Recipes for Making Quick and Easy Pasta and Poultry Dishes

When you need quick, easy, and tasty meals, turn to chicken or turkey and pasta. A much healthier alternative for your family than the fast food outlets and what family doesn't name both ingredients as family favorites? Turkey and Macaroni Casserole is ready in minutes and this one dish has pasta, vegetables, meat, and dairy. Add a bagged salad and you are set! The Quick and Easy Chicken Pasta is so easy to prepare it will only take a few minutes. Steam some broccoli or add a salad and you have another quick meal. If you prefer a light entree salad, try the Rotini Chicken Salad.TURKEY & MACARONI CASSEROLE

1 pkg (14-oz) macaroni and cheese dinner mix

1 pkg (10-oz) frozen mixed vegetables

1 lb bulk turkey sausage

1/2 small onion, chopped

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

1 pkg (3-oz) cream cheese, cut-upCook macaroni from mix in a large amount of boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Add frozen vegetables. Cook for 5 minutes longer. Drain the mixture and return to the saucepan.Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, cook turkey sausage and chopped onion until the sausage is cooked through and the onion is tender. Drain, if needed.To the hot macaroni-vegetable mixture, add the cheese sauce from the boxed mix, milk, butter, and the cream cheese. Stir until the butter and cream cheese have melted. Stir in the turkey-onion mixture and heat through.Yield: 4 servingsQUICK AND EASY CHICKEN PASTA

1 lb boneless skinless chicken, cubed

salt to taste

black pepper to taste

2 to 3 tablespoons flour for coating

2 tbsp canola oil

1 can or jar of Chunky Italian Ready Sauce

Your favorite hot cooked pasta for 4Put the flour, salt, and pepper into a bag. Add chicken cubes and shake until all chicken is coated.Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken well on all sides until no longer pink. Add the sauce to the skillet and simmer until heated through. Serve over your favorite pasta.ROTINI CHICKEN SALAD

3 cups rotini pasta, cooked and drained

2 cups broccoli florets

1 1/2 cups Ranch dressing

1 pkg (6-oz) deli-style honey roasted chicken breast

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup slivered red onionCombine all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss well to coat. Refrigerate until serving time.Yield: 10 cupsEnjoy!

Culinary Arts Scholarships

Do you have the passion for cooking but lack the resources to acquire a degree in the culinary arts? Don't give up too soon. That dream may actually come true through culinary scholarships.The Massachusetts Restaurant Association (MRA) offers culinary scholarships to all eligible candidates. Each applicant must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of the state, must be accepted to or currently enrolled in a foodservice-related post secondary program. The culinary scholarships are awarded to high school seniors that have or are participating in the ProStart School or Career program, or undergraduate college students, or high school seniors or graduates. For a more comprehensive culinary arts scholarships guidelines, you may visit their website.James Beard scholarships are awarding culinary scholarships from different schools. The Apicius the Art or Cooking ar Lorenzo de'Medici in Florence, Italy is giving out full scholarships of about $3,300 for a single semester which includes Italian language course, Wine Appreciation or Restaurant Management, and three cooking courses, or a choice of an art history course over one of the cooking courses. Other culinary scholarships in Italy from the James Beard Scholarships include the Apicius the Culinary Institute of Florence. You can gather more facts on this by visiting the same website.The Art Institute of Colorado offers the James Beard scholarships as well. Culinary scholarships are available for qualified incoming freshmen in the 21-month AAS degree in Culinary Arts or Bachelor Degree in Culinary Management. Applicants are required to have a 3.0 grade point average in high school or in their post secondary education.There are basically several schools that have the James Beard Scholarship Program. The scholarships that are given come from the James Beard foundation which is a non-profit organization based in the Big Apple. It is driven by the mission of taking care and promoting the county's culinary heritage in the hope of improving the quality of culinary arts in the U.S.The scholarships from the Foundation are mainly for those who want to become culinary professionals. The three categories of the culinary scholarships are tuition waivers or the scholarships given by the culinary schools, grants from money raised by individuals or by the programs hosted by culinary professionals, and grants taken from the Foundation's fund.The James Beard Foundation's goal is supported by a lot of restaurants, hotels, and other establishments in the country. They indulge in several fund-raising programs in which the proceeds are meant for the Foundation's fund and the culinary scholarships. Surely, your passion for a culinary arts career won't remain a distant dream.

