Recipes

Spaghetti Sauce

Many families have their own special spaghetti sauce recipe that has been handed down from generation to generation. People that have had authentic homemade spaghetti sauce ladled over a giant pile of pasta can admit that there is nothing quite like it. The perfect pasta sauce is a comfort food which satisfies on so many different levels that for some people, creating the perfect recipe can become a lifelong obsession. Other people simply heat some tomato sauce on the stove, throw in the basil and garlic, and are equally as happy. There are a plethora of recipes and cooking methods available from all over the world. Thanks to the internet, modern man has...

Vegetable Sides and Mains

Vegetables are the heart of any meal, but they can also take center stage as the main dish. If you're looking for the perfect vegetable recipes to try with your family, here's where you can start. In general, adults are recommended to eat between five and 13 servings of vegetables and fruits every day. This may be in the form of raw, cooked, canned, fresh, dried, or frozen vegetables or 100 percent vegetable juice. Research shows that eating five or more servings of vegetables and fruits daily can reduce the risk of stroke, cancer, heart attack, and early death, although millions of Americans fail to hit this goal. Adding new vegetable recipes to your family's...

Stuffing

Next to turkey, stuffing is among the most iconic menu items of any American Thanksgiving dinner. While stuffing is certainly more than welcomed around Thanksgiving, there is no reason that people cannot enjoy or serve stuffing at other times of the year. Anyone confused about making stuffing can find a multitude of online resources on the web that can accommodate a variety of culinary experience levels, from novice to commercial experts. While some joke that stuffing gets its name because it is so satisfying, stuffing is also known as "dressing" and "filling"; stuffing is so named because it was used to fill the open cavities of whole birds. As the bird...

Chicken

Chicken is a staple of a healthy diet. It is one item that most people have on hand at any given time. Chicken is one of the most versatile meats and goes well with many cuisines. Even so, it is easy to fall into a rut and run out of ideas for exciting meals. Fortunately, there are many recipes for chicken that are only as far away as the click of a mouse. For starters, there are many different ways of cooking chicken: Baking Baking chicken is one of the healthiest ways to prepare chicken. Baking offers a variety of flavor combinations and vegetables can all be prepared in the same dish at the same time. Properly baked chicken is moist on the inside and has a flavorful...

Crock Pot

Crock pots have been a staple kitchen appliance since the 1950s. It is advertised as a device that will simmer a pot full of food for a set amount of time at a specific temperature setting. This allows a more hands-free cooking experience and less supervision of the food. A basic crock pot consists of a lidded oval-shaped glazed ceramic or porcelain cooking pot which sits inside of a metal casing that acts as the base and the heat source. This metal casing is run by electricity and has a knob or a digital display that can be used to manage cooking time and temperature. Crock pots are beginning to gain notoriety due to the fact that consumers can cook almost any kind...

Ground Beef

Ground beef is one of the more inexpensive meats to buy. It's very versatile and simple to cook with so it's great for a beginning cook as well as anyone who wants to stretch their cooking dollar to feed their family well. Ground beef, which is also called hamburger, is ground up portions of the cow. Different cuts of meat may be mixed together to change the fat content or to tenderize the tougher pieces. Regular ground beef This contains between 25 percent and 30 percent fat. The beef will shrink in size more than the other types of ground beef due to the higher fat content. This is the least expensive and most flavorful kind of ground beef. Ground chuck Taken from...

Meatloaf

Meatloaf, as we know it, has been a staple of the U.S. diet for decades after becoming one of the most popular dishes of The Great Depression because of the fact almost any meat, vegetables, and leftovers, could be used to create a simple to cook recipe. Across the planet, there are regional variations on the American easy meatloaf recipe developed independently of each other across parts of Asia, Europe, South America, and North America, which can use almost any meat, poultry, or seafood as the main ingredient. The classic American meatloaf recipe using ground beef may now be the most popular across many regions of the world, but patties known as meatloaf...

Lasagna Easy

Lasagna is a go-to dish in many homes. Prepared a number of ways, it is as easy as it is delicious. It can be served in a casual or fine dining setting. In order to get the lasagna just right, there are a number of online recipes for cooks to follow. Step by step instructions makes preparing a lasagna recipe easy. Lasagna is convenient because it is a complete meal in one dish. It can be prepared ahead of time and frozen if necessary. Cooks should consider the following when searching online for a lasagna recipe: With or Without Meat Lasagna can be made to suit the needs of vegetarians, or it can be prepared with ground meat. It can be prepared with cheese only, or vegetables...

