Many people love dip mixes because they feel they are “cooking.” I say that with a big smile on my face because perhaps they are. I look at dip mixes in an abstract way. Basically throwing a few spices in sour cream, giving them a spin with a spoon – grabbing decent crackers and the meal is ready. Meal? Sure. I am an author. Dip mix and cold coffee can constitute a meal for two days if need be.

Dip Mixes are easy to prepare and they are also just wonderful as gifts. In my Kitchen Art’s Book coming out on Amazon’s Kindle (Whispernet platform) in mid October of 2010, I list hundreds of recipes to make as gifts. I think Kindle is great because the Kindle tablet can be in the kitchen and the recipe right there without pages flipping all over. I do use a plastic slip cover over my Kindle because batter does go flying around in my kitchen.

Dip Mixes are so easy to make the only real issue to contemplate is the packaging. Little glass shakers and bottles can be secured at most Dollar Stores, and the giver can simply tie card with a piece of raffia around the neck. I create a cute card from a business card, folded in half and create a hole in it to secure the card with the raffia. You will need to figure out how much your basic recipe weighs and then how many servings are in yoru final container. It is better to make the recipe for one use because spices tend to settle and it would be hard to divide the gift to make two servings.

Spices are very easy to get at the dollar store also. I feel they are the best value. And just so you know, dried parsley really does look like spinach when allowed to sit over night, so a definite consideration when making a bacon-spinach type dip. All variations of my dip mix recipe taste far better when allowed to rehydrate in the sour cream base, such as in the fridge over night.

So here is my basic recipe for dip mix that you can amend to make your dip mix as you like:

Mabel Whites Basic Dip Mix Recipe
Copyright Deborah Dolen Kitchen Art’s

Per Pound of Dip (Sour Cream, Cream Cheese or both)

1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp onion powder
1 tap paprika
1 tsp chives
2 tsps salt

Finely grind the ingredient and add natural or artificial flavors if you want at about 1 tsp or to taste. This recipe is designed to go into 16 ounces of sour cream and/or warm cream cheese. Variations can include Clams, Dill, Green Chile spice, Cajun, or even complimented with real avocado or bacon. I prefer the mildest chili peppers for color.

Why on earth would anyone in their right mind buy a waffle mix boggles the mind. They are such fun to make and you can be so creative besides most kitchens already have all that you need to make an interesting waffle anyway. Even if you are a health nut you can make great waffles with whole grain flour. Making them from scratch is a lot of fun and you save money too.

So, if your family loves waffles you need the Cuisinart Waffle Maker. Fresh instead of frozen is always a great treat. Making Belgian Waffles in your Cuisinart Waffle maker is easy and the Waffle maker itself is a thing of beauty. You can bake the waffles to golden or light brown using the 5 controls. The appliance is made even simpler to operate because of its indicator lights that tell you when it is ready to bake and when the waffles are ready to eat. The stainless design mixes well in any kitchen.

And for that added bit of convenience they give you non-stick plates to make your clean up a breeze.

Recipes are great because they are made to tampered with. take the recipe below you can use any flour you like. Oat, whole grain or rice flour will work just as well. you can anything you like in the form of fruits and nuts, heck you can even add M&M’s if you like.

First turn on your waffle maker for preheating

Gather the following ingredients:
Banana Walnut Muffins
Makes 8 waffles.
2 Cups milk or buttermilk
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 Eggs
2 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 TBL sugar
1 TBL baking powder
1 banana mashed
1/2 Cup walnuts finely chopped
1 bag chocolate M&M’s
Pinch of salt

Mix all of your dry ingredients including the nuts and candies in one bowl.

Then you are going to get another bowl and whisk together the wet ingredients. Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a hand mixer adding the banana to the mixture beat until smooth. It should be lumpy only as far as the nuts and candies go. The batter should be just a bit thicker than normal pancake batter.

How much batter to use really depends on the size of your waffle maker. When in doubt error on the side of a bit too much. The worst case scenario, you have a little batter hanging out the sides.

The recipe makes about eight large waffles. You can serve them anyway you like. That is the best part about eating waffles. You can dress them up or down as your taste buds like. Don’t worry if your family doesn’t eat them all. These babies freeze surprisingly well. They are even more delicious the second time around.

Use the frozen waffles as after school snacks. Or dress them up really nice for a surprise dessert. Banana Waffles are a great food for health and nutrition you can get your servings of fruit and grains in one siting. They taste great with or without syrup.