How to Cook Tenderloin Steaks

Tenderloin is the most tender part of the cow. Filet mignon is another name for this cut and if you like succulent, lean, and boneless steaks, you will love it. Tenderloin is not a cheap cut of beef so if you are investing in this fine cut, you will want to know how to cook it to perfection, maintaining its fine texture, compact shape and subtle meaty flavor.This cut of the cow is waste-free, versatile, and quick to cook. You can cut it into strips for a stir fry or pasta dish, cubes for kabobs or simple broil, grill or pan fry the filet mignon. Marinated steak recipes are also useful for giving extra flavor to this tender ingredient.How to Grill ItGrilling is the cooking method of choice for most filet mignon connoisseurs because the flavor is so good. One inch thick tenderloin should be grilled uncovered over moderately hot coals for about fourteen minutes for medium rare to medium. Turn the meat occasionally.If you want to grill extra thick cuts of filet mignon, an inch and a half thick for example, it is best to cover the grill and cook them for about fifteen minutes for a medium rare to medium doneness, turning the meat once or twice.How to Broil ItBroiling is just as easy as grilling and if you have one inch thick steaks, put them in a broiler pan so the beef surface is two or three inches from the heat source. Cook the beef for fourteen or fifteen minutes for medium rare to medium.For thicker cuts, have the filet mignon three or four inches from the heat and broil it for about twenty minutes. If you are using the broiler, just turn it once, halfway through the cooking time.How to Pan Fry Your BeefHeat a heavy nonstick skillet over a moderately high heat and then add your half inch thick beef tenderloin without crowding the pan. Let it cook for about four minutes uncovered, turning the meat over once.If the beef is three quarters of an inch or a whole inch thick, they will take between eight and thirteen minutes to cook in a skillet. Turn the meat occasionally as it cooks.Tips for Tasty TenderloinBrowning your steak makes it look extra appealing. Make sure you blot the raw meat on paper towels before you cook it, to encourage browning. You can marinate the meat briefly before cooking it to give it extra flavor.Easy steak marinades can break down tough cuts of steak but because tenderloin is already tender, it should only be left in the marinade for about twenty minutes. Over-marinating already tender cuts of steak can turn them to mush.Cook the beef over a moderate heat. If the heat is too high, the outside of the meat might burn before the inside is cooked. A thin steak can be cooked at a higher temperature because the overall cooking time will be less. Turn the meat with a spatula or tongs because piercing the meat can let the tasty juices escape.

How to Cook Quinoa, the Incan Superfood

If you haven't tried quinoa yet, you owe it to yourself and your family to cook and serve some tonight.This cereal-like food was eaten for thousands of years by the Incas of South America, who worshipped it as sacred. And no wonder. It is one of the most nutritional foods in the world, higher in essential amino acids than wheat. Yet unlike wheat, quinoa is gluten free.Although some natives of the Andes region where it originated also eat its leaves, most people eat quinoa in its seed or "grain" form. Happily, it's easy to prepare and cook in this form.Quinoa is showing up on more supermarket shelves in the United States, Canada and Europe, but--depending on where you live--you might have to seek it out in a specialty or organic grocery store. Try to find a package containing seeds that have had their waxy outer coatings removed through rinsing or some other process.If you buy quinoa with its coating still on, you must rinse it vigorously in a strainer, then soak it for several hours in water, then rinse it again. If you leave behind any of the coating, which is full of a bitter substance called saponin, your quinoa will taste terrible.Fortunately, most commercially marketed quinoa sold in North America and Europe today has been pre-processed to remove the coating.The easiest way to prepare quinoa is to cook it much as you would rice. Just put a cup of the de-coated grain in a saucepan and pour two cups of water over it. Bring the pan to a boil, cover, and turn down the heat to a low simmer. Let it cook for about 15 minutes, then remove from heat.Your cooked quinoa should be light and fluffy, much like cooked rice; in fact, you can use it in almost any dish where you would normally use rice. Add your favorite vegetables, meats or seasonings and enjoy. My south Louisiana heritage is showing here, but I have to say that my own favorite way to make quinoa is in a jambalaya with shrimp and sausage.If you would like to try baking with it, look for quinoa flour form in the store. You will probably need to combine it with something else such as sorghum flour or tapioca starch to get a good baking mix. Some cooks recommend a mix of 2 parts quinoa flour, 2 parts sorghum flour and 1 part tapioca starch.Is there a gluten allergy sufferer in your life? Try making some special treats using such a quinoa-based mix and see how easy it is to bring baked joy back to the table.

