Chicken Up

A world of spices awaits those who embark on the adventure of the culinary arts. Spice and seasoning are very important when preparing food. These can really make the difference between a bland dish and an unforgettable meal. You can find seasonings and herbs from all over the world that reflect the flavors of exotic and exciting cultures. For example, people who want to cook Indian food would use seasonings such as curry, cumin, turmeric, mustard seeds, garlic, cinnamon, black peppercorns, pink peppercorns, granulated onion, cayenne, and paprika. These seasonings give Indian food its distinctive flavor. Many wonderful spices originate from India. Basil, oregano, thyme and garlic are at[..]

How to cook the perfect turkey is actually pretty easy but my preference is a well cooked or should I say a well deep-fried turkey. If you want to know how to cook a deep-fried turkey follow the suggestions in your turkey will turn out perfect for your Thanksgiving or Christmas meal. Of course what you wanted to first is to purchase a plump and juicy turkey that is farm raised or grass fed. In my opinion these are some of the best tasting turkeys available but they can be smaller in size so you may have to look around a little bit to find one that's plump. The reason for the smaller size than the average turkey that you buy in the grocery store is that these turkeys typically are not fed[..]

Mardi Gras Theme Party's are popular throughout the world as it is traditionally a Roman Catholic celebration. They have always been held on "Fat Tuesday" or Shrove Tuesday which is the day before lent begins in order to have one last chance to indulge before fasting. Having said this, you could actually throw a Mardi Gras theme party at any time of the year. Take a look at the following Mardi Gras theme party ideas to give you some inspiration for your big event. 1. As with any party these days, you should really create a Facebook group for the occasion. Use it to invite all your guests, post updates and allow everybody to see who else will be attending. This tends to increase[..]

Roasted pork tenderloins sliced and served over salad greens. Tenderloins are roasted over high heat to sear the outside and lock in the juices. Salad greens are mixed with pineapple chunks, red bell pepper, and walnuts. The salad is tossed with a fresh lime and honey dressing. This is a great dish to serve as a light dinner any time of year. Cook's Notes: You should always cook pork to an internal temperature approaching 160 F. to insure that all potentially harmful germs are killed. Cajun Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Salad and Citrus Honey Dressing Ingredients: Pork: 1 or 2 Pork Tenderloins (2 pounds total) Olive Oil Cooking Spray 1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning Pineapple Salad: 1 (16[..]

The oven is an essential piece of equipment no kitchen can really do without.  In fact, if your commercial oven doesn't do its job properly, it could affect the success of your restaurant or cafe.  While it sounds simple, purchasing an oven like this should have a lot of thought and consideration applied.  Here we go over some of the important factors you should think about when buying a commercial grade oven for your food service based business. It's all About the Research! The most important stage in buying a big ticket item like this is the first one.  Your research should begin on the internet, as it will give you an insight as to what is on the market and all the various[..]

Chicken is a staple meat in the American diet. On any given day millions of people eat chicken in various ways. They eat it fried, baked, boiled, and sauteed style. Easy chicken recipes allow making chicken virtually unlimited with the number of dishes that can be prepared. I enjoy eating grilled and fried chicken. Grilled chicken is delicious because the succulent barbecue, tastes great when you apply the barbecue sauce. I also enjoy eating barbecue chicken wings made from chicken wing restaurants. There are some simple chicken recipes that many people can prepare. Fried chicken consists of oil, flour, salt, pepper, and any other kind of spice you enjoy putting on your chicken. Baked[..]

tart --> Barbecuing is not what it used to be. When growing up the only time that my family would start up the grill or smoker was in the summer and on the weekends. Today, people barbecue every night and all year round. Barbecue sauces have come along way since then as well. There used to be only a couple of choices at your local market. But now with the invention of "super" markets the amount barbecue sauces you can buy locally has grown significantly. For those gourmet barbecue sauces the web is probably the only place you will find these unique sauces. If you don't live in the Alabama area the only place you will find traditional White BBQ Sauce like Big Bob Gibson's is on the web[..]

In this article you will learn about the importance of moderating sodium in your diet and 5 tips to make sodium low foods more flavorful. Sodium is an integral component of proper body function that is found naturally in many of the foods that we eat and is also ingested through the addition of table salt. Our bodies need sodium to balance water and to create the electrical signals needed for muscle contraction, as well as the regulation of heart rhythm. While sodium is necessary in our diets, failing to monitor its consumption can lead to a number of serious health complications including; heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. Below are 5 tips to preparing delicious, sodium low[..]