This colourful risotto makes an excellent healthy dinner party main course if served with salad – and it’s easy to make a vegan version, too…

Serves: 4

1 l/1 ¾ pints vegetable stock (you may need more)
10ml/2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
375g/12 oz arborio rice
150ml/5 fl oz dry white wine
15g/1/2 oz dried cep mushrooms
/1/2 oz butter (or vegan margarine, if making the vegan recipe)
225g/8oz mixed wild mushrooms, sliced
100g/4oz wild rice, cooked
50g/2oz Camargue red wild rice, cooked
50g/2oz vegetarian pecorino cheese (optional – omit for vegan recipe)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan and keep it simmering.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in another large saucepan and fry the onion until soft and just starting to colour.

Add the arborio rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time.

3. Pour in the wine and cook for 5 minutes. Start to add the stock using a large ladle. Cook gently, stirring regularly and making sure all the stock has been absorbed before adding the next ladle full. This should take about 25-30 minutes .

4. While the rice is cooking, cover the ceps with boiling water and soak for about 15-20 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid and chop. Heat the butter/vegan margarine in a frying pan and quickly cook the sliced wild mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Add all the mushrooms to the rice together with the two cooked wild rices and the reserved soaking liquid. Add a little more stock if necessary and heat through thoroughly.

5. Remove from the heat and if using, stir in the pecorino cheese.

Season to taste and serve immediately.

Top tip: The liquid from soaking dried mushrooms is full of flavour. It is a good idea to strain it through fine muslin before adding it to a dish as there can be a gritty residue from the mushrooms.

Coffee Chocolate Cream

Use a plain mould with a 600 millilitre capacity.

Ingredients

340 grams Block Chocolate (roughly chopped)
140 millilitres Strong Black Coffee (hot)
425 millilitres Full Cream Milk
3 tablespoons Cornflour
2 teaspoons Castor Sugar
2 tablespoons Brandy
small carton Double Cream

Method

Dissolve the chocolate in the coffee.
Bring to the boil and add 285 millilitres of the milk.
Stir constantly until it reboils and remove from the heat.

Mix cornflour with the rest of the milk.
Add to the chocolate and simmer for 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the castor sugar.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the brandy.
Allow the mixture to cool while stirring occasionally.

Whip the cream lightly.
Fold into the chocolate mixture.

Turn the chocolate cream into the dampened mould immediately and leave to set.
Remove from the mould when the chocolate cream is cold.

Peruvian Cream

Ingredients

700 millilitres Skim Milk
65 grams Coffee Beans
2 drops Vanilla Essence
100 grams Castor Sugar
2 tablespoons Hot Water
100 grams Block Chocolate (roughly chopped)
5 Egg Yolks
1 whole Egg

You can use a 15 centimetre diameter souffle dish or an 850 millilitre shallow pie dish for this cream.

Method

Place the coffee beans in the milk and simmer for 12 minutes.
Remove the beans and add the vanilla essence.

Cook the sugar to a light caramel in a pan.
Quickly lower the base of the pan into cold water to prevent further cooking.
Add the hot water to the caramel and dissolve.
Use a little additional heat if necessary.
Place the caramel to one side.

Place the chocolate pieces into a little of the coffee-flavoured milk.
Dissolve over a gentle heat.
Work the chocolate until smooth and then add the remaining milk and caramel.

Beat the yolks and the whole egg.
Pour on the liquid.
Turn cream into the dish and cook gently for 25 minutes over a pot filled with water.
When the cream has set, remove the dish and allow to cool.

To Finish

Both of these creams can be topped with whipped cream and decorated with chocolate caraque.

To Make Chocolate Caraque

Grate plain block chocolate onto a plate.
Place the plate over simmering water and work the chocolate with a palette knife until completely melted.
Spread the chocolate, while hot, thinly onto a smooth surface.
Allow to set slightly but not harden.
Use a long sharp knife and shave it from the surface.
The correct slice is slantwise with a slight sawing movement holding the knife almost upright.
When done correctly the chocolate will shave off in long scrolls and/or flakes.
Although the caraque can be stored in an airtight container, I recommend using it immediately as it looks better when freshly made.

Baudoir biscuits make a delicious accompaniment to both of these creams.

During summertime, you’ll find several activities that you want your family to obtain involved into. But when you are searching for these types of topic, you must also regain your pursuit of quick and easy summertime quality recipes. You must always put their health into account. The weather conditions are hot and also you will all perspire a whole lot. You desire them to remain at top of their shape despite such condition. The greatest that you can do to accomplish this is to produce them eat proper.

