All Mix Blog

For the upcoming royal wedding, Princess Diana's former chef Darren McGrady predicts guests will enjoy formal English fare. But when it comes to Prince William's favorite food, one decidedly unstuffy dessert tops the list: Banana Flan. McGrady used to serve the dish (displayed above on Diana's favorite "Herend Birds" china) during private lunches he prepared for the Princess, William and Harry in the dining room at Kensington Palace. "On these occasions, William and Harry could eat what they wanted," McGrady tells PEOPLE. "Two or even three slices of banana flan were perfectly okay as long as 'my boys' are happy – that was how the boss thought." And the dessert – akin to banana cream pie – has a Royal pedigree: "Both William and Harry loved banana flan," says McGrady. "It's the ultimate in comfort food or 'nursery food' as the Queen would call it. In fact, the Queen herself used to be served it as a child, too...

FOR this Kentucky fried chicken recipe, you can use lard, crisco (shortening), or one of the vegetable oils. You can also add butter, if you choose, skimming off any foam that rises to the top while heating the oil. You can toss in chunks of ham or bacon to add flavor. Crucial are the skillet or pan, and the temperature of the oil. On my first try the oil was too hot; the result was burned, undercooked chicken. Oil that is not hot enough will not deliver crisp chicken. IDEAL frying temperature is about 365 degrees F (185 C) - ascertained with a frying thermometer or by dropping a 2" square of bread in the hot oil - it should turn golden brown in about 60 seconds. WHEN you have the right temperature, add the pieces slowly, one by one, and do not crowd them. Be patient and do two or more batches, if you must. Ingredients 1 good chicken (Kosher or 'natural' chickens are usually best), cut into serving pieces, or use 8 to 10 leg pieces (drumsticks and thigh...

Our fascination with food with holes goes beyond the whimsical. Would English muffins be anything more than a bland, flat roll if it weren’t for all those holes waiting for sweet butter and jam? Would a focaccia bread be as crisp? A French bread as intriguing? Probably not. “I always say that good bread should have a consistently inconsistent texture. You can see the nooks and crannies,” says Daniel Leader, cookbook author and founder of Bread Alone bakery in upstate New York. “The holes are often — not always, but often — an indication of nice slow fermentation.” Ahhh, fermentation. Beer, bread and more would not be as interesting were it not for a chemical reaction that produces the gas (carbon dioxide) that prompts all those holes, bubbles and foams. “Much of what we ingest is in foamy form, where the nutritious part is combined with gas, which lends no sustenance but enhances the texture, appearance and pure enjoyment of what we eat and drink,” writes Emory Universit...

Ingredients 40 NILLA Wafers, crushed 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted 4 (8 ounce) packages PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened, divided 1 cup sugar, divided 4 teaspoons vanilla, divided 3 eggs 1 (8 ounce) tub COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed Directions Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix wafer crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Beat 3 pkg. cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust. Bake 50 to 55 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool completely in pan. Beat remaining cr...

Servings: 8 Difficulty: Easy Cook Time: 60-120 min Try this simple side from Emeril Lagasse for dinner tonight. Ingredients 1 tsp. plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick) 2 1/2 lbs. red potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. freshly ground white pepper 2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. bleached all-purpose flour 1 /2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated 1/2 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, grated 2 cups milk Cooking Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with 1 tsp. of the butter. Put the potatoes in a large mixing bowl and add the salt and white pepper. Toss to season evenly. Arrange a layer of potatoes on the bottom of the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the flour. Dot with a tablespoon of the remaining butter, then sprinkle with 1/2 cup of each of the cheeses. Repeat the process until all the potatoes, butter, flour and cheeses are used, ending with the cheeses. Pour in the milk. Bake until golden brown and...

If you’re new to Cookie Madness, here’s a cookie you might have missed: The Hard Boiled Egg Cookie! I pulled it out of the archives today since Easter is afoot and chances are you have some hard boiled eggs lying around. Plus, is it me or are there more features than ever right now on how to boil a perfect hard boiled egg? I know it’s Easter, but this year just about every food magazine and web site seems determined to teach me how to make a perfect hard boiled egg (which is good because I always forget how many minutes to boil the egg and how many minutes to let it sit covered). Anyhow, this cookie and its variations were developed a few years ago by me, Katrina and Rita after Rita mentioned that certain European style butter cookie dough was made with hard boiled eggs. Amazing Hard Boiled Egg Chocolate Chip Cookies 1 1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoon (180 grams) all purpose flour 4 ounces (114 grams) cold unsalted butter – unsalted European style works well 1/2 (.5 ml) tea...

