Handy Tips For Home Bakers

Baking is an art with science. It is a delicate process that involves precision and lot of patience. It is also said to be one of the best stress busters of all time.

I began my baking journey when I was in 8th class. My first bake was chocolate cookies for my mother on her birthday. It was nowhere close to what was mentioned in the recipe book I was referring to. Still she relished and appreciated it with each bite. After her persuading comments I thought of tasting my cookies. It was a total disaster. But my mother's expressions motivated me to bake for her again. I vowed to give her that taste for real which she was describing while eating my cookies.
I decided to undergo baking classes. During my summer vacations I enrolled with Cookery expressions.

Those were one of the best classes I had ever been part of. It was a pure delight for all my five senses. The sweet aroma of fresh cakes, colorful cupcakes, crisp cookies and mouth watering chocolates were my inspiration to go for the classes regularly. Our teacher was a self learned baker and was too good at her job. She knew everything starting from breads, different varieties of cakes, cupcakes, cookies, chocolates and much more.

"Baking is not just an art, it's an art with science" was her first words. She taught us how important it is to measure every single ingredient while baking. Even a slight variation in quantity can adversely affect our desired results. Our class was full of amateur bakers. It sounded as if we were in our chemistry lab. She shared all her cake baking secrets with us.

I am sharing those useful secrets today through this article.

1. It's highly important to know your oven. If any error, always calibrate it correctly.
2. Flour used for cake should contain less protein.
3. Baking pan has to be of proper size. Should not be too big or too small.
4. Baking butter should be used at room temperature always. We should not try to melt it artificially by heating it.
5. Always fold in the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients separately.
6. After preparing the cake batter, never leave it out for too long. It is advisable to put the cake batter inside a pre heated microwave oven within five minutes of preparing it.
7. Last but not the least, it is highly recommended to understand the chemistry behind using every single ingredient.
a. Flour thickens the batter.
b. Leavener like baking soda causes the cake to rise.
c. Fats provide necessary moisture to the cake.
d. Sugar caramelizes, absorbs liquid and helps the cake to turn brown.
e. Egg used helps the cake batter to set in the oven and gives an even texture to the cake.

After understanding this logic behind baking one can mix and match the ingredients and experiment with his/her recipe in their own style.

Those ten days of baking classes were an enriching experience of my life. Hope these tips will come handy and help you become an expert home baker.

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10 Easy Chicken Recipes the Family Will Love

Looking for ways to put dinner on the table with a bit of creativity but without the hassle and hectic prep time? I learned years ago that just because I was responsible for making dinners in my household, it didn't mean I was able or interested in prepping a time consuming hot meal five nights a week. If you have the same hectic lifestyle most families have today, these tips and recipes should help you feed your family, stay within budget, and actually enjoy what you cook!

All recipes here start with cooked chicken, and will feed four (with average appetites). Doesn't matter if it's white or dark meat. It doesn't even matter how much chicken you use - you know your family's appetites better than anyone!

I know - most of you are saying, "Cooked chicken? You just told me I didn't have to spend a bunch of prep time making these meals!"

Right! What I do is either buy one of those precooked rotisserie chickens (I love the ones at Costco because they are only $4.99 and absolutely delicious!), or I buy a 3 - 4 pound Purdue roasting chicken when they are on sale (of course, any decent chicken will do) and cook it over a weekend.

Then I cut off all the meat and place it in individual quart size freezer bags to be used later on. Forgot to take some out to defrost in the morning? No problem - just throw a bag in the microwave to defrost while you get the other ingredients together.

Now, here's the beauty of what I do: I teach you how to pair ingredients to put a meal together. I don't outline ingredients you need to measure.

1. Add your cooked chicken to steamed rice (I use the boil in the bag brown rice variety, and make two bags at a time) and one can of cream of chicken soup. Stir well. Spray a baking dish with Pam and add this mixture. Top with slices of cheddar cheese. Microwave on high just until cheese begins to bubble - remember, everything else is already cooked.

2. Add chicken to a large bag of Green Giant Steamers. Wait until one minute before they are done, and add the chicken then. I like the broccoli and cheese and the roasted potatoes with garlic and peppers, but anything works.

