Cooking - Liver

All liver is a great source of iron and B vitamins and should be a regular part of a healthy diet and if cooked correctly liver can be delicious. Although liver does have bad press and many people will not even consider trying it. Sometimes it calls for the cook to be somewhat inventive to get people to try liver. There are many recipes to choose from and it is worth the experimentation.

The best liver is the liver from young animals as it is mildest and tenderest. Calf's liver is delicate and delicious but fairly expensive. Real calf's liver is paler in color than the redder more mature baby beef liver. For a mild flavored liver choose the palest that you can find. The darker the color the stronger the flavor. Take care when choosing liver as sometimes baby beef liver is labeled calf's liver in the supermarket or grocery store. To ensure purchasing true calf's liver buy from a butchers or a reputable gourmet supermarket. Baby beef liver is stronger in flavor than calf's liver but is very good and preferable to actual beef liver. Liver from beef is dark red and the color corresponds to the strength of flavor. Beef liver is readily available but many believe it is too strong for simple preparations. Some cooks after buying beef liver soak it in milk or a flavorful spicy marinade such as a white wine marinade before cooking to soften the intense flavor. After marinating throw the liquid away and pat the liver dry before cooking. A lovely tender well-flavored liver is lamb liver but this is generally quite difficult to find. Also hard to find is pigs liver, which is strong in, taste but extremely tender. Again for pig's liver it can be soaked or marinated like the beef liver. When choosing liver it should be impeccably fresh with no slimy or dry patches and should have a clear scent. Should you find yourself preparing a whole liver first wipe it with a damp cloth, then with a sharp knife remove any exposed veins, ducts or connective tissue. With your fingers peel away the thin outer membrane without tearing into the liver itself. You then just slice on the diagonal to the desired thickness your recipe calls for. Of course presliced liver can be purchased and is actually more commonly available than whole livers. If the butcher has not done so remove the outer membrane on the slices. Before cooking make 1/8th inch cuts at 1-inch intervals around the outside of the liver slice. The reason for this is because liver has a tendency to shrink and curl when it is cooked and these cuts will help to prevent that from happening. The liver is now ready for cooking. Liver should be cooked until it is pink but firm in the center. If liver is overcooked or cooked on excessively high heat it will toughen. Liver is a lot richer in flavor than many other types of meat so a 4-ounce serving should be ample as a main course for most appetites.

Cooking Light Recipes - 2 Easy Quick and Healthy Recipes For Your Dinner

If you already had a full meal for lunch, you most likely don't feel like something so filling again for supper. If you want to eat healthy and balanced, then it's a great idea to choose something light for dinner, especially if your lunch had quite some calories today. And seeing that you already cooked, you definitely don't want to stand behind the stove again, so it should be an easy non-cooking recipe.

Here are 2 easy quick dinner recipes which are light and healthy. Both of them make four servings.
Mixed salad with whole grain rolls Noodle and mushroom soup
Light dinner recipe #1: Mixed salad with whole grain rolls

Easy Cookie Recipes For Kids

Ingredients
1 medium lettuce 2 red and 2 yellow peppers, sliced 250 g fresh mushrooms, sliced 200 g feta cheese, cut into small cubes

Dressing:
4 tbsp. olive oil 2 tbsp. lemon juice ¼ tsp. salt 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp. thyme 4 whole grain rolls

Wash the salad, tear it into pieces and drain it. Then mix it with the other ingredients. For the dressing, simply mix all ingredients well, pour over the salad and mix thoroughly. Serve with the rolls. This recipe won't take you more than half an hour, and it doesn't require any cooking.

Light dinner recipe #2: Hawaiian Toast

Ingredients
8 slices of brown toast low-fat margarine 8 slices lean ham 1 large can pineapple rings or peach halves (should contain 8 rings or halves) 8 slices low-fat cheese yellow curry powder

Preheat the oven on maximum temperature. Spread the margarine on the toast and place it on a baking tray covered with baking paper. First put a slice of ham on each toast, then a pineapple ring and a slice of cheese. Grill the toast for approximately 5 minutes until the cheese has melted and slightly browned. Sprinkle a bit of curry on and serve. Done within half an hour, too.

Now, enjoy your light dinner and come up with more ideas yourself. You can put anything into your salad, be it vegetables that can be eaten raw or fruit, or both. Just choose foods that go quick to prepare. You can also adapt the toast. Maybe you prefer the grilled chicken stripes that you got in your fridge from yesterday's lunch with tomato to ham and fruit. Many light soups are also very quick and easy to make if you use canned veggies and leftover rice or soup noodles.

Cooking Light Recipes - 2 Easy Quick and Healthy Recipes For Your Dinner

Bettina Berlin is a health professional specializing in healthy nutrition and quick cooking. Eating healthy and thus maintaining a healthy weight can significantly improve your health and help prevent many diseases. Is your life so hectic that preparing healthy food often seems impossible? Then visit http://www.elishas-quick-recipes.blogspot.com TODAY and get your FREE fast cooking tips and much delicious quick easy recipes!

Easy Dutch Oven Recipes - Getting Started Cooking With Your Dutch Oven

Dutch Oven cooking is fun and easy. Dutch oven recipes are abundant and adapting them from your favorite home recipes is easy. With a little experience you'll find that it is fairly simple to cook with your Dutch oven. Here are some easy Dutch oven recipes to try:

Easy Dutch Oven Mountain Man Hash

Easy Cookie Recipes For Kids

1 lb. Bacon or sausage

2 lbs frozen potatoes (shredded or southern style)

1 dozen eggs

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cut bacon/sausage into smaller pieces (about 1"). Cook the bacon or sausage in the Dutch oven. Add potatoes, cover with lid with coals on top. Cook until potatoes are done, stirring occasionally. Mix eggs together in a bowl and pour on top of potatoes. Replace lid with coals on top and cook until eggs are done (shouldn't need a long time if the lid is hot). When eggs are done, sprinkle cheese on top, replace lid and bake until cheese is melted. Serve as is, or wrap spoonfuls in warmed flour tortillas to make breakfast burritos (provide salsa).

