Charlotte’s Blues

Are you looking for equipment for upgrading your catering services by enhancing the attributes of hygiene and maintaining your reputation? If that’s what you are planning on doing, then this is the article for you. Now most chefs and even homemakers maintaining kitchens at homes have a clear idea in their head as to how their kitchen should look like. But renovating it or building it up from scratch is quite strenuous. Life, however, is not always fair and hence we need to make do with whatever we have in hand. Take a look below to maximise your existing space and make the renovation cost-effective.

Key points to consider before buying commercial kitchen equipment:

1. Suitability of your equipment:

Characteristics of commercial equipment and household kitchen equipment vary widely.
Not only will the appliances like microwaves designed for homes like be won’t be of much good to keep up with the daily requirements of professional kitchens, but also, warranties for the equipment that are designed for domestic purposes when used for commercial purposes won’t be honoured by most manufacturers and understandably so since they are not the ones for the purpose. So the first and foremost and a rather important point would be to choose the correct category of utensils, keeping in mind the required size, quality, and other perspectives.

2. The energy efficiency of the purchased equipment:

Restaurant kitchens consume the most energy compared to any other commercial space. Hence, using energy-efficient appliances won’t be a bad idea as …

10. Healthy Tipping Point
Caitlin went from being an overweight, sedentary college student to a fit marathoner and triathelete. The entire journey is chronicled in her blog, Healthy Tipping Point. Follow Caitlin as she trains for a 100-mile bike race in California and gets ready to publish her first book.

Recipes to note: Pumpkin Spice Toasted Quinoa, Flax-Encrusted Sweet Potato Balls

9. The Inner Workings of a College Graduate
   A Florida marathoner and dog-lover, Meghann’s blog shows how far training and dedication to a sport can take you. Along the way, she uses an abundance of fresh Florida ingredients to create memorable, delicious-looking meals.

Recipes to note: Nut Butter Crusted Parsnip Fries, Barley Risotto

8. Peas and Thank You
   For anyone interested in raising a vegetarian family, this is the blog for you. Watch vegan Mama Pea raise her two little peas and learn more about keeping a family healthy and satisfied while sticking to a meat-free diet.

Recipes to note: Blackberry Cinnamon Rolls, Pumpkin Spice Roasted Chickpeas

7. Carrots ‘n’ Cake
   This Boston resident spreads her love for healthy living and nutrition both at her day job (working for a nutrition rating company) and on her blog. A proud pug mama, Tina strives to achieve a daily balance and proves that you can have your cake and stay fit, too.

Recipes to note: Almond-Butter Stuffed French Toast, Turkey and Bean Chili

6. Roni’s Weigh
   Roni went from an overweight mother to one hot mama, losing 70 pounds and gaining a new perspective on

…

What good would a Super Bowl party be without some appetizing snacks? If you're hosting your own party this year, you may feel under the gun to produce a spread of food that will appeal to everyone's tastes. Keeping the dishes simple and relatively unhealthy are usually key factors to satisfy everyone's hunger and leave them wanting more. Use the following Super Bowl party recipes to entertain your guests and turn your party into an event that no one will ever forget:

Finger Foods

Ham and Cream Cheese Roll-Ups

Ingredients: 1 pound of softened cream cheese

1 pound of sliced ham

15 green onions

2 tsp of horseradish

Directions: Begin by finely chopping the green onions. Next, combine the cream cheese, horseradish, and green onions in a large bowl and mix. Take individual ham slices and spread the mixture on each slice. Finally, roll the ham slices up and put them in the refrigerator. To make serving the roll-ups easier, you can consider cutting each slice in half. This will also make it seem like you have made double the amount of roll-ups.

Tortilla Wedges

Ingredients: 10 flour tortillas

1 cream cheese package (8 oz) – make sure it is softened

1 can of diced green chilies (4.25 oz)

1 Tablespoon of minced jalapeno peppers

1/2 cup of sour cream

1/2 cup of sliced green onions

Directions: Combine the cream cheese and sour cream in a bowl and mix them thoroughly. You can also add salt and pepper to your …

Fast & Easy – Party Food Recipes

By now you've got the house cleaned, the food and drinks chilling, and chips and dips ready. What else can you serve your football buddies and their families on Superbowl Sunday? Here are a few easy recipes you can prepare the night before or on the day of the game.

Chips and Salsa – click on the links for quick and easy tortilla chips and super easy tomato salsa . It's best to make both the day before and let the salsa sit in the refrigerator for a half-hour or so; double and triple the recipes to feed large groups.

These are awesome tasting and simple recipes, even your kids could make help you make them.

Black Bean Salsa Recipe

1 can corn – drained
1 can black beans – drain and rinsed
1 can spicy diced tomatoes, with bell peppers and spices (optional – Rotel is great)
1 can diced tomatoes (if you omit the spicy tomatoes, make this with 2 cans of diced tomatoes)
1 small diced sweet onion
1 bunch of fresh cilantro – chopped fine
1 fresh lime or lime juice in the fake plastic lime container (to taste)
Kosher salt (to taste)

Directions

Open the cans, rinse and drain as described above, mix it all together and refrigerate until it is cold and flavors blend together – about a half-hour minimum.

