Click here to read more.
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn beverage. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn beverage. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Thứ Bảy, 6 tháng 12, 2014
Chủ Nhật, 9 tháng 11, 2014
Christmas & Holidays Gift Guide for the Cook (or foodie) In Your Life | 2014 Edition
If you are shopping for a foodie this Christmas (or even if you are not) here is my broad guide to great Christmas gifts for the kitchen. It’s a series of things that I love that make life in the kitchen better. If you have any comments on things that I have listed or have things that I have missed, leave them in the comments.
Inexpensive Christmas Gifts & Stocking Stuffers: Under $25
Adding air and slowing down the pour of your wine enhances flavor and bouquet. This unique aerator by slows the flow and gently adds oxygen into the wine by funnelling it through a series of channels inside.
Wondering if a wine aerator is worth the money and hassle? It depends on the kind of wines that you drink.
Red wines intended to have earthy flavors or age for years in a cellar (and often cost more than $10 or $15) can get to their optimal flavor faster with aeration. Inexpensive and fruity red wines are often fruitiest and most enjoyable directly from the bottle and either don’t improve or taste worse with aeration. White wines (especially fruity white wines) generally don’t improve with aeration.
Soapstone Whisky Chilling Stones
Don’t let melting ice water down your drinks. Instead use cold frozen soapstones to keep your whiskey cold and preserve it’s rich taste.
- Get it from Amazon | $3
Silicone's is both flexible and things won't stick to it. It's ideal for rolling pastry and cookies. It not only makes things easier on you but it means you can use less flour, resulting in a more delicate and tender product which means everyone wins.
- Purchase from Amazon | $10
Thoughtful yet Inexpensive Christmas Presents: $25 to $50
Nothing beats a plate of truly fresh pasta. And now it's easy to roll out your own at home. Whether the craving is for spaghetti or fettuccine, this sturdy machine handles the job with efficiency and style. CuninaPro pasta maker looks great on the counter and is easy to use--there's nothing to plug in as this is the tried-and-true hand-crank variety.
The easy-lock adjustable dough-dialer rolls thick or thin pasta, and it comes with spaghetti and fettuccine cutters. Cutters for tagliatelle, ravioli and angel hair pasta are available separately
- Purchase from Amazon.com | $29
It makes one of the best cups of coffee you'll ever taste. This innovative uses the ideal water temperature and gentle air pressure brewing to produce coffee and espresso that has rich flavour with lower acidity and without bitterness. It makes 1 to 4 cups of coffee or espresso (enough for 1 or 2 mugs), features a micro filtered for grit free coffee, and takes just 1 minute to make coffee (actual press time takes only 20 seconds).
Here is how it works
- Purchase from Amazon | $25
Don’t get me wrong, I am lucky to live close to Christie’s Mayfair Bakery and The Night Oven, the two best bakeries in Saskatoon. I also want to bake better bread myself. That is why I love The Baking Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Legendary baker Rose Levy Beranbaum is back with her most extensive “bible” yet. With all-new recipes for the best cakes, pies, tarts, cookies, candies, pastries, breads, and more, this magnum opus draws from Rose’s passion and expertise in every category of baking.
As is to be expected from the woman who’s been called “the most meticulous cook who ever lived,” each sumptuous recipe is truly foolproof—with detail-oriented instructions that eliminate guesswork, “plan-aheads,” ingenious tips, and highlights for success. From simple everyday crowd-pleasers (Coffee Crumb Cake Muffins, Gingersnaps, Gooseberry Crisp) to show-stopping stunners (Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Tart, Mango Bango Cheesecake, White Christmas Peppermint Cake) to bakery-style pastries developed for the home kitchen (the famous French Kouign Amann), every recipe proves that delicious perfection is within reach for any baker.
Enjoy delicious fluffy Belgian waffles with the Hamilton Beach Belgian Style Flip Waffle Maker. Made with easy to clean non-stick grids to bake the perfect waffle with deep pockets to hold butter and syrup. The indicator lights let you know just when to add the batter and the removable tray and grids make for easy clean-up.
- Purchase from Amazon | $35
For the first time, trusted and beloved cookbook author Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, answers the number one question she receives from cooks: Can I make it ahead?
If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in front of the stove at your own party, scrambling to get everything to the table at just the right moment, Ina is here to let you in on her secrets! Thanks to twenty years of running a specialty food store and fifteen years writing cookbooks, she has learned exactly which dishes you can prep, assemble, or cook ahead of time. Whether you’re hosting a party or simply making dinner on a hectic weeknight, Ina gives you lots of amazing recipes that taste just as good—or even better!—when they’re made in advance.
