Watkins is More than Vanilla

Health Benefits of Cinnamon

2008-12-20T07:11:00.001-08:00

Cinnamon’s unique healing abilities come from three basic types of components in the essential oils found in its bark.

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Italian Balsamic Vinegar For Luxury Recipes

2008-04-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

By Daniela Colleo
There is a pleasure that has never known, and will never do, a decline or a negative trend: the pleasure for good food and good drinks.
Over the centuries men tried to improve their aliments sometimes reaching extremely high levels. For the most part of history, and most of the people, food was only something necessary and they tried to improve it in order to better chew and digest it.
But for luckier people, food was not only a matter of nourishment but a pleasure to indulge in.
In our present culture, for a great part of the world population, food unfortunately is still only synonym of survival. No matter how the food tastes and even if it really do any good to your body, as long as you finally have something in your stomach.
On the other hand, millions of people have the opportunity to get really much more food they can reasonably eat. Due to our eating habits, our younger loved are often obese or, in better cases, a little over weight. Poor populations cannot enjoy a proper meal, but funny enough also people who have too much food do not enjoy it and often their meals are partaken quickly, without any real need or desire.
In the middle of these two categories of humanity, there is a smaller group of people, wealthy enough to be able to afford whatever they want, who do not consider food just as a relieve valve to their rage or frustration or sadness, but a matter of culture.
In this environment, curiosity can originate luxury recipes for a very choosy and demanding taste.
One of the ingredients which concurs in creating luxury meals in Italian food is the balsamic vinegar of Modena which can be used with almost everything giving to the meal an unforgettable flavour.
This thick and aromatic vinegar is produced by the fermentation of Trebbiano grapes, which grow around Modena, and is left for at least 10 years in chestnut tree wood barrels.
Balsamic vinegar from Modena is nowadays known worldwide, but you might not known that two of its most exciting uses are as a topping for strawberries or for vanilla ice cream. Eating them with balsamic vinegar of Modena is an experience you should really not miss.
© Italian luxury handbags.com - http://www.italianluxuryhandbags.com/us
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How Do I Make My Own Bread?

2008-04-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

By Mike Selvon
Bread making has reached a new popularity with many people. They want the best products but do not want to pay for grocery store items that are chock full of preservatives. There is a way to avoid those preservatives and still enjoy the homemade goodness of great biscuits and bread.
You are in luck today. One of the best biscuit recipes you will ever taste is included with this article. These light and fluffy biscuits will ensure that you never buy the canned or frozen varieties ever again. They are delicious and super easy to make.
Making homemade loaf all starts with a bread making recipe. It might be scone recipes for brunch, breakfast or an afternoon tea. It might even be roll recipes. You should choose a bread that you enjoy eating. The easiest types of loaf to make are made with bread making machine recipes.
You will be amazed at the simplicity it offers. You first need a machine for making and baking bread. Buy the type of machine that does everything for you. A good choice would be the Panasonic SD YD250 automatic bread maker. You simply buy a box of bread mix, add the necessary ingredients into the machine and then walk away. The machine will mix and knead it for you!
If you want to skip out on the bread maker and make it from scratch, then you'll want to start with a simple biscuit recipe. Biscuits are amazingly simple to make once you assemble the necessary ingredients. You will need flour, salt, shortening, baking soda, baking powder, milk and something to cut the biscuits.
Take 2 cups of flour and add it to the bowl, along with 2 tablespoons of baking powder, 2 tsp of baking soda and 1/4 cup of shortening. Your next step is to mix until it resembles cornmeal. Add just enough milk to make it into semi-firm dough. Turn it out onto a floured rolling surface and press into 1" squares.
Cut the biscuits out and place them on a baking sheet. Brush with a little butter and place them in a 350 degree, preheated oven. Let them bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. There you have it; a very easy biscuit recipe.
Scone recipes are very similar to this and you will enjoy them just as much. After you are comfortable working with biscuit dough, you can then start thinking about finding bread making recipes so you can enjoy hot, fresh loaf from scratch.
Mike Selvon portal offers free articles on bread making. Find out more about how to [http://breadmaking.micronicherecommends.com/Bread-Making.php]make your own bread, and leave a comment at the [http://www.mynicheportal.com/food-drinks/start-bread-making-now]bread making flour blog.
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How To Use Gourmet Sea Salt In Your Food

2008-04-17T03:58:00.000-07:00

By L. Moses
Gourmet chefs have known for some time the tremendous value of salt. We're not talking about ordinary table salt or even kosher salt which both definitely have their place. No, we're talking about the wide variety of specialized sea salts previously unavailable to the general public. Perhaps it was Iron Chef or any one of the other foodie television programs now watched by millions or perhaps it was simply an evolution of grocers and manufacturers, whatever the reason, the general public now has access to gourmet sea salts previously only used by the best chefs in the world.
Pure Salt, Fusions and More
Gourmet sea salt is just that, sea salt from unique areas of the world. Like a grape made into a fine wine, each salt has its own unique flavor and texture derived from the area it comes from. For example Hawaiian Sea Salt is reddish in color due to the minerals in the clay and it has a mild taste. Contrast that with the almost colorless Bali Sea Salt harvested annually from evaporating sea water in hollowed out palm tree trunks.
Gourmet Sea Salts can take on any number of unusual flavors including the smoky flavor of Fume de Sol made by cold smoking salt crystals in vintage wine barrels. The French Sea Salts in particular are known for having a very natural and earthy taste and considered to be one of the best tasting salts in the world. Even better, many Gourmet Sea Salts are now offered in combination with the perfect pairing of herbs and flavorings like Curry, Black Truffle and even Merlot. Imagine sprinkling your favorite steak with Merlot infused Sea Salt just before placing it on the grill. Gourmet cooking doesn't get much better or easier.
Gourmet Meals in a Pinch
Each salt has its own purpose. Some, like the Organic Sea Salts from France can be used in baking, cooking and even as a kicked-up table salt. The Hawaiian Sea Salt on the other hand has a very distinct flavor that works exceptionally well with a variety of meats. You can combine it with herbs and rub your favorite meat for grilling or roasting and have a truly distinct flavor. For example, the Japanese Curry Salt is excellent on eggs, vegetables, and even tofu.
With the abundance of Gourmet Sea Salts available on the market, it is tempting to buy them all. The good news is that you can. Salt doesn't go bad. Stocking up on a variety of flavors means that you will have the tools at your fingertips, or at least in your pantry, to create a special gourmet meal in a pinch.
Find the best gourmet sea salts available at http://www.mysecretpantry.com/ today!
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Spice Up Your Life With Herbs And Spices

2008-04-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

By Robert Catherine
The secret to great tasting food is spicing it up and adding your own flavors.To give your food that WOW taste, add additional spices and herbs to your recipe.Spices will change how your food tastes. Here are some simple facts and tips about spices, herbs, condiments and salt and how to use them.Spices are usually found in the baking section of the grocery store. Spices are dried aromatic parts of plants such as roots, bark, flower buds, fruits and seeds.The most well know spice is pepper.Here are some spices I like to use; cayenne will add heat to your dish. Great in chili, soups and stews. Cumin is one of my favorite and it is most commonly used in Mexican dishes but is also great in soups, vegetables and really good in pan fried mushrooms. Cinnamon adds a nice flavor to beef or pork stews. Add a pinch of allspice and clove to your meat sauce for pasta to give a rich and full taste.
Herbs are soft stemmed aromatic plants that are now available fresh at any quality grocery store. There is no need to buy dried herbs any more. Storing fresh herbs is as easy as taking the herbs out of the container and placing them in vase of cold water. Put them in your fridge and change the water daily. The herbs will last for at least week.Most recipes refer to dried herbs, so when using fresh herbs double the amount you are using to get the correct flavors.Always add one third of the fresh herbs at the beginning of the cooking process. This helps flavor the food you are cooking. Then add the remaining herbs about five minutes before serving. This will allow the taste of the fresh herbs to give your dish a signature taste. Use rosemary in pork dishes, oregano in mushrooms, chop fresh basil into your salads, and use both opal (purple basil) and green sweet basil. Chop cilantro into your tomato dishes, use chives to add zip to your omelets. Use fresh chopped parsley to add color and flavor to beans and vegetables.
I call Tabasco, Worcestershire great food pick me uppers. They are great in stews, sauces and soups. Add just before serving to allow their flavors to accent your dishes. Use in small amounts and taste after each addition until you that wow taste.
Salt is very important in adding flavor to dishes. Add small amounts at the beginning of the cooking process and finish with salt just before serving. Always add small amounts and taste. Salt helps to bring all the flavors of your dish together.
The secret to great tasting food is spicing it up.
Chef Robert and Barb Catherine are authors of Chef Robert Presents Romantic Dinners For Two and relationship experts on the television show Get Married.
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The Simplest and Best Way to Cure Olives

