Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

 Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This is our families secret chocolate chip recipe. We have a large family so this one makes over 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies. You can experiment with most cookie recipes to adjust to your own taste. Remenmber the more brown sugar you use the more chewy type cookie you create. I don't think this one needs much adjusting. First we will start with ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups yellow cake mix
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4cup sour cream
3 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions to cookie recipe.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Melt butter and unsweetened chocolate together.
3. Sift cake mix, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.
4. In a large bowl, beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
5. Stir the chocolate mixture into the eggs.
6. Stir in the sifted ingredients with sour cream.
7. Mix in chocolate chips. 
8. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls cookie sheets.
9. Bake for until edges are starting to turn dark brown.

Enjoy these wonderful cookies at any occasion. They disappear very quickly at family events. You might notice my secret ingredient. It is the boxed yellow cake mix. Cake flour gives the cookie a little more body than the regular unbleached flour.You may use any of your favorite brands. If you are making smaller cookies don't forget that the baking time goes down. Many ovens produce heat from the bottom of the oven, so as not burn the bottom of the cookies many times I will double pan the cookies before I bake them. Baking is similar to a gigantic chemistry experiment. The best way to get the experiment right is to keep experimenting. Once you have found the best combinations of ingredients and procedures, stick with it. Enjoy!

Your Guide To Oysters

Your Guide To Oysters

Your Guide To Oysters

A dare. A local curiosity. A southern specialty. These are enticements you heeded in your intro to Louisiana oysters. However, the mystique of oysters may actually scare some home cooks away.

The Louisiana Seafood Board brings you a handy guide to selecting and preparing oysters, so you can serve this delicacy fearlessly.

What Do Oysters Look Like?

Oyster meats are cream to light brown with ruffled edges and a silky texture. Avoid fluffy white oysters as they're filled with water. Oysters should not be floating, but packed closely-with no more than 10 percent liquid.

Oysters are available in pints or quarts. The containers should be clean. Check for government- required information: best-if-used-by date, interstate shellfish permit #, weight, nutrition facts, and country of origin. 

How Do Oysters Smell?

Oysters have a clean ocean smell. Never buy oysters with an odor. 

How Much Is One Serving?

Louisiana oysters are available year-round and vary in size from season to season. Skinny oysters come as many as 30 to the pint. Medium or fat oysters come 16 to 18 per pint. Either way, a pint is approximately three servings. 

What Do Oysters Taste Like?

American oysters, Eastern oysters, Gulf of Mexico oysters, or Louisiana oysters-they are actually all the same animal. In fact, there is only one oyster that is native to the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. 

However, like fine wines, oysters have subtle nuances in flavor-depending on where they're cultivated. In a blind taste test by an independent researcher, consumers chose Louisiana oysters over others sold in the U.S. 85 percent of the time.

Try this longtime Louisiana oyster favorite.

Traditional Louisiana 

Oyster Stew

4 servings

11/2 pints medium Louisiana oysters 

1/2 cup shallots, diced 

1 pint milk

2 Tbsp. butter

Salt & pepper to taste

Over a high heat, sauté shallots in butter. Stir in milk. Bring to boiling point, then lower heat. Ease in oysters. Simmer until oyster edges furl (3-5 minutes). Add salt & pepper. Serve with crackers.

Easy, Elegant, and Traditional Southern Breakfast Recipes for Mother's Day

Easy, Elegant, and Traditional Southern Breakfast Recipes for Mother's Day

An Easy and Delicious Mother's Day Breakfast

Make this Mother's Day unforgettable with one of these breakfast menus, or use your imagination and substitute. 

Quick and easy but delicious, the breakfast casserole is put together the night before.  A delicious cantaloupe smoothie and easy muffins make this breakfast memorable. 

Western Ham and Egg Casserole
Make this casserole the night before, then refrigerate and pop it in the oven in the morning. 

Ingredients:
8 slices white bread, crust removed, cut into cubes 
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese 
1 1/4 cups cubed, cooked ham (about 8 ounces) 
1/2 cup finely chopped onion 
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper 
6 eggs, beaten 
3 cups milk

Preparation:
Place bread cubes in a lightly greased 12x8x2-inch baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheese, ham, onion, and green pepper.  Whisk together eggs and milk; pour over ham and cheese mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.  Remove from refrigerator; let stand for 30 minutes. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40 minutes or until set.
Western ham and egg casserole serves 8.