In Make It Ahead, each recipe includes clear instructions for what you can do ahead of time, and how far in advance, so you can cook with confidence and eliminate last-minute surprises. Make a pitcher of Summer Rosé Sangria filled with red berries, let it chill overnight for the flavors to develop, and you have a delicious drink to offer your friends the minute they arrive. Simmer a pot of Wild Mushroom & Farro Soup, enjoy a bowl for lunch, and freeze the rest for a chilly evening. You can prep the kale, Brussels sprouts, and lemon vinaigrette for Winter Slaw ahead of time and simply toss them together before serving. Assemble French Chicken Pot Pies filled with artichokes and fresh tarragon a day in advance and then pop them in the oven half an hour before dinner. And for dessert, everyone needs the recipe for Ina’s Decadent (gluten-free!) Chocolate Cake topped with Make-Ahead Whipped Cream. Ina also includes recipes for the biggest cooking day of the year—Thanksgiving! Her Ultimate Make-Ahead Roast Turkey and Gravy with Onions & Sage may just change your life.
With beautiful photographs and hundreds of invaluable make-ahead tips, this is your new go-to guide for preparing meals that are stress-free yet filled with those fabulously satisfying flavors that you have come to expect from the Barefoot Contessa.
A scale is really necessary if you're going to do serious cooking because wherever possible, you should measure your ingredients by weight, not by volume.
A given mass of flour can vary a lot in volume, depending on things like humidity, temperature, and how long it's been sitting. A weight indicator shows the capacity left on the Scale before maximum capacity is reached. Press the zero button to offset the weight of a container or to set the weight back to zero to add additional ingredients. The display features large, easy-to-read numbers which measure in 1/8-ounce and 1-gram increments and the platform can be removed for cleaning. The Scale has a 5-pound capacity and two AAA batteries are included.
- Purchase from Amazon | $25
Yotam Ottolenghi''s owns four eponymous restaurants--each a patisserie, deli, restaurant, and bakery rolled into one-- that are among London''s most popular culinary destinations. Now readers can recreate Ottolenghi''s famous dishes at home.
Named on of Amazon’s books of the year, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook features 140 recipes inspired by the diverse culinary traditions of the Mediterranean—recipes like Harissa-Marinated Chicken with Red Grapefruit Salad and Cauliflower and Cumin Fritters with Lime Yogurt. The recipes reflect the authors'' upbringings in Jerusalem yet also incorporate culinary traditions from California, Italy and North Africa. The recipes feature numerous fish and meat dishes, as well as Ottolenghi''s famed cakes and breads. With Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, readers are invited into a world of inventive flavors and fresh, vibrant cooking.
Don't buy a cheap one--stick with Braun, Cuisinart, or KitchenAid. They aren’t cutting edge but if you don’t have one, you don’t know what you are missing. I use mine for my making Caesar Salad Dressing, mixing up packets of mix and pureeing soups
- Find it at Amazon | $35
With a stylish design and durable stainless steel carafe, this 8-cup coffeemaker is perfect for home, office or practically anywhere you want hot, fresh coffee at the touch of a button. All this, plus an easy-clean control panel and dishwasher-safe removable parts for effortless cleanup. The advantage of the carafe is that you won’t be stuck with hot burnt coffee in case you don’t get it off the maker in time. The coffee will be as hot and fresh later as it is right now.
The classic Superstone line of natural unglazed bakeware that produces spectacular results in your kitchen! This Superstone La Cloche dome baker allows air to circulate around the baker for uniform browning while the unglazed lid helps regulate moisture to create the crackly crust and light crumb of delectable breads baked in professional brick-lined ovens. Base of dome measures 11" in diameter and 2" high and measures 8" high with the lid on.
- Available from Amazon for $57
With more than half a million copies of their books in print, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François have proven that people want to bake their own bread, so long as they can do it easily and quickly. Based on fan feedback, Jeff and Zoë have completely revamped their first, most popular, and now-classic book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
Responding to their thousands of ardent fans, Jeff and Zoë returned to their test kitchens to whip up more delicious baking recipes. They’ve also included a gluten-free chapter, forty all-new gorgeous color photos, and one hundred informative black-and-white how-to photos. They’ve made the “Tips and Techniques” and “Ingredients” chapters bigger and better than ever before, and included readers’ Frequently Asked Questions.