2008-04-12T10:08:00.000-07:00

By Gerald Smith
If you are lucky enough to have your own olive trees, you will know how bitter raw olives taste straight from the tree. The bitterness is left behind with the pulp when olives are pressed to make oil, but if you want to prepare them for eating - and spare the expense of a press - the fruit must first must be processed, or 'cured'. Although there are several ways to do this, this article will outline the simplest - and in my experience the best - method, which uses only salt. It's the way olives have been cured in Greece for at least three thousand years.
Ripe olives generally include a mixture of black and green fruit. The black olives are the riper ones, but don't wait to harvest them until all of them are black. When the majority of the olives on the tree are black, all of them are ready for picking. Don't wait for the olives to fall from the tree, because by that time many of them will be spoiled. The following cure works equally well on both black and green olives.
Remove any stems and leaves, and wash the fruit in a bucket using fresh water. Pour away the dirty water and spread the olives across a clean table or floor.
Using a sharp knife or fork, make three or four cuts in the skin of each olive. These incisions will enable the salt water to draw the bitterness out of the fruit - the treatment won't work without them.
Dissolve 120 grams of salt into each liter of a bucket of clean water. Throw the the pricked olives into this solution, using an upturned plate to ensure that every olive is submerged. Note that this is about three times the concentration of salt in seawater, so don't use seawater as a substitute.
After 24 hours, pour the liquid away and replace with clean saline water of the same concentration. Repeat this step daily for about 12 days. After 10 days, taste an olive or two each day: continue this washing cycle until every trace of bitterness has gone.
When the washing process is completed and the olives are edible, they are ready to be stored. Pour away the last of the saline solution and dry the olives. Place them into sealable storage jars, topping up the jars with olive oil. If you want, you can add flavorings to the oil: garlic, basil and lemon juice are particular favorites. Ensure that every olive is submerged in the oil, then seal the jar. Store the olives in a cool, dark place.
Although this method is both cheap and simple, it is also quite labor-intensive, and therefore unsuitable for commercial quantities of fruit. The finished product, however, is delicious: those chemically-treated, mass-produced olives that you can buy for a fortune at the local delicatessen will never taste the same again.
Gerald Smith is a technical consultant at [http://www.smithgcb.demon.co.uk/]Piedmont Properties, a real estate agency specializing in Italian vineyards.
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Seven Mistakes to Avoid When Melting Chocolate

2008-04-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

By Barbara O'Brien
If you haven't had it happen to you at least once, consider yourself lucky. You're standing there at the stove, melting some of those little blocks of chocolate that come in boxes. You anticipate with glee those chocolate-dipped strawberries that will be tonight's dinner finale. You look up to check the time or talk to the kids, and when you look back at the stove, your chocolate is not becoming silky smooth, but gloppy and weird. And to add insult to (culinary) injury, the more you heat and stir, the lumpier it gets.
Your chocolate has seized. The good news is that you can still use that chocolate mess in other recipes if you haven't scorched it. The bad news is that you won't be having chocolate dipped strawberries tonight. Read on to discover the seven most common ways to ruin chocolate when melting it and what you can do to avoid disaster.
Mistake #1. Letting water make contact with the chocolate - A block of chocolate doesn't look like it, but it has no water in it at all. It's made of small, dry particles of cocoa and sugar and of cocoa butter. A drop of water that gets into the melting chocolate causes the particles to clump up around the water. This is seizing. You can avoid this by keeping any moisture away from the chocolate. If you melt your chocolate in a double boiler, don't use too much water in the bottom and do not let the water boil.
Mistake #2. Overheating. If the heat is too high, the chocolate will scorch before it's all melted. While this is technically not seizing, scorched chocolate forms little clumps of its own. There is nothing you can do with scorched chocolate, except maybe use it as a face mask or something. Don't eat it.
The double boiler is a life saver here (although still not totally foolproof). Again, let the water simmer, not boil. You can also melt chocolate in the oven if you have extra time. Set the oven to its lowest temperature and check the chocolate every few minutes and stir it. Keep in mind, chocolate shouldn't get hotter than about 115 degrees F. when melting. This is just warm, not hot.
The microwave oven works quite well if you set it on 50% power, check your chocolate and stir after 1 minute, then nuke and stir every 15-20 seconds until it is almost melted. Stir without heating, and let the residual heat melt the chocolate completely.
Mistake #3. Trying to melt a big chunk of chocolate - not only will you still be standing there at the stove until sometime tomorrow trying to melt it, you'll have scorched it long before the whole chunk is melted. Chop up the chocolate, please. Try to chop it into fairly uniform pieces. Think chocolate chips for dark chocolate, finer for milk or white chocolate, as they tend to burn more easily. This applies no matter what method you use.
Mistake #4. Trying to melt it directly in a pot on the stove - Much too hot, too fast. You know that the chocolate touching the bottom of the pan is going to get way over 115 degrees. Don't do it.
Mistake #5. Neglecting it - Melting chocolate needs attention; it needs love. It needs to be stirred frequently to distribute the heat evenly.
Mistake #6. Putting a lid on the melting chocolate - Okay, I've seen this recommended before, but the problem here is that any moisture caught in the pan will condense on the lid and drip down into the chocolate. And you know what happens then, right?
Mistake #7. Trying to make it melt faster - Patience is a virtue. You can't hurry the process. You're just asking for trouble. Use low heat and take your time.
Remember: use low heat, take your time, keep it dry, and stir, stir, stir. You're working with chocolate here. Breathe in that rich aroma. Marvel at the silkiness of the melted chocolate. Anticipate the delight of the final product. Hey, don't get too lost in your senses. You have to keep stirring. Good luck.
In the next article on chocolate, I'll talk about what you can do with that seized chocolate.
Barbara O'Brien is an author, cook and mother of two young chefs. She encourages adults and children to learning about cooking and nutrition together. Find great recipes, nutrition tips, and fun facts at [http://www.squidoo.com/yummyrecipes]Incredibly Good Recipes and [http://kids-cook.com]Kids-Cook.com
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Benefits of Cinnamon

2008-04-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

Cinnamon’s unique healing abilities come from three basic types of components in the essential oils found in its bark. These oils contain active components called cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate, and cinnamyl alcohol, plus a wide range of other volatile substances.

Cinnamaldehyde (also called cinnamic aldehyde) has been well-researched for its effects on blood platelets. Platelets are constituents of blood that are meant to clump together under emergency circumstances (like physical injury) as a way to stop bleeding, but under normal circumstances, they can make blood flow inadequate if they clump together too much. The cinnaldehyde in cinnamon helps prevent unwanted clumping of blood platelets. (The way it accomplishes this health-protective act is by inhibiting the release of an inflammatory fatty acid called arachidonic acid from platelet membranes and reducing the formation of an inflammatory messaging molecule called thromboxane A2.) Cinnamon's ability to lower the release of arachidonic acid from cell membranes also puts it in the category of an “anti-inflammatory” food that can be helpful in lessening inflammation.

Cinnamon may significantly help people with type 2 diabetes improve their ability to respond to insulin, thus normalizing their blood sugar levels. Both test tube and animal studies have shown that compounds in cinnamon not only stimulate insulin receptors, but also inhibit an enzyme that inactivates them, thus significantly increasing cells’ ability to use glucose. Studies to confirm cinnamon’s beneficial actions in humans are currently underway with the most recent report coming from researchers from the US Agricultural Research Service, who have shown that less than half a teaspoon per day of cinnamon reduces blood sugar levels in persons with type 2 diabetes. Their study included 60 Pakistani volunteers with type 2 diabetes who were not taking insulin. Subjects were divided into six groups. For 40 days, groups 1, 2 and 3 were given 1, 3, or 6 grams per day of cinnamon while groups 4, 5 and 6 received placebo capsules. Even the lowest amount of cinnamon, 1 gram per day (approximately ¼ to ½ teaspoon), produced an approximately 20% drop in blood sugar; cholesterol and triglycerides were lowered as well. When daily cinnamon was stopped, blood sugar levels began to increase. (December 30, 2003)

