EMAIL ME YOUR FAVORITE KID FRIENDLY RECIPE AND I WILL POST IT FOR YOU !
CHEF MELINDA
RECIPES :
BERRY BERRY CUPCAKES :
1 BOX FRENCH VANILLA CAKE MIX
1/2 CUP FRESHBLACK BERRIES
1/2 CUP RASPBERRIES
1/2 BLUEBERRIES
PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES . PREPARE CAKE AS DIRECTED ON THE BOX . TO THE FINISHED BATTER ADD ALL THE BERRIES AND FOLD IN . FOLD MEANS TO GENTLY STIR , CAREFUL NOT TO OVER MIX YOU DO NOT WANT OT SMASH THE BERRIES . PLACE CUPCAKE PAPERS INTO CUPCAKE PANS . CAREFULLY FILL EACH CUPCAKE PAPER 3/4 FULL . BAKE FOR 23 MINUTES . GET A GROWNUP TO PUT THEM IN THE OVEN AND TAKE THEM BACK OUT WHEN DONE. PLACE CUPCAKES ON A COOLING RACK AND ALLOW TO COOL COMPLETELY .
ICING :
1 STICK BUTTER , ALLOW TO SOFTEN UNTILL SQUISHY
1 PACKAGE CREAM CHEESE ALLOW TO SOFTEN UNTILL SQUISHY
2 LBS POWDERED SUGAR
2 TSP . PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
3 TABLESPOONS OF MILK
IN A BOWL OF BIG OLE STAND MIXER TOSS BUTTER AND CREAM CHEESE . WHIP ON HIGH SPEED USING A WHISK ATTACHMENT UNTIL FLUFFLY LIKE A CLOUD. TURN THE MIXER DOWN T LOW SPEED AND SLOWLY DUMP THE SUGAR AND MILK CONTINUE TO MIX UNTIL IT BB BB BECOMES CREAMY . YOU MAY NEED TO ADD A LITTLE MORE MILK IF IT IS 2 THICK .
USING A ICING SPATULA , ICE EACH CUPCAKE AND HAVE A FEW LICKS , NO ONE IS LOOKING , LOL . DECORATE WITH YOUR FAVORITE TOPPINGS OR MORE FRESH BERRIES . SERVE TO MOMMY AND DADDY , THEN ASK IF THEY WILL TAKE YOU TO THE MOVIES THIS WEEKEND , I BET THEY SAY YES !
Cheesy Tuna salad
1 can smelly tuna , rinse well
2 tablespoons low fat mayo , why low fat ? because it is better 4 u
1/2 stalk celery , minced
1/4 cup shredded Jack & Colby cheese
1/2 tsp . fresh dill , chopped finely
1 hard boiled egged , chopped and then squished
Just a touch of salt and pepper
Get a bowl . rinse tuna and drain until there is no more liquid dripping from the can , o I spelled that wrong , hmmm , how do I spell it , are you sure it is not correct . have someone help you mince the celery and dill . Dump the tuna , mayo , celery , cheese , dill , egg , salt and pepper mix until it looks like you want to eat it , lol . It will only take a minute so don't over mix . by the way do you see any mispelled words ? While you are eating your lunch go over this recipe and see if you find any if you do corret them . Enjoy !
ASK YOUR MOM OR DAD TO EMAIL A PICTURE OF YOU HAVING FUN . IT CAN BE A PICTURE OF YOU AND YOUR BFF OR YOUR WHOLE FAMILY MAYBE A PICTURE OF YOU AND YOUR PET HAVING FUN . YOU MAY HAVE A PICTURE OF A SPECIAL PLACE YOU VISITED . JUST GET THEM TO ME AND I WILL POST IT ON THE WALL OF FAME !

Sue and Melinda having a day out in North Carolina . I miss my BFF .

Brendan and Tommy having fun at the docotrs . Fun can happen anywhere !
AUTUMN'S BIRTHDAY CUPCAKES THAT SHE MADE WITH HER GRANDMA. YOU CAN SEE AUT'S LITTLE FINGNERS . WE HAD SO MUCH FUN !

BABY TOMMY . GRAMMA , AUTUMN , NOAH , MAKING CHRISTMAS PEANUT BUTTER BALLS 2008 . These were the best tasting Peanut Butter Balls EVER !
MINI MOO AND YAYA AT THE LAST MARDI GRAS 2008 WITH MELINDA ! I MISS YOU TWO YACKERS SO MUCH ! LOVE YA !
Cody and Ryan at the Pittsburgh Science Center , 06 /19/09
A really nice visit with Cody ! We had a blast !
Sidney & Kya at the Pittsburgh Pirate Game . Now you see us !
Now you don't !
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Joesph having fun on his summer church trip Orange Beach Fla. !

Laurell being silly on a church trip to Orange Beach !

Mariah , having a blast with her friends on a church trip in Orange Beach Fla. !
THIS IS WHERE YOU CAN ADD YOUR ART WORK. ONCE YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR DRAWING . HAVE SOMEONE SCAN IT AND EMAIL IT TO ME AT MELSHOMECORNER@AOL.COM AND I WILL POST IT FOR YOU ! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE ALL OF YOUR ART WORK !
GRAMPATA IS WAITING FOR YOUR ART WORK !
CHEF GRAMPATA

THIS IS A DRAWING BY GRAMPATA . IT IS MELINDA ON THE ULTIMATE RECIPE SHOWDOWN ON THE FOOD NETWORK . IT IS A REALLY FUNNY ONE ! MELINDA IS IN THE MIDDLE !


