Desire for happiness

 
I do a lot of breakfast and brunch baking. We’re talking muffins, biscuits, etc. But somehow in all the years of BoB interactive digital signage, I’ve never shared pancakes with you. I have no idea how that has happened. But, we are going to remedy that in a big way with these beauties.

A few weeks ago, I went to brunch with some lovely blogging friends. As is often the case when you eat with a bunch of food bloggers, there was so much food to be sampled. I snagged a bite (or two) of ricotta pancakes from a neighboring plate and instantly was sad that it had been so long since I had enjoyed any of their amazing deliciousness.

As you may remember, I recently partnered with Krusteaz to bring you all kinds of fun, simple, delectable baking recipes Crown Wine Cellars. Inspired by my renewed love of ricotta pancakes, I grabbed a box of Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix and set out to create my own version of ricotta pancakes.

For those of you who’ve never had ricotta pancakes, I must tell you that they are so light and delicate and moist. They are seriously fabulous. The flavor of the ricotta really isn’t predominant. Rather, it serves to make the texture simply amazing.

With fall upon us, my thoughts are never far from fall fruits like pears. I put together a quick topping of pears, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. While that was cooking, Quinn and I got started on the pancakes. I added some finely chopped almonds to the batter to give them a little extra flavor. The combination of the pancakes, almonds, and warm pear topping is so, so good. After just one bite, these beauties became an instant favorite for us.

While these pancakes are a lovely choice for breakfast or brunch, why not try them for dinner? I am not a morning person AT ALL, so having a Breakfast Night is often a more enjoyable way for me to make breakfast foods. Whip up a batch of these pancakes on a cool fall evening, curl up under a blanket, and dive into a stack of pancake deliciousness Wire Hooks Display.

HarBowl Sunday is in five days, and whether you're cheering for the San Francisco 49ers or the Baltimore Ravens, you know you're in for quite a game. You'll find lots of food and drink ideas here on Epicurious, including dedicated team menus, healthy snacks, and even a nacho generator. But if you're still looking for new party food ideas, check out Salty Snacks: Make Your Own Chips, Crisps, Crackers, Pretzels, Dips, and Other Savory Bites by Cynthia Nims (Ten Speed Press) and Tiny Food Party!: Bite-Size Recipes for Miniature Meals by Teri Lyn Fisher and Jenny Park (Quirk Books). We called homemade snacks as a food trend for 2013, and these two books will definitely motivate you to make it happen .

What's particularly nice about both titles is that the foods are small, thus, making them easy to handle for both kids and adults. And when you're pressed for ways to feed people of varying sizes and ages, you really can't beat snack-sized foods. What's also nice is that these recipes are easy to multiply so that larger groups can be fed. And if you're big on entertaining, that's a decidedly good thing.

Fisher and Park's recipes in Tiny Food Party! transforms "life size" food into miniature versions. It's an approach that requires some nimble fingers, but let's face it--sometimes smaller iterations are just more fun and so cute that you just want to eat them Jewelry hong kong. Pint-Size Chicken 'N' Waffles, Li'l Pajeon, Tiny Fried Tacos, and Baby Boston Cream Cakes are all possible with Tiny Food Party!, and what's even better, Fisher and Park provide party menus that focus on these bitesize goodies. They also get extra points for including drinks (I would recommend using Glasslock's 5.6 or 7 oz containers).

Nims' Salty Snacks has a slightly more grown-up feel to it, in that the recipes are decidedly savory and may not appeal to tasters of all ages. But that said, there's certainly something to be said about the fun and delicious mix of flavors and textures in her recipes: Soy-Wasabi Wonton Crisps, Savory Hazelnut-Fig Shortbread, Five-Spice Duck Skin, and Deep-Fried Cornichons with Dill Sauce monthly rental apartment.

Whenever the weather begins to get cold, I begin to fantasize about that perfect bowl of French onion soup. The top is golden and crisp, the cheese has blistered and fallen and is completely melted, and gooey bits are stuck to the outer sides of the bowl. When I cut through the cheese, the bread is slightly crisp lace wigs uk, but mushy at the same time. I fill my spoon with the rich, full broth crammed with soft, sweet, smoky onions. Here's my fantasy in a bowl.
Ingredients

1 pound yellow onions, halved and thinly cut lengthwise
3 to 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups beef stock
1 cup water
1 1/2-inch-thick slice of ciabatta bread cut in half
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups grated Swiss Gruyère cheese

Preparation

In a heavy 5-quart pot melt the butter over low heat. Add the onions, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste and cook until the onions are deep amber and exceedingly soft, stirring occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the wine, increase the heat, and let the wine bubble away for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beef stock and water, and let the soup simmer for 25 to 30 minutes Gemstone jewelry, allowing the flavors to meld together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to broil. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven.

