Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Quick And Easy Snacks For Your Toddler

Your growing toddler needs to snack quite a few times a day in addition to eating regular meals with the rest of the family. Here are a few quick and easy snack ideas that you can put together in just a few minutes. You toddler will enjoy these yummy snacks.

Ham and Cheese Crackers
Cut up some pieces of ham and cheese and serve them with some crackers. If you want to make it fun, use a cookie cutter to cut fun shapes out of the cheese.

Fruit Dip
Caution, this can get a little messy!
Cut up some fruit in bite size chunks and serve with a small bowl of yogurt. Encourage your toddler to dip the fruit in the yogurt. This is an easy way to get your toddler to eat a serving of fruit, while also getting some extra calcium and protein in his/her diet from the yogurt.



Low Sugar Cereal
I always keep a box of low sugar cereal like cheerios in my pantry. They make a great snack with a little milk, or even just a bowl of dry cereal. Dry cereal also make a great take-along snack. Just throw a serving in a Ziploc bag and toss it in your purse.

Veggies and Dip
Keep some cut up veggies in the fridge. Small pieces of carrot, peeled cucumber, celery as well as small sections of broccoli and cauliflower all make great finger food for toddlers. Make sure the pieces are very small to prevent choking or steam them to soften them up. Serve with a little ranch dressing if desired.

Peanut Butter Sandwich
A PB&J has been a snack staple for ages. Mix things up by toping the peanut butter with some thin slices of apple or banana instead of the jelly. Or try smearing the peanut butter on a tortilla. Add jelly and roll it up. Cut the rolled up tortilla into strips for a fun new way to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Quick Cheese Quesadilla
Place a soft tortilla on a microwave safe plate. Top one half with cheese and fold the other half over it. Microwave 30-60 seconds or until the cheese is melted. Cut into wedges and let it cool a little before serving.

Quick Smoothie
Throw half a banana or some berries in a blender along with some vanilla yogurt and a splash of milk. Add a little ice if desired and blend until smooth. Serve in a sippy cup or with a straw for a quick fruit smoothie. Your toddler will love drinking a milkshake for a snack.

Give these fast, easy and healthy snack ideas for your toddler a try. By the way, these make great snacks for everyone else in the family as well including mom.

By: Christine Steendahl

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Monday, September 29, 2008

Some Simple Easy Wine Recipes

If you're into homemade wine, you know the importance of getting some good homemade wine recipes. Just throwing some fruit juice and a fermenting agent in a jar and letting it sit for awhile will get you nothing but nasty fruit juice. You can of course try your own mixtures if you're adventurous, and of course doing so is part of the fun of making your own wine, but especially if you are a beginner youll want to follow the easy wine recipes to the tee. Once you're a bit more experienced, you can start experimenting with different fruit mixes and sugar levels, and who knows - you may even come up with some of your own homemade wine recipes over time! But to get you started, here are some basic recipes you can try.

Mulled wines are a great alternative to hot cocoas, ciders, and other such drinks. They are very easy to make, and once you get the hang of it, you can come up with your own mulled wine recipes. Usually you just take one regular bottle of any red wine and put it into a large stewing pot.

Add a quarter cup of brandy, about 10 cloves, 2/3 cup of sugar, some whole cinnamon sticks, and about a teaspoon of ginger or allspice. Let it simmer over very low heat, stirring it occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. You can experiment with this type of easy wine recipe by adding some favorite pureed fruit or fruit juice, or by using honey instead of sugar as a sweetener. By using different types of red wines, you'll also be able to get either stronger or mellower flavors.

Apple wine is also a favorite for homemade wines, and while these easy wine recipes are a bit longer, they yield a very good product. Your wine mix is merely 2 containers of frozen apple juice (thawed) and 4 cups of sugar, more or less to taste, with about 2-1/2 quarts of water. As with most easy wine recipes, you boil the sugar in about a quart of the water until it is dissolved, and add this to the apple juice. Add about 6 teaspoons of acid blend, a campden tablet, a quarter teaspoon of grape tannin, a half teaspoon of pectic enzyme, and a package of wine yeast. You then prepare it as you would any other wine. Since this is one of the most basic homemade wine recipes there is, you can experiment with it by mixing the apple juice with other fruit juices. Half apple juice and half grape juice is good; cherry or blackberry juice works well too.

You can also adjust this homemade wine recipe by eliminating the apple altogether and using half grape juice and half grapefruit juice.

The important thing to remember when mixing up the fruits that you use in your homemade wine recipes is that you don't want to use all tart fruits or all sweet fruits. A good way to remember this is to think of the colors of the fruit, and use two from different colors. For instance, grape and apple, banana and cherry, and so on. These types of mixtures usually make the best easy wine recipes for homemade wines.

By: Alyssa Nair

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Sunday, September 28, 2008

Easy Vegetarian Recipes Fast Delicious & Easy!

Easy vegetarian recipes. Millions of vegetarians are eager to find delicious and easy vegetarian recipes. Vegetarians, like other Americans are busy. With work, kids and extracurricular activities, having adequate time to prepare meals is difficult Thats why finding easy vegetarian recipes is of paramount importance. This article will provide you with a few delicious options. Note, these recipes assume that you eat dairy products.

Easy Vegetarian Recipes

Cinnamon-Sugar Tortilla Crisps

5 Tortillas

2 Tbs butter

Sugar and Cinnamon to taste

2TBS oil

Butter both sides of each tortilla. Sprinkle both sides of the buttered tortilla with sugar and cinnamon. In the meantime, heat pan to medium. Fry tortillas for about 1 minute on each side. Make sure not too overcook. Your tortillas should puff up when they are ready to be turned over.



Bean Burritos

Package of tortillas

2 C of cheese

1 Can of rotel

1 Can kidney beans

1 Can navy beans

1 Package of enchilada seasoning

? C of water

Mix navy and kidney beans, rotel and enchilada seasoning. ? cup of cheese and water. Bring to a simmer. Fill and roll tortillas with mixture. Top with remaining cheese. Cover for 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Easy Blueberry Pie

1 Package of ready made graham cracker crust

1 Can blueberry pie filling

2 Tbs cream cheese

1 tub whipped cream

Let whipped cream and cream cheese soften. Spread cream cheese along the bottom of the graham cracker crust. This should only be a thin layer. Add blueberry pie filling. Top the pie with softened, whipped cream. Loosely cover and let sit in fridge for 1-3 hours.

By Roxanne Manning

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Low Carb Chicken Recipes Made Easy

Do you have an interest in cooking? Or, are you interested for some of the low carb chicken recipes? If so, then you have found the right page for your need. Why? Obviously, it is for the main reason that in this article you will find two of the favorite low carb chicken recipes that you can add to your low carb chicken recipe collection. It is also interesting to know that these provided low carb chicken recipes are taken from the most trusted resources on low carb chicken recipes. So read on for your great advantage.

So here is one of the great low carb chicken recipes that will give you a sense of satisfaction before and after preparing it. Well, this low carb chicken recipe is named as Crunchy Pecan Chicken. Generally, this low carb chicken recipe is a skillet chicken recipe that has a coating of ground pecans and Parmesan cheese. This is basically composed of one cup of ground pecans, ? cup of grated parmesan cheese, ? teaspoon of garlic salt, ? teaspoon of dried leaf basil that is crumbled, lemon juice for dipping, 4 boneless chicken breast halves that are also pounded to make flat and even in thickness, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.



In terms of the procedures involved in this low carb chicken recipe, all you need to do is to combine the pecans, cheese, garlic salt and basil in a huge low dish. Then put the lemon juice in another low dish; dip the chicken in juice and then coat with pecan mixture. After that, you heat oil until moderately hot, and then add the chicken. The average period for each piece of chicken to be cooked is 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden. As simple as that!