Pizza Dough

When looking to enjoy a meal or snack, there are many different options open to a cook when seeking to create the perfect pizza dough capable of fulfilling the needs of any picky eater. There are a number of Online resources available providing information about the many varieties of pizza dough recipe that can be used to create the perfect base for any meal. As the majority of people know, pizza is perhaps the most famous dish from the country of Italy and has been taken around the world by people from the nation over the course of the last few centuries. Pizza dough is often seen as an extension of the use of the focaccia flat bread baked throughout Italy from the...

The Kitchen (TV Show)

Americans have gotten used to the kind of busy lifestyle that leaves little to no time for basics such as a home cooked meal. The fact that great healthy recipes for home cooked meals are also challenging to find and follow makes people opt for takeout. However, with the right kitchen books and a little creativity, it is possible to bring back the magic to the dinner table. Less than 33 percent of American households sit down for a meal more than twice a week. If you want to get a chance to catch up on what your kids are up to and also your better half, you have to plan home cooked meals. The benefits of eating food prepared in the home include: The entire family will eat...

Cooking Dinner

Cooking dinner can be a major time investment for some, but if done the right way, it can be the highlight of every person's day. Somethings to consider at first include the type of food that diners are in the mood for, how much time there is to prepare the food, and the budget available for ingredients. Another consideration that is important to think about is whether or not those who are eating the food have any sort of food allergies. Food allergies can be a serious and life threatening thing and should always be taken seriously to avoid any medical emergencies. Common food allergies are those to tree nuts, dairy, and gluten. Generally speaking, those types...

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi is a delicious, creamy dish that will delight both pasta and seafood lovers, but it can be a difficult dish to perfect. Fortunately, there are many recipes available online to help cooks create a flavorful shrimp scampi that anyone will enjoy. Finding a good shrimp scampi recipe doesn't have to be hard. Consider the following when looking for a recipe. With or without wine Shrimp scampi can be prepared either with wine or without. The cook can use a wine such as Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc to give the recipe a sharper flavor. Flavor The cook should decide how the shrimp scampi recipe should be flavored. Do you want to prepare...

Potato Salad

It's in every good picnic, every delicious family dinner, and almost everybody has had some sort of experience with it. Potato salad, to many people, is the core of every good picnic or dinner. Like any delicious side, potato salad has its health benefits and it has parts of itself that aren't so good. Potato salad can be found in many different shapes and sizes, and especially flavors. With potato salad being one of the best sides to a barbecue, it's natural to think that it's unhealthy. All the best foods are unhealthy for you, right? Potato salad, however, does have benefits for our health. Potatoes According to Reader's Digest Best Health, potatoes help...

White Chili

The mythology surrounding the birth and origins of chili is a mystery that will probably never be solved. Over the last century, the different options open to cooks in restaurants and in their own homes has seen the development of new forms of chili. One of the most popular options for chili lovers in the 20th century and into the 21st century has been the development of popular versions of a white chili recipe often deemed as healthier than traditional ground beef chilis. The traditional chili is created using a red sauce of tomato and dark red chili beans, but for white chili, the recipe must be altered to make sure the correct texture and color are achieved....

Meatball

Meatballs are generally comprised of ground meat (veal, beef, turkey, etc.) then rolled into a ball that varies in size depending on the preference of the person making them. Other ingredients that can be added are bread crumbs, any variety of seasonings, onions, cheese, egg, butter, and so on. The balls of meat are then fried, steamed, baked, or braised. This can occur in a sauce or sometimes they are cooked prior to being added to any sort of dressing. Traditionally, meatballs are served with a marinara sauce in pasta, but they have also been known to be served on a sandwich with their sauce. If they don't originate from an Italian style recipe, the sauce...

Soup

In the 21st century, the rise of the foodie has been accompanied by a growing number of websites and social media groups dedicated to bringing the best in soup recipes to as many interested people as possible. Among the many online sources open to those exploring different varieties of soup are those detailing both the rich history and cultural differences found in different soup dishes. Soup can be characterized by two main food groups of clear and thick soups created in different ways to specific specifications. Soup is generally made in liquid form, with many created in similar ways to traditional stews with a number of ingredients added to a liquid...

