[Product Review] Pureharvest Coco Quench Milk

While our friends in the UK and the US have had the luxury of coconut milk of the non-canned variety  for some time, us folk in Australia have found ourselves behind the eight-ball yet again...until now. If you avoid coconut milk due to the concerns of BPA in canned items, then look no further than Pureharvest's Organic Coconut Milk: Coco Quench.  Read More >>> Coco Quench has slowly been making its way onto store shelves since its release earlier this year. After four to five months of waiting, it can now be found at most Coles supermarkets.  It's not often that I find myself getting so worked up about a pending product release. But when it comes to Coco Quench, the months of waiting are soon forgotten after the first sip. Compared to canned coconut milk, this wins, hands down.  Benefits of Coco Quench  Organic Sealed in BPA-Free Tetra Pak Cholesterol-Free Lactose-Free Gluten-Free No Cane Sugar While I'm a huge fan of other non-dairy milks, especially almond milk, there's just something special about coconut milk. Perhaps it's the tropical feel which it adds to any meal. Some coconut milks can be quite watery, as water is the main ingredient, however Coco Quench has brown rice milk and guar gum which thicken the consistency and help it closely resemble dairy milk.  Ingredients Filtered water Organic coconut milk (20%) Organic brown rice Organic sunflower oil  Sea salt Organic guar gum As I'm a big consumer of coconut products, in particular coconut flakes and coconut flour, I can see Coco Quench becoming a staple in my diet while I'm still in the country. Any product which transports me to the tropics is too good to resist.  I think I'll be spending the weekend in the kitchen making some of my past coconut recipes, such as Coconut Milk Ice Cream or my Vanilla Coconut Smoothie, with Coco Quench this time around. Macros per 100ml 66 calories 0.6g protein 3.2g fat 7.8g carbs 3.8g sugar 55mg sodium If your local store doesn't stock Coco Quench, speak with the grocery manager and ask them to - if they're aware of the demand they'll want the sales.   Links Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PureharvestAust Website http://www.pureharvest.com.au/ Twitter https://twitter.com/PureharvestAust NOTE: I was not paid nor did I receive any gifts in exchange for this review. All opinions are that of my own. via Stacie Michelle http://stacie-michelle.blogspot.com/2013/08/product-review-pureharvest-coco-quench.html

Put the internet to work for you. via Personal Recipe 3493517

Lyonnaise Potatoes

I have a lovely book, Dining on the B&O -- Recipes and Sidelights from a Bygone Age, by Thomas J. Greco and Karl D. Spence. ISBN 13:  978-0-8018-9323-0 Published in 2009 by The Johns Hopkins University Press and written in association with the B&O Railroad Museum, it is a compilation of recipes used on the B&O Railroad dining cars, many of which came from other sources and contained notes from the chefs who used them.  The authors believe they were compiled in the 1930s or 40s, with the chef notes added possibly in the 1950s. I like what the authors said about the company's attitude:  "The Baltimore and Ohio viewed its passengers as friends and family and did what any good host would do:  strove to make them feel welcome aboard its trains." (pg. 3) Apparently it worked:  "The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was noted for its dining car cuisine and service.  The Dining Car and Commissary Department rarely turned a profit, but the railroad believed that if it provided superior dining and impeccable courtesy, it would attract passengers, shippers, and investors." (pg. 3) What amazes me is the description of the kitchen.  "Entrees were prepared from scratch in a kitchen that occupied a space about 16 feet long and only 7 1/2 feet wide. ... The kitchen was a marvel of efficiency, with only a few feet between the oven, broiler, charcoal grill, and steam table on one side  and the icebox, sinks, and vegetable storage on the other.  No space was wasted..." (pg. 3) The recipe I decided to try was originally taken from Charles Fellow's The Culinary Handbook, published in 1904.  It is considered "the first purely American institutional cook" because Mr. Fellows attempted to reduce the French influence in the American kitchen.  He focused on "no-frills mid-western cooking methods."  (pg. 9)  His book can be downloaded here:  http://ia700506.us.archive.org/8/items/culinaryhandbook00felliala/culinaryhandbook00felliala.pdf Lyonnaise Potatoes (pg 111 in the B&O book) Cold boiled potatoes, either minced or sliced thinly, seasoned with salt and pepper, mixed with a little chopped parsley and fried onions; fried with butter in the form of an omelet. Chef's Comments Ingredients for 4 servings 2 Potatoes, boiled, cold 3 tablespoons Butter 1 Onion, 1/4-inch dice 4 tablespoons Parsley, fresh, chopped fine Salt and Pepper, to taste Peel the potatoes and place in a pan of cold water.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 10 - 20 minutes, depending on the size.  When the potatoes are tender, drain them thoroughly and cool.  Then mince or cut into thin slices. Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the onions until they are soft and beginning to turn translucent.  Add the potatoes, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper to the pan and fry, turning with a spatula until evening browned.   This recipe can be made without simmering the potatoes, but the frying time is a bit longer.  Add the onions and potatoes to the pan at the same time, cover, and lower the heat for 10 minutes or so, then add the parley, salt, and pepper.  With the pan covered, cook until brown and tender. Dried parsley can be substitutes for fresh; cut the amount to 2 tablespoons.  If the potatoes seem to be getting too dry while cooking, add a little more butter to keep them nice and moist. I updated the recipe just a little:  Instead of boiling the potatoes, I microwaved them until they were cooked through.  Then I chilled them in the refrigerator.  This was done a few days before I needed them.  It seemed to me that the point was to start with cooked potatoes, so boiling, baking, and microwaving were all valid options.  Also, I didn't peel the potatoes. So basically I started with cooking the onions and proceeded from there. Slow cooking makes them sweeter Once they were starting to look translucent, and smelling heavenly, by the way, I added the rest of the ingredients. I noticed I needed to scoop carefully with a spatula and turn the potatoes to keep them from breaking up too much while cooking. The directions, "until evenly browned", I interpreted as "Let sit in the skillet until they smelled good and were crusty" and that was a good decision! The Verdict This dish is not pretty to look at.  It does not contain fancy ingredients.  But it sure is tasty and was a marvelous side dish to the Paper Pork (see the July 1, 2013 post). The onions make the dish.  Because they are cooked so much they are sweet and add little blasts of oniony flavor to offset the blander potato.  I was concerned at first about using an entire onion with only two potatoes but that is just right.  You need lots of onion here! The butter keeps everything moist and the salt and pepper give it a needed kick. Normally I fanatically put tomato ketchup on anything potato-related (not baked, though!) and was surprised to discover this dish didn't need it. So "Success", definitely.  I think it would be a good accompaniment to any robust meat dish because it will not compete with it. It seemed that Lyonnaise Potatoes would be good also with paprika or bacon or ham added to it.    via Goode Eates http://historicalrecipes.blogspot.com/2013/08/lyonnaise-potatoes.html

