Saturday, August 29, 2009

The Best After School Cooking Games


If you’re hungry after school, why not enjoy some quick cooking games? After school snacks can be much more than a bag of chips or a candy bar. In fact, they should be. The best cooking games for after school include:

Microwave Popcorn – Throw it in the microwave and heat until ready. It’s simple, it’s tasty and it’s far better a choice than greasy chips. This is especially true if you select a natural popcorn or a light variety.

Hot Dogs – a turkey or all beef hot dog is a great way to get a bit of protein to replenish your energy stores. Cooking a hot dog can be as simple as putting one in a pot of boiling water or cooking it in the microwave. Carefully throw it in a bun and enjoy.

Nachos – Another fairly decent option for after school, take a plate of chips and cover it in cheese. If you have beans or nacho meat available, be sure to throw those on as well. Cook the nachos in the oven on a pan or in the microwave until the cheese is melted. Garnish with a bit of lettuce and tomato and enjoy!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Cooking Games – Rice Krispie Treats


I am a huge fan of Rice Krispie treats. In fact, I consider them one of the best ways to eat breakfast cereal. Of course, there is the small aspect of added sugar and butter, but nevertheless, the Rice Krispies have the snap, crackle and pop I so dearly love.

Cooking Game Ingredients
To make Rice Krispie Treats you’ll need:

  • Rice Krispie cereal
  • Marshmallow cream
  • Butter

Cooking Game Instructions
Start by scooping out the marshmallow cream and melting it completely in the microwave. Stir it frequently to keep it heating evenly and not scorching. Remove the marshmallows from the microwave and then put in a tablespoon of butter to melt.

Pour the melted butter over the melted marshmallows. Stir the mixture together until smooth. Pour in two cups of Rice Krispie cereal. Fold it gently into the marshmallow mixture. Add a bit more cereal until the mixture is stiff and hard to stir.

Scrape the mixture out into a greased pan. Press the top of the treats flat using a piece of parchment paper and place the pan in the refrigerator. When the treats cool, cut and enjoy!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Cooking Games: Grilled Cheese


It is truly a staple in many households. The grilled cheese sandwich is easy to cook and even easier to enjoy. Making a grilled cheese sandwich does involve using a hot pan or griddle so be sure a parent know what you’re up to and be extra careful.

Ingredients for Cooking Games
  • Bread
  • Butter or Margarine Spread
  • Cheese
  • Ham or other sandwich items if preferred.
Cooking Game Instructions
To make a grilled cheese, start by heating up the skillet or griddle. Spread butter on one side of a piece of bread. Flip the bread onto the heated griddle with the butter side down. Place one or two pieces of cheese on the bread. Most use American cheese, but you can use cheddar or Swiss as well.

Butter the other piece of bread and place it on top of the sandwich with the buttered side facing out. The sandwich will need to cook on one side for a few minutes. Lift a corner from time to time to see if it’s brown. Your griddle should be heated to a medium setting. A high setting will burn the sandwich.

Once your grilled cheese sandwich is brown, very carefully use a spatula to flip it over in the skillet. Allow the new side enough time to cook as well. When the second side is brown as well, scoop the sandwich out of the skillet and put it on a plate. Throw on some of your favorite chips, fruit and maybe a pickle. Enjoy!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Cooking Games – Fresh Juice


There are huge health advantages to drinking freshly squeezed juices. Playing with a juicer or even just a squeezing mechanism can give you fresh juice in the mornings to start your day correctly and improve your health.

Juice and Cooking Games
Fresh juice is called for in many different cooking games, but the best thing about getting the fresh juice from fruit is that it is simply delicious to enjoy and easy to include in many recipes. The most basic fruits to use for juicing are citrus fruits. Oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits tend to produce a lot of juice.
Squeezing Fresh Fruits
To get the juice from fresh fruits, you’ll need some sort of juicer. There are presses that simply squeeze the fruit to the point that all the juices run out. There are electric juicers that dismantle the fruit completely and extract a huge amount of juice. Electric juicers are especially useful if you hope to extract juice from fruits that would be harder to squeeze by hand. Apples, bananas and berries are all easy to use in a juicer.

Your final option is to use a hand juicer. These most certainly work best for citrus fruits. A hand juicer looks like a raised cone. Simply press the citrus fruit onto the cone and twist. By the time you make it to the rind, you’ll have generated a huge amount of pulp and a substantial amount of juice as well.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Cooking Games – Breakfast for Dinner


I love the little surprises of the day, and having breakfast at the end of the day is a great way to make things feel a bit loose and topsy-turvy. Having breakfast at the end of the day is another great way to get a lot of important protein and nutrients without having to spend hours cooking.

