Camping With Your Kids

Camping can be a very exciting activity for the children. It is often regarded by parents as an opportunity to bond with their kids during the weekends. Moreover, it will also be an opportunity to teach your kids new things about the environment and some life skills. You can develop team work and cooperation between your children while camping.

However, you should note that bringing your kids out to camp is not just a matter of pure fun and excitement. Rather, it brings certain responsibilities. To make sure that you can make the most out of your aspired camping experience, below are some tips that you should apply.

Involve your children in your plans

Make sure that your children are involved in planning for the camping activity. Let them play a part in choosing the camping site. However, as they make the choice, make sure that you explain to them the activities that they can do and the kind of environment that awaits them in their chosen camping ground.

Let them decide the camping activities

Aside from letting the kids choose the camp site, let them decide the camping activities that all of you will engage in. Choose camp games and activities that are quite exciting, entertaining, informative, and educational. Also, make sure that each of your children has camp responsibilities that fit their age and actual capabilities. You can ask them to help with the cooking, cleaning, or collecting firewood based on their capability.

Let them pack their own bags

Let your children pack their own things for the camping trip. However, you should provide them with a basic checklist in order to make sure that they will not forget to bring all the necessary tools and equipment needed. Also, you should double check their bags before you set out for your camping adventure.

Do a dry run in your own back yard

If your children are going out to camp for the first time, it will be best if you do a test camp out in your own backyard. Aside from the fact that such can be a good bonding activity as well, this will help you assess whether your children are really ready for an outdoor camping activity.

Teach them about basic camping rules

Before you bring your children to the campsite, make sure that they are well aware of the basic camping rules. This will not only keep them safe. Instead, such will also keep you and your kids out of harm’s way. Tell them where exactly are they allowed to play and run around, what time is the curfew, what their tasks are, and other rules and regulations.

Pack emergency first aid kits

Never forget to bring emergency first aid kids for yourself and the children. Be aware of the fact that since children are quite playful and sometimes careless, they are highly at risk for a wide variety of potential dangers out in the camping site.

Assign partners or buddies

If you are planning to bring four or more children, assign partners or buddies. Explain to them that they are tasked to look after each other and they are supposed to watch out for each other at all times. This can help you manage your young companions a lot easier.

Benedict Smythe
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/camping-with-your-kids-681743.html

Posted on April 16th, 2011 by admin and filed under cooking for kids | 8 Comments »

Dinner Recipes

 Dinner recipes can get hard when days turn to weeks turn to months. It’s easy to get stuck on the same few meals. Families often find, when examining their food selection, that they constantly eat the same meals while ignoring some old favorites. It’s all haphazard and kind of random. Because people have so much to do they often ignore the healthy eating.

Prior planning is important when designing a menu and recipes to cook from it. People who take some time to plan out menus can select a wider variety of recipes. Food isn’t only about the taste and nutrition, it’s about presentation and the whole experience. Everyone can enjoy the same basic food if it’s made into a variety of different meals.

Take ground beef for example. Ground beef and wheat with vegetables and tomato sauce (ketchup) is a burger Well, it’s also tacos. Tacos and hamburgers have a lot of the same basic ingredients, but to most people they’re very different foods. Many different meals can come from one food. Let’s try another one. Chicken and potatoes. French fries and fried chicken can be fattening and thus not healthy. Roasting both will save the waist line. Still chicken and potatoes. Chicken salad and chips make a good lunch. Chicken pot pie. Chicken Teriyaki comes with rice, a starch just like the potatoes. There it is, a lot of variety from only a few basic foods.

Try more than one meat. Delicious kebabs come from chicken and steak along with some vegetables. Steak and lobster can be very elegant for a parents only dinner date, or pretty basic to include the kids too at a family meal. Fish and chips make a good appetizer for a fried turkey, all made in the same deep fryer.

Where can more ideas be found? There’s a television network dedicated to food, which shows a lot of cooking programs. They not only have practical cooking tips, but have web sites with even more information on dinner recipes. Try searching for dinner ideas on Yahoo or Google. Nobody could every get through all the available info online.

