Archive for the ‘Cooking’ Category
Butternut Squash Recipes no comments
BUTTER NUT SQUASH RECIPES
Butter nut squash is a type of winter squash having a sweet, nutty flavor like the taste of a pumpkin. It is a big oblong-shaped vegetable which grows on a vine. It is made of orange fleshy pulp that is contained by yellow skin. When it is ripe, it becomes orange – the riper it gets, the deeper the orange colour and it gets sweeter and richer in flavor. The seeds can also be consumed whether raw or roasted. In Australia and New Zealand, the butter nut squash is known as Butter nut pumpkin.
Butter nut squash can be used to make a number of delicious meals. It can be used in the following ways:
Roasted
Pureed and used to create soups
Grilled
To create casseroles
To create bread and muffins
Here are a few recommendations of meals that can be made with butter nut squash.
#1 – BUTTER NUT CASSEROLE
The first thing to do is to cook a butter nut squash.
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked butter nut squash, pureed and drained
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ melted butter
8 ounces mashed pineapple with the juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (pecans can also be used)
Tools:
Casserole dish
Bowl
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 325°
2.Use butter to grease a casserole dish and put it aside.
3.Mix the mashed butternut squash, sugar, softened butter, mashed pineapple, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg together in a bowl.
4.Combine thoroughly and pour into the greased casserole dish.
5.Sprinkle the walnuts on top.
6.Put in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes.
#2 – BUTTER NUT SQUASH PUDDING
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups butter nut squash cooked and pureed
2 eggs
14 ounces evaporated milk
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Tools:
Whisk
Mixing bowl
1 ½ quart baking tin
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 325.
2.Crack eggs and pour into mixing bowl. Use the whisk and whisk the eggs until thoroughly blended.
3.Add the squash and beat the mixture until smooth.
4.Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Pour the mixture into the baking pan and put in the oven. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a skewer is inserted and emerges clean. For best outcome, put the baking tin in a larger oven-proof pan with water 1 -2 inches deep.
#3 – BUTTERNUT SQUASH FRIES
Ingredients:
1 medium-sized butter nut squash
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Tools:
Sharp knife
Foil paper
Baking sheet
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.Peel your butter nut squash, remove the seeds and slice the squash into long strips to make fries.
3.Spread foil paper over a baking sheet and spray with non-stick spray.
4.Arrange the slices on the sheet in a single layer.
5.Sprinkle with olive oil and a pinch of salt to taste.
6.Put in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Fries should be lightly golden, crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Serve when hot.
The best way to bring out the flavor is by roasting it. Use a vegetable peeler and remove the skin then cut the squash into cubes. Sprinkle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast on a cookie sheet for approximately 40 minutes. Serve as a side dish. You can also crush or puree the roasted squash in a food processor and add it to your favourite soup.
Let’s learn how to cook butternut squash at home.
How To Hard Boil An Egg – Quick and Easy Way no comments
Achieving great hard boiled eggs clearly comes with an art. A number of persons figure that boiling the egg actually means to let the eggs stay in boiling water for some time. This is not so, as the eggs can be overcooked creating a gray-green color. Invariably the picks of eggs decides how easily the eggs will peel once they are cooked.
Fresh eggs are not the better choice for hard-boiling. Ensure the eggs are a couple of days old. Hard boiling farm fresh eggs will always lead to eggs that are hard to peel. If you have boiled a batch that are difficult to peel, crack the eggs all around and lay them to soak in cold water for a couple minutes. This will allow the water to enter betweenthe eggs and their shell so they are faster to peel.
Lay the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan, covered by at least an inch or two of cold water. Beginning with cold water and slowly bringing the eggs to a boil will help keep them from cracking. including a tablespoon of vinegar to the water will help keep the egg whites from leaving any eggs that happen to crack when cooking. Adding a half teaspoon of salt will hinder cracking and make the eggs easier to peel. Place the burner on high and bring the eggs to a boil. As quickly as the water starts to boil, removethe pan from the heat for a few seconds.
Decrease the heat, and return the pan to the burner. Let simmer for one minute then take the pan from the heat, cover, and let rest for 12 minutes. If you are doing a large batch of eggs, you can check for doneness after 10 minutes by opening one egg. If it isn’t done, cook the other eggs a minute or two more. The eggs should be done completely at 10 minutes, but there are factors which may impact the timing. These consist of the shape of the sauce pan, size and number eggs and amount of water in pan. This check will also eliminate the overcooking of the eggs.
Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them into a bowl of ice water (this is if you have a lot of eggs) or drain out the water from the pan, and refill with cold water. Repeat until eggs are cool.
Peel the eggs if ready for eating or store them in a covered container in the refrigerator. They should be eaten within 5 days.
Delicious Grilled Shrimp Recipe no comments
Did you know that shrimp come in more than 300 variety? While there may be a basic understanding of the kinds of shrimp being sold in the supermarket as cooked or raw, there are more names that can be added to shrimp. However, these names are not specie, but are instead just synonyms. For example prawn and scampi are synonyms for shrimp while gulf shrimp simply indicates where the shrimp originated.
Prawns
Now, what is the difference between a prawn and a shrimp? Nothing, a prawn is a shrimp and vice versa. Some places and even some countries refer to them prawns, while others refer to them shrimp. Some locations use the word prawn to describe an especially large shrimp. Other places simply refer to them as large shrimp.
