No Fail Recipes

Year: 2017

How to Find the Right Melon

How to Select the Most Flavorful Melon

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Most people cringe when confronted with choosing the perfect melon. Choosing right, your honeydew, cantaloupe, casabas, or watermelon with be full of sweet juicy flavor, and the wrong one, totally flavorless.

Melon flavor is directly linked to sugar development. Once a melon is picked from the vine, it ceases to sweeten. For the best flavor, melons must be picked when fully ripe, because that is when their sugar levels are at their peak. “Ripening” off the vine will typically not develop more flavor. Should you buy a melon “off season?” Since sugar development is dependent on hot weather, which typically occurs at summer’s end, you take greater risk at finding a flavorful melon.

Here are 4 tips to selecting the best melon:

Weight: The densest melons – that is the heaviest ones for their size, have the most sugar and therefore the most flavor.

Smell: Yes, smell your melon! It should be sweet and aromatic. When smelling a melon, do so from the stem end.

Knock-Knock: Yes, knocking on your fruit will tell you if it is sweet. If it has a hollow dull thump, the sweeter it is. Hard thuds, not so sweet.

Appearance: Generally look for smooth skin with consistent colors, except for the side that laid on the ground. And if it looks or feels a little soft, the melon is probably not good anymore.

Also, don’t be afraid to ask your grocer to help you select the best fruit.

Now for a bit of trivia, did you know – melons are not only fruits but more specifically, they are berries, just very large ones.

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    How to Tell If An Avocado is Ripe

    How to Tell If Your Avocado is Perfectly Ripe?

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    Think about coming home from the grocery store, looking forward to that beautiful smooth and creamy avocado you just bought and you want to eat right away. Then, to your surprise – its ripened past its prime or its too young and not ripe enough. The thing is, avocado’s don’t ripen on the tree, they only ripen once picked. Here are 3 tips to pick the best avocado:

    General appearance: The color and texture of a ripe avocado are uniform. If skin color varies or has block spots it may be spoiled. There should be no “divots”, another sign your avocado has gone bad.

    Firmness: Press gently on the fruit to make sure it is ripe enough. There should be just a slight give to the texture. If you don’t feel much resistance, the avocado may be too ripe. If too much resistance, it may not be ripe enough.

    Color: If under the stem, its yellow or light green, it means your avocado is not ripe enough but if it is brown, it likely has ripened beyond its usefulness.

    Like most fruits, avocado’s have relatively short shelf life, maybe one to three days if stored on the counter. Maybe a couple of more days in the refigerator. If you put the avocado closed bag on the counter, it will ripen faster.

    If you live in California or Florida, maybe the best idea is to plant your own avocado tree.

    20 Outrageous Upgrades to the Classic S’more

    S’more Just Got Better

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    S’more are the perfect campfire treat. It’s also the perfect treat in the middle winter in front of the fireplace. Come to think about it, they are the perfect year round treat. But its time to upgrade and branch out from the basics of graham crackers, Hershey bards and roasted marshmallows. Here are 20 awesomely delicious and outrageous upgrades to the traditional S’more.

