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10 Dishes Every New Bride or Groom Must Know How to Make!
By
Joi Sigers
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Okay, you've either gotten
married or are planning to pretty soon. Congratulations!
I'm sure you're aware that this means you will be
responsible for at least half the meals you and your loved
one will eat from here on out! Not to mention future
children, your visiting family members and - of course -
inlaws.
A while back, one of my young daughters (who I hope wasn't
getting any ideas), asked me which 10 recipes I thought
every newly married person should be able to make. After
thinking, off and on, about it for a few days, I came up
with what I believe are the top ones. Before we get to the
recipes, I'd like to just share a few words that would
have made life a lot easier on me had someone shared them
with me when I first began cooking!
Cooking is an art. It isn't a chore to be endured or a
duty to get out of the way. It truly can be one of the
most rewarding and satisfying things you'll ever do. Just
like most things, anyone who wants to become good at it
can. Anyone who wants to become great at it can. There's
an ancient Chinese Proverb that says, "The only
difference between a good housekeeper and a bad one is an
hour a day." I took the liberty to edit the proverb
to tell you, "The only difference between a good cook
and a bad one is an hour a day." If you make up your
mind to become a great cook and dedicate even just one
hour a day to honing your skills, you'll earn your apron's
stripes!
A few things you should always remember:
Never leave the kitchen when you're baking cookies or
biscuits. I wouldn't advise ever wandering away from the
kitchen while cooking, but when it's something like
cookies or biscuits, doing so is usually disasterous.
They're just looking for a reason to burn and take your
departure as the open door they need.
When getting cookbooks, go to the used bookstores - or
check online auctions or Amazon.com. The cookbooks that
were written in the 70s and 80s were some of the best.
You'll find ingredients you've actually heard of, for one
thing, plus they tend to have more of the basic recipes
you'll need for starting out.
Watch Food TV! It is really addictive, and even more
informative. I'd suggest you not ever, under any
circumstances, miss an episode of Paula Deen's
"Paula's Home Cooking", Rachel Ray's "30
Minute Meals" or Alton Brown's "Good Eats".
They're the top, in my opinion. After you're more familiar
with your way around the pots and pans, you'll be ready
for Emeril, but you have to work up to him!
Now, to the top ten recipes you'll need. Either consult
some of those cookbooks I told you about, or a website,
such as http://www.foodtv.com or
http://www.buttermilkpress.com, or ask various family
members for their favorite recipes for each. They'll get a
real kick out of that. Plus, if you happen to ask an inlaw
for their favorite recipes, you'll get off on an
especially agreeable note!
Breakfast/Brunch:
1. French Toast and Pancakes. Nothing will impress him or
her quite like a tall, warm stack of delicious pancakes
with butter melting off the sides.
2. Egg dishes: Scrambled, fried and poached. Note: When
cooking eggs, remove them from the skillet before they
actually look completely done. They continue cooking even
after they're removed to the platter.
3. Buttermilk BIscuits. Buttermilk in a recipe makes
everything instantly better. Whether it's biscuits,
pancakes or cornbread, it's presence improves the flavor
ten-fold.
4. Great coffee. You absolutely must be able to make a
sensational pot of coffee. Do your research, try out
different beans and always, always grind your own coffee.
You can get a grinder for under $20.00, and it will be 20
of the wisest dollars you ever invest.
Lunch:
5. Hamburgers and their cousin, Cheeseburgers. I'll let
you in on a family secret, a little garlic salt is the
difference between, "Honey, this is good." and
"Wow! My mom (dad) never made burgers like
this!"
6. At least one really good homemade soup. I know, the
little red and white cans are awfully convenient (and
you'll find about 10 in my own pantry), but being able to
make a sensational potato or vegetable soup is a great big
feather in your culinary cap.
Supper/Etc:
7. Fried Chicken. Back to the Buttermilk for a minute,
soaking your chicken in buttermilk (in the fridge) for
about an hour before coating and frying makes for a
juicier, more flavorful meat.
8. Mashed potatoes. Never. Under. Any. Circumstances. Use.
Instant. Potatoes. Don't even look their way in the store.
Peel, boil, and mash your potatoes with milk, butter
and....pssst, another family secret, sour cream. It's
worth the effort.
9. Yeast rolls. Okay, I'll admit it, these aren't as easy
to make as the other 10 or so foods talked about here.
That's because yeast is tempermental. It can be likened to
Goldilocks, of all things. It gets angry if the liquid is
too hot, it gets angry if the liquid is too cold. It wants
it just right, and when the temperature isn't just right,
whereas Goldie laid down, your bread will lie down. Flat
rolls. Ugly rolls.
10. (3-way tie!) Chocolate Chip Cookies, Apple Pie and
Your sweetheart's favorite cake. Master the desserts and
even when the main meal isn't up to par it'll be okay. The
last thing a person eats, after all, is the thing they'll
most recall. You know the saying, all's well that end's
well.
Cogratulations, good luck, and have fun. It may sound like
something out of a 1940s cookbook, but that really is the
biggest secret. To most things in life, actually.
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