Ice Cream Cones Have a New Purpose in These Fun Recipes

January 21, 2016 by greystar

Although you’ve probably only used ice cream cones for, well, ice cream, the recipe possibilities are truly endless for this sweet, crunchy treat—if you think creatively. Here are three completely unique spins on the classic ice cream cone.

Apple Snack Mix [tasteofhome.com]
This fun snack mix makes a wonderful kids’ party favor at birthday parties or bonfires. Cinnamon flavored cereal, roasted peanuts, sunflower kernels, apple chips, and a number of other hearty ingredients mix together to create a crunchy snack mix that looks adorable served in a sweet waffle cone.

Mini Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes [kraftrecipes.com]
Even if you aren’t serving ice cream in your ice cream cone, you can still emulate the cute look of the beloved summertime sweet. These creative cupcakes are baked into mini ice cream cones and then topped with a swirl of icing that looks just like soft serve.

Popcorn Ball Ice Cream Cones [cookiesandcups.com]
If you prefer the crunch of popcorn to the icy chill of ice cream, you’ll love this fun snack. By mixing the popcorn with marshmallows and chocolate candies, you can create a uniquely sweet treat that looks just like vanilla ice cream. Serve it on top of a classic sugar cone to make it even more authentic!

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr fortes

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Food, Ice Cream, Recipes

Stumped by Cooking Conversions? Bookmark These 3 Websites!

April 2, 2015 by greystar

Using precise measurements is very important when cooking or baking, but that can be difficult to do when a recipe uses the Metric system or a tool using a unit of measurement that you don’t have on hand. Bookmark these cooking measurement equivalent websites to use during your next kitchen endeavor.

Info Please
This simple, easy to read website offers a few different comparison charts that will help you to find a measurement in cups, tablespoons, or whatever type of measuring tool you have in your kitchen arsenal. It includes cups to tablespoons, Metric measurements to US measurements, and many more.

Fact Monster
This website is equally simple, and it offers comparison charts for a variety of different measurement equivalents. It also includes a conversion calculator that enables you to input your own units if you run into a particularly tricky measurement.

The Science of Cooking
Whether you need to know oven temperature conversions from Celsius to Fahrenheit or volume measurements from Metric to American Standard, The Science of Cooking has it all. This site also offers charts converting volume units, dry measurement equivalents, and much more.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Chris Martin

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Baking, Cooking, Diet, Food

Healthy Rice and Potato Dishes That Won’t Weigh You Down

December 18, 2014 by greystar

Starches and whole grains are important for feeling energized, but if eaten in excess, they can make you feel heavy or weighed-down. These delicious and nutritious recipes from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute incorporate rice and potatoes into your diet in a way that benefits your body and provides proper portion sizes.

Delicious Oven French Fries
Though fast food French fries are anything but healthy, this oven-baked alternative provides the same classic taste without the added fat and salt.

Wonderful Stuffed Potatoes
By stuffing a baked potato with low fat milk and cottage cheese instead of the usual sour cream, you can save calories and still get the same savory taste.

Candied Yams
The holiday favorite gets a healthy makeover in this fast and easy recipe, with sweet brown sugar and tangy orange juice for a boost of added flavor.

Scallion Rice
The addition of green onions and bullion gives this simple, low-calorie rice dish a little something extra, and makes it perfect for eating with a variety of meats, vegetables or stir-fries.

Sunshine Rice
Perfect for pairing with grilled chicken or for eating on its own, this rice recipe contains unique ingredients like hot sauce, almonds, and lemon juice for a distinctly flavorful taste.

For more healthy rice and potato dishes, visit the NIH website by clicking here.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Steven Depolo

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Food, Recipes, Starch

Find In-Season Produce Near You With the NRDC’s Interactive Map

September 18, 2014 by greystar

If your kitchen is stocked with organic produce, then you're probably already aware of the health and environmental benefits of eating local. Produce that's grown locally has less distance to travel to reach grocery stores, thereby reducing pollution caused by transporting the fruits or veggies across states—or in some cases, continents! What's more, locally grown produce is more flavorful and nutritious, oftentimes landing on grocery store shelves at the peak of ripeness. (Read this article by Michigan State University for more reasons to eat local.)

So you want to eat local, but you're not sure what's in season. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)'s Eat Local map can help! This interactive map makes it easy to see what fruits and veggies are at peak availability near you. Simply click your state for a list of in-season fruits and veggies separated by month. Click each hyperlinked vegetable and fruit for cooking tips and to learn about the produce's nutritional benefits!

Click here to explore what produce is in season near you with help from the Eat Local map!

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/elizaraxi

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Farmers' Markets, Food, Produce

Here’s How to Segment Citrus Fruit Like a Pro Chef

July 24, 2014 by greystar

If you’ve ever gotten squirted in the eye while trying to eat an orange, you know how frustrating it is to peel and eat citrus fruits. These impressive tips will show you how to segment lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and other citrus fruits in just a few simple steps.

Cut off the top and bottom parts of the fruit. Cut just about low enough to hit the end of the peel, so that the fruit stands on its own when you stand it on the counter.
Peel the fruit. Start from the top and cut down toward the bottom, in sections. It should take you a few cuts to get the peel off all the way around the fruit.
Trim off the white parts. Unless you’re a perfect cutter, you’ll likely have some white pith left over from the peel. Trim these pieces off by gently scraping the knife across the surface.
Cut along the edges. All citrus fruits have naturally sectioned pieces, so you want to extract those from the fruit. Examine the surface and place your knife along the first edge you find, cutting just until you hit the center of the fruit. Then cut into the other side and the piece should fall out on its own.
Repeat all over. Repeat this process all over the fruit, being careful not to cut into the membrane, until you’ve segmented the entire thing. You’ll be left with smooth, perfectly rounded pieces that are ideal for fruit salads.

How to Segment an Orange (Or Any Citrus Fruit) [The Kitchn]
How to Segment an Orange [Waitrose]
{How To} Segment an Orange [Plum Pie]

CC-BY-SA-3.0/Flickr/wwarby

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Citrus, Cooking, Fruit, Recipes