How Bubble Gum is made

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB3st6SQnsk

Check this link if you are curious about how bubble gum is made.

Pistachio Muffins

Green Pistachio Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour*

1 cup all-purpose flour*

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 box instant pistachio pudding

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 tsp almond extract

3/4 cup vegetable oil

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and dry pudding mix.

Combine eggs, milk and oil; add to dry mixture and mix until just moistened.

Fill baking cups full.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes in preheated 375-degree oven, or until muffins test done.

They are delicious!

Canning Asparagus

Asparagus — Spears or Pieces

Read full instructions and have all ingredients and equipment ready BEFORE starting. 

Quantity: An average of 5 pounds is needed for canner load of 2 pints.

Quality: Use tender, tight-tipped spears, 4 inches long for a pint jar.

Procedure: Wash asparagus and trim off tough scales. Break off tough stems and wash again. Cut into 1-inch pieces or can whole.

Boil jars and lids before filling them with asparagus.

Hot pack — Cover asparagus with boiling water. Boil 2 or 3 minutes.

Loosely fill jars with hot asparagus, leaving 1-inch headspace.

Add 1 teaspoon of salt (without iodine) per pint to the jars, if desired. Add boiling water, leaving 1-inch headspace. (Iodine changes the color of  asparagus).

Use a spatula around the asparagus, to take out the air bubbles of the jar.

Clean the rim of the jar with a paper towel and vinegar before putting on the lid.

Adjust lids and process.  If using a power cooker,  add water to cover ¼ of the jar.  Close the cover and press the “Steam- canning” button, and the cook time button and add 15 minutes to the default 30 minutes. (It will be processed for a total of 45 minutes).

Be careful when pulling out the cans from the boiling water, and after processing them in the power cooker.

Read the Power Cooker Instruction manual ahead of time.

Use the asparagus within a year.  Canning is fun, but follow the steps correctly to avoid bacteria which can produce botulism.

Betty's Amazing Chili

Marathon Chili- You can make several recipes at a time, and freeze it for the winter.

Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger 90/10

3 stalks of celery chopped in small pieces

1 onion chopped

1 can tomatoes (cut with scissors if not diced)

1 can tomato juice

Spices: Chili, Pepper, Tabasco.

Brown the celery and onion

Brown the hamburger and remove the liquid fat onto a glass jar you can toss.

Simmer the hamburger with the onion and celery.

Move to a big pot, add tomatos and tomato juice.

Add the spices.

Let it simmer for an hour.

Put in containers, label and freeze

In memory of Betty, who made this amazing chilli and gifted us with lots of containers
for the freezer.

5 Keys to Safer Food

https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/safefood?source=feed_text&story_id=891491164229601

Check this video to keep your food safe!

Arroz de Coco - Coconut Rice from Lulu.

Ingredients:

1 Table spoon of coconut oil
1 cup of coconut milk
1 cup of water
1 cup of white rice
1 tablespoon of molasses (quemado de panela in Spanish)
raisins and shredded coconut

Follow the recipe for white rice, using these ingredients.

Warm up the coconut oil in a pan.
Add the coconut milk and water, let it boil.
Add the rice
Put the molasses to give color to the rice.
Once the liquid dries, lower the heat to low.
Let it cook for 20 minutes.

Add raisins and coconut.

It is fantastic!!!

Dinner Conversation

The dinner menu is important, but so is how we sprinkle the conversation to keep relationships fresh and nurtured.

Here is a promise to inspire you.

Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.  To talk health, happiness and prosperity to everyone you meet.  To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.  To think only of the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best.  To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.  To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.  To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

Keep God in your life, in your thoughts and in your heart every day!

Where's the beef? Here it is: Steak

Well, you may be wondering if there is a steak recipe in this blog.  Steak, many love it! Veggetarians avoid it, so, if your guy or gal loves it, here it is.

How to buy a good steak?  Some research was done and if you'd like to learn more about it, go to:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/03/the-four-high-end-steaks-you-should-know-ribeye-strip-tenderloin-t-bone.html

So, let's say you select a tenderloin or ribeye.  If it is frozen, let it thaw in the refrigerator a couple of days before.  Cut out some the fat before cooking it, however, the fat gives flavor, and adds juiciness to the steak.  So, it is better to leave the fat inside the steak (called marbling).

You can marinate the steak in advance with spices (pepper, kosher salt) and soy sauce for example. There are lots of choices, depending on your taste.  With a fork, pinch the steak before seasoning it, so that it will penetrate the fibers. Marinate for 40 minutes.  (Some people marinate up to 2 days!)

A perfect steak has a crusty, crunchy, well browned exterior and a pink, juicy and tender interior that melts in your mouth.

You can grill it, broil it or pan fry it.  I prefer the grilled!  you can use a small grill in your kitchen and lightly oil it with a bit of olive oil or margarine.

Using a thermometer is very important. (See pic below)  Here is a chart of temperatures:

Rare steak:   120° F
Medium:      140° F
Well done:   160° F

According to  Chef Lopez-Alt a rare stake is a waste, because you don't give a chance to the fat to melt, so you end up with more calories and less flavor.  Also, a well done steak is too hard.  So, somewhere in between 140° and 150° is a good temperature, specially since the temperature continues to raise, as the steak goes from the grill to the table.

Chef Lopez-Alt, also says that it is a myth that you cannot flip your steak more than once.  Actually, the opposite seems to help, so that the juices are distributed more evenly.


Splash proof therma pen (around $97) but worth it.

A couple of less sofisticated thermometers and a grill to use on the stove:

Enjoy your steak, you can serve it with baked potatoes and a salad.  Red wine and fruit for dessert would complete a delicious meal.

Gas or Red Hot Charcoal Grill - Preheat the grill on high. Lightly oil and season steaks. Refer to cooking times below. Allow 3-5 minutes resting time before serving. Apply finishing sauce if desired.

Here is the Omaha Steaks Cooking Chart:
The cooking times below are in minutes and based on using fully thawed steaks.

	Thickness	1/2"	3/4"	1"	1 1/4"	1 1/2"	1 3/4"	2"
Rare 120°- 130°F	First Side After Turning	2 2	4 2	5 3	5 4	6 4	7 5	8 6
Medium Rare 130°-140°F	First Side After Turning	3 2	4 3	5 4	6 5	7 5	8 6	9 8
Medium 140°-150°F	First Side After Turning	4 2	5 3	6 4	7 5	7 6	8 7	10 8
Well Done 160°-170°F	First Side After Turning	5 3	7 5	8 6	9 7	10 8	11 9	13 11

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt Chief Creative Officer of Serious Eats in his weekly column The Food Lab.  @thefoodlab on Twitter, or at The Food Lab on Facebook.