Gourmet Cooking Made Easy: Holiday Party Ideas

Holiday Party Ideas--* Archive good recipes. * Keep important staples on hand at all times. * Stock some items that can be ready to serve quickly....

Gourmet Cooking Made Easy: Holiday Party Ideas

(ARA) - More entertaining takes place during the holidays than all the rest of the year put together. Relatives come to visit, friends and neighbors drop by unexpectedly -- this time of year you have to be prepared for a party on short notice.

But with all the other things going on during the season, it’s hard to find the time to cook something nice for your guests. How can you put together a gourmet menu at the last minute?

“You don’t have to be a gourmet chef to cook like one,” says Jill Blashack, president and CEO of Tastefully Simple, an easy-to-prepare gourmet foods company. “I don’t have time to cook, and many other people are in the same position.”

The following are some tips from the experts at Tastefully Simple on how to be prepared at short notice for any kind of gathering this season:

* Archive good recipes. From time to time you run across a recipe that would be great for entertaining: a quick and easy soup, an interesting hors d’oeuvre, a good mulled cider mixture. Keep an active file of the ones you want to try so they are ready for you when you need them. This way you won’t have to scramble when you need to find something to make at the last minute.

* Keep important staples on hand at all times. There are certain items that your pantry shouldn’t be without during the holidays: a variety of crackers, chips and mixed nuts; cream cheese for a cheese ball; sour cream for an easy dip; some fresh spices such as ginger, cinnamon and cloves for mulling and condiments such as mayonnaise, mustard, preserves and chutney. It’s also a good idea to have a selection of beer, wine and soft drinks available.

* Stock some items that can be ready to serve quickly. Even if you don’t like to cook, you’ll be able to whip together a menu that will impress your friends and relatives with the help of a few Tastefully Simple products. Each one is either ready to serve, or can be prepared by adding just one or two additional ingredients.

Ensure your gathering will be a success with these simple, savory dips:

Tastefully Simple Spinach and Herb Mix, Garlic Garlic and Bacon Bacon Mixes

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

3 large red or green bell peppers

Tastefully Simple Bountiful Beer Bread Mix

12 ounce beer (or any carbonated beverage)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Prepare all three dip mixes with sour cream and mayonnaise as directed on packaging; chill in separate bowls for 2 hours. Prepare Bountiful Beer Bread Mix with beer and butter as directed on package; cools and cube. Carefully slice tops off bell peppers, seed, core; reserve lids. Fill each pepper with one of the prepared dips. Place filled peppers next to lids on lettuce-leaf-lined plate; serve alongside basket of Bountiful Beer Bread cubes for dipping. Makes 3 cups dip.

By Expert Author: Ani Dhanta
Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/

Cook from the Heart, Not by the Book

Here are some tips to take the stress out of cooking, whether you’re stirring up supper for your mate or hoping to impress the new in-laws:Here are some other bare-bones techniques I’ve perfected using my Amana range:....

Cook from the Heart, Not by the Book

You don’t have to go by the book to create tasty, easy, sociable food. Easy-peasy meal preparation is all about stripping cooking down to its bare essentials (they don’t call me the Naked Chef for nothing!), using little techniques and conveniences to make the most of your recipes. It’s so simple: Skip the fuss and follow your heart.

Here are some tips to take the stress out of cooking, whether you’re stirring up supper for your mate or hoping to impress the new in-laws:

Dinners-in-a-Bag

When Jools and I first moved to London we were completely broke, our kitchen was the size of a cupboard, and we were working opposite shifts. I didn’t want Jools to feed herself on frozen dinners, so I found myself custom-making the fantastic “Jamie Oliver Dinners in a Bag,” involving glorious aluminum foil.

What I would do for Jools was make up a combo at 4 p.m. as I was going off to work and write with a marker pen “25 minutes at 425 F”, for example, on the foil. Even though Jools didn’t like cooking, she never had a problem with cooking the bags. Now that we have our Amana range, however, it’s easier than ever -- I just program the “Favorites Cycle,” which lets me preset the cook time and temperature for the recipes I use most often. Here’s just one version, but feel free to vary the recipe with things like grated parsnip, smoked bacon or red wine.

