Making your own homemade cake mix

The first cake mixes were offered to housewives in the 1920s. It wasn’t until World War II that they really became popular. As more and more women began to work outside the home, there was less and less time for offering families the home baked goods that they loved. With a cake mix, much of the work was taken out of the process and all the dry ingredients were provided in the box, with only the wet ingredients needing to be added.

In order for the dry goods to stay fresh for extended periods of time, artificial ingredients were added to extend the shelf life of the products. If you read the label of a chocolate cake mix you may see some ingredients that don’t seem to belong there:

“sugar, enriched bleached wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced Iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil shortening (partially hydrogenated soybean oil, propylene glycol mono- and diesters of fats, mono and diglycerides), cocoa powder processed with alkali, dextrose, leavening (sodium bicarbonate, dicalcium phosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate). Contains 2 percent or less of: Modified food starch, wheat starch, polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, salt, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, cellulose gum, xanthan gum, maltodextrin and artificial flavors.”

Chances are that when your grandma made a cake, she did not include many of these ingredients. As more people are going natural and organic and trying to cut down on additives, whose purpose and exact components we don’t understand, it is time to consider making your own homemade cake mixes.

The basic dry components of a cake are flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. This recipe uses a white or yellow cake. For a chocolate cake, cocoa is the additional ingredient. There are several things to consider when you are purchasing these ingredients. First, get unbleached flour. It will produce a coarser cake; however, unless you really want to exposure yourself and your family to the chlorine that is used to bleach most flour, this is the way to go. Next, always look for pure cane sugar. If you don’t you may end up with sugar that comes from beets not cane.

If you plan to make a large batch, decide how you are going to store each individual cake mix. If you have space, Mason jars are nice and you can then actually give them away as gifts as well as using them yourself. If space is an issue, Ziplock bags work fine.

Into each jar or bag for the white or yellow cake add:

• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
  1.25 cup of sugar
  3 teaspoons of baking powder
  1/4 teaspoon of salt

When making the cake add:

• 3/4 cup softened butter or margarine
  3 eggs
  1 cup milk
  1 teaspoon good quality vanilla.

This can be used as 2-9” layers or one 13 by 9. The pan type will determine the amount of time needed for cooking, anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes.

For a chocolate cake mix the dry ingredients are:

• 2 cups sugar
  1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  3/4 cup cocoa
  2 teaspoons baking soda
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  1 teaspoon salt.

The wet ingredients are:

• 2 eggs
  1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
  1 cup strong black coffee or 2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee plus 1 cup boiling water
  1/2 cup vegetable oil
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

This recipe is called Black Magic Cake and is made in a 13″ by 9″ pan, bakes at 350 for 35-40 minutes and is a personal family favorite.

These are just two options for homemade cake mixes. With a homemade cake mix, you control what goes into your mixes and all the ingredients are fresh and easily identifiable.

Pans every baker needs

All bakers need certain pans to create their works of culinary art. Exactly which pans any given baker needs will depend on what their particular favorite foods are to bake.

Almost everything that you may like to bake has its own unique baking pan and whether you are a novice or an expert you will no doubt have your favorites. It is also important to note that the pans that you need and the pans that you want to have may not be identical. Most people will have more than one size of some pans and while they are fun to own, they are not absolutely necessary.

Before discussing the baking pans that you need, let’s discuss the materials that the pans can be made of. Many baking pans are made of steel or aluminum but they can also be ceramic, stone, or silicone. There are pros and cons for all of them and at the end of the day it comes down to a matter of personal preference.

Cookie sheet 

A cookie sheet is a very versatile piece of bakeware. While it is designed to bake cookies it can be used for so much more. It is perfect to cook turnovers, strudels, baking potatoes, pork chops, fish, and chicken. You will probably be able to use your cookie sheet just about every day.

Loaf pan

If you are going to be baking bread, you will need a loaf pan. It can be a basic white, a sweet cinnamon raisin or just about anything in between. It is also a go-to pan when it is time to make meatloaf. Loaf pans come in more than one size so this is one pan where you may have multiples.

