Best Steak Marinade In Existence

INGREDIENTS:

 1/3 cup Soy sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder

3 tablespoons dried basil

1 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 teaspoon dried minced garlic

How to make it :

Place the soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, basil, parsley, and pepper in a blender. 

Add hot pepper sauce and garlic, if desired. Blend on high speed for 30 seconds until thoroughly mixed.

Pour marinade over desired type of meat. 

Cover, and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Cook meat as desired.

Loaded Deviled Eggs

 

10 FACTS ABOUT EGGS:

1. Worldwide, around 1.2 trillion eggs are produced for eating every year. The average person on Earth consumes 173 eggs a year.

2. Forty per cent of the world’s eggs are consumed in China.

3. The Guinness World Record for omelette making is held by Howard Helmer, who made 427 omelettes in 30 minutes.

4. The average hen lays between 250 and 270 eggs a year but some lay more than 300.

5. According to research published in 2008, male dinosaurs were sometimes responsible for sitting on eggs until they hatched.

6. “Nobody can eat 50 eggs,” (George Kennedy in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke).

7. The world record for eating hard-boiled eggs is 65 in 6min 40sec, by Sonya Thomas in 2003. She would have eaten more but they ran out of eggs.

8. This year’s World Hard-Boiled Egg Eating Championship is due to be held at Radcliff, Kentucky, on Saturday, with a prize fund of $3,000.

9. The brown or white colour of an eggshell is purely dependent on the breed of the hen.

10. “A hen is only an egg’s way of making another egg,” (Life And Habit by Samuel Butler 1835-1902).

INGERDIENT:

 large eggs (hard-boiled, cooled & halved)

6 slices bacon (cooked crisp & crumbled)

2 teaspoons fresh chives

2 teaspoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons finely shredded mild cheddar cheese

1⁄4 cup sour cream or 1⁄4 cup buttermilk

paprika

DIRECTIONS:

Transfer egg yolks from halves to mixing bowl & combine with remaining ingredients.

Add the sour cream or buttermilk last & use more as needed to reach desired smoothness.

Spoon yolk mixture into halves. The bulk will have grown substantially, so pile it high & "dust" with a sprinkle of paprika.

Deep Dish Chicago Style Pizza

 

Did you know pizza took the United States by storm before it became popular in its native Italy?

Pizza has a long history. Flatbreads with toppings were consumed by the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks. (The latter ate a version with herbs and oil, similar to today’s focaccia.) But the modern birthplace of pizza is southwestern Italy's Campania region, home to the city of Naples.

Founded around 600 B.C. as a Greek settlement, Naples in the 1700s and early 1800s was a thriving waterfront city. Technically an independent kingdom, it was notorious for its throngs of working poor, or lazzaroni. “The closer you got to the bay, the more dense their population, and much of their living was done outdoors, sometimes in homes that were little more than a room,” says Carol Helstosky, author of Pizza: A Global History and associate professor of history at the University of Denver.

These Neapolitans required inexpensive food that could be consumed quickly. Pizza—flatbreads with various toppings, eaten for any meal and sold by street vendors or informal restaurants—met this need. “Judgmental Italian authors often called their eating habits ‘disgusting,’” Helstosky notes. These early pizzas consumed by Naples’ poor featured the tasty garnishes beloved today, such as tomatoes, cheese, oil, anchovies and garlic.

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

1 c. water

1 pkg yeast

1/3 c. corn oil

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 lb Bread Flour

Pizza Sauce:

28 oz plum Roma tomatoes (or San Marzano (my favorite) tomatoes – less ¼ c of the sauce before you mush it)

1/2 tsp salt

a pinch of basil

a pinch of oregano

fresh ground black pepper

Toppings:

16 oz. mozzarella about 4 c. Low-moisture part-skim (NOT low fat. It won’t turn out good if you use low fat)

Pepperoni

Italian sausage uncooked pinched into little pieces

DIRECTIONS

Crust:

In a bowl, put water (lukewarm), then yeast, oil, cream of tartar, and sugar. Mix with hand until yeast dissolves.