This revised edition also includes more than thirty brand-new recipes for Beer-Cheese Bread, Crock-Pot Bread, Panini, Pretzel Buns, Apple-Stuffed French Toast, and many more. There’s nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread to fill a kitchen with warmth, eager appetites, and endless praise. Now, using Jeff and Zoë’s innovative technique, you can create bread that rivals those of the finest bakers in the world in just five minutes of active preparation time.
Alcohol Dispenser for Vodka, Whiskey, etc
For centuries, whiskies have been aged in wooden kegs. The charring on the inside of the keg helps to filter the beverage from impurities while also giving whiskey its unique, brown color.
To celebrate the advent of the slow, smoothing, and character building process of aging liquors, here is a handsome glass keg decanter complete with a wooden resting cradle.
- Find it at Amazon | $60
Lodge Pre-Seasoned Sportsman's Charcoal Grill
If you are a griller who loves to cook on charcoal, you will want to check out this cast iron hibachi grill.
- Measures 19 by 10-1/4 by 8-1/4-inch; limited lifetime warranty.
- 2 Adjustable heights temper cooking speed; wash by hand
- Draft door regulates heat; coals accessible behind flip-down door
- Cooking grate measures 17-1/4 by 9-inch; seasoned and ready to use
- Rugged, charcoal, hibachi-style grill made of durable cast iron
- Purchase at Amazon.com | $95
A lovely way to brew tea to your exact preference, the Bodum Shin Cha tea press combines elegant shaping with crafty functionality. The spherical glass pot features a stainless-steel plunge infuser inside and a stainless-steel lid. Fill the infuser with loose leaf or tea bags, add hot water, wait the desired amount of steeping time, then plunge. The plunger pushes the tea below the infuser holes, so brewing stops on a dime and tea does not over steep to the point of bitterness. To clean up, the unit goes safely in the dishwasher. With its glass spout, body, and handle, the Shin Cha showcases tea colors beautifully but does require somewhat careful handling.
- Purchase at Amazon.com | $67
For grinding larger quantities of coffee beans for a coffee-drinking crowd, Capresso's commercial-grade Infinity grinder handles 8-1/2 ounces of beans at a time. Sixteen different settings--four each in the four categories of extra fine, fine, regular, and coarse--let you adjust the grind to the specific blend of coffee and method of brewing. The finest setting is ideal for preparing Turkish coffee, which is a rare feature to find in a grinder.
A built-in timer sets the grind for anywhere between 5 and 60 seconds so you can walk away without having to constantly press a button to continue the grinding process. The Infinity has an advanced conical burr design made of steel that is usually only found on commercial grinders. This burr design slows down the gears and reduces the amount of friction and heat to preserve coffee's flavour and aroma. The coffee container holds up to 4 ounces of grounds and remains sealed during grinding. For safety, the bean container also needs to be locked into place for the Infinity to operate. For easy cleaning, the bean container and upper burr lift off so you can clean the grinding chamber with the included brush and wipe down the exterior housing.
- Purchase from Amazon | $100
Yes you have a George Forman grill but this is so much more than that. The Cuisinart Griddler is actually five appliances in one. A hinged, floating cover and one set of removable and reversible cooking plates turn the Griddler into a contact grill, panini press, full grill, full griddle, or half grill/half griddle. Dual temperature controls and indicator lights make this product easy to use.
- Find it at Amazon | $80
Kitchenaid Convection Oven
It’s a great replacement for the stove in the summer and a supplement to the oven when you are making a big meal or for parties. I am surprised how much cooking and baking I can do with it.
- Purchase at Amazon | $130
The Professional 600 TM has a powerful motor that is crafted for commercial-style performance, the direct drive, all-steel gear transmission delivers unyielding power for professional results. The mixer can effectively mix up to 14 cups of all-purpose flour per recipe and produce up to 8 pounds of mashed potatoes. The Soft Start mixing feature helps minimize ingredient splatter and flour puff with gentle acceleration to selected speed after start-up. Electronic Speed Sensor monitors operation to maintain precise mixer speed. Commercial-style motor protection automatically shuts off the mixer when overload is sensed to protect the motor. Durable all-steel gears provide reliable service. The mixer includes a 6-quart-capacity stainless-steel mixing bowl with a contoured handle, as well as a professional wire whip, a burnished flat beater, a spiral dough hook, and a one piece pouring shield. Its multipurpose attachment hub with a hinged hub cover flips open to allow for easy installation of attachments. The Professional 600 Series bowl-lift design raises the bowl into the mixing position, and its solid, truly seamless one-piece motor head design is easy to clean and comes in a variety of fashionable colors.
