Basic Crêpes

Crêpes are thin, delicate pancakes that can be filled with sweet or savory fillings. Here is a simple recipe for making basic crêpes at home:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions:

• In a blender or food processor, combine the flour, eggs, milk, water, salt, and melted butter. Blend until smooth.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with cooking spray or a small amount of melted butter.
• Pour a small amount of the crêpe batter (about 1/4 cup) into the center of the skillet, tilting the pan to spread the batter evenly.
• Cook the crêpe for 1-2 minutes, or until the bottom is lightly browned. Flip the crêpe and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes on the other side.
• Transfer the crêpe to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
• Serve the crêpes warm, with your choice of filling.

Enjoy!

Cheese fondue

Cheese fondue is a classic Swiss dish made with melted cheese, wine, and seasonings. It is served with a variety of dippers, such as bread, vegetables, and fruit. Here is a simple recipe for making cheese fondue at home:

Ingredients:

• 1 clove garlic, halved
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 1 pound grated cheese (such as Gruyère or Emmental)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

• Rub the inside of a fondue pot or large saucepan with the cut side of the garlic clove.
• Add the wine to the pot and heat over medium heat until it begins to steam.
• In a separate bowl, toss the grated cheese with the cornstarch. Add the cheese to the pot a handful at a time, stirring constantly in a figure-eight motion until the cheese is melted and smooth.
• Stir in the lemon juice, mustard, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
• Reduce the heat to low and keep the fondue warm over a burner or fondue pot.
• Dip bread, vegetables, or fruit into the fondue using fondue forks or skewers.
• Enjoy!

Fruitcake Recipe

Here is a recipe for a traditional:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup candied cherries, chopped
• 1 cup candied pineapple, chopped
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 cup brandy (optional)

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C).
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the raisins, cranberries, cherries, pineapple, and pecans. Add the dry fruit mixture to the butter mixture and mix well.
• In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and spices. Gradually add the dry mixture to the fruit mixture, stirring until well combined.
• If using, stir in the brandy.
• Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9x5-inch loaf pan.
• Bake for 2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Allow the fruitcake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Christmas pudding

Christmas pudding is a traditional holiday dessert that is popular in many parts of the world, particularly in the UK. It is a rich, fruity pudding made with dried fruit, spices, and sometimes alcohol. Here is a recipe for homemade Christmas pudding that you can try:

Christmas Pudding Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup currants
• 1 cup sultanas (golden raisins)
• 1 cup candied citrus peel
• 1 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1 cup prunes, chopped
• 1/2 cup mixed candied peel, chopped
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice (a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup brandy, plus extra for flaming (optional)

Instructions:

• In a large bowl, combine the dried fruit and candied peel.
• In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
• Stir in the flour, breadcrumbs, mixed spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well.
• Add the brandy (if using) and the dried fruit mixture to the bowl and mix well to combine.
• Transfer the mixture to a large, greased pudding basin or bowl. Cover the top with a layer of greased parchment paper and then a layer of aluminum foil.
• Tie a piece of string around the top of the basin to secure the foil in place.
• Place the pudding basin in a large saucepan and fill the pan with enough water to come halfway up the sides of the basin.
• Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan and simmer the pudding for 8 hours, adding more water to the pan as needed to keep the water level constant.
• After 8 hours, remove the pudding from the pan and let it cool completely. Store the pudding in a cool, dry place until ready to serve.
• To serve the pudding, steam it for 2-3 hours or microwave it for a few minutes until heated through. If you like, you can flame the pudding by heating a few tablespoons of brandy in a small saucepan until hot, then carefully pouring it over the pudding and lighting it with a match.
• I hope you enjoy this recipe for homemade Christmas pudding! This rich and flavorful dessert is a perfect way to end a holiday meal.

Mince Pies Recipe

Mince pies are a traditional Christmas treat in many parts of the world. They are small, sweet pastries filled with a mixture of dried fruit, spices, and sometimes alcohol, known as mincemeat. Here is a recipe for homemade mince pies that you can try:

Mince Pies Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2-3 tablespoons ice water
• 1 cup mincemeat

Instructions:

• In a medium bowl, combine the flour and butter. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
• Stir in the sugar.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk and add it to the flour mixture. Add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a ball.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat your oven to 400°F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Using a round cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, cut out circles of dough.
• Press the circles into a muffin tin, making sure to press the dough up the sides of the cups.
• Fill each pie crust with about 1 tablespoon of mincemeat.
• Cut out smaller circles or shapes from the remaining dough and place them on top of the mincemeat.
• Bake the mince pies for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
• Let the mince pies cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• I hope you enjoy this recipe for homemade mince pies! You can customize the filling by using your favorite mincemeat recipe or by adding your own mix of dried fruit, spices, and other ingredients.