Do You Want To Know More? Hai Friends Click Here To Cook Like a Five Star Chef

kalidas

Posted on April 9th, 2011 by admin and filed under recipes for kids | 8 Comments »

Food-related Games to Share With Your Family

With our day to day affairs going helter-skelter, spending time together as a family becomes even more  essential. And when could there be a better time for enjoying by yourselves than the dinner table? You can bet that families that take meals together do help youngsters to be positive and have solid personalities. Another upside to being complete at the dining table is that people get to open up to each other, something that totally helps to brighten up homes. Now, what are the ways to perk up family dinners so as to make everybody actually look forward to them? I listed below some tips which I think would especially help those families with kids aged six and twelve. Watch your little tots engage the grown-ups in these games! And it doesn’t stop with just fun laughter, since they also might just pick up a few things in the process.

Where did it come from?

If you have a few condiment bottles on your dining table, then this is perfect. This activity starts with somebody choosing a bottle and encourage everyone to take turns guessing the state from which the bottle originated (the correct answer is of course on the label). Anybody who gets to say the correct state then faces a new question of guessing what is that state’s  capital.

Make a list

Someone starts the game by saying out loud the category and naming something which belongs there, like for example, the name of a taste, house pet or a garden plant. The game goes on with each person round the table adding to the list in turn. Anybody who can’t add to the list is out and the last person who keeps on adding names until the end is the winner.

Who would you invite to dinner?

History games blend right in to meals, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner. Each family member take turns describing someone from the past that they’d most like bring to dinner. Each person does his or her best to say as much as they know about the person under a time limit. After one cycle, the game pauses so that everybody can comment or share something interesting they know about that important figure.

Learn about a new country: a modified cooking game

Well, its not yet actually a cooking game but a food game. Once in a while, cook a traditional recipe from another country. Have each family member do a little research about that particular country and present what they learned to the rest of the family at dinner while everyone enjoys the delicious food. Through this activity, the kids get to appreciate foreign cultures, even if from the taste buds for now. 

Cooking games

This has something to do with food, yet its actually outside a meal! Actual kitchen cooking activities are, of course, the all time solution to those dragging days. But free Internet cooking games through a desktop or laptop and a good web connection can be wake-uppers too. Unfortunately we will need another article if we will talk about kids who are fussy eaters, but it’s clear that helping out in cooking is something kids feel magnetized to. So naturally, it was not hard getting web-savvy kids to patronize free cooking games online. In any case, your kids are bound to pick up many things while playing these games, whether its because they copy the cooking steps seen online, or its because they imitate your style at the kitchen. Don’t forget that supervised kids get to have the most fun out of surfing. Moreover, you can achieve quality time plus learning in just one go.

Cookie Jeans

Posted on April 9th, 2011 by admin and filed under kids learn to cook | No Comments »

Best Type of Tips: – You are Always Looking for Cooking

If you are as busy as most people you are always looking for ways to feed your family in convenient, fast, yet not-too-expensive ways. Try the following suggestions:

1. Cooking several meals for the week at one time. It may take a few hours of your time up front but will pay off in the long run when you come home each evening and have a meal ready to eat in a short amount of time. Try cooking a roast and using part of it as a main meal and then using some for sandwiches, beef stroganoff or as part of a stir-fry. Fry several pounds of hamburger and make a casserole, taco meat and chili to freeze for use later in the week.

2. After you return home from the grocery store clean all the fruits and vegetables you can. When it’s time for a meal all you will have to do is cook them or add them to a salad or soup.

3. Get ideas from the cooking shows on T.V. There are great shows that show you how to make a healthy meal in a short time.

4. Develop a revolving recipe file. If you get bogged down by the idea of having to plan 30 meals a month the recipe file is for you. For more details visit us at www.camping-outdoors-recipes.com. Let family members choose some of their favorites and put the recipes in a monthly file. Flip to day five or fifteen and there is the meal just waiting to be cooked.

5. Enlist the help of the members of your family. As soon as the kids are old enough divide up the cooking responsibilities. Let everyone take turns with specific tasks or the whole meal. Pair these meals with fruit and veggies that have already been washed and cut-up and you are ready for dinner.

