Kitchen Fun with Carol

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying the new Advantage Cooking Software. If you have never tried the software, you can download a trial version that will work for 30 days. Click here to read more about it.

Advantage Cooking Version 1.x Users
Last month we announced that current Advantage Cooking Software users can upgrade to the new version of the software for free. The upgrade is now available on the 30 Day Gourmet web site. Advantage Cooking 2.0 can be installed without uninstalling Advantage Cooking 1.x. Advantage Cooking 2.0 has several options for an initial recipe set (cookbook). It can start with one of several starter sets, start with a copy of an Advantage Cooking 1.x cookbook, or work directly with the same cookbook as Advantage Cooking 1.x (if using Advantage Cooking 1.5 or higher). Just download, install and run. The first time Advantage Cooking runs, you choose whether to create a new cookbook or use an existing cookbook. Click here to download the upgrade.

Recipe Files for the Big Book of Freezer Cooking 
Last month we also announced that current Advantage Cooking Software users can purchase the Big Book of Freezer Cooking for $19.95 and receive the recipes from the book to import into the software for free! We realize that some of you may not have received a zip file containing recipes that can be imported easily into the 30 Day Gourmet Advantage Cooking Software. If you own the software, be sure to take advantage of these files. Here’s how to access the files:

1. Go to www.30daygourmet.com
2. Click on the Members tab.
3. Using the info on page 3 in your book, log in.
4. Scroll down to the yellow box and follow the directions.

Enjoy planning your cooking days!

Anatomy of a Marinade

Since I announced that we are looking for marinade recipes for the Freezer Cook of the Month Contest this summer, I thought it would be great to talk about marinades in general. Did you ever wonder how a a marinade works?

Marinades contain three major components. The first is an acidic ingredient. Marinades actually cause a chemical reaction that breaks down the connective tissue in the meat and tenderizes it (also called denaturing). The chemical reaction is caused by certain enzymes (bromelin, actinidin, papain, etc.) or acids that naturally occur in some foods. Not only do these enzymes or acids break down the meat but they also flavor it at the same time. Some examples of these enzymes or acids are:

• Citrus juices, such as lemon, lime or orange juice
• Pineapple
• Kiwi, papaya, figs and mangoes
• Yogurt
• Buttermilk
• Vinegars (balsamic or apple cider are commonly used)
• Wines or other alcohol
• Tomatoes

The second critical ingredient is an oil or fat. Olive oil and canola oil are two typical oils you will see in marinade recipes. The oil helps the marinade adhere to the meat. It also helps the marinade penetrate deeper into the meat. If you are using yogurt as your acidic ingredient, it can also count as a fat if you use a full fat plain yogurt.

The third ingredient is a mix of seasonings to flavor the meat. These are also called aromatics. They include herbs, spices, and vegetables. Typical seasonings combinations used in marinades include:

• Ginger and soy sauce
• Ginger, onion, and garlic
• Parsley, oregano, and pepper
• Garlic and cumin
• Rosemary and garlic
• Hot peppers, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, vinegar, and brown sugar
• Cayenne and parsley

Some seasonings provide a strong burst of flavor. Strong flavorings include Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, and mustards. You have to be careful when pairing seasonings with the acidic components. Strong flavors can overpower other flavors so watch your flavor combinations!

Good luck creating your new flavor combinations!

Cooking for Summer

I promised I would share my summer menu with you. This year I am trying something different. Instead of planning out the months in advance, I’ve had several mini-cooking sessions as I have found meats on sale this summer. Every time I find a sale, I make a couple more recipes and I update my Meal Inventory Worksheet. I just look at what we have in the freezer and plan my meals for the week based on my inventory or something special I want to make based on what’s on sale. If you know me, this just does not sound like my style! I usually plan everything out far in advance. Well, so far it has worked out well for our family and our summer schedules. I generally have the on hand items I need to prepare any meal. Here’s what I have made so far this summer:

Dinners:
Chicken Quesadillas (from the Big Book of Freezer Cooking)

Hamburgers (pressed and flash frozen)
Iowa State Fair Guinea Grinders
BBQ Chicken Pizza using Flatbread Pizza Crusts (from the Big Book of Freezer Cooking)
Elegant Chicken in Marinade (from the Big Book of Freezer Cooking)
Simply Sweet Salmon Glaze
Tilapia with Mango Salsa (from the Big Book of Freezer Cooking)
Parmesan Crusted Tilapia (from the Big Book of Freezer Cooking)
Marinade for Chicken Quesadilla Salad
Garlic Lime Chicken
April’s Chicken Marinade
Tara’s Macaroni and Cheese
Lasagna Rollups (from the Big Book of Freezer Cooking)
Meatballs for Spaghetti and Meatballs

Lunches:
Chicken Chowder
Bowtie Soup (from the Freezer Lunches to Go ebook)
Chicken Pockets (from the Freezer Lunches to Go ebook)
Hamburger and Rice Soup
Sloppy Joes

Meatballs for Meatball Subs (using the BBQ Meatballs recipe from the Slow Cooker Freezer Favorites ebook)

What recipes have you made this summer? Share your summer cooking experience with us on our 30 Day Gourmet fan page on Facebook®.

