Friday, January 27, 2012

TEXAS ROADHOUSE GIVEAWAY


We are giving one lucky viewer a Texas Roadhouse Party Spread!


The Texas Roadhouse Party Spread for 10 people includes:
  • 4 party platters
    • boneless buffalo wings
    • fall-off-the-bone ribs
    • bbq pulled pork sliders
  • a large house salad with homemade dressings

To enter leave a comment here.

Be sure to leave your name & contact information no later then 3pm January 31st.


As always, the comments are not published.

We will draw a winner on GMA February 1st.

Texas Roadhouse also wanted to remind you:


3601 Warden Road
North Little Rock
501-771-4230


2620 S. Shackleford Rd  
Little Rock
501-224-2427


Thursday, January 19, 2012

Common Kitchen Mistakes

Thanks for Angie Freel of the Saline County Extension Office for sharing these tips on today's show.


Tossing Cooked Pasta with Oil to Prevent Sticking
Why it’s bad: The sauce won’t adhere to the noodles. Period.

Do this instead: To stop cooked pasta from clumping, toss it with a little sauce immediately after draining. Or, if you won’t be serving the pasta for 15 minutes or more, rinse the noodles under cold water to remove the starch. Then, just before sitting down to eat, reheat the pasta directly in the pot of sauce.


Boiling Pasta in a Pot that’s Too Small
Why it’s bad: For starters, if you use long noodles, they might not fit unless you break them first. But regardless of the pasta’s shape or size, it will probably end up sticky and gummy. “When you add pasta to a small amount of water, it lowers the temperature of the water substantially more than if you added it to a large amount of water, so the water will take longer to return to a boil. In the meantime, the pasta will sit at the bottom of the pot and start to clump up and become mushy unless you are vigilant about stirring,” says chef Michael Symon, the owner of five restaurants in Cleveland and an Iron Chef on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America. Also, your ratio of pasta starch to water will be too high—another cause of sticking.

Do this instead: Unless you are cooking a single serving of pasta, do as Italian grandmothers do: Fill a large pot (5 to 6 quarts) with water and let it come to a rapid boil. Then add 2 tablespoons of salt. Finally, add the pasta and stir it occasionally until its al dente.


Adding Garlic Too Early
Why it’s bad: Garlic browns in less than a minute. If you add it to the pan with, say, chicken breasts—which need about 15 minutes to cook through—the garlic will scorch and turn bitter long before the meat is finished.

Do this instead: Whenever possible, use sliced garlic or smashed whole cloves, which are less susceptible to burning than minced or pressed garlic. And add garlic close to the end of the cooking process. (The exceptions are long braises, stews, and sauces; the liquid will keep the garlic from scorching.)


Cooking With a Cold Pan—and Cold Oil or Butter
Why it’s bad: If the oil isn’t hot enough, those sautéed vegetables will adhere to the pan like glue, giving you a tough scrubbing job later on. A hot pan and oil bond to create a surface that’s virtually nonstick.

Do this instead: Heat an empty pan for at least 1 or 2 minutes. The pan is ready when you can hold your hand about 3 inches above it and feel the heat radiating from the surface. Then add the fat. Oil will shimmer when it’s hot; butter should melt and foam. One exception: If you’re using a nonstick pan to brown delicate foods, add the oil or butter before turning on the heat, since some nonstick pans release fumes when they’re heated up empty for an extended period. Please make sure your pans are safe for pre-heating!


Overmixing Doughs and Batters
Why it’s bad: Over mixing flour activates the gluten, a protein that can give baked goods a firm and elastic structure—delicious in a chewy pizza crust but less so in a delicate pastry.

Do this instead: Go slow and gentle for tender cakes and flaky piecrusts. When adding dry ingredients to cookie and cake batters, use the lowest speed on an electric mixer or mix by hand until just combined. A few lumps in the batter are fine. For piecrust, whether you use a food processor or mix by hand, work the dough as little as possible. Visible bits of butter and streaks of flour are desirable.


Putting Good Knives in the Dishwasher
Why it’s bad: The high-pressure water jets in a dishwasher cause knife blades to knock against other utensils in the silverware basket, dulling and damaging them over time. Additionally, the intense heat of the drying cycle can cause knife handles to warp, which will eventually loosen the rivets.

