How To Roast Garlic (courtesy of EHowFoods.com)

To roast garlic, first start with your oven set to 350º.

Next, take a head of garlic, and go ahead and cut off the top part of the garlic, so it’s exposing the cloves.

You’re gonna next set that into a little foil bowl, on a sheet pan, with a roasting rack.

Next, add a little olive oil on top of your garlic cove.

And then, we’re gonna add just a little bit of salt.

Next, we’re gonna set it into the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until it gets really soft to the touch.

And that is how you roast a head of garlic!

Learn how to make delicious tamales (courtesy of AllRecipes.com)

Tamales are as beautiful as they are delicious! Wrapped and steamed in leaves, this authentic, Latin-American treat can be made in so many variations – just like the American sandwich! Served as a special occasion food, in part because they take time to make, tamales are steamed, cornmeal dumplings filled with moist, flavorful filling, all wrapped up like a gift, in a corn husk! First, let’s take a look at what goes inside a tamale, from the inside out.

Filling. This is traditionally meat – braised beef or pork – but, you can pack tamales with chicken, roasted veggies, cheese or seafood.

Masa dough. The dumpling or breading of the tamale, is made from ground corn flour, lard and salt. This doughy mixture is cooked into firmness through steaming.

The wrapper. Tamales are wrapped and cooked in a plant leaf – dried corn husks, fresh corn husks or banana leaves are common wrappings. This non-edible layer holds the tamale together as it cooks, and it gives the tamale its distinctive, authentic look. Before you get started, be aware that tamales take a fair amount of time to make. Some tamale makers suggest you may need as much as 2 days.

Day 1 – You cook the meat.

Day 2 – You assemble the tamales.

Others suggest that you make the tamales all in one day, and make a party out of it! Invite over your friends and family to form a tamale making assembly line. Either way, here are the tools to make tamales:

A dutch oven to cook the meat
Large capacity, 16 to 20 quart steamer to steam the tamales
Tongs
Knife, spoon or spreading utensil of your choice

Step 1 – Prepare the filling. Most tamales are filled with braised pork or beef, in a sauce of spices and dried and crushed chilies, but you can use chicken, roasted vegetables, cheese, beans or seafood. Even make dessert tamales, filled with a sweet mix of fruit and nuts!

Traditionally, you simmer a large, 3-4 pound piece of pork or beef roast in a dutch oven with onion, garlic and enough water to cover the meat. Cook the meat on low heat until it’s tender and cooked through, for at least 2 hours. Ideally, you want to be able to pull it apart with a fork.

Once you’ve cooked the meat, you can ad spices and seasonings. Typical choices are chilies,
chili powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, black pepper and salt. Well, here’s how you season the cooked meat. Heat a splash of corn oil in a large pan. Heat on medium-high and add seasonings of your choice. Add the pulled, cooked meat and mix with the oil and seasonings.

Step 2 – Prepare the husks. Soak the dried corn husks in water for about an hour, to make them pliable.

Step 3 – Make the masa. Traditional tamale dough is a mixture of masa, lard and salt. Fresh masa is dried corn that has been cooked in lime water, soaked overnight and ground up while still wet. You can buy fresh masa. It makes the lightest, fluffiest tamales! Or, you can make your own masa, using Masa Harena – flour from dried out masa. If you use Masa Harena, you add liquid – either water or meat broth, to moisten it.

For light and fluffy tamale dough, whip the lard and salt with an electric mixer for a few minutes. If you don’t want to use lard, you can use the same amount of vegetable shortening. Add masa and continue to whip, adding water or broth, until the mixture is the consistency of soft cookie dough. How do you tell if your masa mixture is moist enough? Here’s a test. Drop a small ball of dough into a glass of water. If the dough sinks, it needs more liquid whipped into it. If it floats, it’s ready to use!

Step 4 – Wrap it up! Open up a corn husk or leaf and lay it on a cutting board. Spread a layer of masa dough, about a ¼ to a ½ inch thick. Then, spread a tablespoon of filling down the middle of the masa dough. Carefully roll up the husks so that the masa dough completely covers up the filling, and the parcel stays in tact. Use a strip of husk to tie the package closed. Pretty, isn’t it?

Step 5 – Steam the tamales. Stand the tamales upright in a steamer basket. Turn the water to high and steam over boiling water for 45 minutes. Remove the tamales from the steamer with tongs, taking care not to burn yourself. Arrange the tamales on a platter, and Dig In! Remind tamale newbies to remove the corn husk before eating!

Make a lot of tamales and freeze the excess. Tamales can be frozen for up to 6 months. Wrap them in a heavy, resealable plastic bag. To re-heat, thaw tamales in the refrigerator, and steam or microwave them until they are heated through.

If you’re craving tamales, set aside some time, invite over friends and family, and get rolling! Tamales are easy to make, when there are lots of hands to help!

How To Make Fortune Cookies (courtesy of Howcast.com)

Making homemade fortune cookies is a snap, and your loved ones will get a kick out of their personalized predictions! You will need:

Paper

Scissors

Nontoxic Pen

Cookie Sheet

Butter or nonstick Cooking Spray

2 large egg whites

½ cup of all-purpose flour

½ cup of sugar

1 tsp almond extract

Wax paper

Measuring cup

Muffin tins

Step 1: Cut paper into 16 2 x ½ inch strips, and write a fortune on each with a non-toxic pen.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 375°, and grease a baking sheet with butter or non-stick cooking spray.