Place the ciabatta on the middle rack of the oven and toast until crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the soup and discard. Pour the soup into two ovenproof bowls, float the toasted ciabatta on top, and cover it with a thick layer of the Gruyère. Put the soup bowls under the broiler on the middle rack and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and golden hong kong work visa.

Cooks can cut the calories but keep the flavor with the latest crop of sugar substitutes
by Julia Savacool

Sugar Substitutes Image

S ugar is in just about everything we eat and nearly everything we drink. Blamed by some for all manner of modern ills, it nonetheless has a long track record as a sweetener. Recorded uses stretch back at least as far as 500 B.C headphone stand., when the ruler of then-Persia invaded India and discovered natives sweetening their food with a substance derived from sugar cane.

Over the centuries, kings have fought wars over lands rich in sugar, and chefs have created dessert masterpieces inspired by this single sweet ingredient. But in recent years, sugar's reputation has faltered. At 16 calories per single teaspoon, it is not kind to our waistlines. Considering the average American consumes no fewer than 76.7 pounds of sugar annually, according to the latest USDA figures, sugar has been condemned for its role in the current obesity crisis, not to mention diabetes and heart disease.

But food lovers recoil at the notion of a world without sweetness—how would we ice our cakes? Tame our coffee? Preserve our fruits?

Enter the artificial sweetener industry. Saccharin and aspartame, two of the original low-cal sugar substitutes, have been joined by a host of newer alternatives that promise that we can have our cake and reduce calories, too.

In the last decade, scientists have worked to perfect a formula that allows some sugar substitutes to retain their molecular structure when heated, so they won't lose their sweetness in cooking, whether in a homemade cake or savory sauce. These newer lab-created synthetics both taste and act like sugar, allowing consumers to swap them into recipes.

Though a true sweet tooth may detect some differences compared with sugar, these seven substitutes are reliable alternatives for people looking to cut back on calories, as many are marketed as 0 calorie sweeteners (the FDA considers any product with a nutritional value of 4 calories or less "0 calorie"). Each artificial sweetener is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, so be sure to follow the manufacturer's suggested substitutions for cooking and baking projects. Read on to see which sweeteners work best for your needs gear motor.


Sweetener: Saccharin

Trade name: Sweet'N Low
Bake-able? Saccharin, the oldest sugar substitute of the bunch, does not make the best cooking companion. If you use it, it's best to replace only part of the sugar called for in the recipe. Saccharin leaves a metallic aftertaste in baking, and a lumpy texture.
Relative sweetness: Approximately 300 times sweeter than sugar
Calories per teaspoon: 0
Substitutions: Sweet'N Low: 1 teaspoon sugar = 1/2 packet or 1/2 teaspoon bulk Sweet'N Low; 1 cup sugar = 24 packets or 8 teaspoons bulk Sweet'N Low
Sweet fact: Saccharin was originally discovered in 1878, in a lab at Johns Hopkins University, by a chemist experimenting with coal tar derivatives. Who knew it would become the first low-cal way to sweeten a cup of joe?



Sweetener: Aspartame

Trade names: Equal, NutraSweet
Bake-able? No. Aspartame loses its sweetness in high heat, so sprinkle it only as a topper after cooking.
Relative sweetness: Approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar
Calories per teaspoon: 0
Substitutions: Equal: 1 teaspoon sugar = 1/2 packet or 1 teaspoon Equal Spoonful/Granulated; 1 cup sugar = 24 packets or 1 cup Equal Spoonful/Granulated. NutraSweet: No substitution information available
Sweet fact: Aspartame was first discovered in 1965 by a scientist working on an anti-ulcer drug—he licked his finger and noted the sweet-tasting byproduct of his lab creation.



Sweetener: Acesulfame potassium (also called acesulfame-K)

Trade name: Sunett, Sweet One
Bake-able? This sugar sub, approved by the FDA in 1998, holds up well at high heat, so it's a good option for baking.
Relative sweetness: Approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar
Calories per teaspoon: 0
Substitutions: Sunett: No information available. Sweet One: 1 teaspoon sugar = 1/2 packet; 1 cup sugar = 24 packets
Sweet fact: Despite a slightly bitter aftertaste, this sweetener's ability to withstand heat has made it the go-to alternative in commercial baked goods. It can be found in 5,000-plus products sold in more than 100 countries around the world.