Not only does consuming cinnamon improve the body’s ability to utilize blood sugar, but just smelling the wonderful odor of this sweet spice boosts brain activity! Research led by Dr. P. Zoladz and presented April 24, 2004, at the annual meeting of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences, in Sarasota, FL, found that chewing cinnamon flavored gum or just smelling cinnamon enhanced study participants’ cognitive processing. Specifically, cinnamon improved participants’ scores on tasks related to attentional processes, virtual recognition memory, working memory, and visual-motor speed while working on a computer-based program. Participants were exposed to four odorant conditions: no odor, peppermint odor, jasmine, and cinnamon, with cinnamon emerging the clear winner in producing positive effects on brain function. Encouraged by the results of these studies, researchers will be evaluating cinnamon’s potential for enhancing cognition in the elderly, individuals with test-anxiety, and possibly even patients with diseases that lead to cognitive decline. (May 9, 2004)

Douglas Adams is an Independent Watkins Associate
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“Watkins award-winning high-oil Korintje cassia is about twice as flavorful as the Ceylon variety, and is the best quality cinnamon available anywhere”

Time To Start Using The Barbecue

2008-04-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

By Keith Barrett
When is the right time to start using your barbecue? For most of us, the answer is that we like to get the barbecue out at the first possible opportunity.
After all, the weather is one thing that we can't guarantee. The first hint of sunshine is a good time to get the barbecue out and make the most of the conditions.
We all have our own little favourite parts of the summer. For me, the chance to get outside and do some cooking (and eating) is one of the undoubted highlights.
It's not just about being able to enjoy the sunshine - it's about being able to share that time with friends and family. Gathering people round and sharing a meal and some drinks is great fun.
Some people do get concerned about the quality of food that they will be producing. I think this is an understandable concern.
Surrounded by friends and relatives who mean a lot to us, it's clear that we'll be wanting to ensure that they have a good day. None of us want to provide food that doesn't taste good, or that may even cause illness.
In order to avoid any such disasters, make sure that you know exactly how your barbecue works. If it is a modern gas version, such as those made popular by Weber, then check that you understand the controls fully.
If you're confident about being able to control the heat output and distribution then you'll have a much better chance of cooking the food properly.
Have you thought about food hygiene too? Just because you're cooking outdoors, don't become casual about health and safety.
By all means have a relaxing day, but don't do so at the cost of your guests health.
With common sense, there's no reason why your first BBQ day of the year can't be a great success.
Find out more about [http://www.bbqcooking.co.uk ]Weber gas barbecues by reading further articles by Keith Barrett. This article may be used by any website publisher, though this resource box must always be included in full.
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Dry Turkey - Salvage Your Overcooked Bird

2008-04-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

By Barbara O'Brien
Have you ever eaten dry turkey or chicken? Don't even answer that. I know already. The problem with roasting whole turkeys and chickens is that the various parts aren't ready to take out of the oven at the same time. By the time the dark meat of the bird is beautifully cooked, the breast is overcooked and dried out.
There are a number of ways to avoid this unfortunate culinary result. However, this article assumes that you have already overcooked your bird. Of course, you can't uncook it. What are your options? You can serve the bird, smile sweetly and let everyone choke it down. I have done this on a number of occasions, but I don't recommend it. You can make extra gravy. This is certainly helpful. However, there is another option that will improve your meal much more.
Carve the overdone turkey or chicken into slices as you would for serving. Place them in a casserole dish. In a sauce pan, combine the pan drippings with one to two cans of chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over the sliced poultry in the casserole. Cover the casserole with foil and heat in the oven for about five minutes. This will moisten the meat significantly. At this point, you can place the slices on a serving platter and pretend you roasted it perfectly in the first place.
You can try this technique on a beef roast as well. Use beef broth instead of chicken broth. The result is not as dramatic with beef as it is with turkey or chicken, but it can improve the meat.
For pork, I use chicken broth, but that is a matter of taste. Try different broths; even vegetable broth.
Barbara O'Brien is an author, cook and mother of two young chefs. She enjoys helping other people make the most of their time in the kitchen. For more information and great recipes, visit [http://www.squidoo.com/yummyrecipes]Incredibly Good Recipes and [http://www.squidoo.com/greatsoup]Secrets of Soup
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Healthy And Natural Chicken Food Products

2008-04-02T07:34:00.000-07:00

By Jeya Lakshmi
Chicken is an easy and elegant meal, special enough for a Sunday dinner or holiday meal. Add hot baked rolls, salad, and your favorite steamed vegetables for a perfect family meal. Actual cooking of the chicken is done when the consumer reheats the product. On the other hand, fried chicken is completely precooked during the frying process. Frozen fried chicken is reheated mainly to raise the serving temperature.
This delicious rack of chicken recipe is made with an herb and pecan crust mixture. The racks are roasted then rubbed with a little Dijon mustard and the herb-pecan mixture, then they're roasted for about 10 minutes longer. Chicken is an elegant dish for a holiday dinner or special weekend meal, and it's quite easy to prepare. You can easily double this recipe for a larger family.This chicken has a different taste even a regular consumer can recognize immediately.
Chicken serve this tasty and easy baked chicken with potatoes and a tossed salad. Use a quartered chicken, leg quarters, or split breasts to make this tasty recipe. Here's a delicious version of a regional favorite, shrimp and grits. This recipe includes tomatoes, green onions, and mushrooms, along with jumbo shrimp. Serve the shrimp and tomato mixture over savory creamy grits, cheese grits, or serve over rice.
The [http://www.indomunch.com/Chicken.html]chicken has a different taste even a regular consumer can recognize immediately. Chicken is a healthy, easy, and quick recipe to make chicken rice soup, without preservatives or MSG. It is also a good home remedy for coping with the common cold. The ginger slices will help settle upset stomach. Indomunch chicken dish consisting of a bowl of rice topped with various combinations of meat, seafood, eggs and vegetables. The well-known dish made famous to foreigners by the indomunch restaurant at the Newyork city. Most versions originate from the southindian style of steamed chicken served with chicken stock flavoured rice. Please purchase online http://www.indomunch.com in Newyork city.
Representing the Indian Chinese food http://www.indomunch.com
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Top 5 Dinner Party Tips To Make Your Evening a Success

2008-03-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

By Joanne Mayhead
There is nothing better than an enjoyable evening in with friends with a lovely meal and a glass of wine or two and as the host or hostess, it is essential to be totally organised so that you can enjoy the evening too without worrying. To help you along, here are top 5 dinner party tips to help your evening go smoothly.
1. Give people plenty of notice Set the date at least 2 weeks in advance and let your friends know as soon as possible. This will give them time to confirm that they are free that evening and more importantly, give you plenty of time to plan.
2. Decide what you want your focus to be
If you are looking to impress with your cooking ability, then the meal is your focal point but if you just want an enjoyable evening without too much fuss then you will want to keep the meal simple and concentrate more on the atmosphere.
3. Make a list
Even if you are not normally a 'to do' list person, this is one time when a list is essential to keep you on track and to stop you worrying. Start making your list as soon as possible once the date is set and refer back to it over the next few days to add any bits and pieces you may have forgotten. Examples of items to add to your list are: Guest list, what's on the menu, shopping ingredients, seating, cutlery and glasses inventory, decorations if appropriate and what needs to be done around the house to prepare.
4. Plan your time
Plan your time so that you can complete what is on your list. It is no good getting to the day of the dinner party and realising that you still have most of the list to do. Plan in advance and organise what you can ahead of time so that you do not end up feeling frazzled on the day.
5. Keep Things Simple
Keep things simple. Your friends want to enjoy the food and the company but they are not expecting you to be super human. Keep a good balance between making it a great atmosphere and being able to take time to enjoy yourself. Make sure your evening includes enough time for you to relax and enjoy time with your guests as well.
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Home Cooking Can Be Easy Healthy And Fun

2008-03-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

By KC Kudra
People tend to be busier these days then ever before. They leave the house early for work, go home after a long day, and still have to face cleaning, cooking, and laundry. It is little wonder that many people take cooking shortcuts, which can lead to issues with weight control and poor nutrition. Instead of feeling like spending time preparing home cooking sauces, dips, gravies and more, they are eating junk food and not realizing what they are doing to their bodies.
Homemade food is better for many different reasons; it tastes better, it is more nutritious, and you control the ingredients that are used. There is nothing like down home southern cooking to spark up that nightly meal.
Precooked, prepackaged, and processed foods seem to have taken over from America's home cooking. There are a lot of heat and eat dinners on the market, many of which are extremely unhealthy and can lead to medical issues in the future. If you read the labels, this will give you a good idea of what the meal contains. Prepared frozen dinners tend to be the worst of the bunch and their sodium content is often perilously high.
These prepared frozen dinners also contain many ingredients you do not understand. What is that fifteen-letter word in the ingredients list? Is it a chemical? Do you really prefer to put junk in your body than follow an easy home cooking recipe?
In the past, one parent would stay home with the children to care for them and make sure they were properly fed.
Today, both parents need to work in order to survive. This has definitely affected the value of home cooking. Here are a few tips on preparing homemade meals and still having time for everything else in your busy life:

Prepare ahead of time - choose a day on the weekend to cook for the week. It is ok to freeze it and then pop it in the microwave when you are ready to eat. You will have all the nutritional benefits without the time constraints. Make simple healthy snacks that your family will enjoy.

