Tinfoil Chef

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It’s getting to be that time of year again and soon enough the playoffs and then the Super Bowl will be upon us. This means that it’s time to start making sure that all of your game day recipes are in order and fine tuned so that they come out just right. For example there’s quite a variation on what people like for Chicken Wings.

Some prefer the milder ones, others (such as myself) like ‘em to be hot enough for spicyness but not bad enough to burn and then there’s those who want their wings just as hot as can be, ideally hot enough to cloud up their contact lenses again with every tongue searing bite.

I’ll stick with something that isn’t quite so … dangerous. I like spicy just fine, I prefer it in fact, however I don’t care for things to be so hot that I can’t taste anything else but the burning. (I’d also kinda like it if my stomach lining remained intact as long as possible)

Start out getting the oven preheated to 375 degrees, then take a dozen chicken wings and cook them in boiling water for 10 minutes to remove the fat and set them aside to cool.

Using a mortar and pestle to grind together 5 crumbled bay leaves, 3/4 teaspoon caraway seeds, 1/2 To 3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin, 3/4 teaspoon Ground coriander, 4 finely minced garlic cloves, 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard, 2 teaspoons of paprika, 3/4 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt for about 10 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons of brandy and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice to the ground herb and spice mixture and stir it into a thick paste

Brush both sides of each wing with the herb paste and arrange the chicken wings on a baking sheet. Bake until the skin turns deep brown and is crisp (approximately 30 minutes).

12 chicken wings with the tips removed
5 crumbled bay leaves
3/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 To 3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon Ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon Ground coriander
4 finely minced Garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons of Paprika
3/4 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of brandy
2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice

Technorati Tags: football playoffs, game day snacks, football season, chicken wings, recipe, cajun chicken wings

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A large majority of people require at least one good cup of hot coffee before they’re able to function first thing in the morning. If you want your coffee to give that instant energy and mood improvement, Espresso can be an ideal solution. There’s a lot of ways to make Espresso to suit your personal taste.

Espresso was first produced in Italy and it’s been very popular all over the world since. making great espresso is something of an art form, and without the knowledge of coffee it can be difficult to do.

Espresso is made using a special espresso machine. It’s basic function is pretty much the same as ordinary coffee makers. You put coffee grounds into it, add hot water and start it up.

Some espresso machine’s have a measure to insure that you use the right amount of coffee. If yours has one then it’s a good idea to use it. Smaller Espresso machines need water added a cup at a time. Larger machines can hold enough water for several cups.

Once the water tank is filled and the coffee grounds are loaded in the machine you simply press a button and hot water runs through the coffee grounds and into your cup. For the true espresso lovers among us, it’s is ready to serve at this point. If you decide you don’t want your coffee quite so strong theres a few things you can do.

You can put a little bit of milk and foam in the espresso to make it a Macchiato. For a weaker espresso, called a lungo, more water is used. Doubling the amount of coffee grounds in an espresso, sure to give a serious energy rush is called a Doppio.

I think almost everyone knows about cappuccino, which is made from an espresso with froth and milk. If you add milk to an espresso without the froth you have a cafe latte where the milk is warmed up and floating on the top of the drink. Those with more of a sweet tooth, you’ll like a mocha with chocolate and milk added.

Espresso, with just a little milk is called a Cartado, there’s also an Americano, an espresso that is diluted with hot water.

No matter what your taste you can find an espresso coffee to suit your taste.

Technorati Tags: coffee, cappuccino, macchiato, espresso, italian coffee, espresso machine, european coffee, strong coffee

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Before I get to the Apple Dumpling Dessert, I’m going off topic briefly to talk a bit about Saint Xavier University’s Online Master of Science in Nursing program. That’s right, it’s an online course for an online MS nursing CNL (Clinical Nurse Leader) degree.

This school isn’t some fly-by-night outfit run from somebody’s web server either. It’s an established, accredited school that first opened it’s doors in 1846 and is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. All content and direction of the online courses are still overseen by their faculty and instructors.

Their MS-CNL program was designed to meet the needs of today’s Nurses with the flexibility of online delivery which makes it easier for people with busy work schedules to still fit in higher education.

Graduates of their online Master’s degrees find themselves prepared for wide variety of demands of the field and the changing needs of employers. Combined with a weekend of applied campus experience, the online course’s flexibility is designed for today’s busy students. These online programs give students the flexibility to complete a degree around the busiest of personal schedules.

Now, since all of that studying and degree earning has no doubt made you hungry, it’s time to reward ourselves with that Apple Dumpling Dessert.

Start out by peeling, coring and then thinly slicing 2 1/4 pounds of cooking apples. Then put the apple slices in a 12 inch skillet and add 3/4 cup sugar, a cup of water and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and stir well.

