Joy of Cooking Recipes

Joy of Cooking recipes are still some of the most popular throughout the whole of America. The book "Joy of Cooking" was first released way back in 1931 by Irma Rombauer and since then it has been updated many times. It is one of the most talked about cookbooks because its recipes are easy to make and simple to follow. It has many sections which other cookbooks just don't deal with.

The Joy of Cooking book made a massive change about 13 years ago. It was the first time that they allowed recipes in there that were from other chefs and cooks. This didn't go down very well with the regular purchasers of the book. They said it had now become less friendly and some of the most popular recipes had been removed completely.

So taking this on board, the creator released another version very recently, which reverts back to her own unique style. This was to celebrate a whole 75 years since the book was first introduced and all the favourite sections were brought back too. Joy of Cooking recipes can be followed quite easily yet again in this new version, which brought satisfaction to many people.

You can grab a copy of the book from your local book store or shop online at places such as Amazon or even buy a copy from EBay if someone wants to sell their own copy. Joy of Cooking really brings good old fashioned home cooked recipes to you in a very easy to follow manner. That is why it has become so popular and will continue to do so in the future.

New Ideas For Chocolate Cake Recipes

There's very little in life that has the potential for happiness that chocolate cake recipes do! Just reading them over and, better yet, looking at a photo can start a person drooling. Oh, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

Chocolate cake recipes are not all equal; some can be dry and some can be flavorless. But some can be just right. If you have a basic recipe that calls for milk or water, substitute some coffee to perk up the flavor (pun intended!)? Try using some of the new extra dark cocoa powders, to make your chocolate cake recipes more intense. Sour cream is always a good addition to chocolate cake recipes, too, making a cake so moist that it doesn't even need frosting -- you can just dust it with confectioners' sugar, which makes for a beautiful presentation.

Probably the most famous of all the chocolate cake recipes is the Brooklyn "Blackout Cake," which is frosted with a pudding-like fudge icing and then coated with chocolate cake crumbs. Those who've eaten it can be transported to Nirvana simply thinking about it! After all, you don't name a cake after the darkness unless it's particularly deep and rich and delicious!

Arguments about supposedly authentic recipes continue to this day. But even without the exact details, you can take the best ideas from the various chocolate cake recipes and make a "Blackout Cake" of your very own. If I were going to make one, I'd bake it in a 10" springform pan, rather than in 2 8" layers. And while the cake was baking, I'd bring out my jar of Chocolate Pie Filling and Dessert Mix to help me to make the perfect frosting.

Makes the best product I've found in all my years of cooking and baking; it's even low in fat and comes in a jar for freshness -- it's hard to beat that! So I'd mix up the recipe provided, but substitute coffee for the milk and use a bit less liquid than the provided recipe calls for to make the pudding thicker. Then, once the cake had cooled, I'd spread it lovingly with my pudding/frosting, and then sprinkle chocolate cookie crumbs on top ... sigh. I'd better go start baking -- if I may say so myself, this sounds like it has the potential to be one of the best chocolate cake recipes around!

Leftover Holiday Turkey Recipes

If you're looking for ways to use up your holiday turkey, look no further! Here are some easy ways to dress up and re-use cooked turkey. These recipes are great following the holidays, or any
time you have any leftover turkey you want to use up.

Turkey Noodle Dinner

2 to 2 1/2 c. uncooked extra wide egg noodles
1 1/2 to 2 c. cooked turkey, cut into chunks
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 t. dried parsley
1/2 t. curry powder
1/4 t. thyme
any leftover cooked vegetable
salt and pepper to taste

Cook and drain noodles in 3 qt. pan with lid. Add rest of ingredients to same pan and cover. Cook on medium-high heat until warmed all the way through, stirring occasionally so that it doesn't scorch.

Hearty Turkey Pot Pie

Pillsbury All-Ready pie crust
3 T. margarine
1/2 c. diced peeled potato
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. sliced celery
1/2 c. sliced carrots
1/4 c. frozen peas
1 can cream of chicken soup
dash pepper
1/4 t. sage
1/4 t. rosemary
1 1/2 c. chopped turkey
1/2 c. grated cheese

Melt margarine in skillet. Saute vegetables 5 minutes. Add soup, spices and cheese. Pour into pie crust and top with upper crust. Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and
bake an additional 40 minutes.

Turkey Enchiladas

4 c. cubed turkey
1 onion, chopped
2 small cans tomato sauce
2 cans green chilies
1 can cream of chicken soup
6 flour tortillas
1 1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese

Mix cubed turkey, chopped onion, tomato sauce, and green chilies together and pour onto flour tortillas. Fold and roll tortillas and place in greased 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Heat soup and sour
cream. Pour over tortillas and sprinkle cheese over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Making a Smooth White Sauce - The Basis of Many Recipes

White sauce is the basis of hundreds of casseroles, soups, vegetable, and meat sauces. When you know how to make a white sauce, you know how to make veloute sauce, cheese sauce, onion sauce, curry sauce, and others. You can buy white sauce packets and, while some are good, others taste artificial.