Muffin pan

Muffin pans also come in several sizes, there are mini muffins, standard, and the jumbo muffins. Mini muffin pans are great for making several different types of appetizers in addition to little blueberry muffins. A muffin pan can also be used for cupcakes. If you get a non-stick pan then using muffin cups is optional for other pans the paper muffin cups keep things from sticking.

13 by 9

A 13 by 9 is also a workhorse of a pan. It is great for a sheet cake but also can bake a casserole or just about anything else that you need to bake. It is often used as a roasting pan as well.

Pie plate

Baking a pie takes a certain amount of skill and having the right pie plate can really help. Pie plates come in many different sizes and depths so be sure that your plate matches the size that your recipe calls for.

Cake pans

If you are going to attempt layer cake, you need to have round cake pans. Cake pans come in different sizes as well so it is important to read the recipe carefully so that you don’t end up with too little batter for the pans that you have.

Square baking pan

A good solid square baking pan is an 8-inch size but they come in others including 9 and 10-inch. This pan is good for a small cake or a coffee cake.

Beyond these pans, there are Bundt pans, springform pans, popover pans, pizza pans and tube pans just to name a few. So as to exactly what bakeware you need, probably all of them at one time or another and if you have the room, why not have them all?

Inexpensive dishes to bring to a potluck supper

Feeding a crowd on a budget requires creativity. One way that works well is to organize a potluck. Everyone has a collection of recipes that will work well when you want to find inexpensive potluck ideas. Here are a few family favorites that are guaranteed to please just about anyone.

American chop suey or goulash

No matter what you call it, this is a very basic dish which combines macaroni with hamburger and a tomato based sauce. Pasta is one of the least expensive ingredients that you can use. To make this dish, you can combine two pounds of elbow macaroni with one pound of hamburger and four cans of stewed tomatoes with peppers and onions. If you want to make it extra special, you can sprinkle a little cheese on top and throw it the oven to melt. This is a dish that pleases everyone from seniors to little children. The entire dish will cost much less than $10 to prepare.

Homemade baked beans

If you have a crock pot you can cook up a delicious large batch of baked beans and all you need are two bags of navy pea beans, two medium onions, molasses and a piece of salt pork. Soak the beans overnight, slice up the salt pork, chop the onions and slice the salt pork, throw in the crock pot and cook all day and this is one really delicious and economical dish to bring to the potluck.

Tuna noodle casserole

This is an old family favorite that, if doubled or tripled, makes a perfect potluck choice. All it takes are two cans of tuna, two cans of mushroom soup, two pounds of noodles and some buttered bread crumbs. What could be easier and less expensive than that?

Shepherd’s Pie

This old English dish, shepherd’s pie, is universally loved. You will need two pounds of cheap hamburger, five pounds of potatoes, a jar of brown gravy, one large onion and a large bag of frozen corn or peas. Boil and then mash the potatoes. Cook the hamburger with the onion, drain and add the gravy. Top with the corn and mashed potatoes. Bake in the oven until the top is crispy brown and bring to the potluck.

Mac and cheese

Every potluck has to have some mac and cheese. One way to really save on this dish is to ask at your deli department if they sell the cheese ends. Usually, these are sold at less than half price and make for a different tasting dish every time. All you need are two pounds of pasta, one pound of cheese, some milk and flour, a little Worcester sauce and potato chips for a topping and you have a great and very cheap dish.

If you are asked to make dessert, a sheet cake will feed a crowd with one cake mix and if you add your own homemade frosting, no one will care that you used a cake mix. The same goes for a brownie mix, just add a simple homemade frosting and everyone will be impressed, especially if you add some colored jimmies.

There are many ways to make inexpensive dishes for a potluck, use these ideas and add your own personal touch to create the perfect dish. 

