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Meal Planning
Say Hello to Jell-O
There are so many things you can do with jell-o, and a jell-o recipe to go with almost any food you cook.
First, here are a few tips about working with jell-o:
*To remove from a mold, allow it to set until firm, if possible several hours or overnight.
*Run a small moist knife around the edge or release edges from mold with moist fingers before removing from mold.
*Dip the mold in warm water for about ten seconds, only to the rim of the mold.
*Chill the plates or whatever it will be served on.
*Moisten gelatin and place a moist serving plate on top, turn upside down and shake slightly.
*Gently remove the mold leaving gelatin on plate.
There is an entire language involved with making jell-o, and it pays to know what it means. Chill till slightly thickened means to chill for about 1 hour, or until it is the consistency of unbeaten egg whites.
Chill till set but not yet firm means to chill about 2 hours, it should stick to your finger if you touch it and move from side to side when the mold is tipped.
Chill till firm takes about 3 hours for 2 to 4 cup molds or 4 hours for 5 to 6 cup molds, the jell-o wont stick to your finger and will not mound or move if the mold is tipped.
Here are a few ideas for different types of foods, with pork chops try a salad made with strawberry jell-o, apples, celery, cinnamon and chopped nuts.
If you are having steaks try a fruit mix made of fruit cocktail and a touch of lemon juice. Fried chicken could call for a salad made of fruit cocktail, orange jell-o and lemon juice.
With ham prepare a pineapple lime delight made with pineapple juice lime jell-o and a ¼ teaspoon of ginger.
Whatever you are having for dinner tonight, prepare a luscious jell-o desert or salad to go with it.
See Also:
Cooking & Recipes
Ice Cream the Old Way
Thanksgiving Day Feasts
Halloween is the start of the holiday seasons for many, but Thanksgiving is the beginning of the marathon cooking binges that many of us go on during the year.
This time can be one of two things, either an enjoyable family time, or a nightmare for one, you decide!
Thanksgiving and Christmas usually mean family get togethers, and lots of food, call a family conference in advance, include all of the cooks (men and women) that will be attending and decide on your menu.
After the menu is decided on, each family member chooses what they would like to bring. This allows each family to provide what they can afford without feeling like they must go into debt!
Of course, you can always bring more than you choose, a favorite pie (if it hasnt already been included in the menu), but this method guarantees that all of the basics are there.
Without any one person being responsible for everything, and without having 6 different green bean casseroles!
Different families have different basics for their holiday meals; some have turkey, while others prefer ham, some large families like both!
Many families have traditions that they follow year after year, these are important to continue generation to generation.
However some of the basics for a Thanksgiving feast are:
*Turkey and stuffing
*Honey glazed ham
*Green bean casserole
*Pies, pumpkin pie (remember the jack-o-lantern), mince meat, apple, pecan, the varieties are endless
*Mashed potatoes and gravy
*Corn on the cob
*Salads
*Cranberry sauce or whole cranberries
*Jell-O molds
*Fruit cake, (they arent all used as doorstops)
*Drinks, sodas, spiced drinks, milk, tea, again, the choices are endless
*Rolls and breads
*Cakes
There are as many different foods at a Thanksgiving dinner as there are types of people, enjoy and keep the traditions alive, maybe create a few new ones this year! |
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Outdoor Cooking
One of the most difficult things to learn about outdoor cooking is timing and heat control, this usually takes years of experience.
However, the beginner can use the counting method as a learning tool. After the briquettes have turned gray, (this is ash) then arrange the coals in the grill. Knock the gray off the briquettes,
it acts as insulation and the fire isnt as hot as it should be. Hold your hand over the coals at the same distance as the food you are going to cook, slowly count 1 barbecue 2 barbecue and so on, until you have to remove your hand, a count of three is medium heat.
To reduce the heat, remove some briquettes or cook the food further away from the coals, adding briquettes or moving the food closer to the fire will increase the heat.
Remember to tap the ash off the briquettes often to maintain your heat.
Other considerations in cooking your food are:
*Temperature:Cool temperatures and wind cool the food and slow cooking time.
*Humidity: charcoal absorbs moisture from the air and cooks slower on a damp day.
*Food temperature: colder food slows the cooking time.
Even the most experienced outdoor chef has to deal with flame-ups, as meat cooks the fats drip onto the coals causing flame ups.
To minimize this, trim as much fat off the meat as possible prior to cooking. A small spray bottle will help put these out, but dont drench the coals; it slows your cooking time, just spray enough to put out the flames.
Be sure to remove the meat before you spray the flames with water!
To get that great smoked taste, soak hickory wood chips in water, place the chips around the edges of the fire so they smoke rather than burn.
If they start to burn, remove them and soak again in water. If you like a heavy smoke flavor, reduce the heat and cook food longer, place the lid on the barbecue if it has one.
A little trick I learned about cleanup is to wad up aluminum foil and scrub the grill with it, this works great if you dont have the proper tools for cleaning.
Enjoy your barbecue along with friends and family, cookouts are fun for many occasions.
Related Topics: Refrigerator and Freezer-Approximate Storage Times,
Fried Rice is Nice, Vegetarian Lifestyle
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