How to Cook Goat in a Crockpot

Goat might not be as common as beef or chicken but it is equally great for making crockpot recipes. Goats have been used for their meat, milk, skins, and hair all over the world for centuries and there are more than three hundred goat breeds.This animal is closely related to the sheep. The meat tastes like spring lamb meat and the word "mutton" is used to describe both sheep and goat meat in India, Pakistan and on some Caribbean islands. The flavor can also be reminiscent of venison or veal, depending on the condition and age of the goat.The meat can be barbecued, stewed, curried, grilled, baked, canned, minced, or made into sausages. The New Zealand Kiko, which originated in Tennessee, is a popular breed of goat for eating, as is the South African Boer, which was introduced to North America in the early 1990s.Goat is wonderful for making casseroles and stews and if you fancy a change from the kinds of meat you normally use in your crockpot recipes why not try some goat? You can buy the meat fresh or frozen in larger grocery stores or Caribbean grocery stores.Slow Cooked Goat Leg with Garlic and VegetablesThis is a very simple recipe, combining the goat meat with potatoes, carrots, garlic, wine, shallots, and tomato paste. Most of the flavor comes from the goat; if you like hearty dishes you will love this one because it is simple yet very satisfying and flavorful.What you will need:1 goat leg, de-boned or folded

3 red potatoes

3 cloves garlic

3 carrots

1 cup water

1 cup white wine or chicken stock

8 oz tomato paste

8 shallots

Salt and black pepperHow to make it:Put the water, wine, goat and tomato paste in your crockpot and stir the mixture. Cook it for four hours on low. Peel and chop the carrots, potatoes, garlic, and shallots and add these to the pot as well as the salt and black pepper. Cook for another three hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Serve with couscous or rice.Recipe for Goat in Red WineYou can adapt this recipe if you have other vegetables to use up. Carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, and squash are all good. The goat will come out very tender and moist and you can serve this taste recipe with mashed potatoes or rice. If you want the gravy to be thicker, you can stir a teaspoon of cornstarch into the beef stock before you add it to the crockpot.What you will need:1 lb goat stew meat

1/2 bottle red wine

3 bay leaves

6 oz tomato paste

6 peeled, chopped carrots

1 chopped onion

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

14 oz beef stock

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepperHow to make it:Put the vegetables and herbs in the bottom of the crockpot, then pour in the liquids and tomato paste and stir the mixture well. Add the goat and make sure it is covered in liquid.Add the salt and pepper, cover the crockpot and cook the stew on high for three hours, then low for two hours. Alternatively, you can cook it on low for eight hours or nine if you are using frozen meat.