Hi Chefette here ! What do you get when you add butter and me to squash ? Do you give up ? Come on ! One more guess !
BUTTERNUT SQUASH !
c. = cup
T. = tablespoon
tsp. = teaspoon
lb. = pound
lg. = large
Pinch = app. 1/8 of teaspoon
Allemande: one of the four mother sauces. It is an egg-enriched velouté. A velouté is a white stock-based sauce.
Al dente: usually referring to pasta—slight crunch to the bite.
Au jus: the drippings released from meats as they are slow cooked.
Bake: to cook food in the oven, usually with little fat or liquid. Also refers to the cooking of baked goods.
Bard: the process of wrapping meat in a thin layer of fat to retain moisture.
Baste: to pour or spoon liquid over food while cooking.
Béarnaise sauce: an emulsified butter sauce made with egg yolks and clarified butter, seasoned with tarragon, shallots, and vinegar. Usually served with steak.
Béchamel sauce: This is also one of the four mother sauces. It is a white sauce made from a butter and flour roux. There are hundreds of sauces that start with this classic white sauce.
Beurre blanc sauce: a classic French sauce made from a wine and vinegar reduction finished off with butter.
Blanch: to immerse food into boiling water briefly to par cook. The food will then be finished using a second cooking method. This method is also used in the canning process of fruits and vegetables to remove the skins.
Braise: to simmer foods on the stovetop in a very small amount of some form of fat to brown.
Break: usually means a cream sauce has separated during the cooking process.
Butterfly: to cut food in half but not all the way through; when completed, it will resemble a butterfly with open wings and will lay flat on any surface.
Caramelize: to cook food over a fairly high heat until the foods’ natural sugars are fully released, and the food turns caramel in color.
Chiffonade: to roll leafy vegetables and cut into small strips.
Chutney: an Indian condiment made from fresh fruits, vegetables, and spices; usually spicy and sweet.
Confit: usually refers to duck or goose that has been slow cooked in large amounts of fat and stored in the fat until service.
Deglaze: to use liquid to remove the remits of the item cooked in a pan, such as meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables. Wine is usually the first choice for deglazing—some use stocks, broths, and water.
Egg wash: equal parts of water and beaten egg used to brush on baked goods for added color during baking and to seal pastry before baking.
Espagnole: one of the four mother sauces. It is a brown stock-based sauce used to make various other sauces. For example, to make this sauce you could start by using a beef stock and finish with seasonings and slurry.
Fillet: To remove the bones from fish, meat, or poultry.
Ganache: a creamy mixture of melted chocolate and heavy cream used over cakes and desserts.
Julienne: to cut vegetables or any food into small, even strips.
Leaven: the act of rising in baked goods. This usually happens when leavening agents are used such as baking soda, baking powder, potato starch, air, and whipped eggs.
Marinate: to soak foods in a seasoned liquid to enhance flavor.
Mince: The procedure used to chop food in tiny little pieces. This is usually performed with a chef’s knife.
Mirepoix: celery, carrots, and onions that are chopped and used as a soup base and to season other foods while cooking.
Mother sauce: There are four basic sauces that are referred to as mother sauces simply meaning they are the base sauce where many other sauces are created from them. Some believe there are five, the fifth being emulsified sauces such as mayonnaise and hollandaise sauce.
Pipe: This is when you are decorating cakes, cookies, and pastry using a pastry bag and a decorating tip. It is also when you are filling foods with a filling using a pastry bag.
Poach: to cook food in liquid.
Puree: to puree, grind, or mash solid foods to a smooth consistency.
Reduce: to boil liquid to concentrate its flavor and thickening.
Render: to cook down, melt the fat in meat.
Roux: flour and butter or any fat mixed to form a paste. Used to make a base for sauces or stews.
Sauté: to cook food quickly on the stovetop over high heat with little fat.
Sear: to brown quickly over high heat.
Simmer: to cook food over low heat for long periods of time.
Metric Conversion Chart
US Canadian Australian
1/4 tsp 1 mL 1 ml
1/2 tsp 2 mL 2 ml
1 tsp 5 mL 5 ml
1 Tbl 15 mL 20 ml
1/4 cup 50 mL 60 ml
1/3 cup 75 mL 80 ml
1/2 cup 125 mL 125 ml
2/3 cup 50 mL 170 ml
3/4 cup 175 mL 190 ml
1 cup 250 mL 250 ml
1 quart 1 liter 1 litre
Weight
1 ounce 30 grams 30 grams
2 " 55 " 60 "
3 " 85 " 90 "
4 " 115 " 125 "
8 " 225 " 225 "
16 " 455 " 500 " (1/2 kilogram)
Temperatures
Fahrenheit Celsius
32 degrees 0 degrees
212 " 100 "
250 " 120 "
275 " 140 "
300 " 150 "
325 " 160 "
350 " 180 "
375 " 190 "
400 " 200 "
425 " 220 "
450 " 230 "
475 " 240 "
500 " 260 "