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Homemade Pasta

A Guest Aritcle by Susan Elliott

Homemade pasta is easy to make, and it tastes much better than store bought pasta. Homemade pasta ingredients are simple and most items can be found in all well stocked kitchens. Homemade pasta can be made in a matter of minutes, so whip out your aprons and let’s get busy.

Homemade Pasta by Hand

Ingredients
2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon of salt
3 eggs
1 tablespoon of milk
1 teaspoon of olive oil

Place 2 cups of flour and ¼ teaspoon of salt onto a clean flat surface. Gather the flour together so that it looks like a small volcano.

Clean out the center section, pushing the flour to the outside so that a circle forms.
Break three eggs into the circle. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the eggs. Use a fork to gently break the eggs and mix the wet ingredients.

Push the flour onto the wet mixture. Mix the flour until a ball of dough forms. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. This should take about 5 minutes.

Roll the dough out until it is flattened. It should be about a 1/8 inch thick. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into long strips.

At this point you may place your pasta onto a drying rack and allow it to rest for about three hours. Or, you may cook the fresh pasta immediately. Both cooking methods are recommended. It takes much less time to cook fresh pasta. It should be cooked for about three minutes.

Easy Print Recipe

Homemade Rolled Pasta

Ingredients:
2 cups and 2 tablespoons of flour
½ teaspoon of salt
3 eggs
1 tablespoon of milk
1 teaspoon of olive oil

Place all of the ingredients into a food processor. Blend the ingredients until a ball forms.

Remove the dough ball from the machine. Place the dough ball onto a well floured surface, and flatten the dough. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Place the other sections of dough inside plastic wrap and set them aside.

Place the first section of dough into the pasta machine. Roll the dough through the machine up to three times. Then turn the dough onto itself. Place it through the pasta machine again up to 10 times.

Place the flattened dough onto a floured surface and cut it into long strips of pasta. Repeat this process with the other sections of dough.

Variations:
For more flavorful pasta, add fresh herbs before mixing your dough.
Fresh spinach leaves may also be added to the pasta before the kneading process.

Easy Print Recipe

References:
How to Make Pasta
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/how-to-make-pasta2.htm

How to Make Pasta with a Pasta Roller
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/how-to-make-pasta3.htm

Pasta image from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pastas.jpg

Hand Sculpted Chocolate Roses

Guest Article by Susan Elliott

Chocolate roses are perfect gifts for loved ones. They can beautifully adorn tables at weddings, or make scrumptious holiday gifts for Valentine’s Day. Chocolate roses are easy to create and can be made by children. Allow at least four days from the start of the project to the finished project.

Materials:

Place 10 ounces of chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, and heat for one minute. The goal is to melt the chocolate, but not to boil it. Remove the chocolate from the microwave and stir thoroughly. If needed, replace it into the microwave and heat it in 30 second intervals until the chocolate is completely melted.

Remove the melted chocolate from the microwave and add a 1/3 cup light corn syrup. Mix well.

Place a large sheet of wax paper onto a flat surface. Pour the melted chocolate onto the top of the waxed paper. Spread the chocolate out, with the rubber spatula, until it is about a ˝ inch thick. Cover the chocolate with a sheet of waxed paper, and allow the mixture to sit overnight.

Sculpting Chocolate Roses


Pinch a small amount of the chocolate dough from the chocolate modeling clay. Roll it into a small ball and set it onto a clean sheet of waxed paper. Repeat this process until you have at least ten small balls on the waxed paper.

Place another sheet of waxed paper onto the top of the rolled dough balls, and press the sheet gently. The chocolate dough balls should resemble small flattened disks.

Curl one disk so that it is similar in appearance to a funnel. This is the center rose section. Place another disk around the center section. Press the chocolate together so that it connects firmly at the bottom. Repeat this process until you are happy with your rose. Allow your roses to dry for another 24 hours before painting.

Painting Chocolate Roses


Mix powdered food coloring with cocoa butter to create food grade paint. The mixing ratio is generally six parts cocoa butter to one part food coloring. Add the cocoa butter to the food coloring until a paint like mixture forms.

With a clean, food safe paintbrush paint the roses. Remember to add detail work to your roses. Work your way from the inside of the rose to the outside area of the rose. Place the rose into the freezer to speed up the paint drying process. Freeze your roses for at least one hour.