Scampi
This is another troublesome term. The waters off Italy are home to a crustacean called scampi, and in Italian the word is actually one word for shrimp. But the dish we call shrimp scampi, refers to any type of shrimp cooked with garlic and butter or olive oil.
Enthusiastic fishing has made these crustaceans scarce today and what is usually caught as scampi are actually a different type of shrimp called a Norwegian shrimp, or even a Dublin Bay prawn. True scampi are actually not even technically shrimp, since they have large front pincers, making them lobsters.
So, truly there are two main classifications of shrimp: freshwater shrimp and saltwater shrimp. The freshwater types of shrimp grow comparatively large and are usually treated like lobsters, that is, they are transported live, and cooked like lobsters. Saltwater shrimp sub classify into cold water or warm water types depending on where they live.
Now that you know a bit about shrimp, it is time to take a look at a tasty way to cook it. Grilling shrimp is one of the easiest ways of cooking shrimp and ensures a tasty meal for you and your family.
Grilled Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
2 lb. Fresh or frozen jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
½ cup olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
1 tbs Worcestershire
1 tbsp dill weed
½ tsp salt
Directions
1.Thaw shrimp if frozen
2.Mix together next 8 ingredients
3.Put shrimp in a plastic bag; set in a deep bowl
4.Pour marinade over shrimp, seal bag
5.Marinate for 3 to 4 hours
6.Drain shrimp, keep back marinade
7.Put shrimp on skewers
8.Grill over hot coals for 10 minutes, turning and brushing with reserved marinade
9.When shrimp becomes opaque, they are done.
Grilled Shrimp Recipe no comments
Did you know that shrimp come in over 300 variety? While there may be a general understanding of the types of shrimp being sold in the supermarket as cooked or raw, there are more names that can be added to shrimp. However, these labels are not specie, but are instead just synonyms. For instance prawn and scampi are synonyms for shrimp while gulf shrimp only indicates where the shrimp came from.
Prawns
Now, what is the distinction between a prawn and a shrimp? None, a prawn is a shrimp and vice versa. Some regions and even some countries call them prawns, while others refer to them shrimp. Some locations use the word prawn to describe a really large shrimp. Other regions simply refer to them as large shrimp.
Scampi
This is another tricky term. The waters off Italy are home to a crustacean called scampi, and in Italian the word is actually one word for shrimp. But the dish we call shrimp scampi, refers to any type of shrimp cooked with garlic and butter or olive oil.
Enthusiastic fishing has made these crustaceans rare today and what is often caught as scampi are actually another type of shrimp called a Norwegian shrimp, or even a Dublin Bay prawn. True scampi are actually not even technically shrimp, since they have big front pincers, making them lobsters.
So, really there are two main classifications of shrimp: freshwater shrimp and saltwater shrimp. The freshwater types of shrimp grow comparatively large and are often treated like lobsters, that is, they are transported live, and cooked like lobsters. Saltwater shrimp sub classify into cold water or warm water kinds depending on where they live.
Grilled Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
2 lb. Fresh or frozen jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
½ cup olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
1 tbs Worcestershire
1 tbsp dill weed
½ tsp salt
Directions
1.Thaw shrimp if frozen
2.Combine next 8 ingredients
3.Place shrimp in a plastic bag; set in a deep bowl
4.Pour marinade over shrimp, seal bag
5.Marinate for 3 to 4 hours
6.Drain shrimp, keep back marinade
7.Put shrimp on skewers
8.Grill over hot coals for 10 minutes, turning and basting with reserved marinade
9.When shrimp turns opaque, they are done.
Alfredo Sauce Recipe no comments
Alfredo di Lelio of Rome, Italy, is the creator of the original Alfredo Sauce. Today there are two types of Alfredo sauce, the Italian or the American kind. Italian Alfredo Sauce is strictly lots of butter and Parmesan cheese. In American restaurants, additional ingredients are added to the Italian combination, including heavy cream, sometimes nutmeg, basil, or other seasonings. Alfredo sauce is popular with fetuccine pasta, but can also be served with chicken or vegetables.
Alfredo sauce compliments a variety of wines, including Chardonnay, Pinot, Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc. Instead of creating the sauce from scratch, Alfredo sauce can also be bought from the supermarket, in jars near the spaghetti sauce. Note, that persons who are lactose intolerant may not handle Alfredo sauce well.
Ingredients
2 cup cream (heavy, or 35% cream is ideal
¼ cup cold butter
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
Salt
White pepper
Pasta
Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
Extra parmesan cheese
Method
1.Heat a large saucepan over high heat until very hot. Add enough cold water to cover the bottom of the pan. Let the water evaporate but ensure there are a few drops left in the pan. This will prevent the cream from scorching and burning on the bottom of the pan. Take the pan from the heat.
2.Add the cream to the pan and return it to the heat. When the cream starts to boil, lessen heat to medium or medium high and continue to boil until it is reduced by half.
3.In the meantime cook pasta in well salted water according to package directions. Drain well when prepared.
4.when the cream is reduced remove it from the heat. Add butter 1 tablespoon at a time and whisk it in. The cream should thicken and become glossy. Add the cheese and hot pasta to the cream. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
5.Serve immediately with added parmesan if preferred.