Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Butter

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Butter is perfect with homemade breads.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 4 teaspoons packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

PREPARATION:

Beat all ingredients until fluffy. Store in refrigerator

Basic Biscuit Baking Mix

This mix can be used instead of the store-bought biscuit baking mix.

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 cups flour*
• 1-1/4 cups nonfat dry milk powder
• 1/4 cup baking powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 cups solid shortening

PREPARATION:

In a food processor** with a large bowl, place dry ingredients. Process to mix. Add shortening a few scoops at a time. Process until mixture resembles small peas. Store in a airtight container in a cool, dry and dark place.

*You may use all white flour, bread flour, unbleached flour, wheat flour or in combination.

Bread Machine Cheddar and Bacon Bread Recipe

This bread machine recipe for Cheddar and Bacon Bread is great for a brunch or with a salad for dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-1/3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1-1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 4 cups bread flour
• 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
• 2 teaspoons dry active yeast
• 2 cups shredded cheddar or swiss cheese
• 8 slices bacon, crumbled
• -or- 3 tablespoons bacon bits*

PREPARATION:

Place ingredients in bread pan in order listed or according to manufacturer's directions. The cheddar cheese and bacon are added at the fruit and nut signal. Depending on your machine this could be anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes into the cycle.

Irish Soda Bread

This recipe for Irish Soda Bread is made in the bread machine.

INGREDIENTS:

• Ingredient ----- 1-1/2 Pound ----- 2 Pound Loaf
• Buttermilk-----1-1/3 cups ----- 1-3/4 cups
• Honey ----- 2 tablespoons ----- 3 tbl.
• Vanilla ----- 1 teaspoon ----- 1-1/2 tsp.
• Shortening ----- 2 tablespoons ----- 3 tbl.
• Uncooked Oatmeal ----- 1/2 cup ----- 2/3 cup
• Bread Flour ----- 3 cups ----- 4 cups
• Baking Soda ----- 1/2 teaspoon ----- 3/4 tsp.
• Active Dry Yeast ----- 1-1/2 teaspoons ----- 2 tsp.
• Raisins, optional ----- 1/2 cup ----- 3/4 cup

PREPARATION:

Place ingredients in bread pan in order listed or according to manufacturer's directions. The optional raisins are added at the fruit and nut signal. Depending on your machine this could be anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes into the cycle.

French Bread Recipe

This is one of the easiest bread recipes. It only uses four ingredients, and makes a wonderful loaf of chewy bread.

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1-1/4 cups warm water, 110-115 degrees
2-3/4 to 3 cups bread flour
1 tsp. salt

Dissolve yeast in the warm water and let stand five minutes, until bubbly. By hand, add 1-1/2 cups of the flour and the salt. Beat well for a few minutes. Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth, springy and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place bread dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise until double, 1-2 hours.

Punch down dough. On floured surface, roll dough to a 12x6" rectangle. Roll up dough tightly, starting with 12" side. Thoroughly pinch edges and ends to seal. Roll and stretch dough carefully to shape, making ends thinner than the center. Place the loaf of bread, seam side down, on greased cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise until doubled, 45 minutes to an hour.

Slash top of bread loaf with very sharp knife in three places, if desired. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until the bread is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped with fingers. (You can, if desired, spray the loaf with water a few times during baking for a crisper crust.) Remove from cookie sheet and let cool.

Basic Biscuit Recipe

Here is a simple recipe for biscuits.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup shortening
• 2 cups self-rising* flour
• 3/4 cup (approx.) milk

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven 450 degrees F. In large bowl, cut shortening into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With fork, stir in enough milk to form a soft dough or until dough pulls away from the bowl. Turn dough onto floured surface.

With floured hands knead until smooth, 10 - 12 times. Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with floured 2-inch round cutter. Place biscuits, lightly touching, on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 12 to 14 biscuits.

How to Make Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate can be a delicious and comforting beverage, especially during cold winter months. If chilled, however, you'll have a refreshing drink or possibly a dessert depending on how you dress it up.

But hot chocolate should not to be confused with hot cocoa. The former is made with actual chocolate and is a richer, much more substantial beverage. The latter is produced from cocoa powder or from a manufactured product containing cocoa powder such as hot cocoa mixes available at grocery stores.

This article concentrates on hot chocolate and will serve as a guideline as to how you can prepare it. Experiment with your own recipes and see what you can create. The possibilities are endless!

Ingredients

• Chocolate
• Milk or water
• Flavorings, such as herbs, spices, liqueur, etc.

Steps

1. Obtain some good quality chocolate. This can be milk, dark, or even white chocolate, depending on your preferences and flavors you wish to add.
   
   
   • If you have some unsweetened chocolate lying around, hot chocolate is a great way to use it up. Simply add sugar to sweeten it.
2. 
   
   Chop the chocolate finely on a clean cutting board or counter. Make sure the cutting surface has not been exposed to onions or other strong smelling foods. Residual odors can contaminate the chocolate and impart undesirable flavors.
   
   The amount of chocolate you use depends on how strong and rich you want the beverage to be. A good starting point is 25g of chocolate per cup of liquid. If you need more chocolate, simply add it.
3. Turn the stove top to a medium-low or low setting. Pour milk or water into the pot and gently add the chopped chocolate.
   • Some people prefer milk for a richer flavor, while others favor water. The choice here is yours, but whatever you use, make sure each serving of hot chocolate is at least 4oz (120ml) for a richer beverage and at most 8oz (240ml) for a thinner beverage.
   • This is the point where you can add liqueur if you wish. Doing so now will burn off some of the alcohol and mellow out the flavor.
   • Spices and other flavorings can be added here as well, to increase their flavor presence in the hot chocolate, because they will have the opportunity to steep for a longer period of time. However, if you want a subtler, less pronounced flavor, hold off for now.
4. Stir continuously with a whisk until the liquid and chocolate combine completely. Just when you think the two are incorporated, you might notice black flecks scattered in the chocolaty matrix. These flecks are bits of unmelted chocolate, so you should continue to stir until they disappear.
   • Sometimes, whisking vigorously is necessary to dissolve unmelted chocolate completely.
   • If the mixture becomes too hot, or you feel that it might burn, remove pot from the heat and continue to stir, allowing the temperature to reduce. Put pot back on heat once the mixture has cooled.
5. Add desired flavorings once you have a fully emulsified liquid in the pot. Liqueur can also be added, but if you do so now, you might find the flavor too strong because the alcohol will not have had a chance to evaporate.
6. Turn off the heat and pour in cups immediately afterwards. Garnish with whatever you wish, such as mint leaves, cinnamon sticks, or whipped cream.
7. Enjoy! And have fun with trying out all sorts of variations!