But how do you think of the suitable quality recipes for the summertime? There are lots of avenues that you might start out looking into. The notion below is to locate the varieties if stuff that’s simple to prepare and can taste fine as perfectly. So how do you regain your lookup? Here are several tips to assist you to get started.

1. While carrying out your groceries, ascertain the products that contain promo resources. Generally, the ones that you can make sure are included your summer tested recipes will also hold tips that they will present you with for free of charge if you might avail their solutions. In addition you will uncover a few of the quality recipes at the back of the food labeling instructions. You may ask about for the groceries for such promos. You can also gather these kinds of details from Tv advertisements. Just bear in mind the products which you should get because of the totally free quality recipes that it incorporates that will suit the sunny climate.

2. Ask your friends to give you suggestions in this regard. You mustn’t be shy in asking individuals what they prepare when the weather is hot. You may be dumbfounded at the precious finds that you will be in a position to discover by asking around. And since you will be asking men and women for you to know, you can have them explain to you the steps on how you can create the tested recipes. By doing this, it will be simpler for you to think of their recommendations. And there will be lesser rooms for errors as soon as you commence on this venture.

three. You can also invest on excellent recipe books. Or you can likewise check out bargain book shops for good finds. You should browse by means of the books while you are still on the store. This way, you may be able to gauge what you are able to do dependent on your capabilities being a cook and how very much time you might have on your own hands. If you wouldn’t want to buy your own, you’ll be able to go at your local library and copy the quality recipes on books which will fit these kinds of reason.

4. You will also need to capitalize of the web and look around by way of the available tested recipes that you are able to use for this function. You have to bear in mind that this will give you vast results. Do not get too excited. If you will discover user ratings on the tested recipes provided, you need to take time to read those people. It will present you with clear strategy if it’s worth taking the opportunity of developing the recipe. You should study from other people’s experiences so that you simply won’t ought to get through a mistakes that they’ve done when they tried the provided recipe.

As soon as you have a good list of easy and quick summer time recipes, you must proceed in learning all individuals even though it is nevertheless not summertime. By doing this, you may be in a position to serve what your loved ones deserves when it is by now time to possess these done.

All perfectly premeditated to be congenial with the low calorie “HCG Phase” of the daring HCG Diet programme. The HCG Fast Epicurean Cookbook can add a younger tracheophyte, change, and a strike of sensualist to your coefficient death journey. Grab A Repeat Clack here

As an further payment, I’m offering a discharged 11 attender Form 3 study to supply you alter your weight after the “HCG Stage” Featuring several scrumptious recipes and stabilizing tips to help you get started and refrain with Point 3 and whatever ministering tips to support you be successful.

Are you dead uninterested with intake grilled weakling and salad? Are you having a severe time staying admittedly to the HCG Diet because your meals are flavourless and savorless? Do you deprivation to decline unit on the HCG Fasting without sharing up flavor and luscious nutrient?

Imagine, ingestion tasteful, tasty meals every concentrated day.

Recipes so unspoilt that you will need to revel them for some eld to arrive. You won’t consider you can eat substance this ample on the ultra constrictive and controlled Stage 2 of the HCG Diet! Grab A Simulate Clack here

The recipes in The HCG Fasting Sensualist Cookbook can ameliorate. Flavoursome, fun, recipes that will wee every sustenance on the fasting an implicit feeling. Recipes so white, you might flatbottomed bed to oppose off your menage as they try to steal a sting off your bracing. (Don’t do it!!! you poverty and merit every delicious grip)

And if you imagine you won’t poverty or requirement the recipes in this cookbook after you closing the HCG Period….

Surface….. numerous of the recipes know Point 3 modifications so you can move to bask the delicious recipes in this reference all through the “Helpful Point 3″ of the fast, after you make your goal coefficient, and longest the diet is over. Grab A Repeat Stop here

 

 

Acai Berry is an extremely nutritious fruit that is being seen more and more in both juice and pill form. However, the most benefits come from the berry itself. Because of this, there are some great recipes using Acai that you can use so that you get the most out of the Acai Berry and enjoy some great flavor.

But not only do you get flavor, but you also get antioxidants and Omega 3 and Omega 9 fatty acids. There are a number of benefits to your health that include ridding your body of toxins, strengthening your immune system, and aiding in warding off several serious diseases. You can also lower cholesterol and blood pressure by adding Acai Berry to your diet.

Acai Berry recipes

Here are some Acai recipes that can add a little oomph to your diet and to your body:

• If you want a good breakfast, take 3.5 ounces of Acai, a splash of orange juice, and a banana and place it all in a blender.