Nothing tastes as good as homemade sauce. I've been cooking for decades, but sometimes my sauce is lumpy because I am not paying close attention to what I am doing. Follow these tips and you will have a smooth white sauce every time.

1. Use a heavy-bottomed pan. This tip comes from the Epicurious website. Like most recipes, the recipe for white sauce on the website starts with butter.

2. Warm milk beforehand. This tip also comes from the Epicurious website. However, you can make a smooth sauce with cold milk if you are careful.

3. Stir/whisk the sauce constantly. According to the cooks.com website, you should stir the sauce constantly until it boils. Reduce the heat and cook a bit more, whisking constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thick.

4. Watch for sticking. Sometimes the flour in the sauce sticks to the bottom rim of the pan. You can feel this with the spoon or whisk when it starts to happen. To prevent lumping, remove the sauce from the heat, and scrape the bottom rim with a heat-proof spatula.

5. Use granular flour. I can make white sauce with regular flour, but prefer to use granuar (gravy) flour because it is less apt to lump.

Most white sauce recipes call for regular or evaporated milk. My husband and I eat a low fat diet, so I use skim milk. I also use a butter-margarine blend to make the roux. Here is my recipe for white sauce.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon butter-margarine blend

1 1/2 tablespoons gravy flour

dash low-sodium salt

1 cup skim milk

METHOD

Melt butter-margarine blend in a small saucepan. If you have a glass stove top, make sure the saucepan has a flat bottom and fits the burner. Whisk in gravy flour and salt. Cook roux for a few seconds. Add milk, whisking constantly, and cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens.

You can change the flavor of your sauce by adding:

* freshly grated nutmeg (nice with creamed spinach)

* onion powder

* garlic powder (I do this if I'm making Alfredo sauce.)

* light cream cheese (about 2 tablespoons)

* Parmesan cheese (2-3 tablespoons)

* Cheddar cheese (1/3 cup)

* fresh lemon juice (about 1 tablespoon)

* chicken or fish stock instead of milk (Veloute sauce)

After you have made white sauce a dozen times or so you will know the recipe by heart. I hope you make it often and invent new and delicious dishes for your family.

Copyright 2008 by Harriet Hodgson

How to Make Beef Jerky in the Oven Using the Best Beef Jerky Recipes

Jerky recipes are delicious and unique recipes which make great meals. Jim's oven jerky, marinated beef jerky and microwave jerky are 3 recipes that greatly resemble the great jerky meals.

Here are those 3 recipes so you can prepare a jerky meal today:

1. Jim's Oven Jerky

Ingredients:

- 1 lb Steak or roast
- 5 tb Soy sauce
- 3 tb Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tb Brown sugar
- 1 ts Paprika
- 1/2 ts Pepper
- 1/2 ts Garlic powder
- 1/2 ts Onion powder

Directions:

- Trim ALL the fat off the meat and slice into 1/4" thick strips.
- Mix other ingredients together.
- Marinate meat overnight in the mixture.
- Line cookie sheets with foil and arrange meat on it in a single layer.
- Dry for 8 or more hours at 200 deg F, turning every 2 hours.
- Cool and store in a tightly covered jar or sealed in a plastic bag.
- Other marinade ingredients [ optional]: 1/2 ts or more hot pepper sauce/1/4 ts cayenne/1 ts chili powder 1 tb or more liquid smoke 1 tb parsley flakes 1/2 ts ginger 1/2 ts allspice

2. Marinated Beef Jerky

Ingredients:

- 1 lb Beef; your choice; if not tender cut; slice paper thin; tender cut slice 1/8 to 1/4" thick
- 1/2 ts Pepper
- 1 ts Onion powder
- 1/2 ts Garlic salt
- 3 tb Soy sauce +1 teaspoon; can use light
- 5 tb Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

- Trim all fat off the beef.
- Mix other ingredients together.
- Marinate meat overnight in the mixture.
- Remove from marinade and pat meat between towels.
- Line cookie sheet with foil and arrange meat on it in a single layer.
- Dry for 8 or more hours at 200~, turning after 6 hours.
- Cool and store in a tightly covered jar or sealed in plastic bag.

3. Microwave Jerky

Ingredients:

- 1/2 lb Trimmed venison
- 1/4 ts Salt
- 1/3 ts Garlic Powder
- 1 ts Accent
- 1/4 ts Black Pepper
- 1/4 c Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 c Soy Sauce
- 1/4 c Water
- 6 Drops Liquid Smoke

Directions:

- Cut meat into 1/8" thick strips, which is easier if it is slightly frozen.
- Combine ingredients, and place with meat in refrigerator overnight to marinate.
- Then place the meat strips in a microwave roasting rack.
- Set the microwave on high for 4 to 6 minutes.
- After 4 minutes add time in 30 second increments.
- The idea is to have a dried jerky, which means a color change from brown to dark brown, and a consistency in the meat that has changed from supple to leathery in it's texture.

That's it!