Pour in bread flour a little at a time. Mix with your hand. Just curve your hand like a dough hook and hold the bowl and mix. Then, knead it until it gets firm. Add more flour if needed.

The secret is kneading. Knead it for about 10 minutes straight. Then, roll it into a ball, and put it in a bowl with oil brushed in the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let sit overnight unrefrigerated. Only let it rise once. Portion and use.

Pizza Sauce:

Take the tomatoes and sauce and place them into a bowl. Using a potato masher or just your hands, mash the tomatoes up so that there are no chunks bigger around than a quarter.

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Do not use too much basil or oregano.

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare your deep dish pizza pan (or a round cake pan with straight sides) by coating the inside of it with a very healthy coating of melted butter or oil.

Roll the dough out to about 3 inches larger than the bottom of the pan, then place inside the pan and pinch the dough up along the sides.

Now put the cheese in (right on the crust). Then add the pepperoni and sausage pieces, and finally the sauce (Don’t worry, the sausage will cook through completely in the oven).

Bake in the oven until the crust is starting to brown and cheese is starting to bubble up through the sauce. The little edges of the pepperoni should also be starting to crisp and the sausage should be cooked through (about 45 minutes).

Meatball Pasta With Mushroom

 

Mushroom Facts for Kids

1. The lifecycle of a mushroom is very unique.

Mushrooms are fungi and grow differently than fruits and vegetables. Mushrooms begin life as fungal spores. When spores germinate, they grow into a lacy, filament-like root network called mycelium. Have you ever seen a mushroom grow in the wild? What you cannot see is the underground network of mycelium that scavenges the soil for food. Mushrooms are decomposers and break down dead plants to recycle their nutrients. When mycelium is mature, it produces a mushroom which will spread its spores in the forest to continue the lifecycle of the mushroom. Mushroom farmers start from fungal spores to grow and harvest delicious mushrooms.

2. It takes science to grow mushrooms.

Mushrooms flourish under precise conditions. Mushroom farms are typically indoors so farmers can replicate nature’s perfect conditions. Each variety of mushrooms prefers a certain amount of heat, humidity, and air flow. Mushrooms grown for human consumption are grown in a very sterile environment to prevent any contamination. Pro-tip: mushrooms need good air flow, so never store them in a plastic bag (instead, store in their original packaging, or a clean brown paper bag).

3. Mushrooms produce Vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet light, but they don’t need light to grow.

Mushrooms can thrive without any light. Unlike green plants that convert sunlight to food through photosynthesis, the mushrooms gather nourishment from their growing medium, called compost. Mushroom farmers use a variety of growing mediums such as straw, corn cobs, cocoa hulls, or oats.

4. Mushrooms are grown in all 50 states.

Mushrooms grow on a year-round cycle indoors, and edible mushrooms are grown everywhere! There is likely a local producer near you. Check out your local farmers’ market or local produce market to find a local grower. The majority of commercial mushroom growers are located in the state of Pennsylvania. In fact, 63% of all white mushrooms are grown in Pennsylvania. [4]

5. Mushrooms are gentle on the planet.

Mushrooms are one of the most sustainably-produced food sources in the United States.

• Mushrooms use limited growing space. Indoor growing is a very efficient use of space. In fact, 1 acre can produce up to 1 million pounds of mushrooms annually!
• The growing medium can be composted. Mushrooms are grown in various growing mediums such as straw, corn cobs, cocoa hulls, or oats. Once used up, these materials can be composted and repurposed for other uses.
• They require little energy to grow. Mushrooms often grow in the dark and a small amount of electricity is used to harvest or monitor the mushrooms. This makes them very energy efficient!
• They require less water than other crops. It takes about 1.8 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of mushrooms. Compared to fruits and vegetables, this is a huge water savings!

