Friday, March 30, 2012

Broccoli Casserole Recipe Is An Equally Popular Choice On Dinner

If concocting dishes is your forte and you feel the adrenaline rush to cook up tasty meals when guests screech your doorbell and take you by surprise, it is time you put on your chef's coat and get to work. Why not cook up a casserole? Sounds interesting and mouth-watering, isn't it? Don't know what a casserole is? Let this article acquaint you with the idea of a casserole, only then can we move on to easy broccoli casserole recipes to help you cook an appetizing meal.

Casserole is a dish that has a soup-like texture, however in comparison to the authentic broccoli soups and recipes and in terms of consistency the casserole scores high on the thickness factor. It is a popular dish and an equally popular choice on dinner tables in countries like Europe, United States and Canada. This dish has two meats or greens as its dominant ingredients. To make the preparation all the more richer, alcohol in the form of wine and beer can also be added. Vegetable juices is another ingredient that contributes in enhancing the flavors to the T. You may wonder as to how the casserole gets a thick texture. Well, the thickness and the consistency is borrowed from pasta, potatoes or rice that is blended with the liquids. There are different types of casseroles and they are all delectable in their own respective ways. In this article, we discuss some easy broccoli casserole recipes.

Broccoli Casserole with Cheese

Ingredients
  • 2 packages frozen chopped broccoli; partially thawed
  • 1 can water chestnuts, drained and thinly sliced
  • 1 can (10½ ounces) cream of chicken soup
  • 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons butter; melted
Instructions
  1. To make broccoli cheese casserole, all you need to do is to break broccoli into pieces.
  2. Discard excess liquid by squeezing the broccoli.
  3. Place the broccoli pieces and water chestnuts in the prescribed quantities in a casserole.
  4. Pour the cream of chicken soup on the broccoli pieces.
  5. Blend cheese, butter and bread crumbs.
  6. Make sure that the butter is melted.
  7. Bake the broccoli for an hour. Make sure that the baking is done in an uncovered casserole.
Broccoli Casserole with Cheese Recipe #2

Ingredients
  • 1 can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • 1 cup Mayonnaise
  • 1 Egg; beaten
  • ¼ cup Onions; chopped
  • 3 packages Frozen Chopped Broccoli
  • 230 grams of shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Paprika
Instructions
  1. Take a casserole dish and grease it with melted butter. Make sure that the butter is spread evenly. Place it aside.
  2. Now, take a mixing bowl and pour the soup, mayonnaise, chopped onions and beaten eggs into it. Blend it well.
  3. With another bowl on the kitchen counter break the broccoli into pieces and add the mixture made of mayonnaise, condensed soup, eggs and onions. Mix it thoroughly.
  4. The next step is to add the shredded cheddar cheese. Keep blending.
  5. Pour the entire mixture into the greased dish and even it well.
  6. You could season the dish with salt to taste and pepper to enhance the flavors.
  7. Bake the dish for an hour at 325 degrees F.
Broccoli Chicken Casserole

Ingredients
  • 2 whole chicken breasts
  • 3/4 can chicken broth
  • 2 pk. frozen broccoli spears
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 can finely crushed cracker crumbs
  • 1 can grated Cheddar cheese
  • 1 can mayonnaise
Instructions
  1. Boil the chicken for an hour, until completely cooked.
  2. Now cook broccoli for ten minutes in boiling water.
  3. The chicken that you have boiled, will have broth in abundant quantity.
  4. All you need to do is to put aside some broth for later use.
  5. Place the chicken and broccoli in a baking dish.
  6. Place the chicken on top of the broccoli pieces
  7. Blend the broth, the cream of chicken soup and mayonnaise well.
  8. Pour it into the dish over the broccoli and chicken layer.
  9. Garnish the dish with bread crumbs, pepper and grated cheese.
  10. Bake the dish for 35 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole Recipe

Ingredients
  • 150 gm fresh broccoli
  • 150 gm fresh cauliflower
  • 4 tablespoons of Cheese Whiz
  • ½ can Cream of Chicken Soup
  • 2 tablespoons of Fried Onions
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven at 325 degrees F.
  2. Cook vegetables until cooked partially.
  3. Cream of chicken soup, cheese and fried onions should be mixed.
  4. Vegetables also should be mixed.
  5. Bake this mixture for 15 minutes in a greased oven.
  6. Spread the remaining onion fries on top of the bake and let it stand for another 5 minutes.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Delicious Chicken Barbeque Recipes Are Extremely High In Nutrition

When you say chicken recipe, it sounds so mouth-watering and when its Barbecued chicken it sounds like some god send food to rejuvenate me and distress me. Yes it might sound really bizarre but then I love eating non-vegetarian food and I love chicken the best. I am a foodie and good food is a turn-on for me. Here are some of the recipes, which I really loved.