Tips

• The richness of your hot chocolate will usually determine how much you will drink or serve to others. Generally, a richer beverage should be served in 4oz cups such as an espresso cup due to the density of the beverage. A thinner, less chocolaty beverage can be served in more liberal portions, such as coffee cups or mugs.
• The cocoa content of the chocolate will contribute a lot to the flavor and intensity of the beverage. For example, hot chocolate made with 85% chocolate will be strong and not as sweet as most people are familiar with. To balance this out, add sugar, sweeter chocolate, or even milk chocolate for a more rounded flavor.
• Combine different chocolates of various origins, percentages, and even types, such as mixing milk with dark. You can even use flavored bars.
• Feel free to add a tablespoon or two of cream for added richness.
• Store unused portions in the refrigerator to enjoy at another time. Or, refrigerate an entire batch for a cold, refreshing treat.
• Experiment with different herbs and spices, such as basil, fennel, thyme, nutmeg, and ginger. Combine herbs with fruits for added interest.
• Play around with when to add the flavorings. Sometimes, certain herbs and spices will need to "steep" while you prepare the hot chocolate, so their flavor can be fully extracted. Other times, however, you can add them towards the end of the process. See what works for you.

How to Make Chocolate Frosting

Here is an easy homemade chocolate frosting to complement any cake or dessert.

Ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons of butter or margarine (softened)
• 1/2 cup of powdered cocoa
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 Teaspoon of vanilla for flavor (If you have it)

Steps

1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter until it is fluffy.
2. Add cocoa and sugar with milk and egg yolks
3. Beat until the mixture is spreading consistency
4. Add the vanilla and blend

Tips

• The icing should be of a consistency that can be easily spread without tearing the cake.
• If frosting is too thick to spread easily, add a drop or two of additional milk until frosting reaches the desired consistency.
• Raw eggs carry the risk of salmonella.

How to Make Hot Chocolate Mix from Pure Cocoa

Hot chocolate with marshmallows Mmm... hot chocolate. It's a great winter drink, and it's even better when it doesn't come from a mix.

Steps

1. Get a mug. It is traditional that cocoa is drunk from a mug but a cup will do if that's all you have. You need to know the capacity of the mug. Most are 10 oz. but some are 8 and some more than 10.
2. Put one teaspoon of sugar in the mug.
3. Measure out one rounded teaspoon of cocoa powder and put it in the mug. You may want to use more but for the first time, start with one.
4. Add two teaspoons of water. The next step is what paint chemists call "wetting out the pigment." Stir the sugar, water and cocoa until the cocoa is completely wetted out. You can tell this by the appearance of the surface. If it is reflective, you have wetted out the cocoa. If it is not, you need to stir more and possibly add a few more drops of water.
5. Add about one inch of milk and stir to completely mix your cocoa paste and milk. Fill the rest of the mug with milk, up to about 1/2 an inch off the top. The mix will expand about 5% on heating, so don't over-fill.
6. Put the mug in the microwave. For an 8 oz cup, heat (on highest setting) for one minute, 45 seconds. For a 10 oz cup, heat 2 minutes, 10 seconds.
7. Watch the cup for the last 20 seconds. For some reason, the cocoa tends to foam up. Usually this does not happen but, just in case, watch. If it does, open the door and stir. Take out the spoon, close the door and finish heating.
8. Enjoy!

Tips

• If your taste runs to more cocoa, use more.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon or extra cocoa powder over the top if desired.
• A dollop of whipped cream can also be added if desired - but this is getting into the unhealthy side of things!
• Add marshmallows if you like them. If you are a vegetarian, purchase vegetarian marshmallows from your health food store.
• If you make the hot chocolate using a kettle rather than a microwave, some people prefer the hot water to be poured straight onto the cocoa powder and then add the milk; this is to avoid a "scalded" taste to the milk. This is a personal choice, you may or may not detect the difference. Mix well, whichever way you choose to pour your milk (and/or water).
• Leave out the sugar if you like the strong, bitter taste of cocoa. It's an acquired taste but it is really, really good if you get used to it.
• Cocoa still carries the anti-oxidants found in chocolate, so enjoy without guilt.
• Vegetarians and vegans can substitute soy milk, rice milk, oat milk etc. for dairy milk. Vanilla soy milk adds quite a delicious touch if you purchase a good quality brand.

Warnings

• Don't attempt to overheat. Also note item about last 20 seconds of heating (above).
• TAKE THE SPOON OUT BEFORE YOU PUT THE CUP IN THE MICROWAVE!

Things You'll Need

• Mugs
• Spoon
• Milk
• Cocoa
• Microwave
• Water
• Sugar

How to Make a Chocolate Cake

Are you looking to make a delicious chocolate cake? There are so many variations, it might be difficult to choose a single recipe. Here's a simple one to get you started, along with several variations to suit the occasion.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3 tbsp. cocoa
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 c. water

Steps

1. Sift the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cocoa).
2. Stir in the liquid ingredients (vanilla, water).
3. Pour the mixture into an 8 inch greased and floured round pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes.
5. Let the cake cool.
6. Frost as desired.