Easy Dessert

There are times when you will want to spend hours preparing the perfect award-winning dessert. On other occasions; however, you just need a simple cookie to wrap things up after the meal. Either way, it is important to have easy dessert recipes at your disposal. The most common types of desserts which are served locally include: Baked desserts such as cakes and other baked pastry Fried desserts Frozen and chilled desserts The art of making desserts has been modified a lot to deal with people's pallets, the emerging diet fads, and other factors. For instance, there is now low-sugar, gluten-free, and fat-free variations of the same old diets to cater for...

Heart Healthy

Taking care of your heart is the most important way to ensure a healthy life. The Center for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) estimates that 25% of annual American deaths can be attributed to heart disease and that it kills 610,000 people per year. With such sobering statistics, Americans are taking a hard look at their diets and opting for heart healthy recipes. People with heart healthy diets are less likely to suffer from heart disease and complications due to high cholesterol. Healthy diets are also linked to a better outlook on life, increased energy and improvements in overall appearance. Heart healthy foods are high in vitamins and essential...

Banana Bread

Everyone knows the story. There is a sale at the local grocery store on bananas, and it is tempting to stock up because bananas are part of a healthy diet. The only problem is that they only last so long and continue to ripen after they are picked. Before long they are a bunch of brown mushy bananas. Don't worry, because now they are perfect for baking a loaf or two of a favorite banana bread recipe. Did you know that it is possible to hasten the ripening process of bananas so that they are always on hand? Here are some methods for ripening bananas: Freezer Method If there is not enough time to wait for a batch of fresh bananas to ripen, the process can be hastened by sticking...

Low Carb

In a world of growing knowledge about nutrition, countless people are choosing to focus on a diet that is low in carbohydrates also referred to as carbs. A low carb diet restricts the amount of carbohydrates consumed in the form of bread, pasta, and foods that have a high sugar content. There are quite a few benefits that a person may experience once maintaining a low carb diet regardless of their reasons for choosing this diet. Just some of the benefits of a low carb diet are: Weight loss Reduce cravings for sugar Healthier digestive system Reversal of type 2 diabetes Lower blood pressure Less heartburn and fewer migraines It can be difficult to find a recipe...

Pork Chops

If you are getting tired of the same old pork chop recipes or are just looking for ways to make more exciting pork chop meals, look no further. With this simple guide, you will learn how to identify the different cuts and discover new and exciting ways to prepare them. The best pork chops come from ribs and loin – the part of the body that runs all the way from hip to shoulder. There are also four major sections that run from shoulder to back that yield tasty chops: the shoulder (for blade chops), ribs, loin, and sirloin. Also known as blade steaks, blade chops, blade-end loin chops, pork shoulder steaks, and pork steaks, shoulder chops come from – in point of fact...

Chili

Across the world, the term chili is used in common parlance for a simple spicy recipe consisting of meat, chili peppers, and tomatoes. A chili recipe can often be a source of controversy with many aficionado's arguing over the use of beans within the dish and the addition of various spices and herbs adding to the many different forms of chili available around the world. In the U.K., the recipe is known as chili con carne and is often served with rice. A commonly held misconception is the most popular chili recipe being a combination of Texan cuisine and the Mexican culture, a claim the majority of Mexicans do not agree with as they do not wish to be known as the birthplace...

Sweet Potato

For most of us, the words "sweet potato" are almost always followed by the word "pie". In fact, far from being just a confectionary treat, sweet potatoes have been billed as a superfood and is a favorite staple of athletes and celebrity dieters alike. Doctors, nutritionists, and researchers all agree that sweet potatoes are a powerful tool in one's healthy eating arsenal. So what makes this orange root so special and how to you get more of it into your diet? Scientists in Mozambique have been able to cut rates of diarrhea in children by nearly fifty percent simply by encouraging local farmers to grow sweet potatoes. Diarrheal diseases are the second most...

Vegetable Soup

As a dish served around the world, vegetable soup can be complex or simple, and it can be served either as a main course or a side dish. Of course, it can be bought in a can, but like most foods, vegetable soup tastes a lot better when it's homemade. There are many vegetable soup recipes available online as well as methods for learning how to properly prepare the soup. While vegetable soup can be made out of any number of ingredients, there are some features that all types of vegetable soup share. Liquid: A flavorful liquid base is the most important element of any soup. The broth for vegetable soup can come from a variety of sources. It can be made with seasoned water,...