Chicken Breasts Baked in a Bag..(Serves two)

2 7-ounce skinless chicken breasts

1 handful of dried porcini

9 ounces of mixed mushrooms, torn up

1 large wineglass of white wine

3 large pats of butter

1 handful of fresh thyme

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

Using wide aluminum foil, make your bag by placing two pieces on top of each other (about as big as two shoeboxes in length), folding three sides in and leaving one side open. Mix everything together in a bowl, including the chicken. Place in your bag, with all the wine, making sure you don’t pierce the foil. Close up the final edge, making sure it’s tightly sealed and secure on the sides, and slide it onto a roasting pan. Place the pan on a high heat for one minute to get the heat going, then bake in the middle of a 425-degree oven for 25 minutes.

When it’s time to take it out, the Amana EasyRack oven rack, with its practical U-shape design, lets you remove the pan without touching the hot rack. Then you just place the bag on a big plate, take it to the table, break open the foil, and start hearing the raves.

Bare-Bones Cooking Techniques

Here are some other bare-bones techniques I’ve perfected using my Amana range:

* If you invited friends to come round but they’re running late, pop up to four plates of food in the separate warming oven. Your glorious food not only stays warm, but also keeps the kitchen smelling wonderful until they walk in the door.

* If your side dish is ready but you still have other things to cook, just slide the pot onto the middle of the cooktop. The “warming zone” there acts like a fifth burner, keeping it warm and freeing up the other burners so you can finish cooking.

* If your recipe’s left a mess in the oven, don’t fret -- the hidden bake element and smooth oven bottom make it simple to mop up spills before they become baked-on disasters. The oven can clean itself while you’re in the middle of a dinner party -- just flip on the self-clean mode, pour yourself another glass of wine, and go back to your guests.

By Expert Author: Sunita Kaushal
Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/

It is Tandoor Time Now!

Tandoor is used for cooking certain types of Irani, Indian and Pakistani food, such as tandoori chicken and bread varieties like tandoori roti and naan. The chicken is marinated in yogurt, and seasoned with tandoori masala....

It is Tandoor Time Now!

Indian traditional cookery is not complete without dishes made in a Tandoor. It is a cylindrical clay oven used in Transcaucasus, the Balkans, the Middle East, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, in which food is cooked over a hot charcoal fire. Temperatures in a tandoor can approach 480?C (900?F), and it is common for tandoor ovens to remain lit for long periods of time to maintain the high cooking temperature. Any food cooked in a tandoor is called tandoori.

Tandoor is used for cooking certain types of Irani, Indian and Pakistani food, such as tandoori chicken and bread varieties like tandoori roti and naan. The chicken is marinated in yogurt, and seasoned with tandoori masala. It is traditionally moderately hot, but the heat is toned down to a "mild" taste level in most Western nations. Cayenne pepper or red chili powder, or other spices give it the red colour.

Dishes made in the tandoor.

Chicken tikka is a Northern Indian and Bangladeshi dish made by grilling small pieces of chicken which have been marinated in spices and yogurt. It is traditionally made on skewers in a tandoor (Indian clay oven) and is usually boneless. It is normally served and eaten with a green coriander chutney, or used in a preparing the curry Chicken Tikka Masala.


Chicken Tikka....Servings 4-5

Ingredients

1 Boneless Chicken Breast
1 tsp Crushed Ginger
2 cloves Crushed Garlic
3 tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Curry Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Oil
2/3 cup Plain Curd
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 tsp Coriander
1/4 tsp Corn Starch

Preparation

* Cut the chicken into cubes
* Mix all of the ingredients together. Let the chicken marinate for 3-4 hours.
* When it's ready to go, heat up the grill and grill the chicken on skewers.
* While they're grilling, take 1/2 cup of the marinade and put it in a small saute pan.
* Before heating it, mix in 1/4 tsp corn starch.
* Heat the sauce until it thickens and then let it bubble for a while. Set that aside until the chicken is done.

Chicken Tandoori.....Servings 4-5

Ingredients

4 Chicken Drumsticks
4 Chicken Thighs
1 Diced onion
2 tbsp Crushed Ginger
5 cloves Crushed Garlic
2/3 cup Plain Curd
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
2 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Oil
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 tsp Coriander
1/4 tsp Corn Starch

Preparation:

* Remove skin from chicken parts. Make deep slashes in the meat with a sharp knife.
* Mix all of the ingredients together to form a marinade. Blend it thoroughly and then pour into a leak-proof plastic bag.
* Add the chicken pieces, squeeze air from the bag, and seal. Knead the bag to rub the marinade into the slashes. Place on a plate and refrigerate for 12 - 24 hours, turns the bag occasionally.
* To cook, lift the pieces from the marinade and wipe off the excess
* Grill/broil with a hot flame for about 5 minutes per side to seal in juices, and then continue to cook over a lower flame until the meat is cooked through
* Garnish with side of lettuce, sliced onion rings and lemon.