Do this instead: Wash knives by hand. Hold the handle so the blade faces away from you and wipe it clean with a sponge. Dry knives immediately to avoid the risk of discoloration from water droplets left on the blades. Just a few seconds of work will add years to the lives of your knives.

Storing Tomatoes in the Refrigerator

Why it’s bad: Tomatoes have delicate cells, and excess cold (or heat, for that matter) causes the cell walls to burst. The flavor-producing enzymes are also destroyed, rendering the tomatoes tasteless.

Do this instead: Keep tomatoes on the kitchen counter in a single layer for maximum air circulation, and avoid putting them in direct sunlight. (You can leave cherry and grape tomatoes in their packaging, so long as it contains holes.) To speed ripening, place tomatoes in a paper bag with an apple, which emits ethylene gas, a ripening agent. Once ripe, they’ll last for up to 3 days. Some varieties, like plum tomatoes, will keep longer.



Using a Tiny Cutting Board
Why it’s bad: You won’t have room to maneuver a knife, which increases your risk of cutting yourself. You’ll also make a mess and waste time corralling ingredients that fall off the board.

Do this instead:

Special thanks to Real Simple.

Monday, January 09, 2012

Elvis Lives Graceland Giveaway

Elvis fans this is a contest to make your heart sing! 

KATV and Celebrity Attractions are giving one lucky viewer A TRIP TO GRACELAND!

Each week day, through January 20th we will share a new Elvis trivia question on Good Morning Arkansas. 

You will have until 8am the following day to leave a comment with your answer, name and contact information. You can enter once for each trivia question. 


The comments are not published.

Only correct answers will be entered in the drawing. Only entries with correct answers, entrants name and contact information will be entered in the drawing.  




The V.I.P Graceland Prize Package for 2 includes:
  • 2 nights at the Heartbreak Hotel
  • Platinum Tour of Graceland
  • Tickets to Sun Studios, Stax, The Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum
  • The Very Best of Elvis Presley CD
  • Elvis – The Great Performances DVD Set
  • 2 Tickets to Elvis Lives at the Robinson Center in Little Rock, January 30th




Elvis Trivia



Question 9 (FINAL QUESTION!):
January 20th (viewers must submit answer with name and contact information by 8am January 23th) 
Gladys Presley can be seen in which of his movies?
A. Loving You
B. Jailhouse Rock
C. GI Blues
D. Blue Hawaii


Question 8:
January 19th (viewers must submit answer with name and contact information by 8am January 20th) 
Proceeds of Elvis' 1961 Bloch Arena concert benefited what?
A. Elvis Charitable Foundation
B. Purchase of Graceland
C. U.S.S. Arizona Memorial
D. March of Dimes



Question 7:
January 18th (viewers must submit answer with name and contact information by 8am January 19th) 
What movie was Elvis filming when he received his draft notice?A. Love Me Tender
B. The Milton Berle Show
C. Jailhouse Rock
D. King Creole
-Correct Answer



Question 7:
January 17th (viewers must submit answer with name and contact information by 8am January 18th) 
Who was Elvis' manager?
A. Colonel Glenn
B. Colonel Parker
-Correct Answer
C. Colonel Sanders
D. Gladys Presley



Question 6:
January 16th (viewers must submit answer with name and contact information by 8am January 17th)  
What did the media nickname the day Elvis entered the army?
A. Blue Seude Friday
B. Black Monday
-Correct Answer
C. Hounddog Day
D. Black Friday


Question 5:
January 13th (viewers must submit answer with name and contact information by 8am January 16th)  
What was the name of Elvis' pet chimpanzee?
A. Swivel
B. Ebony's Double 
C. Scatter-Correct Answer
D. Sweetpea 

Question 4:
January 12th (viewers must submit answer with name and contact information by 8am January 13th)  
For which company did Elvis make a commercial?
A. Little Debbie Snack Cakes
B. Southern Maid Donuts-Correct Answer
C. Molly Maids
D. Lansky's


Question 3:
January 11th (viewers must submit answer with name and contact information by 8am January 12th) 
What song was originally written for Elvis?
A. Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville-Correct Answer
B. Dolly Parton's Jolene
C. Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time
D. Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit



Question 2:
January 10th (viewers must submit answer with name and contact information by 8am January 11th)
What was Elvis' favorite sandwich?
A. Reuben
B. Peanut Butter & Apples
C. Turkey & Swiss
D. Peanut Butter & Banana with Bacon
-Correct Answer 
 
Question 1:
January 9th (viewers must submit answer with name and contact information by 8am January 10th)

What is the name of the vocal group seen here performing with Elvis?