The other notable low carb chicken recipe is what is known as Smacking Wings. Accordingly, this low carb chicken recipe is about wings that are tangy and sweet version of Buffalo wings. This is basically composed of 16 chicken wings, ? cup of salad oil, ? cup of balsamic vinegar, ? cup of honey, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of cane syrup or dark corn syrup, 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce, ? teaspoon of red pepper flakes, ? teaspoon of dried thyme, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, ? Worcestershire sauce, ? teaspoon cayenne, and ? teaspoon of ground nutmeg. The directions for this low carb chicken recipe are just so simple and brief. You just need to cut off and discard the bony wing tips, and cut the remaining wings in half. Then in a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients and blend well. Marinate the wings in this mixture for one hour in the refrigerator and then grill in a medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

By: Sarah Williams

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Quick Chicken Recipes

These quick chicken recipes are easy, quick and delicious. Just check these out and I'm sure you'll be amazingly surprised.

So put your hat on and get ready for some easy quick chicken recipes:

>> Quick and Tasty Chicken Soup

1 1/2 c Chicken; cooked diced.

1/4 c Celery; diced fine

1 1/2 c Chicken broth;

1/2 ts Thyme;

1 c Water

1/2 tb Arrowroot;

2 tb Onion; chopped fine

1 tb Water;

Simmer first seven ingredients for about 10 minutes. Make paste of
arrowroot and 1 tb water, add to soup. Cook until clear and smooth.

Here's another quick chicken recipe that I had the pleasure to learn from one of my best friend. This is delicious.

>> Quick Chicken Piccata

4 Boneless chicken breast halves, skinned Salt and freshly ground pepper



2 tb Butter

1 t Vegetable oil

1/2 c Chicken broth

1/4 c Vermouth

2 tb Fresh lemon juice

1 tb Capers, drained, rinsed Lemon slices

Pat chicken dry. Season with salt and pepper. Melt butter with oil in
heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until
springy to touch, 4 minutes per side. Remove from skillet; keep warm.

Increase heat to high. Stir broth and vermouth into skillet. Boil until reduced by half, scraping up any browned bits. Remove from heat. Mix in lemon juice and capers. Place chicken on plates and pour sauce over. Garnish chicken with lemon slices.

Simmer first seven ingredients for about 10 minutes. Make paste of
arrowroot and 1 tb water, add to soup. Cook until clear and smooth.

By Nathalie Sanders

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Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes One Recipe Many Variations

There are so many Christmas cookie recipes around but often so little time to bake during the busy holiday season.

The solution? A great tasting basic cookie recipe that quickly and easily turns into such a variety of easy to make Christmas treats, friends and family will think you poured over all your favorite Christmas cookie recipes.

Let's start with the basics.

Basic Cookie Dough Recipe

1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter (or margarine) at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the flour. Beat with an electric mixer, scraping the sides of the bowl several times, until the mixture is light and fluffy. With mixer at a low speed, add the flour gradually, beating just until everything is well blended.



Place the mixture on a baking sheet using a tablespoon measure and press down with a spoon to flatten a bit. Or roll our and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Bake at 350?F for about 12 to 15 minutes, until golden.

This basic cookie mixture is also the base for the following cookie recipes (all baked in a preheated oven at 350?F).

Orange Cookies

(Makes about 32)

Add 1 tablespoon of grated orange zest to the recipe. Shape into a log that is about 1 1/2 in diameter and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Slice dough into 1/4 thick slices. Place on cookie sheet. Cookies can be decorated with candies, rolled in colored sugar, or cut into pretty holiday shapes before baking. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Cherry Coconut Chocolate Squares

(Makes about 54 squares)

In addition to the basic dough you will need:

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups flaked coconut
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, well drained and coarsely chopped

Line a 13x9 baking pan with foil.

Stir cocoa powder into basic dough mixture. Press evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust looks dry.

In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, almond extract and baking powder until well blended. Stir in coconut and cherries. Pour over the baked crust.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until top just begins to brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Lift it out on to a cutting board using the foil ends and cut into 1 1/2 squares. Squares can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Coconut Pineapple Cookies

(Makes about 36)

In addition to the basic dough you will need:

1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup pineapple preserves (use raspberry or apricot if you prefer)

Add 1 cup of the flaked coconut to the basic dough mixture and mix well. Shape the dough into 1 1/2 balls and roll in the remaining coconut to coat them. Place the balls 1 apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie with your fingertip.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookie is firm and the coconut is lightly toasted. When cooled, fill each hole in the center of the cookies with the preserves.

You can vary this basic dough to make a wide variety of Christmas cookie recipes. Add other flavorings like maple, ginger or cinnamon. Add chopped dried fruits like apricots or dates. Or bake them plain in holiday shapes and decorate with colored icing.

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. Here's hoping these quick and easy Christmas cookie recipes help keep the pressure off the cook.

By: Karen Ciancio

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Easy Ground Beef Recipes That Are Healthy And Delicious

Looking for some healthy and easy ground beef recipes that do not require a lot of time to make? Below are 3 delicious ground beef recipes that are filling and real crowd pleasers.

Just because you are cooking with ground beef, does not mean it has to be unhealthy. Most of the ground beef you find in supermarkets today is loaded with fat, cholesterol and hormones, but more and more supermarkets are starting to provide healthy organic meats to consumers, so hopefully you should be able to find healthy ground beef in your area.

To make the following recipes even healthier try and use all organic and low sodium ingredients.

If you happen to live near a Trader Joe's, by all means shop there. The prices are fantastic and they carry a variety of healthy organic meats and other fine products.

THE RECIPES:

EASY SALISBURY STEAK RECIPE



Here is a little tip to keep in mind as you are making this delicious ground beef recipe. There is a chance that your ground beef steaks can fall apart while cooking. To prevent this from happening, form your steak patties and put them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so before you start cooking. This will help hold your steaks stay together.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 egg
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove chopped
1 tablespoon montreal steak seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 small package of freshly sliced portobello mushrooms or by them whole and slice yourself
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups beef stock

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine the ground beef, egg, garlic, onion, steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands. From the mixture, make steak shaped patties that are about 2 inches thick.

2 Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef patties and cook about 4 minutes per side until the outside of the steaks are nicely browned and the juices run clear. Remove the steaks and cover with foil to keep them warm.

3 Add the rest of the olive oil along with the butter to the same pan. Add your mushrooms and then cook over medium heat until they are tender. Approximately 5 minutes. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add the flour to the mushrooms, mix and cook for about 2 minutes. Slowly add in your beef stock. Stir and cook until your sauce has thickened.

5. Pour gravy over steaks and serve.

EASY ITALIAN STYLE MEATLOAF RECIPE

I grew up in an Italian Family and I cannot think of a better way to cook meatloaf. Enjoy this delicious ground beef recipe using fresh italian herbs and garlic.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 eggs
1 7 ounce jar roasted red peppers chopped
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 cup of bread crumbs
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 cups of prepared tomato sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Heat a medium sized saute pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add your onion and garlic and saute until soft. Remove and set it aside on a plate to cool.

3. Grab yourself a large mixing bowl.

4. Add the cooled onions and garlic along with the the rest of your ingredients, except the tomato sauce, and combine. Mix together well with your hands and form into a loaf and add it to an oiled oven safe tray. Top the loaf with 1 cup of the prepared tomato sauce. Make certain that you spread the tomato sauce evenly over the top of the loaf.

5. Bake for about 1 hour or when the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Slice it up and serve.

Heat the remaining tomato sauce if desired and use for dipping.

GREEK STYLE HAMBURGER RECIPE

For our last recipe why not make some delicious burgers? The preferred method for cooking these burgers is on the grill, but they will still be quite tasty if fried on the stovetop.

Greek Style Hamburger Ingredients:

1 pound of lean ground beef
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped greek olives
1 small red onion chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 package of hamburger rolls or pita bread


Hamburger Sauce Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) container low-fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves (more or less to suit your taste)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (more or less to suit your taste)
1 clove of garlic minced (add more or less to suit your taste)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1/2 cup peeled, seeded and finely diced cucumber

Sauce Directions:

Prepare the sauce for your burgers first and put in the fridge until your burgers are done.

