Happy Kitchen

Making cakes- the basic preparation is very important

It is important to understand that baking desserts, chocolates, pastries and cakes is very hard work. Of course, the technological improvements in the kitchen have simplified the process of making these dishes. However, there is absolutely no denying that the cook will have to put in a lot of effort to do a good job. Many beginners have a disappointing experience with their cakes when they make it for the first time simply because they did not spend time on the dough and whip it properly.

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The Race is On

Have you seen the new Hovis farmer ad? It’s one of those ad’s that puts a smile on your face and we can all relate to why we would run up dale and down for a fresh loaf of bread, the staple of life. No matter how you like it, white bloomers, cottage loaves, and six seeded wholemeal, granary, wholemeal with honey, some wheat free, rice bread, and pumpkin bread, there is nothing like it.

Fresh from the oven ready to cut and spread with butter and let it ooze over the crust, add the favourite topping of the moment or even a multiple mix and bite, the incredible texture and taste which fills you with warm oven baked satisfaction is like no other kind of food. Bread is the nations favourite filler. You can almost hear toasters popping the country over.

Bread making is one of my passions from the soft puff of the flour hitting the bowl to the mixing and kneading I love it, it never ceases to amaze me the process of it all, the way the dough comes together the wait as the yeast works its magic. From the first time as a child to the present day I can never get over the small miracle of dough rising, the soft warmth as you put your hands in again for the final knead.

And of course the overwhelming appetite stimulation of the smell of bread baking, I for one perfectly understand the race to get to the first loaf of freshly baked bread and would run with the best of the Hovis farmers to get there to claim my prize, a slice of the good stuff.

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Cakes for the diabetic- here is a good option

Life can seem very unfair if you have a sweet tooth and suffer from diabetes. No matter how many medications you consume, you will have no choice but to cut down the quantity of sugar in your diet. The combination of exercises and medications may help you avoid drastic changes but you certainly cannot go around gulping huge quantities of sweets. Cakes, pastries, chocolates, ice creams-all these delicious sweet things can only be enjoyed from afar.

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The Cake Process

Cakes – they’ve been around for centuries (the word ‘cake’ is of Viking origin) and are one of our most treasured foods. Just writing about cakes, biscuits and chocolate actually makes my mouth water – not a good thing when you have a new laptop. In any case today I want to share a recipe with you along with the easiest ways to prepare the ingredients you’ll need and some tips on how to speed up your general prep and baking.

We all want to have our cake and eat it and the best cakes to eat are the ones you make your self. If you’re thinking that baking a cake is really hard, I’m going to show you just how easy it is to do with the right equipment, cunning and know how!

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Dying to Eat You

With the festive season rapidly approaching, it’s a good idea to start thinking out the home bake treats you can prepare. Not only does cooking at home save you money, it can be a fun family event. When I was little I would help my mother bake and decorate cakes and we would give them out to the older people in our street that didn’t have anyone.

One of the nice things about home baking is you don’t have to stick to any sort of rules; if you want to make a rainbow cake you can, if you want to make green cup cakes with red icing you can. There are no limits to what can be done in order to make a tasty treat look festive.

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Plum Season

Summer time is all about holidays family and friends. For the past few summers, I have done a grand tour of family and friends in far away places. I like to take my love of cooking with me, and where ever I go, I make sweet treats and cakes for friends and relatives. Each location offers unique challenges and opportunities. In London, Haggerston Park was filled with bright yellow plums falling from the trees, in Brighton I went camping with my best mate from uni and in Bath I stayed in an old cottage with an aga. In each place I made a unique treat that was local and seasonal.

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Muscle Bound Sweets

It may seem like an anomaly to write about healthy sweets, but there are a significant number of people who are struggling to put weight on. My brother is in the midst of training for a marathon and he swears by whey protein at the moment to help him build his muscles. He has been tipping the powder into orange juice. Here are some recipes and ideas to create delicious treats that can also help build muscles.

