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Cooking With Teflon
Skillet Cookies?
OK, when someone says cookies, everyone automatically thinks of mixing, shaping, either by hand or with a cookie cutter, and finally baking, right?
Well, this is a delicious recipe for the top of the stove; this is not a recipe for children to make, and if they do, there needs to be close adult supervision. The recipe calls for:
*2 eggs
*¼ cup butter (not margarine)
*1 cup chopped dates
*¾ cup sugar, (I have used Splenda and they come out great)
*1 cup chopped nuts, your choice, my preference is pecans
*2 cups rice crispies
*Coconut (to roll them in)
In a large skillet over medium heat combine: Eggs, butter, dates and sugar, cook until it makes a ball (or clings together and pulls away from the side of the skillet).
Stir in nuts and rice crispies until thoroughly mixed, allow cooling for 10 minutes. Butter hands (keeps the mixture from sticking to your hands) and roll into 1 inch balls, roll in coconut and place on waxed paper, flatten with the palm of your hand or a fork.
Place in refrigerator and allow to cool completely.These are delicious cookies that everyone loves; the recipe can be adjusted for individual taste.
I was told that any type of fruit that is dehydrated like the dates, can be used, but havent tried this. If there is someone in your family who doesnt like nuts, make half the cookies before adding ½ cup of nuts to the balance and put them on a separate cookie sheet.
If a family member doesnt like coconut, do the same thing, make half of them without coconut and then add coconut to the balance of the recipe.
If you take these to a party, be sure to write down your recipe, because everyone will want it.
This is a great addition to a recipe file that you are setting up for a bride, they are excellent stovetop cookies.
See Also:
Cookware - Fry Pans - Restaurant Equipment and Supplies
Pressure Canning
The Cost of Coffee
Efficiency will save you lots of time in the kitchen, to accomplish this, learn to do more than one thing at a time. Increased preparation time before cooking is another way to become a faster cook.
Read your recipe before starting, this will save you many headaches, like getting a dish ready and finding out you need bat wings and you dont have any! Just kidding, I dont stock bat wings in my kitchen either, but you get the idea.
Get everything you will need together, follow the order they are used in the recipe, this allows you to be sure that you have everything you will need. Once you are sure you have everything, measure out the ingredients according to the recipe.
Organize all of your ingredients on one side of the work area, as you use something, move it to the other side, lessens confusion as to whether you used it or not.
Use the cutting board for all of your non-meat items first, this avoids cross contamination. If you have to prepare the meat first, wash the cutting board thoroughly before using it for any other food items.
Keeping a sink of hot soapy water will help cleanup later on, just drop used utensils in the water and allow them to soak.
Sometimes it is better to use your hands to mix something than it is to use a utensil; it also saves time washing up later. I for one loved making mud pies when I was a child, the only difference is the mud is now hamburger and the crushed leaves are now herbs.
Salads are always mixed more evenly if they are tossed with your hands. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly, inexpensive plastic gloves will help if you didnt like playing in the mud!
Coat measuring cups, spoons and molds with non-stick spray before putting anything sticky in them, the ingredients will slide right out. To prevent having to clean a burned on, sticky mess from your boiler pan, line the pan with foil and spray the rack with non-stick spray.
Re-sealable plastic is great for marinating and coating foods with flour or cornmeal.
Planning in advance can save you a lot of time in the kitchen opening up your evenings to spend more time with your family. |
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Preparing More Than One Meal at a Time
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: Cooking For Two,
Setting the Table for Romance, Breads For Every Taste
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