Roast Turkey Recipe

There are many delicious dishes that are traditionally served during the Christmas holiday season. Some popular options include roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and vegetables such as roast parsnips and carrots. Other classic Christmas foods include mince pies, fruitcakes, and Christmas pudding. Here is a recipe for a classic roast turkey that you can try for your Christmas dinner:

Roast Turkey Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 turkey (about 12-14 pounds)
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 425°F.
• Rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels.
• Place the onion, lemon, garlic, and herbs inside the cavity of the turkey.
• Rub the butter all over the skin of the turkey, making sure to get it under the skin as well.
• Season the turkey with salt and pepper.
• Place the turkey in a roasting pan and roast it in the oven for 20 minutes.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue roasting the turkey for an additional 2-2.5 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.
• Let the turkey rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
• I hope you enjoy this delicious roast turkey recipe for your Christmas dinner! 

Etekcity Infrared Thermometer 1080, Heat Temperature Temp Gun for Cooking.

Etekcity Infrared Thermometer 1080, Heat Temperature Temp Gun for Cooking, Laser IR Surface Tool for Pizza Oven, Meat, Griddle, Grill, HVAC, Engine, Accessories, -58°F to 1022°F, Yellow

So what's going on guys today I wanted to review the Etekcity laser grip 1080 infrared thermometer and this is a tool that I picked up for a very specific reason but I’ve actually found there's just an endless amount of possibilities for what you can use this tool for and kind of one of the most interesting things I’ve used it for my kitchen to measure the correct temperatures to fulfill the requirement of the heating as per the recipe but again there's an endless amount of uses for this you know whether you're grilling whether you're cooking, you know whether you're troubleshooting your hvac system you know it's really endless in terms of what you can use this for but I’ve found it to be really handy to just kind of have in my tool shop and be able to go to it if for some reason I need to figure out what the temperature is of something so just a quick rundown on this is the laser grip 1080.  I picked this up from amazon it was about $30. This Etekcity laser grip is going to be the most highly reviewed and one of the most highly rated infrared thermometers on amazon and that's really the go-to place to get something like this they do have them at home depot I think Milwaukee's got one but it's substantially more expensive so if you want to get one like this I would definitely consider checking out amazon first and then maybe if you wanted to upgrade you could think about a more expensive brand but I’ve  just found that I don't use it enough to justify that kind of price tag I use it a lot but again it's infrequent it's kind of just for random things that come up so definitely check out amazon for something like this and as I said this is the 1080 so it measures negative 58 degrees Fahrenheit to 1080 1080 degrees so this is going to  be good if you're doing any high intensity cooking and even you know barbecuing things of that nature where you might be dealing with substantially higher temperature. There is a little bit lower level version it's the Etekcity infrared thermometer 774 so that's going to measure up to 774 degrees I thought for a few extra bucks it would be good to just get up to 1080 but again you know you're probably not going to be registering temperatures quite that high so to use this you know all you do is from about a foot away you press this trigger and that's going to send out a laser pointer to identify the spot that you want to register and then it's going to give you your degrees 79 degrees on my workbench and as long as you're holding this trigger it's going to give you a live reading if you release the trigger it's going to hold at whatever that last temperature was and it's really a very simple device the only buttons on it are to toggle between Celsius and Fahrenheit you can turn off and on the laser pointer so it's still going to read without the laser pointer on there. I definitely prefer having the laser pointer it's just kind of a fun thing to see and it helps you kind of identify the area that you're going to be registering the temperature for but you don't have to have it on and then you can turn off and on the backlight display and then in terms of the inner workings the handle comes off and it just has a nine volt battery I think I’ve replaced it once in a couple years so you're not going to be replacing it off and it doesn't use much juice so again guys this is a very simple device I don't use it a whole lot but it's very nice to have and I do use it sporadically and I found a lot of uses  for it. So check it out guys it's on amazon it's one of the most highly rated and highly reviewed devices. Will meet you guys soon with some other useful kitchen / cooking related blogpost.