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Health is Wealth

Our body is like a machine and like every machine it needs maintenance. If you don’t treat it right, it won’t treat you right. Food to our body is the same as what oil is to machinery – a substance to keep all our parts running well – and the kitchen is like a factory. Suppose you put diesel in a car that runs on petrol. What will happen? Yes, it’ll break down. Similarly, we can’t feed our body something it can’t process or it will break down too.
Healthy food is not an option anymore, its a necessity. In the daily humdrum of life, we often neglect our eating habits. As a result, our body doesn’t get all the nutrients it needs to function correctly and fight diseases. Why else do you think that the rate of diseases has increased in these past few years? Cancer and heart disease, that was unheard of at a time is now rampant. ’Lifestyle disease'is what its called. But there’s still hope – if we decide to change our eating habits.
There are many healthy options available now. For instance, adopting organic food is a great way to start. Fruits and leafy green vegetables should be made an inherent part of our daily diet. If you think you need some supplements, then go for whey protein. Whey is essentially a by-product of curd or cheese that possesses cancer fighting properties. It also contains a high percentage of amino acids and antioxidants that stimulate protein synthesis in our bodies and strengthen our immune system.
Adopting a healthy lifestyle is not so tough as long as you’re determined to keep your body in perfect condition. So don’t be afraid to embrace change – it is only for the better!

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Ice Box Cake

As I search for a good fuel tank hire I couldn’t help but remember those days when I was young and my mum used to bake every weekend. I especially remember her luscious Icebox Cake, yummy. Here is the recipe I use for my Icebox Cake and it’s almost similar to my mums.

Here is what you will need:

1 quart Whip cream

2 bananas

2 cups milk

2 boxes of instant chocolate pudding

2 boxes of instant vanilla pudding

3 boxes original Graham crackers

1 aluminum foil roasting pan

Firs off you will use the Graham crackers to line the bottom of the aluminum foil roasting pan. The bottom of the pan must be properly covered so that none of it can be seen by the naked eye.

Cook (following the instruction on the packages) both packages of pudding in separate saucepan and stir while this is being done so that they both come out with some consistency. Use milk with the mixture to get a thick textured pudding.

Now pour the chocolate pudding mixture over the Graham crackers and spread it as evenly as possible. Next cover the chocolate pudding with another layer of Graham crackers then spread the vanilla pudding mix over it. Then cover this layer of vanilla pudding with another layer of Graham crackers.

Whip the cream in a mixing bowl until it is ready then spread thick over the Graham crackers. Slice up the bananas thinly and place atop the whipped cream. Then cover with any remaining Graham crackers and cover with aluminum foil and put in the refrigerator for 24 hours.</o:p

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Pumpkin Pie

Do you enjoy having vegetable pie? If yes, then try out this new recipe which you can make easily without messing up the kitchen or needing a Polti 2400 for clean up. So, let us check out the pumpkin pie. This perennial favorite features a wide range of creamy custard filling which is made up of cream, milk, sugar and a wide range of aromatic spice. All of these are baked in a graham- cracker or flaky piecrust. So, here come a few essential tips to make pumpkin pie with perfection.

Ingredients:

½ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon of ground ginger

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

¾ cup milk or light cream should be half and half

1 15-ounce of can pumpkin

1 chilled, flaky pie crust

2 eggs of slightly beaten

It’s great to use a store-bought crust for the pumpkin pie. If you wish to prepare on your own, then you should consider all the ingredients to try and make the pastry for Single Crust Pie recipe.

Tip 1:

Pre-heat your oven to about 375 degrees F.

Tip 2:

If you’re preparing your own crust then prepare and roll out the pastry for Single Crust Pie. Line the 9 inch pie plate with pastry. Then spruce and crimp the edge as desired.

Tip 3

For filling, take a medium sized bowl you should combine the ginger, sugar, pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add in eggs. Beat the eggs lightly with fork until combined.

Tip 4

Put the pastry-lined pie plate on the rack of the oven. Pour the filling carefully into the pastry shell. To prevent the over-browning, you must cover the edge of the pie with a foil. Now bake for about 25 minutes or so. Remove the foil and bake for more 25 minutes or more until the knife inserted close to the center comes out clean. Let it chill on wire rack. Cover and then refrigerate for 2 hours.

Your pumpkin pie is ready!

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