    1. Make your own graham crackers. Better yet, cut them into dinosaur shapes.
    2. Add a layer of peanut butter on your graham cracker. Easier still, replace the Hershey bar with Reese’s peanut butter cups. Other nut butters, such as almond and cashew work great too.
    3. And how about Nutella????
    4. Add banana slices to your peanut butter s’more.
    5. Have you tried an Oreo s’more? Pull apart the two cookies and place your roasted marshmallow in between. The Oreo cookies act as a graham cracker and who doesn’t love the creamy center? Use double-stuff cookies for extra extravagance.
    6. Take this concept further with the S’moreo. For a S’moreo, add a dab of peanut butter onto the cream center before adding a roasted marshmallow.
    7. Do you love the tropical coconut? You can’t go wrong with toasted coconut marshmallows. Add the normal s’more necessities, the chocolate and graham cracker, with this coconut bite of bliss. When roasted over the coals of a fire, the coconut shavings and gooey marshmallow is to die for.
    8. What about a caramel chocolate s’more? Chocolate, a sprinkle of crunchy sea salt, and rich, smooth, caramel make pretty much everything better. Cover your chocolate with a spoonful of caramel sauce and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt before adding your perfectly roasted marshmallow.
    9. With your caramel chocolate s’more, you can swap out the sea salt and add some toasted coconut for a Samoa S’more!
    10. Everything goes better with bacon. This one can be a bit messy but it’s worth it. To achieve this level of s’more perfection, layer bacon, a toasted marshmallow and chocolate in between graham crackers. Top it off by drizzling your favorite maple syrup in the middle of the miraculous mess.
    11. Try a Mexican s’mores. Build your s’mores the traditional way but sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon and chili pepper over the Hershey’s bar before adding your roasted marshmallows.
    12. Chocolate chip cookies s’mores creates an added decadence to your s’mores repertoire. Replace the graham crackers with chocolate chip cookies.
    13. Next, use double fudge chocolate chip cookies. If you like shortbread, that’s a great alternative too.
    14. For southerner’s, use a biscuit in place of the graham crackers.
    15. Go for broke and use glazed donuts in place of your graham crackers. Its best to cut the donuts in half horizontally. Pure sugar and chocolate bliss.
    16. The S’moritto. Take a small tortilla, cover it with a thin layer of peanut butter and jelly. Add a slice of bacon, then top with a Hershey bar and your roasted marshmallow. Wrap like a burritto and its ready to be devoured.
    17. Replace the traditional Hershey’s bar with a Cookies and Cream Hershey bar.
    18. Have you ever tried a S’moreover? Start with puff pastry dough. Top the dough with a graham cracker on one-half of the dough. Then add a thin (or thick) layer of peanut butter, add your Hershey Bar, and then top with marshmallows straight out of the bag. Wrap the dough into popover sizes and seal the edges. Pop int he oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
    19. Replace the Hershey’s bar with thin mints or York Pepperment Patties.
    20. Try something completely different – a Lemon Meringue s’mores. Replace the Hershey Bar with lemon curd.

    No matter how you spin it, s’more can be more than a great camp tradition. Not only are your options endless, you don’t need to confine yourself to a campfire. Your fireplace, oven or cast iron skillet are also great vessels to melt your chocolate and marshmallows any time of the year when that craving hits.

    Article courtesy of Encore Book Club

    6 Common Burger Blunders to Avoid

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    6 Common Burger Blunders to Avoid

    While seemingly oh-so simple to prepare, these few mistakes can cause your hamburger meal to end in total disaster. Hambergers make such a simple and delicious meal, avoiding these few simple mistakes can be the difference between a dry, tough burger and a juicy, meaty, full-of-flavor one. Our goal is to achieve a beefy & smoky flavor, with a soft juicy texture that melts in your mouth, and a nice crunchy and caramelized outer layer.

    • Avoid Ultra Lean Beef

    A great burger starts with the right beef. Stay away from ultra lean beef. Flavor and juiciness is dependent on the fat content of your meat. No 90/10 mixes. Using such a mix will leave you with a bone dry, flavorless, hard piece of cooked burger. The minimum should be 80/20, better yet, 75/25. Cooked right, the juices will come flowing down your chin!

    • Avoid Bargin Basement Beef

    You might think skimping on good beef will be okay under the bun, melted cheese, grilled onion, and other accompaniments you might lavish on your burger but you’d be wrong. Don’t skimp, use good quality beef.

    • Avoid Packing Burgers Too Tightly

    Avoid overworking the meat and don’t make hockey pucks. Avoid those special burger molds that cause you to pack the beef in. Hand forming buggers will give you the best shape. Its best to leave it scraggly so you have the most exposed surface area that will give your burger the right char, caramelization and the grill marks to prove it. Dome-shaped burgers can be avoided by using your finger to add a small divot in the center on both sized of the raw burger.

    • Improperly Seasoned

    A great hamburger needs just great beef, salt and pepper but in the proper order. Adding salt and pepper before forming the patties causes dry burgers and require more salt and pepper than is necessary. Salt and pepper should only be added once the patty is formed and no more than 30-60 minutes before grilling.

    • Not Properly Preheating the Grill

    Not properly preheating your grill will result in a soggy mess that sticks to the grill. Preheat your grill so it is very hot, you can always adjust the temperature once you start grilling. Then, clean the grill and generously apply oil. These steps will ensure your burger doesn’t stick and you get enough char and caramelization.

