Apr 23
Owen JonesUncategorized Air Freshener, Birthright, Boiling Cabbage, business, Cabbage Water, Charity Workers, Cooking Cabbage, crock pots, Cupboard, fitness, food, Funnels, gourmet, health, hobbies, kitchen, Last Meal, Microwave Oven, Money Saving Tips, nutrition, other, recipes, recreation, reviews, saving money, Scarce Resource, Sieve, Six Billion, Spending Money, Supermarket Shelves, Third World Countries, Three Ways, Uncategorized, World Population
With a world population in excess of six billion people, we are all becoming progressively more aware that food is a scarce resource. Traditionally, people have not regarded food as a resource, but more of a birthright. However, the inhabitants of most Third World countries are required to be more realistic.
We in the West are constantly bombarded by implorations for contributions by charities and I think that many people are getting a bit tired of it. I also think that people are suspicious of the charity workers’ expenses and fees, particularly after the MPs’ expenses scandal in the UK. So, what can you do, if you want to make some sort of contribution?
I think that the best thing one can do is not to squander food. Not squandering or wasting food will reduce the amount you have to buy, which will leave more on the supermarket shelves. This will increase supply, which will reduce prices. Therefore, by not buying so much food, you will be saving money and reducing the cost of what you do purchase. Can not be bad, can it?
So, here are a few of my favourite money-saving tips.
Funnel – I have bought a few funnels in my time, but they always seemed to have fallen to the back of the cupboard when I needed one. I do not buy them anymore. Instead, I cut the top 9″ off the top of a plastic cola bottle. When I am done with it, I throw it away, particularly if I used it for pouring oil.
Microwave – sometimes, when you open the microwave oven door, a hint of the last meal comes out. Instead of spending money on sprays or what-not, put a slice of lemon in a saucer of water and microwave it for three minutes after every time you use it.
Cabbage – cooking cabbage really smells! However, there are three ways of hiding the smell without using air freshener. The first way is to put a slice of lemon in the cabbage water as it cooks. The second way is to boil a small pan of vinegar next to the cooking cabbage and the third is to place a sieve over the boiling cabbage and put a round of stale bread in it. These methods work because the lemon cancels the smell of the cabbage as does the vinegar and the stale bread absorbs the smell.
Fish Fingers – it is not nice to have smelly fingers after preparing fish, onions or garlic. As an alternative to washing and washing your hands, rub a little lemon juice on them and rinse for instant relief.
Sponge – a tablespoon of hot water beaten into a sponge mixture at the last moment will greatly improve the rise and the texture of the cake.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with researching the crock pots by Rival. If you have an interest in cooking or crock pots, please go over to our website now at Large Crock Pots
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with researching the crock pots by Rival. If you have an interest in cooking or crock pots, please go over to our website now at Large Crock Pots
Apr 21
Owen JonesUncategorized business, Cajun Cooking, Cajun Dishes, Cajun Style, City Of New Orleans, Country Cousin, crock pots, Enjoyable Event, Favorite Family, fitness, food, gourmet, health, hobbies, Hot Sauces, Intrigue, Jambalaya, kitchen, Little Rice, Little Spice, Mardi Gras, Mardi Gras Music, Mindset, nutrition, other, recipes, recreation, Red Beans, Revelry, reviews, Spices, Traditional Favorites, Uncategorized, Variances
Mardi Gras is a unique time of the year down in Cajun Country. Even if you don’t live around New Orleans you can still rejoice in some of the fun and revelry associated with Mardi Gras by throwing a grand old meal befitting King Rex himself.
The trick about bringing Mardi Gras to the Midwest or wherever you may be, is to always have the mindset that makes Mardi Gras such fun and an enjoyable event for people from all over the world. If that doesn’t work a bowl or two of gumbo topped off with some Mardi Gras music should do the trick quite nicely.
Honestly though, part of the appeal and intrigue of Mardi Gras and the city of New Orleans is the food that has made this city almost as famous as its ability to party. If you are considering what to cook to bring the spirit of Mardi Gras into your home, try any of the traditional favorites. If ingredients prove hard to come by you might want to add a little rice, a little spice, and a lot of hot sauces to your favorite family meal.
Those who live in New Orleans often use rice to stretch the budget. Rice is filling and is cost effective. This makes rice a great basis of a meal for many of the families of New Orleans many of whom have been pretty poor traditionally.
Rice is used in all kinds of dishes from gumbo to red beans and jambalaya and many dishes in between. It is probably the one staple of Cajun cooking that you will find everywhere you go.
Otherwise there are wide variances in cookery according to cost and culture (though the more expensive foods are typically considered Creole rather than Cajun. Sort of a city cousin – country cousin type relationship between the cuisines).
