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- Ham
- A ham is usually a rear leg of pork which has been cured and smoked.
Ham in which the bone has been removed is thinly sliced or shaved for cold cuts, thickly sliced for ham steaks, or sold in cubes for adding to omelets, beans casseroles, soups, salads, and greens. Bone-in ham and spiral cut hams are a favorite for festive Holiday occasions and are always a popular choice. The bone of the ham may be used to flavor split pea soup, lentil soup, Tuscan white bean or Cuban black bean, Portuguese Kale Soup, and Ham and Lima Bean Soup, among many others.
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- Hard Sauce, Holiday Style
- Beat half a cup of butter until creamy and light. Gradually beat in one cup of sugar.
Divide into three parts; leave one plain, add one or two ounces of melted chocolate to one part, and into the third part beat strawberry or raspberry preserves or jam to color and flavor as desired.
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- Herbs
- A plant used for its culinary, medicinal, or fragrant properties.
Herbs typically have strong flavors and scents and are often used as seasonings or garnishes in cuisine. They can also be used to make herbal and homeopathic teas, essential oils, and other natural remedies. Some common culinary herbs include basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, tarragon, cilantro, parsley, mint, chives, and dill. In botanical terms, herbs generally refer to non-woody plants while trees and shrubs are considered herbaceous. However, many people use the term more loosely to simply mean any plant valued for its leaves, flowers, or seeds. Growing your own herbs is a great way to save money and have fresh ingredients at hand for cooking. You can easily grow the most popular herbs in pots or containers on the deck or on the windowsill in winter. Basil is easy to grow but needs plenty of sunlight and water to thrive. Regular harvesting and pinching back encourages new growth and prevents flowering, which can lead to bitter leaves. Drying herbs is a simple way to preserve them for later use. Hanging them upside down or using a dehydrator are effective methods. For best results, chop the herbs finely before drying if you want to store them in shaker jars. If you plan to use your herbs within the next few weeks, dry your herbs whole, on the stem and keep them near the stove, ready to use for the best flavor. For longer storage, keep dried herbs in tightly sealed glass jars away from direct light. Dark amber or cobalt colored mason jars are great for this purpose. To keep basil fresh longer, try leaving it on the stem until you're ready to use it. Another option is to make a flavorful oil infusion by layering whole basil stems with kosher salt and olive oil in a jar. Freeze the mixture and use as needed - the darkened basil will still taste great! Level up your cooking by using fresh herbs. Growing your own herbs is a fun and rewarding hobby that adds so much flavor to your food!
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- Hobo Butter
- This is a budget stretcher that may be used as a baking substitute for butter (in many, but not all cases).
3/4 cup Crisco vegetable oil 1 lb. margarine, softened 1 cup buttermilk 1 (or more, to taste) teaspoon salt Blend ingredients in a deep bowl. Whip with mixer. Pour into containers and refrigerate to harden. Easy to make. Use like butter.
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- Holy Basil
- Holy basil (Ocimum sanctum), also called tulsi, is an aromatic plant from the family Lamiaceae, which is native to the Indian subcontinent and widespread as a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian tropics. Tulasi has played a significant role in traditional Ayurveda sometimes being referred to as “The Queen of Herbal Medicine”. It is considered a sacred plant and used in rituals in the Hindu religion. This plant has been traditionally used to treat common colds, headaches, stomach disorders, inflammation, heart disease, various forms of poisoning, and malaria.
The leaves are often chewed raw, dried and powdered for tea preparations, or taken as capsules or extracts. The dried leaf is commonly made into incense. The essential oil of the tulsi leaf is mostly eugenol. Many studies report that holy basil possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, hypoglycemic, memory enhancing and immune modulating properties, but more research is needed. There are three types of Holy Basils – Krishna Thulsi, Rama Thulsi and Vana Thulsi. Krishna Thulsi is characterized by light green foliage with purple markings, while Rama Thulsi features dark green foliage without purplish coloration. Both these types feature red stem and reddish flower petals, whereas Vana Thulsi exhibits green colored stems and green colored flower petals. While Krishna Thulsi and Rama Thulsi are mainly grown in gardens, Vana Thulsi type is primarily wild. In addition to India, this species of basil is widely naturalized across tropical Asia where it is occasionally found in the wild. Since ancient times, it has been cultivated in home gardens. However, today it is largely commercially produced for local use and export trade. Plants prefer fertile, loamy soil with sufficient moisture and good drainage. Propagate through seeds or cuttings. Pruning encourages bushier growth and enhances flavor. Pinch off tips regularly to encourage branching. Pluck the leaves as needed since once the flowering starts, the quality of the leaves drops considerably.