Sweetener: Neotame

Trade name: Neotame by NutraSweet
Bake-able? Yes. Neotame is resistant to heat and lacks the metallic aftertaste that plagues some artificial sweeteners, making it a favorite for commercial baking.
Relative sweetness: At least 8,000 times sweeter than sugar
Calories per teaspoon: 0
Substitutions: No information available
Sweet fact: A major appeal of Neotame is its cost-effectiveness in baking. It's one tenth the price of sugar CoQ10, and the manufacturer advises that a tiny amount of Neotame can replace roughly a fourth of the sugar called for in a recipe without affecting taste or consistency. But you may have to wait to get your money's worth: This market newbie is not yet widely available to consumers.



Sweetener: Stevia

Trade name: Truvia, Pure Via, Stevia in the Raw
Bake-able? Yes, stevia is very heat-stable, so it can be swapped into most recipes. However, the compound does not caramelize the way sugar does, nor should it be used in meringues, as it does not brown or crystallize.
Relative sweetness: Approximately 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar
Calories per teaspoon: 0
Substitutions: Truvia: 1 teaspoon sugar = 1/2 packet or 1/2 teaspoon Truvia Baking Blend; 1 cup sugar = 24 packets or 1/2 cup Truvia Baking Blend. Pure Via: 1 teaspoon sugar = 1/2 packet or 1/4 teaspoon; 1 cup sugar = 24 packets or 12 teaspoons. Stevia in the Raw: 1 teaspoon sugar = 1/2 packet or 1 teaspoon from Bakers Bag; 1 cup sugar = 24 packets or 1 cup from Bakers Bag.
Sweet fact: There are nearly 300 species of stevia plants, found primarily in Central and South America. For centuries, people there have used the leaves of stevia plants to sweeten coffee and tea (unprocessed leaves are about 30 times sweeter than sugar).



Sweetener: Sucralose

Trade name: Splenda
Bake-able? Yes. Sucralose will not break down at high temperatures, but be sure to buy the baking-formulated version. It includes low-calorie fillers that replace the bulk of sugar in recipes.
Relative sweetness: Approximately 600 times sweeter than sugar
Calories per teaspoon: 0
Substitutions: Splenda: 1 teaspoon sugar = 1/2 packet or 1/2 teaspoon Splenda Sugar Blend; 1 cup sugar = 24 packets or 1/2 cup Splenda Sugar Blend
Sweet fact: Though Splenda's manufacturer likes to claim this sweetener is created from sugar itself, it is a very, very distant cousin. In 1976, chemists discovered sucralose by replacing three hydrogen-oxygen groups on the sugar molecule with three chlorine atoms. Simply put, it is as different from the sugar in your pantry as your dog is from your cat—they both have four legs, but you'd never mistake one for the other!

One of the biggest trends I saw this year at the Winter Fancy Food Show was the explosion in the number of products with chia seeds hong kong business school. I first heard of chia in a "ch-ch-ch-chia, the pottery that grows!" chia pet commercial and maybe you did too. But now chia is back and being touted as a "superfood."

Chia is showing up in everything from cereal to drinks, snacks, baked goods and even pasta. When soaked in any liquid it creates a gel that can be used in place of eggs, it also has a pleasant pudding like texture that might remind you of tapioca. Unsoaked the seeds are crunchy and find their way into granola, chips and more.

Chia seeds are either white or brown and virtually flavorless, but create interesting texture and offer a lot of nutritional benefits. A staple food of the Mayans and Aztecs, just one tablespoon provides 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, 6% of the recommended daily allowance of calcium and 4% iron. But it's a real powerhouse when it comes to omega fatty acids, providing 2282 mg of omega-3 and 752 mg of omega-6. Look for chia in health food stores.

I tried chia in a variety of products and really enjoyed them. I've also had fun cooking and baking with them. Here are a few of my favorite products using chia vintage tube:

Bonachia pasta from Al Dente Pasta Company uses chia in place of eggs. You would not know that there is chia in the product and like all of Al Dente's dried pasta, the chia spinach fettuccini has the wonderful texture of fresh homemade pasta when cooked. Whether you are avoiding eggs or not, this is a great product and much less expensive than buying fresh pasta. I used it in a recipe I was working on recently and it turned out just great (I'll be sharing that recipe soon).

Mamma Chia makes fruit juice drinks with chia seeds that are plumped up and suspended in the liquid. They are refreshing, quenching your thirst while also taking the edge off when you're feeling hungry. They come in a wide variety of delicious flavors like raspberry passion, guava and blackberry hibiscus. If they were less expensive (about $3.99 a bottle) I would be inclined to buy them more frequently network.

Another chia product I really enjoyed trying at the Fancy Food Show was the Canadian cereal provocatively named "Holy Crap." I can say it definitely lives up to the name, it's a bit like eating creamy pudding for breakfast. Made with chia, hemp hearts and buckwheat groats plus some dried fruit, a little bit really fills you up. Because it doesn't have very good distribution yet, I created my own version which I will share tomorrow...