tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28286238560523635082008-04-23T20:06:32.845+02:00TheGuide.org.zaBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828623856052363508.post-6671899941402435182008-04-05T21:23:00.002+02:002008-04-05T21:29:52.314+02:00<div class="floatright"> Tired of fixing boxed "mac and cheese"? If you follow these brief, easy steps, you can make a "gourmet mac and cheese" from scratch.<br /><span><br /><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Gourmet-Macaroni-%26-Cheese-1059.jpg" class="image" title=""><img src="http://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/7/76/Gourmet-Macaroni-%26-Cheese-1059.jpg/250px-Gourmet-Macaroni-%26-Cheese-1059.jpg" alt="" longdesc="/Image:Gourmet-Macaroni-%26-Cheese-1059.jpg" height="188" width="250" /></a></span></div><br /><h2><span>Ingredients</span></h2> <ul><li>Macaroni noodles</li><li>3 tablespoons of butter</li><li>1/2 cup of milk</li><li>1/4 block of Velveeta cheese (shredded)</li><li>1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese</li><li>2 teaspoons of ground black pepper</li><li>1 small garlic clove (finely chopped)</li><li>Cilantro (chopped) to taste (fresh coriander)</li></ul> <div id="steps"> <a name="Steps" id="Steps"></a> <h2><span class="editsection1"></span><span>Steps</span></h2> <ol><li>Boil salted water.</li><li>When boiling, add macaroni.</li><li>Boil macaroni for about eight minutes or until tender.</li><li>Strain.</li><li>Pour macaroni noodles back into the same pot.</li><li>Add the rest of the ingredients.</li><li>Top it off with chopped cilantro.</li></ol> <p><br /></p> </div> <div id="tips"> <a name="Tips" id="Tips"></a> <h2><span class="editsection1"></span> <span>Tips</span></h2> <ul><li>You can use any kind of noodles you prefer; little shells and elbow macaroni do seem to fill with the cheese, though, making them extra delicious.</li><li>You may want to add mozzarella cheese along with the Velveeta.</li><li>Any kind of good-melting cheese will do, so choose what you like best: Monterey Jack, Colby, Cheddar - the flavor of the mac and cheese will reflect the cheese you choose.</li><li>If you're dieting, you can use 2% milk or multigrain pasta, or consider using 1/4c. lite sour cream and 1/4c. 2% milk - it adds richness and texture without a lot of extra calories, plus gives a nice tang.<br /></li></ul> </div>TheGuide.org.zatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828623856052363508.post-89495783278610418312008-04-05T16:41:00.002+02:002008-04-05T16:51:02.407+02:00<div class="floatright"><span></span></div> From a starving college student to a kitchen connoisseur: not only is pasta the most affordable meal option, but it's also the easiest to master and tasty in all of its forms. You can whip it up when you're craving a home-made meal, and even host a pasta dinner for a few friends. Follow these steps, cook it 2 or 3 times, and you, too, can call it your speciality.<br /><br /><div class="floatright"><span><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Pasta-7443.jpg" class="image" title=""><img src="http://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/2/20/Pasta-7443.jpg/200px-Pasta-7443.jpg" alt="" longdesc="/Image:Pasta-7443.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></span></div> <br /><h2><span>Ingredients</span></h2> <p>Pasta:</p> <ul><li>2 cups of dried pasta (penne, spaghetti, rigatoni, fettuccine, macaroni)</li><li>1 tablespoon oil (for cooking)</li><li>1 tablespoon oil (for tossing)</li><li>1 teaspoon salt</li></ul> <p>Pasta Sauce:</p> <ul><li>1 can (14 oz. crushed tomato)</li><li>1 tsp Oregano</li><li>1 tsp Italian seasoning</li><li>1/2 tsp ground black pepper</li><li>1 tsp salt (add more per taste)</li><li>1 tsp sugar</li></ul> <div id="steps"> <a name="Steps" id="Steps"></a> <h2><span class="editsection1"></span><span>Steps</span></h2> <ol><li>Fill the largest pot you have with water.</li><li>Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.</li><li>Place it on the cooker top. Stir to combine.</li><li>Turn the knob to high.</li><li>When the water starts bubbling up at the surface (the technical term for this is "boiling"), add up to a handful of salt anywhere. Most Americans do not add salt, whereas Italians add about a handful.</li><li>Dump the container of pasta into the pot.