How to Substitute Cocoa for 2 Squares Semisweet Choc

We all love chocolate!

Missing the right chocolate for the recipe? Craving that chocolate cake? Need a quick substitution for chocolate? Here are some chocolate substitutions, but remember not always do they work as well as the original recipe ingredient. If you are in a jam, then hopefully one of these suggestions will work.

Steps

1. Unsweetened baking chocolate: Combine 3 tablespoons cocoa powder with 1 tablespoon of butter, margarine or vegetable oil. This will make the equivalent of 1 ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate.
2. Semisweet Chocolate: 9 tablespoons cocoa, 7 tablespoons sugar, 3 tablespoons shortening. This will make the equivalent of 6 ounces of semisweet chocolate. Do not use in chocolate chip cookies as this is not in chip form.
3. Sweet Baking Chocolate: 4 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons sugar, 4 tablespoons cocoa, 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons vegetable shortening. Again, do not use in a chocolate chip type cookie as this is not in chip form. This will make the equivalent of 4 ounces of sweet baking chocolate.

How to Sprinkle Sprinkles

Sprinkles are colorful yet tasty shapes, they are delicious but can be hard to control. Follow these simple steps to get a sprinkle free table.

Steps

1. Place a large glass bowl under your food substance that you wish to sprinkle.
2. Flick up the lid which is called "sprinkle" making sure "pour" is firmly closed.
3. Pick the sprinkles up with the hand you would write with for maximum control.
4. Gently shake the tub until food is covered to the desired amount.
5. Remove food from bowl.
6. Replace excess sprinkles back into sprinkle tub.

Tips

• Bowl must be larger than food or plate that its on.

Warnings

• Sprinkles can be unpredictable and end up all over your floor.
• Lids may come loose off tub.
• Bowls are liable to break.

Things You'll Need

• Sprinkles
• Bowl
• Table

How to Scale Ingredients for Baking

Successful baking depends, to some extent, on accurate scaling or measuring of ingredients. Knowing and using proper tools is the key to this task.

Steps

1. Fluff flour first with a spoon.
2. Spoon flour into an appropriate measuring cup.
3. Level flour by sweeping a straight blade object across the top of cup.
4. Pack brown sugar into a dry measuring cup.
5. Use either dipping method or flour measuring method to scale granulated white sugar.
6. Use dry measuring cups to measure dry or liquid ingredients.
7. Do not use fluid measuring cups to measure dry ingredients.

Tips

• If use a dry measuring cup to measure honey, syrup or molasses, coat it first with vegetable oil to prevent sticking.

Warnings

• Do not let brown sugar stand uncovered for a long period of time because a crust will form on the surface

How to Make a Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients

For cake:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 1/2 oz red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

For Frosting:

• 1 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 1 c. butter
• 1 c. vitamin D whole milk

Steps

1. Gather all of the ingredients.
2. Cream shortening and gradually add in sugar.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg is added.
4. Make a paste out of the cocoa and food coloring, then add in cream.
5. Add salt, flour, vanilla, and buttermilk, beating well after each ingredient is added.
6. Pour vinegar over the batter.
7. Stir until well mixed.
8. Finally, put the cake in a 30 inch cake pan (can other size if preferred) and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
9. Wait about 20 minutes to cool before frosting.
10. FROSTING RECIPE
11. Cook flour and milk in a double boiler until thick, stirring constantly.
12. Cream sugar, flour, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
13. Blend the cooked mixture with the creamed one and keep refrigerated.
14. Frost the cake and enjoy!

Warnings

• 
  
  Wear oven mitts when handling cakes or any other hot food.
• If you use other than whole milk for the frosting, your frosting may come out too runny.

Things You'll Need

• cake pan
• double boiler

How to Make a Red Velvet Cake

A Red Velvet cake can be a delicious dessert for almost any occasion, and it doesn't have to be a hard cake to make either! Read on to find out how to make this delectable dessert.

Ingredients

For cake:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 1/2 oz red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

For Frosting:

• 1 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 1 c. butter
• 1 c. vitamin D whole milk

Steps

1. Gather all of the ingredients.
2. Cream shortening and gradually add in sugar.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg is added.
4. Make a paste out of the cocoa and food coloring, then add in cream.
5. Add salt, flour, vanilla, and buttermilk, beating well after each ingredient is added.
6. Pour vinegar over the batter.
7. Stir until well mixed.
8. Finally, put the cake in a 30 inch cake pan (can other size if preferred) and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
9. Wait about 20 minutes to cool before frosting.
10. FROSTING RECIPE
11. Cook flour and milk in a double boiler until thick, stirring constantly.
12. Cream sugar, flour, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
13. Blend the cooked mixture with the creamed one and keep refrigerated.
14. Frost the cake and enjoy!

Warnings

• Wear oven mitts when handling cakes or any other hot food.
• If you use other than whole milk for the frosting, your frosting may come out too runny.

Things You'll Need

• cake pan
• double boiler

How to Make a Pie Crust in a Food Processor

Pie crust is a hard thing to make, especially by hand. The food processor makes it much easier, but it still can turn out badly. This recipe is for making a double crust (bottom and top) in a 12- or 14- cup processor.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose unbleached white flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flower or an additional 1/2 cup of white flour
• 1 teaspoon(ish) salt
• 1 tablespoon(ish) sugar
• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 8-12 tablespoons iced water

