March 4th, 2010 
My Health December 31st, 2009 My Health 
We are always looking for holiday cooking recipes that are fast, easy and tasty. Usually deciding what to cook as the meat dish for a holiday is easy, but then we need fast and easy accompaniments that will complement the taste of the meat. Here is one that is really quick and easy to make and it will go with any meat. It is luxurious and tasty yet easy to make. You only have to take care with the dressing, but if you follow the instruction carefully there should not be a problem.
Fruit Medley
Ingredients:
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, reserve juice
1/3 C sugar
1 T cornstarch
1 T lemon juice
1/8 t salt
2 eggs
1 ripe banana, sliced
1 C seedless green grapes, halved
1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 (10 oz.) jar red maraschino cherries, drained
1 C miniature marshmallows
Method:
Place the reserved pineapple juice into a small saucepan.
Whisk in the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and salt until smooth.
Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a steady boil.
Stirring continuously, cook the mixture 3 minutes or until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Remove the pan from the heat.
Place the eggs in a separate bowl and beat slightly with a fork.
Pour 2 T of the hot dressing mixture and stir quickly to combine; you do this to prevent the egg from curdling.
Pour the egg mixture into the remaining dressing mixture.
Place the pan back on the stove over low heat and bring to a gentle boil.
Stirring continuously cook the mixture for 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat, pour into a bowl and allow the dressing to cool to room temperature.
In a salad bowl fold together the pineapple chunks, bananas, grapes, oranges, cherries and marshmallows.
Drizzle the cooled dressing into the fruit and toss to combine.
Serving Size: 8
This refreshing fruit medley is easy to make and a hit at many dinners. Serve it over torn lettuce and sprinkle a few chopped pecans over the top for an added treat. If your budget does not stretch far enough for the pecans, sweet basil or parsley will work as well, not too much though, you do not want to kill the delicate taste!
There is one more thing you need to keep in mind with this holiday cooking recipe, do all the preparations in advance except the bananas as they will go brown. Now it will take only a few minutes to slice the bananas and combine all the ingredients. This holiday cooking recipe will complement any meal.
Do you want to make all your holiday cooking a lot of fun! No problem, for many more tasty holiday recipes, have a look at Hendrika’s Blog: Easy Holiday Recipes. You can also have a look at her Hub Family Love Valentines Food
December 30th, 2009 My Health 
It can be very frustrating when you are trying to follow a recipe, but you don’t understand the cooking terms used. Sometimes even instructions on a packet of pasta can confuse you – what does cook until “al dente” mean? So, let’s have a look at some basic cooking terms and the language used in recipes:-
Al dente – This term is often used with pasta and literally means “to the tooth/bite”. Boil the pasta until is is tender but still has some “bite”, not soggy and falling apart. Packet pasta usually takes 5-10 minutes in boiling water.
Baste – This term is often used when roasting chicken or cooking meat in a marinade. You will need to regularly “baste” the meat with the juices or sauce to keep it moist. For more details www.tailgating-recipe.com .You can use a spoon to spoon the juices or sauce over the meat or you can use a “baster” which is a bit like a syringe or bulb.
Beat – A term often used in cooking or baking. You may be instructed to beat and egg – simply crack an egg into a bowl and beat (stir rapidly) with a fork or whisk to combine the yolk and white. In cake recipes, you may be instructed to beat the margarine and sugar together – use an electric whisk or beater for ease.
Blanch – A recipe may call for blanching vegetable. This simply means to plunge them into boiling water for about a minute.
Chop – self explanatory but use a good sharp knife and try to chop vegetables etc. so that bits are uniform in size and thickness. Onions often have to be chopped finely so chop them as small as you can.
Cream – Cake recipes often instruct you to cream the butter or margarine with the sugar. Beat them together either with a wooden spoon or electric mixer until they are well combined and the mixture has turned a paler colour.
Dice – If you are instructed to dice meat or vegetables, it means that you should chop into uniform squares.
Fillet – This word can either be used as a noun or a verb. A meat fillet is a good quality piece of meat which has been “filleted”, had the bones removed. If a recipe asks you to fillet a piece of meat or fish, it means you need to remove the bones. This is tricky so buy fillet meat or ask your butcher or fishmonger to do it for you.
Fold – Cake recipes often tell you to fold in the flour after creaming the margarine and sugar and adding eggs. For more details www.apples-recipes.com .Add the flour a bit at a time using a metal spoon and a figure of eight movement to “fold” the flour into the mixture while retaining the air added by creaming or beating.
Julienne – This term is used with vegetables. Julienne carrots are carrots which have been chopped into matchsticks or strips.
Marinate – To coat a piece of meat or fish in a sauce usually overnight or for a few hours in the fridge. The meat will take on the flavours from the sauce.
Pare – Remove the skin from fruit or vegetables.
Peel – Remove the skin from fruit, vegetables or prawns.
Poach – To cook in liquid. Poached eggs are cooked in boiling water and poached fish is often cooked in hot milk.
Puree – To puree a vegetable or fruit is to blend it until it is as smooth as baby food. Use an electric blender.
Saute – You can saute vegetables and this means to fry in hot oil over a high heat for a short amount of time.
Season – To flavour with salt and pepper.
Simmer – This term is often used with sauces or recipes like curry or chilli. It means to bring a sauce to boiling and then turn down to a level where the sauce is bubbling but not boiling.