An Extra-Special Mother's Day Breakfast
Here's an elegant breakfast for anyone who loves to cook.  Perfect for Mother's day or any special occasion breakfast.  For a touch of indulgence, serve this breakfast with champagne and orange juice Mimosas. 

Eggs Benedict - Fruit Compote With Pears
Sour Cream Cinnamon Rolls
Strawberry Smoothies or Mimosas
Hot Coffee or Tea

Southern Breakfast
Here's a traditional Southern breakfast, from grits to biscuits and gravy. 

Grits
Scrambled Eggs Deluxe
Ham with Red Eye Gravy
Biscuits with Sausage Gravy or Pecan Pancakes
Orange Juice, Hot Coffee, or Tea

Always remember to add a bud vase with her favorite flower to give any breakfast in bed that special touch.  Don’t forget the cards and her other gifts too, she will start out the day with a HUGE smile on her face and go to work showing off what her family did for her.

Amish Bread Starter

Amish Bread Starter

Amish Bread Starter, creating a "Sour-dough" like bread.  This starter makes a cinnamon bread, with optional raisins and nuts.  From the "e-Cookbook" 65 Amish Recipes 

2/3 c. sugar 
2/3 c. milk 
2/3 c. flour 
2/3 c. oil 
3 eggs 
1/2 tsp. salt 
1/2 tsp. vanilla 
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 
1 c. sugar 
2 c. flour 
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder 
1 tsp. baking soda 


Combine ingredients in large airtight container with lid. Store at room temperature, do not refrigerate. Stir every day for 17 days. The recipe makes more than the 1 cup needed. But allows for evaporation.

Now the starter is ready. The following instructions are for either the starter you created above, or received from a loving friend.

For the next 10 days handle starter according to the following instructions.

Day 1, receive the starter 
Day 2, 3 & 4 - stir 
Day 5, Add 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk. 
Day 6 & 7, stir 
Day 8 & 9, stir 
Day 10, Add 1 cup flour, sugar and milk. 
Divide into 3 containers of 1 cup each for friends.

After removing the 3 cups of batter, mix in the following ingredients: Using a fork, beat by hand until well blended.

Add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (optional).

Grease pans with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans.

Bake Up Some Cookies For Family Fun

wood art<"http://www.arabwoodart.blogspot.coma href=">

Bake Up Some Cookies For Family Fun

 Family Fun

There's lots of reasons parents are baking with their kids these days. The delicious result is of course on the list. But more importantly, baking with children is a great way to spend time with them and to teach them things at the same time you're all having fun. 

Baking cookies with any or all of your children is a naturally fun activity. Cookies are portable, sweet and fun to make. They can be made in stages if time is tight-prepare the dough in the evening and bake them the next morning. Older children can read the recipe and direct adults on what steps to take. Small children can roll the dough into balls and flatten it with a fork, similar to making peanut butter cookies. There's enough fun to go around for everyone. 

What makes your cookies even better is to add corn starch to the dough. In fact, many recipes for baked goods from the early 20th century used corn starch in conjunction with flour. Bakers found very early on that corn starch gave biscuits, muffins, cakes, shortcakes, pie crusts and most notably cookies a finer texture and more tender crumb when compared to recipes using flour alone. Recipe books produced then by the experts at Argo and Kingsford's Corn Starch bear this out. In fact, Argo, established in 1892, has offered their customers cookie recipes since its very early years.

Here's a recipe for Lemon Shortbread Cookies that's simple and delicious and should make for a batch of family fun.

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

11/3 cups Argo or Kingsford's Corn Starch

2 cups butter or margarine

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

Makes six dozen

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat butter until softened. Add powdered sugar, beat until well combined. Add lemon peel and vanilla; beat well. In a medium bowl, stir together flour and corn starch; add to mixture and beat well.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls (kids will love this). Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Press tines of a fork atop each ball to make subtle design. Bake about 15 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

Cabbage Soup Recipe

Cabbage Soup Recipe

Cabbage Soup

- 6 large green onions
- 2 green peppers
- 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
- 3 Carrots
- 1 Container (10 oz. or so) Mushrooms
- 1 bunch of celery
- Half a head of cabbage
- 1 package Lipton soup mix
- 1 or 2 cubes of bouillon (optional)
- 1 48oz can V8 juice (optional)
- Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc.