Steps

1. Place all your dry ingredients in the food processor, with the multi-purpose blade (the standard metal cutting one) and pulse three to five times for one and a half seconds each pulse.
2. Add the butter, cut into little chunks, and pulse three to five times for one and a half seconds per pulse. Lift the mixture completely by stirring it in an upwards motion, bringing the stuff on bottom to the top.
3. Add shortening in little chunks and pulse three to five times for one and a half seconds per pulse. Lift the mixture again.
4. Add three or four tablespoons of iced water (no chunks of ice should be added) and pulse three to five times for one and a half seconds per pulse. Lift mixture.
5. Add three or four more tablespoons of water. Pulse and lift, as above. Add just enough water that the mixture forms a dough and lifts away from the food processor walls.
6. Squeeze some of the mixture in your hand. It should be lightly sticky but still soft and fluffy.
7. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and shape into two approximately even balls.
8. Set down a large sheet of waxed paper or a pastry cloth with some flour on it. Use your hand to press one of the balls into a disc. Then roll it out, being careful not to rip it, until it's a bit bigger then a pie pan and approximately round.
9. Place your pie pan on the rolled out dough upside down and. Using the wax paper to lift the dough, flip the whole deal over. Tuck your pie dough down into the pan without stretching or ripping it.
10. Use the other dough for the top crust or for a second pie, depending on your recipe.
11. Form the outer crust by pinching with fingers or pressing a fork along the rim. If the pie has a top crust, form both edges together.
12. Trim off any excess with a knife and roll it into the next crust. If you have small scraps left over, you can bake them separately with a little cinnamon and sugar, and just enough butter to make it stick.

Tips

• Learn to get the right amount of water. Too much, and you have a really tough crust; too little and it falls apart when you're making it. It may take quite a few bad crusts to get it figured out right, but once you do, it's like riding a bike.
• Keep the mixing to a minimum. Pulse as little as possible, especially after adding the shortening. The less you mix, the larger the chunks of fat are. The larger the chunks, the flakier and tastier your crust will be. Be careful, though, since you don't want fat chunks larger then about the size of peas.
• The less pressure you apply, the less working and mixing you do, the more tender the crust.
• Make sure you use plenty of flour on your work surface, hands and rolling pin. It will help keep the dough from sticking and tearing.
• If the dough rips and will not go back together by rolling against it or pushing back with hands, use a bit of water to help the sides stick to each other.
• If you don't have a food processor, you can mix pie crust with your hands, two forks or knives, or a pastry mixer. Mix the flour, butter, and shortening until they have a crumbly consistency, a bit like corn meal.

How to Make a Doughnut

This is how to make doughnuts and it might not work for everyone.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cup of flour
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp.cinnamon

Steps

1. Mix all ingredients except the oil for about 2 min or until smooth.
2. Make three long, thick dough strips and then make them like a doughnut shape and connect the 2 sides really well.
3. Put the oil in a medium sized pan on the stove set on med or med high.
4. When warm (before the oil starts bubbling) gently place in one doughnut.
5. Keep in for approximately 7 minutes or until gold.
6. Let cool and enjoy!
7. Optional. Put more sugar in a bowl and dip the entire doughnut in it to make it taste sweeter.

Things You'll Need

• Medium pan
• Mixing bowl

How to Make a Cinnamon Pretzel

Ingredients

• For the Pretzels
• 1 loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed
• Flour, for dusting surface
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup coarse salt
• For the Topping
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 TBS ground cinnamon
• 1/4 honey -sugar glaze

Steps

1. Separate the dough into 14 sections. Lightly sprinkle flour on a large board or counter top. Roll each section of the dough in a 14-16 inch rope and form them into a the shape of a pretzel.
2. Put the dough into the refrigerator until you are ready to boil them.
3. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Add 4 quarts of water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and add the pretzels, three at a time.
5. Cook about 2 minutes until you see them rise to the surface. Carefully remove them and place on a paper towels to drain.
6. Place them on a buttered sheet pan, separating them about 3 inches apart.
7. Brush with a beaten egg. Brush on the cinnamon topping
   
   .
   • Use a small bowl and add the topping ingredients, combining it with 1-2 Tbs water to create a glaze and set aside.
     
     .
8. Brush the pretzels with honey mixture and bake about 15-20 minutes until they are brown.^[1]

Tips

• Soft pretzels are best eaten fresh-baked and salted on top.
• Dip them in a dipping sauce of choice, or mustard for a different taste.
• The thickness is determined by now thin you roll them.

Warnings

• Use a slotted spoon to remove the pretzels from the boiling water. Be careful not to burn yourself.

Things You'll Need

• large pot
• pastry brush
• slotted spoon

How to Make Spider Pretzels

This is a fun, easy and quick snack to make. Great for lunch to bring to your child's school or your child's party, or a nice after school snack.

Ingredients

• Sticky peanut butter (creamy) or Hershey's Chocolate Bars or Ice cream or whipped cream.
• Pretzels in traditional shape
• Pretzel sticks
• Sprinkles (optional)
• M&Ms (optional)

Steps

Peanut Butter

1. Put 3-5 tablespoons of peanut butter in a bowl, depending on how much pretzels you have.
2. Take 8 pretzel sticks.
3. Coat the pretzel sticks in the peanut butter by dipping the whole thing in the bowl. Let it rest on a cookie sheet.
4. Take one regular sized pretzel, and coat the whole thing in peanut butter.
5. Take the legs and put it on each side of the regular pretzel, leaving space in the front.
6. Put M&Ms, sprinkles and other candy on the thing
   • You could use a few m and ms for eyes.
7. Freeze for 10-20 minutes, depending on what you think is best, or until frozen but slightly creamy.

Hershey Chocolate

1. Heat the chocolate or proceed to the next step if it is melted.
2. Pour the melted chocolate into a bowl.
3. Dip the eight pretzel legs in the chocolate and place on the cookie sheet.
4. Take the original shape and then dip it in the chocolate.
5. Connect it together the same way you did in the peanut butter version. Freeze for 20-30 minutes or until frozen.
6. When ready to serve heat in the microwave for 5 to 7 seconds, so it is frozen but still hot.