While that’s heating up, stir together 1 cup of biscuit mix and 1/3 cup of milk until the mix is moistened.

When the apple mixture gets to boiling, dumpling mixture in 6 portions over the apples. Let that simmer uncovered for another ten minutes. Sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar. Then cover and simmer until the apples are tender and the dumplings are cooked all the way through (about another 10 minutes).

Apple Dumplings:
2 1/4 pounds of tart cooking apples
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 cup of biscuit mix
1/3 cup of milk

Topping:
1 tablespoon of sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

I know they’re technically a dessert, but I think they’ll go just great with a hot morning coffee.

Technorati Tags: recipe, apple dumplings, dessert, treats

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Has anyone noticed a jump in comment spam lately? I certainly have. One of the more annoying things about blogging is dealing with spam. There’s the mostly inane, generic comments like “good job”, “nice post”, “great post” and so on that are nothing more than blatant excuses to drop a link in a comment.

They’re something that you get to see quite a bit when blogging, especially if you have more than one blog. Thankfully, the Akismet plugin combined with the Simple trakback validation plugin and the “Bad behavior” plugins weed out most of it.

Worse than that are the ones that look genuine enough to pass the anti-spam tools and have to be dealt with manually. I’d rather fill out retail resumes with a 1/4 inch long piece of pencil lead, or better yet, locating new and interesing recipes to share like this One Dish Wonder Casserole.

In a bowl, combine a pound of browned and drained ground turkey, a cup of diced onion, and a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes with the liquid, a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and a teaspoon of salt.

Use your favorite non-stick cooking spray to coat a 3 quart casserole and then spoon the mixture into it.

On top of it, add 2 cups of diced potatoes, 1/3 cup of flour, 10oz of corn, 10oz of beans (lima or green) and a large green bell pepper cut into strips on top.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Sprinkle a cup and a half (or more!!) of cheddar cheese and continue baking, uncovered, for another 30 minutes.

1 pound of ground meat that’s been ground and drained
(I prefer ground turkey but you can use ground beef as well)
1 cup chopped onions (about 1 medium-large onion diced up)
1 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups of diced potatoes
1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
10 oz corn
10 oz frozen lima beans (I’d substitute green beans because I’m not thrilled with limas)
1 large bell pepper cut into strips
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Technorati Tags: cheese, casserole, ground turkey, ground beef, one dish wonder, cheddar cheese, recipe

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It’s getting well into apple season and they’re showing up in the stores all over the place. While I think most people like apples, it doesn’t take long after buying that large bag of ‘em before you start wondering what else you can do with ‘em besides eat them straight.

Apple coffee cake to the rescue!

Start out by pre-heating the oven to 375°F. Then Grease a 9-inch square baking dish or pie pan that can hold 4 cups (I’m guessing a 10 or 12 inch pie pan ought to do.)

Sift a cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and a half teaspoon of salt.

Combine 1/3 cup of sugar with a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and set it aside for the time being.

Cream the butter with 1/3 cup of sugar. When it’s good and smooth, beat in 1 egg until that’s well blended. Next, add the flour mixture a third at a time, alternating with a half cup of milk, beating the mixture until it’s just combined.

Spread half of the batter in the baking dish (or large pie pan). Peel and slice a medium baking apple and lay the slices on top of the batter so they just cover it. Some slices may overlap but that’s ok.

Sprinkle the apples with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Spread the rest of the batter over the apples. Sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon-sugar mix on top.

Bake for 25 minutes or until it’s golden brown and apples start to bubble around the edges.

A variation is to use a mixture of brown sugar and butter for the topping instead of the cinnamon sugar.

Technorati Tags: cinnamon, coffee cake, sugar, apples, apple cake, recipe, apple coffee cake

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I have, over the years, had a lot of great sandwiches from Subway. Generally speaking their stuff is pretty good (even if a bit pricey) and it’s been consistent for years. Then in recent months we’ve had occasion to revisit a local Subway after a pretty long dry spell in between and There’s something that my wife noticed right away that I still can’t figure out.

They now make their sandwiches upside-down.

That’s right. The sandwiches are still great, made to order and so on. They’re just upside down. The meat items are now placed on the “top” half of the bread and the “toppings” are now placed on the bottom. We asked the person making the sandwich why they were doing it that way and they could only shrug and say that was the way they were told to make them. Which is what bugs me.

You see, Subway has always made a big deal about how their people have to be trained in detail how to make the sandwiches. In fact, the sandwich makers are called “Sandwich Artists”. Given their specialty, I’d think that Subway would get the construction order right. I mean, they’re called “Toppings” for a reason, they go on top.

