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Sunday, May 16, 2010

Must Try Asian Grill Recipes

Baby Back RibsServes 4. Get 4 racks of true baby back ribs ( each 3/4 to 1lb) 6 cloves coarsely chopped garlic, 1 piece (2 in) fresh ginger,peeled and coarsely chopped, 1 tbs. sugar, 1 tbs. coarse salt, 2 tbs. honey, 1 tbs. soy sauce,1 tbs. Asian fish sauce or additional soy sauce. For the dipping sauce 4 tsp coarse salt, 4 tsp white pepper, and 4 juicy limes cut in half. To prepare the ribs remove the thin, papery membrane from the back of each rack or ribs. ( some stores sell them already removed). If you have a large rack of ribs, cut each rack in half. Place ribs in a non-reactive baking dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Place the garlic, ginger,sugar,1 tbs salt and black pepper in a motor and pound to a paste. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, puree ingredients in a food processor. Work in honey, soy sauce and fish sauce or additional soy sauce. Spread spice over the ribs on both sides and let marinate in the frig covered from 1 to 4hours. For the dipping sauce, place 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of white pepper in neat mounds side by side in each of 4 tiny bowls. Place 2 lime halves next to each bowl. Then preheat your grill to medium. When ready to cook, brush grill grate clean and apply a thin coat of olive oil to the grate. Place ribs bone side down on the hot grate until then are golden brown and cooked through about 8 to 12 minutes per side. Cook a little longer for full size ribs. When done, transfer ribs to a cutting board and cut into individual ribs. Then arrange on platter for serving. Just before eating, instruct guests to squeeze 1 to 2 tbs of lime juice into bowl of salt and white pepper and stir until mixed. Dip ribs in sauce before eating. Beef Kebabs Serves 4. You need 1.5 lbs of rib eye steak about 1/2 in thick. 3 tbs light brown sugar, 2 tbs ground coriander, 1 tbs ground turmeric , 1.5 tsp ground cumin, 1.5 tsp freshly ground pepper,3 tbs Asian fish sauce or soy sauce, &3 tbs vegetable oil. Cut steaks into 1/2 in cubes without trimming fat. In a nonreactive mixing bowl, stir in brown sugar, coriander, turmeric, cumin, pepper, fish sauce or soy sauce, and oil. Let beef marinate in frig for at least 2 hours. Then drain beef cubes and discard the marinade. Thread beef onto bamboo skewers leaving the bottom half of the skewers for a handle. Preheat grill to high. When ready to cook, brush grill grate with a thin coat of oil. Arrange skewers on hot grate with a strip of aluminum foil placed under exposed ends of skewers to keep them from burning. Grill cubes 1-2 minutes per side for medium rare, a little longer for medium. Beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 F. Serve beef cubes with a tasty relish or fried garlic peanut sauce. Asian Cucumber RelishAsian Cucumber Relish Makes 1 to 1.5 Cups. Take 1 medium cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and take out seeds. Then take 1 shallot and mince to get 2-3 tbs or 1 scallion, white and green parts, trimmed and minced. Then get 1 small hot red chile, stemmed, seeded and minced. Put aside 2 tbs rice vinegar, 1 tbs sugar and coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Cut cumber into 1/4 in dices. Place cucumbers, shallot, chile, rice vinegar and sugar in a mixing bowl and toss gently to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can make this relish up to 2 hours ahead. Fried Garlic Peanut Sauce Yields 2 cups. Ingredients are 2 tbs veg oil, 5 cloves garlic , 3 thinly sliced crosswise and 2 minced, 1 shallot minced, 2 strips lemon zest 1/2 in by 2 in, 1-3 small hot chiles stemmed, seeded and minced. ( for hotter sauce leave in seeds) 3/4 cups peanut butter, 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, 2 tbs sugar, 2 tbs soy sauce, 1 tsp fish sauce (optional) 1 tsp fresh lime juice, 1 tsp finely chopped cilantro, coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Add sliced garlic and cook until golden brown or about 2 minutes. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon. Place on paper towels to drain. Add minced garlic, shallot, lemon zest and chiles and cook over medium high heat until fragrant and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in peanut butter,coconut milk, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce if using, , lime juice and 3/4 cup of water. Reduce heat and gently simmer until sauce is thick and pourable about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in cilantro during last 2 minutes of cooking. Just before serving, stir in fired garlic. If sauce turns thick and pasty, add 1 tbs or so of water. Add salt and pepper to taste and more sugar and lime juice if needed. Coconut Grilled Corn makes a great side dish with the ribs or beef skewers. Serves 4. You'll need 4 ears of sweet corn,husked,3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk, 2 tbs light brown sugar, 1-2 bay leafs, 1/4 tsp salt. Combine coconut milk, sugar, bay leaf and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let simmer gently until sugar dissolves, 3 to 5 minutes.Taste for sweetness adding more sugar if necessary. Remove pan from heat and let mixture cool to room temperature. Preheat grill to high. When ready to cook, brush grill grate clean and apply thin coat of oil to grate. Place corn on hot grate.Start basting with coconut milk mixture after a few minutes. Baste several times until corn is nicely browned on all sides, about 2 -3 minutes per side, 8 - 12 minutes total, turning with tongs. Baste corn one final time, plate and serve.

