Thursday, May 29, 2008

Cinnamon Carrot Bread

Credit to: V Monte & Allrecipes where this recipe is taken


INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sunflower seed oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 pinch salt
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Direction
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 Degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the sugars and sunflower oil. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into the bowl while stirring occasionally. Beat the eggs together, and gradually stir into the batter until everything is combined. Mix in carrots, pecans, and vanilla until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  3. Bake on middle rack for 60 minutes, or until it tests done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Cooking Perfect Steak Tips

Imagine having the whole family together on a supposed steak grill expecting to chow down on mouth-watering, juicy steaks only to gather around the grill weeping over burnt steaks that are hardly distinguishable from charcoal. Welcome to the Imperfect Steak Grillers club! So, you want out from the club? Cook perfect steaks and leave the club behind! It really is possible with a few cooking tips and a whole lot of gusto for steak!
  1. Choose the perfect meat parts. First of all, perfect steaks start off at the supermarket. So, to cook the perfect steak, you first have to choose the perfect steak parts. The following parts are perfect for cooking- oyster blade or barbecue steak, T-bone, rump, sirloin or tenderloin or eye fillet.
  2. The Perfect Pan. Donít use enamel or stainless steel pans when cooking your steaks. Meats tend to stick to them when you do so. When cooking meats and steaks, use those heavy, cast iron grillpans or barbeque grills.
  3. The Perfect Procedure. Heat the pan really hot before even contemplating cooking. Donít start cooking on a half heated pan. Just before the pan hits the critical amount of heat immediately season the meat with both salt and pepper. You should not do this ahead of time instead of just before the pan if fully heated because if you do so, the salt will suck the moisture from the steak, thereby ruining its taste. Now, brush on some oil on to the pan. Use herbs to do so because brushes tend to burn in the heat, and you do not want your steak ruined by burnt nylon. For the process, you could use olive oil, or vegetable oil. After applying the oil, wait for the pan to get really hot. When it has reached this temperature, put a steak on the pan. Keep cooking the bottom part until it is brown and crispy. When this happens, apply some oil to the uncooked side of the steak and turn the steak over so that the uncooked side gets its turn to be cooked. It is very important to make sure you turn the steak over only once. If you keep turning the steak over, you run the risk of overcooking the sides resulting in a dry burnt surface on your steak. Cooking time is hard to estimate and is dependent on the thickness of the steak and the type of pan you are using. If you would like a thumb rule to know if your steak is rare, medium-rare, and well-done, here are a few tips :-

a)Rare ñ pinch the thick pad of your left thumb with your right hand (you could it vice-versa if you want to). This is how a rare steak should feel.

b)Medium-Rare ñ put your thumb and index finger together to make a circle. With your other hand pinch the thick pad of the thumb to get a feel for what a medium-rare steak should feel like.

c)Well-Done ñ do the same as step b, but use more pressure when you make the circle. This will make the thick part of the thumb a little stiffer. This is how a well-done steak should feel like. Use this method with tongs instead of piercing the steak. Piercing the steak make it lose some of its juice.


4. Perfectly Keeping Your Steak. After cooking your steak, place it on a warm spot before you serve it. You may want to use a just-turned-off oven to do this. You have to make sure you keep your steak well or else it will lose much of its juices and its flavor. Now, you donít want to work awfully hard to cook the perfect steak only to lose out because you werenít able to rest your steak well. With these tips and a little practice, you are sure to treat your family and friends to grade-A, certified juicy, delicious steaks. After a few tries, you should be able to sizzle everyone with steaks that taste straight out of a restaurant. All you have to do now is break out the Worcestershire and the knives and forks and get some serious steak session happening. Good luck and happy cooking!
Author Resource:- Daegan Smith

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Warm Apple Pocket

INGREDIENTS:
3 sweet apples -- peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon apple pie spice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (15 ounce) package prepared, unbaked pie crust, thawed
milk
1 egg, beaten

Preparing
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
  • In a bowl, toss apple slices together with sugar, flour, salt, apple pie spice, and vanilla extract until evenly coated
  • Lay pie dough flat on a lightly greased baking sheet. Pile apples on one side of dough, leaving a 1 inch border. Brush border and opposite half side of dough with milk. Fold dough over apples, being careful not to over-stuff or the dough will tear. Fold over edges and pinch together to seal. Cut several small slits in the top of the pocket with a sharp knife, then brush top with beaten egg
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until flakey and golden brown. Serve warm, or at room temperature

Credit to : allrecipes.com and enjoy your desert..

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Mee Goreng(Fried Noodles)

This very basic recipe that everyone can try and enjoy it..
Ingredient:

  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbs oyster sauce
  • 1 tbs ground chilli/sambal oelek (omit this if you do not want it hot)
  • 3 tbs curry powder (omit this if you do not want it spicy)
  • 150g fresh prawns, cleaned and shelled
  • Noodles (you can used the instant noodles)
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 100g beansprouts
  • 1/2 red pepper, sliced for garnishing
  • 1/2 cup oil

Preparing

  1. Heat oil in wok and fry onions, garlic, oyster sauce, ground chilli and curry powder until fragrant
  2. Add prawns and chicken stock. Bring to boil and add noodles and bean sprouts
  3. Fry until dry and remove from heat.

Garnish with red pepper and serve at once,enjoy cooking.