If you have a crock-pot lurking somewhere in your cupboard, use it! You can start your meal in the morning and it will be hot and ready when you get home in the evening.

Easy home cooking meals are fine. Nobody expects you to make a gourmet dinner every night. Simple, well-balanced meals are perfect. This saves energy and time.
Cooking does not have to be a chore. You can turn it into quality time spent with your children if you let them help you. Of course, they will need to be supervised, however it can be a time where you can talk and enjoy each other's company. It will be a time that your children will remember forever, and possibly even pass down to their children.
The world is fast-paced today but your nutrition does not have to follow suit. If you use cooking a family dinner as family time, you will know that your family's nutrition requirements are being looked after.
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You can often find me in the kitchen cooking it is a true love of mine and I love experimenting with new and wonderful taste. I like to share these with visitors to my wife's websites on cooking. Why not try one of their recipes like [http://www.easyfishrecipes.info/Recipes/BakedDijonSalmon.htm]Baked Dijon Salmon just one of the recipes we like sharing with our four young sons.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=KC_Kudra http://EzineArticles.com/?Home-Cooking-Can-Be-Easy-Healthy-And-Fun&id=1067759

Why Spices are Important

2008-03-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

By Dyfed Lloyd Evans
These days certain spices have become so ubiquitous at our tables that we hardly think of them as spices at all... Black pepper is the obvious example here, but I'd include chillies in the form of sauces and pastes as well. Just think of the salt and pepper cellars on just about each and every table and the chilli-based condiments that are everywhere. Also, look at any recipe on the web and if they're for a savoury dish I guarantee you that well over 90% will have 'season with salt and pepper' somewhere in the cooking instructions.
Today black pepper is both cheap and plentiful and it's hard for us to even consider a time when pepper was an incredibly rare and expensive commodity. However, until very recently (and even during the Second World War in Europe) black pepper was both expensive and rare. It was only produced in India and found its way to Europe by strange and mysterious means.
The first recorded use of black pepper in Europe and North Africa was in the tomb of the pharaoh Rameses II who had two peppercorns stuck in this nostrils when he was mummified (and that was 4000 years ago). But the first Western peoples to use black pepper extensively were the Greeks and they introduced the love of this spice to the Romans. As a result the Romans were the first Europeans to travel to India in search of this magical substance (of course, Indian traders had been going the other way for centuries!).
In many ways black pepper is the perfect spice in that it has the 'heat' and 'pungency' that lift the flavours of a dish but brings with it no hint of bitterness. It therefore gives any and all foods an 'oomph' in terms of flavour without making them unpalatable (this is why Romans even put pepper in their desserts!).
But what actually is a spice? In terms of a modern definition, a spice is typically obtained from the dried fruiting body of a plant. Thus it can be the whole fruit (as in cubeb pepper or allspice berries or cumin) or it is the kernel or seed of the fruit (as in nutmeg and fenugreek seeds or nigella seeds). In contrast, herbs are the vegetative parts of a plant (the stems and leaves) and include lemongrass (stems), thyme (leaves), oregano (leaves). Spices are also obtained from the roots, rhizomes or tubers of plants. Thus ginger (and its relatives, galangal, zedoary etc) are spices, as is the Medieval spice, Galingale (the root of a sedge, a grass-like plant).
Humans are odd amongst animals in that we like pungency in our foods and many, many spices we do or have employed tend to have this note in their flavour. This, in turn, has led us as a species to use a whole range of spices in our cookery and many of these spices, in some way, echo the distinctive nature of black pepper.
This is why the chilli, when introduced to Europe from the Americas was called the 'chilli pepper' (to associate it with black pepper). Indeed, the vast majority of spices impart 'heat' on a dish and only very few are purely used for their flavouring properties. Chilli is widely used because it imparts pure 'heat' to a dish but it does not have the pungency of black pepper and this is why chilli, though very widely used today, still hasn't displaced black pepper as the King of Spices.
Most of our common and not so common spices have a heat and pungency that mimics black pepper in some way or other. But all of them also impart a bitterness to the foods they flavour. Good examples are cubeb pepper (common in the Middle Ages) and Sénégal Pepper (which was used as a black pepper substitute during the Second World War). They impart both heat and pungency to dishes, but if used to excess they also impart an unpleasant bitterness and this is why they never truly rivalled black pepper as food flavourings.
In our craving for adding that extra 'pep' to our foods humans have scoured all corners of the world and we have tasted and added some very strange things to our dishes (Sichuan pepper, beloved of Chinese cookery is a relative of the orange!). But nothing has rivalled the pre-eminence of black pepper in cookery. The only spice to come close is chilli.
This does mean that our love of black pepper has displaced many local spices that we used to use in the past and it also means that we are ignoring many taste sensations that could usefully be put back in our cookery. Maybe it's time to re-discover some of these lost spices from all over the globe an to re-gain some of our lost culinary heritage.
Dyfed Lloyd Evans is a cook and a lover of all things spice and spice-related. In his [http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/spice_guide.php]Celtnet Guide to Spices you will find descriptions of spices (and recipes for their use) going all the way from Acacia Seeds to Zedoary Root, with everything in between (every letter of the alphabet except 'Q' is represented). He has gathered together a catalogue of 57 57 spices and descriptions of these spices and recipes including them into an eBook: [http://www.celtnet.org.uk/info/spice-book.php]Guide to Spices and their Uses, sales of which go to helping Liberian refugees in Africa. There is also an extensive recipe list of the world's [http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/spices-recipes.php]spice blend mixes which you can get from the site.
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Several Tips For Barbeque Chicken

2008-03-26T07:52:00.000-07:00

By L. Moses
Grilling is an art, no doubt about it. Burnt burgers, charred steaks and oh yes...raw chicken are all some of the common grilling mistakes. Chicken seems to be one of the more difficult meats to grill - it's either burnt or raw. Rather than risk sending your guests running for the door or politely eating around the burnt parts, here are a few tips for perfectly cooked barbeque chicken.
Tip #1 One of the best kept secrets of barbequing chicken is to lower the heat and wait until it's almost completely cooked before adding any sauces. In this way the chicken is moist and tender with a pleasant smoky flavor. This also prevents fire flare ups because the sauce is generally the actual culprit of these flare ups. It's the sugar in the sauce that causes the burning. When you put it on near the end of the cooking time, it won't burn.
Tip #2 In order to keep your chicken moist you can baste it constantly over a slow heat with apple juice. You can use almost anything other than wine for basting. Wine will cause the chicken to dry out and depending on what type of wine can even cause a bigger fire to occur.
Tip #3 The sugars in many sauces are often the cause for burning. Rubs are a great way to season your chicken without the risk of burning. There are many rub varieties to have a different rub almost every day of the summer.
Tip #4 Use a meat thermometer. This is particularly important for chicken because raw or undercooked poultry can be extremely dangerous. To make sure your chicken is perfectly cooked, not overdone nor undercooked; try the voice alert remote thermometers for ease. These handy gadgets tell you when your chicken is almost done so you can place the sauce on at the right moment. The voice alert also enables you to enjoy time outside without having to hover over your grill.
Tip #5 Marinades offer the best of both worlds. Marinating your chicken before you grill allows your flavor to permeate the meat and it'll be moist and juicy - perfectly grilled chicken! The there are many marinades out on the market today that keep your chicken moist throughout the grilling process.
With all of these handy tips and gadgets, perfectly grilled chicken is right around the corner. Happy Barbequing!
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How to Cook for Your Sweetie

