Your Holiday Baking Guide

It's that time of year when home bakers start creating all those holiday goodies.A successful bake relies on a well stocked kitchen. Get the arsenal ready now. The end result is stress free prep, without any worries.

Before you even assess your ingredients, take a look at your cookie sheets and baking pans. Sometimes rust sets in  which means only one thing -toss.The same principle applies to cookie sheets and pie plates. Splurge and give yourself the early holiday present of a new bake set. Stores such as K-Mart, Target and Wal Mart have great sales on them right now so it pays to replace the old set. The same goes for whisks and rolling pins too,. along with both plastic and metal cookie cutters.Another pre-baking must is checking your hand mixer and blender to make sure they're up to snuff.If not, then take advantage of the holiday sales and buy a new one.If you're thinking of making candy invest in a good candy thermometer.This will help more in registering the right temperature as opposed to the old fashioned way of dropping the mixture into ice cold water to determine its' stage.Cake icers can also crack so check to see if yours still works. If you're planning on creating elaborately decorated cakes and cupcakes, you may want to get more icing nozzles . These will help in fine tuning the decorating with different squiggles and swirls.

Basic ingredients also have to be scrutinized. Luckily granulated sugar can last indefinitely. Brown sugar doesn't and after two years can get hard, sticky, and lumpy.Replace your flour if its' been in the pantry for more than seven or eight months.Anything baked with it will have a stale taste. Whole wheat lasts even less. If you;ve had it more than six months toss. Keep the vanilla extract. it's good for four years. The same for your cocoa powder - it lasts  two years before going stale.If you have to go shopping for new ingredients, make a list beforehand. Ask yourself if you want to make a holiday treat from scratch or from a mix.You can stock up on mixes  if you're pressed for time. The same goes for ready made icings too,.Also stock up on sticks of butter and margarine because you'll be using these the most. Get a five pound bag of flour instead of the usual two pound bag. (remember extra flour will come in handy for thickening sauces too ).It pays also to get bags of almonds ,walnuts and pecans for both baked goods and candy. Don't forget the holiday themed decorations like red and green  sprinkled and metallic sanding sugars.

The best treats come from a well prepped kitchen. Makes sure yours is ready for the onslaught of holiday baking.Stock your arsenal now so you don;t have to run out later.

Bananas For Banana "Ice Cream"

After writing about the ice cream made solely from bananas, I couldn't resist and made it.  As always it takes me a long time to jump on the bandwagon, The recipe has been around for a few years, I had seen it on every show  from Dr. Oz to my local Fox Channel 5 AM show "Good Morning".

 I think my initial resistance was that it's a fad and that people will forget about it. I just wrote about it in Monday's entry.I just had to try it after seeing all the pictures. It looked too creamy and luscious.

And you know what? I was hooked. It's easy to make. Just take a very ripe banana, the kind with a lot of brown and black spots., Slice into coins and then freeze , preferably overnight in a freezer bag.

I then added them to my mini food processor. Some recipes call either for this or a blender. Stick with the food processor. The blades are sharper and can handle the frozen fruit better.

                                 
                     Now pulse. It'll look like either oatmeal or flaked coconut.

It then goes through a gooey stage. Hang in there. I guess this is the part where the pectin in the banana melts with the ice crystals . It gets better.

Much better. See how creamy and airy it is? It really does look like soft serve ice cream.

Now, many people  would just end it there,but I didn't.

I turned my batch into a sundae and before any of you think it's counterproductive, look closely. The syrup is Hershey's Lite syrup with only 20 calories a serving and Stop & Shop's Lite Whipped Whipped Cream at only 10 (!!!) calories a serving. It's like the lowest calorie banana split ever.

What you do with it is up to you? Many add cocoa powder for chocolate "ice cream". Some add almonds or peanut butter. You can even sprinkle chocolate chips, jimmies or mini M&Msover it or blend them in. . It can even be plopped in a cone or waffle bowl if you like. You also don't have to just use one banana. Make a bigger batch with two or three. The  "ice cream" lasts for one week, however I know from experience - it won't. Make your own batch and see why.

Simple But The Best Small Appliances

In this day and age there are so many fancy kitchen helpers that it's heard to keep track.These are appliances and tools that give us tasty  but gourmet dishes fit for any epicure. Yet  some of the best and most versatile are literally under our noses. They give us hot , and yummy foods and concoctions, as they;ve given our families much the same for decades.

Even though it's had bad rep lately crockpots are wonderful smaller appliances to have in any kitchens. They make some really flavorful and tender chilies.They're also good for cooking pot roasts, rendering the meat juicy and butter soft.Slow cookers are also good for giving home chefs such diversity from gumbos to applesauce. There are many kinds out there and they're all affordable (given the amount of times you'll be using them).Toaster ovens are another versatile small appliance. They can be used to brown rolls and croissants for breakfast to baking meat pies for lunch and dinner. They;re also great for make pizza bagels and pizza English muffins along with broiling smaller pieces of meats.

Before the food processor there was the blender. It is still a remarkable machine, and not just for smoothies. You can puree in it, blend, mix and even chop nuts. It;s great for making homemade soups and pestos as well as whipping up airy and light dips for parties. Another classic is the handheld mixer. This is the must have gold stand for bakers. It give batter a lightness, perfect for making angel food cakes. It can also be used for whipped homemade whipped cr4eam to accompany the cake as well as batters and dough for cookies, cupcakes and breads. Using a hand mixer also ensure shaving a light fluffy icing, the perfect foil to any cake or cupcake.

It is nice to have a fully stocked kitchen with impressive gear.Yet it's the classic appliances that give us hearty dishes and ethereal desserts.No home chef should be without them. They may be basic and no frills but they are vital to having successful food prep.

All Natural Drinks

The US is a country dependant on soda.Since Coke was invented 125 years ago people have been guzzling any sweet drink with their lunch and dinners, along with snacks and even breakfasts!Even two year olds crave any sweet liquid, from apple juice to malteds.This results in all sorts of horrors from tooth decay to diabetes . What to do ? Make your own.

The first step is to get a good juicer , or blender. The first can be used to create all sorts of fresh juice and mixed all natural drinks. I have one student who makes his own all natural, healthy drinks using all organic fruits and veggies. It pays off .he seems healthier and automatically turns to his own creations as opposed to anything factory made. Blenders also help in creating homemade juices as well as smoothies. The second step is catering to yourself or your family. Yes they love sweet sugary drinks however don'tgive in by adding white sugar! Add in all natural sweeteners like cinnamon and ginger.

Another drink idea to consider is a home carbonation system, This is not only healthier than buying those weekly bottles and six packs of soda,it's also cheaper. You can buy chargers that allow you to turn ordinary tap water into sparkling drinks.Add homemade orange juice and it's an all natural Orangina. Put in plums and  it's kind of like Dr.Pepper. It can also be served with just a slice of lime or lemon.Homemade natural teas (which can be bought even at the grocery store) are also a good sub in for sugary drinks. try as lemon or a refreshing mint or something exotic with different spices.

A sweet drink is always tasty. However  an all natural one is not only delicious, it ;s also good for you. The best bet is making your own, whether it's juice, tea or even a kitchen made soda.! Even just one  glass is not only yummy but healthy too.