|
|
Tender Ribs
Setting the Table for Romance
Men and women have used food to aid in romance since the beginning of time; of course a caveman set his rock a little differently than a modern man would set the table!
This is something that women seem to know instinctively, while for men it can be a major problem.
A romantic meal can be any type of meal, from a picnic on the beach, (watch out for the sand) to a candle light dinner at home, choose wisely, it can set the tone for the entire relationship!
Perhaps your partner likes to be out doors? If so the picnic can be a wonderful idea, if it is at the beach, plan a bonfire (make sure this is legal) in the evening when there are less people around, the beach can be very romantic on a moon lit night.
A picnic at a favorite spot in the country can also be very romantic, just be prepared for any contingency, remember the saying the best laid plans of mice and men.
The weather can be the biggest problem when it comes to picnics, have a backup plan in case of rain. Assuming the relationship has gone from dinner and a movie, to dinner at your house, how do I get ready for that?
Being able to cook is a really good beginning, even though there are many places that you can buy food, and take it home.
Whatever direction you take, make sure it is food that your partner would like to eat.
While hamburgers or fried chicken are great, they arent necessarily the most romantic of foods! However, atmosphere, including candlelight, music and real dishes (instead of paper plates) can make any meal romantic.
Use your imagination, be aware of your partners likes and dislikes, make a plan, and be prepared to change that plan if necessary.
Your romantic dinner for two can be a great way to take the relationship to the next level.
See Also:
MySpace.com - wok - 22 - Male - BRICK, NEW JERSEY - www.myspace.com/wokwok1st
Skillet Meals From Home
Tomatoes Everywhere!
I have often been amazed at the number of tomatoes on one plant, and the number of plants a person will maintain at one time.
It seems that every person who plants tomatoes has to have at least 4 varieties, and to be safe two plants of each variety, at that minimum thats 8 tomato plants in a season!
So, just how many tomatoes come on a plant, all I know is that there are a lot.
One bushel or 45 pounds can make 26 to 34 pints of frozen tomatoes and 20 to 28 pints of frozen juice. Once you freeze tomatoes they become mushy, so they can only be used in soups, stews and spaghetti sauce.
My mom used to make breaded tomatoes that I loved, they were made with canned tomatoes, day old bread and sugar, I can still taste them!
The procedures for freezing different tomato products are:
*Raw tomatoes, after washing dip in boiling water to loosen skins, peel and core, freeze whole or in pieces, when packing containers, leave 1 inch of head room.
*Tomato juice, wash, sort and trim firm, vine-ripened tomatoes, cut in quarters and simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Press through sieve, season with 1 tsp salt for each quart of juice, pour into containers leaving 1 ½ inches head space, seal and freeze containers.
*Stewed (for breaded tomatoes), remove stem ends, peel and quarter ripe tomatoes. Cover and cook 10 to 20 minutes until tender. Place pan of tomatoes in cold water and cool, pack into containers leaving 1 inch head space, seal and freeze.
Tomato sauce, puree, catsup and chili sauces can be frozen. Prepare them as directed and cool rapidly, pack in rigid containers leaving head space and freeze.
There are hundreds of foods that can be prepared with fresh or frozen tomatoes, enjoy them year round. |
|
More articles:
Maui Luau Best Maui Luaus in Maui Best Luaus in Maui Hawaii Sunset ...
A Nice Morning
Cooking Holidays or Cooking Vacations / Culinary Tours or Cooking ...
Challenge: Join Me in a Spicy Chocolate Bunny Contest
Tender Trim Rib Eye Steak from The Tender Filet®
Luaus a Traditional Type of Party
Preparing More Than One Meal at a Time
Doubling up on a recipe is seldom a lot more work than just cooking one batch. It is also one of the best ways to get a meal on the table in a hurry is to pull it out of the freezer, let it thaw during the day, then reheat.
This provides a tasty meal in a hurry that you know your family enjoys because they have already eaten it once!
Some dishes are made to double up on and others arent, fried shrimp would not be a good choice for doubling up, but meatloaf would be.
Crock-pot meals, casseroles and chili are excellent choices for doubling up. When the second batch is cool enough, just seal in a moisture and air proof baggie and stick in the freezer.
Another hint with a casserole is to freeze it in the pan it will be cooked in, when frozen, remove and put in an air proof and moisture proof bag. When it is time to cook, return it to the pan, thaw and then reheat!
You may want to divide into single servings for storage; this provides quick meals for individuals.
Before freezing use a piece of masking tape to identify the type of food it is, the number of people it will feed and the date it was prepared.
Another method of doubling up, or cooking once to eat twice is to cook extra base foods, for instance you can brown extra hamburger, and freeze for later use in tacos, lasagna, soups or stews.
Freeze in the correct quantity for the meal you will cook with it later. Another great idea is to make soups or stews out of leftover meats, leftover roast makes excellent vegetable beef soup to freeze for a cold winter evening.
Left over barbecue ribs can be cut apart and used for an exceptional hot barbecue beef sandwich.
Left over chili can be added to macaroni and cheese to make chili-mac, a favorite of children.
Related Topics: Stir Frying,
Crock Pot Cooking, Fundraising Cookbooks
|