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Say Hello to Jell-O
Setting up A Recipe File
A recipe file is a must for every new kitchen, and especially for a young lady who is setting up her kitchen for the first time.
Whether a newlywed or a young girl in her first apartment, they will appreciate this as a housewarming gift. A mother-in-law can make sure her son has all of his favorite foods prepared like at home; this may keep him out of your kitchen for a while too!
There are many ways to set up a recipe file, an index card or notebooks are two ideas. Another great idea is one of the recipe files you can purchase through the internet, the kind that sends out a new set of cards each month.
An index card file is one common way, and can be set up either alphabetically or by topic, (casseroles, desserts, breads etc.). This is up to your discretion, but a topic is usually the easiest for her if she is unfamiliar with cooking!
Be sure to provide plenty of extra index cards, they can be color coded for the favorite recipes or plain white cards; this again is up to you.
A notebook is the most common way to set up a recipe file, and leaves plenty of room to add recipes as she learns more about cooking. Pages can be added from magazines too, if she happens to find something she would like to try in a magazine.
You can include a category on meals, which could include cards with entire meals, on them, with the individual receipts listed separately.
Another category could include basic cooking facts, measurements, cooking times, kitchen tips are always helpful.
I remember one of the things that I didnt know was how long to cook a turkey, now they just have the little pop up to let you know, but in my time they didnt have those!
There are so many little hints you can give someone, to you they are standard, to her they may make the difference between a great meal, and a total disaster!
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Tender Ribs
One of the favorite foods at most cook outs are ribs and tenderness is a major part of the enjoyment!
No one likes to bite into a rib and have to chew and chew just to get it off the bone, this recipe works for either pork or beef ribs, and everyone will want to know how you made them so tender.
To make ribs that are fall of the bone tender, boil them first in beer, or if you have a problem cooking with alcohol, use water with a couple of teaspoons of yeast, the yeast breaks down the meat, causing the tenderness.
I found out about this secret when I had ribs at a friends cookout one year, they were by far the best ribs I had ever eaten, I asked her the secret and she told me to boil them in beer first.
Cooking in alcohol removes the alcoholic content, but some people still have a problem with the idea of using alcohol to cook with, so yeast works just as well. (It is after all the yeast in the beer that does the trick!)
Boil the ribs in the beer or yeast water for about two hours, then place in a baking pan, cover with bar-b-que sauce and refrigerate until ready for use.
You can also prepare these in the oven or even in an electric skillet. In the oven, broil them approximately 10 minutes, coating with sauce and turning after 5 minutes, since they are already cooked, it is just a process of flavoring them with the sauce.
To cook in an electric skillet, turn the skillet to simmer, put ribs in pan and cover, do not open the vent, this allows them to cook in their own steam.
Cook for a couple of hours turning after the first hour, coat with sauce after you turn them. |
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Planning Food for a Party
The foods you choose for your party will be decided by several considerations:
*What kind of party is it, a childs birthday, graduation, anniversary or many other celebrations?
*What time of year it is, can you get the kinds of foods you are planning?
*The number of people you will be inviting.
*Your budget.
*The kinds of food your guests enjoy.
*The theme of the party.
These are just a few of the things you will need to think about when planning your party.
A childs party can be simple or elaborate; they usually dont care as long as they have a lot of fun.
Cakes, cupcakes, pizza or any other favorite food is a possibility, making sure you have enough is the main consideration.
A graduation party for a teen can be a little more complicated when it comes to food, but again pizza is a pretty safe choice.
Poor-boy or submarine sandwiches (depending on where you live) are another hit for teens, this could also involve the ingredients for them to make their own sandwiches, a little messier, but a lot more fun for them.
An anniversary party will be planned around the couple who are celebrating their anniversary.
Usually catered, they can also be a pot-luck; each person invited brings their favorite dish. The holidays are a great time for a party, but remember that most people will be tired of turkey and maybe even ham.
Seafoods are a good alternative if you can get them in your area, always have something else available for those who cant eat seafood.
Ive heard it said that a party is only as good as the food, plan to provide a good selection to meet the tastes of those present.
Related Topics: Planning Food for a Party,
Setting-Cleaning Up Your Kitchen, Childrens Recipes
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