1. In a mixing bowl, combine your olive oil and lemon juice.

2. Now add in your yogurt making sure that you mix it well with the olive oil.

3. Add your garlic, cucumbers, parsley and mint leaves and stir well.

Burger Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the chopped red onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Put the onions aside into a large mixing bowl and allow them to cool.

2 To the same mixing bowl, add your ground beef, feta cheese, olives, oregano, salt and pepper and combine well.

3. Form hamburger patties to desired thickness.

4. Fry your burgers in the same skillet as the onions, or cook on the grill to desired doneness.

5. Spread the prepared sauce on the rolls or inside a pita.

6. Add burgers and enjoy!

There you have it. Three healthy and easy ground beef recipes that any home cook can prepare. I really hope you enjoy these recipes. Remember to use all organic ingredients if at all possible. Happy Cooking!

By: Ralph Serpe

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3 Quick Food And Wine Ideas

Alright the holidays have passed and needless to say youre tired of turkey, ham or roast beef or what ever and now you maybe watching your diet after indulging yourself. So here are some quick and easy food ideas that keeps calories in mind but are still good and are a nice change of pace. If youre really trying to watch your calories then try to keep the wine to only one glass a day and not too late at night the reason for this is that wine contains alcohol which will slow your bodys ability to burn calories. Of course you can always forget the wine but just remember you might not enjoy your meal as much.

We hope that you enjoy these recipes and they give a nice change to your meal ideas and nice change of pace. There can be many befits to adding wine to your meal it can enhance your dining experience with the proper wine food matching.

Tuna Salad Sandwich Recipe

1 can of tuna fish usually packed water or oil
1/3 cup of cottage cheese
2 Tablespoons of mayonnaise


1/4 purple onion, chopped finely
1 celery stalk, chopped finely
1 Tablespoon of capers
Juice of half of a lemon
Pinch or two of dill
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

Mix all of the ingredients. Be sure not to drain the water or oil from the can of tuna. Use it instead in the tuna salad mixture. I like to serve on toast, either open faced, or in a regular sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes and pickles. For a low carb option, serve on sliced lettuce. You can server this along with vegetables or cottage cheese. For wine Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc other wine that you might like.

Shrimp with Avocado Salad

1/4 cup of white wine vinegar
1/4 cup grape-seeds oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lb medium shrimp, cooked, peeled, and de-veined
2 ripe avocados
Lettuce - preferably butter lettuce or red leaf lettuce
Lemon slices for garnish
As and Option - 2 Tbsp chopped roasted walnuts or pistachios
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Combine oil, vinegar, and garlic in a bowl. Chop shrimp into 1/2 inch pieces and add to oil mixture. Arrange leaves of lettuce on individual plates. Cut avocados in half and remove pits. Remove some of the avocado around the pit area and mix in with the shrimp. With a spoon, carefully scoop out avocado halves from their skins in one piece. Place avocado half on plate with lettuce, spoon shrimp mixture on to avocado. Sprinkle with walnuts and cilantro (optional). Serve with lemon slices for garnish. You can server this along with vegetables or cottage cheese. For wine Sauvignon Blanc or Chenin Blanc or you choice of wine.

Spanish rice with Chicken
2 tablespoons olive oil (can use up to 1/4 cup)
1 onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups of medium or long-grain white rice
3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock if vegetarian
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste or 1 cup of diced fresh or cooked tomatoes, strained
Pinch of oregano
1 teaspoon salt
2 pounds of chicken which can be grilled or fried and cut in to slices or chucks and added along side the rice or mix with rice as it simmers. This is a nice addition along with the rice and can be mixed in once the rice has been cooked as well.

In a large skillet brown rice in olive oil, medium-high heat the add onion and garlic. Cook onion rice mixture, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes, or until onions are softened.
In a separate sauce pan bring stock to a simmer. Add tomato sauce, oregano, and salt. Add rice to broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Lower heat and cook 15-20 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package and let sit for 5 minutes. For wine Chenin Blanc or maybe Gew?rztraminer again depending on your taste for wines.

The complete these recipes but there are many more avail so if you enjoy food wine as much as most people then stop by and visit our site listed below. Till the next time enjoy good food good wine and life.

By: John Maier

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Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Easy Crockpot Recipes Are The Best Crockpot Recipes

You worked for hours over your stove to get the perfect meal prepared. It's getting close to the time when everyone is getting ready to sit down. The natives are getting restless so to speak but they're trying to stay out of the way and not say anything.

All eyes are on you. You can almost feel their hungry eyes burning a hole in the back of your head.

And then something inevitably goes wrong.

The meat is undercooked. The rice is overcooked. The mashed potatoes are too soft. The gravy is getting cold.

Oh No!

If only you had more time! If only you didn't feel so rushed all the time! If only you started preparing the meal earlier! If only...

It looks like it's time to step back and slow things down a bit. Take a snapshot of this moment and ask yourself, What went wrong? What are the lessons to be learned here? How can I get off this crazy cycle?



It looks like your solution has been in your closet this whole time. Go and 'dust off that old crockpot'!

Your grandmother used it frequently and you never saw her stressing out in the kitchen. In fact she seemed to enjoy it. What did she know that I don't know?

And of course you remember the aroma wafting through the whole house. That memory lingers in your mind to this day.

You may be asking yourself, Can a slow cooker actually do all this for me? Can it actually save time making a meal? How is this possible?

I know it seems to go against logic, but the answer is Yes, it will save you tons of time preparing a meal. Many have found this out for themselves and are loving it!

Earlier in the day you will have loaded up the crockpot with the ingredients for your meal. You then turned it on and set it to the appropriate temperature. The crockpot will just quietly sit in the background doing its thing and will stay out of the way until the appropriate time.

And as you get experienced you will see that the easy crockpot recipes can sometimes be the very best crockpot recipes. You will have favorites that you will come back to time and again.

And you will see that you magically have more time on your hands and less stress! Try it tomorrow and see!

Now back to reality. Quick! Pull yourself away from this article and hurry back to the stove. It looks like your meat is burning!

By: AnthonyB

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Easy Recipes For Delicious Salads

Salads are nutritional and can be the great source of vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and lot more. They are considered as light meal and much more than an appetizer. Their preparation mostly involves vegetables (leafy vegetables) and sometimes fruits. The dressing forms the crux of it, which differentiates the taste of different salads. Occasionally it is prepared with meat, fish cheese or nuts, which makes it a high calorie-content. Basically these delicacies are healthy with low calories, most commonly found on every dining table in US

The most commonly consumed green salad consists of variety of vegetables like lettuce, spinach or arugula. This is not all, as the recipes can also be seen with tomato, cucumber, peppers, mushrooms, onions, spring onions, and red onions, carrot and reddish. We come across people who love to try different things in their daily diet they make different combinations in the same dish to give it different taste and flavor. For this reason we find green salads complimented with pasta, olives, cooked potatoes,

croutons, beans, rice meat, cheese and fish. That is why salad is not just any mixture of leafy vegetables but needs proper garnishing and serving with of course the right mix of ingredients.

There are wide array of sumptuous chicken and summer salad recipes with tantalizing taste and mouth-watering aroma.

Lets look at one of the recipe called Chinese chicken salad recipe which easy to prepare and tasty to eat. The almonds and noodles in the salad add a crunchy taste to it and the dressing makes it spicy and sweet. Take a quick look at the ingredients needed.

Chinese chicken salad

Ingredients:

Coleslaw

1 packet of chicken noodles
1/2-cup of chopped green onions
Few sliced almonds to add crunch
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Dressing essentials:

1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of olive oil
Wine vinegar or same quantity of rice preferably 1/2 cup rice
2 tsp. of soy sauce
Seasoning from the ramen

Method

To start with the Chinese chicken salad, you need to bake/grill and cube the 4 chicken breasts properly. Once this is done you have to combine all ingredients together. When the ingredients are mixed properly put the dressing on it immediately before serving.