All orange citrus fruits aren't oranges

When it comes to oranges, most of us think of navel oranges. They are common, quite delicious, easy to carry and inexpensive. But they are far from the only orange citrus fruits that you will see in the stores, especially during the winter.

Minneolas

The Minneola is a tangelo, it is a combination of Duncan grapefruit and Dancy tangerine, sometimes marketed under the name Honeybell.  When I bought them here in Connecticut they were called Minneolas but when I was in Florida, they were called Honeybells.

They are very distinctive with a prominent neck that looks like the top of a bell.  The taste has an unexpected tartness from the grapefruit no doubt but very delicious and juicy. If you see them in the store, grab them, they have a very short growing season and are rarely available. 

Mandarins

Cuties, Halos and Clementines are all terms that we see in the grocery store starting in December or so and lasting through April.

I have to say, Cuties really are cute and we ate a lot of them during our stay in Florida. They are small, taste like a tangerine, seedless and are very easy to peel. They are a combination of two different types of mandarins, Clementines and Murcotts. The advantage is that they have a longer season than many others. They also have a very effective advertising campaign that has made them a household word.

However, when it comes to taste, any of these three varieties will be similar and I suggest that let price be the determining factor.

Tangerines 

Today, tangerines are a lot larger than the other varieties of Mandarins but they are almost identical in taste. They received their name from the fact that in the 1880s they were shipped out of Tangiers. The Dancy tangerine was the most common variety grown in the US into the 1970s.

Blood Oranges

If you are looking for something totally different, a blood orange is a real treat. While they look similar on the exterior, it is the wonderfully bright interior that will really make this a delight. Blood oranges are not easy to peel having a thicker skin than other oranges.

The next time you are in the grocery store and looking for your citrus fruit fix, you will have a better idea of what each of the varieties has to offer. One thing for sure, the navel orange is one of the most popular varieties because of its year-round availability and great taste.

Enhancing a basic cake mix

The first cake mixes came out in the 1920s. It was a good idea and caught on but it wasn’t until the 1940s that they really started to taste pretty good. As more and more women entered the workforce, they were looking for ways to save time and still offer their families some of the things that their mother used to produce. Ever since that time, women having been trying to doctor up the cake mix so that it tasted more like homemade and less like the box. A creative woman can come up with lots of ways of enhancing a basic cake mix.

Some cake mixes come with instant pudding already added but if your mix has not had the pudding added you can add it yourself. You can also substitute buttermilk for the water or add sour cream.

Apple upside down cake

No one will even suspect that this is a cake mix. Peel six large Mackintosh apples. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and ½ teaspoon of nutmeg to ¼ cup sugar and toss the apples in the mixture. Grease a 13 by 9 cake pan and place the apples in the pan. Mix a yellow cake mix according to the directions and pour over the top of the apples and cook per package directions. Allow to cool and flip the pan over. The apples are now the top of the cake. Slice and enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea.

Orange cake

Turning a yellow or white cake mix into a great orange cake is really very simple. You just replace the water in the cake mix with orange juice. It can be fresh squeezed, frozen or refrigerated. To really take it up a notch, add the zest of one orange. Frost the cake with orange buttercream frosting and garnish with fresh orange slices. 

Cherry cake

Use a white cake to get the best color with this recipe. You will need a 10 oz jar of maraschino cherries. Drain the juice off but retain. Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the box use the cherry juice with the addition of water to make the amount of liquid required. Chop the cherries and add to the cake mix. Cook according to directions. This cake will come out pink and very pretty and looks great frosted with a white frosting.

There are no limits to the enhancements that you can add to your cake mix. You are only limited by your imagination. If you have some great ones that you have tried that you would like me to add, I would love to do that. 

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake with Sour Cherries

As cooks, most of us realize that it is imperative to have a go-to coffee cake recipe. We are often called upon to bring something to an occasion or meal. A quick and easy coffee cake will always be welcomed. This recipe is very easy and best of all, it tastes even better than it looks. Your friends and relatives will be impressed and only you will know how little work was actually involved. 