Simply blend until the mixture is smooth and you are done.

• Take 2 ice cream scoops of Acai and 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream and place them in a blender. Simply add 1/5 cup of milk and you have a very nice milkshake.

• Take 1 cup of juice, ½ cup of banana slices, 3.5 ounces of Acai, and ½ cup of ice and blend together in a blender. This makes a delicious and nutritious beverage.

Make your own

You can also make your own Acai recipes. As you can see with the above 3 recipes, AC, other fruits, and a blender can make some delicious snacks and beverages. But what makes these snacks and beverages so different is the fact that you are dealing with one of the most nutritious fruits in the world.

Recipes For Dog Food

There are several recipes for dog food out there. They are fast and easy to use to make sure your dog gets all the nutrition that she needs each day. You can choose to be elaborate or simple with your dog food, it is up to you. The best part is you can easily make your pet’s food for cheap, at a higher quality, and better health wise than buying any of the best foods on the market in a store. Recipes are all over the web and once you make it once, you will never forget. Most of the recipes for dog food you make will make not only your dog’s mouth water, but yours too.

Vegetable Meatloaf For Dogs

Other recipes for dog food have nothing on this delicious meatloaf. Not only is it tasty, it has everything your dog will need as far as nutrients are concerned. You will need to have the following ingredients:

• 2 pounds of ground beef, chicken, or turkey
• 4 stalks of celery
• 5 carrots
• 6 ounces of tomato paste
• 4 potatoes
• 1 apple
• 2 eggs
• 2 slices of bread
• 1 cup of rolled oats
• 1 cup of wheat germ

In a very large bowl you will want to add the ground meat, three chopped celery stalks, two grated carrots, the chopped apple, eggs, rolled oats, wheat germ, shredded bread, and tomato paste.

Mix it all with your hands to make sure it is thoroughly mixed and divide into four loaves. You will want to cook these loaves in a preheated roasting pan at 350 degrees. You will surround the loaves with cubed potatoes, carrots, and celery and then cover and cook for 80 minutes. Each loaf should be stored with a quarter of the vegetables in the refrigerator. Feed 1/3 of each bag each day. You can feed with kibble or without.

Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Recipes for dog food that include chicken are a very popular replacement for other wet foods. This recipe can feed a large dog for about a week if you portion out the correct amount and freeze it. You will need to have 3 pounds of chicken either minced from a whole bird or ground. You will also need some vegetables. The best ones are the frozen variety packs that contain no garlic or onions. Make sure they have small chunks or that you cut them into small chunks. You will also need a bag of brown or whole wheat rice as well.

Place the chicken and two and a half cups of the veggies into a large sauce pan with six and a half cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring constantly. Add four cups of rice and reduce the temperature to medium-low and simmer for 25 minutes covered. Make sure all the liquid is absorbed. Separate into individual servings and store in the refrigerator. This mixture is served cold with or without kibble.

Low calorie recipes work on some simple principles. When intake of calories goes down, then the body starts to burn fat in order to replace the required amount of calories. This simple phenomenon is achieved by low calorie recipes and is highly effective in reducing weight. Vegetables are the best ingredients of low calorie recipes. This not only helps in weight loss, but also helps in distancing heart related diseases, blood pressure, cancer, or any other illnesses. Meat is one source of saturated fat and high cholesterol. They contribute to various diseases generously by building fat in arteries.

When looking for low calorie recipes or attempting one on your own, remember that a recipe full of vegetables contains zero fat and is calorie free. Mostly diets containing animal products cause a variety of diseases like cancer, heart attacks, and strokes.

These are not only life threatening issues but may also make a person lead a dreadful life with numerous difficulties. Apart from meat, chicken or turkey is another highly used animal products. Though these are rich in proteins, high levels of cholesterol makes the digestion more complicated. As these animals are raised in factory farms in order to make them more healthy and bulky they are fed with excessive hormones as well as antibiotics. Humans, in turn, consume these animals and we receive the hormones that they are fed.

Overconsumption of such hormones or antibiotics that come from animals may give rise to chronic and epidemic diseases. This also hinders the body’s development and causes harmful changes in the body. Only low calorie recipes can help deter this problem. Incorporating vegetables in your diet daily is the best method to accomplish it.

Studies have proven that plant based recipes or diets are totally fat and cholesterol free. Plants are full of all essential vitamins, nutrients, proteins and minerals. These also contain rich amounts of fiber and complex carbohydrates, which help in breaking down food substances slowly according to the needs of the human digestive tract.

