"10 Commandments for a Super Moist Turkey"
Thanksgiving is coming!
You are well on your way to never cooking a dry turkey again.
"10 Commandments for a Super Moist Turkey" provides you with great tips to creating a mouth watering succulent turkey. Impress all of your family and friends this holiday season!
Go To: www.athomecookinginstitute.com/turkey.html
Saturday, October 10, 2009
"10 Commandments for a Super Moist Turkey"
Monday, October 5, 2009
Wet Salad!
What I call "wet salad" is when you make a salad using cabbage (sliced, diced, or shredded) in place of regular lettuce. You then saturate your salad with your choice of dressing (I usually use vinegar). Wet salad has a great crispy texture. It could stand for hours even days without becoming soggy like a salad made with regular dressing would.
For an ideal wet salad, after you mix all of the ingredients together, let it stand for about 2 hours. This will ensure the flavors of the dressing are being worked in to the cabbage and the other veggies. Below is a wet salad that I love to make.
Shredded Green Cabbage
Sliced Cucumbers
Sliced Carrots
Sliced Green Peppers
Sliced Vidalia (red) Onions
Fresh minced Garlic
Fresh Cracked Pepper
Salt
Balsamic or White Vinegar
I was inspired to create the wet salad above when I ate something similar to it at a really great restaurant in NJ called “Harold’s of NYC”. This salad makes for a huge flavor blast! It is also very healthy. Use the wet salad as a side dish to sandwiches such as subs/hoagies or even hamburgers.
If you notice I did not tell you how much to use of each ingredient above. I have done this on purpose so you can control your own taste pallet. In other words, use as much or as little of everything as you would like. For the olive lovers out there, feel free to throw a few olives in.
Enjoy!
Very Truly Yours,
Britnee Timberlake
P.S. Play around with wet salad, replace the lettuce in some of your ordinary favorite salads with cabbage.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Let’s Talk about Rice Baby!
Rice seems to sometimes have a mind of its own. When you think you are cooking it right, all of a sudden the rice proves you wrong by turning to mush. AHHHHH I hate this. Truth be told, in a way, rice does have a mind of its own. It is one of those foods which do not require much maintenance. Rice is very independent. What I mean by all of these statements which greatly involve my own personification of rice is, just leave it alone and let the rice cook itself.
All you have to do is…
1. BOIL the correct measured amount of water (instructions can be found on the bag)
2. Add the correct measured amount of rice to the BOILING water (instructions can be found on the bag)
3. Pour the rice while stirring it into the BOILING water.
4. Quickly Stir in salt and Butter (step 3 and 4 should only take about 20 seconds)
5. Turn the boiling water DOWN to the lowest burner possible before turning the burner off
6. Put the lid on the pot
7. Let the rice simmer/steam cook itself, in other words leave it alone :)
• No you do not have to keep taking the lid off the pot to check the rice.
This lets the steam out of the pot which will have a negative effect on the cooking process.
• No you do not have to keep stirring the rice.
When you keep stirring the rice your rice will grow stickier by the minute. This will eventually turn the rice into mush! However if you want the effect of a semi sticky rice you can stir the rice a little bit perhaps twice while it is cooking.
• No you do not have to turn the burner to high at any point the rice is in the pot.
This will not result in the rice cooking fast. Instead, it will result in the rice burning in the bottom of the pot... then you will have the smoke alarm going off and the entire house stinking. :) The only time your burner should be up high is when you are trying to bring the water to a boil before you add the rice.
This should help you conquer that “hard to cook” rice.
Very Truly Yours,
Britnee Timberlake
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Sandwiches
Tip 1: Use salad dressings as sandwich spreads.
Tip 2: Pesto is king!(Pesto is often viewed as a fancy spread but in fact there is really nothing fancy [other than its flavor]to it).
Tip 3: Sautee and season some tomatoes to replace the regular raw ones.
Tip 4: Use cranberry Sauce on your turkey sandwiches.
Tip 5: Buy your sandwich bread from a fresh dough bakery.
Tip 6: Everyone loves a little cole slaw on their sandwich (it makes for great texture and flavor) Add a little spicy mustard to it and you are in the money!
Tip 7: Double up on your meats (pair turkey with bacon while salami is great with ham and pepperoni).