A. The Blossoms
B. The Jordanaires-Correct Answer
C. The Climb









We’ll have a new question on Good Morning Arkansas tomorrow.

Good luck!


Don’t forget to get your tickets for 
Elvis Lives 
“The Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Event” 
coming to the Robinson Center 
in Little Rock 
January 30th.

For tickets to the show visit 
or call 501-244-8800.


Wednesday, January 04, 2012

JANUARY BLUES-BLAHS IS NOT DEPRESSION


First Wednesday relationship advice from Rebecca Ward: 

On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, I have a mission: I want my house in full-Christmas-Bling before the sun sets. I'm up early and I'm all over it. Wreaths go up first as if to announce I am in full decorating mode and this house is under full-boar assault! And before the sun sets, my goal has been met with a bit of professional help. The house is appropriately adorned for the holidays with the tree lit, candles burning, and old familiar Christmas stuff out where it belongs. I just love it and keep lights on around the clock.

And on the day after Christmas, I have another mission and that is to remove all of the paraphenalia as quickly as possible. I want it all gone, packed away, disappeared and my house returned to normal. Two happy days with lots of activity between them.

Holidays are wonderful. I love seeing my neighborhood start twinkling with white and colored lights and my drive home from work accented now with holiday decorations that are fun to see. It's all a rather emotionally loaded time as we recall past yuletide memories and enjoy all the new ones we're making. I think it's a time of indulgence  as we likely eat and drink too much and possibly spend too much on giving and receiving. We are definitely into a period of ignoring if possible the ordinary pains of everyday life and enjoying the "holiday spirit". Many of us don't want to deal with unpleasant issues until "after the holidays." We don't want anything to spoil our merriment I think.

And then JANUARY arrives and sometimes with a hangover!! New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are our last holidays until....well, next year. We've got some minor ones through out but Thanksgiving til New Years is our holiday season so it can feel a little desolate when January arrives signifying our month long societally sanctioned period of celebration has ended. We can no longer be in denial about life returning to normal. Credit card bills start arriving and there is that nagging thought about taxes coming up. Oh, my. January can mean paying the piper. Yikes, what was I thinking with all that shopping?

So maybe we get the Blues or the Blahs for a bit. I think that's understandable. Coming home from a vacation is both a relief and a let-down and coming down from holiday highs can also be an ambivalent time. We're glad all the extra-work and tasks are done but a little sad to see it fade away. Some folks have trouble "letting go" so they keep their tree and other decorations up awhile longer. They nibble on the fudge and divinity and cookies too and don't want to think of more austere dietary offerings.

Hey, that's fine. Get through January and the end of the holiday season however works best for you. I love January. It's a month to rest and reflect and I go into quasi-hibernation with a few naps on the weekends. It's time to read good books and maybe watch taped tv shows I didn't have time for before. Hopefully there might be a snow day to enjoy and rainly days are always guilt-free "don't leave the house" days. All in all, January offers us a great month to rest!

So not to worry if you have the "blahs" or the "blues" and your energy level is not up to speed. Rest and recover from your holiday activities.  The Super Bowl is on its way and then Oaklawn will open and there will be daffodils blooming before you know it! 

New Year, New You Giveaway

Did the holidays leave you a little frizzled? 


Did you resolve to get a new look for the new year? If you did, we can help you not break that resolution. 


We are giving one lucky viewer a makeover from Augusta Andrews of B. Barnett


All you have to do to enter is leave a comment right here with your name, hometown, and contact information.


The comments will not be published. 


Name, hometown and contact information must be entered for an entry to be valid.


The deadline to enter is 8am Friday, January 6, 2012.


Good luck!