During summer the intake of regular diet is less but the salads with nice dressings and variety of toppings can actually work as appetizers. The summer salad recipe involves fresh vegetables. Just go through the recipe to find out more about it.

Mid- summer Italian bread salad

Ingredients

1 clove of garlic
1 (1 pound) loaf or Italian bread preferably
1 cup of finely chopped tomatoes
1 cup of peeled, seeded and chopped cucumber
1 cup of chopped red onion
1 clove crushed garlic
2 cups of chopped fresh basil
1/8 cup of chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
If the bread is too fresh toast it till it becomes dry and crunchy.

Preparations

First of all rub the peeled clove of garlic from inside of wooden salad bowl. After that chop the bread into small size pieces. Mix bread, tomato, tomato, cucumber red onions, garlic, basil and thyme in the prepared bowl. Finally add oil and vinegar for lightly coating. Toss and serve the Mid- summer Italian bread salad

By: Dave Text

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Quick And Easy Way To Figure Out If It Is Junk Food

This article was written to answer many of the most frequently asked questions on this topic. I hope you find information helpful. Unless we really love cooking or plan and prepare ahead with our meals, we can fall victim to the easy way out - fast food or junk food.

Here is a story; could it be you? The weekend is here and you think you now have a couple of days to relax. Saturday morning - you make the coffee to start the day and then you're off shopping. You get back just before lunch and discover that you have to get the kids to their hockey practise. Too late for a healthy lunch, by the time they are organized it will be time to go. So you pick up a hamburger on the way. Traffic is a nightmare. By the time you put your feet up, you find it is time to get the kids. It's almost supper time and you're really tired now and you're in no mood to prepare a meal so you pick up pizzas from a well-known fast food outlet. Sunday and time to prepare brunch and you go downhill from there so you pick up some chicken with chips and some salad...



So what is a good diet? One which contains the nutrients your body needs in the correct amounts. That is the key to a healthy lifestyle. The main things your body needs from food are proteins (for growth and repair), carbohydrates (for energy), fats (gives a store of energy and the fatty layer protects and insulates your body from impacts and temperature loss), vitamins (for good health), minerals (for the correct functioning of your body systems) fibre (aids digestion and production of faeces) and water (70% or so of the body is water).

Does the hamburger provide all the things your body needs? Does it supply the nutrients you need? The answer is yes. The burger itself contains some meat, so there is the protein, some minerals and fat, the burger also contains fillers and those, plus the burger bun provides carbohydrate. The salad that comes with the burger meal provides fibre, water, vitamins and minerals. The fries provide more fat and carbohydrate and the main bulk of the water comes from the drink. To our surprise, the burger meals do provide all you need!

The problem is with the quantities of these nutrients. There is usually way too much fat and carbohydrate compared with the other nutrients. There is very little fibre. The vitamin and mineral proportions are low, unless you have a shake with the meal, which will increase the proportion of dairy product based minerals such as calcium. Now you need to make sure your next meal makes up for this out of balance meal. For your evening meal you should eat a low fat, high fibre meal, plenty of vegetables cooked lightly or eaten raw so as not to destroy the vitamins. If you must eat between meals, snack on fruit or vegetables.

Another issue is the use of additives. For example, the addition of salt improves the flavour of food so naturally manufacturers put it in so eating processed food increases your salt levels - increases blood pressure and leads to heart problems. A little salt is necessary; it provides your body with the mineral sodium which is needed in small quantities. Preservatives are another issue here. In small quantities, these are not supposed to be harmful. Do you eat processed food all of the time? This is something for you to think about because you are really causing great harm to your body.

Antioxidants are so important. They help to prevent damage to the cells of your body, damage that can lead to cells becoming cancerous. Teas are a very good source of antioxidants. Ordinary (black) tea provides some but a lot of the beneficial constituents are lost during the fermentation process. Unprocessed, pure organic teas like Green Tea or Oolong (the latter is only partly fermented) are the best. So instead of coffee in the morning, try tea, because it is more beneficial. Tea also contains the caffeine, but not as much as in coffee. You might have to drink more but think of the extra benefits to your health. Also, Green tea is thought to inhibit the absorption of cholesterol. The high levels of animal fats in burgers inevitably mean more cholesterol so there is another good reason for switching from coffee.

Simple changes to your diet can make your hectic lifestyle more healthy. Enjoy the odd burger or other fast food; just compensate healthier foods for the rest of the day.

I must say, a system that works very well for me is when I am making meals, cook extra and freeze them. When I come home tired, I just get the individual meals out of the freezer, heat them up and in minutes I'm eating a super meal. It's even faster than fast food and tastes better too!

By: Sintilia Miecevole

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Easy Camping Breakfast Recipes Give Your Day An Energizing Start!

Easy camping recipes for breakfast ensure that you leave your camp energized to take on all the challenges in front of you during the day. And the bet part is since these do not take much time to prepare, you do not have to slog over the campfire all day and miss the joys of camping. These recipes also come in handy if you do not wish to carry the huge and cumbersome camp cooking equipment with you, and still want to enjoy some tasty meals at camp.

The cleaning up part is also much easier for the easy camping recipes for breakfast as these require only a skillet or a pan at the most. Dutch oven recipes turn out to the best bet, as it requires only a dutch oven to cook all the ingredients. Your breakfast can be served to hot and piping in just a matter of a few minutes. All that is required is the campfire.

A dutch oven that is large and deep enough, is enough to cook a full meal for your entire family and then some. However, if you want to cook breakfast for a small number of people, you can even go in for a shallow Dutch oven.

Especially quick and convenient are the camping recipes for breakfast that do not require any cooking at all. By taking some bagels, along with milk, fruit and nutritious granola with you, you can indulge in a tasty and healthy breakfast at the camp.

When it comes to a hot breakfast, you can never go wrong with eggs. You can even save time at the campsite by whipping the eggs at home itself and then carrying them in a container to the campgrounds. There is a huge list of recipes with egg at their center. These range from egg sandwiches and burritos, to omelets and egg scrambles to the favorite of many, that is the Dutch oven egg bake.

You can find these and many other easy camping recipes for breakfast online. You can either choose from amongst these recipes or can even be innovative and churn out your own. Let us give you an idea of the kind of easy camping recipes for breakfast available online:

* Fry bacon over the campfire in a skillet.

* Chop some vegetables like green peppers and onions and add them to the bacon when it is half done.

* You have to keep cooking till you see that the bacon has turned crisp and the vegetables have become tender.

* Add some water into the whipped eggs that you have carried from home and add this also, into the bacon and vegetables in the skillet.

* Stir continuously till the time the eggs have turned fluffy and are ready.

* Add salt and pepper to taste. You can also enhance the taste of this dish by topping it up with salsa or cheese.

By Abhishek Agarwal

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Saturday, September 20, 2008

Easy Fall Recipes For Halloween

Fall is the perfect time for a wiener roast. Start a bonfire or light up your grill and roast some hot dogs or even a brat or sausage. Put some baked beans in the crock-pot for a side dish. Cut up some carrots and celery. Nothing is as satisfying as cooking your own meal over a fire with the people you love. For dessert, roast some marshmallows or make smores by putting a roasted marshmallow on a piece of graham cracker with a chunk of Hersheys chocolate bar and smashing another graham cracker on top. Delicious!!!

Kids are not too hungry Halloween night when they are preparing to go trick or treating. They just might eat some Vampire Soup and Frankenstein Fingers! Make a can of Campbells Tomato Soup and some hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls. To make Frankenstein Fingers: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place wiener on shortest side of crescent roll triangle and roll up. Bake for 12 15 minutes or until golden brown. You can even insert a strip of sharp cheddar cheese into a slit cut into the wieners.



After you make your jack-o-lanterns, you will have lots of pumpkin seeds. To make a tasty, nutritious snack: wash seeds and discard pulp. Place seeds on an oiled cookie sheet and mix to coat seeds or spray with Pam. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 325 degrees until just toasted or about 25 minutes. Be sure to stir after 10 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container. Toasted pumpkins seeds are great as a snack. Try spicing them up with garlic salt and Worcestershire sauce or sweeten them with cinnamon and sugar for a different taste.