6. Share the cooking with friends or neighbors. I’ve known people who cook four or five of the same meal and then trade with four or five other people. This works best when people share the same basic ideas on what they like and don’t like. It’s a great idea though for a very easy week of evening meals.

7. Save coupons for those convenience things at the grocery store. They have entire entrees and dinners either fresh or frozen. Sometimes they are rather pricy but with the coupons they are good to have on hand for an evening when everyone is running in different directions and time is of the essence.

8. its O.K. to eat out from time to time. You can also login on to www.apples-recipes.com. Clip coupons for these occasions and if you have kids keep a look-out for the places that have special prices for children. Some of the fast-food restaurants are trying to offer item choices that are a little healthier.

9. Many larger cities have businesses that prepare food for the evening meal. They seem expensive at first but are so convenient and available for one person or entire families. There are many menu choices and meals cooked for special diets. When you calculate the groceries you buy and the times you eat out each week, this may work for you.

10. Combine several of the above ideas into a plan that is best for you.

It is possible with a little planning to cook meals that are quick and easy without spending hours in the kitchen every day.

ravi.dec2008
http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/best-type-of-tips-you-are-always-looking-for-cooking-694676.html

Posted on April 9th, 2011 by admin and filed under kids cooking | No Comments »

Some Fastest Way of Cooking

If you are as busy as most people you are always looking for ways to feed your family in convenient, fast, yet not-too-expensive ways. Try the following suggestions:

1. Cooking several meals for the week at one time. It may take a few hours of your time up front but will pay off in the long run when you come home each evening and have a meal ready to eat in a short amount of time. Like www.classic-dessert-collection.com. Try cooking a roast and using part of it as a main meal and then using some for sandwiches, beef stroganoff or as part of a stir-fry. Fry several pounds of hamburger and make a casserole, taco meat and chili to freeze for use later in the week.

2. After you return home from the grocery store clean all the fruits and vegetables you can. When it’s time for a meal all you will have to do is cook them or add them to a salad or soup.

3. Get ideas from the cooking shows on T.V. There are great shows that show you how to make a healthy meal in a short time.

4. Develop a revolving recipe file. If you get bogged down by the idea of having to plan 30 meals a month the recipe file is for you. Let family members choose some of their favorites and put the recipes in a monthly file. Flip to day five or fifteen and there is the meal just waiting to be cooked.

5. Enlist the help of the members of your family. As soon as the kids are old enough divide up the cooking responsibilities. Let everyone take turns with specific tasks or the whole meal. Pair these meals with fruit and veggies that have already been washed and cut-up and you are ready for dinner.

6. Share the cooking with friends or neighbors. I’ve known people who cook four or five of the same meal and then trade with four or five other people. This works best when people share the same basic ideas on what they like and don’t like. It’s a great idea though for a very easy week of evening meals.

7. Save coupons for those convenience things at the grocery store. They have entire entrees and dinners either fresh or frozen. Sometimes they are rather pricy but with the coupons they are good to have on hand for an evening when everyone is running in different directions and time is of the essence.

8. Its O.K. to eat out from time to time. Clip coupons for these occasions and if you have kids keep a look-out for the places that have special prices for children. Some of the fast-food restaurants are trying to offer item choices that are a little healthier.

9. Many larger cities have businesses that prepare food for the evening meal. They seem expensive at first but are so convenient and available for one person or entire families. There are many menu choices and meals cooked for special diets. Go to www.bread-machine-cookbook.com. When you calculate the groceries you buy and the times you eat out each week, this may work for you.

10. Combine several of the above ideas into a plan that is best for you.

It is possible with a little planning to cook meals that are quick and easy without spending hours in the kitchen every day.

vijay verma
http://www.articlesbase.com/online-promotion-articles/some-fastest-way-of-cooking-692396.html

Posted on April 9th, 2011 by admin and filed under kids and cooking | 4 Comments »

Guidelines for Healthy Cooking!

Cooking healthy for your family is important for everyone. Not only will you be eating healthy meals, but your children will learn a lot from eating healthy. They will get to experience healthy foods that they may have not even tried before, or wanted to. They will learn how to cook healthy meals so that they can pass down this tradition to their own children in the future. They will also come to enjoy healthy meals better than junk or foods that are bad for them.