Slice green onions, put in a pot and start cooking. Cut green pepper stem end off and cut in half, take the seeds and membrane out. Cut the green-pepper into bite size pieces and add to pot. Take the outer leafs layers off the cabbage, cut into bite size pieces, add to pot. Clean carrots, cut into bite size pieces, and add to pot. Slice mushrooms into thick slices, add to pot .If you would like a spicy soup, and add a small amount of curry or cayenne pepper now. You can use beef or chicken bouillon cubes for seasonings. These have all the salt and flavors you will need. Use about 12 cups of water, cover and put heat on low. Let soup cook for a long time - two hours works well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This is the recipe I found, and from speaking to several people this is my conclusion: if you stick to the plan, it can work for you, yet this whole cabbage soup business is for those who can actually appreciate it. As for me, I truly believe that one should consume not only what would make his loose weight, but also something that would taste good! What would be the point of suffering if your final goal is to feel good? I think that one should enjoy not only the result but also the process!

Try this cabbage soup recipe. You will not regret it. There aren't a lot of tatsy and healthy foods as the cabbage soup.

Bake It Easy

Bake It Easy

Iraqi bread

Bake It Easy

For either baking novices or seasoned pros, a dump cake is a no-brainer. To prepare one, you simply dump the ingredients into a bowl and beat them, then pour the batter into a pan and bake it. Although a dump cake is easy to make, it's just as good as a more fancy cake. Perhaps that's why dump cakes, including pound cakes, have been popular for hundreds of years.

The secret to the cake is in properly beating the ingredients, so follow these tips. Let the butter soften and take the eggs out of the fridge to warm a bit. For an airy batter, beat the softened butter and sugar really well until the creamed mixture looks pale and wispy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until all the streaks are gone. Any curdling you might see will disappear as you beat. Turn off the mixer occasionally and scrape the batter at the sides of the bowl into the path of the beaters so everything gets thoroughly mixed.

Switch to low speed when you add the dry ingredients to keep the flour mixture from flying into the air. Since overbeating the flour can toughen a cake, beat only until the batter has no streaks. Stir in the chips by hand so the mixer does not break them.

Be sure the cake is done before you take it out of the oven. You can use either a cake tester, a thin metal wire with a knob on top, or a wooden pick. Gently push the tester into the middle of the cake and pull it out. If you see liquid batter on the tester, keep baking. If the tester comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool. A silky-textured pound cake is rich and moist all by itself, so you don't need to frost it. Just slice and 

enjoy!

Double Chocolate Pound Cake

1 loaf cake or 8 servings


Butter

Flour

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened baking

cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened 

(2 sticks)

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips


With butter, lightly grease bottom and sides of 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 or 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Dust with flour. Shake out excess flour. Set aside. With a sifter or mesh strainer, sift 1 1/4 cups flour together with the cocoa and salt into bowl or onto sheet of waxed paper. Set aside.

In large mixer bowl at medium speed, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla until thoroughly blended, at least several minutes. At low speed, gradually beat in reserved flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, beating just until blended and no streaks remain. Stir in chips. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.

Bake in preheated 325 degree F oven until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and cake tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 60 to 70 minutes for 9-inch pan or 75 to 85 minutes for 8 1/2-inch pan. (If tester shows dark brown, you've hit a melted chocolate chip. Test again in another spot. To prevent overbaking, remove cake from oven as soon as no light brown batter shows on tester.) Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. With narrow spatula or knife, loosen cake from pan. Gently shake onto wire rack. Cool completely. To retain moisture, store cooled cake in plastic wrap. Serve plain or topped with fruit, ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

A Sizzling Way To Celebrate Cinco De Mayo

A Sizzling Way To Celebrate Cinco De Mayo

Cinco De Mayo

Cinco de Mayo not only marks a heralded Mexican holiday, but also provides an opportune time to bring out the grill and turn your backyard BBQ into fiesta.

While tequila, Mexico's most renowned export, is most commonly used in margaritas, it also makes an excellent marinade ingredient for grilling:

Golden Margarita Glaze

Brush on a little fiesta flavor every time you grill with this luscious, zesty margarita glaze. Great on fish and shellfish, chicken, pork or vegetables. 

Makes about 1/2 cup or 4 servings.

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup Jose Cuervo Golden Margarita

1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. taco seasoning or ground cumin

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Blend all ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside. Brush your food with glaze during the last 1 to 2 minutes of grilling. Drizzle any unused glaze over your food just before serving.