Put the internet to work for you. via Personal Recipe 3453243

How To Make Chocolate Covered Cherries

Ingredients 60 maraschino cherries with stems 3 tablespoons butter, softened 3 tablespoons corn syrup 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar 1 pound chocolate confectioners' coating Directions Drain cherries and set on paper towels to dry. In a medium bowl, combine butter and corn syrup until smooth. Stir in confectioners' sugar and knead to form a dough. Chill to stiffen if necessary. Wrap each cherry in about 1 teaspoon of dough. Chill until firm. Melt confectioners' coating in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Dip each cherry in by its stem, and place on waxed paper lined sheets. Chill until completely set. Store in an airtight container in a cool place. Best after 1 or 2 weeks. via Tasty Chocolate Recipes http://tastychocolaterecipes.com/how-to-make-chocolate-covered-cherries-2.html

Put the internet to work for you. via Personal Recipe 3453208

Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Muffins

These muffins are a tasty stand-in. Moist and tender, studded with grated carrots and lightly spiced with ginger and cinnamon, they hold a tasty surprise within: a melting pool of sweetened cream cheese filling. Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Muffins Yield:    12 muffins Ingredients: Filling: one 8-ounce package cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese 1/4 cup granulated sugar a few drops of Fiori di Sicilia flavor, optional but very tasty Muffins: 2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 1/2 cup granulated sugar ¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 3/4 cup water 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 cup grated carrots, lightly packed; about 2 medium-large carrots Instructions: 1) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a standard 12-well muffin pan. Or line the pan with paper muffin cups, and grease the cups. 2) To make the filling: Place the cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat on low power for 40 seconds. Stir in the sugar and flavor. Set aside. 3) To make the muffin batter: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. 4) In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and oil. 5) Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. 6) Fold in the grated carrots, stirring to combine. 7) Drop about 2 tablespoons of the batter (a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here) into each muffin cup, spreading it to cover the bottom. 8) Dollop on a heaping tablespoon of filling; a level tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. 9) Cover with enough batter to fill the muffin cups quite full. The batter will come to within about 1/4" to 3/8" of the top of each muffin cup. But don't try to use all the batter; unless you have particularly deep cups, you'll have abut 1/3 cup batter left over. Bake it in a separate custard cup, if desired. 10) Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted into the cake part of one (not into the cream cheese filling) comes out clean, about 20 minutes. The tops of the muffins will feel firm to the touch. 11) Remove the muffins from the oven, and as soon as you're able to handle them, transfer them to a rack. If you serve the muffins warm, the filling will be molten. If you wait for them to cool, it'll firm up. Source: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/cream-cheese-carrot-cake-muffins-recipe via Recipes, Dinner Ideas, Healthy Recipes & Food Guide http://www.piarecipes.com/2013/07/cream-cheese-carrot-cake-muffins.html

Put the internet to work for you. via Personal Recipe 3453146