References
Tinting Chocolate
http://www.baking911.com/chocolate/basics.htm

How to Use Powdered Coloring with Chocolate
http://www.shopbakersnook.com/262.html?m15:post=how-to-use-powdered-food-coloring-with-chocolate

How to Sharpen Kitchen Knives


Guest Article by Tom V Powell

Owning a great set of kitchen knives is very important when it comes to preparing a meal properly. Some would even say thatyour knives are direct reflection of your skill as a cook. The better condition your knives are in, the more capable of a cook you are. This is very understandable, as the condition of your knives can mean the difference between a great meal and a horrible one.

One of the first things you should know is that the price of the knife is no indication of quality. Whether you have top line stainless steel knives, or discount ones from your local department store, what matters more is the condition you keep them in. Keeping your kitchen knives sharp might seem difficult, but by following these simple steps you can maintain your knives for a very long time.

First off, when doing any work with your knives, make sure to cut on a relatively soft surface. Surfaces such as wood and plastic are ideal. Never use your kitchen knives on hard surfaces such as metal or ceramic. The repetitive cutting motion on a hard surface will cause your kitchen knives to become dull and that's something that none of us want. While it may take longer for these hard surfaces to dull a stainless steel or ceramic knife, it will happen regardless. So try to avoid them if possible.

Another tip that'll let you preserve the quality of your kitchen knives, is to never use your kitchen knives outside of the kitchen. While it's super tempting to use your kitchen knives as a screwdriver when you need one, this is not what they were designed to do. By using it in this fashion you're not only damaging your knives, you're insuring that your knives will be dulled beyond repair. Only use your knives to do tasks that it was designed to do, this will preserve your knives and ensure that you'll have them when you need them.

The next tip in insuring the longevity of your kitchen knives is to avoid gritty materials when using them. Gritty materials wear down to the edge of your knives and cause nicks and blemishes on its blade. Keep your guard up when using your knives during outdoor activities. If it's exposed to any moisture, make sure to immediately dry it off.

When you're washing your kitchen knives, make sure to use just a mild dishwashing soap and make sure to hand dry them. By allowing the blade to drip dry, you can degrade the condition of your kitchen knife's handle. When you allow your knife to drip dry, you can also cause your knife's blade to become stained.

Another tip that'll help you preserve the quality of your knives, is to be very careful when dealing with knives that have wooden handles. Never soak knives that have wooden handles, for any extended period of time. The water will cause the handle to swell and in the process destroy your knife. Instead hand wash them and rub mineral oil on the handle to preserve its shining finish.

If you use these tips properly, your kitchen knives might even outlast you.

Viners are a quality cutlery company based in Sheffield, England. They also supply knife sets and blocks, pots and pans and dinner sets.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_V_Powell

One of The Greatest Kitchen Appliances Ever: The FoodSaver®


Guest Article by Charles Pogue


From serrated knives to electric food choppers and from waterless cookware to juicing machines, many kitchen appliances have had their praises sung on cleverly done television infomercials. Many of these products save time and effort. But one of the best kitchen products available today requires some time and effort to use, but it saves some things even more valuable, your food dollars and your health. Possibly second only to the refrigerator itself, the FoodSaver V2440 Advanced Design Vacuum-Packaging System is the greatest kitchen appliance ever invented. The FoodSaver® may be an unusual product for an infomercial, in that it does everything it is advertized to do, and it does it all very well.

The real value of the FoodSaver® lies in the fact that it keeps food fresh up to five times longer than any other food storage system. That not only can save a family hundreds of dollars a year on grocery costs, by keeping food fresher it also keeps everything from meat to vegetables healthier for your family. The food saver is also dependable. We purchased our first FoodSaver® system over ten years ago. When we upgraded to a new model, we passed the old one down to our daughter’s family. She used it for several years, before she decided to purchase a newer model. The FoodSaver® is designed with a vacuum channel that sucks the air out of the specially designed bags, and then a strip seals the bag airtight in one easy step. The FoodSaver® can also be used to reseal packages when one would not want to remove the air. Reclose, for example, that partial bag of potato chips, and they will be fresh the next time you have a case of the munchies--just don't vacume seal them, or the chips will be crushed.

The FoodSaver® system even comes with an attachment to seal a glass jar. Now imagine that! Do not think, though, that the only use for the FoodSaver® is in the kitchen. Everything from family heirlooms to off-season clothes to wedding gowns to coin collections can be sealed and protected with the FoodSaver®. Not only are continuous rolls for making custom size bags available in 8’ and 11” widths, quart and gallon size readymade bags are also available. No matter which of the available models you choose, you can depend upon years of reliable service from your FoodSaver® Vacuum Sealing System, and save big bucks to boot.

