Marinades can turn certain proteins and even vegetables into succulent, juicy dishes. Marinades can be made using a few ingredients that be found in most kitchens like vinegar and lemon juice or they can be pre-purchased in various flavors. However, if you do not have either of these things you can use something that almost all households have in their refrigerators and that is salad dressings. Salad dressings not only double as a delicious topping for your salads but also as a marinade that can be tenderizing and flavorful.

Most of the more commercial dressings like Italian have Read the rest of this entry »

Cast iron cookware has been around for hundreds of years and is still in common use today for good reasons. It’s basic, no-frills design and durability combined with its ability to handle and maintain extremely high temperatures make it an ideal cookware for many applications.

Beginning with grandmother frying chicken, many people’s exposure to this classic cookware is at an early age. Cast iron becomes many cook’s favorite cookware, especially for those foods requiring high Read the rest of this entry »

These are the ingredients you will need to make your starter. 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar is optional, 1 packet or 2 1/4 teaspoons of dry yeast, 2 cups warm water 105 to 115 degrees.

Begin by mixing the sugar, yeast and flour in a clean glass container or a crock. This is what is going to hold your starter. It should hold no more than 2 quarts. Stir in the water gradually and mix. A thick paste will form and most likely will have a few lumps, but they will disappear. Cover the mixture with a dish cloth Read the rest of this entry »

Spicy, creamy and sophisticated, this Indian-style recipe for Chicken Curry is too easy to keep as a company meal only, although its complex, intense flavors make it perfect for special occasions.

What you need:

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

2 cans cream of mushroom soup (condensed)

2 cans cream of chicken soup (condensed)

2 cans coconut milk (14-ounce size)

2 packets dry onion soup mix

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup curry powder, or to taste

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

6 large boneless chicken breast halves cut into bite size pieces

2 Read the rest of this entry »

For many people, bacon is its own food group. It’s great as a side dish at breakfast, as a part of the main course at lunch or dinner and as a garnish any time of the day. However, making bacon can be a huge pain, both literally and figuratively, as it dirties up pans with grease that pops and makes a mess all over the stove – and the cook!

Avoid the hassle of standing over the stove and cleaning up an extensive post-meal mess by making Read the rest of this entry »