Easy Chili

To many novice cooks, the thought of cooking up a pot of chili seems very labor intensive and overwhelming. Chili recipes can have complicated directions, lots of chopping and cutting, shredding and straining, and long cook times. Fortunately, with the wealth of resources on the internet today, finding a suitable chili recipe has never been easier. It seems that there is a chili recipe for every taste and dietary consideration these days----vegetable chilies rich in garden abundance, thick and hearty meat chilies that provide warmth and comfort on cold evenings, even white bean chilies for those who are not fond of tomato based broths, are all available...

Shrimp

Shrimp is a type of seafood under the Decapoda or 'ten-footed' category of the class Malacostraca, along with crabs, lobsters, and crayfish. They are segmented animals, which consist of two main body parts: the head and thorax form the first part and the abdomen creates the other part. They live in sea water as well as sweet waters such as lakes and rivers and can be found alone as opposed to a part of a school. The species is essential to the food chain, as it serves as food for many larger sea creatures such as fish and whales. Shrimp is important to the food chain as well as the industry as it is massively enjoyed by the population. Shrimp has been proved to contain...

Fruit Salad

A fruit salad is a popular dessert that can vary greatly depending on the part of the world where it is being prepared. It is very similar to a fruit cocktail, and one similarity that unites all fruit salads is that they carry multiple types of fruits. Aside from this commonality, fruit salads can contain nearly any type of ingredient. In many countries, fruit salads are commonly mixed in a cream or syrup. Because of the variety of this dish, it may seem like a daunting dish to prepare, but recipes for this dish can be quite easy to find. There are many great resources for fruit salad recipes. Many cable networks that have primarily food-related programs also...

Easy Potato Soup

We all love potatoes, and what better way to enjoy them than as a rich, creamy, velvety soup. Whether you like yours loaded with cheese, bacon, and chives or you love it as just plain potato soup, when done right, it can surely bring some delicious comfort to those cold winter days that most of us seem to dread. While it boils down to preference, there are a few things that we can agree on as the standards of a “good” potato soup: Flavor It has to be flavorful. There is more to a potato soup than boiled potatoes and cream. Adding a few other ingredients like celery, onion, parsley, or spice can bring so many flavors to the soup that your taste buds will truly appreciate....

Pulled Pork

One of the staples of traditional Southern cooking, pulled pork is closely associated with the Carolinas where the traditional pulled pork recipe sees this tender, shredded meat served on a bread bun with coleslaw. The traditional recipe for creating a pulled pork based meal is to serve the meat shredded with a vinegar sauce known as barbecue covering the meat; there have been many different versions of pulled pork produced over the years with barbecue pitmasters often developing their own sauce to provide different flavors for the meat. Pulled pork is now commonly cooked over many hours in a traditional way first created by Spanish settlers arriving...

French Toast

Forms of French toast date back to the Romans, according to Smithsonian.com . "French toast" in French is " pain perdu ", which means "lost bread." The French called it "lost" because the bread most often used was stale, either by accident or default. Other names for French toast include: Bombay toast Eggy bread (chiefly British) Poor knights' pudding German toast Freedom toast Records of the British tradition of frying bread and then soaking it in wine just before serving, or soaking bread first in wine or some other sweet/savory fluid and then frying it, date back to the 14th century. This 14th-century cookbook titled " The Forme of Cury ," compiled for...

Dirty Martini

Deciding on the perfect drink when relaxing at home, enjoying a party, or heading out for a night on the town can often be tricky with so many different choices available. A popular drink remaining popular for centuries has been the martini, a combination of vodka or gin and vermouth, an olive is usually added for a little extra flavor; the original dirty martini recipe also called for olive brine, a tradition recently returned to favor by many top bars and restaurants around the world. As with most popular drinks and meals the origins of the original dirty martini recipe is shrouded in mystery with two popular stories often associated with the development...

Pork

Though not everyone can agree on whether pork is red or white meat, everyone agrees that it's the meat of a pig prepared for consumption. Another thing to know about pork is that the meat is much leaner than it was 50 years ago. Also, pork no longer has to be cooked to the consistency of leather to be free of the trichinae parasite and safe to eat. Nowadays, experts recommend that pork be cooked to about 160 Fahrenheit. Like beef, lamb and veal, pork is divided into different cuts, though some people consider it a treat to roast a pig whole on a spit. Pork cuts are a bit different in the United States and Great Britain. Here are the general cuts of pork from back to front:...