Easy Dutch Oven Taco Pie

1 ½ lbs. Ground beef

1 medium jar of taco sauce

6 large corn tortillas

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz can of tomato sauce

Brown the ground beef and drain it. Mix the taco sauce and tomato sauce. Line the Dutch oven with tin foil and put 3 tortillas in the bottom. Put ½ of the ground beef on the tortillas and cover with ½ of the sauce. Put 3 more tortilla shells on top, and put the remaining ground beef and sauce on top of those tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Cover the Dutch oven, place a few coals on top, and bake until the cheese is melted. You could also add onions, olives, mushrooms for some variety.

Easy Dutch Oven Au Gratin Potatoes

8-10 potatoes, sliced thin

2-3 Tbsp. Melted butter or margarine

2-3 medium onions, sliced thin

15 oz can of cheese soup

¼ cup milk

½ cup cracker or bread crumbs

1 cup shredded cheese

Put a little oil in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Put a layer of potatoes in the bottom and brush with the melted butter. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Add a layer of sliced onions. Continue the layering with potatoes and onions as described until all have been used. Mix the soup with the milk and pour over the top. Sprinkle the top with the bread or cracker crumbs. Add any additional desired seasonings. Put Dutch oven over 6-8 briquets and 16-18 briquets on top. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove and sprinkle the top with the shredded cheese. Replace lid and let the cheese melt-shouldn't take long.

Easy Dutch Oven Cowboy Stew

4 potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 can of corn

1 can of peas

1 can of stewed tomatoes

1 can of green beans

1 can of baked beans

1 can of tomato soup

Bay leaf

Brown ground beef and onions. Add all other ingredients (don't drain the cans). Add bay leaf and any other desired seasonings, such as salt and pepper. Cook until the potatoes are done.

Easy Dutch Oven Cinnamon Bread

4 cans of refrigerated tube biscuits

1 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup of sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Mix the sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a zip-lock bag. Put the biscuit quarters in the bag and shake until they are all well-coated. Place the biscuit pieces in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Melt the butter and then pour over the biscuit quarters (you can do this with another pan, or you can use the inverted lid of the Dutch oven to melt the butter). Put 6-8 coals underneath Dutch oven and 14-15 on top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Each of these is a quick and easy Dutch oven recipe and will help you get started with Dutch oven cooking. Have fun!

Easy Dutch Oven Recipes - Getting Started Cooking With Your Dutch Oven

Scott Carey enjoys all types of outdoor cooking, including Dutch oven cooking. See http://www.outdoorcookingmagic.com for more Dutch oven cooking tips.

Cooking Christmas Cookies With The Kids

Christmas cookies are as much a part of the Christmas tradition for many as a visit from Old St. Nick himself. The cookies are often prepared in hopes of his pending arrival by children that are as excited as they can possibly be with all sorts of visions of great things to come dancing around in their bright and shining little eyes. Preparing the cookies in these instances can be a great time of bonding with your little ones but can also be a trying time if you don't follow a few of the tips and hints listed below.

If you want to make cooking Christmas cookies and/or candy with your little ones the very best experience for you all that it can possibly be make sure you do it on a day when this is the only thing on your calendar. You do not want to rush through this time that is not only important for bonding with your child as a parent but also a time that is an important opportunity to lock in a few precious memories of great times you'll spend together. This is one thing that you want your children to look back at Christmas and remember doing with you and you want to be able to look back on Christmas and remember doing this with your children.

Easy Cookie Recipes For Kids

You should also make sure that everyone is well rested and well fed before beginning the process. This is important now more than ever before, as we know more about the dangers of foods, such as raw eggs, that are included in cookie dough as well as the dough for many of our favorite Christmas confections and candies. You do not want to risk the health of your children through temptation over raw cookie dough.

Be sure that every child gets a turn with the fun stuff. This includes of course using the mixer and watching things spin around as well as choosing their personal favorites for the next batch of cookies. You should also make a few cookies that you plan to let them paint, decorate, and play with just for fun and their own personal enjoyment. This will guarantee a few smiles while also scoring a few brownie points for mom.

Be patient and expect spills and messes. If you can afford a cleaning service once a year, the day after your cookie extravaganza is the day you want to splurge. Seriously, don't sweat the small stuff. We make little messes every day it shouldn't be such a shock when they make a really big mess in one day. This is one of the reasons why you want to plan your cookie making on a day when the calendar is clear-you will need time for clean up when all is said and done.

Make sure you have all the necessary ingredients for each and every single recipe before you begin. This is very important as cookie dough doesn't wait well for that final egg and children don't understand very well when they are interrupted from one project to run a quick errand (also, when was the last time you made it in and out of the grocery store in under an hour?). If you can make it through all the steps above you should be in for smooth sailing and Christmas cookie cooking.

Cooking Christmas Cookies With The Kids

Brian Little is a small business advisor with Bedrock Financial Group http://www.bedrockfinancing.com He also hosts a holiday site filled with articles, free information, and great shopping ideas. Visit today at [http://www.bestchristmaslist.com]