Martha A. Cheves's Blog, page 65

Maple Oatmeal Hazelnut Shortbread

This is a recipe worth checking out.  It was sent to me by an author friend Bev Irwin who wrote Without Consent (great mystery).  It's simple and sooooo good.  Go to my site Martha's Recipe Cabinet to find the rull recipe.

Secrets of Fat-Free Cooking

Adopt a Cookbook has a new addition.  This not so vintage, copyright 1995, cookbook Secrets of Fat-Free Cooking by Sandra Woodruff, RD has been added to the store.  Most of the recipes have less than 1 gram of fat per serving.  It's like new and is priced at $3.00 plus postage.

Junior Cook Book for the Hostess & Host of Tomorrow

ADOPT A COOKBOOK has a new addition.
This cookbook is perfect for the youngsters who want to learn to cook.
And it's priced at only $2.00 plus postage. 

Chicken, Wild Rice & Sausage Casserole

This might not sound appealing but I promise you the blend of flavors made it something that had my food testers asking for seconds.  But, you'll have to wait for the recipe.  This delicious dish has just been added to the Think With Your Taste Buds - Chicken manuscript which will be out later this year.  Until then make sure you order your copy of Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef, Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts and Stir, Laugh, Repeat. 

Kitchen Tidbits

When greasing a pan, cover your hand with a plastic sandwich bag before handling the grease or butter.  When finished, throw the bag away.



Ring-pull lids can be difficult to remove, especially if you have arthritis.  Slip the handle of a spoon through the ring and with the bowl of the spoon, push the lid away from you.  Off it comes.

Dressing up ice cream by melting milk chocolate chips in the microwave, add a little milk and light corn syrup and heat for 5 seconds.  Stir and drizzle over your favorite ice cream.

If a recipe calls for browned ground meat, get out the potato masher.  Mash the meat as it cooks twisting the potato masher around the pan.  Meat crumbles without chunks.

Instead of mixing mayonnaise and mustard with your yolks when making deviled eggs, mix the yokes with bacon ranch dressing.  It gives your eggs a great taste.

To crush strawberries for a recipe and still have pulp and juice, remove the stems, place the berries in a large bowl, chop them with a pastry cutter.  This allows you to chop them as fine as you want with very little cleanup.

Better Homes and Gardens Pies and Cakes

Just listed on The Cook's Best Friend - Better Homes and Gardens Pies and Cakes.  Copyright 1966.  This is a 1st Ed 10th print dating 1973.  Priced at $2.00 plus postage.  This is a great cake and pie book and needs to be adopted.

Apples

'An apple a day keeps the doctor away' is a phrase that has been around for years.  But... with all the many varieties out there, which one do you choose?  Maybe this will help.

According to the U.S. Apple Association, these are the top 10 varieties of applies produced in this country.

1.  Red Delicious - full flavored, sweet taste and crisp texture.  Best for fresh eating and snacks.
2.  Golden Delicious - Smooth, sweet taste and tender texture.  Best for eating raw; cutting up in salads; and making applesauce, cider, pies or other desserts.
3.  Gala - Crisp and snapp with mellow sweetness.  Best for fresh eating or in salads and sauces.
4.  Fuji - Sweet-tart flavor; stays crisp for weeks.  Good all-purpose apple that's best for fresh eating, salads and applesauce.
5.  Granny Smith - Crisp with sour apple flavor.  Good all-purpose apple.
6.  McIntosh - Juicy with lightly tart flavor and fresh apple aroma.  Excellent in applesauce, civer and salad or for fresh eating.  Also used for pies.
7.  Rome - Mild, sweet flavor and firm texture.  Most popular for baking.
8.  Ida Red - Tangy-tart flavor.  Favored for sauces, pies and desserts.
9.  Jonathan - Juicy flavor with a spicy tang and tender texture.  Use for fresh eating and cooking.
10. Empire - Sweet-tart taste and extra crisp.  Use for fresh-cut slices, candy and caramel apples, and baking.  Excellent lunch-box snack.

When Your Recipe Calls for

Many times I've wondered just how much I needed to use dry when a recipe called for a certain amount of cooked.  Now I know and can share it with any of you who have the same question unanswered.

When Your Recipe Calls for:       You'll need about:
2 cups cooked noodles                      2 cups uncooked noodles
2 cups cooked macaroni                    1 cup uncooked macaroni
4 cups cooked spaghetti                     8 oz. uncooked spaghetti
4 cups cooked rice                             1 cup regular rice or
                                                               4 cups quick-cooking rice
1 cup grated process or                      4 oz. cheese
    American cheese

Crab Chatter

Another book looking for adoption in a kitchen that loves crab.  Crab Chatter was copyright 1964 with this copy being a 4th edition dating 1985.  It's in like new condition and priced at $2.50 plus postage.  If you love crab, you'll not want to miss out on this one.

Chicken with Roasted Garlic Rice

The original recipe called for wild rice.  While looking around in my pantry I spotted a box of Uncle Ben's wild rice with garlic and olive oil and decided this might just work.  I was right!  It also called for sherry which I didn't have so I used chicken broth.  That worked too.  Then it called for fresh mushrooms which I was out of so I used canned mushrooms.  It had one more ingredient that I left out completely - green beans.  I just decided not to add them.  It all worked out perfectly because I simply decided to Think With My Taste Buds

Wait until you try this recipe. Boy did it turn out good! But you'll have to wait until Think With Your Taste Buds - Chicken comes out later this year. Until then don't forget to order your copy of Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts and Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef. And why not check out Stir, Laugh, Repeat too.