Have you ever thought about making your own homemade pasta from scratch. No, I don’t mean the whole dish. I mean the actual pasta noodles. Oh, I know. Why bother with all of that when you can just buy a package of dried noodles in the store and spend time on the important part–the sauce.

How many of us have spent hours next to a beautiful, finely manicured pot of bubbling goodness only to dump it on some old dried out noodles that have been sitting on the store shelf for a year. I know, the store bought stuff has always tasted pretty good in the past. I think most of us wouldn’t even think of making our own because we’ve grown accustomed to just grabbing a package of noodles and the stuff to make a sauce, and we’re on our way.

I know this first technique may sound unrelated to Southern Cooking , but you will see the connection as we proceed. Here is the first tip, which should be applied to all your recipes, not just Southern Cooking.

The Chinese figured this out long ago. Combine sweet and sour in your cooking. That is, in a dish that is intended to be sweet (deserts), add a pinch of salt, vinegar or hot spice. In a dish that is intended to be sour (not sweet), such as vegetables, chili, meats, add sweet. I prefer syrup or molasses rather than regular sugar to add sweetness.

Making homemade pie crust is easier than you think. Here is a basic recipe for pie crust, yes, it really has just 4 ingredients. To make your pie crust even better, before starting, chill the bowl and pastry cutter in the refrigerator. Use ice cold water for the mix.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup water

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. With a fork or pastry cutter, cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the water until the mixture forms a ball.

Imagine if someone set a mug in front of you that held something that looked like mud, dark brown and thick and oily. Being polite, you take a sip. It’s bitter - and spicy from the chili peppers they put in to try to make it taste better. You’d wonder why this drink was served with such ceremony- Why is it so precious?

This was the early history of chocolate. And if you drank the cup, you would find that you felt better, your mood would almost instantly lift, and you’d probably feel like having sex.

But that taste…

Croatian cuisine is sometimes known as “the cuisine of regions”, since each part of Croatia has its own distinct culinary traditions, and influences from its neighbors. The cookery of coastal regions shows influences from Roman, Illyrian and Greek cuisine, Italian cuisine, and even French cuisine, whereas inland areas get their influences from Viennese and Austrian cuisine, Hungarian cuisine and Turkish cuisine.

Some popular Croatian dishes include:

- Juha od Mahuna - A vegetable soup made from green beans, as well as carrots, lentils, onions and peas.

- Brudet - Fish stew, served with polenta (boiled cornmeal)

Crockpot meals are always easy, and very tasty as well. If you love a good cheesy meal or snack, these recipes are just right for you!

Recipe #1 - All Day Macaroni & Cheese

8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

4 cups(16 ounces) shredded sharp Chedder Cheese

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Place the cooked macaroni in crockpot that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Add the remaining ingredents, all except 1 cup of the cheese, mix well.

Ingredients:

½ cup tomato confit finely chopped

1½ teaspoons finely chopped shallots

1 teaspoon fresh chives, finely chopped

3 basil leaves, finely chopped

Basil oil for garnish

Procedure:

For the tomato tartar, combine the tomato confit, shallots, chives and basil in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve, place a 3-inch ring mold in the center of each plate. Place about 2½ tablespoons of the tomato tartar in each ring mold and smooth with the back of a spoon to remove any air pockets. Garnish the tartar with mixed greens and drizzle with some of the basil oil.
Serve cold with small toasts. Makes 4 servings.

Spices have always been the essence of Indian cuisine with the famous garam masala crowning the list. Literally meaning “hot mixture”, it is a wonderful blend of the most aromatic and flavorful Indian spices, and is used not only in India but in many Asian countries and even worldwide.

Although garam masala components may vary, a traditional mix is based on cinnamon, cloves, cumin, nutmeg and cardamom. In addition to that, it may include dried red chilies, black peppercorns, coriander, ginger powder, bay leaves, mace, fennel, fenugreek seeds, and dried garlic. There is really no best recipe for it, as every particular blend has its own special flavor and may or may not be preferred by each individual cook.

It is time for the wedding; now for any traditional wedding it’s a black tuxedo for him, a white gown for her, a multi-layered cake to accommodate for the guests, and floral bouquets to tie it all together. For some brides, they seek for something more than the textbook wedding.

With minor adjustments, their special day could be more original than the usual wedding- plus be one that their guests would remember. One of the most popular ways to tweak weddings is with the cake. With wedding cakes, there are about as many different possibilities as there are brides. Isn’t that really what makes a wedding special!

There is no mystery to why gourmet truffles taste so good - all you have to do is use the best chocolate. Despite being decadently delicious, truffles are actually easy and quick to make.

Dark Chocolate Truffles (and Easy Variations)

1/4 cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons heavy cream

4 ounces of dark chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons liqueur (choose any flavor: orange, coffee, black current, raspberry, etc) (Tip: if you are making chocolate-orange truffles, add 1 teaspoon orange zest.)