2008-03-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

By A. Covington
Whether you waited until the last minute and can't get a reservation at a decent restaurant or you want to surprise your sweetheart with a little (or a lot) of romance, a home-cooked meal will earn you bonus points in the double digits.
Chef Pat Mould (owner Louisiana Culinary Enterprises, a restaurant consulting firm, and executive chef of the Louisiana School of Cooking) knows what it's like to be a guy in the kitchen. Cooking skills or not, he says he can turn any guy into "her hero" with some cooking tricks and techniques.
Chef Mould's tricks for guy-style cooking start at home by picking recipes that are easy and taste good (simple enough right?). He loves guy-ready recipes with zesty ingredients and just a few steps. But that doesn't mean you can "half cook, half talk, and half woo your gal." There are a few rules to follow for romantic cooking. "Luckily, they're easy," he says.
Do your homework. After you pick two to three main recipes, write down your ingredients, and shop accordingly the week before at the grocery store.
Know your batters and sauces. For most dishes, these are the make or break points, and recipes should be followed accordingly. When it says 1/4 cup, measure 1/4 cup. When it says stir constantly, just do it.
Be aware of the way you'll be cooking. Don't get distracted -- try to get the main recipe prepared before she arrives. Also, follow your appliance's cooking instructions and make sure there is a fire extinguisher nearby. For a fryer, there are two options. Either use a propane fryer outdoors following the manufacturer's safety instructions, or use an electric deep fryer inside a covered outdoor building or structure or carefully use one indoors on a sturdy surface or floor. Never leave a fryer unattended-starting a fire isn't sexy.
When cooking, and especially when you're counting down to her arrival, wear oven mitts and avoid alcohol, Mould says.
One secret: You can pull off your romantic dinner for two without breaking the bank. Chef Mould can make a three-course spread using his own recipes for around $20.
The other secret is what you used to get this far with her: confidence.
"It never ceases to amaze me when people say they love to eat but can't cook. Anyone can cook with the right amount of confidence," says Mould.
Chef Mary Beth Lawton Johnson offers this advice for pulling off a disaster-free dinner for your sweetheart: avoid gassy foods like broccoli. Both of you will feel uncomfortable and a bloated tummy usually means no romance. Instead of looking for the way to the bedroom she'll be raiding your medicine cabinet for Tums.
TLC's hottest bachelor Chef Curtis Stone, star of "Take Home Chef", says wooing the ladies is easier than you think. "There is nothing more personal and intimate than entertaining at home," he says.
Try his bachelor tips for a totally stress free experience:
Use fresh seasonal ingredients: Stick with what's in season. Don't try to get tomatoes in the dead on winter. Instead, use juicy pears, roasted walnuts and dried fruits like cherries or apricots in your dishes. If you use fresh, seasonal ingredients, everything you make will taste of the best quality.
Get some help from the store: The produce section of the supermarket is making things super simple for the home chef. Go for the pre-cut and assembled assorted vegetable trays and buy the pre-washed bags of lettuce and spinach. If you're making a salad or need a delicious dip for your pre-cut veggies, you can also pick up a high-quality refrigerated salad dressing like Marie's. In the interest of saving time, Marie's eliminates the fuss without sacrificing the taste.
Choose a theme: Remember that you don't have to serve a five course meal. Instead, invite her over for some mulled wine and an assortment of appetizers. If you do want to serve an entire meal limit yourself to three courses; appetizer, entrée and dessert. Doing it this way won't make the task of entertaining intimidating. If you're a real beginner in the kitchen, you can even serve up a salad as your main meal by including a simple protein, like steak, shrimp or chicken. Be creative and think outside the box with your menu!
Setting the Mood
It's easy to get carried away. You want the focus to be on the two of you and not on two dozen heart-shaped balloons. So keep the atmosphere simple. "Lay down a tablecloth with some nice dishware, light a few candles and put on your favorite music," says Chef Curtis. "If you're serving up something sultry and romantic, put on some ambient jazz."
Chef Lawton Johnson also recommends a softer approach. Loud, head-banging music may not have the right effect. On the other hand you don't want to cheese her out with love ballads from the 80s, so choose wisely.
For beverages, chilled vodka paired with oysters is an alluring way to begin the evening (and are known to be aphrodisiacs when paired). With dinner, serve a nice chilled white wine or rose and set the table with soft candlelight-just make sure the candles aren't too tall. Tall candles cast eerie shadows.
David Speer, Personal Sommelier, Wine and Chocolate Inc. recommends serving a rose champagne. "The cherry flavors match well and the acid compliments everything," he says. "Champagne also elevates the mood, and feels sexy to drink. Plus you get the bonus of looking good because you're drinking something pink, showing off your softer side." Specific brands Speers suggests: Gruet NV Brut Rose for a budget drinker, otherwise a Brut Rose from Pol Roger, Vueve Cliquot, or Tattinger. If you're really going all out try Krug NV Brut Rose-it's guaranteed to impress!
Conversation Starters
So you've got the meal under control and the mood is set. But if you say the wrong thing the dinner will tank in ten seconds flat. Can you guess the three words any woman wishes her guy would say to her - even on the first date?
"It's not 'I love you', 'You look hot', or even 'Do that again'," says Mary Jo Fay, author of The Seven Secrets of Love, When Your Perfect Partner Goes Perfectly Wrong, and Please Dear - Not Tonight: The Truth About Women and Sex . "It's 'Tell me more! If a gal isn't sure that her guy is really listening to her, when he says, 'Tell me more,' she's getting reinforcement from him that not only is he listening, he's interested!"
One other major consideration before she rings the doorbell is your goal for the evening-is it romance or sex? "Is this romantic dinner a prelude to sex, or is this the great long-term relationship you've always wanted?
If sex is the key, then you can allude to sexual messages all throughout the meal ... subtle, but suggestive. If the long term match is in mind, stay away from any sexual suggestion, innuendo, and jokes." Even if the night could have ended with amour, your guest will start to squirm (in a bad way) when you turn everything she says into a sexual innuendo when what she'd rather hear is how much the two of you have in common.
For safe conversation starters, Fay suggests:
• What do you think is the most romantic food/meal?
• What was the most romantic Valentine's you can remember?
• Who was the first boy you ever wished would give you a Valentine?
Relationship expert Lissa Coffey offers up these conversation ice-breakers (feel free to shamelessly steal them):
• Which reality show would you rather be on and why? "Survivor", "Amazing Race", "The Apprentice", "The Bachelor" (or fill in any other reality show)?
• What is your favorite holiday and why?"
• If you had $100,000 and you had to spend it in 3 days what would you spend it on?
• Which birthday of yours do you remember the most?"
• Who is your favorite author/actor/humanitarian, etc. and why?"
• Your first car/kiss/crush/job, etc?"
• 2 weeks off paid and a round trip ticket anywhere in the world - where do you go?
Some of her answers are big clues as to her priorities and personality. If she says she's trying out for the next season of The Bachelor, chances are she's not that serious about you!
What not to say on a date
But there are some topics left off the table (discussion-wise)-for that special night anyway. Recent survey data from OkCupid, a free online dating site, on first date no-no's and what people wish they could ask when it comes to conversation.
The 2006 survey polled 5,060 OkCupid male and female users on their opinions about what they wish they could ask and what they definitely shouldn't ask on a first date to start the conversation.
1) Which of these impolite questions would you most like to ask on a first date?
Do you still live with your parents? - 27.41 percent
Are you on the rebound? - 24.49 percent
Do you have an STD? - 21.20 percent
How many people have you slept with? - 15.04 percent
How much money do you have / make? - 6.01 percent
Are you on prescription medication? - 5.84 percent
2) Which of the following are you least likely to discuss on a first date?
Money - 35.61 percent
Sex - 24.39 percent
Politics - 22.14 percent
Religion - 17.86 percent
Overwhelmed yet? Take a deep breath and relax. "What it all boils down to is being bold," says Paul A. Falzone, CEO of The Right One and Together Dating. "Express yourself, show your feelings, and go out on a limb for that special person in your life. Actions speak louder than words, so find a way to show her you care; you're interested; you're there."
Recipes for Romance
Here are a few easy-to-prepare (but easy to wow) recipes to make for your home-cooked meal. You can also search recipe sites like Epicurious that have search options to filter recipes according to prepation (i.e., easy-to-prepare, saute, bake, etc.).
Chef Mould's Layered Salad
Salad Ingredients:
5 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped seeded tomato
1 cup chopped celery
¾ cup chopped red onion
1 ¼ cups frozen English peas, thawed
1¾ cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
8 strips applewood smoked bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
Dressing Ingredients:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2/3 cup LouAna peanut oil
To prepare salad, arrange lettuce in an even layer in the bottom of a large trifle bowl or other clear bowl; top evenly with a layer of tomato. Arrange celery evenly over tomato; top evenly with red onion. Arrange peas evenly over onion; top evenly with cheese. Sprinkle bacon over top.
To prepare dressing, combine juice and next 5 ingredients (through chives) in a medium bowl, stirring well. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Just before serving, drizzle dressing mixture over salad mixture.
Crawfish Pies
2 ½ gallons plus 2 tablespoons LouAna peanut oil
½ cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
¼ cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup dry white wine
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1 (1-lb.) package frozen crawfish tail meat, thawed
1 (15-oz.) package refrigerated 9-inch pie crust
Pour 2 ½ gallons oil in a deep fryer; heat to 375 degrees.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and celery to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in wine; cook 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates.
Combine vegetable mixture, cream cheese and next 4 ingredients, stirring well. Fold crawfish into cheese mixture; stirring to combine. Cut each (9-inch) pie crust in half to form 4 semicircles. Using a slotted spoon, place about 1 cup crawfish mixture in the center of each crust half; fold edges over, pressing to seal. Crimp edges with a fork.
Fry pies at 375 degrees for 5 minutes or until golden, turning once. Serve immediately.
Bitter Greens Chocolate Salad (Courtesy of David Speer, Personal Sommelier, Wine and Chocolate Inc.)
This salad is all about contrasting flavors and textures.
Salad Ingredients:
2-3 cups torn mixed greens - including plenty of bitter greens like endive and radicchio
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 teaspoons good quality balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons shaved milk chocolate with high cocoa mass 40% is great
2 tablespoons shaved pecorino Romano
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Combine the oil and vinegar and pour over greens when ready to serve. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle chocolate and cheese over salad once it's plated
Serves 2
Seared Ahi Tuna with Mango Salsa
2 sushi grade Ahi tuna steaks
Marinade Ingredients:
¼ cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon honey
Mango Salsa Ingredients:
1 ripe mango or 2 Manila mangos peeled, pitted and diced
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
2-3 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
1-2 teaspoon minced jalapeno
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Prepare Tuna and Marinade:
• Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl
• Add the tuna to the bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 30 min.
Make your salsa while the tuna is marinating.
Prepare the Salsa:
• Cut up the mango - if you don't know how, Google it.
• Combine all ingredients
• Season to taste, if its too acidic or hot, add a bit of honey or some avocado
Prepare the tuna:
Grilling the tuna adds great flavor but pan searing also works.
• Get your grill or pan hot, almost smoking
• Place the tuna on the hot surface for 30 seconds
• Turn it on the same side 90 degrees to get diamond grill marks for another 30 seconds
• Flip the fish and cook for a final 30 seconds, or longer if you want it more well done.
Plate the tuna with the grill marks up and the salsa flowing off one side. This is designed to be a light dish so there isn't a grain component.
Serves 2
Grilled Peach with Chantilly
1 large ripe yellow peach
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon sugar
Chantilly Ingredients:
1⁄2 cup heavy whipping cream
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄2 tablespoon sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
Prepare the Chantilly:
• Whip the cream with a mixer
• When its half done add the sugar and vanilla
• Finish whipping until it holds soft peaks
Grilling the peach:
• Melt the butter and combine with sugar
• Cut the peach in quarters and remove the pit
• Brush the peach with the butter mixture
• Place the peach on a medium hot grill
• Grill for about 10 minutes until the peach is soft and has grill marks
• Place two quarters on each plate, one stacked on top of the other perpendicularly.
• Dollop Chantilly on each plate, slightly covering the peach
• Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon over the whole plate
A. Covington is a fashion writer with a sharp eye for men's fashion. Her men's fashion Blog covers the essentials on how to dress well, from [http://www.belisi.com/sg-1-neckties.aspx]silk ties and [http://www.belisi.com/9-cufflinks/c-86-designer-cufflinks.aspx]designer cufflinks, to work attire for men. Amy maintains three blogs for Belisi Fashions, a luxury accessories brand based in [http://www.belisi.com/1-ties/4-paisley-ties/p-595-palm-beach-palace-blue-brown-silk-tie.aspx]Palm Beach.
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If You Want To Be A Great Cook, Start Learning Those Cooking Terms