Ice Cream

1. Melt the ice cream.
2. Pour the melted ice cream into the bowl.
3. Dip eight stick pretzels and one in the original shape in the ice cream.
4. Put it together in a shape of a spider.
5. Freeze for 1 hour.
6. When ready to serve place in microwave for 5 seconds.

Whipped cream

1. Spray a bunch of whipped cream in a bowl.
2. Dip 8 legs and one that is in the original shape in the whipped cream.
3. Put it together to make it in a shape of a spider.
4. Freeze for 10 to 15 minutes.
5. When ready to serve heat in microwave for 5 to 10 seconds.

How to Make Soft Pretzels

Ingredients

• 1 package yeas
• 11/2 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4-5 cups flour
• Pretzel salt
• 1 TBSP baking soda
• 1 QT pan of simmering water on stove
• Slotted Wide Spoon
  

Steps

1. Combine water and yeast in a large bowl.
2. Add sugar and salt.
3. Add flour until you have a stiff, pliable dough.
4. Place on floured surface. Knead the dough for about 5 to 8 minutes, this will let the gluten develop and the dough more flexible to work with.
5. Shape the dough in whatever form you want.See the tips to learn how to make a pretzel shape. Have fun with it! When your shape is complete, Let it rest on a greased sheet until the pretzels look raised a bit.
6. Take pan of simmering hot water and mix in baking soda. Stir & Bring to a gentle boil. This mixture makes the distinctive shine and taste of Pennsylvania Dutch pretzels and is the SECRET to great pretzel taste!
7. Place pretzel on slotted spoon. Quickly dip your formed pretzel into the saucepan and lift up after 10 seconds. Do not let it sit there too long. Then place back on the greased sheet. Sprinkle with pretzel salt.
8. Bake at 425ºF for 6-7 minutes, or until golden. Cool on wire racks. May be frozen for future use.

Tips

• Pretzel history is that the shape was created by monks as a token for children who learned their prayers. To make this make a loop , double twist and flip over, press the "arms" into the dough.
• Pretzels are fun to use to teach children how to learn the alphabet and also spell. Some children learn best by touching.

Warnings

• SUPERVISION NEEDED FOR BOILING WATER AND HOT STOVE.
• While soft pretzels are best eaten when warm, be careful while handling the pretzels that come straight out of the oven! Let the pretzels cool first for a couple of minutes. Cooled pretzels may be frozen and reheated.

How to Make Rock Cakes

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 4 oz. butter/margarine
• 2 tsps. baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla essence
• 2 oz. dried fruit

Steps

1. Pour 1 3/4 cups flour and 4 oz butter into mixing bowl
2. Rub butter into flour until it looks like fine bread crumbs.
3. Add sugar, baking powder, and fruit. Mix well.
4. Beat egg and vanilla in seperate bowl and add to flour mixture. Mix to a stiff dough
5. Place dough in little heaps onto greased baking tray.
6. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes at 350F

Things You'll Need

• mixing bowl
• baking tray
• small bowl
• fork
• pastry blender
• measuring spoon
• measuring cup

How to Make Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 7 tablespoons ice-cold water
• Softened stick of butter (slightly unwrapped at top)

Steps

1. In large bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening with pastry cutter, or by crisscrossing two knives. Cut and blend until dough is little pea-sized balls.
2. Special tip: Place approximately 6 tablespoons of the dough in small bowl. Mix in ice-cold water into contents of small bowl with fork until all is well-blended.
3. Add contents of small bowl back into large bowl and cut with pastry cutter. Using hands, form dough into ball. Split ball in two (one for bottom crust and one for top).
4. Tape waxed paper to counter with masking tape, or cover with pastry cloth. Roll one ball out on paper or cloth, rolling from the center out so dough is about 1/8 inch thick.
5. Carefully untape paper if using waxed paper. Lift one corner of paper or cloth and use it to support dough as you fold it in half. Peel back paper or cloth.
6. Lift bottom of paper of cloth to fold dough again so it forms a triangle. With paper or cloth still on bottom, flip dough triangle into pie plate so the paper or cloth is on top.
7. Carefully peel away cloth or paper. Gently unfold dough and lightly press into plate. Using sharp knife, trim edges.
8. Fill your pie. You can add a few pats of butter on top.
9. Roll out second ball of dough and form triangle again. Place on top of filling. Using fork, crimp top and bottom crusts together. Trim off excess with sharp knife. Cut slits in top, or a design of your liking. Butter the top with the softened stick of butter.
10. Bake as your pie recipe requires.

Tips

• If your crust
  
  
  • bakes too smooth, it was handled too much.
  • bottom is soggy, use a dull pan next time or increase oven temperature.
  • is tough, used too much water, or flour, or was handled too much
  • is too tender and crumbly, used too little water or too much shortening
  • is dry and not flaky, the shortening was cut too much, or too little water.

Warnings

• The dough, when you roll it out, should be a little crumbly at the edges. If your dough is too crumbly to shape, add more water, and if it is really wet (not crumbling at the edges at all), add a little more flour.
• When baking pie, place plate on larger cookie sheet or pizza pan to catch any overflowing filling.

Things You'll Need

• pastry cutter
• fork
• rolling pin
• waxed paper and masking tape or pastry cloth
• large bowl
• small bowl
• 9-inch pie plate
• sharp knife

How to Heat Brownies

warming up brownies makes them taste even better (click to enlarge image This is an easy method that doesn't require switching on the oven or risk drying out the delicate brownies in a microwave. It is particularly effective as it will not melt your brownies' chocolate icing topping.

Steps

1. Position a small metal frame over a pop up toaster.
2. Place the brownie on top of the frame.
3. Adjust the toaster to high
4. Switch on the toaster
5. Once the lever pops up the brownie should be warm.

Tips

• Use tongs to pick the brownie up once it is heated.

Warnings

• Don't place the brownie directly on top of the toaster without the frame, the heat that collects under the brownie could melt the plastic on your toaster.