What you will need:

A nine-inch springform pan

For the cake

• 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Filling

• 1 8 oz package of cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sour cherry jam

Topping:

• 1 cup reserved crumbs from the cake
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Use a pastry cutter to mix the flour, sugar, and butter in a large bowl. You want it to be a course crumb texture. Put aside one cup of the crumb mixture, 

To the main bowl add the baking powder, soda, and salt to the crumb mixture left along with the sour cream, egg, and almond extract, blend well. Pour into the greased and floured springform pan. You may also line the pan with parchment paper if you prefer. 

In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar and egg. When creamed, spoon into the spring form pan. Spread the jam over top of the filling. Add the nuts to the reserved crumb mixture and place it on the top of the jam.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for 55-60 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before removing the sides of the pan. 

This cake will show to advantage on a pretty cake plate or platter. This cake will serve  8-10 people and perhaps a cut more if you cut the pieces a little thinner. 

Leftover, if there are any, should be refrigerated. 

This is a very versatile recipe, with just a few tweaks of the flavoring , it can be different every time. Raspberry jam pairs very well with almonds and how about peach jam with walnuts? The combinations are only limited by your imagination. 

If you are watching your calories, you can use no fat or low fat sour cream and cream cheese and the sugar can be replaced by a no-calorie sweetener. I personally, prefer to keep it all as natural as possible. 

This is destined to become a family favorite and it is always a god idea to take along copies of the recipe whenever you bring it anywhere, people will ask for it!! 

The basics of the cuisine of Quebec

The cuisine of Quebec is varied and while much of it has its roots in France, there are many other countries which have added their taste and their spice to the mix. The early settlers used the fruits of the land to fill the stew and soup pots bubbling away on their hearths and you will find some of these same ingredients today in the food of the province.

Yellow Pea Soup

Pea soup is probably the best know food of Quebec. It is the stuff legends are made of. The ancestors had to have foods that could survive for the long months of winter and not spoil. Dried peas are just such a food. The original recipe is very simple, peas, salt pork, onions, and dried savory. The most original recipe calls for whole peas, not split peas and they should be yellow, not green. This soup is a real potage, served thick and hot with slices of bread and butter. This soup is as welcome on the table today as it has been for hundreds of years.

Creton

Making creton is an art that all housewives in Quebec used to have. Making creton is almost impossible in the United States because the leaf lard that is used is not readily available. Creton is a pork pate that is spiced and every family had their own combination of spices. You can find creton in grocery stores today in Quebec, in my opinion, the most authentic is the one made in Gaspe. There is nothing quite like morning toast with creton, it is a very Quebecoise thing to eat.

Tortiere

Meat pies have found their way into every housewives repertoire of recipes. This is another case of every county has its own version of the tortiere. In my family, there are no vegetables in the pie. It is strictly made from ground pork spiced with cloves. The pastry is a savory pastry made with lard, not a light and flaky pastry that you would use for an apple pie. I mother is from the county of Montmagny, 45 miles east of Quebec City on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. 

Pate Chinois

This is the Quebecers version of shepherd's pie. Ground beef, corn and mashed potatoes. How it came into being is much disputed but one school of thought is that it is named for a town in Maine, not for the Chinese. Many people from Quebec went to Maine to work in the mills and brought back home recipes. 

Sucre a crème

Sucre a crème which means literally sugar with cream is similar to penuche but has that old fashioned grainy texture that fudge had when I was a kid before it became a creamy almost processed confection. It is made with brown sugar and cream and, if you like, walnuts. This can still be found almost anywhere in the province, the farmers market in Quebec City is a favorite spot of mine for getting my sweet fix. It is very sweet and if you are not used to it, can be quite cloyingly so. To me, nothing is too sweet and this is a personal favorite.

Tarte au sucre

This is sugar pie. Also a combination of brown or maple sugar with cream cooked in a pan and then poured into a cooked pie shell with walnuts. It comes out tasting a bit like a caramel pie and can be downright addictive.