Step 3: Whisk egg whites into a medium-sized bowl, until they’re just foamy.

Step 4: Add the flour, sugar, and almond extract to the egg whites and beat until the mixture is smooth.

Step 5: Drop 4 separate tablespoons of batter onto the cooking sheet, spaced far apart. You have enough batter for about 16 cookies, but don’t attempt to make more than 4 cookies per sheet. They need room to spread.

Step 6: Use a butter knife or the back of a spoon to spread the dropped batter into circles about 2 inches in diameter.

Step 7: Bake the cookies until the edges just begin to turn brown, about 6 minutes. The centers should remain pale.

Step 8: As soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, lift them off the cookie sheet with a spatula and place them on a piece of wax paper.

Step 9: Place a fortune in the center of a cookie, and fold the cookie in half, to form a semi-circle. Pick up the cookie and place the straight edge across the rim of the measuring cup. Fold the pointed edges down, one on the inside and one on the outside of the cup. Put the cookie in a muffin tin so it retains its shape as it cools. Work as quickly as you can! Once these cookies cool, they’ll be impossible to bend.

Step 10: Enjoy the looks on your loved ones’ faces when they read fortunes written just for them!

Did you know? The largest fortune cookie manufacturer in the world is located in Brooklyn, NY!

How To Make Hummus (courtesy of Howcast.com)

Make this delicious and healthy chickpea puree in a matter of minutes. You will need:

A 15-ounce can of chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans

One clove chopped garlic

One lemon

Salt

Two tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)

Two tablespoons of olive oil

Pita bread, pita chips, crackers or vegetables

Equipment:

A colander

Food processor, blender or a potato masher

Bowl

Optional:

Olives, red peppers or chili peppers

Garnish of parsley, pine nuts or diced garlic

Step 1 – Open and drain the can of chickpeas. Rinse them off in a colander and put them in a food processor or blender. Or, place them in a large bowl to mash by hand. Save a few good chickpeas to garnish the finished plate.

Step 2 – Add the tahini paste and the garlic.

Step 3 – Squeeze the lemons and add the juice to the mix. Make sure no seeds get in. Make your own variations by mixing in olives, red peppers or chili peppers.

Step 4 – Add about ¼ teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of olive oil.

Step 5 – Blend the mixture or add by hand for about a minute, or, until it’s as smooth or chunky as you want it. If the hummus is too thick or chunky, add extra olive oil to thin it out.

Step 6 – Pour the hummus onto a plate, and smooth it out in big circles with the bottom of a spoon. Garnish with the leftover chickpeas and parsley, pine nuts, or more chopped garlic. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil.

Step 7 – Enjoy your hummus as a dip with pita bread, crackers or veggies, or use it as a sandwich spread.

Did you know? Besides providing a healthy serving of vegetables and legumes, hummus is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.

How To Clarify Butter (courtesy of GialloZafferano.it)

Butter is a type of fat not very suitable for cooking, since it burns at a very low temperature. Clarified butter allows you to cook at high temperatures, to get, for example, crispy-fried food. Let’s see how to do it.

Put the butter in the or in a heavy saucepan and turn on the heat. The butter will melt, letting a white foam come to the surface.

As the foam rises to the top, skim it off with a ladle.

Let the butter simmer slowly until transparent, so that the casing settles on the bottom.

Now, strain the butter through a cheesecloth, and discard the casing settled on the bottom.

If you’re not going to use the clarified butter immediately, pour into sealed jars and keep in the fridge.

Here is your clarified butter, ready to use!

How To Roast Cashews (courtesy of HerculesCandy.com)

Today, we are roasting our delicious, jumbo cashews.

We cook our cashews in copper kettles using pure vegetable oil.

They start out as a pale, tan color.

You cook the cashews until they become a wonderful, golden brown!

When the cashews are done, we drain them on absorbent, food-grade paper.

Then, we salt them.

I think you know what happens next!

How To Cook Asparagus (courtesy of RedbookMag.com)

Fresh asparagus is one of the simplest pleasures of the spring garden. Its unique and delicate flavor is best revealed when prepared simply. Young asparagus will have a tender stalk and cook quickly. Mature asparagus should be trimmed of their woodier stalks and cooked until they’re tender.

To steam asparagus, fit a saucepan with a steaming basket, and bring about a half an inch of water to boiling over medium high heat. Add one pound trimmed asparagus. Cover, and steam them ’til they’re tender crisp, which takes about 8 to 10 minutes.

To boil asparagus, in a medium skillet, bring about 1 inch of salted water to a boil. Add a pound of trimmed asparagus, and return the water to boiling. Reduce the heat to medium high and cook, uncovered, until they are tender crisp – about 5 to 10 minutes.

Strain them in a colander, and then soak them in an ice bath, to retain their bright green color, if not serving immediately. And, asparagus is a great, crispy addition to any crudite basket!