2008-03-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

By Kenny Vanderburen

When you are watching a show about cooking do you know all the cooking terms they use? If you want to learn how to cook those recipes they talk about you should start to learn those cooking terms. Otherwise you won't get far when you try to replicate the recipes. And learning them is not that hard once you start using them while you cook. The way to learn those cooking terms is to read books about cooking, look them up on the internet or, and that's maybe the best idea, start taking cooking classes. First thing you should do is, the moment you hear a term that you don't know, write it down on a piece of paper and find out what it means.

So what are those cooking terms we keep talking about. Let us take a look at a few of them.

. Al Dente is a term for pasta that's not overcooked, it still has a bite and is firm and chewy.
. Marble is a term mixing one food gently in another.
. Mince is a term for chopped up food.
. Poach is a term for simmering in liquid.
. Sear is a term often used for cooking meat under a high temperature in its own juice.

The terms we have shown above are just a few of the terms used in modern day cooking. Just a few, because there are so many cooking terms that it would fill more then one bookshelf to name and explain them all. You will need to start studying them so you will know the most important ones.

Start taking those classes

Really, the best way to get familiar with those cooking terms is by taking a few cooking classes. Not only will a cooking class teach you what the different terms mean but they will also show how to put them in practice and how the use them. Other then that you will of course learn some new recipes while you are at it.

So now that we have shown you some cooking terms maybe you will know what they mean the next time you watch a cooking show. And if you take some of those cooking classes you won't be switching channels anymore because you don't understand a thing the chef on TV is talking about. And if there are a few terms you still don't know, write them on a piece of paper and look them up on the internet or go to your library. To know the meaning of cooking terms can help you in so many ways. An example would be while reading a new recipe you would see the cooking terms and in your mind the chef who wrote the recipe is cooking away and creating the food and you don't have to wonder in the middle of the recipe what a certain term would mean. That would ruin the whole recipe reading fun.

Remember, it's not enough to just know what a cooking term means, you should know how to put them in to practice.

Kenny Vanderburen is the main blogger at [http://www.kitchencookings.com/]www.kitchencookings.com. The kitchen might as well be his living room, that's how much time he spends there.

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Canning That Tasty Lobster

2008-03-21T06:14:00.000-07:00

By Joseph Parish

During the Y2K scare I was determined to not only be really prepared but to do it in style. Now when I say really I mean really. I didn't want to just survive. I wanted to do it in a style that I was accustomed to. I went out and purchased a 30 plus foot motor home specifically for Y2K and proceeded to equip it with the finer things in life. I stocked up on bottles of red and white wine (This was really a good excuse I think), cans of crab meat and of course lots of canned shrimp and lobster. It was not until later after Y2K that I discovered exactly how easy and economical it was to can my own lobsters in place of purchasing those cans which were already done.

The procedure involved is really quit simple and I would like to present the some of the information that I learned in this article.

Initially of course you must either catch or purchase your live lobsters. Heat a large lobster pot of water containing 2 tablespoons of salt added to it for every gallon of water you use. Bring this water to a boil and quickly plunge your live lobsters into it. Proceed to cook them for approximately 20 minutes depending upon their size. You will know when they are finished by their red color.

When the cooking of your lobsters has been completed remove them and rapidly dip them into some cold water. Proceed then to remove all the meat from the lobsters and then wash it carefully. Drain the meat well when finished and dip it into a solution consisting of ½ cup of vinegar to two quarts of water.

Take the meat at this stage and drain any excess moisture from it. Next pack the meat into clean sterilized half pint jars. Complete the process by filling the jars with brine to within ½ inch of the top leaving room for expansion.

The brine should be made with 1 ½ tablespoon of salt to two quarts of water. I like to use sea salt for this. Process the jars in your pressure canner at ten pounds of pressure. Half pints should normally be processed for 70 minutes. Don't forget to properly adjust your pressure according to your altitude and the style of pressure canner you are using.

To reuse open the jars and rinse the lobster meat to remove the brine and salt. Flush it with clear water and you are ready to eat. The most difficult part of this canning procedure is making sure the lobster goes into the jars and not eating it first!

Copyright @2008 Joseph Parish

For more information relating to food visit us at http://www.food-spot.info

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Cooking Tips - Cooking For Two

2008-03-19T05:03:00.000-07:00

By Cristian Ignat

Everyone loves to eat meals that smell great, taste great and that look great. Preparing food for four people, although it can seem difficult, isn't as difficult as cooking for two. Nowadays, all stores offer meats, fish, poultry and other products in quantities that are suitable for large families. It is the case of supermarkets, specialty stores and ethnic food stores as well. This increases the challenge of cooking for two.