INGREDIENTS

250 g mushrooms
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp vegan butter
250 ml oatly cream substitute for single cream
5 tagliatelle nests around 160g
2 tbsp tamari sub for soy sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried sage
Really generous pinch of salt and pepper
100 ml pasta water

DIRECTIONS

Get a pot of water on to boil, season heavily with salt and add the tagliatelle
Slice the mushrooms then add to a deep frying pan with the vegan butter and garlic powder, fry for a few minutes before adding the vegan meatballs
Fry on medium to high heat, adding the sage, parsley and 1 tbsp of tamari (gives a gorgeous umami flavor)
After a few mins, add the vegan single cream and turn the heat down to a low simmer, season generously with salt and pepper and stir in the Dijon mustard
Test the pasta, drain when al dente BUT SAVE a good ladle (approx 100-150ml) of the pasta water and stir with the creamy mushroom meatballs
Stir through until everything is covered then taste test, add the remaining 1 tbsp of tamari on top and a sprinkle of parsley before serving.

Shrimp And Steak Teriyaki Noodles

  

10 Facts about shrimp :

1. Shrimps have 16 photoreceptors and can see well, they can also move each eye independently.

2. There are many similarities between a shrimp and prawn, however shrimps have claws on two of their five pairs of legs while prawns have claws on three of their five pairs of legs. Shrimps are generally smaller than prawns and considered marine creatures. Meanwhile, the majority of prawns live in freshwater.

3. The body of a shrimp is divided into two parts: the thorax and the head. The cephalothorax and a narrow abdomen connect the two components.

4. A shrimp is protected by a hard exterior shell, the gills allow the shrimp to get oxygen from the surrounding waters.

5. Shrimp offer minimal threat when it comes to consuming other animals and plants. They are not typically predators.

6. A shrimp’s heart is located inside the bottom of its head.

7. Shrimp can quickly adapt to new conditions in the water, accounting for their vast numbers in every ocean and region on earth, except Antarctica.

8. It's often asked is shrimp a fish? The answer is shrimps are variety of decapod crustaceans and not a type of fish.

9. Both shrimp and prawn are common names and not scientific names, both are closely related to lobster, crabs and crayfish.

10. The scientific name of shrimp is "caridea", within the order of decapod crustaceans.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound fresh or frozen medium shrimp in shells

12 green onions

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 cups sugar snap pea pods, trimmed

1 14.2 ounce pkg. cooked udon noodles*

1 cup fresh pineapple chunks

3 tablespoons reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce

3 tablespoons water

¼ cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts

DIRECTIONS

 

Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact if desired. Rinse shrimp; pat dry.
Chop 1 Tbsp. of the dark green tops of onions for garnish. Cut pale green and white parts into 2-inch pieces.

In a wok or 12-inch skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add ginger; cook and stir 30 seconds.
Add green onion pieces and snap peas; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes. Add shrimp, noodles, and pineapple; cook and stir just until shrimp are opaque. Add teriyaki sauce and the water; toss to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts and green onion tops.

ENJOY!

Cheesy Baked Spaghetti

 

10 Facts about spaghetti:

1.Spaghetti is the plural form of the Italian word spaghetto, which is a diminutive of spago, meaning “thin string” or “twine.”

2.Contrary to popular belief, Marco Polo did not discover pasta.

3.The ancient Italians made pasta much like we do today.

4.Marco Polo did write about eating Chinese pasta at the court of Kubla Khan, he probably didn’t introduce pasta to Italy.

5.There’s evidence suggesting the Etruscans made pasta as early as 400 B.C. The evidence lies in a bas-relief carving in a cave about 30 miles north of Rome. The carving depicts instruments for making pasta – a rolling-out table, pastry wheel and flour bin.

6.Further proof that Marco Polo didn’t “discover” pasta is found in the will of Ponzio Baestone, a Genoan soldier who requested “bariscella peina de macarone” – a small basket of macaroni. His will is dated 1279, 16 years before Marco Polo returned from China.