BELLA Food Steamer for Healthy, Fast & Simultaneous Cooking.

BELLA Food Steamer, Healthy, Fast Simultaneous Cooking, Stackable Baskets for Vegetables or Meats, Rice/Grains Tray, Auto Shutoff & Boil Dry Protection, 7.4 QT, Black

Today we are doing a tutorial on how to use the ballast steamer. We got this from amazon. Let’s get started, before you add the water. You want to make sure that you take off both of the trays and then you also take off the bottom base piece so that all you see is the base right here and then, that's where you're going to add your water. Now there's also a max line and since we have a lot of vegetables and two whole fish we're going to put it up to the max. You can also see the water filling up. So hold on, I’m going to put this back on like this do not worry the water will not smell, yes just make sure I put it back on and now we are going to start the timer it is plugged in we we're going to start the timer for about 20 minutes, we have vegetables and we have two whole fish but I’m good so you know what, I’m going to put it on 15 minutes because you can't turn it down to turn it off you have to wait for it actually to stop and then you unplug it so don't oversee don't put you know so much of the time on there it won't be necessary because you'll be having to wait so I’m going to put 15 minutes and then if i need to add time I can do that so now it's starting and it's going to start heating up literally in 30 seconds like it says on the box okay so my fish has been cleaned I’m just going to season it you can put any type of fish seasoning you would like but if you want the exact ones that we're using right now, I’m going to season the vegetables so look stir that around, you might want to get those hands dirty you know and now you got your vegetables you got your fish all seasoned up. you know some people want a little more some people want a little less yeah so it's also your license plate whatever you're going to notice after you already started it within 30 seconds it's automatically so then you go and you take your tray off and you put whatever you think  we put like the things that we think going to take longer at the bottom so like the bulky items kind of like the fish we put that at the bottom lining that up we're going to cover it with the tray okay and then we're going to add the vegetables to the top so just as you see and there's only one lid because it's both going to be covered get it up there okay so the food is in we're going to wait for the 15 minutes for it to be finished well it really says 12 minutes for the whole fish but we like to cook our stuff just a little bit longer just to make sure that it's well done however there is a tray here to take out what you do is you take it out and this is for if you need to add more water if you are using um the steamer for other things right now we are just simply cooking the fish and the vegetables so we are not going to need to keep adding water to this because we are not cooking anything else after this so what you do is you just pull it out add some water you pour it in just a little bit it's going to take about maybe 10 seconds for you to see the line go up for how much water is in it you know this is a really good feature I like that so if I do need to cook other things I can just keep going and refilling the water because it does lower. We did forget to put some of the garlic on it so what you can do as well as another great feature you can always take off one of the lid and just go ahead and add that extra seasoning to your food as you like just in case you didn't forget anything at other than one two three and then you pop it right back on and then you are good to go so we did add an additional about five minutes or so while we are playing kind of like the food we're just going to let that timer run out because we believe the food is done so we're just going to let that rest of that steam just cook it out keep it nice and warm as we are plating at this time now we got the finished product we're about to enjoy this beautiful steamed red snapper with our steamed vegetables okay so I already took off the top this is the bottom this is how it looks we're letting the timer run out it's literally getting ready to stop once it stops we're going to go first of what we're going to eat and then we are going to take all of this off , I’m going to dump it out.  I’m going to take it off carefully it's very hot pour it over okay put it there and then this water in here come closer okay you want to be careful that you do not wet this I’m very like afraid of stuff like that let's just make sure we dump it off on the side really quickly and then we're going to put it over on the side to cool this only needs to just be like slightly rinsed out this needs to be cleaned thoroughly with bleach this is very greasy so you want to just make sure you know just cleaning purposes and storage purposes you really have to clean this squeaky because it is greasy so overall the steamer this is the box that it came in is a very very good investment for a lot of different things you know to eat healthier if you want to do something quick just to have a really tasty meal this is definitely the wrap you want to go I really do enjoy using this steamer I know this is not a paid article this is literally just because I’m just so excited that I found something so great and it's definitely a money saver because we have been going to our local fish market and having this fish steamed regularly and now we can just do it right at home I’m very excited so very well that is it for today see you soon