If you are a creative chef, buying large quantities when cooking for two actually can be an opportunity for creating a variety of dishes, that combine the same ingredients but that taste differently. Arranging the plates as to be very attractive can appeal to all senses of the partner, thus enhancing the overall experience.

Trying cooking for two requires prior knowledge of your partner's likes and dislikes. You can try, for your first diner, a new dish that you were planning to cook for some time. Only if the partner has a positive reaction to it you can, afterwards, get as creative as you can!

In your desire to conquer your partner, you may want to explore unknown territories to what cuisine is concerned. The best way to do that is by browsing a cookbook. Surely, the book will present dishes that you are already familiar to, but it can surely offer some new and enticing recipes. Even the name of the dish can be tempting, contributing to the overall presentation of the meal.

In addition to the modern cookbook, there is the world wide web as a viable alternative for your cooking for two experience. It is easy to find all sorts of recipes that you can download and print. Also, special recipes for diets are available on websites such as Weight Watchers and South Beach. Certain websites are dedicated uniquely to recipes that halp prepare the same type of food dish.

Searching for information before proceeding to cooking for two can make the cooking experience a fun adventure. You need to get as creative as you can and help make cooking for two a treat for the senses. It can prove to be quite relaxing and interesting. Doing so on a regular basis will bring adventure and joy to your life.

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Healthy Cooking For Beginners - 4 Easy Tips You Can Start Using Today

2008-03-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

By Darlyn Burkle

Healthy cooking for beginners starts with this basic fact: you do not have to sacrifice taste or flavor in order to eat healthily!! Small changes to recipes can make a big difference to your overall nutrition. One of the easiest things you can do to improve your lifestyle is to swap out unhealthy ingredients for more wholesome ones. If you need help with cooking healthy food, you are at the right place. You may find that there is very little difference in taste if you make careful choices, but overall, the dish will be much better for you.

Tip #1: Use Less Fat or Grease

Quite often a recipe will call for butter or oil - perhaps to bind ingredients together, or to help with the cooking process. Avoid lard, and butter, and substitute for vegetable or sunflower oil, and low fat spreads where possible. If you cannot substitute for whatever reason, try using less of the oil or fat, or substitute with something like apple sauce. Also, try using a non stick cooking spray instead of oil if you are only using the oil to lubricate a pan.

Tip #2: Substitute Eggs For Something Better

Eggs are very nutritious. You would say they are interesting little packages of nutrition, with plenty of good things inside them. They are beneficial for keeping you healthy and for binding foods and creating emulsions. But eggs do have a downside. Egg yolks contain a lot of cholesterol, which many people try to avoid for health reasons. For healthy recipes that call for eggs, substitute two egg whites for one full egg, and you should be good to go.

Tip #3: Use Yogurt Instead of Mayonnaise

Yogurt is very versatile, healthy, and often relatively low in fat. If you need to make a recipe more creamy, or cool down something over-spiced, try using yogurt. For recipes that require mayonnaise or cream, try using yogurt instead - replacing a certain amount of mayonnaise with an equal amount of yogurt should work well. The only caveat is that while cream can simmer quite well, yogurt starts to curdle if it is over-heated, so watch the cooking time carefully if you are making a sauce with yogurt.

Tip #4: Reduce Your Salt Intake

It can be hard to get used to using less salt - after all, it has quite a strong taste and you really notice when it isn't there, but instead of covering everything in salt, why not try some other seasonings - garlic, herb mixtures, mustard, onions and celery can all be used as seasonings, and after a while you will enjoy mixing flavours and experiencing new tastes instead of using salt for everything. You don't have to totally eliminate salt, but reducing your intake will be a big step towards a healthy lifestyle.

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Cooking Tips To Make Life Easier In The Kitchen - Part Three

2008-03-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

By Chris Teo

1)Prevent apples from turning brown: It's annoying to see the apple slices in your fruit salad looking tired and rusty. You can prevent this by simply squeezing a little lemon juice on the apple pieces. They will stay fresh and snowy-white. You can also just drop them into slightly salted, cold water. The same can be done for pears and potatoes.

2)Keep blueberries frozen for cakes and muffins: Blueberries contain heaps of antioxidants which excellent for your body. Do not thaw frozen blueberries for cakes, muffins, pies etc.. Thawing them will make the blueberry juice run all over your creation.

3)Test your cake with a spaghetti: Can't find your bamboo/metal skewer to test if your cake is done? Simply grab an uncooked spaghetti and gently poke the center of the cake. If you find batter sticking to the pasta, then it needs to bake a little longer. If the spaghetti stick comes out clean, the cake is cooked.

4)Drizzle melted chocolate like a pastry chef: Want your cake to look like it's professionally decorated? Place some plain chocolate bar in a small microwaveable plastic bag. Heat till the chocolate melts. Then snip a tiny bit off a corner of the bag and squeeze as you drizzle a design or message on your creation.

5)Perfect omelet and scramble eggs: Ever wonder why the omelet and scramble eggs served in the restaurant look so appetizing and fluffy? What are their secret recipes? Well, just add 1/4 teaspoon of cornstarch for each egg and beat well.

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Work Week Menus - How to Make it Easier!

2008-03-14T04:28:00.000-07:00

By Tammy Paquin

It's been at least six years since I balanced working outside the home almost full-time and having two kids. Friends were always amazed that I managed homemade meals on the table each night. Becoming a stay home mom with three kids made meal planning a bit easier because I was home, BUT several of the lessons I learned as a work outside the home mom still apply. I'll give you a sample menu for one week to show how I would pull all these easy lessons together.

Several lessons that make meal preparation easier for anyone are:

-Cook once, eat twice (or even 3 times!)

-Your slow cooker is your friend

-Menu plan each week around similar ingredients

-Prepping Ahead

Cook once, Eat Twice

If you're throwing chicken breasts into a skillet, why not throw in twice as many? You're spending the same amount of time to cook the chicken and then you'll have cooked chicken for an entirely different meal another night with little or no prep time. It also doesn't have to be the same meal. Cooked chicken can easily go into casseroles, tacos and burritos or Cobb salads. Cooked meats also freeze very well, so you can easily grab the cooked meat from the freezer and save yourself the cooking after the defrosting.

The same applies to baked goods. If you're making a batch of cookies, bake a double batch and freeze half of them. Baked goods freeze beautifully if you make sure to take the time to wrap them carefully or use quality freezer containers. You'll be able to grab homemade goodies quickly from the freezer when you don't have time for baking or don't want to. It's especially nice in the summer to NOT have to bake too often. In addition, if you're a small household, you can save money by baking your own goodies and knowing they won't go to waste because you can pull small amounts out of the freezer as needed. Casseroles also freeze well.

Your Slow Cooking Friend

I LOVE my slow cooker. I LOVE being able to throw a bunch of stuff into the slow cooker in the morning and come home to dinner. There are ample crock pot cookbooks out there if you're not sure what to make for recipes. It's still a great chance to cook once and eat twice as many crock pot recipes make large quantities of food and freeze beautifully. The slow cooking method is also a great way to let tougher, less expensive cuts of meat cook to wonderful tasty tenderness! You can also prep everything you need to put into the crock pot the night before and save valuable time in the morning.

Slow cookers can also save time and money cooking larger items for you like whole chickens, turkey breasts and corned beef which can be divided to several meals. During the summer, slow cookers can be placed outside (on a good day as I'm not sure they'll survive rain storms) and let you prepare meals without heating up the kitchen (you'll save on cooling costs and who doesn't love NOT cooking during the summer!?)

Menu Plan along Similar ingredients

Trying to plan a week of meals along 5 different and very diverse ingredient lists is time consuming and stressful. Try to keep you menu for the week focused along the same key ingredients. You don't have to eat the same thing every night to do this either. My sample menu will show how the same ingredients create several different dinners.

Even if you like a lot of diversity, you can achieve this by still prepping ahead and then freezing. You'll notice on my sample menu that I shred chicken for taco/fajita night. You can simply freeze chicken and then take it out for taco night in two weeks if you'd like.

Prepping ahead of Time

This falls in with some of what I've already mentioned. If you cook double the amount of chicken breasts, you can freeze half and take out in two weeks or so for another night of easy cooking. All those little minutes you spend prepping to cook really add up! Spending 5 more minutes cutting extra onions and peppers for another evening's meal is almost like saving 20 minutes because on another night you don't have to just cut the peppers and onions, you have to take out the tools necessary to do the job and then clean up afterwards.

Sample Menu

Here is an example of what I would plan during the week. I always figure one night of leftovers and one night of something REALLY easy like hamburgers.