Cooking healthy meals for your family will give everyone the energy they need for a full day, give them better concentration and focus, and help them do well in life.
For more details go to: www.150-venison-recipes.com this will not deprive your family in any way. You will all be getting the proper nutrients you need without completely passing on all treats. Eating healthy is important for your health – not just now, but for the future as well. Studies have shown that eating healthy can help to reduce the risks of various ailments, heart disease, stroke, and many cancers. You can help your family lead a healthier life by cooking healthy meals.

1) Use Plenty of Fruits and Vegetables: Fruits and vegetables are often overlooked in today’s diet. However, fruits and vegetables are very important because they have vitamins, minerals and even antioxidants to keep you healthy, strong and help you fight illnesses. It is important to use fresh ingredients when cooking. Do not overcook your vegetables, as this will take out some of the nutritional value of them. Consider serving your vegetables raw or just blanch them (boil for about 5 minutes). Kids will especially love blanched veggies because it brings out their colors and makes them a little bit softer. Blanching doesn’t take out nutrients because you are only boiling them for 5 minutes. Just wait for the water to boil and place the veggies in. Put them on ice after the 5 minutes to stop the cooking process. You may also want to serve fruits with dinnertime as well. Most people don’t and that is why most people don’t get enough fruit in their daily diet. Serve a fruit and veggie with each meal.

2) Stick To Lean Meats And Fish: Lean meats and fish are an important part of your diet. However, too much meat can actually cause health problems. This is why adding fish to at least two meals a week can increase your health. Lean meats are better for you because they have less fat and sometimes less cholesterol than the other meats.
For can visit to: www.classic-dessert-collection.com Look for lean meats in your grocery store. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of fish: salmon, tuna steaks, haddock, cod, etc. Fish has important fatty acids that are excellent for your body and mind.

3) Watch the Fat You Use: Try to wean off of real butter and other fatty foods. If you must use real butter remember that just one tab of it a day is enough – no more. There are other options to choose from than just butter or lard. Add some of these items to your kitchen and your meals: olive oil, avocado, vegetable oil, butter spread made from olive oil, etc. You can also try using spices for your meals instead of fats. Try balsamic vinegar on your salad instead of salad dressing, or vinegar and olive oil. These can make great alternatives to other fatty foods.

4) What You Drink Counts Too! Do not forget about what you drink. As adults, we tend to not pay any attention to what we choose for beverages. A simple can of soda can have a lot of calories, sodium, sugar, and more in it. It doesn’t really matter if it is diet or not. It is still unhealthy. Cut down on drinks like soda, juices, coffee, and tea. You can healthily have coffee and tea about two times a day – that’s two cups a day, especially if you use sugar and cream. Try using lemon in your tea instead of honey or sugar. The best thing to drink is water. Always try to choose water over any other drink. Kids should not have more than two cups of juice a day because of the sugar. Make sure they get water everyday – and you too!

www.chow-chows-secrets.com

5) Treats In Moderation Are Ok: This is not a fad diet. This is a lifestyle change for you and your family. Yes, you can have treats in moderation. Have something every once in a while.

Harjinder Kaur
http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/guidelines-for-healthy-cooking-736557.html

Posted on April 9th, 2011 by admin and filed under cooking for kids | 3 Comments »

Fast Dinner Recipes

We all know that we need fast dinner recipes to get dinner on the table quick. Very seldom do any of us have time to make everything from scratch and spend hours in the kitchen. Here are some of my favorite fast dinner recipes to get dinner on the table in a jiffy!

Salisbury Steak

This recipe doesn’t take much prep time, but it does take a bit of time to bake, so plan ahead for that. The sauce has a nice zip to it, thanks to the barbecue sauce and the stuffing mix adds a nice flavor to the patties and helps to make this a quick fix dinner. To make this recipe even faster, substitute dehydrated onion flakes for the chopped onion.

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb ground beef
1 package stuffing mix for chicken
1 ½ cup water, divided
¾ c chopped onion (or 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes)
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
½ c barbecue sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together then ground beef, stuffing mix, 1 ¼ cup water and the onion. Pat into ½ inch thick oval shaped patties. Put in a large baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.