Some of the important low calorie ingredients that you should look for when trying low calorie recipes are specified below. These are low calorie food items which should be incorporated in daily diet and thus gives an effective result. Dark green leaves and spinach are highly recommended plant based recipes which can be a part of your daily diet in the form of salad, sandwiches or snacks. Whole grains and oats are other ingredients that you should look for in low calorie recipes which provide all vital elements to the body.

Soybeans are another rich source of protein, and they do not have very many calories. Bright colored vegetables like red peppers and carrots are other add-ons to this list. Strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries are also recommended food items. Thus incorporating these low calorie food items benefits your health and effectively reduces body weight. Research has proven that people who eat low calorie food items containing only vegetables are less likely to develop heart related diseases.

 

You’re planning a cocktail party. Maybe it’s to celebrate a birthday, an anniversary or a significant achievement, such as that terrific job you’ve been working towards.  Whatever the reason (and you don’t really need a reason, do you) it’s always a pleasant occasion where friends can get together and enjoy a cocktail or two; and having unique and great tasting cocktail recipes for your guests only enhances the party.

It’s not difficult to plan a successful cocktail party. Perhaps it will be an outdoors gathering, on your deck or patio. Some background music, soft lighting, comfortable patio furniture and a few basic bar supplies is all you’ll need. And you don’t have to be a professional bartender to create and serve a memorable cocktail – but there are a few basics which will make your party a roaring success.

What kind of glassware will you need? Mixing your cocktails and serving them in the correct glass is important – the drink should look attractive and in order to serve a variety of different cocktails, you’ll need a variety of different glasses.

Champagne glasses or flutes, martini glasses, liqueur glasses and perhaps some taller glasses in which to serve Collins cocktails, slings or soft drinks should be sufficient. And you’ll need some shorter glasses known as “rock” glasses or “shot.” A good bar will have all these to hand and when a guest asks you for a particular cocktail, how cool is it to be able to serve it in the right glass.

You’re going to need a blender to create some of the most popular drinks. Just a simple one will do the job as long as it has a motor which is powerful enough to crush ice which is an essential ingredient in most cocktails. And you might consider investing in a proper cocktail shaker. It doesn’t have to be a sterling silver one – stainless steel will do fine, but it must have a strainer in it as many cocktail recipes should be shaken and strained before decanting them into a glass.

Now – we’re moving right along. What bar supplies do we need? Vodka is an essential part of many cocktails because it is clear, virtually tasteless and goes with practically every ingredient known to a bartender, so make sure that you have sufficient. Rum – white and dark is another favorite as it forms the basis of many tropical drinks; perfect for your patio cocktail party. Bourbon is a good one to have on hand because it blends well with lemon slices or mint leaves. And if you’re planning to mix a pitcher of margaritas, you must have tequila. You can serve tequila in a shot or rock glass too with a salt-rimed edge and lemon wedges. What else – gin? Yes, gin! It’s the basis of many cocktails with its unusual juniper-berry taste – or you can serve it straight on the rocks with a twist of lemon. Have a couple of bottles of different liqueurs on hand too, such as grenadine, cherry brandy, Curacao and don’t forget a bottle of Irish cream!

Have some soft drinks in your fridge too – some guests enjoy a non-alcoholic cocktail and you’ll need a variety of juices on hand, such as tomato, pineapple, orange juices. Add some soda drinks and you are good to go.

One more thing – as we’re making and creating cocktails, we’ll need some garnishes for them. Those little umbrellas are de rigueur – everyone smiles at them – and everyone loves them. Some lime and lemon wedges, sliced strawberries, pineapple chunks and fresh orange slices to dress up the glasses. And you’ll definitely need three small plates, one to hold salt for margaritas, a second one holding a thick fruit syrup and the third with sugar. You dip the rim of the glass in the liquid and then into the salt or sugar, depending on which cocktail you’re making.

And finally – consider serving a punch. You’ll need a punchbowl – any large glass bowl will be just right. You don’t really need those little punch glasses because your guests can sip punch from whatever kind of glass you have on hand as long as you garnish it – and your punch can be a non-alcoholic one for those guests who are driving home that evening.

There are those who love parties of all kinds, but who choose not to drink alcohol for several reasons. That’s never a problem if you have a punch to serve them – and remember that people really don’t care what you have in your glass as long as they have what they want in theirs!

Good luck with your cocktail party – I’m looking forward to it already!