Makes 4 servings. Ingredients • 4 cups small cauliflower florets • 2 gloves garlic, minced • 1 tsp olive oil • 2 Tbsp apple juice • 1 Tbsp snipped fresh parsley • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar • 1½ tsp paprika • 1/8 tsp salt Directions In a large saucepan with steamer rack, steam cauliflower over boiling water covered for about 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Meanwhile, using a small saucepan prepare sauce. First cook garlic in hot oil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat; stir in apple juice, parsley, vinegar, paprika, and salt. Cook sauce until heated. Transfer cauliflower to a serving dish. Pour sauce over the hot cauliflower. Toss to coat. Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 44, Total Fat 1g, Saturated Fat 0g, Carbohydrates 8g, Protein 2g, Cholesterol 0mg, Fiber 3g, Sodium 104mg, Carbohydrates 58%, Protein 17%, Fat: 25%.

 Ingredients 6 cups water 4 cups uncooked egg noodles 1 onion, chopped 1/2 cup sour cream 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup 2 cups diced cooked ham 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs Directions Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2-quart casserole. Bring water to a full rolling boil in a pot.. Cook the egg noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes; remove from heat, cover, and let stand until the noodles are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Stir the noodles, onion, sour cream, chicken soup, ham, and Swiss cheese together in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon into the prepared...

Spaghetti and meatballs are a perennial family favourite. Baking meatballs instead of browning them in a pan streamlines the process, saving time and effort as you can cook the pasta and make the sauce while the meatballs are in the oven.    Spaghetti And Meatballs Serves 4 2-3 thick slices or end crusts of bread 1 small onion, roughly chopped 1 clove garlic, peeled 500g lean minced beef 1 egg 1/2 tsp each dried basil, oregano, thyme and chilli powder 1 tsp salt 400g fresh or dried spaghetti SAUCE 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 2 x 400g cans whole tomatoes in juice 1/2 tsp each dried basil and oregano 1/2 cup red or white wine salt and pepper to taste Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Break the bread into smaller pieces then crumb it in a food processor. Add the roughly chopped onion and garlic, and chop finely. Add the next seven ingredients and mix in bursts, just until ...

The best Indian sweet that one cannot forget to taste is the rich Mysore Paak which is available in India. The Mysore Paak Recipe for this sweet is made out of pure ghee which adds to the beautiful and relishing To make this traditional Indian sweet all you have to do is to follow these ingredients and the method stated below. There are a few ingredients for the Mysore Paak recipe. All you need is 1.Half a cup of water 2.one cup of bengal gram 3.two cups of white sugar 4.one cup of ghee, the main ingredient for the Mysore Paak recipe. Directions for the Mysore Paak Recipe 1.In a tava, mix the bengal gram flour well with a little ghee added to it. 2.In a separate bowl, melt the two cups of sugar along with water. 3.In the sugar bowl, add the gram flour and stir the mixture slowly. See to it that no lumps form when you mix the ingredients in the bowl. 4.Pour in the rest of the ghee to the boiling ingredients and in a while as you keep mixing you will that the contents are f...

Easter is fast approaching and yet somehow the holiday feels incredibly late this year! The following recipes are brunch recipes but if you plan on making a big Easter dinner, I recommend either my Pot Roast or Rib Eye recipe.  I had so much fun preparing this meal!  I made most of it last night and we have been eating the leftovers all day today. My first two macaroon attempts were complete failures but this afternoon the boys and I pulled it together and came up with a macaroon we all were happy with.  Before I share my recipes I’ll share with you our typical approach to Easter, sans the “traditional” candy stuffed plastic eggs and over-sized chocolate bunnies.  My mom was a “health nut” so even growing up I did not associate Easter with candy.  My childhood memories of Easter are of my entire family huddled around the dining room table which was crowded with my mom’s old antique gold glass coffee mugs; all which were filled with sh...

Tuck a small piece of paper with party details into hollow plastic eggs. Let kids hand-deliver them. Sprinkle baby powder “paw prints” around the house. Invite kids to follow the Easter Bunny to where the hunt begins. Before guests arrive, hide eggs in both easy and difficult places to keep kids challenged. Check your weather forecast if you plan an outdoor hunt. Award special prizes for eggs rolled in glitter or marked by special stickers. Assign each child a color of egg to find, or limit the number of eggs each child can keep so no child gets left out. Have colorful beach pails on hand for collecting eggs Party Games Engage kids with all kinds of games: assemble kids into teams for an egg relay race. Eggs are carried on spoons or forks (more difficult) and first team to finish is the winner. Or have players on hands and knees, using only their noses to nudge eggs past the finish line. Use old pillowcases for an old-fashioned "bunny hop" sack race. Forget pinning the t...