Soups and Stews

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Japanese Dish Soup.

A hearty bowl of soup or stew is always welcome at any table. Be creative and use various leftover meats and vegetables with your favorite stock and create your own unique recipes. When preparing soup or stew, try to allow extra time for it to "simmer". This allows flavors to blend and the meat to be tender.

Helpful Hints:

1. To thicken stew, mix 1/4 cup flour with enough cold water to forma thin paste. Gradually add it to the stew and stir till thickened.

2. If using fresh parsley or herbs in your recipe, add them in the last few moments of cooking to preserve flavor.

3. Save any leftovers for the next day. The flavors increase overnight in your refrigerator.

4. Canned stewed tomatoes or water with bouillon seasoning and spices added make great stock starters for soups and stews.

9 Tips for Making Muffins

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A muffin is an American English name for a type of bread that is baked in small portions. Many forms are somewhat like smallcakes or cupcakes in shape, although they usually are not as sweet as cupcakes and generally lack frosting. Savory varieties, such as cornbread muffins, also exist. They generally fit in the palm of an adult hand, and are intended to be consumed by an individual in a single sitting.

Outside the United States of America, muffin can also refer to a disk-shaped muffin, usually called an English Muffin outside of England. As American-style muffins are also sold in Commonwealth countries, the term muffin can refer to either product, with the context usually making clear which is meant.

There are many varieties and flavors of muffins made with a specific ingredient such as blueberries, chocolate chips,cucumbers, raspberry, cinnamon, pumpkin, date, nut, lemon, banana, orange, peach, strawberry, boysenberry, almond, andcarrot, baked into the muffin. Muffins are often eaten for breakfast; alternatively, they may be served for tea or at other meals.

Many muffin batters can be made ahead of time. If you have room in the fridge, you can even scoop the batter into muffin tins so the muffins are ready to go in the oven first thing in the morning.

Here are 9 Easy to Follow Tip on How to Make a Perfect Muffin:

1. The number one rule of muffin-making is don't over mix the batter unless you want hockey pucks instead of muffins.

2. If you're wondering which recipe to choose, note that less butter and sugar in a recipe results in a bread-like muffin, while more butter and sugar produces something closer to cake.

3. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Mix the dry ingredients, whisk the wet ingredients, then use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently stir the two together until everything is slightly moistened. Yes, there will be lumps. Small lumps are fine.

4. Add fruit, nuts, etc. after lightly combining the wet and dry ingredients. Then give the batter one more light-handed stir and you're done. Is the batter still thick and lumpy? That's exactly what you want.

5. That thick, lumpy batter is best portioned out with a ladle or a small ice cream scoop.

6. Some say muffin tops are the best part. To get yours, bake the batter in shallow muffin tins or overfill regular muffin tins. Even if you use paper liners, a quick spritz of vegetable cooking spray on the top of the muffin tin will make muffin removal much easier.

7. Position your oven rack in the middle of the oven for even heat distribution.

8. Let muffins cool for a few minutes before turning them out of the pan.

9. Muffins are best when freshly made, but for muffins anytime you want them, wrap cooled muffins in plastic and freeze for up to two months. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.

Easy right? If you love what you're doing, then everything else will follow. Have a muffin filled aroma weekend!