    • Avoid Playing With the Patty While Grilling.

    Once you place the burgers on the grill – leave them alone. No tamping them down – it only squeezes out the juices. Don’t polk, prod, or play with the patties – and flip them just once – this assures your burgers achieve the perfect, slight outer crunch. Well-formed, half-pound burgers only need about 4 minutes per side for medium rare and about 5 minutes for medium. Any longer, and all bets are off.

    Once you avoid these six burger blunders, its time to personalize your hamberger. Be creative – a fresh bun. a flavorful melted slice of cheese, caramelized onions, garlic aioli, mayonnaise, gourmet mustard, avocado slices – the list is endless.

    Fair Food: Foods Found at State & County Fairs

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    State Fair Food

    State fair season is beginning and, for many, that means one thing: food. Lots and lots of food, often deep fried, on a stick or deep fried and on a stick.

    Can you say candy bar on a stick? Or pizza on a stick? Or, even more perplexing, deep fried Coke.  Then there’s deep-fried Milky Way bar on a stick, meatball on a stick, cheesecake on a stick, fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a stick and don’t forget about the fried pickle on a stick.

    Here’s a list of some of the Fair Food Favorites:

    Indiana Corn Dog Recipe
    Texas State Fair Chili
    California Deep Fried Avocados & Dipping Sauce
    Deep-fried Cheese Bites & Dipping Sauce
    Deep Fried Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
    Deep Fried Jalapeños & Dipping Sauce
    Deep-Fried Mac & Cheese Shells
    Deep-Fried Candy Bars on a Stick
    Deep-Fried Coca Cola
    Deep-Fried Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce
    Deep Fried Oreo Cookies
    Deep Fried Texas Dirt
    Peppery Hush Puppies
    Chicken & Waffles
    Blue-Ribbon Apple Pie
    Hot & Spicy Turkey Legs
    Funnel Cakes
    Waffle Fry Nachos
    State Fair Cream Puffs
    Baby Back Ribs
    Lemonade Ice Tea
    Chocolate Caramel Apples
    State Fair Sub Sandwich
    Sweet Corn Beignets with Bacon-Sugar Dust
    Kool-Aid Pickles
    Jalapeno Popper Burgers
    Corn Ice Cream
    Gilroy Garlic Ice Cream
    Pork & Black Bean Nachos
    Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs & The Works
    Pizza on a Stick
    Baked Elephant Ears
    Southern Fried Okra
    Best-Ever Fried Chicken
    Winning Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie
    Jalapeno Popper Mexican Street Corn
    Walking Tacos
    Ultimate Oreo Caramel Apples
    Blackberry Lemonade
    The Works Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
    Maple Chocolate-Covered Bacon
    Poutine & Gravy
    Frozen Chocolate Monkey Treats
    Marina’s Golden Corn Fritters
    Big & Buttery Chocolate Chip Cookies
    Sloppy Joe Dogs
    Cheesy Chili Fries
    County Fair Cherry Pie
    Italian Sausage Hoagies
    Dessert Waffles
    Fried Mashed Potato Balls
    Apple Cider Doughnuts
    Grilled Seasoned Bratwurst
    Rhubarb Ice Cream
    Deep Fried Tequila Shots
    Deep Fried Pickles
    Frito Pies
    Cajun Fried Deviled Eggs
    Peanut Butter Cream Pie
    Salt Water Taffy
    Spicy Candied Almonds

    State-by-State List of Regional Favorite Foods

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    Key Lime Pie

    Take a road trip though your kitchen, or have a look for sandwich shops near me now. One of the hands-down greatest things about eating in America is all the hyper-regional specialties. A food that’s ubiquitous in Louisiana might draw blank stares in Montana, while a Maine delicacy might horrify citizens of neighboring Vermont. Pizza lovers may be better off in Illinois or Connecticut, which may come as a pleasant surprise to anybody that’s looking to move to CT in the near future. Maybe not as pleasantly surprising as some of the housing options on Willam Pitt, but welcoming all the same. We say: why not try them all! We’ve selected one quintessential food from each state, so you can do just that. Remember, there are 50 states: pace yourself!