Cupcakes or cookies are great for school treats or parties. Make, frost, and decorate with Halloween sprinkles or candy corn and pumpkins and also those Halloween Peeps. Ghost Cupcakes can be made by sticking a Nutter Butter Cookie into a chocolate frosted cupcake. Frost the cookie with white icing and put a ghost face on it with chocolate icing, gumdrops, or chocolate chips. Pumpkin Cupcakes can be made by frosting a cupcake with orange frosting and arranging chocolate chips into eyes and a mouth. Spider Cupcakes can be made by bending 8 black licorice sticks into legs and inserting them into opposite sides of the cupcake. Add two red M&Ms for the eyes and two candy corn fangs. Black Cat Cupcakes can be made with half an Oreo cookie to which you attach chocolate chips for the ears, jelly bean halves for the eyes, and pieces of black string licorice for the whiskers using chocolate frosting. Let dry for 30 minutes. Stand on chocolate frosted cupcake and attach a black licorice piece for the tail. Creepy Dirt Cupcakes can be made from chocolate frosted cupcakes scattered with crushed Oreo cookies decorated with gummy worms. Be sure to stick the end of some of the worms into the cupcake so they look like they are climbing out.

There are many kinds of punch. Green Slime Punch is from equals amounts of green HiC and Sprite. Black Witchs Brew can be made from 1 (.13 ounce) envelope unsweetened grape soft drink mix, 1 (.13 ounce) envelope unsweetened orange soft drink mix, 2 cups white sugar, 3 quarts cold water, and 1 liter ginger ale. Wormy Punch is made by combing 1 gallon orange sherbet (softened) and 1 quart chilled pineapple juice. Stir in 1 liter of lemon-lime soda. Decorate the bowl with gummy worms. Make Vampire Punch with a large bottle red grape juice chilled to slush, large bottle of Hawaiian Punch chilled to slush, a large bottle of chilled ginger ale, and a large bag of frozen strawberries. Combine all ingredients in a large punch bowl. For fun, you can put a frozen hand in the punch by freezing water in a plastic glove (Make sure they do not have powder in them) or add some dry ice for a foggy effect (add dry ice to a larger bowl sitting under punch bowl and touch the dry ice only with some tongs. You might also try putting the punch in a clean, hollowed out, chilled pumpkin. For an adult punch, just add vodka to the recipes listed above.

Popcorn Balls are a treat this time of year. I have used this recipe for years. Make 3 quarts of popcorn and place in large bowl. Stir 1 Cup Karo Light Syrup, 1 cup sugar, and ? tsp. salt in pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Cook without stirring for 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla. (I also add even drops of yellow and red food coloring to tint them orange). Slowly pour over corn, mixing well. Cool enough to handle and shape into balls. Wrap in wax paper.

Caramel Apples are delicious. If you buy a 14 ounce bag of caramels, you will usually get a recipe on the back and some sticks. For six apples: Remove the stem from each apple and press a craft stick into the top. Butter a baking sheet. Place caramels and 2 tbsp. of milk in a microwave safe bowl (a 4 cup Pyrex bowl works great) and microwave for 2 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool briefly. Roll each apple quickly in caramel sauce until well coated. Place on baking sheet to set. You can decorate them before they set with sprinkles, peanuts, candy corn, or anything else you can imagine. I also like this Caramel Apple Salad: In a bowl, whisk 1 cup cold fat-free milk and sugar free butterscotch pudding mix for 1 minute (mixture will be thick). Whisk in 1 cup whipped topping. Fold in 3 ? cups chopped apples. Refrigerate until serving. Top with 1 cup of whipped topping and sprinkle with 12 cup chopped peanuts.

Last is Hot Apple Cider, a warm and soothing drink. Pour ? gallon of apple cider in a pan and simmer on the stove. While it simmers combine 3 sticks or cinnamon or 2-3 tsp. ground cinnamon, 2 tbsp. whole cloves, or 2 tsp. ground cloves, and one tsp. ground nutmeg. Add to cider, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes more. You can add orange slices or brown sugar for a slightly different taste. Adults can add a cup of rum or ? cup of brandy. Smells and tastes great on those cold rainy evenings!

By: Ryan Ginster

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14 Easy Cooking Tips For Meat And Poultry Slow Cooker Recipes

The first Christmas we spent with my in-laws in their new country home, my mother-in-law wisely gave me a slow cooker. Her thoughtful gift helped Dan and I enjoy the most convenient of all cooking methods, even with our long work days and commute.

I'll always treasure the memories of delicious aromas wafting through the front door as we stepped into the house after a long day at work and a nerve-jangling commute in heavy traffic.

Most of the slow cooker recipes I used were based on meats and poultry. Here are 14 easy tips to make your slow cooker recipes tasty and safe:

Tip # 1 - According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, bacteria in food are killed at a temperature of 165?F. Meats cooked in the slow cooker reach an internal temperature of 170? in beef and as high as 190?F in poultry.

It is important to follow the recommended cooking times and to keep the cover on your slow cooker during the cooking process.

Tip # 2 - It is best not use the slow cooker for large pieces like a roast or whole chicken because the food will cook so slowly it could remain in the bacterial danger zone too long.

Tip # 3 - Always defrost meat or poultry before putting it into a slow cooker.

Tip # 4 - Meats generally cook faster than most vegetables in a slow cooker.

Tip # 5 - Trim all fat from meat and poultry. Fat can increase the temperature of the liquid in the slow cooker and decrease the cooking time. This will cause the food t be overcooked. Fats will also melt with long cooking times, and will add an unpleasant texture to the finished dish.

Tip # 6 - Cooking at higher temperatures will generally give you a tougher piece of meat. for all day cooking or for less-tender cuts of meat, you may want to use the low setting.

Tip # 7 - The slow cooker recipes are best used with the tougher cuts of meats.

Tip # 8 - For the best color and texture, ground beef is best browned before using, except in meatloaf or other similar dishes.

Tip # 9 - It is not necessary to brown meat before slow cooking, but it gives more depth of flavor in the food and removes some of the fat, especially in pork, lamb and sausages. If the meat is lean, well trimmed and not highly marbled, it doesn't need to be browned.

Tip # 10 - For roasts and stews, pour liquid over meat. Use no more liquid than specified in the slow cooker recipes. More juices in meats and vegetables are retained in slow cooking than in conventional cooking.

Tip # 11 - Dark meat takes longer to cook, so if a whole cut up chicken is used, put the thighs and legs on the bottom.

Tip # 12 - The slightly coarser texture of corn-fed, organic or free-range poultry is ideal for slow cooker recipes.

Tip # 13 - Most meats require 8 hours of cooking on LOW. Use cheaper cuts of meat - not only do you save money, but these meats work better for slow cooker recipes. Cheaper cuts of meat have less fat, which makes them more suited to crockpot cooking. Moist, long cooking times result in very tender meats.

Tip # 14 - Farberware FSC600 6-quart Oval Slow Cooker oval design accommodates oversize roasts, whole chickens, hams, and/or ribs. It features a large, 6-quart capacity stoneware liner, which nests inside a chrome slow cooker base and the auto setting switches to a lower 'keep warm' setting after cooking food.

For those who are not concerned about cooking in aluminum the West Bend Versatility 6-quart Oval Slow Cooker will work well to cook meats. It has a removable aluminum insert that can be used on the stovetop to brown meats and caramelize onions before slow cooking. The bottom unit can also be used on its own as a small griddle. Its dishwasher-safe insert has a nonstick interior and an included roasting rack.

By: Anjali Dawson

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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Easy Bread Recipes

With these two easy bread recipes in your recipe book, you will always be able to serve fresh, tasty homemade bread. Both these recipes are mixed very quickly and you get that real tasty homemade bread taste. I think the smell of fresh bread from the oven is the best appetizer you can get.

