Tried & True cooking shortcuts, hints & tips

photo: L watts


Shortcuts for making hot cornbread in a hurry.




Here are a few quick tried and true tips to help make boxed corn muffin mix taste more like 'made from scratch' corn bread.

*use 2 boxes for thicker corn bread
*use milk instead of water
*add a pinch of sugar or splenda before adding in wet ingredients
*add in a Tablespoon of honey to the batter just before cooking.
*stir in 1/2 cup of your favorite shredded cheese.
*using cupcake liners in the muffin pan helps with easier cleanup and makes it easier for little hands to hold while eating.
*for cracklin' cornbread, add in a Tblsp of cooked, crumbled bacon into each muffin of batter or stir in 4 cooked, crumbled bacon slices into your corn bread batter.
*for nutty cornbread add in 1/2 cup of chopped pecans.


you might like to see a couple of my other recipes:

dressing up store bought mixes

old fashioned iron skillet cornbread

chicken & cornbread





Misc Hints and Tips...




Measurement shortcuts:

1 cup = 8 ounces or 16 tablespoons.
2 tablespoons = 1 ounce
4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup

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Oven Temperature Conversion Table

Fahrenheit (ºF) Celsius (ºC)


Very slow oven 250ºF 130ºC
Slow oven 300ºF 149ºC
Moderately slow oven 325ºF 175ºC
Moderate oven 350ºF 176.6ºC
Moderately hot oven 375ºF 200ºC
Hot aka quick oven 400ºF 204.5ºC
Very hot oven 450ºF 232.3ºC
Extremely hot oven 500ºF 280ºC


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Cream soups have gotten so expensive...

Lets say you only need to use half of a can of a cream soup for your recipe when cooking for 2. The prices of canned soups has gotten outrageously high, don't waste that soup !
Take out the amount that you need, place what you have left in a container, cover it and place in the refrigerator.
Do not store the soup in the original can.
You can store cream soups up to 2 days in the refrigerator.









Diary of a Kentucky Cook

Basic Panini Recipe - Quick Hot Sandwiches

Basic Panini Recipe
courtesy: Vicky in Waddy

Instead of investing in a Panini maker you can use a George Foreman grill. Up to 8 paninis at one time will fit on the grill, depending of course, on what type, and size of bread slices you choose.
I have no experience with Panini makers
:)


Things you will need:

George Foreman grill or panini maker
Extra virgin Olive Oil
pastry brush, small bowl
grated parmesan or
grated parmesan romano blend
French Bread
Wheat bread (I use the $1 loaves from walmart)
slice enough bread at an angle for how ever many sandwiches you are making
You can also use regular sandwich bread, texas toast or sour dough bread.

Panini Technique:

Brush olive oil on one side of the bread and place on the grill,
build your sandwiches, starting and ending with cheeses, that way, as the cheese melts,
it will help the sandwich stay upright so the ingredients will not slide off while cooking.
After sandwiches are done, place on serving plate, brush a little more olive oil on the top and sprinkle with a little grated parmesean. I like to use the grated parmesan and romano blend.


-oOo-


For delicious panini sandwiches use a combination of any of the following:

pepperonis
thinly sliced turkey
thinly sliced ham
thinly sliced chicken
your favorite cooked deli meat, thinly sliced of course :)
2-4 slices of cooked bacon, cut in half
to save time, you can cook the bacon in the microwave before
starting to assemble sandwiches.

use a combo of any of your favorite cheese slices or mix and
match shedded cheeses:
provolone
muenster
monteray jack colby blend
baby swiss
American
White American
thinly sliced home grown tomatoes
sundried tomatoes
sliced mushrooms
sliced black olives, washed and drained
tsp of gorgonzola cheese, crumbled


-oOo-


Using the same basic technique as above here are some
tried and true variations:

I call this one the
Panini Club Sandwich

thinly sliced turkey
thinly sliced ham
4 slices cooked bacon
provolone
sun dried tomato

Our favorite sides:
-wheat thins & olives
-served with sun chips and pickles
-mozarella sticks
-peppercinis


-oOo-


Pepperoni Panini Recipe Idea

mozarella cheese
provalone cheese
sun dried tomatoes
sliced black olives, washed and drained
mushroom slices
pizza or marinara sauce
(about 1 Tbls sauce for each sandwich)
a shake of garlic salt
grated parmesan





Diary of a Kentucky Cook

The Perfect Biscuit Recipe Old time Hints for good biscuits

Perfect Biscuit Recipe
Old time Hints for good biscuits

Perfect Biscuits
pre-heat oven to 425

2 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
*1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup buttermilk

Sift together all the dry ingredients.
mix in the shortening, by hand, a little at a time.
Make a well in the dough with your finger,
then pour the buttermilk in the well, hand mix.
The dough will be wet.

Pinch off pieces of the dough, the size of a small egg
Using a large mixing bowl or wooden bread bowl with additional flour -
drop your dough pieces into the bowl coat them with additional flour and
lightly roll them around in your hands forming a ball shape.
Try not to handle to dough too much

Place floured biscuits on a greased baking sheet,
flatten them to about 1/2 inch thick by using the back of your 3 middle fingers.
This is the signature of your biscuit.
Many bakers used to be able to tell you, who baked which biscuits,
by the fingerprints.
Bake for about 12 minutes or until perfectly browned.


Important notes on How to make the perfect biscuit:

*Leave out the soda if you don't use buttermilk.
*Before cooking; let your uncooked biscuits stand a few minutes before placing in the oven to let the flour set - on the outside of the biscuits.
*Handling the dough too much will cause the biscuits to be tough.
*Do NOT use an electric mixer
*You may substitute self rising flour and omit the baking powder and salt, but the best biscuit bakers say to use all purpose flour.
*This recipe makes approximately 10 'regular' biscuits or
about 5 'cathead' biscuits.



Diary of a Kentucky Cook