Serve with chips, eat alone, or use it as a topping or side with chicken, fish, or …

As a 25-year teacher and homeschooler, one of my favorite ways to introduce students to a culture was by sampling foods from that country. Kids love my around the world taste tours, too. If you're exploring Chinese New Year in your classroom or family homeschool, here are recipes and food ideas to try.

Michigan State University has put together a power point describing the regions of China. Use that tool to introduce children to the eight culinary regions of China, as described by Travel China Guide.

* Shadong (Lu or Mandarin cuisine) in north China, Beijing and Jinan City: dishes focus on duck, carp, chicken and seafood, particularly abalone (shellfish). Shadong food emphasizes garlic, shallots and sea pumpkin. For a simplified shadong dish, stir-fry prawns (shrimp), asparagus spears and chunks of squash or pumpkin in garlic, shallots and peanut oil.

* Chuan (Szechuan cuisine) from Sichuan province: food is very spicy and hot, using chilis, peppercorn, peanuts, sesame, garlic and ginger. Steam or boil cellophane, rice, ramen or lo mein noodles. Make a thin sauce of crunchy peanut butter, garlic, sesame or peanut oil and minced ginger. Toss noodles with sauce, sesame seeds, sliced scallions, and peanuts. Offer red pepper flakes for students who wish to try it, but warn them that it's hot.

* Hui (Anhui cuisine) from the Huangshan mountains, these foods employ vegetables, mushrooms and rice. Steam jasmine or basmati rice and or make egg foo yung by mixing chopped bok choy, napa cabbage, mushrooms and bean …

I'm very fortunate to have a life that affords me the opportunity to be a stay-at-home Dad, as I am able to raise my daughters with a zest for life and the flavors it brings. This doesn't end with play time, or reading, but translates well into the kitchen where we enjoy nights preparing dinner for Mommy when she comes home from her 9-5 job. Recently, we kicked our culinary delights into Thai food, and learned three recipes that are deliciously simple.

Quick and Easy Thai Food Recipes

Som Tam: Spicy Papaya Salad with Peanuts

Start with:
1/2 of a fresh green papaya
1/4 cup dried shrimp
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
Juice of 3 limes
4 bird's eye chillies
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
3 Tablespoons coriander

In a bowl, blend fish sauce and lime juice. Dissolve in sugar. Mix in the chillies. Let it stand on the counter for 30 minutes or more. While waiting, grate papaya into thin strips, then toss in a bowl. Add dried shrimp and coriander, toss well. Add dressing and toss, covering everything. Toast peanuts lightly in toaster oven until fragrant crush, and sprinkle on top.

Curry Coconut Thai Soup with Tofu

Start With:
2 tsp green curry paste
1/2 cup diced tofu, firm and drained
2 scallions, finely sliced1/4 cup finely diced zucchini
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
13 oz can coconut milk
Dash of red pepper flakes
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp brown …

Sandwiches have always been a quick and simple lunch for school, work or home. Two slices of bread, some sort of filling – peanut butter and jelly among the long-standing favourites – and you have lunch. Well, with a little creativity and some other ingredients and you can elevate your sandwiches to something a little special.

Here are three quick to make sandwich recipes for great tasting sandwiches. They offer an alternative to peanut butter and jelly or grabbing something quick at a local fast food outlet. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Mix things up. Use these recipes as a starting point; add other ingredients, try different kinds of bread or wraps, and enjoy.After all, sandwiches are only limited by the foods you like to eat.

Pesto, Goat Cheese, and Roasted Red Peppers on Naan

Ingredients

• 1 Naan (flat bread)
• Goat cheese
• Bottled basil pesto
• Roasted red peppers (from a jar)
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Spread pesto on the Naan
2. Crumble goat cheese over the bread
3. Add roasted red pepper slices
4. Cut the Naan in half and fold over
5. Grill the sandwich for two minutes on each size in a frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil.

Note: If you don’t want to fry the sandwich, you can warm it in an oven or microwave. This sandwich also tastes terrific cold; just eliminate the tablespoon of olive oil. Additionally, use good white bread and sprinkle dried basil in the olive oil before frying the sandwich.

 

Rice Wrap

Ingredients…

These sweets are really easy and quick to make. They are suitable for older children to assemble under sensible adult supervision and because they are ready quickly, the cooking will not take all day. These make cute seasonal gifts if bundled in a cellophane food bag and tied with ribbon.

Preparation

Before starting, take a large sheet of baking parchment and grease lightly with a spray on oil. Place this on a heat resistant flat surface such as the kitchen counter top or table. If this is not heat resistant then use a baking sheet under the paper.

 

Fudge Nugget Ingredients

• 400g caster sugar
• 30g butter
• 150ml evaporated milk
• 200g good quality white chocolate, chopped
• 100g whole almonds
• 100g dried juicy cranberries

Method

1. Toast the almonds carefully by placing them on a baking sheet in a low oven. Nuts will toast and burn quickly becoming bitter and inedible so take care to watch them. The baking tray can be shaken around a couple of times during cooking to encourage the almonds to toast evenly. This whole process should only take 5 – 10 minutes depending on the oven in question and whether it has been pre-heated. When the almonds smell fragrant and have colored a little, remove them from the oven and set aside.
2. Place the sugar, butter and evaporated milk in a large saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over a low heat.
3. Keep stirring the mixture until it starts to caramelize. This takes about 10-15 minutes

…