Easy Bread Recipes: Quick - And - Easy Yoghurt Loaf

Ingredients:

* 2 ? cups natural fat-free yoghurt
* 1 ? tsp Bicarbonate of soda
* 4 cups whole wheat flour
* ? cup brown sugar
* 1 tsp salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350? F. Grease a 6-cup loaf pan.
2. Mix the yoghurt and bicarbonate of soda and set aside for about 5 minutes to bubble.
3. Add the whole wheat flour, brown sugar and salt and mix well.
4. Spoon the dough into the loaf pan.
5. Bake for an hour at 350? F.


6. Allow to cool slightly in the pan.
7. Turn out onto a wire rack, cover with a bread cloth and cool completely.

Tip

Thick buttermilk may be used instead of yoghurt.

Easy Bread recipes: Very Easy Quick - Mix Health Loaf

Method:

* 3 cups whole-wheat flour
* ? cup coconut
* ? cup oats
* ? cup sunflower seeds
* 2 Tbsp yellow sugar
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
* 6 Tbsp milk
* 2 cups buttermilk
* 1 dessert spoon sesame seed

Method:

1. Grease a 6-cup loaf pan.
2. Preheat oven to 350? F.
3. Mix the whole wheat flour, coconut, oats, sunflower seeds, yellow sugar and salt together.
4. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the milk.
5. Add this and the buttermilk to the flour mixture and mix to form a dough.
6. Spoon the dough into the loaf pan and smooth the top.
7. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over.
8. Bake for an hour. Allow to cool slightly in the pan.
9. Turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Cheaper tip

The oats and coconut can be omitted and the whole wheat flour increased to 4 cups.

Try these easy bread recipes the next time you are having a barbecue. Summer is coming and what can be nicer than freshly baked homemade bread with your meat. These easy bread recipes make it possible for anyone to bake bread.

By Marge Du Plessis

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Friday, September 12, 2008

Convince Skeptics With Easy Vegetarian Recipes

If you are thinking of following vegetarian diet for certain causes - religious belief, health reason, economic reason, animal rights - you will face a barrage of uninformed arguments from skeptical relatives and friends. A common argument about vegetarianism is the difficulty of preparing vegetarian meals. Don't get swayed or discouraged by this argument because there is a lot of choice for vegetarians. A vegetarian diet consists of ordinary everyday foods like grains, vegetables, nuts, and fruits. Legumes and starches like potatoes and rice are also part of the diet. Fish, poultry, and dairy products can also be incorporated depending on what type of vegetarianism you follow. These are all available in your average grocery store. Also, there is a variety of easy vegetarian recipes available in many sources. Books, magazines, newsletters, and even TV shows are veritable sources of healthy vegetarian recipes. You will not miss anything because the choices are limitless.



Vegetarian meals do not deviate much from a regular diet except for the absence of meat. Skeptics argue that this could mean missing out on essential proteins. But this is hardly true nor correct. All healthy vegetarian recipes are well-balanced. They have the required amounts of essential vitamins, minerals, and protein. Examples of protein choices are legumes, nuts, beans, fish, poultry, dairy, and the popular tofu. Calcium, a mineral often associated with milk, is not missed either. Middle Easterners and native Africans are known to have strong teeth and bones but their diets rarely contain dairy or meat. They get their calcium from vegetables and root crops. So there is no reason you couldn't get your calcium requirements from vegetarian foods. In terms of nutrition, a vegetarian diet is even superior to diets with meat. There is less fat and bacteria that enter the body which can cause heart diseases and infections. You can watch meat lover bloat and get fat while maintaining your own healthy body with vegetarianism.

After proclaiming that you are eating healthier with vegetarianism, you'd think that the non-believers will stop bugging you. But no, they're back and possibly bearing the most difficult question for hedonists. They'll ask if you're not depriving yourself of the hearty pleasure and satisfaction only the flavor of meat can give. Fret not because vegetarianism has an answer to that. When vegetarians state that there are easy vegetarian recipes, they don't just mean easy to prepare but also easy on the palate. Contrary to what the skeptics are thinking about vegetarian meals (you know, limp lettuce and carrot sticks), vegetarian meals are flavorful and varied. Recipes range from curries, soups, burgers, steaks, hotdogs, casseroles, pasta, and delicious desserts all made with true vegetarian goodness. In fact, vegetarian meals are more flavorful because they make full use of herbs and natural flavors unlike meats which use a lot of salt.

If your friends and relatives still won't stop bugging you about your vegetarian diet, get a load of healthy vegetarian recipes and cook them a feast. When they see that you didn't even break a sweat preparing the delicious feast, they'll be convinced of the ease of vegetarianism. Give them copies of easy vegetarian recipes and don't be surprised if they'll ask you to go produce-shopping in the following days.

By: Elizabeth Gilley

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Thursday, September 11, 2008

Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes One Recipe Many Variations

There are so many Christmas cookie recipes around but often so little time to bake during the busy holiday season.

The solution? A great tasting basic cookie recipe that quickly and easily turns into such a variety of easy to make Christmas treats, friends and family will think you poured over all your favorite Christmas cookie recipes.

Let's start with the basics.

Basic Cookie Dough Recipe

1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter (or margarine) at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the flour. Beat with an electric mixer, scraping the sides of the bowl several times, until the mixture is light and fluffy. With mixer at a low speed, add the flour gradually, beating just until everything is well blended.



Place the mixture on a baking sheet using a tablespoon measure and press down with a spoon to flatten a bit. Or roll our and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Bake at 350?F for about 12 to 15 minutes, until golden.

This basic cookie mixture is also the base for the following cookie recipes (all baked in a preheated oven at 350?F).

Orange Cookies

(Makes about 32)

Add 1 tablespoon of grated orange zest to the recipe. Shape into a log that is about 1 1/2 in diameter and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Slice dough into 1/4 thick slices. Place on cookie sheet. Cookies can be decorated with candies, rolled in colored sugar, or cut into pretty holiday shapes before baking. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Cherry Coconut Chocolate Squares

(Makes about 54 squares)

In addition to the basic dough you will need:

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups flaked coconut
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, well drained and coarsely chopped

Line a 13x9 baking pan with foil.

Stir cocoa powder into basic dough mixture. Press evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust looks dry.

In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, almond extract and baking powder until well blended. Stir in coconut and cherries. Pour over the baked crust.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until top just begins to brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Lift it out on to a cutting board using the foil ends and cut into 1 1/2 squares. Squares can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Coconut Pineapple Cookies

(Makes about 36)

In addition to the basic dough you will need:

1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup pineapple preserves (use raspberry or apricot if you prefer)

Add 1 cup of the flaked coconut to the basic dough mixture and mix well. Shape the dough into 1 1/2 balls and roll in the remaining coconut to coat them. Place the balls 1 apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie with your fingertip.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookie is firm and the coconut is lightly toasted. When cooled, fill each hole in the center of the cookies with the preserves.

You can vary this basic dough to make a wide variety of Christmas cookie recipes. Add other flavorings like maple, ginger or cinnamon. Add chopped dried fruits like apricots or dates. Or bake them plain in holiday shapes and decorate with colored icing.

Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. Here's hoping these quick and easy Christmas cookie recipes help keep the pressure off the cook.

By: Karen Ciancio

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Monday, September 8, 2008

Chicken Crockpot Recipes Easy & Quick To Prepare!

These chicken crockpot recipes are easy, quick and delicious. Just check these out and I'm sure you'll be amazingly surprised.

So put your hat on and get ready for some quick easy chicken crockpot recipes:

>> Crockpot Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 Celery - chop 1 Green pepper - chop 1 Med Onion - quartered 4 tablespoons Tapioca quick-cooking 4 Chicken breasts- boned - cut 8 ounces Pineapple chunks unsweetened 1/3 cup Dark brown sugar - packed 1/3 cup Red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon Soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon Ginger - ground Rice -- hot cooked

CROCKPOT: Put vegs.in bottom of crackpot. Sprinkle tapioca over vegetables. Place chicken atop vegs. Combine all other ingreds. Except rice in a small bowl. Pour over chicken. Cover crackpot and turn to low and cook for 8-10 hours. Before serving make rice. Serve over rice. Leftovers can be reheated in microwave.



