So Lola has put me to a challenge!

I think the forum could use a kind of "How to" section, or "basic foods" section, as Carol  put it. And Lola suggested I compile the info... little did she know, I don't know the info- I just know it's out there somewhere And I am soooo not a search godess like Lola. (She's amazing, and I don't know how she does it!!)

So, I'm asking for some not quite recipe things that you know that make BTD easier for you.  I know there's threads for Nutritional yeast, how to steep green tea, making ghee- that's the kind of thing I'm looking for. How to roast red peppers, how to make icing sugar with a coffee grinder, all that kind of fun stuff.

So please, post your favourite, or most inventive, but relatively simple trick for making BTD easier or more enjoyable!

Serena,
you do take things seriously!!! lol
hope this thread you created is a sticky one,
so as to future references and overall help and guidance.
great initiative!!! )

here s the ghee recipe:
and a good explanation as to why ghee is so beneficial
http://www.dadamo.com/ask/ask2.pl?20050724.txt

here s a NY spread recipe:
for starts....
http://www.dadamo.com/typebase4/recipedepictor.cgi?562

advice on green tea brewing:
by Dr Greg Kelly from NAP directly......

Quoted Text

When you make green tea it is important to use hot but not boiling water. It is also important to only steep the leaves for about 30-45 seconds. This should result in a deep lime-green colored tea. For best results, use those two simple guidelines and then enjoy several cups per day.

here s a note on hygiene by Dr Greg K:

sounds like a great tip!

Quoted Text

A last "hygienic" note to mention is to get an old-style soap with olive oil or other natural oils as the base. Run your fingernails through the soap twice daily, and then rinse the soap away. Most of the pollen and bacterial debris on the fingers actually accumulates under the nails. Touching any mucus membrane with your fingers can then increase your environmental burden substantially, resulting in....you guessed it, worsening of allergies. This simple technique can substantially reduce the accumulation of this type of debris. (These old-style natural oil based soaps are high in saponins so seem to work while the brand name soaps do not work well in my experience).

wow, got carried away!!

found a recipe to roast red peppers

Quoted Text

Roasted peppers even better than tomatoes
are in jars under the Whole Foods Market's label (organic, red, mild Piquillo peppers). Or you can roast your own whole fresh peppers of any variety under the broiler, turning every 5 minutes or so til the skin is blistered and charred. Then transfer peppers to a covered bowl. When they're cool enough to handle, you can then peel them if desired. I leave them on for the exotic smoky flavor. Also, you can make a red pepper sauce by sauteing olive oil, red bell pepper, parsley, garlic & shallots, then blending together with a vegetable stock or juice. Lots of beautiful possibility in experimentation with different herb & vegetable combinations..

search godess at work!!!

Way to go, Serena!

I have put on my thinking cap, and will post things as it occurs to me -- problem is, once I figure something out, it seems so darn obvious that I tend to assume it's already common knowledge (and I hate to be snickered at).  But I keep reminding myself that if an idea is new to me, there are bound to be other folks on the forums who haven't thought of it yet.

I'm in the middle of working out a "recipe" for A-nonnie-compliant chocolate chips/chunks.  So far, I can tell you one thing that doesn't work all that well, and the second batch is still cooling.

The hints & tips that I often find the most helpful are the simple little things that the poster has actually used, and can field questions about.  So if anyone else is hanging back for fear of being snickered at for stating the obvious, post away, and if anyone dares to snicker, I'll beat 'em to a pulp with an organic carrot!

Carol, I'm the same- like I said, I danced for joy when I made icing sugar in the coffee grinder- but I felt sharing my new culinary conquest would be met with a "well duh!!"

Serena,
did you actually make an icing?
tell us what amounts you used, ok?

oh goodness- i have no idea. I know I also added arrow root because commercial "icing sugar" has cornstarch, so I figured I needed to add some starch to it. Next time I make a cake I'll actually measure and post it in the recipe base. It would be neutral for everyone except the nonnies...

and post it here, too! )
afterall, this is where you want all the info downloaded, right?

Serena,

Why not type your questions into the Google search engine and find these ideas on-line ?

Taz

Quoted from taswolf

Serena,
Why not type your questions into the Google search engine and find these ideas on-line?
Taz

Taz -- That's what Lola the Search Goddess is here for!

Besides, sometimes it's better to get the tips from them as is doin', rather than from who-knows-who on the Internet.  Didn't you ever do a search and find umpty-ump sites with the same identical wording?  I seriously doubt that each of them has actually tried the techniques that they're promoting, they just copied something they found on another site (which may have copied it from a book, which got it from another book, which....).

So I'd prefer when possible to get my advice from people I "know" and trust.  Besides, then if I have questions, I know who to ask!