I realize that a lot of people will say that it doesn’t really matter, so long as all the right stuff is on the thing and to a point they’re right. However, when I get out a sandwich and unwrap it, I expect the “Toppings” to be on the “Top” of the sandwich. When it’s not built right, there is a much higher chance of the meats, toppings, or condiments managing to escape the confines of the bread, making a mess.

So I’ll ask that any Subway employees who read this please pass this on to the higher ups. Sandwiches are supposed to be built a certain way. If they’re not, they cease to be sandwiches and turn into messes waiting to happen.

Technorati Tags: sandwich mess, sandwich making, sandwiches, messes, subway

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Summer’s pretty much over and Autumn is getting a foothold as the trees are beginning to turn and we’re headed toward cooler weather and eventually, Winter. However, just because the weather is cooling off doesn’t mean you can’t get your taste buds to think they’re in the heat of vegas. All you need is something like this Cajun style barbecue sauce to crank the heat up on almost anything you can grill.

Finely chop up 3 cups of onion, a green bell pepper, and 6 cloves of garlic. Then put them into a good size pot and add to that, a quarter cup of honey, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, a tablespoon of salt, a half cup of dried parsley (chopped), 4 tablespoons of Lea & Perrins, a cup of dry white wine, 3 tablespoons of vinegar, a tablespoon of liquid smoke, 2 cups of ketchup, a half teaspoon of dried mint and 2 tablespoons of Louisiana hot sauce.

Bring this to a boil and then turn the heat down low and then cover it. Simmer on low heat for three to five hours.

When it’s done you’ve got a pot of barbecue sauce that’ll wake up the summer in any thing you use it on regardless of the time of year.

Technorati Tags: hot, recipe, spicy, cajun style, barbecue sauce

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One of the things that make losing weight difficult is that so many have a hard time burning off the excess calories. It’s hard enough when you think about the fat that you’re trying to lose, then along comes the thought of burning off the calories that you eat with every meal.

All of a sudden it seems like there’s an almost insurmountable problem. Fortunately it’s not *that* impossible. For one thing, you *need* a certain amount of calories to fuel normal operation of the body. You just need to burn up any amount that’s more than you eat. This way stored fat gets used up. One way to speed this up is with fat burning foods.

These foods help you because you actually burn a few more calories to digest them than they contain, resulting in a net loss. Mind you, fat burners aren’t a license to go crazy and load yourself up. It’s still important to eat a proper, balanced, diet that contains all of the nutritional stuff you need.

Here’s a list of “fat burning” foods. It’s made up mostly of fruits and vegetables that require a fair amount of the body’s energy to digest. Eating dishes that include as much of this as you can reasonably manage, combined with a decent exercise program will increase your metabolism and burn calories faster for several hours after the exercise is done.

apples, apricots, artichokes, asparagus, beets, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cherries, chives, cod, corn, crabs, cranberries, cucumbers, eggplant, flounder, garlic, grapefruit, grapes, green beans, honeydew, kale, leeks, lemons, lettuce, limes, lobster, mangoes, mushrooms, nectarines, okra, onions, oranges, papaya, parsley, peaches, pears, peas, peppers, pineapple, prunes, pumpkin, radishes, raspberries, red cabbage, sauerkraut, scallions, spinach, squash, strawberries, string beans, tangerines, tomatoes, turnips, watermelon

As you can see, there’s a lot of things here, enough so that even if you avoid the things that you just plain don’t like there will still be plenty of choices. Getting ready to write this I also read that the calcium in dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt also helps them to qualify as fat burners because they increase breakdown in fat cells.

Technorati Tags: diets, dieting, weight loss foods, fat burning foods, burn calories, weight loss, fat burning

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Jambalaya is A Cajun and Creole dish that’s made up of rice, smoke sausage, cubed ham, aromatics, and pretty much any meat the cook likes or has available.

In spite of how it sounds, Jardiniere isn’t a French drug rehabilitation facility. Instead it’s a main course made up mostly of new spring vegetables such as lettuce, peas, green beans, carrots, turnips, and flavored with bacon or salt pork. It could also contain baby artichokes and young celery and fennel hearts, or cauliflower. Now doesn’t that sound more appetizing than a drug rehab? I thought so.

To Julienne something is to cut it into long thin matchstick size strips, such as French fries.

Jus is the natural juices released by roasting meats and poultry. Some sandwiches are served “Au Jus”, which means “with the meat juices”, it just sounds better in French.

Technorati Tags: cooking terms, terms, food info, terminology, food terms

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Martha Stewart has a blog contest going on “The Martha Blog” that’s going to get some blessed folks a shot to have their blogs featured on hers.

From what I’ve seen so far, this will probably include a “do-follow” link to the blogs featured which is pretty cool because it isn’t every day that you get a shot at a free link from a high visibility blog like that one.

Technorati Tags: featured blog, martha blog, contest, link, martha stewart, blogs

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