How to Make Garlic Hummus

This how-to will walk you through the steps necessary to create a large batch of vegetarian garlic hummus.

Ingredients

• food processor or similar device (e.g., a blender)
• 4 cans of chickpeas
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 7-10 cloves of garlic
• sesame tahini
• garlic flavored oil (or olive oil)
• spices of choice ***
• 1 large onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 large carrot
• sea salt

Steps

1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and set aside.
2. Peel the garlic and chop it up a little bit before placing it in the food processor.
3. Chop some of the stems off the parsley before placing it in the food processor.
4. Add lemon juice and blend.
5. Add about 1/2 of the chickpeas, 2-3 tbsp. tahini and 2 tbsp. oil.
6. Blend.
7. Add remaining chickpeas and blend again, with more oil if needed. Mixture should be creamy, but fairly thick.
8. Season to taste with spices of choice, along with salt and pepper if desired.

Tips

• Use large quantities of: cumin, basil, onion powder and garlic powder, along with small amounts of: coriander, paprika, and oregano, and tiny bits of: cayenne pepper and thyme. Make sure spices are well-blended into the mixture.

Warnings

• As with any cooking, season as you see fit. Individual tastes vary. You can always add more spices, you can never add less.
• Some people may have allergies to one or more ingredients listed in this recipe.

How to Make Bread Balls

Bread balls are delightful, melt-in-the-mouth crunchy snacks that the kids will absolutely adore.

Ingredients

• breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• milk
• granulated garlic
• oil for frying (an oil that is suitable for high temperatures, such as peanut oil)

Steps

1. Mix 1 egg with 1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs.
2. Add a dash of milk.
3. Mix in another egg.
4. Add a dash of granulated garlic.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of milk.
6. Mix these ingredients together well.
7. Form small ball shapes from the resulting mixture.
8. Fry the ball shapes in a small saucepan. Provide enough oil to cover the balls. Fry until brown.
9. Prepare the topping. After fried, coat top in butter and dip in parmesan cheese.

Tips

• Salsa is a delicious dipping sauce for older kids and adults

Warnings

• Take proper precautions around the hot oil.

How to Make Garlic Bread

Steps

1. Choose your bread. French bread (the long loaf/baguette) works best.
2. In a small bowl, mix crushed garlic with olive oil, and let it sit for a few minutes.
3. Use a brush to moisten the bread with the olive oil mixture.
4. Sprinkle on garlic powder. There should be about enough to lightly cover the entire surface, but not to the point where it falls off when you invert the bread.
5. Place the bread in a toaster oven or conventional oven on an ungreased cookie tray at 350ºF for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
6. Or: Try mixing the garlic with butter and mixed herbs to create a delicous spread that will go well on any type of bread.

Tips

• If garlic cloves are unavailable, you can use just the garlic powder.
• Try sprinkling on onion powder or chili powder for a new twist.
• Try adding Parmesan cheese to the garlic butter for extra flavour.
• Make a terrific bruschetta by spreading the olive oil and garlic mixture on bread, then topping the slices with chopped onion and tomato. Add a few shavings of Parmesan if desired.

Warnings

• Be careful when using an oven as not to burn yourself or others.
• The pan will be very hot when you remove it, so place it on a heat-safe surface until it cools.
• Be aware that people may have garlic allergies or simply dislike it, so ensure you ask your guests before serving this at a dinner party. It's a good idea to have plain bread or herb bread available as a stand-by for such guests.

Things You'll Need

• Bread (preferably French)
• Garlic cloves
• Olive oil
• Garlic powder
• Parmesan Cheese
• Butter
• Mixed Herbs
• Cooking brush

How to Make Bread from Scratch

If you want the supermarket bread aisle sandwich fodder, then by all means hit the back button on your browser right now. If you'd like some bread that is arguably 10 times better tasting, definitely fresher, contains no preservatives, is 30% air rather than 90%, and can hold its own in a meal, even without butter, then perhaps you would like to know how to bake bread.

This page goes well in combination with How to Make Bread Now, this is based on the "very basic bread" recipe by Alton Brown. The recipe can be easily found (as the link proves) on the foodTV web page, but here it has the added insight that comes from viewing Alton explain it, the experience of actually doing it some 25 loaves now, and research into bread theory from other resources.

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces bread flour, plus extra for shaping
• 1 teaspoon instant rapid rise yeast
• 2 teaspoons honey or sugar
• 10 ounces bottled or filtered water
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Optional:

• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp honey

Functional:

• 2 quarts hot water
• Vegetable oil, for greasing the rising container
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal

Note:

Yes, you are going to want to use bread flour if you can. Bread flour has a higher protein content and therefore forms more gluten in the bread dough, and gluten is good. Make sure to weigh it - volume is a very inaccurate way of determining how much flour you have.

The water is important, too. Most faucet water has chemicals in it that kill micro-organisms (such as yeast) and distilled water has too little minerals. Alton recommends using water that has been filtered with a charcoal based filtration system (such as a Brita Filter) or bottled mineral water.

Steps

1. Combine 5 ounces of the flour, 1/4 teaspoon of the yeast, all of the honey, and all of the bottled water in a straight-sided container; cover loosely and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours (overnight is best).
   
   • Why do we do this? Well, yeast does two things for bread: it leavens the bread and it adds flavor/texture to the bread. The problem is that to properly leaven the bread, yeast needs to reproduce quickly (to produce the gasses inside the bread), and to provide the proper flavor/texture it needs to reproduce slowly. The way around this is to make the pre-ferment or "sponge." By putting the yeasty mixture into the refrigerator, you slow down the fermentation process. This lets the dough absorb some of the gasses let off by the yeast (yielding a softer dough later on) and gives the bread an aged flavor. (You may think that "aged" doesn't sound good for bread, but it is.) And lastly, the extra time and hydration helps to form the gluten strands that are so very important for bread dough.
2. Place the remaining 11 ounces of flour, remaining yeast, and all the salt into the bowl of a stand mixer, and add the pre-ferment from the refrigerator. Using the dough hook attachment, knead the mixture on low for 2 to 3 minutes just until it comes together. Cover the dough in the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, knead the dough on medium speed for 5 to 10 minutes or until you are able to gently pull the dough into a thin sheet that light will pass through. The dough will be sticky, but not so sticky that you can't handle it.
   