Contest Winner

Our Freezer Cook of the Month is Myrna! She posted a recipe on the Cooks’ Corner message boards for Tangy Orange Marinade. I served the recipe to my family and everyone liked it! The chicken was so moist and full of flavor. The sesame oil is a nice twist on your traditional marinade. Try it yourself!

Click here to view/print this recipe!

I was unable to reach Myrna before the newsletter went out, so we will have to meet her next month. You too can get in on the winning by posting your funny story, good deed, cooking tip, assembly day story, favorite recipe, etc. on the 30 Day Gourmet Facebook® fan page or click here to send me an email to be entered in our contest. This summer we are looking for your favorite marinade recipes!
Good luck, everyone!

Bonus Recipes

I love grilling in the summer! Here are some of the new recipes that I have been serving at my house this summer. Two of the recipes are side dishes that aren’t for the freezer. I couldn’t resist sharing them with you! It’s so nice to be able to make the whole meal on the grill. Enjoy the recipes!

Garlic Lime Chicken

Our family has been testing the high fiber/low fat wraps and tortillas that you find at your local grocery store. Each wrap is only 90 calories but has 9 grams of fiber. That’s almost a third of your daily requirements. Our favorite brands are the Flat Out wraps (the Italian seasoned wraps are wonderful), tortillas from the La Tortilla Factory, and the Aldi original or multi-grain wraps. They taste great and they really fill you up. The Garlic Lime Chicken one of my favorite summer wrap recipes. We like to add Lime Rice (from the Big Book of Freezer Cooking), Mango Salsa (from the Big Book of Freezer Cooking), and black beans to the wrap. The flavor combination is incredible!

Grilled Garlic Parmesan Asparagus

I shared this recipe on the 30 Day Gourmet fan page on Facebook®  for Memorial Day weekend. We loved the smokiness of the grilled asparagus and the freshly shredded Parmesan cheese gave it a wonderful flavor.

 

 

Grilled Red Potatoes

I tried cooking these on the grill in a foil packet. It worked great! The potatoes had lots of flavor and were so convenient to make. While this is not a freezer recipe, it is an excellent accompaniment to some of the great marinade recipes found on the 30 Day Gourmet web site.

 

 

Simply Sweet Salmon Glaze

Salmon is so easy to prepare! If you don’t want to cook it on the grill you can bake it the oven. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes depending on the thickness of the salmon. Dinner can be on the table in less than half an hour (depending on your sides)! Try serving this dish with some long grain and wild rice and a fresh green salad.

 

Closing Comments from Carol

I hope you enjoy the recipes for the grill. Next month I hope to share some more summer marinade recipes with you and maybe some great freezer dessert recipes for those hot summer days.

I’m looking for your best marinade recipes and for your stories of your cooking days.

You can post your recipes on the 30 Day Gourmet Facebook® fan page or click here to send me an email. Or do you have any other topics that you would like me to cover? Click here to send me an email. I enjoy hearing from you!

Have fun in your kitchen!

Carol

Kitchen Fun with Carol

Hello everyone! The new website is up and running. I hope you have all had a chance to take a look around. We have had lots of great feedback. Thanks for bearing with us as we work out the “kinks” in the new system. And if you are having any problems with the new website, feel free to contact us through the new Contact Us page. Just tell us your name and email address, pick the subject area for the email, and tell us what you need. An email will be sent to the person responsible for the subject area.

We are pleased to announce that a new version of the best freezer cooking software available is almost ready! I’ve been testing the software for several weeks and it looks great! It should be released by 06/01/2010.

Here are the specifics –

• Current Advantage Cooking Software users can upgrade to the new version of the software for free. This upgrade does not include any recipes, only the new version of the software.
• Current Advantage Cooking Software users can purchase the Big Book of Freezer Cooking for $19.95 and receive the recipes from the book to import into the software for free!
• If you do not own the Advantage Cooking Software, you can purchase it for $34.95. The new version is fully downloadable so there are no shipping charges!

Now let’s hear about some of the enhancements that will be available in the new version of the Advantage Cooking Software.

Advantage Cooking 2.0!

by Shelley Miller

In order to make the software compatible with Vista and Windows 7, it was necessary to make three significant changes. Two of these changes, unfortunately, are barely visible. First, a new help file had to be created and, second, a new installation directory structure had to be implemented. Boring, I know, but incredibly necessary.

Now for the part you can see: The display windows have been upgraded to a fresh Vista-style appearance. The best part of this change is that three new features have been added: find, sort, and filter.

Find: In order to find a recipe or an ingredient in the old version, we used a locator box at the top of the window. In this new version, the locator box is gone and an incremental search can be performed on any column in the upper window. Just start typing and the next recipe, or ingredient, or whatever, with that unique set of letters will be located and displayed.