Tip 8: Use your left over meat from last night’s dinner to make great sandwiches.
Tip 9: Combine Tip 2 and 4 in the same sandwich and it is great! If you are a vegetarian and want to spice up a cheese sandwich this is how to do it!
Tip 10: Use thinly sliced deli meat instead of thick (this will make the meat less tough) but please do pile the meat high.
Be creative!
Be confident!
Have fun!
You are great!
Very Truly Yours,
Britnee Timberlake
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Cooking Games
Click on "cooking games" there are so many cooking games online here for little boys and girls to play with. I see a new generation of top chefs realizing their passions :)
Collard Greens on the Show "Chopped"
For those who do not know... Collard greens are a very thick leafy vegetable that is used as a staple when cooking “soul food” (usually only substituted by string beans or cabbage). They are usually cooked down in a pot with a meat such as a smoked ham hock or a turkey neck for flavoring. “Soul food” is a food which originated down south USA during slavery. The history behind it is as follows: after the slaves harvested the fields the masters would leave them the scraps to cook with. In turn the slaves made something out of nothing which influences the way people eat today. Today all soul food is not made with scraps, but it includes dishes like home made Mac and cheese, collard greens, fried chicken, grits, smothered pork chops, an array of ribs, okra, among many other things. Soul food is most commonly identified today with the African American Peoples of America. Personally, I love soul food. It is one of the first cuisines I learned how to make being that I was raised up on it! It is very hearty and savory. Anyone can make it if they try and are taught by someone who knows what they are doing. Almost everything in soul food from the side dishes to the main entree consists of comfort food. It truly is food for the soul! Chopped get it together! :)
Sunday, August 2, 2009
GREAT SEMI-HOMEMADE DONUTS
You need:
• Can of Regular Pillsbury Biscuits (non flaky)
• Powder Sugar and/or Cinnamon Sugar
• Small Round Cookie Cutter
• Vegetable Oil
• Pop open your can of Pillsbury regular biscuits.
• Lay your biscuits out individually onto a clean smooth surface.
• Use a small cookie cutter to poke a hole into the center of the biscuit, or roll it into little balls.
• Pre-heat in a deep sided frying pan vegetable oil on low-med heat.
• Drop the biscuit dough into the pre-heated oil.
1. (Using tongs) Flip the dough as needed making sure both sides of the dough are thoroughly cooked (the dough will turn a light brown/golden color when done.)
2. Remove the dough from the hot oil.
3. Using a paper towel, lightly dab the oil off the donut then quickly dip the donut into a bowl containing either powder sugar or cinnamon sugar.
4. There you have a simple recipe to make simple donuts.
TIP: You can serve the donuts hot and fresh with side of warm strawberries or cherries. You can also melt dark or white chocolate to dip the donuts in.
My mother used to make these when we were kids! I loved it!
It has been a pleasure...
Very Truly Yours,
Britnee Timberlake
Master Home Cook
Friday, July 3, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
A GREAT TIME SAVER IN THE KITCHEN!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Gravy!!!!!!!!!!
Chop up your tomatoes and place them on the stove on a medium heat or put them in a crock pot for slow cooking. The crock pot will allow you to do other things while your gravy worries about itself. When you see the tomatoes begin to stew. Add all of your other ingredients to the pot. Make sure all of your other ingredients are finely chopped.Brown and season some ground beef add it to the the rest of the ingredients. Season your gravy to taste with salt, pepper, sugar. Add about 3-5 table spoon of flour for thickness and if you want your gravy to be really thick add 2 cans of tomato paste. Stir the sauce really good. Turn the burner down to a low heat and let everything simmer and slow cook together. Stir occasionally, and continue to taste the sauce so that you can continue to season it according to your taste. ENJOY
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Trials and Tribulations of Garlic
PS: You could always just wear gloves. (smile)
Pasta Ordeals!
When I am not making my pasta from scratch, my favorite Pasta to cook with is Barilla! I swear by it. Everything I make with Barilla comes out perfect. I used to buy what ever pasta was the cheapest. But I wasted a lot of money doing that. If you could only see the many pastas I just chucked into the trash because they were horrible. Some of them even over boiled and fell a part after only being in the hot water for two minutes!!!!! Use Barilla. I promise you can't go wrong with it in any recipe.