Eggs – You’ll want to include eggs. Scrambled eggs are the easiest and most people enjoy the scrambled version of the eggs. Omelets are another good variation as they let you include vegetables and even meat in your single protein dish.

Meat – Meat is another common item to be included in breakfast for dinner. Bacon, sausage, ham or even steak make the dinner enjoyable and heavy enough to be satisfying at the end of the day.

Fruit and Veggies – You can include vegetables in omelets, but they are bit less common on their own. Fruit, however, is a nice addition to breakfast. Enjoy orange juice, fresh fruit, fruit salad or chopped fruit over pancakes or waffles.

Bread – Finally, you’ll likely want some sort of bread dish with your breakfast for dinner. Waffles, pancakes, toast or biscuits can certainly hit the spot. Bread is a nice filler during the meal and will help you feel full and comfortable.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Cooking Games – Variations of Pancakes


Pancakes are one of the most enjoyable foods out there and there are so many simple things you can do to enjoy pancakes in a whole new way.

Blueberry Pancakes
Start with the regular pancake batter and then stir in blueberries. Stir slowly and carefully to be sure that the blueberries don’t break inside the batter. When you go to cook the pancakes, they will be a bit thicker than you might be used to thanks to the big blueberries inside them, but they will be much more delicious than any blueberry pancakes you might buy in the freezer section.

Chocolate Chips
Another simple pancake variation is to make chocolate chip pancakes. Simply stir in mini or regular sized chocolate chips while you’re working on the batter. The bigger the chip, the more fragile your pancake will be, but those blobs of chocolate will taste great. Make your pancake batter a bit thin to help avoid a cake like feel.

Banana Nut Pancakes
Making this healthy, luxurious pancake involves an extra step or two. Mash bananas very finely. Stir the bananas into pancake batter. Add a handful of walnuts that are finely chopped. Cook and enjoy. Another variation is to cook the pancake batter with just nuts inside the pancakes and then cover the cooked pancakes with sliced bananas.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Cooking Games in a Dorm


If you’re not too sure about dorm food when you head off to college next year, consider setting yourself up to cook a bit in your dorm room. You don’t actually need much to cook for yourself and it can be had for less than $200 – a drop in the bucket for dorm stuff, really.

A refrigerator
. You’ll need a fridge to store your cold stuff in. If you can find one that has a working freezer – terrific! But most will have a faulty freezer if they have one at all. Better to stick with cold stuff, not frozen.

A hotplate, toaster and griddle. You can do everything you need to with a simple hotplate, a small toaster and a griddler. You can even opt for a toaster oven and be able to bake simple things as well. If you’re going simple, opt for the hotplate. You can boil up a pan of noodles or soup easily enough.

Microwave. If you have space and the budget, include a microwave in your plans. Most dorms have microwaves on the hallway somewhere, however.

Plates, bowls, spoons, forks, can opener. You’ll need something to eat this yummy food with, so be sure you have cheap eating utensils, plates bowls and the essential can opener. You might throw in a bottle opener, too – you never know!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Cooking Games – Apartment Cooking


If you’re moving into your very first apartment, you’ll need to find the basics for your kitchen without spending too much in the process. Finding great deals on cook wear and dinner wear can be relatively straightforward, especially if you have lots of time to dedicate to the process.

Hit Garage Sales
Start by walking through garage sales in your area. A lot of people sell old pots and pans as they buy new ones. Most look a bit beaten up, but they still cook perfectly well. Snatch up plates and utensils at a sale as well and you’ll be in business.

Take Stock
Take stock of what you have and what you still need once you’ve spent some time begging from your parents and shopping the garage or yard sales. Think about what you truly will use and what you only think you want. For example, a stand mixer is awesome, but you’re much more likely to have space to store a simple handmixer than the stand one with bells and whistles.

Look For Sales
To finish off your cooking games kit for your new apartment, shop sales and discount stores. Enjoy buying things that are fun and funky as that is exactly the stage of life you’re in at this point.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Cooking Games – Quesadillas


Looking for a great snack that’s hot and yummy without being too much trouble? Look no farther the delicious quesadilla.

Gather Ingredients for Cooking Game
To make cheese quesadillas you’ll need a few ingredients.

  • Tortillas
  • Monterrey Jack cheese (or Mexican blend)
  • Butter
  • Salsa

Instructions for Cooking Games
Begin heating a skillet while you prepare the ingredients. Spread butter lightly on two tortillas. When the skillet is heated to a medium heat, toss a tortilla on, butter side down. Add shredded cheese and a few spoonfuls of salsa on top of the cooking tortilla. Top this with the other tortilla, buttered side up.

Allow the first side to cook until the tortilla is golden brown. Carefully flip the quesadilla over to cook the other side. When both sides are crispy and golden, turn off the skillet and put the quesadilla on a plate. Cut and enjoy!