Boti Kabab.....Servings 4-5

Ingredients
Amount Ingredients

1.5 lbs Boned Leg of lamb
2 cloves Chopped Garlic
2 tbsp Chopped Coriander Leaves
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
4 tbsp Curd
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Oil
6 Green Cardamoms
1 Cinnamon Stick
2-3 Dried Red Chili
1 tbsp Coriander Seeds

Preparation

* Grind the green cardamoms, cinnamon, red chili and coriander seeds into a fine mix. Keep aside.
* Wash the meat and dry it. Prick all over with a sharp knife and cut into 1 ? inch cubes.
* Put the garlic, coriander leaves, lemon juice and yogurt into a liquidiser or food processor and blend until smooth. Add the salt, turmeric and the ground ingredients.
* Put the meat into a bowl and add the liquidised ingredients.
* Mix throughly, cover and leave to marinate for 6-8 hours (or overnight in the refrigerator).
* Preheat grill to high. Line the grill pan with a piece of aluminium foil (this will reflect heat and also keep your grill pan clean).
* Thread meat onto skewers leaving about ?-inch gap between each piece.
* Mix any remaining marinade with the oil and keep aside.
* Place the skewers on the prepared grill and pan and grill the kababs for 2-3 minutes.
* Turn the skewers over and grill for a further 2-3 minutes.
* Reduce heat to medium. Brush the kababs with the oil/marinade mixture and grill for 6-8 minutes.
* Turn the skewers over and brush the kababs with the remaining oil/marinade mixture. Grill for a further 6-8 minutes.
* Garnish with thinly sliced onion rings, crisp lettuce leaves and wedges of cucumber.

By Expert Author: Shekhar Bragta
Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/

The Social and Emotional Power of a Shared Meal

The Social and Emotional Power of a Shared Meal

Since the beginning of time one aspect of human social experience has stood out as the ‘place to be’ for communication and family bonding: the meal. In contemporary human life the evening dinner is often the only place and time that a family all sits down together. In tribal times (of course there are still tribes today) the cooking of a slaughtered animal or cultivated vegetables brought the group together to share ideas and feelings. Think about it these days; when you want to take someone out for a romantic date, meet business colleagues, get together with old friends and acquaintances, we go out for a bite to eat. What is it about sharing some food that puts us in such a relaxed and communicable state? Could it simply be science, and the fact that if you are tense when you eat, the food doesn’t digest as well? Or, could it have some psychological basis having to do with the idea that you are sharing some life-giving sustenance with your fellow species instead of warring over it? Subconsciously do we recognize the facts that we will be able to live another day as well as sew healthy seeds for future generations?

Think of all the problems in the world today. Maybe if we all got together for a feast we could work out some practical solutions, say while sipping on coconut milk, or chewing on a loaf of bread. The current (14th) Dalai Lama is quoted as having said, “I sometimes think that the act of bringing food is one of the basic roots of all relationships.”

There is also the idea of food as being a medium for the transferal of emotional energy. I am currently living with a friend who is very adept in the kitchen. He uses high quality ingredients and professional techniques, but he also follows the belief that what mood you are in, the amount of effort and awareness you give the cooking process, and the love and gratitude that you feel for the ability to eat is imperative to making a good meal. I have read in a famous Hari Krishna cookbook as well as Taoist teachings how the actual emotions that the cook feels when making a meal is transmitted into the food via chi energy. Feelings and food are both forms of energy. Native Americans believe that all thoughts and emotions are ‘alive’.

You may have seen the recent film, ‘What the bleep do we know?’ Read about it at whatthebleep.com. In this film world-renowned scientists discuss the idea that all thoughts and emotions are actually physically material in the sense that they are produced by chemicals and are transmitted in electrical forms. Therefore, a happy chef truly spreads happiness by enjoying the preparation of a meal.

So, next time you sit down to a meal with friends or family, or cook for guests, remember the significance of this often undervalued experience. For hundreds of thousands of years our distant relatives’ whole way of social life was based around the acquisition and sharing of food. It is often the main time to communicate to the ones you hold most dearly, so please don’t take it for granted or think that just because it is necessary for survival that there aren’t any meaningful and mysterious aspects to the experience. Relating to each other is one of the most important elements in a social creature’s existence; the meal is a time and place for relationships to sprout and grow. That’s just some of the power of the meal.

Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to cuisines, recipes, cooking tip, do please browse for more information at our websites.