It's always important to satisfy your guests' hunger and thirst, but tending to the grill and tending to the bar can be difficult to do simultaneously. Here's a timesaving tip: Look for ready-to-serve margaritas whenever you buy spirits. Delicious and convenient, ready-to-serve margaritas allow you to entertain with quality and style-just twist the cap, pour and enjoy.

One option, Authentic Cuervo Margaritas Minis, comes in easy-to-carry four packs of single-serve bottles. ACM Minis are perfect for tailgating parties, trips to the beach or sitting at the pool. Portable and convenient, ACM Minis allow you to bring the fun of margaritas anywhere!

Celebrate the best of Mexican culture by grilling with a distinctive Mexican spirit.

Melkkos", another South African great

Melkkos", another South African great

Melkkos", another South African great

"Melkkos" is one of my favourite dishes ever. I do honestly not know what it is called in English, but if I had to translate it, it would be something like milk food. It is a dish with its main ingredient being milk, to which you add some flour and butter.

It is a great traditional dish that can be enjoyed all year round. Try it in the winter, it warms you up from the inside! Nothing tastes nicer than a bowl of “melkkos”, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar on the top.

What can be nicer, I ask you all! If you have never tried it, I would say it is time. 

Ingredients:
1 cup of flour
1 1/2 tablespoons of hard butter
A pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups of milk

Method:
1. Rub the butter in with the flour, using your fingers. Add the salt and mix some more.
2. Bring the milk to the boil on the stove and add the butter and flour mixture a little bit at a time.
3. Turn the heat right down and let it boil for about 5 minutes. Make sure you stir the mixture often.
4. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the top and enjoy it warm!

You will not be disappointed with this recipe. Try and enjoy. Believe me, you will.

Best food

A Recipe for Rye Bread

A Recipe for Rye Bread

Rye Bread

The more I make bread, the more I am convinced of the importance of the kitchen being in the best position in the house. When we designed and built our house, I was determined that the kitchen should have a view and be on the front of the house. Now that it’s six-fifteen of a summer morning and I’m up early, kneading bread, because we’ve run out again, I’m especially happy to be looking out over a sun-soaked landscape to the distant mountains.  Every time you make bread you’re guaranteed a good ten minutes of contemplation as you knead it, the mechanical rhythmic activity frees the mind to wander or switch off…very therapeutic. Having a view thrown in as well is just an added bonus.

I haven’t always made bread. It is a comparatively recent development. Making jam was the first breakthrough into self-sufficiency, then came the day when our local supplier of rye bread, who made a loaf that (miracle of miracles), all the children would eat, decided to switch recipes and use caraway in it…instant rejection by the whole family. 

We’d stopped the wheat bread to try and help my son’s allergies and found it helped most of us, so apart from the occasional indulgence of fluffy white bread, I wanted to stay off it. There was no alternative; I would have to take the leap into bread making. The main reason that I’d resisted was that it seemed to take so long. First the mixing and kneading, then the rising, then knocking down and forming loaves, a second rising and finally the baking. Who could keep track of all that in the chaotic life of a three-child family?

So eventually I take the plunge, turn to my friend Nigel (Slater, not namedropping but he and Nigella (Lawson) are ever-present in my kitchen, in book format of course) and find a foolproof recipe for a white loaf, simpler to start off with white I think.  Well the first try produced a reasonable, if huge, loaf, though my son still remembers that it was a bit doughy in the middle. Second try, I got two pretty perfect loaves and I was on a roll. 

Now to find a recipe for rye bread. It seems that 100% rye is usually made by the sour dough method and I couldn’t see my family going for that, so settle for a half and half rye/whole-wheat recipe… triumph. Ok, my son the food connoisseur complained it was a bit too sweet, so next time round I reduced the amount of honey, but this recipe has been our staple diet ever since, and I am now truly ensconced in my kitchen, looking at the view, every other day, while I endeavour to keep the supply level with the ever increasing demand.