   • (Though the mixer does make things easier and quicker, hand kneading is another path to the same destination.)
3. While the dough is kneading, pour half of the hot water into a shallow pan and place on the bottom rack of your oven. A glass baking dish works well.
4. Grease the inside of a large straight-sided container with the vegetable oil. Place the dough ball into the container and set on the rack above the pan of water. Allow to rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 to 2 hours. (The hot water does two things: It warms the dough to let it rise faster and it keeps the air inside the oven moist, keeping the dough from forming a dry skin on top.)
5. Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it onto a counter top, lightly dust your hands with flour, and press the dough out with your knuckles; then fold 1 side in towards the middle of the mass and then the other, as if you were making a tri-fold wallet. Repeat the folding a second time. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for another 10 minutes.
6. Flatten the dough again with your knuckles and then fold the dough in onto itself, like you are shaping something that looks like a jellyfish. Turn the dough over and squeeze the bottom together so that the top surface of the dough is smooth.
7. Place the dough back onto the counter and begin to roll gently between your hands. Do not grab the dough but allow it to move gently back and forth between your hands, moving in a circular motion. The point of this is to tighten up the skin of the doughball as much as possible.
8. Move the dough ball to a pizza peel or the bottom of a sheet pan that has been sprinkled with the cornmeal (so it can slide off later). Cover with the kitchen towel and allow to bench proof for 1 hour, or until you poke the dough and it quickly fills back in where you poked it.
9. Place an unglazed terra cotta dish upside down into the oven and heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Be sure to put the dish into the cold oven. Terra cotta needs to heat and cool slowly and evenly or else it will crack. To ensure a properly pre-heated oven, turn it on while you let the dough bench proof for the final hour.
   
   • (The point of the dish is that terra cotta is made of earth. While metal conducts heat, earth will absorb and radiate heat. The physics behind the amount, rate, and direction of the heat need not be fully understood to appreciate that it helps your bread come out right.)
10. Combine the 1/3 cup of water and the cornstarch in a small bowl. Uncover the dough and brush the surface with this mixture.
11. Gently slash the top surface of the dough ball in several places, approximately 1/3 to 1/2-inch deep. The standard would be the shape of a square on top of the loaf, but you can do an X on top, slash lines, whatever you would like.
12. Add more of the hot water to the shallow pan if it has evaporated. Slide the bread onto the terra cotta dish in the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes (this can vary in practice depending on how hot and what size your oven is). Once the bread has reached an internal temperature of 205 to 210 degrees F, remove to a cooling rack and allow to sit for 30 minutes before slicing.
    
    • (The idea is that while it bakes it will expand and the crust will form. If the crust forms a shell, it will make the bread too dense. The slashes let the bread rise one last time in a situation where it can't expand in all directions, and the water provides steam that will prevent the crust from forming too quickly.)

Tips

• Don't skip the salt. Salt regulates the fermentation of the dough and keeps it from growing out of control.
• If you can, knead the dough by hand. It may go slower, and it is a bit more labor intensive, but kneading dough is one of life's simple pleasures.
• When "punching down", be aware that this is not like 'wedging' clay: you are not trying to force air out of the dough while working it. Instead, its perfectly ok to trap air inside the dough while manipulating. Yeast needs to breathe.
• The rest periods in-between are important so as not to overwork your dough and let the gluten "relax." If you are impatient, I suggest you pass the time by smelling the dough while it rises, a quite enjoyable experience.
• Step 10 is optional, but gives you a crispier crust.
• When it comes time to cut the dough, a bread knife does the job quite nicely.
• Step 5 is a good time to fold in any additions you may want, such as nuts or herbs.
• The recipe uses 1 pound of bread flour, and bread flour usually comes in 5 pound bags. When you get the hang of it, go for a quintuple recipe all at once. Since you're investing so much time in the rising and kneading and gluten resting, you may as well get enough bread to last you.*

The thin sheet of dough is also known as the bakers window. This lets you know if the gluten is properly dispersed.

• It is not necessary to buy bottled water in order to make bread. Chlorine is a gas dissolved in water. To remove it, simply keep some water uncovered in the refrigerator for a couple of days. You can do this with your drinking water as well.
• Bleached flour rises higher than most.

Warnings

• Don't skip the final 30 minute cool down. Cutting too early can smoosh your bread, and it would be tragic to spend all that time on bread just to mess it up in the last moments.

How To Make Bread

Freshly baked bread is one of life's greatest simple pleasures. It's much easier than you might think to make your own. It won't come out like generic white sandwich bread, and it may take a few batches till you get consistently good results, but don't give up! Anyone can learn how to make bread. These instructions are for people without breadmakers, those with breadmakers should give the real thing a try while you're at it.

