Make sure you add fresh herbs to a dish or recipe when it’s almost finished. Personally, I’ve-grown up using dried herbs, and of course all cook books suggest you to add them as soon as possible. This is true with dry herbs, since it takes longer for the flavor to be exposed. Fresh herbs on the other hand lose their flavor quickly, so try to add them at the end of the cooking process. Remember you’re adjusting the seasoning at the end of the cooking process anyway, so try to incorporate fresh herbs if you can.To maximize the natural flavor of herbs, slightly bruise the herbs with the pressure of a knife. Bruising involves laying the fresh herbs on a cutting board and slapping them in a quick motion with the side of your knife. Another less noisy method is to rub the fresh herbs between the tips of your fingers before you add them to your recipe. Go ahead, you won’t believe the sudden burst of aroma and where there’s aroma there’s flavor.The best way to grind herbs is by using a coffee grinder. I can hear you telling me you prefer to have your dark roast coffee without the subtle hint of French tarragon. Yes, I agree. The trick to removing the flavor of your herbs is to place half a slice of bread in your machine after grinding your herbs and pulse to your heart’s content. voila! The flavor is removed when you remove the bread. After making pesto, place the finished product in an ice cube tray. Once the pesto has frozen, remove from the tray and place it in a zip lock style bag in your freezer. Talk about portion control and using only what you need! It will last in your freezer for a long time, but try to use it within two months. Yes, you can freeze cheese too.

The best method of cleaning or sanitizing your cutting board is to wipe it with a warm solution of bleach and water. A good recipe would be 1 tablespoon of bleach to 2 liters of water. If you are uncomfortable with this method, wipe your board with a warm solution of mild soap and water, dry thoroughly and then rub the cutting board with the juice from half a lemon.If you have a problem with the cutting board moving around while you slice objects, place a damp dish cloth under the cutting board. Lay the towel as flat as possible to keep the cutting board from pitching or rolling from side to side.

You will get more juice than you thought possible by rolling citrus fruits, such as lemons, limes, oranges, between the palm of your hand and the counter top. Apply pressure slowly and in a back and forth manner. Slowly increase the pressure until the side walls are very soft. Be careful not to apply too much pressure or you will blow the side out of the citrus.

Much like with cornstarch or other thickeners, mix arrowroot with cold water until completely dissolved. Then add mixture to sauce or liquid to be thickened, stirring constantly with a wire whisk (if adding to liquid only) or a wooden spoon (if adding to liquid with chunks) until it reaches desired consistency. Generally speaking, the real thickening happens when boiling temperatures are reached. Keep in mind it will continue to thicken slightly even after removed from heat, so keep stirring for a couple of minutes to be safe.

You can roast peanuts in microwave too. Just use any microwave proof bowl, preferably square.Take 2 cups of peanuts & put them in microwave for 3 minutes first. Take them out & stir them for few seconds. Then put them again in microwave for 2 minutes. Just watch it carefully otherwise they will burn. You will know from their color when they are completely roasted. Generally it will take around 7 minutes. Try it.

To make excellent shrikhand mix the chakka and sugar and keep it aside for half an hour.Then pass it through a maida siever. The maida siever should fit the top portion of any long vessel. Once it gets fixed in the vessel then you can put little quantities of the chakka-sugar mixture and gently press it through the siever with your palms. The shrikhand that collects below becomes fluffy and totally free of lumps. Then you can add the cardomom powder, nutmmeg powder and saffron and mix well.

Grease and dust widely with flour or breadcrumbs. For sheets I always use baking paper.
If cake, bread and muffins still keeps sticking: cover the bottom and 1 cm of the side with a piece of baking paper. Use a spatula or blunt knife to loosen the edges and let cool for 10 minutes before turning.
At the moment I am replacing all my baking pans with silicon ones. They don’t stick but the larger ones are difficult to handle because they are too flexible: I place silicons on a cutting board before filling and then slide in the oven.
Divide greasing well:
Hold the outside of the can, pan or sheet a moment under hot running water (or place 1 minute in the preheating baking oven), dry quickly and grease the inside with a little piece margarine or butter. Place in the fridge till use.
Dusting/flouring:
After greasing and before placing in the fridge:
Spread flour with a small strainer or dust widely with breadcrumbs. Shake and turn to divide the flour or breadcrumbs well, place the can upside down and remove with a tap on the back the redundant flour. Chill.

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Herbes de Provence, famous world-wide, add flavor to the Beyond region. Rosemary (romarin), sage (sauge), origan (origan), marjoram (marjolaine) and savory (sarriette) are used alone or in different mixtures together to give Provençal cooking its unique taste and smell. A typical jar of Herbes de Provence lists ” savory , rosemary (romarin), (serpolet), marjoram (marjolaine), origan (origan), (basilic), thyme (thym) in variable proportions”.

Some of these plants, such and rosemary and thyme, grow so abundantly that they are almost always present in even the most remote areas, adding fragrance to hikes thorough the hills.

A few pots growing on the kitchen window sill provide instant fresh herbs for cooking, and the plants strategically located around the outdoor barbeque provide handfuls of flavoring to be thrown directly onto the sizzling steaks and chops.

The herbs of Provence, dried and mixed together in small cloth sacks for sale in gift shops and grocery stores, are popular with tourists and visitors, allowing them to take some of the flavor of the region home with them. The small sacks add a lovely fragrance in kitchens and closets.

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Joan Hanson, Test Kitchen Director, Hormel Foods, offers a few tips to make sure the dining table looks as good as the food tastes.

• Adorn your table with linens in brilliant fall hues including warm browns, rich reds, burnt oranges and golden yellows.
• Create an easy, seasonal centerpiece using fall fruits and vegetables. Place gourds, pumpkins, chili peppers, dried ears of corn and colored leaves around a variety of fall-colored pillar candles for a harvest-themed decoration.
• Pumpkin is a delicious recipe ingredient and iconic decoration during autumn. Burn pumpkin spice scented oil in your home to create an inviting aroma.

SOURCE: Hormel Foods

Fruit and Vegetable Basics

• Fruits and vegetables look good, taste great and contain vitamins and minerals.
• You can get your variety of fruits and vegetables in many ways because fruits and vegetables come fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and as 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice.
• Wash fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly in water.

Are you not sure how to increase your fruit and vegetable intake? Here are some tips that you might want to consider:

• Start your day with 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice.
• Slice bananas or strawberries on top of your cereal.
• Have a salad during lunch, and carrot sticks for an afternoon snack.
• Include a vegetable with dinner and you already have about 5 Cups of fruits and vegetables.
• If you need more than 5 cups per day , try adding a piece of fruit for a snack or an extra vegetable (like carrots or green beans) at dinner.

You can get some of your fruits and vegetables at restaurants too. Try some of these healthy choices:

• veggie pizza
• pasta with vegetables (but watch out for those high fat cream sauces)
• fresh vegetable “wrap”
• vegetable soup
• small salad (instead of fries)
• plenty of fresh vegetables from the salad bar.