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- Hominy
- A farinaceous food made of maize (Indian corn). It is very nourishing. Derivation from the word "auhuminea," which is the North merican indian term for parched corn.
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- Honey
- Sweet juice collected from various flowers by bees. French Narbonne and Swiss honey are both celebrated. The English and Welsh honeys also supply an excellent table delicacy. Honey is said to be one of the most variable of food materials. When pure it is derived solely from the sweet fluid collected from the nectaries of flowers and further elaborated by the honey-bee.
Nutritional Information for 1 tablespoon Honey
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- Honey
- Honey is a natural unrefined food, produced by bees. Seventy five to 80 percent of its composition is from the sugars Levulose (fruit sugar) 40.5%, Dextrose (grape sugar) 34%, Sucrose (cane sugar) 1.9%, and Dextrins 1.5%. In every 100 grams of honey, there are 0.18 of a gram of mineral constituents. Honey contains trace amounts of B vitamins, Ascorbic acid and minerals.
To replace sugar with honey in a cake or cookie recipe, a general rule is to reduce the amount of liquid by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used to replace the sugar. Using honey in baked goods helps to retain moisture preventing the product from becoming stale as quickly as items baked with sugar alone. When baking cakes, cookies, quick breads and muffins, the amount of baking soda needed to neutralize the acidity in one cup of the average honey is 1/12 to 1/5 teaspoon. When buttermilk or yogurt are in the recipe, no additional soda is needed. No adjustments in the recipe are necessary when using yeast as a leavener.
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- How-to Clarify Butter
- Melt butter over medium high heat in a heavy bottomed saucepan to avoid scorching. Skim foam from surface. Pour clear butter carefully off the top into another container, leaving behind the milky water at the bottom of the saucepan. (This remnant may be used for baking).
An alternative method is to follow the same steps as above, but continue to cook the butter over low heat, continuing the skim the foam from the surface periodically until foam no longer forms and the butter appears clear (this means the water has evaporated) then strain the butter through cheesecloth into a separate container. 1 1/2 pounds raw butter will yield approximately 1 pound clarified butter.
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- How-To Mix a Butter Cake
- Measure the dry ingredients; mix with the flour and sift. Next break the eggs, dropping each into a saucer first incase the whole egg is to be used, so that if a stale egg happens to be among them, it can be detected in time. If the whites and yolks are to be used separately, divide them as you break the eggs, and beat both well before using the yolks until light and the whites until stiff and dry.
Then measure the butter, and if it is too hard to work well, let it stand in a warm place until it has become softened, but not melted. If there is not time for this, warm the bowl by pouring hot water into it, letting it stand a few minutes, then emptying and wiping it dry. Do not let it get too warm, however, or the butter will become oily instead of creamy. If fruit is to be used, wash and dry it the day before. Dust with flour just before using, and mix by hand until each piece is powdered, so that all will mix evenly with the dough instead of sinking to the bottom. Be sure to have all the ingredients ready before beginning to mix. Put the butter into the bowl; work it until soft and creamy, and gradually add the sugar, beating constantly. Next add the eggs, or the yolks, whichever the recipe specified, and then the liquid. Work in the flour, a little at a time; or, if desired, add small quantities of flour and liquid alternately until the entire amount of each has been used.
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- How-To Mix a Sponge Cake
- Separate the yolks of the eggs from the whites, and beat the yolks with an egg beater until they are thick and lemon colored. Then, add the sugar, a little at a time, beating constantly. Now, beat the whites until they are stiff and dry; add them and the sifted dry ingredients as directed in the recipe. Do this with as few motions as possible, as otherwise the air bubbles enclosed in the mixture will be broken and all previous work undone.
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- Hydrometer
- A hydrometer is an instrument which measures the specific gravity of a liquid. It is most often used to measure the the density or relative thickness of a liquid to water. Readings exceeding 1.000 at 60°F indicate a density higher than water.
This is helpful in preparing worts (used in brewing beer) which have a calculated quantity of sugar content. To calculate alcoholic content by means of specific gravity, subtract the final specific gravity of a brew, from the first specific gravity measurement obtained at the start. Multiple this figure by 105 to obtain per of alcohol by weight. For example: 1.040 -1.0108 equals 0.030, so 0.030 x 105 equals 3.15%.
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