I like to take the stalks off the brocolli, cut into smaller pieces and throw in the food processor, and pulse into slaw.  Than I put this into a canning Jar in the frig to use in many way.  On top of a salad, in soups,, chili's, beef stew with beneficial spices and veggies.   I also do this to celery and onions, I put in separate jars, and than I combine some of each together in another jar.

I also cooked ground sirloin beef drain, and season with beneficial spices and herbs, and put 6-9 serving in canning jars in the frig for the week.

I do this with cooked beans, also.

I steam the brocolli flowerets, usually when I have a nice piece of fresh salmon, or beside a salad with steamed baby carrots. drizzled with olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice & bene spices.

nice tips GS, thanks!)

so, Serena, what other tricks did you want to know of? )

Serena, Did your powdered sugar really turn out fine like powdered sugar?  Mine did not.  I have a Black & Decker coffee mill and it's new but the frosting was very gritty.  Did I do something wrong?  I don't think I was meant to have it!

~jill~

Jill,
what amounts and what ingredients did you use in your icing?

I like this thread!  I'm an idiot in the kitchen, so every little bit helps!!

Quoted from lola

Jill,
what amounts and what ingredients did you use in your icing?

Lola, I don't remember the amounts as it was quite a while ago.  But it seems like Lemon juice and a titch of butter maybe?  But then it seems like maybe some rice milk--sorry, I really can't remember.   I asked my mom and she told me to start whipping the lemon juice in with the sugar and it would take a long time.  It tasted good but was a little gritty.  Serena said maybe I pulsed too much sugar at one time in the grinder so I'm going to try smaller quantities and see what happens.

~jill~  

There's more info on the "Organic A-nonnie Chocolate" thread on the Cook Right forum, but here's my best recipe to date for A-nonnie-compliant chocolate "chips" (not organic, alas):

One 4-ounce Ghirardelli Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar
1/2 teaspoon Stevia Extract Powder

Melt the chocolate over hot water in the top of a double boiler.  Stir in the stevia extract powder very thoroughly.  Pour into a lightly-oiled flexible mold (I used a plastic sandwich box) and allow to cool and harden completely (this will take several hours).  Pop the chocolate out of the mold onto a cutting board and cut into chip-sized cubes.  Makes enough for two dozen large cookies, equivalent to half a bag of store-bought chocolate chips.

My next attempt will use maple sugar (as soon as I can get some).  I will keep you posted!

np Jill, thanks.

thanks Carol! )

Rinsing & draining canned beans can greatly reduce "gas" (as well as getting rid of excess salt if you buy an overly-salty brand).  The easiest way to do it is right in the can -- no colander or sieve to wash.  Here's how:

Before you open the can, give it a real good shake.  This isn't necessary for some canned beans, but others become so firmly lodged in the can, especially right at the top, that they can't even be drained, let alone rinsed.  Shake until you can feel the beans moving around freely in there.

This is one case where you're better off with the old-fashioned type of can opener, which removes only the flat part of the lid and leaves the rim on the can.  But in any case, cut the lid off the can.  Some people prefer to leave a little "hinge," I prefer to cut the lid free of the can, either way seems to work.  But whatever you do, don't throw away the lid!

Now, float the lid on the beans and liquid in the can.  Hold the lid in place with as many fingers as necessary, tilt the can over the sink, and allow as much liquid as possible to run down the drain.

Take the lid off and run cold tap water into the can until it's full again.  Replace the lid on top of everything, hold it securely in place, and give the can a good shake (over the sink!).  Then tilt the can again, and let the mixture of water and bean liquid run down the drain.  Repeat this step until what runs out is basically just water.

If you're heating the beans in a pan by themselves, put a little drinking-quality water in first, so they won't stick to the bottom and burn.

Many people may remember my posts on the old board where I didn't even know how long to steam veggies.  I'm a little better now, but not by mch.

Does anyone have any recommendations on how to marrinade (sp?) beef with cherry juice?  Dr. D. recommends this, but we have no clue how, how much or for how long.

Not knowing anything about marrinading, we soaked a pound of frozen hamburger over night in the fridge.  It soaked up like 75% of the cherry juice! :falling down laughing here:

Then I tried to fry it. :hysterical laughter here:  Hamburgers were not possible, so, I added chopped onion broccoli and ginger, and just kept trying to burn off the cherry juice.  We had to add some rice vinegar to the mix try to improve the taste (not much; maybe 2 tblsp)

So, is the marinading only for like roasts and stuff?  And can you marinade chicken in cherry juice?  Are you supposed to dilute it?

Really, really need some help here!

I would definately marinade a roast or whole pieces of anything.

the appropriate time would be around an hour at least, if not even over night.

for ground beef, I d first do my hamburgers or sausage or whatever shape I want, and marinade those instead, for half an hour maybe.