Barbecue Chicken Kisses

Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half - cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 potato, peeled and cubed
Preparation:

The first step would be to heat the grill on a medium high heat and oil the grate lightly. Now take two sheets of aluminum foil so that you can place the chicken breasts, potato, green bell pepper and the onion along with the barbecue sauce in the center of the foil and pack it. Make as many as these packages as you want and then grill them at a moderately high temperature for approximately 35 minutes or until the temperature of the meat reaches approximately 180 degree Fahrenheit. So the chicken kisses are ready and now you can enjoy these amazingly tasty chicken kisses and this would be the best kiss you have ever had.

Chicken with mustard sauce and green beans

Ingredients:
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup pouring cream
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp whole grain mustard
  • 5 skinless chicken breast fillets (about 1000g total)
  • 350g green beans, trimmed
Preparation:

You can heat the oven before you start preparing the chicken so that it is ready by the time you are ready to grill the chicken to approximately 180-200 degree Fahrenheit. In the meantime flavor the chicken with salt and pepper. Mix some butter and oil in pan and heat them. Add the chicken fillets in the pan when the butter is not foaming anymore and fry it for approximately one to three minutes so that each side takes an attractive golden brown color. Now put the chicken on the roasting tin and roast it for about fifteen minutes till the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Now put the chicken pieces on the plate and cover them to keep it warm. Now prepare the sauce with the chicken stock. Put it in the frying pan in which you fried the chicken so that the pieces and bits of chicken flow into it. Boil the stock and add mustard and simmer it for another five minutes. Now add the cream and boil the sauce till it becomes thicker. In the meantime cook some beans in salted water and roast them for about fifteen to twenty minutes and serve them with chicken and mustard sauce.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

How To Make Chinese Dumplings

Chinese name: 饺子 (jiǎo zi)
Characteristics: Dumplings taste fresh and delicious in various shapes.

In China, especially in northern China, making and eating dumplings is an important activity for most families on New Year's Eve in Spring Festival.



 
Seasonings:
salt
soy sauce
cooking wine
white vinegar
sesame oil
chicken essence (chicken stock/bouillon)
five spices powder
red chili oil
small dried shrimps
chopped cilantro
Note: the amount of the seasonings listed above can be appropriately used according to one's personal taste.
Step 1: Clean the meat and chop it. Put into a basin or dish. Clean the lotus root after peeling it first. Cut it into small diced pieces. Put into a dish or basin. Clean and chop the ginger and the green onion. Place into separate dishes.

Step 2: Take 3 bowls of flour and pour into a small basin. Add in some salt and stir it well. Make a hole in the middle and gradually add small quantities of water until it forms into small pieces. Sprinkle some more water on the flour pieces and stir by hand to form a paste on a board and smooth it out. Put it into the basin to be fermented.
 
Step 3: Add some cooking wine, soy sauce, five spices powder, salt,  chicken essence and the chopped lotus root, ginger and green onion into the ground meat. Stir it well and pour into a dish.

 Step 4: Pick some fillings prepared before and put at the center of the wrapper (less filling should be put if you are not used to make dumplings). Fold and pinch the wrapper from the middle to the two outer sides. Put the pinched side on the forefinger. Clasp the hands and pinched it hard. A meniscus shaped dumpling is out.

Step 5: Take out of the flour paste and place on the board. Sprinkle some flour on it. Rub it by hand again. Cut a small section from the paste to be rubbed into a stick. Cut the flour stick into small dough. Roll it flat with a rolling pin. Place into a dish on top of each other, with corn starch in between to prevent each piece from sticking to each other.
 
Step 6: Find a small basin or bowl. Add in salt, chicken essence, white sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and red chili oil. Stir it well. You can also add in some chopped green onion to enhance the flavor. Pour it into a dish.

Step7: Pick out 3 teaspoons of the seasoning sauce and put into a soup bowl. Add in the dried small shrimps and chopped cilantro (add in some salt or sauce if you like more taste). Stir it well.

Step 8: Scoop out the boiled dumplings with a table spoon or a draining spoon and put into a dish if you prefer dry dumplings, which can be eaten with the seasoning juice prepared before.

Step 9: Pick out 1 tablespoon of soup and pour in to the soup bowl with seasoning sauce. Scoop out the boiled dumpling through a table spoon or a draining spoon and pour into the bowl.

Step 10: Place a wok over high heat. Fill it with water. Add in the dumplings one by one until the water is boiling. Add in 1/4 table spoon of water when it boils. Repeat this twice again. Turn off the heat.