Package Holidays and Culinary Delights in the Capital

London is home to iconic landmarks such as Big Ben, Westminster and the Tower of London and is a fantastic place to visit - be it for a day, a weekend or longer. One of the world's great cities, it offers visitors a 'world in one city', with a cosmopolitan mix of cultures, architecture and cuisine. Indeed London offers some of the best and most diverse dining in the world, with exciting restaurants and world class chefs, it's not hard to find a great place to eat whilst on your holidays here. There are a large variety of package holidays to London available online too, so a trip to one of the city's top restaurants needn't break the bank. Here's a look at three of London's best restaurants.LatiumWithout doubt one of the best Italian restaurants in London, Latium offers understated excellence in the heart of the city's west end. With its winning formula of robust and personal authentic Italian food, elegant and intimate setting and discreet yet attentive service, it's no wonder this restaurant has accrued such a large following of loyal clientele. The menu is a delight with a wide variety of dishes that offer that rare real taste of Italy, with seasonal flavours and fresh daily made breads and pastas. There's even a separate menu wholly dedicated to the art of making ravioli. The chef, Maurizio Morelli is a real master of his craft and his commitment to excellence is evident in the sourcing, preparation and execution of his food. To accompany his heavenly creations, there is also an interesting wine list. At around £100 for a 3 course meal for two with wine it's not cheap, but when you're getting everything from crostini on arrival, to petit fours and an everlasting bread basket on top of a sensational meal, this seems pretty good value. You can find a variety of money off and late deals online to help buffer the shock.Café spiceSituated near London's Tower Hill, Café Spice Namaste continues to impress with its contemporary twist on authentic Indian cuisine. Décor is exotic and sumptuous, the food is excellent, the menu interesting and incredibly varied and the service flawless - what's not to love. Café Spice is also that rare place that will satisfy both vegetarians and die-hard carnivores with its imaginative recipes. At around £35-44 per head this Indian fine dining experience doesn't come at your usual curry house prices, but it's not your usual curry house experience and the extra is worth it. When the weather allows it, enjoy some al fresco dining or pre-dinner cocktails in the Ginger Garden.MoroSituated in the hip area of Exmouth market, this restaurant never disappoints. Offering an earthy fusion of Spanish and North African cuisine, Moro delivers robust flavours and satisfying dishes. The restaurant; decked out with zinc bar, polished wood floors and wood burning oven has a lively buzzing atmosphere and you can't fail to be seduced by the glorious smells of Smoky paprika, saffron and sweet cinnamon that emanate from the bustling kitchen. Its menu changes weekly but always offers variants of its famous wood-fired oven cooked meats, imaginative seafood dishes, wonderful sourdough breads and interesting puddings. Prices are around £25-35 per head, not budget, but very reasonable. Despite its reputation as one of the trendiest restaurants in London, emphasis at Moro continues to be on excellent food. The popularity of this restaurant speaks volumes.

Cheap And Easy Recipes Delicious Chicken Parmesan For Just 10 Dollars!

Almost everyone loves great Italian cooking, but restaurants are just too expensive! Luckily, you can make cheap and easy Italian recipes like chicken parmesan in the comfort of your own home for a mere fraction of the cost at a restaurant. Here's my favorite way to make this dish...You'll Need...Head on out to your favorite discount grocery store or supermarket, and make sure it's a place that has especially good deals on meat and poultry. Here are the ingredients you should pick up:Boneless, skinless chicken breasts - get 4 breasts weighing 6-8 ounces each. If your store has great prices, this should run you about 5 or 6 dollars.Bread crumbs - pick up a small can for about 1 dollar.Parmesan Cheese - Pick up a medium-sized shaker can for 2-3 dollars. Look out for deals on this product, too, as some stores will occasionally mark it way down to about a dollar per can.Hopefully you've already got some flour, eggs, olive oil, and basic seasonings on hand. If not, spend a few more bucks to get these ingredients - they will last a lot longer than just this meal and will help you make more cheap and easy recipes!Prepping the ChickenStart by making the chicken breasts flatter in order to shorten the cooking time and get more tasty crust on each piece. You can pound them out with a mallet or rolling pin, but that can get messy. My favorite method is to simply butterfly the breasts by cutting them almost all the way through with a sharp knife and "opening" the flaps like butterfly wings.Next, you'll want to have three trays or pie pans ready. One will have lightly-salted flour, one will have beat-up eggs, and one will have a mixture of bread crumbs and Italian seasoning. Lightly salt the chicken, coat it in the flour, cover it in egg, and finally coat it thoroughly with bread crumbs.Once each chicken breast has been prepared, heat a non-stick skillet to medium heat and pour a generous layer of olive oil into the pan. Cook each breast on both sides until lightly golden brown. Cover them completely in parmesan cheese on a greased baking sheet, and then cook them in a 350 degree oven for 4-5 minutes, or until the chicken is done. If you've got a thermometer, chicken is done when the inside reaches 165 degrees.ServingThis is one of my favorite cheap and easy recipes, and it will taste great as is! However, you may want to serve the chicken over a simple dish of pasta and seasoned tomato sauce. You can also serve it alongside sautéed potatoes and wilted spinach or chard.