Fresh Pumpkin Recipes: 5 Great Ways to Use Fresh Pumpkin

It's autumn, and veggie shops are overflowing with beautiful golden pumpkins. Pumpkin is a highly nutritious vegetable, rich in antioxidants, fiber and vitamins, so it's a great way to add goodness to fall menus.

You can substitute canned pumpkin in any recipe using pumpkin puree, but you'll get a better flavour if you cook fresh pumpkin yourself. For the best flavour, slice and seed fresh pumpkin and roast in a medium oven for 30-40 minutes until tender. When cool enough to handle, remove skin and mash or blend the flesh. Alternatively, peel and seed raw pumpkin, cut into chunks, place in a large pan with the minimum of water and simmer until tender. Drain thoroughly and mash, blend or process to a puree.

Here are 5 ideas for using fresh pumpkin.

Pumpkin soup Pumpkin makes wonderful soup. Cook cubes of fresh pumpkin in vegetable stock, adding other vegetables such as onion, leek, potato, carrot or turnip if you wish. When the vegetables are tender, puree in a blender or food processor. For extra savour, add spices like cinnamon or nutmeg. Ground or grated fresh ginger also work well.




Pumpkin cakes Add up to 175ml (1 cup) pureed pumpkin to teabread recipes, for moistness. Always use spice with pumpkin, because its natural flavour is very mild. Traditional choice is a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice.




Pumpkin pies Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without a pumpkin pie. The simplest way to make one is to use bake a pastry case or pie crust (or buy a good quality ready-made one). For enough filling for two 9-inch (20cm) pie crusts, mix 450 ml (2 ½ cups) pumpkin puree, fresh or canned, with 5 fl oz low-fat evaporated milk, three beaten eggs and 1 ½ tsp cinnamon, ¾ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp each nutmeg and allspice (but check before adding spices, as some canned pumpkin comes ready-spiced). Bake for 15 mins at 425F/220C/gas 7, lower the temperature to 350F/180C/gas 4 for another 40 minutes.




Pumpkin pancakes Great for breakfast, these are whizzed up in minutes. Substitute 90ml (1/2 cup) pumpkin puree for the same quantity of milk in your favourite pancake recipe and cook in a hot pan, pouring just enough batter to make small pancakes.




Pumpkin in savoury dishes Try cubed pumpkin, browned with onion and garlic, then simmered in a tomato sauce with a dash of chilli. Great with pasta or rice. Or use pumpkin in risotto. Finely chop and soften 4 shallots or one onion in a little olive oil. Stir in 250g ( 1 ½ cups) risotto rice, 500g (3 cups) grated fresh pumpkin (use a food processor to do the grating), then gradually add 850ml (5 cups) hot vegetable stock, making sure each addition has been absorbed into the rice before you add the next. When rice and pumpkin are tender, stir through a generous grating of Parmesan cheese, and leave to stand, covered for 10 minutes to allow the rice to swell.

Pumpkin is only in season for a couple of months, so make the most of it this year in these fresh pumpkin recipes.

Tender Quick Corned Beef Recipes

In order for you to make tender quick corned beef, you have to have the tender quick curing seasoning from Morton. It is a blend of different ingredients: salt, sugar, and other preservatives that help with the curing process.

To make truly delicious quick corned beef there are a few things to do:

1. When using tender quick, your corned beef will be extremely juicy and full of great flavor.

2. Tender quick, unlike regular salt, doesn't dry out the meat, and is able to really get down into the meat fibers to help make your meat tender and flavorful.

3. When you make tender quick corned beef with tender quick, the seasoning is evenly spaced throughout the meat, so that you don't have under cured or over cured parts of the corned beef.

Making very appetizing corned beef is easy with a few tips:

1. Make sure that your beef is fresh , cool, and not frozen.

2. Make the pickling spice, by mixing two pounds curing spice per each gallon of water. The tender quick must be stirring until it has thoroughly dissolved.

3. After the mixture has been boiled, and enough time has passed for it to cool, get a container for curing the meat.

4. Place the meat into the container and add the right amount of curing spice to cover the meat completely. you may have to use a weight so that all of the meat is in the spices.

5. When 5 or 6 days have passed, reposition the corned beef so that the bottom pieces are now on top, and the top pieces are now on bottom. you can then add the weight to the meat again and pour the spices back over it.

6. Guidelines that tell how long to cure are at the rate of 2 days for each pound of beef. If you have a 7 pound brisket, it would take 14 days, or two weeks for the cure to be complete.

This recipe takes less time, and is just as delicious:

1. Take the appropriate amount of water and pickle spice, and bring it to a good boil.

2. All the mixture to cool and put it in your refrigerator.

3. For tender quick corned beef, be sure to sprinkle all parts of the meat with the tender quick, to allow curing and juiciness.

4. Cover the beef and let it stay in fridge for 2 hours.

5. Take the water and spices, and put them in the bowl with the meat.

6. Weigh down the meat so that the spices cover every inch of meat. Cover meat and let remain in refrigerator overnight, or at least 8 hours.

7. When finished, drain spice from meat and rinse thoroughly. Now you can cook the meat however you want, and it will be tender and terrific.