By Expert Author: Anjna Sharma
Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/

How To Really Enjoy Chocolate

Chocolate isn’t a Food, but an Experience,Chocolate is Meant to be Shared,Making chocolate goodies with others improves the flavor - as well as the enjoyment.,You Can "Do this at Home"-Chocolate Toffee...

How To Really Enjoy Chocolate

Chocolate isn’t a Food, but an Experience

Few words evoke the emotional enthusiasm people feel toward chocolate. It has a treasured place in our personal collection of memories - the Easter baskets, the birthday treats, the candy displays at Christmas, the heart that told you someone loves you.

It started young. During our special times, chocolate was there - an integral part of the event. One taste of chocolate (or even the thought alone) makes the mouth water and the emotional associations rush in. It brings back the multitude of fondly-remembered feel-good experiences we didn’t want to end.

So a great-testing piece of chocolate inevitably makes us happy inside. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA), a natural substance that’s reputed to stimulate the same reaction in the body as falling in love. That’s why, even at times when we’re feeling down, anything chocolate feels so comforting.

Chocolate is Meant to be Shared

My favorite career was owning The Chocolate Factory in Branson, Missouri. Making chocolate inspired me; it’s so apparent that it makes a person’s soul happy. My passion led me to create 300 new chocolate products and 26 different flavored fudges (one of which won the title, "World’s Best Chocolate" in 1986).

Out of that grew the Chocolate Fantasy events, which are used as non-profit fundraisers. People can’t resist the 30 to 40 different kinds of chocolate creations offered. It combines three great things - chocolate, fun, and doing good through the charity. As crowd-pleasing and impressive as those events are, these same techniques can be accomplished by a rank beginner. With equally enthusiastic reactions.

Making chocolate goodies with others improves the flavor - as well as the enjoyment.

Visualize your whole family gathered around in the kitchen, making gourmet chocolates together. Smell that wonderful chocolatey aroma, feel the rich texture of gourmet chocolate goodies in your fingers.

Now that’s fun! And you’re all creating memories you’ll never forget, at the same time.

You Can "Do this at Home"

Learn tricks that the pros know. For instance, did you know you must NEVER introduce water into the chocolate during the manufacturing stage? A few drops of water will turn a pot of chocolate into the consistency of modeling clay. Why not try a recipe that will satisfy any chocolate craving?

Chocolate Toffee

2 cups granulated sugar
? cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup dark corn syrup
dash salt
? cup whipping cream
? stick (? cup) butter

Line an 8-inch baking pan with buttered foil. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Begin cooking over medium heat, lowering heat as candy thickens. Cook to 250 degrees F. Pour into prepared pan and let cool. Break into bite-sized pieces or cut and wrap in plastic film.

Dazzle your friends and family with your chocolate proficiency. It’s sure to raise your reputation, along with your social standing. Best of all, you’ll find yourself as welcome as the chocolate masterpieces you create. It’s all in knowing how.

By Expert Author: Meena Chauhan
Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/

Going loco over Italiano!!

Italian dishes are naturally cooked to tease your palates and to ingrain an unforgettable taste that you will truly hunger after...The varieties of pasta are associated in the sauce, cream, tomato, cheese, and meat...

Going loco over Italiano!!

Each one of us has discerning taste buds. A food that is delicious to my taste might be not as the same as yours or as anyone else. Everyone of us has something in his/her palate that he/she craves to eat. But when it comes to pizza and pasta, or any Italian foods, every taste bud cannot resist the combination of the bland fine potatoes and the slight sourness of pulp tomatoes, together with the spicy zing of bell peppers and sweetness of well-milled maize.

Among any other cuisines in the world, nothing can outdo the popularity of Italian foods. Non Italians can easily distinguish and appreciate the taste of Italian cuisines. From aroma, ingredients, and presentation; Italian dishes are naturally cooked to tease your palates and to ingrain an unforgettable taste that you will truly hunger after. Plus, the names of the dishes are quite intriguing and hard to pronounce too—Risotto, sopressata, Castelmagno, charcuterie. Those names could be tongue twisters, right?

Italian cuisine embraces their complicated history and the diversity in every facet of their lives. Commonly, it is a combination of vegetables, grains, fruits, fish, cheeses and a scattering of meats, fowl and game usually seasoned or cooked with olive oil.

But, among the various dishes, pasta has been the most popular food in Italy and has been adopted in any countries worldwide. If you only know spaghetti, lasagna, bologna, fettucine, you missed the other 396 kinds of pasta. The varieties of pasta are associated in the sauce, cream, tomato, cheese, and meat.

