Simply Cookbooks

Posts Tagged ‘recipes’

Cardamom is one of those spices that you receive when you get a gift box of spices.   I have never been sure what to do with it, as it wasn’t something my mother or grandmother used on a regular basis.

But I became curious as to what its uses were when I looked in my spice cupboard and saw four containers of the spice. Naturally the freshness of these spices came into question and I hesitated to use them before knowing anything about them.   That is the “thing” about spices—you really should know something about them before putting them on food.

So I opened my little handy-dandy spice book to learn more about Cardamom and its uses.
Like most spices Cardamom originates in the Far East, primarily in India’s rain forest and has been used in Indian dishes for more than 2000 years.  Over time it has spread throughout the world and is now the primary export of Guatemala.

“The aroma of Cardamom is strong but mellow, fruity and penetrating.  The taste is lemony and flowery, with a note of camphor or eucalypt due to cineole in the essential oil; it is pungent and smoky with a warm, bittersweet note, yet is also clean and fresh”

This is what the book says about its smell, but what about its uses in a recipe?

The spice enhances both sweet and savory flavors.  In India, it is one of the essential components in many spice mixes.  It goes into sweetmeats, pastries, puddings and ice creams, and is used in a digestive and breath-freshening item with fennel and anise seeds and areca nuts.   In India it is also used to flavor tea, while in Arab countries coffee is flavored with cardamom, often by pouring it over pods put in the spout of the pot.

Although Cardamom is an essential ingredient in most Middle East cuisines, Scandinavia is still the biggest importer in Europe; there and in Germany and Russia, cardamom is widely used for spiced cakes, pastries, and breads, and occasionally also in hamburgers and meat loaf.

Whole pods lightly crushed, can be used to flavor rice, poached or braised dishes, and casseroles.  The pods are an important ingredient in many Indian slow-braised meat dishes, which use a thing marinating liquid to develop a creamy sauce.  Hulled seeds can be either lightly bruised or fried, or toasted and ground, before being added to a dish.  Cardamom is a good in baked apples, poached pears, and fruit salads.  It combines well with orange and coffee desserts, but its equally at home with roast duck or poached chicken, in marinades or spiced wine.  It is also useful in pickles.

Cardamom combines well with other spices such as caraway, chili, cinnamon, cloves, coffee, coriander (which is another I will have to investigate) cumin, ginger, paprika, pepper, saffron, and yogurt.

So the next time you get that gift pack, don’t throw the Cardamom away without exploring all of its uses.

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Zucchini, Zucchini…I think I planted too much of it…again!  Last year we ate Zucchini bread until we were sick of it, but I still planted more.

So this year in addition to the “normal” recipes of frying, grilling, baking (especially good if you use it like you would Eggplant Parmesan, but that is another recipe),  or just slicing and putting it into a salad, I decided I would try something new.  Since my love of food includes all things chocolate I decided to try this recipe.  I have only one thing to say..it is a hit!

Cooking.com

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For those of who are regular readers, you must have realized by now that I have a love affair with sweets and most if not all of Paula Deens recipes. Well, she has done it again with this cupcake recipe for the Fourth of July picnics…Enjoy!

I will tell you though I cheated a little by adding more cocoa powder…1 teaspoon just didn’t seem enough!

Ingredients:

2   large eggs, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions

For the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Cook’s Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip. Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Servings: 24 cupcakes
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Difficulty: Easy

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Potato Salad is a summer staple in this house. It goes with everything, and I do mean everything…well maybe not Italian food. I like to mix my flavors up with Potato Salad. Having the same old one everytime makes it the same old one, if you know what I mean

This particular recipe has a little zing to it which is provided by the horseradish. Hope you enjoy it as much as the family does…

RECIPE INGREDIENTS
6 to 7 medium red potatoes (about 2 pounds)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 to 3 dill pickle spears, chopped
4 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Dash onion salt
Dash garlic powder
4 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS
Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until tender; drain and cool slightly. Slice potatoes into a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, onions, pickles, mustard, horseradish, garlic and seasonings. Pour over potatoes and toss to coat. Gently stir in eggs. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

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