How to Make Baked Ziti / Pasta al Forno Recipe - by Laura Vitale Episode 51 Laura in the Kitchen

Toget my iTunes App on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, search for 'Laura Vitale' or 'Laura in the Kitchen' in your app store. To get this complete recipe with instructions and measurements, check out my website: www.LauraintheKitchen.com Official Facebook Page www.facebook.com Twitter: @Lauraskitchen

Cleaning Tough Stains on a Glass Cooktop

Glass top stoves are far easier to clean than your typical range with all those nooks and crannies. However, when cleaning glass cooktops, you will still need to worry about how to clean up streaks and how to clean stains. Sugar syrup, water rings, melted plastic, caked on stains, baked on stains and copper stains on glass stove tops can be a hassle. But before you give up on cleaning tough stains, try some of these tips.

The best way to prevent persistent stains on a glass cooktop is to clean it regularly. Regular cleaning of a glass or ceramic stove is pretty basic. Simply turn off the glass top stove and wait for it to cool. Then, using a clean dishtowel and a little bit of water and mild dish detergent, wipe down the entire stove. The key is to use a clean dishtowel, as the dirty dish towel you use to wipe your pots and pans will leave residue. You'll also want to make sure to take off your diamond ring or turn it outwards to avoid scratching your cooktop.

Another method is to use a mixture of baking soda and warm water. For very persistent stains, spray your cooktop with white distilled vinegar and then sprinkle a sponge with baking soda. Scrub away, rinse and dry. This is an excellent way to remove grease.

If you get a copper stain on your cooktop, apply a little bit of Bar Keepers Friend and scrub it with a plastic scrubber. It's very important to not use something like steel wool, as this can scratch the surface.

If you get an aluminum stain from a piece of foil left on your stovetop, soak two paper towels in a mixture of 1 part bleach and 1 part water. Let the paper towels sit on top of the aluminum stain for an hour. Wipe clean and reapply a cleaning conditioner.

For spills on hot elements, wipe them up immediately before they get caked on. Wait until the burner cools a bit so you don't burn yourself then promptly wipe it up.

For caked on stains, use a single sided razor blade. Keep the flat side in contact with the glass cooktop to avoid scratching it. You should only be scraping away the stain. Wedge it beneath as if you were trying to flip a very stuck pancake.

The best way, of course, is to use the commercial cleaner that comes with your stove. All glass cook tops are a little bit different. You can find the best glass and ceramic oven cleaner for your model by referring to the manual. Stock up! You'll need it for as long as you have a glass stove top.

For mineral deposits (white streaks and splotches), use the commercial cleaner. You will usually get these deposits because your water is very hard. You may be able to avoid this by using distilled water when mixing the abovementioned cleaning solutions. But the commercial cleaner will likely work best.

Gretta Wallace is a homemaker and proud owner of a glass cooktop. She maintains a blog of quick, easy, effective and green cleaning tips called The Cleaning Frenzy Blog where she also discusses how to clean a glass cooktop.

Beef Wellington

Beef Wellington is a preparation of beef tenderloin coated with pâté (often pâté de foie gras) and duxelles, which is then wrapped in puff pastry and baked. A whole tenderloin may be wrapped and baked, and then sliced for serving, or the tenderloin may be sliced into individual portions (as with filet mignon) prior to wrapping and baking. Beef Wellington is named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Some have suggested this was due to his love of a dish of beef, truffles, mushrooms, Madeira wine, and pâté cooked in pastry, but there is no evidence to say for sure. Other accounts simply credit the name to a patriotic chef wanting to give an English name to a variation on the French filet de boeuf en croûte during a period when England was often at odds with France. "Wellington" is sometimes informally used to describe other dishes in which meat is baked in a puff pastry; the most common variations being Sausage Wellington and Salmon Wellington. ____________________ Beef Wellington with Sautéed potatoes and wilted Baby Gem lettuce Serves 2 INGREDIENTS: 400g Beef fillet 400g Flat mushrooms 4 slice Parma ham English mustard for brushing meat 200g puff pastry 2 Egg yolks Approx 8 Charlotte/New potatoes 1 Clove garlic, crushed 1 Sprig thyme 2 large baby gem lettuce Salt and pepper Olive oil Mustard vinaigrette, optional METHOD: Pre-heat the oven to 200c. Heat some oil in a large pan and quickly fry the seasoned beef all over until it's brown. Remove and allow to cool ...

How to Make Fudge

Handle any emergency with Howcast's First Aid app - howc.stExpand the description and view the text of the steps for this how-to video. Check out Howcast for other do-it-yourself videos from lazydiamond and more videos in the Candy & Sweets category. You can contribute too! Create your own DIY guide at www.howcast.com or produce your own Howcast spots with the Howcast Filmmakers Program at www.howcast.com Here's an easy way to whip up this classic treat. To complete this How-To you will need: 3 c. sugar 4 tbsp. cocoa powder 3 tbsp. light corn syrup 1 c. evaporated milk 6 tbsp. butter 1½ tsp. vanilla extract A large saucepan A candy thermometer A glass baking dish A spatula 1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional) Step 1: Mix Mix the sugar and cocoa together in the large saucepan. Then add the corn syrup and evaporated milk. Step 2: Cook Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring until it reaches 234 to 240 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat. Tip: Test for doneness by dripping a small drop of the mixture into cold water. If it forms a soft ball, it's done. Step 3: Add butter Stir the butter and vanilla into the fudge mixture and beat thoroughly. Tip: You can also add chopped walnuts or pecans. Step 4: Transfer to dish Pour the fudge immediately into a buttered, rectangular glass dish -- the mixture hardens quickly. Use a spatula to spread it evenly in the dish. Step 5: Set, cut, and serve Allow the fudge to set for a few hours, and then cut it ...