What is good in most of Italian dishes is that they are prepared very quickly and economically. All Italian dishes are healthful because they are made from the freshest ingredients and they have low carbohydrates and fats. Most chefs, restaurateurs, and ordinary homemaker are health conscious that’s why they use vegetables extensively and consume the best fruits and olive oil. Italy is not only a trademark of our history but a home olf the most delicious and healthy Mediterranean foods. You’ll enjoy the adventure of exploring authentic Italian food, not only a delight for the senses but also an expression of the cultural and traditional heritage of the country.

Everyone loves Italian foods! No other foods can leave us wanting for more aside from Italian treats. Throughout the countries all over the world, Italian foods have been imitated because of one obvious reason, and that is the great taste! A lot of version of pastas and pizzas has been adapted in any countries. For example, in the Philippines, you can find various pizza flavors. From the savviest to the weirdest, pizza has evolved in taste and form; there are laing pizza, longganisa (local bacon) pizza, pansit pizza, etc. In USA, Italian foods are conjured to the American way of cooking. As an example of this altered taste are things like Italian dressing - Italian style bread crumbs - Italian seasoning are all things with 'oversaturated' taste that you will never find in Italy. The imitation also slants, in the US, Italian food continues to be associated with the image of a pretty large guy eating spaghetti with meat-ball sauce - the reality is that in Italy practically no one eats spaghetti with meat ball sauce.

If you can’t afford to go to Italy just to taste the mouth-watering and natural Italian express, there are available Italian kiosks, NY catering, and dining restaurants in NY that simplifies your hunger for the best Italian cuisines.

Off premise catering NY and Italian food catering NY redefine perfectly the all of the savory Italian dishes right at your own table.

And since they say that: “One good way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” Why not surprise your husband with a breakfast in bed of delicious lasagna and Italian wine. If you’re in need for recipes, why not attend to Italian cooking class ny? They will teach you the best and original Italian recipes in an instant. And the Italian lessons you will learn will help you serve the best Italian foods that will spice up any get together with your family and loved ones.

By Expert Author: Badeth Abonita
Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/

Celebrity Chefs Conquer the Household Kitchen

Celebrity Chefs Conquer the Household Kitchen

The celebrity chef is here to stay and these personalities have made their presence felt in every kitchen in the land.

Led by Fanny Craddock in the 1960's, followed by the Galloping Gourmet Graham Kerr in the 1970's and then by Michel and Albert Roux in the 1980's, there is no doubt that the current huge proliferation of celebrity chefs is a sign of the times and evidence that they are here to stay.

Our current celebrities in the 2000 s are a mixture of memorable personalities and completely cooking different styles. From the Gallic charm of Raymond Blanc to the crude rough edges of Gordon Ramsey, the technical scientific precision of Heston Blumenthal to the casual, relaxed style of Jamie Oliver, your favored celebrity chef is strictly down to you.

One characteristic they all share is the requirement for more and more kitchen equipment. If the domestic gods and goddesses of the amateur kitchen are to keep up then they are often obliged to spend money in buying not just the freshest ingredients but also the latest equipment which might be needed to cook those ingredients. The kitchen work top seems to have less and less space occupied by more and more gadgets and gizmos.

Exotic equipment, until recently completely unheard of in the UK, has now become common place in many of the UK's kitchens.

For example, the coffee machine 30 years ago was at best a machine which boiled water at one end and dripped coffee through a filter paper at the other end. Today the consumer has a massive range of machines to choose from - from the simple percolator to the most complex espresso and cappuccino "bean to cup" machines which grind the beans, boil the water, pressure-pumps the water through the coffee, to produce exquisite espresso and pours the coffee into your cup for you. Much of the reason for this change is not just that there is more high quality coffee in restaurants, but that the consumer urged on by celebrity chefs is pushed to go for quality.

Another example is the humble kitchen knife. Time was when the ordinary kitchen just had a carving knife and a chopping knife. Chefs have shown us their remarkable dexterity in chopping food using specially designed knives and in order for simple folk to do the same.... they also need to have their own range of knives. As we all know, these knives can range in quality quite dramatically - some of the more exotic knives from the Far East are painfully expensive but seriously impressive and very sharp.

So what is the amateur chef to do? Well, carefully think about what you do and don't need and then find a really good kitchen shop that is full of information and content that can really help you make the right decision.

By Expert Author: Arthor Pens
Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/