OVEN: Put vegetables in bottom of a greased pan. Sprinkle
vegs with tapioca. Add chicken to pan. Combine all other ingreds. Except rice in a small bowl. Pour over chicken. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake in 300 deg. oven for 2 hours. Before serving make rice. Serve over rice.

>> Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

2 Med Onions; peeled, sliced 3 lb Chicken; cut up 2 c Garlic; minced 1 c Tomatoes; 16 oz 1 c Tomato sauce; 8 oz 1 ts Salt 1/4 ts Pepper 1 1/2 ts Dried oregano; crushed 1/2 ts Dried basil; crushed 1 Bay leaf 1/4 c Dry white wine Spaghetti; cooked

Place onions in slow cooker. On top of onions place chicken pieces,
garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, herbs and wine. Cover
pot.

Cook on low 6 to 8 hours, or high 3 to 4 hours. Serve chicken
with its sauce on spaghetti which you have prepared. Leisure Living
Guide to Slow Cooking.

By Nathalie Sanders

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Friday, September 5, 2008

Quick Chicken Recipes

These quick chicken recipes are easy, quick and delicious. Just check these out and I'm sure you'll be amazingly surprised.

So put your hat on and get ready for some easy quick chicken recipes:

>> Quick and Tasty Chicken Soup

1 1/2 c Chicken; cooked diced.

1/4 c Celery; diced fine

1 1/2 c Chicken broth;

1/2 ts Thyme;

1 c Water

1/2 tb Arrowroot;

2 tb Onion; chopped fine

1 tb Water;

Simmer first seven ingredients for about 10 minutes. Make paste of
arrowroot and 1 tb water, add to soup. Cook until clear and smooth.

Here's another quick chicken recipe that I had the pleasure to learn from one of my best friend. This is delicious.

>> Quick Chicken Piccata

4 Boneless chicken breast halves, skinned Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tb Butter

1 t Vegetable oil

1/2 c Chicken broth

1/4 c Vermouth



2 tb Fresh lemon juice

1 tb Capers, drained, rinsed Lemon slices

Pat chicken dry. Season with salt and pepper. Melt butter with oil in
heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until
springy to touch, 4 minutes per side. Remove from skillet; keep warm.

Increase heat to high. Stir broth and vermouth into skillet. Boil until reduced by half, scraping up any browned bits. Remove from heat. Mix in lemon juice and capers. Place chicken on plates and pour sauce over. Garnish chicken with lemon slices.

Simmer first seven ingredients for about 10 minutes. Make paste of
arrowroot and 1 tb water, add to soup. Cook until clear and smooth.

By Nathalie Sanders

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Thursday, September 4, 2008

Chicken Tender Recipes Easy & Quick To Prepare!

These chicken tender recipes are easy, quick and delicious. Just check these out and I'm sure you'll be amazingly surprised.

So put your hat on and get ready for some quick easy chicken tender recipes:

>> Turkey or Chicken Tenders

1 1/4 lb Fresh turkey tenderloin Or boneless chicken breast 1 1/4 c Divided oat bran cereal 1 t Salt 1/2 ts Pepper 2 lg Egg whites 2 tb Lowfat evaporated milk 1 t Paprika 1/2 c Peanut oil

Cut turkey tenderloins or chicken breasts into 6 slices by cutting cross the turkey carefully with sharp knife. Pound tenders to 1/4 inch thickness. Slit around edges to keep from curling. Blend 1/2 cup of
the oat bran cereal with salt and pepper and coat tenders. Whip egg whites lightly with milk.

Blend remaining 3/4 cup oat bran with paprika. Dip meat into egg whites, then into oat bran paprika mixture. Place on baking rack and allow 5 minutes to dry. Heat peanut oil in large frying pan until hot. Brown tenders 2-3 pieces at a time for 3 minutes per side, or until crusty and brown. Drain well and serve with a low-fat dip.

>> Crispy Chicken Tenders



1 c All-purpose flour 1 ts Poultry seasoning 2/3 ts Paprika 1 ts Onion powder 1/2 ts Garlic powder 1/4 ts Salt ds Pepper 1 Egg 1 ts Milk 3/4 lb Chicken tenders Cooking oil

Combine dry ingredients in a plastic bag. In a bowl, lightly beat eggs
and milk. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and shake off excess. Shake a few chicken pieces in the bag at a time, coating well.

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 in. of oil over high heat; brown chicken on all sides. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

By Nathalie Sanders

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Basic Quick Mix and Recipes

With an easy basic quick mix, you can make a wide variety of inexpensive homemade biscuits, breads, and other baked goods. This mix is easy to make and store and great for any family on a tight budget.

Basic Quick Mix Recipe

10 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/4 c. nonfat dry milk

1/3 c. baking powder

1 tbsp. salt

2 c. vegetable shortening (room temperature)

Measure flour into a large bowl. Stir in baking powder, dry milk, and salt, mixing well. Use an electric mixer on medium speed to mix shortening into other ingredients until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

Storing mix:

Store basic quick mix in a ziploc bag or container with a tight lid. This mix can be stored at room temperature about 2 weeks. Will keep a couple of months in refrigerator or freezer. Bring mix to room temperature before using.



Using mix:

Do not sift mix for recipes. Stir lightly before measuring mix. When measuring mix into a bowl, level off measuring cup with the straight edge of a knife.

Basic Biscuits

2 c. basic quick mix

1/2 c. water

Stir together quick mix and water. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board, kneading lightly. Roll 1/2 inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.

Note: For drop biscuits, increase water to 2/3 cup. After mixing flour and water together, drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. 1/3 c. grated cheese can be added to dough before dropping onto cookie sheet.

Basic Muffins

2 c. basic quick mix

4 tsp. sugar

1 egg, beaten

2/3 c. water

Stir sugar into quick mix. Add water and egg. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 c. full and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Variation: Add 1/2 c. of favorite chopped fruit.

Basic Pancakes

2 c. basic quick mix

1 tsp. sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 c. water

Stir sugar into quick mix. Add water and egg. Pour pancakes onto heated griddle, turning pancakes when bubbles appear on the pancake surface.

The Internet is a great source for more quick mix recipes. Just type quick mix recipes into your favorite search engine!

By Rachel Paxton

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Monday, September 1, 2008

Easy Vegetarian Recipes Fast Delicious & Easy!

Easy vegetarian recipes. Millions of vegetarians are eager to find delicious and easy vegetarian recipes. Vegetarians, like other Americans are busy. With work, kids and extracurricular activities, having adequate time to prepare meals is difficult Thats why finding easy vegetarian recipes is of paramount importance. This article will provide you with a few delicious options. Note, these recipes assume that you eat dairy products.

Easy Vegetarian Recipes

Cinnamon-Sugar Tortilla Crisps

5 Tortillas

2 Tbs butter

Sugar and Cinnamon to taste

2TBS oil

Butter both sides of each tortilla. Sprinkle both sides of the buttered tortilla with sugar and cinnamon. In the meantime, heat pan to medium. Fry tortillas for about 1 minute on each side. Make sure not too overcook. Your tortillas should puff up when they are ready to be turned over.



Bean Burritos

Package of tortillas

2 C of cheese

1 Can of rotel

1 Can kidney beans

1 Can navy beans

1 Package of enchilada seasoning

? C of water

Mix navy and kidney beans, rotel and enchilada seasoning. ? cup of cheese and water. Bring to a simmer. Fill and roll tortillas with mixture. Top with remaining cheese. Cover for 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Easy Blueberry Pie

1 Package of ready made graham cracker crust

1 Can blueberry pie filling

2 Tbs cream cheese

1 tub whipped cream

Let whipped cream and cream cheese soften. Spread cream cheese along the bottom of the graham cracker crust. This should only be a thin layer. Add blueberry pie filling. Top the pie with softened, whipped cream. Loosely cover and let sit in fridge for 1-3 hours.