Chicken Parmesan

Pizza

Shredded chicken tacos or fajitas

On Sunday, I would bake or skillet cook enough chicken breasts for 2 meals. When the chicken is cooked, place half of the meat into a baking dish with a little sauce (save remaining sauce for pizza night) and mozzarella cheese (reserving some for pizza night, as well) on each then cover with foil and put into fridge (chicken parmesan night).

I would also cut up onions and peppers for my tacos, then caramelize them in a pan (place in container in the fridge for taco/fajita night). Another tip is that peppers and onions freeze beautifully. You can cut them up and throw them in the freezer for cooking down the road.

Shred the remaining chicken meat and then season with prepared taco seasoning or fajita seasoning. Place in container and refrigerate until taco night.

On Monday night you can make egg noodles while your chicken parmesan is in the oven reheating (you can microwave as well). Throw bagged salad greens into a bowl for a quick dinner.

On Tuesday or Wednesday night you can use a Boboli style pizza crust and your remaining saved sauce and cheese to throw together a pizza. If you like onions and peppers on your pizza, you could have prepped those ahead of time on Sunday.

The other prepped ahead meal is the chicken tacos or fajitas. Reheat your chicken and caramelized onion and peppers, pull together shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, or anything else you like in your tacos or fajitas and you have another meal.

Another way to prep your meals for the week would be to place an entire chicken into a crock pot on Saturday before your Sunday "prep" day. This will give you ample chicken for the entire week (cut away entire breast, whole, for the chicken parmesan, and then you can remove all remaining bits of meat for the chicken tacos and probably still have plenty leftover for the freezer and another meal at another time, not to mention the chicken broth which you can freeze and use to season rice and couscous side dishes).

So whether you're cooking for small or large households, work inside or outside the home you can use these tips to make meal preparation easy and simple. The key is to make a menu with meals that have similar ingredients, and then prep as much as you can ahead of time. In addition, by using these lessons you can build up a freezer full of meals and goodies with very little extra effort that will save you time, energy, and money down the road.

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Choosing Effective Cookware Part 2

2008-03-11T13:44:00.000-07:00

By Michael Hanna

Part two the popular cookware essential article check out part one out if you missed it. Another main (affordable) competitor to stainless steel is called hard anodised. Without jumping head first into the technology, Manufacturers take aluminium, which is a very good conductor of heat and put it through a process that changes its look and feel without diminishing its ability to create very good heat distribution. Good quality hard anodised pans are fairly light, robust and produce great results

As with all things there are quality differences in both stainless steel and hard anodised cookware. If the price seems too good to be true, then it probably is!Finally, when making a choice between stainless steel and hard anodised cookware, it is important to know that stainless steel can go into the dishwasher time after time, but hard anodised pans will probably get worn down by the effects of continual dishwasher exposure, making them less effective over time.

So, if use of the dishwasher is a key criteria in your purchase then you are more likely to enjoy stainless steel. Oven safe. There are many recipes that begin on the hob and are finished in the oven. Perhaps you haven't used this technique before, but why limit your horizons by choosing pans that are not suitable for the oven. In general you should only choose pans that both the pan, lid and its handle are all safe to at least 1800C.

Lid and handle. Without getting manufacturer specific, there are a few out there who sell saucepans that have holes in the lids to allow steam to escape. One role of a lid is to preserve the steam while cooking, so why buy something that seems to work against good cooking? If the lid is jumping due to steam, then lower the heat. I accept that a few will argue that this type of lid makes it easier to strain after cooking. But so does a colander. Lids with holes create less effective cooking.

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Quality pans are equipped with handles that dissipate the heat. Typically, as long as the flame is not directly exposed to the handle, is should not get hot. If you test this at home and the handle gets hot, then I would generally conclude that the pans are not very good.

Conclusion. We all eat every day. Although we may not necessarily cook dinner party food every day, it is in my opinion that we strive to eat tasty, well cooked food whenever we can. Good ingredients, recipes that actually work, practice in the kitchen and good cookware are the key requirements. Cheers!

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Genuine Recipes From Romania With Cheese And Cabbage

2008-03-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

By Peter Finch
Romanians are really fond of various types of tasty food preparations. There are everyday preparations, cooked whenever you feel like it. Again, there are preparations that are cooked only on special occasions. Here we are going to talk about two recipes: traditional cheese ball and cabbage rolls.
Well, Romanians do not like wasting time when they decide on a nice meal; so let us start off without delay. The first preparation we are going to choose is the cheese ball, which finds its place in every Romanian cookbook. It takes nearly an hour to cook.
The basic ingredients for this dish are corn flour sauce and the stuffing. For the sauce, you will need 350 grams of corn flour, half a teaspoon of salt, a litre and a half of water. For the stuffing, you will need 4 eggs, 50 grams of butter, and 300 grams of cheese. The cheese should ideally be of two types, and the most suitable types are bellows cheese ("branza de burduf") and "telemea", a salty cheese.
The first step involves boiling the eggs and cooking the soft corn flour sauce. You have to use an earthen pot, a symbol of authentic Romanian cuisine, to get the original flavor. But first, you need to immerse the pot in water for about 15 minutes and butter up the inside of the pot adequately. This will ensure that the cheese balls do not stick to the pot when you cook them.
Once the corn flour sauce has been prepared, flake the bellows cheese with a fork. Next, pour one third of the sauce into the pot and put in the bellows cheese, a teaspoon of butter and two halved boiled eggs. The next step is to cover it with another third of the corn flour sauce, and putting the salty cheese and two boiled eggs upon it. Top it up with the final third of the sauce and the authentic Romanian cheese ball is ready to serve.
Cabbage rolls are another preparation that finds a pride of place in any Romanian cookbook. Normally it takes around half an hour or so to prepare the ingredients. You could end up needing another hour and a half to cook them in an oven.
To cook the cabbage roll, you will need a kilo of minced meat, raw cabbage, which you have to scald first, 2 average sized onions, some verdure, about 200 grams of rice, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, a teaspoon of salt, half teaspoon pepper, 2 laurel leaves, and 1 hot pepper. You will also need standard sized sauerkraut, and you should soak it in water for at least two hours beforehand so that it is free of salt.
As far as the cooking implements are concerned, you will, of course, need the earthen pot, without which traditional Romanian cooking remains incomplete. You will also require particular utensils and kitchen appliances like a cooker with oven, a kitchen robot or mincer. To get the ingredients ready, mince the meat with the mincer or kitchen robot, grate the onions and chop the verdure finely. Mix the minced meat together with the rice, the onions, the verdure, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Now wrap the mixture in few cabbage leaves and cook them.
The traditional recipes from Romania we have shared with you reflect the essentially pastoral lifestyles of the shepherds and the farmers of a bygone era. An important part of their lives was enjoying a hearty traditional meal, drinking wine and brandy brewed at home and sharing a lot of laughter and merriment together.
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Save Money by Cooking with a Crock-pot

2008-03-09T16:34:00.000-07:00

By Cara Mirabella

First introduced in 1971, the Crock-Pot revolutionized the way we cook meals. The word Crock-Pot is actually trademarked by Rival Industries, but is used in every day conversations instead of the term slow cooker. Many recipes for the crock-pot require little preparation. The slow cooker can then safely be left to run unattended, making it a convenient cooking method.

Crock-pot meals can not only save you time in the kitchen, but they can also save you money as well. The reasons are as follows:

1. It keeps you out of the fast food line. If you had not loading up the crock-pot with the ingredients this morning you'd likely be in the drive through line at the local fast food restaurant this afternoon after work, grabbing a meal for your family. The average fast food meal for a family of four rings up over $20.

2. Stretches your dollar. Most crock-pot recipes and meals can truly stretch your food dollar. Because you can put a whole chicken in the crock-pot to cook then cut it up for several meals, you can stretch your budget with the use your leftovers.

3. Cuts your grocery budget. You can save money at the butcher since the slow cooking process is especially useful to tenderize cheaper cuts of meat.

4. Saves on your energy bill. Instead of running a larger appliance like the stove you are running one small energy conservative appliance, the crock-pot, saving on your energy costs.
The convenience of the slow cooker not only saves you time, but will also save you money. Don't you think it's time to take it out of your closet (or wherever you have it packed away collecting dust) and make a Crock-Pot meal today?

Cara Mirabella is a WAHM with one toddler from New Jersey. She owns and manages TheHouseholdHelper.com - a site dedicated to saving your time, money and sanity when managing your household. Her site offers tons of information as well as e-books including http://thehouseholdhelper.com/ebooks/CrockPotCooking.html

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