Any way, finally to the recipe:

500g rye flour
450g whole-wheat flour plus more for kneading
50g plain flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 10g sachet of instant yeast
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons oil
670 ml milk
125 ml water

Warm the milk to lukewarm.  Mix the flours and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and put in the yeast, then honey, then oil, pour on the warmed milk and water and mix. When it gets doughy turn out on to a well floured surface (it will be extremely sticky) and knead for 10 minutes. You will need to keep adding flour as you knead.  It is better for it to be too sticky than too dry – you can always add more flour, but too dry will make a dry, hard loaf. After 10 minutes, put it back into the bowl with a plastic bag over it and leave in a warmish place for two hours or so. Then knock down, firmly pressing out the air, but not over kneading, then form into two or three loaves on a baking sheet, cover again and leave to rise for another hour. Then bake for 30 minutes at 190C until they sound hollow when you tap on the bottom of the loaf. Cool on a wire rack

So how do I keep track of the bread making, in between school runs, mealtimes and the rest?  Well I don’t always. There are times when I optimistically start the bread off, leave it to rise and four hours later remember about it, knock it down, forget to switch on the oven so it has had an extra day or so in rising time by the time it gets cooked. It does seem to be very forgiving though – whatever you do to it, you do generally get bread out at the end, it may not always be the perfect loaf, but then variety is the spice of life after all. There was one time it hadn’t quite finished cooking by the time I had to do the school run, so I asked my husband to take it out in ten minutes….. By the time I got back we had a very useful weapon against intruders. We didn’t eat that one…I think it was ryvita for lunch…!

Good luck with yours.

Copyright 2005 Kit Heathcock

3 Easy to Cook Chicken Recipes for a Lovely Treat

3 Easy to Cook Chicken Recipes for a Lovely Treat

 Chicken Recipes for a Lovely Treat

We all love spicy chicken; except if you are allergic or you just can't love spicy food. Being a chicken lover myself, I have collected 3 hot n' spicy recipes for you to try out in your chicken today or anytime you would like to treat yourself for a deelicious meal; they make good family specials as well! Although they have similar names, they are very different. Perhaps their origins differ.

Hot N' Spicy Chicken Recipe #1. Spicy Chicken Wings

- 1 lg. can Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp. oregano
- 4 tbsp. parsley
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1 stick margarine
- 4-5 lbs. chicken wings

Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Melt margarine in small pan.  Cut up chicken wings.  Discard tips.  Mix all dry ingredients in bowl.  Dunk chicken wings in margarine and roll in cheese mixture.  Place on cookie sheet.  Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 1 hour.  Serve warm.  

#2. Hot Chicken Wings

Chicken wings
1/2 stick margarine
1 bottle Durkee hot sauce
2 tbsp. honey
10 shakes Tabasco
2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Deep fry wings for 20 minutes.  Drain and dip and let set in sauce.  Take out to dry and then serve.  

#3. Hot-N-Spicy Chicken Wings

5 lbs. bag chicken wings (drumettes)
12 fl. oz. Louisiana Pre Crystal Hot Sauce
1-2 sticks butter

Fry chicken wings until golden brown and drain on paper towel.  Mix hot sauce and melted butter and pour into deep pan or crock pot.  Add chicken wings to sauce and heat thoroughly.

4 Easy Tips on How to Make Healthy Recipes.

4 Easy Tips on How to Make Healthy Recipes.

For many people, making healthy recipes seems too difficult and time consuming...

But with some advance planning and some basic knowledge of nutrition, it is easy to create a week's worth of healthy meals that you and your family will love. The key to creating delicious and healthy meals for the family is planning ...and lot's of it!

Planning ahead of time an entire week of healthy recipe meals is the best way to create dishes you can be proud of, while keeping cost and time commitment to a minimum.  So below are amazing tips you can use to make healthy meals all the time. 

<b>Healthy Recipe Tip #1:</b>

Using convenient appliances such as slow cookers and microwaves can be a huge time saver when planning and preparing meals.  There are many delicious and healthy recipes that can be started in the morning and left to cook all day in a crock pot or slow cooker.  These are great choices for working families.

In addition, making the meals ahead of time on the weekend and heating them in the microwave is a great way to stretch both your food and your time.  There are many microwavable healthy meals you can make at home, and single serving microwave safe containers allow every member of the family to eat on their own schedule.

When planning the meals for the week, it is a good idea to create a chart listing each day's menu and each days' schedule. Here's a smart tip...plan the quickest and easiest to prepare meals for the busiest days of the week.

<b>Healthy Recipe Tip #2:</b>

Get your family involved in creating the week's meal plan by asking for their input and noting everyone's favorite foods. It is still very important to eat healthy meals, so that (of course) does not mean eating pizza every night or having ice cream for dinner.  But involving your spouse and children in healthy recipe planning, you'll help to increase their interest in healthy eating right away.