Crepes

In Quebec it isn't Crepe Suzette, it is breakfast crepes with good Quebec maple syrup. A good crepe should be so thin you can almost see through it. If you want savory crepes or ones stuffed with chocolate, there are several Breton restaurants which will serve these for you but they are not the crepes of Quebec.

And for my friends who are from Northern Maine and of Acadian descent I must include Ployes which are buckwheat crepes. My mother never made these or mentioned these so I think they are not common among non-Acadians but I am told they are delicious. 

These are just a few of the favorite foods of Quebec. If you want to try these and many other foods of Quebec you can visit Quebec City or Montreal or purchase a copy of a good Quebecois cookbook.

Toppings for cupcakes

Cupcakes have been very popular for about a decade now. It is no wonder really; they are small, portable and downright delicious. While they may be eaten plain most people prefer to have them decorated. They can be decorated with a variety of toppings, and whether it is for an afternoon treat or a birthday party, a cupcake is a fun alternative to a large cake. Toppings for cupcakes are only limited by your imagination.

Cream cheese frosting

One of the most popular frosting for a cupcake is cream cheese frosting. It is traditional with red velvet as well as carrot cake. It also is a good match for a spice cupcake or banana. Cream cheese frosting is a simple combination of cream cheese, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar. Using a piping bag allows for a fancier application but is not necessary; it tastes just as good when applied with a simple bread knife.

Chocolate icing

Who doesn’t like chocolate? It is the perfect topping for chocolate or yellow cupcakes. There are so many different kinds of cupcakes that are perfect with chocolate, banana, and chocolate chip, orange and of course coconut. A simple chocolate frosting can be made with sour cream, melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and a pinch of salt. For children, this may not be sweet enough but for adults, it’s perfect.

Coconut

Coconut is one of those decorations that people either love or they hate. It is perfect with a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting, this makes it takes mike a Bounty candy bar. It adds the perfect touch to a tropical cupcake made with pineapple or other tropical fruit on a sticky white frosting.

Whipped cream

While store made cupcakes don’t usually use whipped cream because it is somewhat fragile, at home it can turn a plain cupcake into something very special. Picture a yellow cupcake with whipped cream and a strawberry slice or a chocolate cupcake with whipped cream and an Oreo cookie crumble on top. When using whipped cream to decorate, keep the completed cupcakes refrigerated until ready to serve.

There are a variety of decorations that can be added on top of the frosting or whipped cream. These included colored sugars, jimmies, candies and ground nuts. For parties, holidays and special occasions there are always special decorations offered in the grocery or party store. Jelly beans are perfect for Easter cupcakes, in black and orange they become ideal for Halloween. Red and green sugars are traditional and simple options at Christmas time.

Cupcakes are the perfect little piece of cake and can be decorated in a wide variety of ways. It is quite simple to frost and decorate them to fit just about any occasion. Your skill as a decorator is all that stands in the way of the amazing cupcakes that you can create.

Tenderizing meat with marinade

Some of the tastiest cuts of meat are also the toughest. Tenderizing meat can take several forms. For some cuts, a tenderizing mallet helps to break down the fibers. While this is an excellent method especially if you are feeling the need to let off some steam, there are less physical ways to have tender meat. You can use a marinade.

Most marinades are made up of three parts, some fat, an acid of some sort and flavoring usually in the form of herbs and spices. Following are a few marinade methods and tips.

Methods:

Acid

In the acid method, some of the most popular ingredients used are wine, vinegar and some form of citrus. While these add a lot of flavor to the meats that they marinate, they are not all that effective at tenderizing, If the meat is left to marinate too long, (more than two hours), the opposite effect will occur.

When using an acidic marinade, less is more. Be judicious in the strength and don't overpower the meat.

Enzymes

A second method of marinating is the use of enzymes. Several fruits are popular as ingredients in marinades, including pineapples, ginger, and kiwi. These won't make the meat tough if they're left on for too long but they can make it mushy. Again, less is more and shorter than two hours is the way to go.