7.The Chinese are on record as having eaten pasta as early as 5,000 B.C.

8.They may have the same shape as spaghetti, but they aren’t the same thing. Noodles are the Eastern version of the Italian dish. They’ve been eaten in China for more than 4,000 years and are usually lighter, thinner, and aren’t made from durum wheat.

9.January 4th is National Spaghetti Day.

10.According to the International Pasta Organization, there are more more than 600 different shapes of pasta produced throughout the world.

11.Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, is credited with being the first person to introduce pasta to America, back in 1789.

12.One of the most important times in the history of the spaghetti was World War II. It was then that American soldiers came in close contact with European cuisine, bringing home tales about spaghetti and demanding its presence on the American market.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound spaghetti

1 pound ground beef

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 cups Marinara Sauce

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large eggs

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 cups cottage cheese, divided

4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 9×13 baking dish with vegetable oil spray.

Cook pasta 2 minutes shy of the directions.

Add meat and onions to a large skillet on medium-high heat and brown while breaking it apart until fully cooked, about 5-6 minutes.

Add in the Marinara Sauce and mix well.

Toss the noodles in the salt, eggs, and butter.

Put half the pasta in the bottom of the baking dish, then add half the cottage cheese, half the meat sauce, and half the mozzarella.

Top with the rest of the noodles, the rest of the cottage cheese, meat sauce, and mozzarella.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese on top is crispy and golden brown.

Enjoy !!

Classic Southern Fried Pork Chops

 

10 Facts about crispy food:

Fried chicken, when cooked properly, is one of the most delicious foods on earth. We tracked down ten interesting facts about this staple’s origins and history, as well as a few handy tips on how to make the perfect batch in your very own kitchen.

Fried chicken comes in plenty of shapes and sizes, but when it’s good, it’s good. Biting into a shatteringly crisp and super-flavorful shell that gives way to tender and juicy chicken inside is one of life’s great culinary pleasures; and even when it’s not so good – maybe a little soggy on the outside and overcooked on the inside – it’s still perfectly passable.

Fried chicken has experienced a renaissance of sorts in the past decade or so; what used to primarily be the domain of humble shacks and Sunday suppers has now found its way onto the menus of some of America’s best restaurants. Like the burger, it’s a simple food that can range in quality from just okay to life-changing, and more and more chefs are trying their hand at turning out their idea of perfection. It’s also a dish that, with a little practice, can be mastered in your very own kitchen using inexpensive ingredients.

So whether your experience with fried chicken starts and ends with KFC, or if you’re a seasoned expert who not only makes it at home but seeks out the best fried chicken in America, we bet that there’s a lot you didn’t know about this renowned dish. Read on to learn 10 things you didn’t know about fried chicken.

INGREDIENTS

4bone-in pork chops

1Tbsp Dijon mustard

1tsp granulated garlic

1tsp granulated onion

1tsp kosher salt

1/2tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2tsp cayenne pepper plus more to taste

4bacon strips

1/2cup vegetable oil

1/2cup all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

 

In a small bowl, combine granulated garlic, onion, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Pat dry pork chops with a paper towel. Using your hands, rub Dijon mustard all over the pork chops.

Sprinkle the spice mix and evenly rub into the chops on each side.

Dredge in flour really well on both sides and set aside.

Preheat a large, about 12-13-inch, heavy (cast iron is recommended) frying pan over medium-high heat.

Fry the bacon strips, on both sides, until crisp and fat has rendered out. Remove the bacon and reserve it for other uses.

Add vegetable oil to the frying pan. Let the oil warm up to cooking temperature, about 325F.

Dredge each pork chop in flour again, making sure each side is covered really well.

Place in the frying pan and cook over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes per side, until deep golden brown and the internal temperature of the pork reached 145F.

Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the pork chops you are using.

Remove pork chops, place on a platter and cover with foil and let rest for 3 minutes before serving.

ENJOY!