June 2011 - Cookhacker

Simply Delicious Healthy Turkey Chili

June 28, 2011August 14, 2011 Tom

Isn’t it great when you find a recipe that’s easy to make, healthy, inexpensive and, on top of all that, also tastes incredibly good…the kind of good where you want to keep eating more even though you’re really full? Well, this is one of those dishes. I know that some chili aficionados think that turkey chili is for wimps, but I’m telling you, this is the real deal. While it’s incredibly good the day you make it, I find that, like most chili, this actually tastes better after sitting in the in the refrigerator overnight. It also freezes really well…then, all you have to do is just stick it in the microwave, and when it’s hot, top it with some grated cheddar cheese and maybe a dollop of sour cream (low fat, if you’re still thinking healthy), and you’re good to go. It also goes great with a thick slice of buttered toasted Sourdough Bread.

Please click here for the printable recipe.

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Thermapen Instant Read Thermometer…Best in Class

June 14, 2011August 8, 2011 Tom

The

Super-Fast Thermapen is, without a doubt, the best food thermometer available and an essential really cool kitchen tool. Sure, it’s way expensive, but sometimes it makes sense to just buy the best. The thing that sets this apart from all other kitchen thermometers (and there are some pretty good ones out there) is its speed, accuracy and ease of use…it takes just 3 seconds to register an amazingly accurate reading. Another great feature is that the Thermapen is splash-proof, with molded-in seals that protect the thermometer from wet hands and kitchen splashes. I also love the way it operates…just open it and it turns on and close it and it turns off…no buttons, cables, slides or switches (and it comes in some really great colors!). When buying things for the kitchen, I always take pricing into account, but I believe that in this case, because a great thermometer invariably leads to great results when cooking, if you can afford it, it pays to go with the best. This also is absolutely one of the coolest gifts you can buy for someone who cooks…they’ll use it and love you forever!

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Cheesecake Lollipops – A Dessert to Impress Your Friends!

June 7, 2011August 8, 2011 Tom

I was invited to a dinner the other night and had to bring something, so I decided to make these again and they were such a huge hit, I have decided to repost the recipe. These lollipops are delicious, impressive and, best of all, deceptively easy to make. You can make your own cheesecake (here is a great recipe from Cook’s Illustrated magazine), but even a good store-bought cheesecake works well for this enticing dessert. First, put the cheesecake in the freezer until it gets nice and firm. Then remove it and scoop golf ball size hunks out of the cheesecake and quickly roll them into balls before they start to melt. Insert a lollipop stick (I opted for long wooden skewers for an impressive display) into each ball and pop them in the freezer for around 2-3 hours until frozen.

While the lollipops are freezing, prepare your toppings by crushing oreos, peanuts, pistachios, almonds, malted milk balls, coconut or toffee. Almost anything can be used, and it’s great to mix and match the flavors.

The next step is whip up a simple chocolate ganache, which is just a mixture of equal parts chocolate and heavy cream, where you bring the cream to a boil, remove it from the heat and pour it over the bowl of chopped chocolate and whisk it together.

When the lollipops are frozen solid, take them out of the freezer, dip them in the ganache, roll them in your favorite toppings and then immediately stick them back in the freezer to set (you should lay them on parchment paper so they don’t stick)…that’s it.

Just take them out of the freezer about 30 minutes before your ready to serve them (make sure they’re served very cold or they will start to drop off the sticks!) and arrange them like a bouquet of flowers…I guarantee your friends will be impressed!

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