3. Add the chicken to some Mac and Cheese! Personally, I prefer the precooked side dishes you can find in the refrigerated section. (I had enough of the boxed variety back in college, thank you!) Add a cut up fresh tomato or a can of diced tomatoes.

4. Add chicken to a can of chili with or without beans, and serve over baked potatoes.

5. Make open faced chicken sandwiches: slice a loaf of French bread into thick slices. Top with chicken, cover with a can of chicken gravy. I also make instant mashed potatoes! (Don't laugh... my family loves instant mashed potatoes, and if you haven't tried the new ones that have come out lately, you should!)

6. Chicken omelets are great! Packed with protein, and easy to make. Add feta cheese, tomatoes, or even a can of sliced white potatoes!

7. Make a yummy chicken salad by tossing the chicken with greens, and adding dried cranberries, walnuts, sesame seeds, blue cheese crumbles, and apple slices.

8. Make your own chicken pot pie! Mix the chicken with canned chicken gravy and a can of cream of chicken soup. Add a can of peas and carrots, and a can of diced white potatoes. Pour into pie dish. Top with premade pie crust. Follow directions for baking the pie crust - this is your most critical ingredient. Usually plan on 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

9. Chicken flatbread! Buy the premade pizza or flatbread, and top with chicken, pizza sauce or diced tomatoes, and your choice of cheese. Add black olives, minced garlic, or anything you really like on your pizza and flatbreads. Follow directions on the flatbread package to cook.

10. Chicken and pasta is delicious, filling, and you can't go wrong with any age group with this one. I like to use either penne or rigatoni, but it really doesn't matter. Mix the pasta with olive oil, a little lemon, some minced garlic, salt and pepper, capers and whatever other seasonings your family really likes. Toss well. This can even be served as a cold pasta salad, too.

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How To Eat Healthy And Lose Weight Fast In 10 Easy Steps

How do you get quick results to lose weight while eating healthy? It's an easy answer, but not always easy to do. Exercise. Watching what you eat and how much you eat will put you on the right track to lose unwanted pounds. Adding extra activity and exercise will increase the fat cell breakdown. Learning how to eat healthy and lose weight fast will positively affect your overall health and lifestyle.

How To Eat Healthy And Lose Weight Fast In 10 Easy Steps

1. Portion Control. Use your hand as a reference when judging portion sizes. The palm of the hand is the size of a protein based food. The closed fist is the appropriate size of carbohydrates. Fingers spread out wide or a "jazz hand" indicates how much fruit and vegetables should be consumed in a meal.

2. Go low on dairy. Small amounts of dairy are more appropriate since dairy is heavy with calories and fat grams.

3. Water intake. Drink water throughout the day and whenever you are thirsty. Keeping your body hydrated will aid in metabolism and energy. Water flushes out toxins and aids in digestion and absorption. Fat cells don't have a chance to produce when water is flushing out what the body does not need.

4. Processed food. Keep away from processed food when possible. Pre-packaged food lacks nutrients and adds excess sodium and calories to your system.

5. Indulge in vegetables. Eat a variety of vegetables and leafy greens everyday. They will burn fat cells and keep the blood clean from illnesses.

6. Boost energy with fruit. Fruit and berries are packed with antioxidants and give you quick and lasting energy. The sugar fructose is present in fruit and can help to satisfy sugar cravings.

7. Juicing wheat grass. Extreme caution and education should be warranted when using wheat grass. Wheat grass suppresses the appetite and melts fat cells rapidly. It is bursting with nutrients that fight off diseases.

8. Stay away from sugar packed beverages. Soda pop, energy drinks, and fruit juices that are not 100% juice are loaded with sugar. Excess sugar adds calories and encourages fat cell production.

9. Sprout your seeds and grains. Sprouted foods are 200% more nutrient dense than the food itself. Sprouted foods like wheat, lentils, beans, broccoli, and sunflower seeds suppress the appetite, give the body rapid and sustainable energy to burn fat cells.

10. Fish and seafood. Fish should be consumed 2-3 times a week. Fish is rich in omegas and protein. Fish is low in calories and encourages fat cell reduction.

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