Stiff peaks – If you are instructed to beat cream or egg whites until stiff peaks are formed, then you need to whisk or beat until the mixture forms peaks which do not collapse and you could even turn the bowl upside down without the mixture immediately falling out.
Stir-fry – To stir-fry is to cook meat and/or vegetables in a wok at a high temperature. Stir-fry packs can be found in supermarkets and all you have to do is fry them briefly in hot oil in a wok, add sauce or spices and serve with noodles or rice.
Whisk – Use an electric whisk or a hand whisk to beat something like cream.
Hopefully these explanations will help you to feel more confident when using recipes.
December 30th, 2009 My Health A child cooking activity includes a lot of fun in the kitchen. Cooking with kids opens the door for learning opportunities such as math, science and nutrition with the end result being something yummy to eat. There are lots of simple recipes to use when cooking with kids. Since kids love peanut butter and jelly, I have included this Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffin recipe for you to try with your child.
Before beginning a cooking activity review some health and safety tips with kids. It is important that they wash their hands before, during and after handling food. This reduces any food borne bacteria (germs) being transferred to the food they are going to eat. For more details www.tailgating-recipe.com .Review safety tips on using knives, electric equipment such as mixers and blenders, and basic kitchen rules such as not running or participating in any horseplay during this activity. Provide aprons for the kids to wear and tie any long hair back off the face.
Now you are ready to begin a cooking activity with your child. Pick an easy recipe to begin with and go over the recipe with the child or the group. Set out all the cooking tools that you will need. For more details www.apples-recipes.com This is a perfect time to review math concepts such as measuring, fractions, time and temperatures. You can also discuss science concepts of how certain ingredients like baking powder, baking soda, and egg whites can effect the properties of food.
These Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins are a wonderful snack, breakfast treat and school lunch box item.
Tools needed to complete this child cooking activity:
* Mixing bowls in small, medium and large sizes
* One to two spatulas or large spoons
* Measuring spoons
* Dry-ingredient measuring cups
* Liquid measuring cups
* Muffin pans
Ingredients needed are:
* 2 cups flour
* ½ cup sugar
* ¼ teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* ½ cup peanut butter
* 1 cup milk
* 1 egg
* 2 tablespoon melted butter
* 1/3 cup jam (any flavor)
Instructions to make your muffins:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin pans with a nonstick cooking spray.
2. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, peanut butter, egg and melted butter.
4. Add the dry ingredients and stir until the flour disappears. Do not stir too much or the muffins will be tough.
5. Fill the muffin pan wells half full with batter. Top each with ½ teaspoon of jam, then spoon more batter over the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Store any leftover muffins in a resealable plastic bag or container. Kids will have some much fun with this cooking activity that they will be asking to cook all the time!
December 28th, 2009 My Health 
Crockpot cooking is convenient and easier than ever before. Safeguards are in place that allow you to go about your day without worry knowing that your crockpot is doing what it is designed to do. Cleaning up after cooking with your crockpot is the best part, it is simple and is much easier to do.
Alot of your favorite stove top recipes can be successfully modified for use with your crockpot. There are some basic time and temperature guidelines for converting recipes. There are some right ways and wrong ways to use specific ingredients. Here are a few ways for making your crockpot meals more flavorful.
Pasta and Rice
Recipes that list cooked pasta or rice to be added or included, should be cooked until tender before being placed in your crockpot. Add 1-quarter extra liquid for every 1-quarter cup uncooked rice and best to use long grain rice for optimal results. Add already cooked rice for longer cooking recipes, before serving.
Liquids
Liquids should be decreased when slow cooking. A good rule of thumb would be to use 1/2 the called amount, that is unless the recipe asks for rice or pasta, 1 cup of liquid will usually suffice.
Spices
Spices tend to evaporate over long cooking periods, the best time to add them would be when cooking is almost complete. Whole herbs and spices would be a good choice to use for your crockpot cooking, since their flavor last over a longer period of time. Taste the seasoning before serving so you can modify as necessary.
Beans
Beans should be soft before adding them to your crockpot, so it would be best to soak them thoughly first. Beans that have been softened first cook better before adding other ingredients.
Milk and Dairy Products
Milk and sour cream should be placed in the crockpot during the last hour of cooking. They will break down over extended periods of cooking. Cream soups are are a nice substitute for milk and are able to be cooked for a longer time period. Reduced fat cream soups can be used as a substitute for any recipe. Cheeses won’t normally hold up in a slow cooker over long periods of time, so they should be included when your meal is almost done. Processed cheeses and dairy items can also be used.
Soups
Water should be added to your crockpot only to cover soup ingredients. If you want a thinner soup more water can be added after cooking. Add one or two cups of water with milk based soups. Stir in milk or cream the last hour of cooking.
Vegetables
Vegetables like potatoes and carrots should be sliced no larger than one inch thick. These item take longer to cook, so place them at the bottom of your crockpot first. That will allow them to cook thoughly and be tender when your meal is finished. Vegetable Crockpot Recipes are very nutrious and makes a great meal just by themselves.
Following these guidelines will allow you to be able to convert a stovetop recipe to a delicious Crockpot Recipes with ease.
Bill Pool Jr. has been working diligently to provide free cooking related resources. His website Crockpot Recipes, provides delicious and easy to make crockpot recipes and related tips. Please visit http://www.cpr.resourcepublishing.com for more info.
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