- Purchase from Amazon.com | $329
Here are the highlights
- Full tang extends the length of the knife, adding balance and strength
- Triple-riveted, ergonomic handle ensures comfort and control
- Satin-finish, stainless steel blade provides precise cutting, peeling and slicing
- 18 Pieces Forged Premio Knife Block. Set Includes 3 inches paring knife, 5 inches serrated utility knife, 6 inches utility knife, 7 inches santoku hollow edge, 8 inches chef's knife, 9 inches sharpening steel, 8 inches bread knife, 5 inches boning knife, kitchen shears.Stamped Steak Knives (8 Pieces) Hardwood Block
- Find it at Amazon | $200
If you are looking for a set of knives a step up in quality, check out the Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Signature 19-Piece Knife Set with Block for $330. If you want to go nuts on a knife set, you will want to look at the Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Pro-S 18-Piece Knife Set with Block
The J.A. Henckels Twin Professional S (or Pro S) knife series features trustworthy quality and classic three-rivet styling--it’s a line of knives admired by both professional chefs and home cooks of all skill levels. The Twin Pro S line contains knives for all tasks, including the following open stock knife types: parer, bread, peeling, sandwich, utility, carving, steak, chef’s, Granton edge slicer, santoku, and others. Twin Pro S knives are also available in a range of block sets and gift sets, to be sure that your cutlery needs are covered.
Out of Old Saskatchewan Kitchens
Out of Old Saskatchewan Kitchens is the story of people and the food they prepared. With more than 50 photos, it is a window into life as it was then. If you want to know what life was really like in early Saskatchewan, come to the table with us. It is by local Saskatoon writer, columnist, and cook Amy Jo Ehman.
- Get it locally at McNally Robinson or from Chapters/Indigo for $25.
For the Foodie and food reviewer on your list, check out the Canon Powershot S120 camera. Why do you want it? It’s compact and great in low light which means that your food shots in a restaurant or even in your own home won’t need a flash. No more washed out looking meals or annoying waiters and those around you. Great photos also mean better reviews and more traffic to your blog.
Of course not only will it mean better cooking photographs but better shots of your loved ones, kids, vacations, and adventures.
If you are looking for more or past Christmas Gift Guides, check out my husbands excellent series of Christmas gift and idea guides that he posts each year on his website. If you think I am missing something, let me know in the comments below.
Thứ Ba, 4 tháng 11, 2014
The best whiskey in the world is from Japan
This isn’t playing well in Scotland
Whisky expert Jim Murray described the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 as a drink of “near incredible genius”, awarding it 97.5 marks out of 100 in the 2015 World Whisky Bible.
To add insult to injury it is the first time in the Whisky Bible’s 12-year history that a Scottish malt has failed to make the top five drams. It is also the first year that a Japanese whisky claimed the highest accolade.
Mr Murray, who oversees the review that samples over 4,500 different whiskies, labelled the results a “wake up call” for Scottish distilleries, claiming the winner was “a single malt which no Scotch can at the moment get anywhere near”.
Chủ Nhật, 27 tháng 7, 2014
Freeze fruit via ice cubes to add flavour to your drink
Cut fruits or berries onto your ice trays and fill the rest with water. It will make your drinks taste so much better plus add a splash of color.
Thứ Sáu, 11 tháng 7, 2014
20 Practical Uses For Coke
Coke acts as an acidic cleaner. The amount of acid in soda is enough to wear away at the enamel of your teeth, making them more susceptible to decay. In tests done on the acidity levels of soda, certain ones were found to have PH levels as low as 2.5. To put that into perspective, consider that battery acid has a pH of 1 and pure water has a pH of 7.