Spices are prevalent in these dishes for much the same reason that rice is. They have traditionally been an inexpensive method of seasoning dishes that would otherwise be quite insipid. Expect to find plenty of spices and some heat in most traditional Cajun dishes all over the city. Some restaurants that cater to tourists have somewhat watered down versions of local favorites.
If you want to eat something with a little less kick, a po-boy or muffaletta might be what you are looking for. These sandwiches are more than a little deceptive in appearance because they are very filling. French fries are still a Cajun favorite, although we also have a popular dish called fried sweet potatoes.
You can find recipes for all of these online quite easily though you will probably have trouble finding the ideal bread for a po boy anywhere outside the Crescent City. There is a unique “chewiness” to the flawless po boy bread that may be copied in other places but not equaled anywhere in the country.
For the perfect finish to your Cajun meal you should make a point of purchasing some chicory coffee. This is easily accomplished via the Cafe du Monde website if your local coffee shop doesn’t have any. Historically, chicory was added to coffee and often used instead of coffee because it was much cheaper.
This meant it could make the more expensive coffee beans go further and yet deliver a similar taste and texture with that hint of chicory. It’s a somewhat unique flavor and for many people is synonymous with the city itself.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with researching the crock pots by Rival. If you have an interest in cooking or crock pots, please go over to our website now at Large Crock Pots
Apr 11
Owen JonesUncategorized Baking Tray, Boil, business, Cavity, Chickens, Chopping Block, Christmas Day, Cold Buffet, crock pots, Day Of The Year, Distances, fitness, Five Minutes, food, Foodstuffs, gourmet, Grand Luxury, Half The Story, health, hobbies, kitchen, nutrition, other, Potatoes, Preserving Food, recipes, recreation, reviews, Room Temperature, Sandwiches, Saucepan, Sixty Years, Stocking, Uncategorized
There can not be many individuals who do not like their food, but the human race, being what it is, I expect that there are a few of them. However, for the remainder of us, cuisine is a font of daily enjoyment and, like drink, it is frequently used to denote a celebration. not only that, but various foodstuffs are used for the various meals or distinct celebrations.
Commemorative meals were unquestionably considered around the seasonal foodstuffs on hand, but some foodstuffs were transported huge distances for the benefit of those who could afford them. For instance, my Dad thought it a grand luxury to get an orange in his stocking on Christmas Day sixty years past. How the times have altered! Very few kids would deem an orange a gift, special or not, any day of the year nowadays.
Nevertheless, the storage of food is still a daily concern and subsequently, I have written a few good tips on preserving food underneath, so that you will obtain the best from that which you have purchased or grown in your garden even a long while later.
Chicken Stuffed With Spoons: a great way of preparing chicken to be eaten at a cold buffet or in sandwiches, is to put as many spoons as possible into the cavity of the chicken (not silver or plated ones though). Then, place the chicken in a large saucepan or pot and bring the water to the boil slowly. Simmer for 10 minutes, cover and leave until the water is room temperature. The spoons will retain the heat and cook the chicken from the inside out. it will be one of the most succulent chickens you have ever eaten.
Roasted Crisp And Light: if you like crisp-skinned roasties, it is best to parboil them first, but that is only half the story. so, boil the potatoes for five minutes and drain thoroughly. Put the lid on the pan and shake it about violently. Bang it hard on the chopping block several times. The harder the better. Then put the parboiled potatoes in the baking tray with the meat or fowl to cook as you would normally.
Salad Soup: Do not throw away salad that has been soaked in salad dressing. Whisk it up in a food processor with a can of tomatoes of tinned soup. Add lots of garlic to taste and adjust the thickness to suit your taste. Chill it down and you will have one of the most delicious summer soups ever.
Curdling Cure: if your mayonnaise has curdled there is one sure fire way to bring it back to life. stir in a couple of tablespoons of Hellmann’s mayonnaise and your problem will be over.
Simply Scrumptious Topping: a really, quick, delicious and almost infinitely variable topping for a savory pie can be made in seconds. Choose the flavour you want from the crisp rack; puncture the bag to let our the air and then crush the contents in the gag. it really adds something to a pie. The same trick can be used on the bottom of a potato pie a Texan housewife told me.
Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topicss, but is currently involved with researching the 2 quart crock pot. If you have an interest in cooking or crock pots, please go over to our website now at Large Crock Pots
Mar 10
Owen JonesUncategorized business, crock pots, fitness, food, gourmet, health, hobbies, kitchen, nutrition, other, recipes, recreation, reviews, Uncategorized
When the weather outside warms up, the kitchen can be a terrible place to be. There are lots of things you can do however, when it comes to cooking a nice home made meal that does not necessitate traditional stove top or oven cooking.
Learn to utilize some of the less heat-creating equipment in your kitchen, such as the crock pot, in order to truly beat the summer heat and keep your cool while making a nice hot meal for friends and family.