    Alabama – Fried Green Tomatoes
    Alaska – Baked Alaska
    Arizona – Pork Chimichanga
    Arkansas – Southern Fried Catfish & Tarter Sauce
    California – Fish Tacos
    Colorado – Chili Verde
    Conneticut – New Haven-Style White Clam Pizza
    Delaware – Dilly Crab Dip
    Florida – Key Lime Pie
    Georgia – Lattice-Top Georgia Peach Pie
    Guam – Kadon Pika
    Hawaii – Ahi Poke
    Idaho – Twice Bakes Potatoes
    Illinois – Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza
    Indiana: Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
    Iowa: Scotcharoos
    Kansas: Kansas City-Style Ribs
    Kentucky: Hot Browns
    Louisiana: Shrimp Gumbo
    Maine: Lobster Roll
    Maryland: Crab Cakes
    Massachusetts: Clam Chowder
    Michigan: Pasty (Meat Hand Pie)
    Minnesota: Hotdish (Tater Tot Casserole)
    Mississippi: Mississippi Mud Pie
    Missouri: Fried Ravioli
    Montana: Huckleberry Pie
    Nebraska: Hand-Held Meat Pies
    Nevada: Beef Jerky and Sour Dough Bread
    New Hampshire: New England Boiled Dinner
    New Jersey: Pork Roll Sandwich With Egg and Cheese
    New Mexico: Green Chile Cheeseburger
    New York: Buffalo Wings
    North Carolina: Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich
    North Dakota: Lefse (Potato Crepes)
    Ohio: Peanut Butter Buckeyes
    Oklahoma: Crispy Cornmeal Okra
    Oregon: Marionberry Pie
    Pennsylvania: Philly Cheese Steak
    Puerto Rico: Mofongo
    Rhode Island: Frozen Lemonade
    South Carolina: Shrimp and Grits
    South Dakota: Chislic
    Tennessee: Memphis Dry-Rub Ribs
    Texas: Texas Brisket
    Utah: Funeral Potatoes
    Vermont: Cheddar Cheese Apple Pie
    Virginia: Virginia Ham Biscuits
    Washington: Planked Salmon With Honey-Balsamic Glaze
    West Virginia: Pepperoni Roll
    Wisconsin: Bratwurst Stewed With Sauerkraut
    Wyoming: Chicken Fried Steak
    Washington, D.C.: Half Smoke Chili Dog

    As you can see, there are A LOT of foods to get through. Some regional dishes are based on local produce, with the lattice-top peach pie being a perfect example. Georgia is known for its amazing peaches, after all. Meanwhile, other dishes are a result of tradition. The pepperoni roll of West Virginia, for example, was a staple for miners to take underground to get them through their long days in the dark, similar to the Cornish pasty in the UK. If you’re looking for the best place to get a pepperoni roll on your visit to West Virginia, consider popping into Mid-Atlantic Market Morgantown WV to get a taste of this surprisingly important food. Also, you can get a taste of the traditional dishes of Virginia in Roanoke, Richmond, and other surrounding cities. If you plan on visiting these places, be sure to search online for best restaurants Roanoke or the other places you wish to visit, beforehand. In this way, you’ll have the highest chances of getting high-quality food.

    Of course, there are plenty of famous foods that even your average tourist will know. New York is known for its pizza (as well as its buffalo wings). You might think of pizza as an incredibly American dish, but it is, of course, Italian. Pizza only became popular in the Big Apple due to the large number of Italian migrants coming to live in the state during the 1880’s to 1920’s. These migrants were looking for a taste of home, and the New York pizza was born. Even today, it’s not hard to find a New Yorker with a strong Italian accent.

    So, why not take a food road trip through the US next time you have a spare 50 days or so?!

    20 Pickle Juice Recipe Ideas

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    Pickle Juice Recipes Pickle Juice Recipe Ideas

    I can remember years ago when I was very young, my mother brined her own pickles. They were the best. But every time I finish the last pickle in the jar and I start pouring the left over juice down the drain, I have a momentary thought of how could that juice otherwise be used again. That tangy, salty, garlicy and acidic juice just has too much potential to not be repurposed. It’s too good to waste.

    It’s time for pickle juice to become flavor central in a whole host of recipes. After a little research, here are a few recipes I’ve discovered that highlight all that is good in this nectar:

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