A space for recipes

Serves 6- 2pts.



1 can (15-1/4 oz.) whole kernel corn,drained

1 c. chopped fresh tomato

1 c. chopped/peeled cucumber

1/2 c.chopped celery

1/2 c. diced sweet red pepper

2 green onions,sliced

1/2 c. Fat free Italian dressing



Combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for several hours before serving.



keywords: vegetables, side disk

A lot of people hope to become an excellent chef, but the steps that they must take to get there can be very trying. You will be able to cook a great meal in little time, if you just go slowly and take it step by step.

When you are cooking, dont be afraid to be creative. You do not have to follow a recipe to the "T". Give the recipe your own personal twist by leaving an ingredient or two out, substituting, or adding something. These little changes can result in an exceptionally good dish that is better than the original recipe! Now thats real cooking!

If youre dealing with a vegetable or fruit that you arent familiar with, you should take the time to learn more information about it. By performing some research, you could be surprised at how versatile a new food can be. The better prepared you are before you start, the better your kitchen experiences will be.

If you want to lose weight and eat healthier, cut back on the amout of oil that you cook with. Butters and oils contain unnecessary fats. Try using nonstick cooking spray instead: this product does not contain anything unhealthy and works just like oil.

By doing this, fruits can stay fresh all through the year. Another great benefit is that you will have certain fruits on their off season.

Theres almost always leftovers after serving turkey. Rather, cut up the meat and store in in the freezer. Frozen turkey will keep for weeks in the freezer and can be unfrozen and used for a variety of dishes.

Improper storage techniques wont ensure they will last from harvest through the winter months, which is when they are most often desired for inclusion in recipes. Apples need to be kept loosely in plastic bags while in your refrigerator or basement because they rot in dry, warm air. Make sure you check them periodically, however, because even one spoiled apple can cause the others in the bag to rot very rapidly.

A lot of preparatory work can be done ahead of time in order to speed up time spent cooking. Examine recipes and identify which preparations can take place well in advance without risking spoilage. Many different prep tasks can be finished a day or so before cooking the meal. This can make even the most difficult recipes fun and easy.

If preparing dinner becomes overwhelming, try to get some of the prep work done the night before. Easy ways to prep in advance include cutting up any ingredients that needs chopping, throwing together the ingredients for any sauces or marinades or assembling a casserole before you head to bed for the night. You will be a much happier cook if you do not have to do as much the next day, resulting in less stress.

The ability to cook will always come in handy, whether you want to feed your family or romance a prospective beau. Sharing meals is a common tradition among cultures across the globe. Use the guidelines suggested in this article to get you started on the path towards cooking perfection.

 

Dessert Crepes

Fillings:

 Nutella, whipped cream, fruits of your preference, chocolate or caramel syrup.

Directions:

In a blender, combine all off ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking.
On a medium to low heat use a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat, once butter sizzle, pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds, flip and let it cook for another 10 seconds. Place on a flat surface or plate. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone or you can store the left over batters in the refrigerator for 48 hours.



To store unused crepes:
 Once crepes are cooled, store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

*For non dessert crepes:

 omit the vanilla extract and sugar. However,  add 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, spinach or sun-dried tomatoes to the egg mixture.

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October has been a record low on Saffron Trail and I wanted to break the jinx. Initially it was the internet. The MTNL broadband connection is still down, but I have kind of gotten used to the Reliance data card. If the see the positive, it means, Im always connected to the net even in the outdoors. And Ive got used to the slower speed.

To add to the internet problem, both the hubby and me fell sick one after the other - and since I was going under weather after a long long time, it was a heavy bout to make up for all the time the flu bugs have missed me! The loss of appetite that comes with taking medicines, made me stay away from all food blogs, even my favourite ones.

After we got up and running, I thought, Ill get back to my blog now. But that inertia and boredom of blogging had grasped me completely. Except for sneaking into a few blogs off and on, and barely making it to text Raaga a birthday message, its been total hibernation for me. Honestly, I have not been too busy with work, which means a lot of posts could have happened. Its been a strange situation where I know blogging would make me happy and yet I did not want to type blogger.com. The camera is sitting in some unknown location in the house, which has rarely ever happened with me, or any of you food bloggers. I realized it is now or never. If I do not get back now, I probably will distance myself too much from something I love so much.
With Diwali round the corner, I just did a peek into the archives of ST, and discovered that I had gone bonkers making some SIX Diwali treats last year - and most of them being tried for the first time.

Today, gingerly I went into the Another Subcontinent forums, into the Diwali treats thread, checking out on all the goodies. Also, checking out Indiras Mithai section
as well as Manishas tantalizing Orange Burfi - plus browsing through JFI Diwali Round Up -2006 at Vees Past, Present and Me - to get some inspirations.

Hope all of you are having a lovely time preparing for Diwali. What are the plans at your end if I may ask? Id like to try something new and get out of my cooking rut this festive season.

By the way after a really long while, I tried something new yesterday - a one pot Gujarati dish called Daal Dhokli from the Hungry Monster site. It turned out pretty good. Besides that, Ive been making homemade thin crust pizzas at least once a week - thanks to the super active yeast sent across by Anita. I cant thank her enough for that. I managed to gather the enthusiasm to try her Potato Bread, but may be the bread read my hastiness and decided not to rise at all, and I thought it would rise on baking, but that did not happen. It turned out to be what Id call a flop show, but clearly the recipe is not to blame. So I want to try it once more with some more patience on a sunny day.

Otherwise weve been eating out a lot, thanks to my kitchen boredom [translating into blog boredom]. Sernya, a small shack like Tibetan joint run by 78 year old Uncle John, serves heart warming Thukpas, vegetables stir fried Tibetan style, rice and noodles, all for a small sum. If you are in Bombay and youd like to try out authentic Tibetan food, Ill gladly share the address with you. We also managed to go back to Urban Tadka. I dont know if Ive already raved about this place here. We like to call it the one-hour wait place, because no matter how early you land up and which day of the week it is, the minimum wait is one hour. One look at the prices and one taste of the food, and youll know why people dont mind waiting over an hour to have grub. Its Punjabi fare at its very best. Their biryanis are out of the world and so is their simple yellow dal tadka, or Punjabi Kadhi.

Please share with me your Diwali treat ideas, I desperately need some inspiration this year.

This is a recipe that my mom has been using for years! Ive made it before but my mom still makes it the best! This is her photo that my brother took and sent to me. This is great to bring to a potluck, great for a holiday or put it individual portions and keep it for yourself!


Mom’s Rice Pudding

Ingredients

½ gallon milk
1 cup Carolina Rice
1 cup regular sugar
2 Tbsp Vanilla
6 eggs
Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Mix rice in a pot with milk and sugar, let it come to a boil. Let simmer for 1 hour or until rice cooks and thickens. Stir constantly.

2. When rice is almost ready, beat eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add rice to egg mixture and fold it into the eggs quickly. Top with cinnamon and refrigerate.