While patties are baking, spray a skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Sauté mushrooms for 5 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Add remaining water and the barbecue sauce. Turn heat down to low and cook 1-2 minutes or until the sauce is heated.

Serve sauce over patties.

To round out this meal, serve with green beans and potatoes baked in the microwave while the patties are baking.

Zippy Chicken & Pasta

This is a fun and colorful fast dinner recipe that kids and adults love. It’s a great way to get kids to enjoy eating their veggies. This is a complete dinner on its own so it’s especially fast. Since it’s fairly light, dessert would be a good addition to this dinner.

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) package fusilli or rotini pasta
½ c Italian salad dressing, divided
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cups broccoli florets
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 small onion, sliced thin
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried)
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Follow directions on package for cooking pasta.

While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, heat ¼ cup of the dressing over medium-high heat. Add chicken chunks and cook about 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir occasionally. Add vegetables and parsley to the pan and cook 5 minutes longer.

Drain pasta. Add to chicken mixture and stir well. Add remaining ¼ cup of Italian dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

A fun twist on this dinner would be to substitute shrimp for the chicken. If you make this substitution, you should reduce the cooking time to about 2 minutes or just until the shrimp turns pink. Shrimp will turn rubbery if overcooked, so it’s important to watch your cooking time.

Since this fast dinner recipe is a complete meal in one bowl, there really isn’t anything to be added to round out this meal. But since it’s nice and light, a quick dessert would be fabulous. I would suggest a pudding parfait. Just take your favorite flavor of pudding, layer it with cool whip and some graham cracker crumbs in a pretty glass and there you have an easy but fancy looking dessert.

Audra Elizabeth
http://www.articlesbase.com/cooking-tips-articles/fast-dinner-recipes-719962.html

Posted on April 1st, 2011 by admin and filed under recipes for kids | 12 Comments »

Cherry Recipes in Honor of our First President, George Washington

Bring some history into your kitchen.  Get the kids in the kitchen to help you bake some cherry treats.  As you work together, talk to them about the early history of our country and our first President George Washington.  This can lead to even more talks about our history.  Don’t leave it to the schools to teach your children the history of their country.  Unfortunately, many of today’s textbook don’t even have the correct information in them.  Let your kids learn from you as you build up our country in their eyes.  Most kids like to bake cookies and these Chocolate Cherry Cookies would be a good project for you  as they are simple and made from a cake mix.  And they are diabetic friendly so even the diabetic children (of all ages)  can enjoy them.  Or you can use a regular chocolate cake mix for regular cookies.  Tiny Cherry Cheesecakes are also a delicious choice and they are also diabetic friendly.  However they, too, can be made regular by replacing the Equal with sugar.  These tiny cheesecakes have a chocolate crust and who doesn’t love chocolate and cherries together?  And speaking of chocolate, how about some Oh-So-Easy Cherry Brownies? 

CHOCOLATE CHERRY COOKIES

1 (8 oz) pkg sugar-free chocolate cake mix

3 tbsp skim milk

1/2 tsp almond extract

10 maraschino cherries, rinsed, drained and halved

2 tbsp white chocolate chips

1/2 tsp canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat cake mix, milk and extract with an electric mixer at low speed.  When mixture looks crumbly, increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes or until smooth dough forms.  (Dough will be very sticky.)  Coat hands with cooking spray and shape dough into 1-inch balls.  Place balls 2 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets.  Flatten each ball slightly.  Place cherry half in center of each cookie.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until cookies losse their shine and tops begin to crack.  DO NOT OVERBAKE OR COOKIES WILL BE HARD WHEN COOLED.  Remove to wire racks and cool completely. 

Place chips and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and cook a few seconds at a time, removing and stirring until chips are melted.  Drizzle over cooled cookies.  Allow drizzle to set before serving.