Dairy

A third method of marinating is the most gentle, and it involves using a dairy product such as Greek yogurt or buttermilk. These are both slightly acidic and have the desired effect in a gentle way.

Types of marinades

If you have a tough cut of meat and you want to make it delicious and less tough what marinade works the best? There are proponents for all three methods and the best method is to use trial and error to find out what works best for the meat that you have.

• One easy acid marinade is bottled Italian salad dressing. It has all the necessary components, oil, acid, and herbs. Placing a piece of meat in a Ziplock bag along with the bottled dressing is simple, and all that is required is to rotate it so that the meat is evenly marinated. It can be done simply with olive oil, red wine vinegar and chopped garlic or garlic salt if you prefer to control your ingredients.
• Lemon, lime or orange juice are also great with olive oil and whatever spice combination your family prefers. Black pepper and Herbs de Provence both combine well with citrus.
• Pineapple combines well with ingredients such as soy sauce and brown sugar to make a delicious marinade for chicken. This marinade isn't only good with chicken, it also works with steak and pork.
• Buttermilk is a popular marinade for fried chicken. By adding a strong ingredient such as cayenne pepper to the milk, you can give your fried or baked chicken a real pop of flavor.

When you want to give your food a lot of flavor and tenderize your meat, marinating is the way to go, and a method that every cook should have in his or her arsenal. It can make even the toughest cuts of meat delicious.

The versatile chicken breast

A chicken breast is one of the most versatile pieces of meat that you can cook. It can be fried, baked, grilled, broiled, sautéed or poached. You can serve it with a sauce, gravy, battered or with an endless variety of seasonings. It is easy to cook and inexpensive to buy. It is, in fact, perfect for just about any occasion.

Chicken breast can be cooked on the bone, cut into tenders or just served boneless. Simple or complex, there are many ways to cook chicken breasts.

When cooking a chicken breast, it is very important to make sure that it is cooked thoroughly. The exact internal temperature that is considered fully cooked is minimally 160 degrees to 170 degrees. To check the internal temperature of a chicken breast, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast. If it registers 160 remove it from the heat source, the temperature will continue to rise while it rests.

The wonderful thing about chicken breasts is that they require very little preparation. If the breast has the bone in you will need to decide if you want to keep the skin on during the cooking process. To add layers of flavor to the breast, you can marinate it for about an hour prior to cooking. You can make your own marinade or you can use a commercial one. A very simple choice is oil and vinegar with lemon pepper added.

You place the chicken and the marinade in a plastic bag with enough marinade to cover the amount of chicken that you are cooking. Shake the bag to get all the breast coated and let rest in the refrigerator. Turn the bag over after about 30 minutes. A bottle of salad dressing such as Italian, Caesar or Balsamic Vinaigrette will also work very well.

With a boneless chicken breast, stuffing it is very popular. The breast needs to be cut in half or butterflied. You can then place a wide variety of stuffing between the two pieces. You can use vegetables such as spinach or meat and cheeses like ham and Swiss cheese. Another method uses butter and herbs. Use your imagination. After you have stuffed the breast, use twine to tie the two halves together and bake according to recipe directions.

The sky is the limit when it comes to coating the chicken breast. You can dredge it with flour, salt, and pepper and then dip it in buttermilk to mimic fried chicken or to make a fried chicken breast. You can crush nuts and roll the breast in the nuts and then bake or pan fry. A simply flavored bread crumb coating is always tasty and if you want it even simpler, brush the breast with olive oil and then sprinkle with dried or fresh rosemary. Use your imagination, you can use almost anything to coat and season your chicken breast.

The amazingly versatile chicken breast can be adapted to almost any method of cooking. If you need to come home to a prepared meal, you can place your boneless chicken breasts into the crock pot with a jar of spaghetti sauce or a can of creamy soup, throw in a few chopped veggies and some macaroni or rice and come home to dinner ready to place on your plate with a tossed salad.