Hidden Aluminum in Our Diet

In recent years, aluminum has become a great concern. It has been linked to Alzheimer's, and more recently has been linked to Attention Deficit Disorder. The link is strong enough that concerned medical professionals have recommended that aluminum cookware not be used in preparation of meals, and that personal care products such as deodorant and anti-persperants be avoided. Aluminum is dangerous--no question about it.

So, if it is so dangerous to our health, why is there so much hidden in the foods we purchase from the store? Recently, my family started making homemade flour tortillas when we could not find a single brand at the grocery store that did not have aluminum in the ingredients. Other foods we have found that have aluminum in them are Betty Crocker mixes (cake and bread), Jiffy Corn Muffin mix, CoffeeMate coffee creamers (including my favorite cinnamon vanilla), Totino Pizza Bites, and Bisquick. At this point, every trip to the store is a quest for truth as we scrutinize every can and box that is picked up.

At the very least, everything that has leavening in it is suspect. Even over-the-counter and prescription drugs sometimes have aluminum in them. And don't forget to check toothpaste and other personal care items such as cosmetics.

More recently, baking powder has been identified as a major source of aluminum in the American diet, so much so that the level of aluminum is toxic. Who knew that making homemade baked goods, which are supposed to be better for us, meant feeding our families poisonous aluminum? The good news is that if you are diligent enough, you can find or create products that do not poison those you love. Cremora coffee creamer does not have aluminum. Some store brands, too, do not have aluminum. Cakes and biscuits are not much harder to whip up from scratch than from a box. The issue is still the baking powder.

Fortunately, there are alternatives. Watkins has a baking powder that is aluminum free, as does Rumford (which also makes Clabber Girl which does have aluminum in it), and Bob's Red Mill. I am sure there are others, but these are the only baking powder products without aluminum of which I am aware. Another alternative is to make your own.

Homemade baking powder should not be made in large quantities, as it has a short shelf life. It should be refrigerated. When using homemade baking powder, do not allow the cake or bread to sit more than a very short time before baking, as the leavening strength will dissipate. A recipe for homemade baking powder is below. Also below is a recipe for homemade flour tortillas.

Cinnamon

The aroma of cinnamon fills a house when cinnamon rolls or apple pies are baked. Many of us have fond memories of walking into grandmother's house and knowing instantly that she was baking something special for dessert. Cinnamon is more than just a flavoring, though. Throughout history, cinnamon has been used as a kitchen spice, for perservation of meats, for medicinal purposes, and was even used in the embalming process by ancient Egyptians. Some studies have shown that cinnamon helps stabilize blood glucose levels in Type 2 diabetes, lowers cholesterol levels, ranks high as an aphrodisiac for men, is a folk remedy for diarrhea and morning sickness (please note that cinnamon oil may cause miscarriages), and has both antiseptic and astringent qualities.

While the health benefits of cinnamon are impressive, nothing beats a fresh, hot apple pie or cake for spicing up any day, especially holidays. One of the most beloved recipes in the family is Mamaw's Fresh Apple Cake. Just the mention of it brings memories that have us longing for a good sized slice. Another is Hot Cinnamon Cider, which is best cooked in a clear, glass coffee pot to enable all to see the wonderful red color that develops as it perks. Both recipes are on the Featured Recipes page.

Kitchen Lighting

A while back, my family was watching reruns of The Andy Griffith Show. In one episode, Aunt Bea was complaining with assorted aches and pains, but refused to go the the doctor. Her reason? He would tell her she wasn't a "spring chicken, anymore." Many of us can relate to that. Among other problems that crop up as we get a little older, we have trouble seeing as well as we used to. I have discovered that when I replaced the light bulbs in my kitchen with daylight full-spectrum CFL bulbs, I could see better. They are excellent for craft or sewing rooms, as well. The bulbs generate less heat in the kitchen (or any other room in the house), lower electrical usage, and reduce greenhouse gases. While priced a bit higher than regular light bulbs, CFL bulbs are guaranteed to last up to 10 years or more, depending on the manufacturer and the specific bulb, eventually saving money on the purchase of the bulbs. The main benefits I have found, though, are that I can more easily read the recipe I am using and see the small print on spice jars and cans. According to the medical establishment, full-spectrum lighting is healthy, too. It helps fight off the doldrums, especially in winter months when we don't get as much exposure to sunlight.

CFL full-spectrum bulbs come in multiple wattage equivalencies, including: 60 Watt, 75 Watt, and 100 Watt. You can even get CFL full-spectrum bulbs in three-way bulb styles.

Changing to full-spectrum CFL bulbs is a good idea for every room in the house. Want to see if it really makes a difference? Change out the bulbs in just one room. You will be amazed!

 

 

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