TINY CHERRY CHEESECAKES

Crust: 1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup Equal-Lite

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup cold butter

2 tbsp cold water

Filling: 

6 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup Equal-Lite

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1 can sugar-free or lite cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease 24 mini-muffins cups and set aside.To make crust:  In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, Equal and cocoa.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Gradually add water, mixing with a fork until mixture forms a ball.  Divide dough and shape into 24 balls. Place in prepared miniature muffin tins and press dough onto the bottom and up sides of each muffin cup.

To make filling:  In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and Equal until smooth.  Beat in milk and vanilla.  Add egg; beat on low just until combined.  Spoon approximately 1  tablespoonful into each muffin cup.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until set.  Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.  Carefully remove from pans to cool completely.  Top each cake with a dab of pie filling before serving.  Store in refrigerator.

OH-SO-EASY CHERRY BROWNIES

If you are a fan of Black Forest Cake, you will love these cherry brownies.

 1 pkg. (21.5 oz) brownie mix

1 cup cherry pie filling

1/4 cup oil

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Combine brownie mix, pie filling, oil, and eggs together and mix well. Grease bottom only of a 13″ x 9″ baking pan. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes until done. After removing from oven, sprinkle with the chocolate chips and spread when they melt. Cool and cut into squares. To make a tasty and pretty serving, top brownie square with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a spoonful of the leftover pie filling.

Enjoy!

Linda Wilson
http://www.articlesbase.com/desserts-articles/cherry-recipes-in-honor-of-our-first-president-george-washington-736475.html

Posted on April 1st, 2011 by admin and filed under kids learn to cook | No Comments »

Some Learning in the Beginning Cooking Recipes!

“Dear Lord, we thank you for this food, and we ask you to bless it — especially tonight because Daddy cooked it. Amen.”
All right, so perhaps I’m not quite as good of a cook as my wife. You have to understand, though, back in the old days, when I was single, there really wasn’t much of a demand for me to do any cooking.
My main foods at that time were cereal, peanut butter, pizza, and burritos. Not all together, of course — well maybe in certain combinations — but generally I ate them separately.
Now, suddenly, I’m married with four kids and…
Well, I guess that didn’t exactly happen suddenly, but…
Anyway, my wife and I both work, but since I work at home I’m often the one that does the cooking.
I had to do some learning in the beginning. I remember my wife used to come into the kitchen while I was cooking and say, “Smells like you scorched the food.”
About the first ten times this happened, I just sort of ignored her. Eventually, however, I got curious.
“What do you mean by ‘scorching’?” I asked.
“Scorching is when the food on the bottom of the pan sticks and burns to an inedible crisp,” she answered coldly. It seemed to me she was implying that it was a bad thing, too.
“It makes the whole pot full taste burned,” she continued with a look of disgust on her face. To which I replied, “What? You can prevent that?”
After that, I started taking a few lessons from her on how to cook. She taught me about stirring the food while it’s in the pot, not cooking everything on high, greasing pans before putting food in them, blowing the foam off of the pot when the macaroni starts boiling over, and other advanced techniques. Eventually, I started getting pretty good at a few things so I decided to try something a little more complicated.
I tried making bread.
Now, I’m really good at making biscuits. In fact, they are one of my specialties, but they’re not quite as complicated as making bread.
First, there was this whole idea of “kneading” the bread. My wife came up to me just after I’d broken my second wooden spoon while trying to stir more flour into an already thick lump of dough.
“No, no, no!” she cried, obviously distressed over the death of the spoon. “You are supposed to KNEAD the bread!”
“Of course I NEED the bread!” I replied. “Why do you think I’m making it?”
However, it’s the whole idea of letting it “raise” that has proven to be the most difficult for me to master. You wouldn’t think it would be all that hard. I mean, all that is required is to simply let the dough sit around by itself for a while. And in fact, that’s really not the problem. It’s the coming back on time later that I find so challenging.
The last time I tried to make bread I set it aside to let it raise, just like I was supposed to do, and went about my business.
Some time later, I just happened to be walking through the kitchen when I noticed this giant balloon sitting in a bread pan with a towel thrown over the top of it.
“What have the kids done now?” I thought to myself as I lifted the towel. “Oh yeah! I’m making bread today,” I concluded.
I hadn’t noticed that the recipe was called “Balloon Bread”, but apparently that’s what it was. So, I threw it in the oven and proceeded to cook it. A giant loaf of bread for all my hungry kids to feed on for a few days sounded good to me.
Some time later, I just happened to be walking through the kitchen past the oven when I thought to myself, “Why is it so hot over here? What have the kids been messing with now?”
Amazingly, it wasn’t burned, too badly anyway. You see, once in a while I just happen to come along at roughly the right time. In the end, though, I wasn’t all that impressed with the Balloon Bread recipe. To be honest, it tasted more like sour air than bread. I don’t really remember pumping it full of carbon dioxide myself, but I’d swear that was what was in there. Hmmm, carbonated bread. What will they think of next?
One day, however, I decided to put forth a tremendous effort into my bread making. I worked hard, set timers so I’d remember what I was doing, and everything. Plus, I scrapped the Carbonated Balloon Bread recipe, and went with one from another cook book.

