat is to blot the surface of the stew or soup with a paper towel.

As you've read, there are a variety of ways that cooking can be made fun and exciting, and not just a chore. By following the tips presented above, your time in the kitchen can be a creative, joyful experience.

Vanilla Butterfly Cupcakes

Recipe:

Vanilla Cupcakes (from Betty Crocker – Big Book of Cupcakes) 

1 cup of butter or margarine, softened 

1 1/3 cups sugar 

3 eggs 

1 tsp vanilla 

2/3 cup milk 

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 

2 1/2 tsp baking powder 

Vanilla Buttercream

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened 

6 cups icing sugar 

1 tbsp vanilla 

4 tbsp milk 

Butterflies

24 white chocolate covered pretzels (+a few more just in case.. and in case you “accidentally” eat a few) 

Smarties 

Black licorice 

Directions: 

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 24 muffin cups with non-stick or muffin tins.

2) In a large bowl, combine the butter or margarine and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs and mix, followed by the vanilla and milk.

3) Mix in flour and baking powder until all combined. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

4) While the cupcakes are in the oven, begin preparing the buttercream. Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer until the buttercream is fully combined and smooth. I would recommend putting about half of the buttercream in a container and refridgerating it until the next time you bake, as this recipe makes a HUGE amount. In the remaining icing, add the green food coloring until it is to the color of your liking.

5) Once the cupcakes are cool, begin decorating! Use the #233 wilton tip with a piping bag to apply the grass and then form the wings with two chocolate covered pretzels, the torso with smarties, and cut two small pieces of black licorice for the antennae.

Cooking Tips :

Cooking Is As Simple As Following Directions

Have you ever went to a restaurant and tried to figure out how the food. Have you ever considered that you would like to recreate the same meal in your own kitchen? Use the advice in this article to create your favorite meals for all occasions. Cooking is a fantastic hobby for all sorts of people.

Keep herbs and spices in a dark space that stays room temperature. Exposure to excessive heat, light, and humidity can cause them to lose their flavor. Ground spices retain their flavor for around a year. Whole spices can hold their flavor for about three years. Storing spices in glass containers with a

Preparation is one of the most important prior to cooking a meal for your friends or family. Make sure you have all of the ingredients available. This will reduce your fears and anxiety when it is time to cook the meal.

Partially freeze meat is easier to cut into thin strips. This is an especially strong technique is suited for meats served in Asian dishes. To keep your meat cooking evenly, you must let the meat strips thaw thoroughly before cooking.

You do not want to deal with the stress by sticking to familiar recipes and food you enjoy. You will have a more relaxed and less anxious cooking if you follow this tip.

This will keep fruits fresh and delicious for long periods of time. This is a great way to ensure that you easy access to seasonal fruits during their off seasons.

Prepare some of your food the day before if you cannot handle doing everything in one night. Cut up veggies and make marinades or sauces before going to bed at night. You will be much less stressed and more eager to cook the next day.

You can make your own dried tomatoes yourself. You can do this by cutting ripe tomatoes into 1/2 inch thick slices, or ripe tomatoes sliced about a half inch thick. You can also store them in jars packed with fresh herbs and olive oil. The jars can be stored in your refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Make sure that you do not dispose of your Thanksgiving dinner. Cut the leftover meat and freeze it in airtight container. The turkey can later be used for weeks this way.

Many of the vegetables and herbs give off a scent that remains on cutting board smelly no matter how hard you try to scrub it off. Use a permanent ink to mark so you know which side you are using.

If you enjoy using fresh herbs, clump them together and use kitchen shears to cut them. This will keep the herbs drier and less heavy than if they are chopped.

You should clean your dishes as you use them.

Save about one quarter cup of water and put it aside. When you're ready to combine the pasta and sauce, incorporate some of this water. The addition of the sauce and make it creamier.

There are quite a few ways to heat up tortillas properly. One of the easiest methods is to simply place the tortilla in your oven rack that has been preheated to 350 degrees and watch it closely until it is heated to perfection. You can also heat the tortillas by placing them on a gas stove. These ways of cooking tortillas make your tortilla taste fresher.

There are a vast array of potato varieties, and they cannot be equally substituted for each other.

Bouillon cubes dissolved in the appropriate amount of water will also add flavor to those meals that call for water. This is a good way to moisten your food while adding another level to the taste profile.

A great way to cook up bits and pieces of leftover vegetables and meat. Fry the meats and veggies in a bit of oil, then throw in your rice an season with some soy sauce, soy sauce, ginger and other spices.

Add spices to your dishes once they've been cooked.Pepper, cayenne, salt, and salt are excellent spices. Many people have different things in terms of spices.Each person will have their own dish.

Cooking food for a party or large number of people might mean added stress on your plate. Instead of letting your stress turn to panic, a great way to relieve some of that stress is to handle a lot of the prep work the night (or even a few nights) before. This means setting out measurements, utensils and sauces.

If you've been handling smelly ingredients like garlic, stuck on your hands, use stainless steal and rub them for about one minute, try rubbing your hands with stainless steel for about one minute before you wash them. You can use the sink itself, leaving them fresh.

Shake things up if your family is tired of the same frozen corn on the table at dinner each night. Add some coconut flakes to give the dish a very exotic flavor.

Make sure you use the right type of potato for your dish. There are three different classifications of potatoes, these are mealy, mealy, and all-purpose. Russet is a common mealy potato. Waxy potatoes are great for steaming or boiling because their shape is maintained. Red and white potatoes are just a few examples of the waxy potatoes.

Fresh fruits, bananas, pears, peaches, peaches and pears are likely to turn brown when sliced and exposed to air. Lemon and salt water will stop the process, but it's better to use is pineapple juice.A brief submersion will be effective, so don't worry about leaving it to soak.

It's easy to put too much salt in a dish while cooking, but that doesn't mean that it's been ruined. Add two peeled and chopped raw potatoes to the dish, and let it cook for another 15 minutes. These potatoes will absorb all the extra salt. If your recipe is based on tomatoes, use extra tomatoes to get rid of the extra salt and make sure to cook them until they achieve the desired tenderness.

Congratulations, you have begun the process of becoming a great cook! Don't hesitate to try new recipes and take risks in the kitchen. The world is your oyster in regards to what you can cook from now on!