Cooking Tips

To serve piping hot pancake syrup, remove the syrup cap, place the bottle in a microwave, and heat on HIGH for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
Make fruit syrup by adding 2 cups sugar to 1/2 cup of any kind fruit juice and cooking until it boils.
If syrup crystallizes, set the bottle in a pan of cold water. Heat gently and crystals will disappear.
A pinch of salt added to boiling syrup prevents crystallization.

To assemble, hold a prepared corn husk flat on one hand, smooth side up. If you need to overlap two husks, have the wide ends in opposite directions (so that it forms a rectangle) and spread the dough over the husks together, just as if they were one husk. With a rubber spatula, spread a thin layer of masa across the husk, but not to the edges. Top with filling spread more thickly through the dough's center, stopping short of the dough's edges. Ensure that the dough's edges meet to enclose all of the filling. Secure the tamale by folding the wrapper over or tying it.
To cook tamales, stack them loosely in crisscross directions or standing them on end in a large steamer and steam for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the tamales. The dough should become firm and spongy and it should not stick to the corn husks.

The flesh of spaghetti squash, when cooked, comes out like strands of cooked spaghetti and makes a great light stand-in for pasta lovers. Prepare squash by cutting in half lengthwise and removing seeds. Pierce skin several times with a fork and follow one of the cooking methods below. To bake, prepare squash, and place, cut side down, in a large baking pan. Bakei at 350 of for 45 minutes or until skin is tender and strands may be loosened easily with a fork. To microwave, prepare squash, and place, cut side down, in a baking dish. Add ¼ cup water; cover with plastic wrap, folding back a small edge of wrap to allow steam to escape. Cook on high 7 to 10 minutes. To boil, prepare squash, and place, cut side down, in a dutch oven, add water to a depth of 2 inches.
Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Drain. Cool cooked squash. Using a fork, remove spaghetti-like strands of pulp. Discard shell.
Yield: 1 medium spaghetti squash equals about 4 cups cooked.

Remove the stems of the spinach by hand before cooking. Steami the freshly-washed and stemmed spinach by placing the spinach with its clinging water droplets in a large pot or wok. Cover and cook, stirring often. The water on the leaves is usually enough to steam cook the spinach.
Spinachi can also be cooked in a steamer over boiling water for 5 to 8 minutes.
When finished cooking, season with garlic, freshly cracked black pepper and olive oil, if desired.
If you plan to use the spinach in a more complex dish, simply blanch it in a large amount of water just until it wilts, then submerge in ice water to preserve its color.
Spinach can also be sauteed in a small amount of oil or stock. Tossi the leaves often, and add more stock if too much liquid evaporates.

Splenda® has been available in Canada for several years and is now available in the United States. Splenda® (sucralose) is chemically inert and does not break down as it passes through the body. It can be used more or less measure for measure like sugar. In other words, 1 teaspoon of Splenda® tastes like 1 teaspoon of sugar.
1 teaspoon (5 mL or 0.5 grams) of Splenda contains 2 calories (8 kJ); 0.5 grams carbohydrate; 6 mg sucralose; 0 g fat; 0 g protein

Recipes for winter squash usually begin with the instruction, 'Cut the squash in half.' However, squash vary tremendously in size, shape, and skin toughness - compare hubbards, spaghettis, turbans, and delicatas - and cutting them can be a perplexing and dangerous task. Luckily, heat can soften a squash and alleviate some of the difficulty. Using a pairing knife or metal skewer, pierce the skin in three or four places, and cook the squash in a microwave set on high, then proceed with recipe. It will take 5 to 15 minutes to soften depending on the squash’s size and hardness. After cooling, remove the stem and lay the squash on its most stable side. Holding it with one hand, pierce the center with a medium or large knife. Then pull through and down the squash until one half is cut through cleanly. Turn the squash and repeat the process on the uncut half. The squash can then be seeded and cooked further. Squash too large for the microwave can be baked in the oven until their skin softens. No two squash are the same, soft or hard, and attempting to cut even a small squash in half with one stroke can be dangerous. Remember, safety first.

They are extremely perishable, so use them the day they are picked. The squash blossoms called for in Southwestern recipes come from winter squash, not zucchini.

Preparation is usually more time consuming in stir frying than in sauteing or panfrying. In stir frying high heat is used to cook meat and vegetables quickly in a small amount of oil. The largest part of preparation is fine chopping aromatics such as garlic, green onion, ginger, or chili, and cutting meat and vegetables into uniform pieces, usually thin slices, shreds, or a medium dice, for quick and uniform cooking. It is not necessary to have Asian cooking utensils, such as a seasoned wok, a long handled spatula, and a long handled scoop, but they will make the task easier. A wok is made to concentrate the heat in the center of the pan, with the edges acting as a warm resting area. The long spatula and scoop are used to keep the food in motion, by stirring, lifting and tossing, to insure that each piece gets evenly exposed to the heat without scorching and to seal in the flavor. They also keep your hands away from the heat. Once you begin, the cooking occurs very rapidly, and so it is important to have everything ready and near the stove before you turn on the heat.

Compared to your preparation, stir frying occurs in flash. Place the wok on a high heat, and when it is hot, add peanut, corn, or canola oil. After a few moments test the oil with a bit of the aromatics, ginger or garlic; if it sizzles the oil is ready. Then, add the aromatics. In less than a minute they will begin to release their flavor and aroma, and you can begin to add the vegetables and meat in the order of their cooking times; those that take the longest are added first. Stiri, lift, and toss the ingredients until they are evenly cooked without scorching. Ingredients may be removed once they are cooked and returned before finishing. Then add the liquid ingredients and seasoning. For thinly sliced or shredded dishes, turn down the heat for a few minutes while the flavors combine, adjust the seasoning, and serve. For dishes with tougher or larger ingredients, place a lid over the wok and adjust the temperature to maintain a simmer so that the food steams until it has absorbed a portion or all of the liquid. Then return any ingredients that were removed, adjust the seasoning, stir quickly, and serve.

Preheat oven to about 400 degrees F. Put cleaned beef, chicken or fish into a large baking pot. Add any fresh vegetables you care to, including carrot tops, if desired. Carrots, celery, and bell peppers are good to use. Onions do not need to be peeled. Place in the oven and brown for about 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Place roasted meat and vegetables in a stockpot. Add spices, as desired, such as garlic cloves, whole peppercorns, parsley, bay leaf, thyme and/or rosemary. Don't add salt, as you normally add this to the dish you are preparing which uses the stock. Cover the meat and vegetables with double their volume in water. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Leave the pot uncovered so that some liquid evaporates and intensifies the taste.
Seafood stocks need only 1 hour to develop maximum flavor, but beef and chicken should simmer at least several hours. Cook the stock until about one-third of the original liquid remains. Straini it, let it cool, and degrease it. The stock can be frozen in ice cube trays and cubes used as needed.
For vegetable stock, simply omit the meat, chicken or fish from the above instructions.