Steps

1. Choose a bread recipe.This is not a recipe Every recipe is more or less the same: 1 package of yeast (equal to 2 1/2 tsp), one cup of liquid, and about 3 cups of flour per loaf. Read the Tips and Warnings below before you start, or check out how to Make Bread from Scratch.
2. Make sure you have the right ingredients. Cake or pastry flour is too "soft"--bread should be a bit chewy. Avoid self-raising flour as well. All purpose is fine, but bread flour (it will be labeled as "bread flour," "high protein flour," or "flour for bread machines") is best--it has a higher gluten content, so will respond to kneading better.
3. Now you have your ingredients all ready--don't bother preheating the oven yet, you're a long way from baking. If the weather is chilly and damp, and if your house is cold, turn on the oven to the lowest temperature for about 5 minutes to make a warm place for rising.
4. When using RapidRise Yeast you no longer have to dissolve the yeast in warm water like the old days.
5. Mix together all of the dry ingredients but the flour, including the yeast. Just add 1 cup of flour to start.
6. Mix together all of the wet ingredients and heat to very warm (120° to 130°F).
7. Add the wet and the dry together and beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer. Stir in one more 1 cup flour; beat at high speed for 2 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. How much flour you use will depend on how humid it is.
8. Press all the leftover crumbs of flour etc into the dough ball, the turn the lump out on a floury surface, and start kneading.
9. Keep your counter and your hands well covered in flour, and if your hands get sticky with dough, put some flour on them and rub them together, and the dough will crumble off. Keep kneading for about 10 minutes--set a timer if you have to. When you are finished the dough should be smooth, shiny and elastic--it will bounce back when you squish it.
10. Cover the ball of dough with oil, and put it in an oily bowl. This stops the surface from drying out and cracking while it rises--the dried dough will become nasty lumps in your finished bread. Some people also cover the dough with plastic wrap. Definitely cover the bowl with a dish towel, and put the bowl in a warm (but not hot) location until the dough is double in size, 45 to 90 minutes.
11. Punch it down. This literally means, put your fists on the ball of dough and squish it till it's about the size you started with. Don't mess it up too much, just make it small. Divide in two--if you tear, your bread may have marks of being torn. I usually cut mine by bearing down with my big chef's knife, or use one of those dough cutters if you have it (a flat metal piece that looks like a wallpaper smoother). I always cut dough for making buns.
12. If you're using loaf pans, make sure they're greased. I often just shape the dough into a round or oblong loaf and bake it without a pan on a greased baking sheet. If you want the bottom to be dry, sprinkle cornmeal on the greased baking sheet and put the dough on that. If you like the look of a split-top loaf, slash the top of the loaf a couple times with a very sharp knife. Cover the dough and let it rise again till it's doubled, about 30 to 45 minutes.
13. Now you are ready to bake! Of course it's been so long since you started making the bread that the kitchen is nice and clean, or perhaps you started cooking the ratatouile you're going to eat with your hot, fresh bread. Put the bread into a preheated 400 F oven for about 35 minutes (or check your recipe). When it's done it will sound "hollow" when you tap it with your finger, and it will easily fall out of the loaf pan. Cool them on wire racks.
14. Then after cooling, serve as you wish!

Tips

• These tips are numbered to correspond with the steps above. Please read everything before starting!
• What you use for liquid will change the flavour of your bread. Milk and shortening make light white bread. Water and olive oil make tougher Italian bread. You can use wholewheat (wholemeal) or white flour, or a mix of both (recommended as whole wheat can be too heavy), or add other grains, bran, flax seeds, other seeds and herbs... Once you know how you can make up any combination you want!
• "Breadmachine flour" is high in protein and helps the yeast form more gluten, making it ideal for bread in or out of a breadmachine. For super-stiff and coarse Italian bread, substitute in some 'pasta dura' flour, and don't use a loaf pan.
• Kneading: with the ball of dough in front of you, put the heels of your hands on the dough and push into it, like you want to push the dough away from you. Rock your hands back and do it again. Don't let go with your right hand: grab and turn the far end of the dough 1/4 turn to the left, then fold it back on itself, put down your heels and push again. The idea is to work the whole ball of dough--the turning gives you new dough to massage.
• Again, you can make the oven into a warm place by turning it on low for 5-10 minutes. Other options are on top of a radiator on low, or in a strong beam of sunlight.
• Buns--a recipe for one loaf will usually make 1 dozen dinner rolls. Put them on a greased baking sheet spaced a couple inches apart, as they will swell and touch each other when you rise them the second time.
• Optionally, brush the top of the loaf with milk if you want a soft finish, or with egg for a hard shine. If you want to sprinkle any seeds or stuff on top of the bread, do it now.

Warnings

• When the bread comes out of the oven, don't try and cut it immediately, you will likely crush the loaf, or at least tear up the soft inside. It will set in 30-60 minutes. A few clean dish towels draped over the top will keep it warmer, but make sure air can circulate, so the crust doesn't get soggy.

easy resipe

Let’s face it. You don’t always have five hours to prepare a gourmet meal. In fact, most of the time it’s hard to even find an hour to throw something together.

Here are some fast, easy tricks, tips and techniques to save you time and energy.

Buy a salad mix: Those pre-made mixtures have come a long way. They’re not just lettuce anymore. Dressing, toppings such as almond slivers and dried cranberries, and more make it look like you really spent some time. Open the bag and you have salad.

Prefreeze your Chicken Breasts: It’s always good to have some chicken in the freezer. They’ll thaw in minutes and you’ll have a nice meal ready for the family.

Frozen bread dough: There’s so much assortment these days. From crescent rolls to biscuits to the traditional dinner roll, they’re all available and you’re house will smell delicious while they’re baking. Who has time for yeast anyway?

Frozen fruits: Will save you money and time by allowing you to have strawberries in the middle of winter. Yum.

Shredded cheese: Most recipes call for cheese to be shredded anyway so why not buy it preshredded?

Canned stock and broth: Who really has 24-48 hours to make stock from scratch? Not worth it at all.

Shelf pasta: It’s a really quick simple meal when you’ve got nothing else to make. Also it lasts forever, so you don’t have to worry about it going bad.

Salad dressings: Paul Newman is doing us all a favor by having his face on so many different varieties of salad dressing, plus his version won’t spoil as fast and probably costs less.

Artichoke hearts: As much as I love a good fresh artichoke the work you have to do to get that little heart is sometimes not worth it.

Tomatoes: Canned tomatoes are awesome and lots of recipes call for them nowadays instead of the fresh kind. Plus you can buy them in so many sizes and types.