1. Reading a recipe

2. What is wrong with the following recipe?
YUMMY STUFF!
2 ripe banana’s
2 egg whites
About a cup of sugar
Scoopful of whipped cream
A spoonful of salt and a spoonful of vanilla
A handful of chopped nuts
Put in a shell and put cream and chopped nuts on top.

3. DID YOU KNOW?????
About 30 percent of the dishes prepared from written recipes go wrong because the cooks concerned didn’t actually read the whole recipe!!!
Read the recipe: Believe it or not, reading a recipe from beginning to end is a big deal.  First, review the ingredients list and read through the instructions.  The instructions may have some hidden ingredients (like water), or split the ingredient list in an expected way (like using one egg for a batter and one egg for an egg-wash).  You want to know the lay of the land.  Read the dang recipe.  Trust me.

4. What is needed for a recipe to be useful?
1) Headnote- title, relevant information, remarks
2) Ingredients- include the amounts, should be in the order which they will be used (gather BEFORE you start to make sure you have everything)
3) Prep- what should be done to an ingredient before it is measured (chop, dice, marinade)

5. What is needed for a recipe to be useful?
4) Time- to marinate (you may need to do this overnight!), cook, or chill the food
5) Yield- amount of food or the number of servings
6) Nutritional Information- number of calories, grams of fat, sodium (This could be important for people with strict nutritional diets or allergies!)

6. What is needed for a recipe to be useful?
7) Instructions- clear directions explaining the cooking process step by step (This is the most important part so it will turn out correctly!)
8) Equipment- what type of bowls, pans, etc. (gather this BEFORE you start to make sure you have everything necessary)
9) Temperature- do you need to preheat and what temperature? What kind of oven does it call for?

7. Always Triple Note Cooking or Baking Times and their ‘Doneness Indicators’: If the biscuits should be golden brown or cheese should be melted and bubbly, your eyes, nose, and ears can tell you more than a timer ever will. If it smells like burning, check it out!

8. APPLE CRISP Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Prep:
25 min
Cook:
45 min
Yield:
6 to 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
Fruit Filling:
• 6 baking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
Topping:
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks), chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup nuts, coarsely chopped and toasted
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the fruit filling:
In a large mixing bowl, toss together the apples, lemon juice, sugar, and flour. Pour the apple mixture into a buttered 2-quart baking dish and set aside.
For the topping:
In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. With a food processor, a pastry blender, or your fingers work the butter into the flour mixture just until it comes together and large clumps form. Fold nuts into mixture.
Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit. Bake the apple crisp until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown and crisp, about 45 minutes.
Serve the crisps warm with vanilla bean ice cream or fresh whipped cream, if desired.