</li><li>Agitate it slightly with a long serving spoon, preferable one with slots or holes in it.</li><li>Keep your eye on it as it continues to boil and stir it just enough to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom every 1-2 minutes.</li><li>When it's been boiling for about 10 minutes (check the package for suggested cooking time), take a piece of the pasta out and taste it.</li><li>If it's too hard to bite or tastes funny when you bite it, it needs to cook a little longer. Also, if you see white in the center, your pasta needs to cook a little longer.</li><li>When it's chewy but firm in the center, it's ready. This is referred to as <i>al dente</i> in Italian.</li><li>Empty the entire pot of pasta into a colander.</li><li>Shake out the excess water and then pour back into the pot.</li><li>Add the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil. Toss.</li><li>Cover with your favorite sauce and shake it (inside the hot pot).</li><li>Serve it!</li></ol> <p><br /></p> </div> <div id=""> <a name="Pasta_Sauce" id="Pasta_Sauce"></a> <h2><span class="editsection1"></span><span>Pasta Sauce</span></h2> <ol><li>Pour crushed tomato into a tall saucepan.</li><li>Add salt, sugar, black pepper, Italian seasoning and Oregano.</li><li>Heat the sauce and let it simmer for approximately 15 minutes.</li><li>Add pasta sauce to cooked pasta.</li><li>Sprinkle regular cheese and/or Parmesan cheese on top of the pasta.</li><li>Add red crushed pepper on it if desired.</li></ol> <p><br /></p> </div> <div id="tips"> <a name="Tips" id="Tips"></a> <h2><span class="editsection1"></span><span>Tips</span></h2> <ul><li>Use plenty of water. The most common cause of "sticky" pasta is cooking with too little water. Use at least 4 quarts of water for each pound of pasta(4 liters for each one-half kilogram). No oil or other additives are required.</li><li>Add salt to the water. Salt enhances the pasta's flavor and allows the sauce flavors to "blend" better.</li><li>Add some of the pasta water to your sauce. If you're making your own sauce, add a bit of the water used to cook the pasta if you need to adjust it's thickness. The dissolved starches will thicken and enrich it's texture. Note that the "right" amount varies according to recipe, batch size and preference.</li><li>Italians adopt a "leave it alone" or "don't mess with it" policy when cooking pasta. Don't agitate or stir it too much. This goes for the sauce as well.</li><li>Different pastas cook for varying times. Thin linguine, for example, cooks much faster than rigatoni.</li><li>For a hotter boil, cover your pot. Just be sure to remove it once you put the pasta in.</li><li>When your pasta is ready, the outer edges will begin to lighten in color.</li><li>Some people prefer to rinse their pasta in the colander to wash away the starches. Do not do this! In addition to the sauce adhering better because of the starch, if you rinse it, you will be cooling the pasta before you add the sauce. Instead, drain the pasta, add it back into the pot you cooked it, turn on the heat and add the sauce, stirring until well-mixed and hot. The pasta will be thoroughly coated by the sauce and the pasta will stay hot when you serve it.</li><li>If you make spaghetti and they are not submerged at beginning, do not break them. Wait 30 seconds and gently use your fork to bend them and submerge them.</li><li>I'm sure you've heard the old wives tale that if it sticks to the ceiling, it's done cooking. This isn't true. A barely cooked piece of pasta can still stick to your ceiling.(It actually depends on what kind of material your ceiling is made out of).</li></ul> <p><br /></p> </div> <div id="warnings"> <a name="Warnings" id="Warnings"></a> <h2><span class="editsection1"></span> <span></span></h2><br /><p><br /></p> </div>TheGuide.org.zatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828623856052363508.post-62390607385380132712008-04-05T16:19:00.001+02:002008-04-05T16:28:50.256+02:00<span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:100%;" >To travel South Africa through The Guide<br /><br />maps.google.com<br /><br />www.theguide.org.za<br /><br /></span>TheGuide.org.zatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828623856052363508.post-47332854515241979712008-04-05T15:46:00.000+02:002008-04-05T15:47:19.179+02:00Our new website is now complete...TheGuide.org.za