So, how does crock pot cooking really help overcome the heat? Simply put, the crock pot in and of itself gives off far less heat when cooking than an oven or stove top. This is the first and possibly the best reason to make the most of the crock pot in your summer meal planning.
You should also take into account the fact that by not heating the house by using your stove top or oven you are also reducing the load on your air conditioning (or other cooling methods) so you are not requiring it to work overtime in order to make up for the additional heat that other cooking methods introduce.
This makes crock pot cooking a win-win situation as the costs involved in using a crock pot are far less than the costs involved in operating a stove or oven. Whether electric or gas, your stove and oven are serious energy users. Add to that the fact that you are not increasing the temperature in your home by traditional means of cooking and you are using even less electricity.
Regrettably, the general consensus has been that crock pots are intended for comfort foods and hearty winter meals. The truth is that the crock pot should be one of your best loved and most often utilized cooking techniques. When it comes to cooking with a crock pot, the options are almost boundless. Almost anything that can be baked can be cooked in the crock pot and many, many more wonderful and enticing meals and treats as well.
Benefits of Crock Pot Cooking
In addition to the cost advantages written above, when it comes to crock pot cooking there are many other advantages that are worth mentioning. First of all, the bulk of the work involved in crock pot cooking takes place early in the day when you are fresh rather than at the end of a hectic work or play day.
This means that you are less likely to forget an ingredient or make some other slip-up, which can undoubtedly happen when trying to cook after a hectic day.
Second, many great crock pot recipes include the vegetables that ensure that we get the nutrients we require. So often, when preparing a meal at the last minute, vegetables and other side dishes are left out for the sake of expedience. Crock pot cooking, on the other hand, is a meal in one pot.
Another great reason to use a crock pot for your summertime cooking is the ease of washing up. Unlike traditional cooking with a couple of pots and pans, most crock pot meals are completed in one pot. This obviously reduces the hardware required to be washed up or loaded into the dishwasher (or if you are the same as me – both) afterwards.
So, you spend less time cleaning up, just as you spent less time slaving over a hot stove. Well, make that no time slaving over a hot stove and once the washing up is finished, you can get back to making the most of the sun set, playing with the dog or kids, or just waiting for the first stars.
While there will never be a way of cooking that suits everyone, crock pot cooking comes pretty close. So, if you have a crock pot collecting dust somewhere in the back of your cupboard it is time to get it out, dust if off, and dig up some great summertime crock pot cooking recipes.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with the 2 quart crock pot. If you have an interest in cooking or crock pots, please go over to our website now at Large Crock Pots
Feb 19
Owen JonesUncategorized business, crock pots, fitness, food, gourmet, health, hobbies, kitchen, nutrition, other, recipes, recreation, reviews, Uncategorized
In the USA, most people call these electric cookers crock pots, whereas in the Great Britain they are normally called slow cookers. Crock pots by Rival, DeLonghi, Hamilton Beach, Cuisinart and Toastess are particularly good examples of advanced crock pots. Some of these crock pots are programmable, which allows the cook more flexibility that the slow cookers of twenty years did not.
The first crock pots had only an on/off switch and no temperature control. This meant that the meals you could cook with them were limited, if you used your crock pot for cooking food while you were out of the house or work for eight hours or more. Modern slow cookers like those crock pots mentioned above have changed all that. These days, modern crock pots are programmable.
These modern crock pots are very versatile and with the finest of them, you can set the temperature that the slow cooker should operate at and the duration of time it should cook for a bit like a microwave oven. For example, you could program a modern slow cooker to cook at, say, 180c for an hour and then 100c for two hours
Most people do not realize the features that modern crock pots have. Regrettably, there are still a lot of people who still believe that slow cookers are only any good for cooking rice, boiling soup or preparing cheap cuts of meat like scrag end of mutton. This is just not true any more, although manual crock pots were capable of more than that too. Contemporary variable slow cookers can be used to make bread, cheesecake, custards and even sponges.
In fact, it is a good suggestion to get away from the old fashioned ideas people have about slow cookers and try to see them as an oven, which does not need a pot to cook in. Try the recipe underneath and see for yourself.
BANANA BREAD
1 3/4 c flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/3 c shortening 2/3 c sugar 2 eggs, well beaten 1 1/2 c banana, well mashed, overripe 1/2 c walnuts, coarsely chopped
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the electric beater on low, fluff shortening in a small bowl, until it is soft and creamy. Add the sugar gradually. Beat in the eggs in a slow stream. With a fork, beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, ? the bananas another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the rest of the bananas and then the last of the flour mixture. Fold in the walnuts. Turn into a greased and floured baking unit or a 2 1/2 quart mold and cover.
Place on a rack in your crock pot. Cover the crock pot, but prop the lid open with a toothpick or a twist of foil to let the excess steam escape. Cook on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Serve Warm.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with researching the crock pots by Rival. If you have an interest in cooking or crock pots, please go over to our website now at Large Crock Pots
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