Sort: The old version of the software automatically sorted the recipes and ingredients alphabetically, and that was that. Nothing to change. Now you can sort any column in the upper window. Sort by category, sort by serving size, sort by preparation time – it’s so convenient!

Filter: In the old version, we could filter one column: recipe category – that’s it. Now you can filter any column. The filter button  appears in the heading of each column and is used to select only those records with a specific value in that column. The filter button will produce a drop down list for selection.

In the example below, the Category column in the Recipes tab has been filtered to include only Beef Entrees. Notice the grey bar at the bottom of the window which specifies the filter that is currently in effect.

 

There are two buttons in the grey filter bar:

 will toggle the filter off and on. It will remember the filters that have been used since Advantage Cooking was last opened.

 will turn off the filter and remove the grey filter bar from the window.

Importing Multiple Recipes / Confirm New Ingredients

While we were making changes, we added two new features: 1) import multiple recipes at a time, and 2) approve new ingredients to be added when importing.

When the  button from the Recipes tab is selected, the following window will appear. Locate the recipe files by specifying the folder where they are saved. Advantage will import a single .rcp file, multiple .rcp files, or a .zip file with multiple .rcp files included. In the example below, seven files are selected for import.

 

Advantage will ask you to confirm the recipes to be added. This is Step 1: Select Recipe to Import shown in the window below. Each recipe will be marked as either a Duplicate, meaning it already exists in your recipe file, or as selected for import. The check boxes in the Import column can be toggled on and off. The list of recipes can be sorted by any of the four columns.

 

After selecting the desired recipes for import, click 

 

Advantage will ask you to confirm the ingredients to be added. This is Step 2: Check Ingredients shown in the window below. Any ingredient that does not already exist in the ingredient file will be listed. Advantage will make a best guess, which appears in the “Substitute Ingredient” column. For each ingredient listed in the left column, there are two options: 1) toggle the check box to add as a new ingredient, or 2) select a substitute ingredient from the current list in your Advantage ingredient file.

Comparing the window above with the window below, notice that 8 new ingredients will be added, and 5 ingredients will be substituted with other ingredient names which already exist in the ingredient file.

 

It is possible to return to the previous screen and change the recipes selected. Either select the Recipes tab, or click 

After all the ingredients have been confirmed, click  and Advantage will import the recipes, adding new ingredients where necessary.

As recipes are imported, they will appear in the window below, marked as Complete.

 

 

Click 

to leave the Import process.

The ability to select multiple recipes will make importing e-books so easy! And with the ability to change and confirm new ingredients, your ingredient list will be free of stray and strange entries. Now you have total control in deciding which recipes and which ingredients actually make it into your database.

Here it is – Advantage Cooking 2.0 – we hope you like it!

Contest Winners

We are starting up our Freezer Cook of the Month contest. To enter the contest, post your: crazy cooking story, favorite freezer cooking tip, assembly day story (success or disaster!), good deed cooking story, etc. on the Cooks’ Corner Message Boards.

Or, submit your favorite freezer friendly recipe to be considered for the Freezer Cook of the Month contest. Just post it under the appropriate category on the Cooks’ Corner Message Boards. Be sure to include all ingredients quantities for one recipe, assembly instructions, freezing directions, and serving directions! All recipes posted under the recipe categories will be considered for the contest.

Good luck, everyone!

Bonus Recipes

There was a posting on the message boards asking for recipes that use sage. I love sage but I hardly ever use it in any recipe with the exception of stuffing. So I am sharing some new recipes with you that use sage. I hope you enjoy them.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

The recipe uses a concept that I have seen in a few freezer recipes. The soup is prepared as a concentrate and then diluted on serving day. This practice can save considerable freezer space on serving day. If you are freezing lunch portion, make the soup with the the full amount of the liquid so you can just “pack and go”.

 

 

Savory Turkey Burgers

I love the flavor of these turkey burgers! They are moist and have just the right amount of “kick” to keep them interesting. To reduce your carbohydrate intake, you can bake and serve these on Portobello mushroom caps instead of using hamburger bus. Yum!

 

Closing Comments from Carol

Pantry Challenge Update:
I finished my pantry challenge in April. Thanks for following my progress! It was amazing to save money and empty the freezer. I was able to save over $150 on my monthly grocery bill. I used the savings to purchase groceries for my summer cooking session. I’ll share my summer menu with you next month. I was also able to clear out a lot of my old canned goods. The lessons I learned from the experience:

1. Always label your food when you put it in the freezer. One marinade can look like another. This helps avoid those “mystery meals”.
2. It is good to keep your meal inventory list up to date.

I hope you enjoy the recipes and the preview of the software. Next month I hope to share some wonderful summer marinade recipes with you.

We’re looking for your recipes and for your stories of your cooking days.

You can post your recipes on the 30 Day Gourmet Facebook® fan page or click here to send me an email. Or do you have any other topics that you would like me to cover? Click here to send me an email. I enjoy hearing from you!

Have fun in your kitchen!

Carol