It is also a good idea to get your entire family involved in the preparation of the meals.  Even children too young to cook can help out by setting out the dishes, chopping vegetables, clearing the table and washing the dishes.

Healthy Recipe Tip #3:

Cooking large quantities of healthy food recipes - and freezing the leftovers - is a easy way to save time.  Cooking large amounts of stews, soups, pasta, chili and casseroles can be a huge time saver.  Making double and even triple batches of these staple foods, and freezing the leftovers for later use, is a great way to save both time and money.

When freezing leftovers, however, it is important to label the containers carefully, using freezer tape and a permanent marker.  Try to keep the oldest foods near the top to avoid having to throw away expired items.

Stocking up on meats when they are on sale is another great way to use that valuable freezer space.  Stocking up on such easily frozen foods as chicken, turkey, ground beef, steaks, roasts and chops is a great way to make your food dollar stretch as far as possible while still allowing you and your family to enjoy delicious healthy meals every day.

Healthy Recipe Tip #4:

Keeping a well stocked pantry is as important as keeping a well stocked freezer.  Stocking the pantry with a good supply of staple items like canned vegetables, canned fruits, soup stocks and the like will make healthy recipe preparation much faster and easier. 

Stocking the pantry can save you money as well as time.  Grocery stores are always running sales, and these sales are a great time to stock up.  Buying several cases of canned vegetables when they are on sale, for instance can save lots of money and provide the basic ingredients for many nutritious, easy to prepare meals.

Examples of great staples to stock up on include whole grain cereals, pastas, tomato sauce, baked beans, canned salmon, tuna and whole grain breads.  It is easy to combine these staples into many great meals on a moment's notice.
healthy recipe

I hope you found these <i>healthy recipe</i> tips easy as pie!

Food Of The Future," 40 Years In The Making

Food Of The Future," 40 Years In The Making

Forty years ago, a first-class stamp cost a nickel, a new science fiction television show called "Star Trek" made its debut and a tasty topping began its crunchy history of enhancing salads, baked potatoes and Americans' cupboards.

General Mills first tested Bac-Os as a better-for-you alternative to bacon in select markets in 1965. Bit by bit, the product's popularity took off, and it was dubbed a "food of the future" in early television advertisements. Consumers enjoyed the convenient product's multipurpose use-a savory ingredient used to jazz up casseroles, salads, soups and other favorite dishes. This handy condiment helped home cooks streamline their kitchen prep and promised the smoke-cured, sizzling flavor of bacon without a splattering mess.

"A jar of Bac-Os brought the flavor and texture of crisp bacon right to the family dinner table in a fraction of the time," says Maggie Gilbert, manager of the Betty Crocker Kitchens test kitchen. "Because they were considered superconvenient and required no refrigeration, they soon became a familiar ingredient in popular recipes of the day, such as holiday party dips, sweet-sour beans and twice-baked potatoes."

The brand debuted in its first print advertising campaign in 1970. The product was featured in several new recipes from the Betty Crocker Kitchens in national magazines, such as Better Homes and Gardens and Family Circle. Shortly thereafter, General Mills extended the line to include Saus-Os and Pepr-Os, two new soy proteins with distinct flavor possibilities.

Today, Bac-Os continues to appeal to consumers, particularly by offering added health benefits: They're made with the goodness of soy, are kosher and contain no MSG. They can also help consumers keep healthy eating in check, without tipping the scale on calories, fat, saturated fat or cholesterol.

Happy Birthday, Bac-Os!

Italian Spinach and Mushroom Salad

This seasonal salad for special gatherings has extra crunch and a burst of added flavor.

1 package (10 oz.) fresh spinach leaves, rinsed and patted dry

1 package (8 oz.) sliced mushrooms

1 can (19 oz.) Progresso chick peas, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup Betty Crocker Bac-Os bacon flavor bits or chips

1/2 cup seasoned croutons

1/2 cup Italian dressing

In large salad bowl, toss all ingredients except dressing. Just before serving, drizzle with dressing and toss gently. Makes 4 servings.

Jars of a revolutionary new "food of the future" product appeared on grocers' shelves 40 years ago, offering busy consumers the bacon flavor they loved with a simple shake of the wrist.