1. Removes grease stains from clothing and fabric
2. Removes rust; methods include using fabric dipped in Coke, a sponge or even aluminum foil. Also loosens rusty bolts
3. Removes blood stains from clothing and fabric.
4. Cleans oil stains from a garage floor; let the stain soak, hose off.
5. Kills slugs and snails; the acids kills them.
6. Cleans burnt pans; let the pan soak in the Coke, then rinse.
7. Descales a kettle (same method as with burnt pans)
8. Cleans car battery terminals by pouring a small amount of Coke over each one.
9. Cleans your engine; Coke distributors have been using this technique for decades.
10. Makes pennies shine; soaking old pennies in Coke will remove the tarnish.
11. Cleans tile grout; pour onto kitchen floor, leave for a few minutes, wipe up.
12. Dissolves a tooth; Use a sealed container…takes a while but it does work.
13. Removes gum from hair; dip into a small bowl of Coke, leave a few minutes. Gum will wipe off.
14. Removes stains from vitreous china.
15. Got a dirty pool? Adding two 2-liter bottles of Coke clears up rust.
16. You can remove (or fade) dye from hair by pouring diet Coke over it.
17. Remove marker stains from carpet. Applying Coke, scrubbing and then clean with soapy water will remove marker stains.
18. Cleans a toilet; pour around bowl, leave for a while, flush clean.
19. Coke and aluminum foil will bring Chrome to a high shine.
20. Strips paint off metal furniture. Soak a towel in Coke and lay it on the paint surface.
Thứ Hai, 19 tháng 5, 2014
Beer Battered Vegetables Recipe
Ingredients
- Oil
- 1 Envelope Onion Soup Mix
- 1 Cup Unbleached All-purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1/2 Cup beer
- 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
- Use any of the following to equal 4 to 5 cups—broccoli florets, cauliflower’s, sliced mushrooms, sliced zucchini or chilled spears of mozzarella cheese.
Directions
- In deep fat fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees F. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat golden onion recipe soup mix, flour, baking powder, eggs, mustard and beer until smooth and well blended. Let batter stand 10 minutes.
- Dip vegetables into bater, then carefully drop into hot oil.
- Fry, turning once, until golden brown; drain on paper towels. Serve warm.
- Makes about 4 cups
Thứ Ba, 4 tháng 3, 2014
Beef Stew with Ale Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tb Oil
- 4 lg Onions, chopped
- 2 cl Garlic, crushed
- 1 tb Prepared mustard
- 2 tb Flour
- 1 1/2 c Ale
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 Sprigs parsley
- 1/4 ts Peppercorns
- 1/2 ts Thyme
- 1 t Salt
- 1 t Sugar
- 1/4 ts Grated nutmeg
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 deg.F. Trim beef and brown in a skillet in hot oil.
- Transfer beef to a casserole and brown onions in oil. Add garlic, mustard, and flour. Stir in ale and add the bouquet garnish ingredients, tying them in a small piece of cheesecloth.
- Add salt, sugar, and nutmeg.
- Pour sauce over browned beef. Cover casserole and place in the oven for 2 hours.
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 12, 2013
Beer Batter Fish Fry Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Bisquick
- 1/3 cup corn meal
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
- 4 -6 oz of beer
- 2 pounds of fish fillets
Directions
- Combine dry ingredients and add beer to get a sticky consistency for dipping.
- Salt fish and dip in batter.
- Deep fry at 375 degrees until fish is golden brown.
Note: Fillets of most fish including striped bass, flounder, catfish, walleye, white bass, black bass, snapper, red fish, grouper, and white perch will work.
Chủ Nhật, 10 tháng 11, 2013
Christmas Egg Nog Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups milk
- 5 whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 12 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 1/2 cups light rum
- 4 cups light cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
- Combine milk, cloves, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and cinnamon in a saucepan, and heat over lowest setting for 5 minutes. Slowly bring milk mixture to a boil.
- In a large bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar. Whisk together until fluffy. Whisk hot milk mixture slowly into the eggs. Pour mixture into saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 3 minutes, or until thick. Do not allow mixture to boil. Strain to remove cloves, and let cool for about an hour.
- Stir in rum, cream, 2 teaspoon vanilla, and nutmeg. Refrigerate overnight before serving.
Thứ Năm, 5 tháng 9, 2013
Bratwurst Hot Tub
Ingredients
- 1 large (11-inch x 9-inch x 2 3/8-inch) aluminum foil baking pan
- 2 to 3 cans (12 ounces each) beer
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow or white onion, sliced
- Bratwurst
Directions
- Put the pan right on the grill, being careful not to singe your knuckle hair. Pour in the beer, and add the butter and onions.
- Grill your bratwurst to a juicy, golden-brown perfection.
- Serve immediately to your hungry guests and place any remaining brats into the steaming hot tub.
- When folks are ready for seconds or thirds--or when stragglers show up late - grab a bratwurst out of the hot tub and enjoy!
Đăng ký:
Bài đăng (Atom)