The wrapper is usually made from flour and water, but the fillings vary a lot, ranging from all sorts of meat and vegetables to seafood, mushrooms and even fruit. Dumplings are meniscus, angular or ingot shaped traditionally, but nowadays they are made into flowers, birds, fish and insects, more like arts and crafts than food. It is also a tradition in northern China to eat dumplings on the day of winter solstice.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Different Types Of Sandwich

Alot of people love sandwich very much, it is very delicious. To define a sandwich, we could say it is a food object with two or more slices of bread with fillings between them. An open face sandwich on the other hand refers to a slice of bread with one or more toppings over it. This widely popular food item is a great takeaway no matter what time of the day you plan to have it. On a picnic, or in your lunch box, or for dinner at a sit-down eatery, any time is sandwich time!
The types of sandwiches make a very long list and each day you see some more additions to the already growing menu. Let us check out some of the famous ones from different continents. To start with there is the tomato chutney sandwich or Vada Pav from India, and fancy Tea sandwiches from England.

In America Dagwood sandwiches and Hamburgers are available everywhere. Sweden invented the Open Face sandwich laden with all sorts of delicacies. There is the Panini from Italy, the Shawarma from the Middle-East, the Croque-Monsieur from France, and the Roti John from Singapore and Malaysia. When in Mexico be sure to indulge in a Torta, and why not try Elvis's favourite peanut butter and banana concoction.
No matter which culture you check up on, there is hardly any that does not like the sandwich. Served everywhere, you can easily find yourself chowing down on one at a fast food restaurant, an upscale hotel or even a lowscale one. Even in our own kitchens, we always seem to have lots of items on hand to slap together a sandwich. Some people love to take one to work each day while others have it as their last meal on their way to bed.

There are so many different types of sandwiches that you can ask for. A hotdog, hoagie, belly burner, or even a hero. When you come to think of it, the sandwich is the king of food because it helps you to bring all kinds of good stuff together. A great sandwich is usually one that combines fresh bread, fresh salad, condiments and fillings, whatever your heart desires.

For the fast-paced lifestyles of today, the sandwich is the very best quickly made meal. It became popular because of its easy mobility and delicious taste. The best part of having a sandwich is that you can try all sorts of innovations, and the more you explore, the more you are going to fall in love with this appetizing delight.You can also cook the delicious sandwich at your own home.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Cook The Delicious And Healthy Chinese Food At Home

Opinion is divided as to whether Chinese food is good for you. Some say that there is a lower incidence of heart disease and some cancers among the Chinese but others consider that a normal Chinese meal is incredibly unhealthy. This latter opinion is based on the levels of salt, fat and calories in such a meal. Needless to say, reality isn't quite that cut and dried and some valid information has been overlooked. As with any other cuisine the exact content of the meal is what counts.

Chinese food has evolved freely with time. Over the course of more than 5000 years , these culinary practices have been polished and improved and have flourished with the passing of time. For example, steaming, a basic cooking technique, was practiced prolifically centuries before the creation of the first dynasty. Through trade, non-indigenous ingredients made their way to the kitchens of the court combining with the native harvests to produce exceptional, unusual and marvelous dishes.

An expertly prepared Chinese course is expected to appeal to more senses than just the tongue. Its hues should be tantalizing to sight, the ingredients should be of equal size and it should smell delicious. There should be contrasting tastes and textures within the meal; if one dish is sharp, it should be offset by another one that is smooth. A bland dish is paired with a flavorful one, thereby always trying to create a balance. It is important to have this equalization of yin and yang.

Real Chinese food is mostly vegetarian. Fats and meats are applied sparsely for punches of flavor and very few recipes are deep fried. This is because oils and meats can be scarce and expensive in China. As a result, real Chinese food is quite beneficial to your health because most of the recipes are low calorie and low in carbohydrates. Chinese people also love to incorporate bean curd instead of meat and dairy. Bean curd or tofu is full of good fats and proteins and are a great substitute for meats.

Furthermore, Chinese food is quite economical and easy to make if you have the right cookbook and ingredients . Chinese food is very open to flexible interpretations of recipes and you can often substitute ingredients to spark new creations. Chinese chefs have learned to make a lot with very little , and this can be applied in our kitchens to save resources. Frugality is definitely a virtue in the Chinese culture, and it is sometimes said that a Chinese chef can make dirt and bark taste good. This is a testament to the ingenuity and practicality of Chinese cuisine.

In conclusion, if you love Chinese food but feel guilty about eating it, then you should make it at home with fresh and healthy ingredients. You will find a new appreciation for the culture and genius of the Chinese people and improve your health at the same time. Just remember that Chinese food is not the deep fried and artificially colored goop you see at every American Chinese restaurant.