Harish Lath
http://www.articlesbase.com/cooking-tips-articles/some-learning-in-the-beginning-cooking-recipes-747498.html

Posted on April 1st, 2011 by admin and filed under kids cooking | 9 Comments »

The Basics of Life Cooking and Baking at Home

Most of us have come to realize that today’s society is based on convenience. Our lifestyles have become so demanding and hectic that we rely on anything that will make our lives easier. We look for convenience in everything we do, whatever will help get us through our workday and busy evenings and weekends.

Food is a perfect example, fast food, prepared food and food that is easy and quick to prepare are all things that were created for our “convenience”. Are we sacrificing our health for convenience? For more help visit to: www.atkins-diets-recipes.com.Perhaps we are, convenience food is not always the healthiest choice we make. Most prepared food has a high fat content and an even higher level of sodium, two of the worst things we can do to our bodies.

I saw a fast food chain commercial on TV the other night and the premise was that it challenged a family to shop at a grocery store for the same items in the fast food chains’ meal deal for the same dollar amount they charge for the meal deal. Of course the family was coming out cheaper with the restaurant meal and, of course, the grocery store didn’t have the restaurants’ secret ingredients necessary to make the meal (imagine that!). I’ll save my tangent about truth in advertising for another article!

What I kept asking myself was, what about the benefits of cooking and eating at home? It’s great that the family was actually shopping together and sure, the children were learning some basic math skills but how about teaching them about eating healthy and cooking skills that they could carry into their adult life?

Back to the basics of life, cooking and baking at home. Spending time with the family in the comfort of your own kitchen making your own meal and I don’t mean pouring a prepackaged box of something into a casserole dish, I mean making the casserole from scratch or maybe even making a Meatloaf. Meatloaf is a pretty easy dish to make and there is probably some task that you’ve been putting off that you can take care of while the Meatloaf bakes for an hour. Maybe even help the kids with their homework, a school project or just spending time with the family as a whole. If your children are old enough, you can have them help you prepare the meal, teach them how to cook and help prepare them for life on their own.

Cooking from scratch is a wonderful thing and it can definitely be a family affair! There are an infinite number of cookbooks available. For more detail go to:www.cooking-groundbeef.com.Everything from organic cooking, diabetic cookbooks, vegetarian, kid’s menus, and low crab as well as decadent desserts, chocolate lovers, gourmet, and the list goes on and on.

The beauty of all this is that you can still keep technology in the mix with going back to the kitchen with ebook cookbooks. Ebook cookbooks are digital cookbooks that you can download in the blink of an eye or the click of a mouse. You can burn the ebooks onto a CD and most CD’s will hold a few books so you can keep similar books on the same CD. CD’s take up much less space than bulky books and it’s very easy to find the recipe you’re looking for since the ebooks are indexed.

Whatever recipe you’re in the mood for, whether you’re entertaining friends, planning a holiday meal or just a quiet meal for two, it’s out there just let your fingers do the walking on the keyboard. Reintroduce yourself and the family to good, healthy home cooking, you won’t regret it!

ANDREW79
http://www.articlesbase.com/cooking-tips-articles/the-basics-of-life-cooking-and-baking-at-home-731599.html

Posted on April 1st, 2011 by admin and filed under kids and cooking | No Comments »