"All the world's indeed a stage, And we are merely players, Performers and portrayers, Each another's audience outside the gilded cage." Neil Peart-1981 "Limelight." Rush's 1981 hit "Limelight" demonstrates the first rule of engaging your audience. It is a paraphrase of Shakespeare's quote from his comedy "As You Like It" written in 1599. The act of incorporating established ideas into your original pieces is called transformativeness; it is a great way for an audience to relate to your original work. Transformativeness is legal under the US copyright law as long the original material is created or integrated into a new work that has a different meaning from the original. In the example[..]

I'm going on a 60 pound weight loss with this diet plan and I'm often asked if I can eat real foods or if I am starving myself. Yes, I eat real foods and no, I'm absolutely not starving myself. In fact, I eat six times per day because I am on the five plus one plan. To demonstrate this, I'm going to show you what I typically eat during one entire day on Medifast. Breakfast (7:00): I typically will eat either the plan's oatmeal or scrambled eggs for breakfast. Both are prepackaged (as are all of the meals). To keep myself from getting bored, I add fruit or sugar free syrup to the oatmeal. If I have time, I will add veggies and fat free cheese to the eggs to make an omelet. If I don't[..]

Tips for grilling Chicken Wings: Chicken wings have a quite a bit of fat on them, which tends to cause a lot of flare-ups on the grill. So we have learned that pre-cooking the wings in the oven for half an hour or more releases a large portion of the fat and speeds up cooking time on the grill. Another advantage to pre-cooking is that you aren't wasting as much charcoal or gas since it takes less time to cook them. The second tip we have for cooking chicken wings on the grill is to apply the sauce during the last 15-20 minutes of cooking. If you add it sooner than that your sauce will most likely just slide off the wings or if you are using a sugar based sauce the sugar will start to[..]

With a Weber Summit natural gas grill you truly take your grilling to a whole new level. There are so many positive aspects to this type of grill that so many people have to come to know and love. Weber is a name that you know you can trust and they make only quality products that will never quit or let you down. Most of these types of grills have great features such as stainless steel carts which are enclosed and have handles cast in chrome. You can look forward to have 6 burners which are all stainless steel and will get the job done every time you fire it up. On certain grills you can also get features such as spit fork attachments meant for rotisserie. They have heavy duty motors and[..]

Perhaps it shows through your fidgeting, your nail-biting, or your sleepless nights. You feel as if you are under a great deal of stress, and you are searching for relief. While there are many stress reduction strategies you could use, perhaps one of the best is one of the easiest: cooking. Cooking is an art as well as a science. It takes a great deal of patience and persistence to become an excellent cook, and some of your experiments will inevitably end up in the wastebasket or down the garbage disposal. Yet, there is something incredibly relaxing about sauting onions, grilling chicken, or barbecuing pork. You can become mesmerized by the scent of your culinary sensations. The[..]

A mini oven is a scaled down oven that is conveniently sized to fit into smaller spaces. When living in a smaller space, a mini oven can prove to be very beneficial. It provides the ease to just pop in a small, personal sized pizza or other appetizers. This is a fantastic alternative to a microwave as it cooks more efficiently and makes the food crispy like intended. With so little space, one could become the master of their own kitchen and save space while doing it. Anyone can use a mini oven. These are ideal for dorm rooms, studio apartments, and even work break rooms. People that need to save money on energy also benefit from this great invention, because it takes up less electricity.[..]

I came up with this recipe because chicken breast by itself is rather bland in flavor. After several attempts, I finally came up with this full flavor yet easy to make grilled chicken. It combines sophisticated Italian elements while being a simple indoor/outdoor grilling dish. This recipe is sure to be a big hit with freinds or family. Difficulty (Scale from 1-10): 6 Makes: 6 servings Ingredients 1 cup of pitted black olives 1/3 cup of capers (packed in water - drained) 2 cloves of garlic 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon of salt 1/4 cup Italian parsley - roughly chopped 5-7 tablespoons of olive oil (or more) 3 boneless skinless chicken[..]

Grilled chicken is one of the tastiest barbecue foods you can prepare. It's full of lean protein plus it tastes great! Besides baking and frying, grilling is one of the more popular methods of cooking chicken. If you are new to cooking in general, you should always take the time to learn the basics of grilling chicken to ensure fuss-free cooking. Some parts of a chicken may be drier and need flavor enhancement compared to others. Breast pieces are usually drier and taste blander than the thighs or wings. Marinating is an important step before you cook chicken. You can marinate your chicken in anything, although ketchup may be an acquired taste, for an hour or up to 24 hours prior to[..]

