Cooking is sophisticated: Eating out at home

In our last post we spoke about food marketing and the deception of food companies. If you took that post to heart, here are a few restaurant style recipes you can make at home in under a half hour.

Homemade Potato chips


Ingredients:
•6 or more medium lg. potatoes
•Oil or fat for deep frying
•Salt
Preparation:
Wash and peel the potatoes. Slice very thin.
An old fashioned cabbage slicer can be used (careful of the fingers) - or use a sharp knife or food processor with a thin slicing blade.

Put the slices at once into a bowl of cold water and let stand for at least one hour. Ice water is best, but you can set the whole bowl in the refrigerator if you wish. Dry well by shaking them in a towel.

Fry in hot oil at 390 degrees F. until a light golden brown. Don't try frying too many at once, better to put one layer on the frying basket. Drain on paper towels or any kind of plain crumpled absorbent paper.

If you haven't any paper, use a worn dish towel. Salt lightly. These can be kept for some time if they are sealed into plastic bags or containers after they have cooled.



Homemade ice cream:


What you'll need:
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk or half & half
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons rock salt
1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)
1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
Ice cubes
How to make it:
Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.
Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!
Tips:
A 1/2 cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. But don't increase the proportions more that that -- a large amount might be too big for kids to pick-up because the ice itself is heavy .

Potato Skins:

Ingredients
4 large baking potatoes, baked
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
(optional) 4 green onions, sliced
Directions
1.Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-in. shell (save pulp for another use). Place potatoes skins on a greased baking sheet. Combine oil, Parmesan cheese, salt, garlic powder, paprika and pepper; brush over both sides of skins. Bake at 475 degrees F for 7 minutes; turn. Bake until crisp, about 7 minutes more. Sprinkle bacon and cheddar cheese inside skins. Bake 2 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and onions. Serve immediately.

Mozzerella Cheese Sticks

Ingredients
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 quart oil for deep frying
1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese sticks
Directions
1.In a small bowl, mix the eggs and water.
2.Mix the bread crumbs and garlic salt in a medium bowl. In a medium bowl, blend the flour and cornstarch.
3.In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
4.One at a time, coat each mozzarella stick in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then in the bread crumbs and finally into the oil. Fry until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.

Inside out Burgers


Ingredients
8 ounces ground beef
1-ounce cooked bacon, chopped
1-ounce shredded Cheddar
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
1 hamburger bun, optional
Special tools:
1 round mold (lid to a peanut butter jar or other round container recommended)
1 sheet plastic wrap
Directions
Divide ground beef into approximately 2 equal portions. Set aside. Line round mold with plastic wrap. Pat half of the ground beef into the round mold. Layer with cheese and bacon, being careful not to go too close to the edges. Cover with other half of the ground beef. Press down edges of ground beef together to seal. Remove pattie from mold and pan fry over medium heat in 2 tablespoons of oil. Serve plain or on a bun.