Turn on the grill and cook your chicken breast with some grilled vegetables for another quick choice. Set your oven to 350 degrees and you can bake your chicken breast for less than 30 minutes for boneless and slightly more for bone-in.

Place some butter and olive oil in a heavy fry pan and set to medium-high, add the chicken breasts and cover. After 5 minutes check how well it has browned. When it reaches the correct color, turn the breast over. When both sides are brown, lower the heat to medium-low and allow to cook for 5 more minutes, check the internal temperature, Remove when it reaches 160 degrees.

A stir-fry is a great way to use chicken breast. Place four boneless skinless chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag with one cup of teriyaki sauce. Marinate in the fridge for an hour. In the mean time prepare a cup of uncooked white or brown rice.

Prep the vegetables. You can choose almost anything, I prefer red, green, and yellow peppers, one leak, a small red onion and one cup of leafy greens such as spinach or kale or broccoli.

Remove the breasts from marinade and slice into one-inch pieces. Using a wok heat some olive oil or whatever oil you prefer. Add the chicken. Place the vegetables in with the chicken and add a splash of fresh teriyaki sauce.When the chicken is cooked through, transfer to a platter on top of the rice and serve.

Chicken breasts adapt well to ethnic dishes. Whether it is a stir fry or chicken Marsala, you can impress guests and your family with just a few ingredients and very little cooking expertise. For the new cook or the expert, the chicken breast places the entire culinary world at your fingertips.  Chicken breasts never get old, how could they with an almost endless variety of ways to cook  them?

Stand mixer accessories you may want to own

A stand mixer is one of the workhorses in many kitchens. It is the go-to appliance when making pastries, potatoes, whipping cream and many other tasks. These can all be done with the basic tools that come with a mixer, the dough hook, the whisk and the flat mixer.

There are tasks that you can perform just about every day of the week with your stand mixer, and that is with just the basic machine. If you add some of the other special attachments that are available, you will be able to do just about everything but wash your kitchen floor with the stand mixer.

Food grinder

This is one of the most versatile of the attachments available. It can grind just about any type of meat, which allows you to make your own hamburger or ground chicken or turkey. Turn leftover ham into a great ham and pickle salad and corn beef into hash.

It can also grind nuts such as almonds, pecans, and walnuts, which helps in cookie recipes. And if you're in the mood for homemade salsa, you can easily whip up a batch with the food grinder.

Slicer shredder

This attachment offers the ability to slice and shred fruits and vegetables. There are two shredder cones and two slicer cones, allowing you to choose the thickness of the slices and shreds. This attachment can take the place of your food processor or hand shredder. It is a fast way to create coleslaw or slice up salad ingredients.

Citrus juicer

If you love fresh juice, this is the way to have it any day at any time. It also is the perfect way to produce the lemon or lime juice you need for some of your favorite recipes.

Pasta roller and cutter

You won't need to buy a separate pasta maker if you own a stand mixer. You can add the attachment and produce great fresh pasta and cut the spaghetti into the correct lengths. It is a lot easier than you might think, especially if you mix the dough in your stand mixer. KitchenAid features an additional ravioli maker attachment if you want to get even more creative with your pasta making.

Fruit and vegetable strainer

This strainer can be added to the grinder attachment when making things like soups, baby food and pureed fruit and vegetables. It is perfect for applesauce. It takes ground fruits and vegetables and strains out any seeds, skins, etc., for perfectly smooth results.

Ice cream maker

What could be better than fresh homemade ice cream? It is quick and easy with the ice cream maker attachment for your stand mixer.

Spiralizer

One of the newest attachments is te spiralizer and you can now make some wonderful veggies with this fun attachment. Think beyond the potatoes to zucchini, cucumbers etc. 

These are just some of the available stand mixer accessories. Attachments are not inexpensive, but when compared with buying additional appliances, they make good sense. The attachments take much less space in the kitchen, they're portable and offer easy cleanup.