food and drink preparation

In a large stockpot, combine boiled cider, hard cider, fresh cider, 2 cups salt, sugar, peppercorns, allspice, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar and salt dissolve, about 3 minutes.  

The Lake County Leader provided its readers with 24 of them this week that they're not likely to get from Rachael Ray. Instead, they're from the "culinary experts of Mission Valley Schools." Note it says "culinary" experts, not "spelling" experts.

They're all very excited to come back and sing   -Jay Roberts

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants to make sure everyone has a food-safe Thanksgiving and is offering guidelines for thawing, cooking and storing the turkey. In the refrigerator: Leave the turkey in its original wrapper and place it on a tray to catch any juices that may leak from the package. Bacteria in poultry juices can cross-contaminate other foods.  

Gavin Kaysen and Padma Lakshmi talk to Kevin about his dish. Keep it simple, stupid. Often shortened to the acronym KISS, this half-insult, half-sound advice effectively sums up the road to success used in this week's episode of Top Chef: It's a bit ironic, really, because none of this season's prior challenges tested the chef'testants' culinary skills (and nerves) quite like the Bocuse d'Or. Explained by chef'testant Jennifer Carroll as the "Olympics of Culinary," the Bocuse d'Or is the championshi  

Is it no longer off to grandma's house? Are you meeting at a community center so you have room for everyone? Let me guess, you have been asked to bring the turkey.  

FOR adults, spending time in the kitchen is sometimes a bit of a chore, but for children the kitchen is a fun and exciting place. Children love to cook and relish doing things like kneading and rolling out dough or cracking eggs and mixing batters. Cooking with your child is not just a great way of bonding – it's also educational!  

For nearly 20 years, Mary Ann Esposito of the PBS cooking series "Ciao Italia" has been the major promoter of Italian cooking in the USA, just as Julia Child was to French cooking. Although Mary Ann stands about a foot shorter than Julia, like Julia she's a born educator, always willing to share knowledge and expertise. She possesses a constant curiosity about the origins and the nature of foodstuffs, and has a discriminating palate.  

"The horror!!!" writes Auldo, the Dutchman behind The Big Fat Undertaking , the cook-your-way-through-a-cookbook blog that documents his experience with Heston Blumenthal's The Big Fat Duck Cookbook ( Amazon ). Some may want to quote Mr. T and exclaim, "I PITY THE FOOL!" but we're totally impressed since this is, in fact, a truly epic project. His estimate is that it'll take him one year to cook the approximately 50 recipes from the book.  

With the 2009 holiday season almost here, the Corpus Christi Fire Department would like to remind residents about the dangers of using turkey fryers when preparing holiday meals. Tests have shown that the fryers have a high risk of tipping over, overheating or spilling hot oil, all of which can lead to fires, burns and other injuries. This cooking method, which has become increasingly popular during the past few years, involves placing the turkey in three gallons or more of oil, which is heated by propa  

The popular chef Delia Smith has said her CBE is a "tribute to home cooks all over Britain" after being awarded the honour from the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace. Smith's books, including the controversial How to Cheat at Cooking, have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, and she is also known for her vocal support of Norwich city football club. "There are so many people who do so much but to be picked out amongst them is a great honour," she said.

There are so many people who do so much but to be picked out amongst them is a great honour   -Delia Smith