Today Show Food Features (TV Show)

Since its inception, the Today Show has offered a mix of news and human interest stories. A popular part of the show are the food segments, which offer recipes, food trends and news, people in the food industry, food preparation tips, healthy living, and more. These are often live demonstrations from the presenters and the Today Show anchors. Some popular food trends stories as noted on the Today Show are features such as: Cookies & Screem M&M's, Pumpkin Pie Kit Kats and new fall candies 11 ways Amazon Alexa can simplify your life Wildest foods at the Minnesota State Fair The Today Show recipes are the main ingredients of the food features. A wide variety of...

Cooking Food from Scratch

The idea of cooking from scratch seems terrifying at first. How on earth is anyone supposed to take a pile of loose ingredients and turn them into actual food? Fortunately, cooking from scratch is not nearly as hard as it looks. People who do it right save money and give themselves control over what goes into their mouths. Some people combine cooking from scratch with weekly meal prep. That makes having a home-cooked dinner every night of the week as easy as getting take-out or making a frozen dinner. Here are three things to keep in mind when looking for good recipes: How complicated is the recipe? No one wants to start a home chef adventure by trying to execute...

Pumpkin Pie

It simply would not be Thanksgiving in America without pumpkin pie as part of the feast. An old-fashioned pumpkin pie recipe can be labor-intensive and often fail. Fortunately, now there are many other options that make making a pumpkin pie easy, fail proof, and sometimes healthier than the traditional alternatives. Most pumpkin pie recipes call for pumpkin in the following forms: Fresh Traditionalists start with fresh pumpkins. This is the tastiest and healthiest option, but also the most time-consuming. Start with fresh pumpkins, cut them into pieces, and either bake them or boil them until they are soft. They are then ready to use. Canned Many excellent...

Appetizers

Appetizers are finger foods served as a preliminary in multi-course meals, between multiple courses, or as snacks and accompaniments to libations during special occasions, according to WiseGeek.com . Starters and hors d'oeuvres are other names for appetizers. There are also many different types of appetizers, such as Canapes Tapas (Spanish) Mezze (Mediterranean) Primi piatti (Italian appetizers or first courses) Appetizers can be cold or hot. Well known examples of cold or room temperature appetizers include: Deviled eggs Sushi Raw oysters Gravlax Pâté or Italian spuma Sliced terrine Apple sandwiches Similarly, the following hot appetizers...

Slow Cooker

Slow cookers are one of those appliances that can make life much simpler and offer a healthy way to feed your family, no matter what the size. We live in a day and time where we want convenience, and we want it now. Often nutrition is sacrificed when the home cooked meal is traded for frozen or take out. A slow cooker is a way for families to reclaim the nutritional value with the added bonus of convenience. Slow cookers aren't a complicated appliance for most. Even younger members of the family can help prepare meals. From fresh ingredients to even fully prepared freezer meals, you can utilize your slow cooker to save time and money. Depending on the number of people...

Bread Pudding

A dish that dates back centuries, when people did not want to waste any food and had few ingredients to use: bread pudding. Created for the purpose of not letting stale bread go to waste, families with little food or cooks wanting to use up leftovers made bread into a pudding that can be a sweet or savory dish. Using few ingredients for the basic recipe, it can be transformed into a myriad of different desserts just by adding a thing or two. Depending on the country you are in, those added items create a form of bread pudding known specifically in that area. Most people call bread pudding a comfort food. Bread pudding goes back to the early 11th and 12th centuries....

Taste Of Home

Nothing tastes better than a hot, well-prepared home cooked meal. With the ever busy lifestyles, it can be quite challenging to come up with fresh and exciting recipes. However, if you want to keep things interesting at the dinner table, and also during the holidays and other meal times, you should have a recipe book or two tucked away somewhere. Well, if you do not already have a copy of taste of home recipes, it is about time you got one. Most people have bought into the take out fad. The fact that America is a working Nation and that people spend almost two-thirds of their entire days either in traffic or the office do not leave them much time for things like meal...

Beef Stew

A nice warm bowl of beef stew on a cold winter day is comforting to most people. A hearty meal to keep the body fueled to endure the cold weather environment. Cheap and simple to make. A warm bowl of beef that has been slow cooked for hours in a thick gravy or sauce will make most people's mouth water. Stews are commonly known as a dish of meat and vegetables that have been simmered in liquid over low heat for a long period of time in a closed container. They can be simple and have only a few ingredients or they may be more complex with a variety of ingredients to give the stew depths of different rich and savory flavors. The low heat is ideal for breaking down meat and making...