This is my tip for the week.
Which Pasta is your favorite?
PS: NO. I do not get paid to say this. However it would be nice.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Moist Meat Balls!!!!!
Hello Home Cooks!
I wanted to let you in on a little secret that you can use whenever you are cooking meatballs!
If you desire those moist meatballs that easily break open when you gently press them with your fork... the key is to add sliced crust less bread pre soaked in milk (I use white bread). When you add this soggy ingredient, it will "dry proof your meatballs" (2 slices per pound). Use this technique in place of the bread crumbs you were using before. My mother always says "why add dry ingredients to a meat that you are expecting to be moist". Also try to stay away from dried powder like Parmesan cheese. Instead, use fresh shredded Parmesan. This will release the natural oils within the cheese thus releasing moisture.
Never forget your egg. The egg is what will hold the meat together in whatever shape you bake/fry it in. Acting like a glue agent, the egg is what ensures the meat does not break a part in the sauce pot. If you leave out the egg, your meat balls and spaghetti meal would be turned into a meat sauce and spaghetti meal. Be careful the egg is very strong (too much glue can ruin a project). You do not need a lot of eggs... I would say to use 1 large egg (2 small/medium) per every 3-3 1/2 pounds of ground meat. But you must make sure you mix the meat consistently and evenly. If you add too much egg your meat balls will become firm and tough.
BY THE WAY! These tricks work for meatloaf and homemade hamburgers too!
Very Truly Yours,
Britnee Timberlake
Monday, March 30, 2009
A Helpful Article I Wrote...
you tired of your food just being known as “alright?” Do you feel bad when your children brag about their friend’s mother who can cook so great, but when your children are at home, they hardly touch the plate of food you prepared? Let me tell you about three secrets to cooking that are sure to solve your problems. These secrets are confidence, knowledge, and creativity.
The first secret to cooking is confidence: If you have a lack of confidence in the kitchen, it will show up in your food. Your children and significant other will be able to sense you were unsure of what you cooked. Just like men always say… "One of the sexiest things about a woman is when she has a high confidence level". It is the same in food. If you cook with low confidence, the less sexy your food is going to be. Ordinarily confidence in the kitchen is something that you will gain over a lot of time and practice. You must also have thick skin to develop the confidence you will need to be a great cook. The thick skin is needed for your practicing stages. You are guarantee a season of time where no one likes the food you are preparing. But keep reading and I will tell you how to conquer all of this in no time at all.
The next secret to cooking is knowledge: If you do not have the proper knowledge of seasonings, spices, cooking utensils, or even how to buy quality meats; then how do you expect to create consistently mouth watering meals? You must gain the knowledge of what is best paired with what? Once you do this, you will be able to step into conquering the next secret to cooking, which is creativity.
The final secret to cooking is creativity: Creativity is not just limited to paintings and art
work. In order to be successful in any skill, you must be creative. Cooking is an art of its own. Once you posses the courage to be creative, you will enable yourself to create your own recipes thus freeing yourself from what I call “cookbook bondage”. Cookbook bondage is when a person can not cook a thing with out a cookbook being by their side. With your new found confidence, knowledge, and courage for creativity, you will not be afraid to create and combine different seasonings and edible items to make up unique delectable dishes.
Once you combine the three secrets of a home cook, over a long period of time, you will
develop into a great cook.
Q: Why does it have to be such a long period of time before I develop into a great cook?
A: Because you have to do the research in order to learn about seasonings, utensils, meats, etc.
Q: Whoa Research! That's a scary word! Who has time for that?
A: Research is indeed tiring and time consuming. What if I told you I Britnee Timberlake the head chef for a very successful catering company, wrote three e-books courses just for you. These courses are packed with all the research and years of trial and error where you by yourself would take ages to conquer.
From these easy to read e-book courses you will gain confidence, knowledge, and the courage to
be creative when cooking. When you read and put to practice all three e-books, you will surely become a cooking phenom in no time!
Click on the link below to be re-directed to my site to view the valuable LIMITED TIME ONLY special offers. Wowing everyone with your cooking skills is just one click away! http://www.athomecookinginstitute.com/