Chicken is probably one of the most versatile meat when it comes to cooking options, thus making it a popular choice of meat. The same can be said of the grilling process. Cooking grilled chicken can be made easy by following some easy steps. A few considerations to make before grilling chicken are the following: the cut and size of the meat for grilling; what part of the chicken will be used for grilling; lastly, whether the chicken will be grilled with the skin on or off. Regarding cut and size, a general rule is that skinless and boneless breast is ideal for grilling chicken as it will require less cooking time and allow for even cooking of the meat. However, there are considerations[..]

Cooking Chicken on the Grill - Facing The Grilling Time Dilemma Have you ever tried to cook chicken on a grill? Do you often get stuck with the chicken grilling time dilemma? Very few of us are successful in grilling chicken, especially those who practice it only over the weekend. Several days efforts are needed to learn how to get that perfect grilled chicken with mouthwatering aroma and taste. Any wrong estimation of gas grill cooking time for chicken will actually land you in a soup if you do not follow the right method. Timing is crucial for a nicely grilled chicken. So, read on if you want to avoid overcooked, uncooked or burnt chicken and enjoy a great barbecue party at home. Know[..]

A diabetes diet for use by diabetics following a high protein, low carbohydrate diabetes diet. Breakfast: Ingredients: - 6 eggs - 1 ounce tofu, preferably extra firm or firm tofu, cut into approx. 1/4 - 3/8 inch cubes - 1/4 - 1/3 cup. shredded mozzarella cheese Seasonings: - 1/2 teasp. Chesapeake Bay seasoning or Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic seasoning; - 1 teasp. Montreal Chicken seasoning - 3/4 teasp. powdered or granulated chicken bouillon - 6 drops Louisiana hot pepper sauce - 8-10 drops Worcestershire sauce Heat non-stick frying pan to medium heat, with some (1 teasp.) olive oil in it. In a bowl, scramble eggs with seasonings, add tofu cubes, add mozzarella cheese and combine. Pour[..]

Are you experimenting with herbs, spices and seasoning and spicing up your meals? Sometimes, it can feel like your favorite recipes are falling a little flat. After making the same dish time after time, you may begin to find that your meals leave you wanting a little more flavor. Maybe you should add a sprinkle of herbs and spices, although this can be tough to do, if you aren't sure what spices work with what dishes. So, how do you know if your meals aren't up to par anymore? Do you frequently add table salt to your meals once you've put it on your plate? How about extra pepper? If you answered yes to these questions, then it's likely that you need to experiment with your spices and[..]

Saving money on groceries can be done many ways. One of the best ways to save money on groceries is to stretch more expensive ingredients, particularly meat and poultry. Here is a way to create three meals out of one chicken, along with the recipes for doing so. Whole chickens can be purchased on sale at very reasonable prices. Stock up on then when they are on sale. You'll be able to get three meals out a single chicken! Here's how: First off, buy the largest whole chickens you can find. The larger the chicken, the greater ratio of meat to bones, so you'll be paying for more chicken and less bones, with a larger chicken. Secondly, be strategic in your use of the chicken. Below are three[..]

This is my third article on dumplings. As reported earlier I'm on a lifelong trek to find the secret of Mrs. Mullen's Swedish Dumplings. She was my neighbor when I was a kid and always fed me her cooking delights when I went over to her house to do the chores. In previous articles I reported that biscuit dough from the refrigerator department of your grocery store makes better dumplings than what I've been able to make from existing recipes. The best of these to my taste is croissant dough. After the breakthrough I describe here, I'm not so sure of that. I mentioned earlier that I was afraid to try cinnamon bun dough from my grocer in soup. Then I reported that I had a delightful[..]

Cumin is a great tasting spice that has been used since ancient times as a healing and health protecting agent. It has been used around the world mainly for digestion. Taken after a meal in pill form or a soothing tea made from the seeds, it has been known to also control flatulence, ease stomach pain, and combat various causes of nausea. I've seen recommended recipes suggesting boiling 1 tsp cumin in water, steep and sip slowly for best effect. The antioxidants found in cumin are excellent cancer fighting properties and recently studies have shown cumin to reduce the risk of stomach and liver tumors in animals, specifically rats. Having difficulty sleeping? There are components in cumin[..]

