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Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween Goblins and Ghouls!

This has to be one of the most fun holidays to celebrate besides Christmas.Why? Because we all can be at liberty to act like kids. Playing dress-up and acting silly and goofy.

But what is the best treat Halloween has to offer! In the words of Garfield himself-"candy,candy,candy,candy"! All kinds of candy, gooey, fruity, weird flavors and then their is the homemade candies.

I love to read what new trends are out there each year for this day. And this is what I'm finding.
Homemade candy that mimics store bought varieties are a lot more popular than 10-15 years ago, not to say people were not making it. It's just more popular now than ever.

With that being said I'll share this link I found today, I like it because it makes the search for the candy recipes a one-stop shop.

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/halloween/7-homade

Saturday, October 29, 2011

What's Cooking Roz? Autumn Soups and Stews

It's the great pumpkin! Yes indeed. So many culinary uses we have for this surprisingly nutritious gourd.
The culinary creations from the pumpkin are endless, both savory and sweet alike. But let's face it, there is nothing like the fall that sets it off like a bowl of piping hot, creamy, velvety pumpkin soup!
Creamy Pumpkin Soup


The great master of  the French Grande Cuisine-  Auguste Escoffier ( 1846-1935)
classified soups during his era amongst other world renowned French chefs.

There were the obvious clear soups, purees, cullises, bisques, veloutes,and cream soups.And there were also vegetable, special soups and foreign soups.
Each category with its own unique preparation , and for variety, choice ingredients. Because of  the changes in consumer health consciousness  and kitchen operations some of Escoffier's classics have become almost obsolete.

On the contrary, quite a few techniques still remain untouched by the nouveau chefs and cooks .
 Pumpkin soup would fit right up there in the pureed bunch in Escoffier's classification of soups, yum, yum!

Be sure to stop by my recipes sections, on posts for this and other Autumn soup/stew ideas

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

What's Cooking Roz? - Autumn Soups and Stews



Caribbean Oxtail Stew

Autumn is that time of the year when it's not quite bone chilling cold outside, but just cool enough for us to cozy up to a nice hot bowl or mug full of our favorite soup or stew.Hearty, satisfying , comforting foods is still a favorite worldwide.One of my family's favorite is the Caribbean Oxtail stew. Even my granddaughter loves this stew.

Oxtail soups as well as stews are typically braised and or stewed for hours before consuming.
Versions of the soup are traditional dishes in South America, West Africa, Asian, Italian and Caribbean and in African-American households. It seems like many cultures specialize in their own version, delicious indeed.
I hope you enjoy this version. Recipe posting as well other Autumn/Winter warmers are soon to follow.

Keep an eye out for my posting of Gumbo of the month,  each month I will feature a different flavor of Gumbo.
Recipes to follow , along with the secrets of making a real good Gumbo, it's simpler than you think.
 Soups On!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

My Favorite Cookbooks to live by

I'm sure every Chef, Cook and Foodie, worldwide have at least one to five cookbooks they use regularly.These books become our best friend in need, and serve as a source of reference.

Roz dubbed these cookbooks the "how to boil water series" Lol.

In these versatile books you will find sections that tell you how to cook, bake , broil, boil, and shop you name it , it's in there.

There are plenty of choices out there in the market and more on the way to be published, here are a few I listed that has served me well whenever I did not cook from scratch (impromptu cooking, recipes from memory).
The Joy of Cooking-All purpose cooking, it's well organized into fruits, vegetables, types of meats etc.,and all of its cooking methods. The illustrations are very thorough on techniques, what the food item looks like
 
The Food Lover's Companion
A comglamerlate of food terminology, it's what a medical dictionary is to the cooking world.
Hey what can I say it's Martha!
I have two of Martha's hor's oeuvres handbooks,you can create your own appetizers too!

The Other Bible


The recipes begin from small scale cakes to large wedding party servings.
I like to use this also to guesstimate some of my own recipes portions. Powder sugared icings & frosting are not frequented here .


Bon Appetite!