By Roxanne Manning

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Easy Bread Recipes

With these two easy bread recipes in your recipe book, you will always be able to serve fresh, tasty homemade bread. Both these recipes are mixed very quickly and you get that real tasty homemade bread taste. I think the smell of fresh bread from the oven is the best appetizer you can get.

Easy Bread Recipes: Quick - And - Easy Yoghurt Loaf

Ingredients:

* 2 ? cups natural fat-free yoghurt
* 1 ? tsp Bicarbonate of soda
* 4 cups whole wheat flour
* ? cup brown sugar
* 1 tsp salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350? F. Grease a 6-cup loaf pan.
2. Mix the yoghurt and bicarbonate of soda and set aside for about 5 minutes to bubble.
3. Add the whole wheat flour, brown sugar and salt and mix well.
4. Spoon the dough into the loaf pan.
5. Bake for an hour at 350? F.


6. Allow to cool slightly in the pan.
7. Turn out onto a wire rack, cover with a bread cloth and cool completely.

Tip

Thick buttermilk may be used instead of yoghurt.

Easy Bread recipes: Very Easy Quick - Mix Health Loaf

Method:

* 3 cups whole-wheat flour
* ? cup coconut
* ? cup oats
* ? cup sunflower seeds
* 2 Tbsp yellow sugar
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
* 6 Tbsp milk
* 2 cups buttermilk
* 1 dessert spoon sesame seed

Method:

1. Grease a 6-cup loaf pan.
2. Preheat oven to 350? F.
3. Mix the whole wheat flour, coconut, oats, sunflower seeds, yellow sugar and salt together.
4. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the milk.
5. Add this and the buttermilk to the flour mixture and mix to form a dough.
6. Spoon the dough into the loaf pan and smooth the top.
7. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over.
8. Bake for an hour. Allow to cool slightly in the pan.
9. Turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Cheaper tip

The oats and coconut can be omitted and the whole wheat flour increased to 4 cups.

Try these easy bread recipes the next time you are having a barbecue. Summer is coming and what can be nicer than freshly baked homemade bread with your meat. These easy bread recipes make it possible for anyone to bake bread.

By Marge Du Plessis

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Chicken Stew Recipes Easy & Quick To Prepare!

These chicken stew recipes are easy, quick and delicious. Just check these out and I'm sure you'll be amazingly surprised.

So put your hat on and get ready for some quick easy chicken stew recipes:

>> Chicken Ratatouille Stew

4 Chicken breast halves; skin -- bone, 1 cube 1 Jar spaghetti sauce -- (30 ounces) 1 medium Eggplant; peel -- chop coarse 2 Tomatoes -- chop coarse 2 small Zucchini slice 1 Green bell pepper -- 1 pcs 1 large Onion - chop 3 Cl garlic - mince 1 teaspoon Dried basil leaves 1 teaspoon Dried oregano leaves

In large bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Pour into 3-1/2 to 4 qt crockpot. Cover; cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or until chicken is tender and no longer pink.

Cut chicken and sausage into bite sized pieces. Add onions, peppers,
celery, potatoes, picante sauce & broth. Cook of 1 to 1/2 hours or
pressure cook meat for 10 minutes then cook all ingredients for 30
minutes.



Do you like chicken picante? These are great. See below the simple recipe that I have prepared for you.

>> Chicken Picante Stew

1 pound kiebasa, lean - chopped 1 pound chicken breast, no skin, no bone, R-T-C - cut in 1 piece 32 ounces chicken broth 24 ounces picante sauce 1 bell pepper - chopped 1 cup celery - chopped 4 potatoes OR - diced 1 3/4 cups rice

Cut chicken and sausage into bite sized pieces. Add onions, peppers,
celery, potatoes, picante sauce & broth. Cook of 1 to 1/2 hours or
pressure cook meat for 10 minutes then cook all ingredients for 30
minutes.

By Nathalie Sanders

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Vegetarian Cooking Made Easy

If you want to acquire health friendly vegetarian recipes for your cooking delight, quickly and easily, then please keep reading, as this may be the most important article you have ever read about healthy vegetarian Food!

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See, we know how hard it is to have a combination of health friendly and tasty recipes, and although it's taken a while, we have created the perfect answer for you! Now, you can finally use our course to acquire a collection of amazing vegetarian recipes and make a healthy transition to a vegetarian lifestyle!



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By Jose Medellin

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Quick and Easy Low Calorie Vegetarian Recipes

The shops these days are full of all sorts of goodies suitable for the vegetarian. So longer do you have to satisfy yourself with an omelette or salad. And because there is such choice you can choose low calorie options.

Also there are now a number of meat substitutes if you wan to go that way. Vegetarian bacon yes really look in the frozen food cabinet adds that something to lots of dishes and I frequently use it, even when cooking for omnivores.

Rice Salad

This has quite a long list of ingredients, but is still quick and easy.
I havent given amounts as you can alter them to suit what you have available and how many diners there are.

Cold cooked rice a large cupful per person
Pineapple chunks
Vegetarian bacon, 3 rashers per person


A deseeded, finely sliced chilli
Some coriander or basil
A few salted cashews or dry roasted peanuts ( too many puts the calorie count up of course.)
Juice of lime or lemon
Crisply fried onion

Cooked vegetables such as sweet corn, peas, asparagus pieces and snowpeas.
Mix together the rice, chilli and pineapple. Fry the vegetarian bacon rashers in a non stick pan. They take only seconds so keep an eye on them. Either fry your onions, sliced thinly or reheat previously fried ones. Add the cooked vegetables and the nuts to the rice mixture. Add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Crumble the bacon rashers and mix in. Arrange on a plate. Decorate with the chopped herbs and the crispy onion pieces. Non vegetarians might want some prawns or cooked flaked fish in place of the bacon pieces.

No Oil Lemon and Parsley Salad Dressing

There isnt much point in having a salad if you cover it in high fat dressing, but it does taste good. Well so does this and there is absolutely no guilt attached.

? cup water
2 Tablespoons o arrowroot powder
Juice of one lemon
? cup finely chopped parsley ( You may want to substitute cilantro or add a little tarragon)
pinch of salt

Either a deseeded chopped chilli (You could use dried flakes) or two teaspoons of finely chopped sweet/bell pepper.
Mix the water and arrowroot well and then cook until thickened. Allow to cool and then place all ingredients in a screw top jar. Replace lid tightly. Shake well. Will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Stuffed Squash

Butternut or acorn squash is what I generally have available, but the recipe can be used to stuff other vegetables such as bell peppers and eggplants ( aubergines).
Serves 8 as stuffing.

You need for each person ? a squash or eggplant or a whole sweet bell pepper.
? cup raisins , sultanas or chopped dried apricots
I cup vegetable stock
2 finely chopped onions

1 Garlic clove, crushed

2 Apples, peeled, cored & diced, about 1 1/2 Cup
I stick of celery diced

1 1/2 Cups crumbs from 7-grain bread or other whole grain bread, toasted slightly in
ungreased fry pan

2 teaspoons of salt

1 - 2 teaspoon of herbs a mix of herbes de Provence is good

Grated peel of one lemon

If using squash halve and remove seeds. For peppers cut off and retain a cap and deseed. For egg plants remove stem piece and halve, making a slight hollow.
You may need to cut a small piece off the squashes and egg plants so that they will sit level in dish.

Bake the vegetables cut side down in a medium oven for 50 minutes on a lightly oiled baking tray. While this is going on heat up the stock and then use this to soak your dried fruit.

Saute the onion and celery for about 5 minutes and then add the apple pieces and the garlic for a further 3 or 4 minutes. Now place this mixture in a large bowl and combine with all the other stuffing ingredients. It should be quite moist. Use to stuff your vegetables. Return them to the oven and bake fro a further 15 minutes.

By: Guido Nussbaum

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