While it may be so much fun to have those barbecue parties, eating meat everyday isn't the right thing to do; it could cause fatigue and nausea if not kept to limit. Such symptoms are only the harbingers for more health issues to come, and it's our body's way of informing us that we need to pay attention to our diet. Meats that are rich in fat native to average diets could cause heart conditions and cancer in the future. Many people, however; have choose to quit meat once and for all for many reasons, some partly religious and partly establishing a healthier diet. Others believe is cruel to kill animals and therefore choose to become vegetarians or vegans. The dilemma in itself isn't[..]

One of the most common and special methods of preparing foods, baking is widely used today because it produces healthy, nutritious, as well as savory dishes. Two delicious and easy-to-prepare baked dishes that everyone must try at their homes are Baked Ham and Baked Chicken. By learning the simple steps in making these wonderful and delicious baked dishes, people can surely serve palatable meals to their loved ones and guests. Learning the Procedures in Baking Ham The key ingredients in preparing this baked dish are ham and glaze. People can choose from the three kinds of glaze, namely honey and brown sugar glaze, fruit glaze, as well as honey and maple glaze. Additionally, it is[..]

When you mention meat, there are two things people will think of. First, there is chicken and second, beef. Many like the beef because it can be served rare and for those who like more tender meat, chicken is their choice. Despite its wide availability, many people still don't know how to cook these two items. So, for the benefit of the reader, this article is going to show you how. Firstly, how to cook a cube steak? Well, you will need to know which part of the cow you'll have to buy at the butcher's. It is taken from the hip and is best tenderized before cooked. Use an electric tenderizer or a normal one if you prefer an old-fashioned bashing. Make sure you tenderize it until it looks[..]

1. Your trash is your gold. Use them. Whenever you have peeled, trimmed, sliced or removed unwanted parts of vegetables, they are your source of 'sweetness' in chicken stock. Never waste them - Tie them up in a bundle and place them into your chicken stock. Also, you may want to include leftovers like "vegetables soaked in brine", garlic skin, carrot skin, onion skin, celery trimmings and so forth. 2. Use the right bird - That old, organically grown bird Using an old female chicken bird enhances the taste of your chicken stock. When a particular meat product is aged, the strength of its own stench increases, thus leaving your stock better tasting than young ones. Organically grown[..]

There are many great dips we serve at parties or while watching sports events or movies at home with friends. This is one of my favorite dips that I like to serve when I am trying to impress my guest. It is not the usual type of dip you get at most parties and it is sure to be a hit. There is no greater joy for me than to give my guest something a little more unusual and see their faces light up, and then having them tell me it was good, can I have the recipe. Ingredients: Crock pot or slow cooker 2 pounds of crawfish tails or shrimp 1 can cream of celery soup 1 roll of garlic cheese if available 1 can of rotel diced tomatoes 1 6 ounces of Velveeta cheese Tabasco sauce (added if heat[..]

The French Quarter has always stood out as one of New Orleans's star attractions, possessing the mixture of cultural influences, architecture, history, music, and celebration that defines the city. I recently traveled to New Orleans and had the incredible experience of getting to know the Quarter. I went into the trip without knowing a thing about New Orleans's history and culture, and came out as a self proclaimed 'French Quarter Tour Guide'. I decided to start this blog as a way to get my thoughts about the city down as well as do my best to guide any new visitors. I always try to keep in mind financial affordability, especially during economic times like these. So, viola, my guide for[..]

The Kentucky Derby is a pretty big deal, so much so that lots of people host their own Kentucky derby party. You can work to make your party a little original this year with some Mardi Gras flair to it. Guest will love the great food, loud music, colorful decorations and if you have the room and inclination the parade! Of course this is still a Kentucky Derby party so you'll have plenty of horse and racing related decorations and you can't forget to give the guests their classic mint juleps for the party. Make sure the guests know that the party is going to have a Mardi Gras theme to it in the invitations you send. You can pick up some invitations with a Kentucky derby or[..]

It shouldn't be stressful or overwhelming to plan a good Mardi Gras theme party. After all, parties are supposed to be fun - even the pre-party planning! This article explores a few ways to make your party prep a bit easier. Tip # 1 Get party kits. One really easy way to go is to find kits that put together all the theme items you need. For example, you can find Fat Tuesday plates, napkins, balloons, cups, crepe paper and plastic utensils all in one package. The only downside to this is you may prefer a different style cup, for instance, but since it is part of the package you can't switch it out. Tip # 2 Focus on the colors. Carnival colors are purple, gold and green. You can have a[..]