Home Made Gelato Recipes From Florence, Italy

Plain Base First make 1 quart of plain base with 2 cups whole milk,1 cup heavy cream, 4 large egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar. 1. In a heavy bottom sauce pan, combine milk and cream. Place over medium-low heat and stir occassionally so a skin doesn't form. Keep on heat until tiny bubbles start to form and the mixture reaches 170 F.( use a candy thermometer ) 2. In a medium heat proof bowl, wisk egg yolks until smooth. Gradually wisk in sugar until the mixture is a thick, smooth pale yellow. Temper the egg yolks by slowly pouring them into the hot milk mixture while wisking continuously. Return the custard to the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stiring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and it reaches 185 F. DO NOT bring to boil. Poor the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl and let cool to room temperature stiring every 5 minutes or so. To cool the custard quickly, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water and placing the custard in it. Stir the custard until cool. Cover and refrigerate until very cold for at least 4 hours or overnight. Banana Gelato This requires 2 chilled ripe bananas,1 tablespoon sugar,and 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Make your Plain Base and chill. Place the bananas, sugar and lemon juice in a blender and add half the plain base. Blend until smooth, then wisk in remaining base. Pour the mixture into the container of an ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer's directions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for a least 2 hours before serving. Lemon Poppy Seed Gelato Requires 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 2 reaspoons grated lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds. Make the Plain Base as directed. Then gently wisk in the lemon juice and zest into the base. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker container and follow manufactuer's dirfections. Add poppy seeds 5 minutes before the churning is completed. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Leave The Haggling To Someone Else

If you've ever bought a used car, the worst part of the process is haggling about the price. Now a new company has emerged that will do the dirty work for you and save you money which is www.Carsala.com Call or log onto their website and enter the make, model, year range etc. Carsala will then send you a report listings cars that fit your description. It also removes any damaged, wrecked or flooded vehicles from the search plus any dealers with bad business practices. You can select up to 20 cars for Carsala to negoigiate for you, including cars you found on your own. Pro hagglers take over and get you the deal in writing. Plus you get another report with all the negoiated deals and then you can take a test drive and complete the deal. Carsala charges 20% of the savings OFF the asking price which is capped at $300 for up to 20 cars. So if the asking price is 15 grand and Carsala gets you a price of $14 grand, you pay $200 or 20% of the $1,000 difference. Until Oct 1, 2010, Carsala is offering a $99 flat fee when you use the coupon code, KIPIE.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Five Ways To Avoid Or Dispute Surprise Medical Bills

1. Stay In Your Network This is the best way you can avoid extra charges. 2. Double Check Everything The first time you visit a doctor, always call to verify that he or she is in your network. Websites can sometimes be outdated and mix-ups happen. Also make sure before you're admitted to a hospital that you will be treated by doctors in your network. That way you won't be hit up for "balance bills". 3. Negotiate Everything Upfront If you know you must go out of your network, be ready to talk money before you are treated. Keep in mind that even in emergency situations, insurers only pay what they deem as "usual" and "customary" treatments in your area. So if your P.P.O pays 80% of out of network charges, that means 80% of reasonable and customary fees. If your doctor charges well above what the insurance company deems reasonable, you may be "balanced billed" for the difference. So ask the out-of-network doctor what the charges for your care will be. Than check with your insurer to see how their payouts match up. Armed with this info, you can negotiate with the doctor to accept the insurance company payment in full. If you want to use an out-of-network hospital, you'll also need to get pre-approval on surgeon's fees and other charges. 4. Negotiate Everything Afterwards Too When you get a balance bill, don't hesitate to call the doctor and ask why he or she feels the insurance payment is not sufficient and why you were not told about the extra fees ahead of time. 5. File An Appeal If you feel your insurance company is not paying its fare share, consider a formal appeal. (If you found this post helpful,why not click on the small "envelope icon" below and e-mail this post to ten of your friends or family members.)