Try this tempting frozen fruit salad recipe to spice up your meals!
Let cream cheese soften at room temperature. Then blend with salad dressing and marshmallow cream. Add fruit cocktail. Put in loaf pan or 10x6 inch pyrex. Then freeze. This could also be served as a dessert.
วันศุกร์ที่ 29 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2551
Finding Delicious Cookie Recipes
by: Mike Yeager
Many of us have an inner baker inside us that loves to find new cookie recipes to try. But, where do you find new, tried and true, cookie recipes that your family will love? People are always looking for the newest versions of their favorite recipes to broaden their dinner choices. New crockpot recipes, new chicken recipes, even new fondue recipes are all searched for by those needing something a little different. Let's face it, we all want something different from time to time, right? There are many places to find free recipes for any of your needs. Going to the local library and obtaining a membership (most of the time this is free as well) is one way to do some research.
They have many titles of books to choose from and many different types of cooking as well. You may be able to find "How to" books and books on different diet plans as well. Or you can also search for free recipes online on your favorite cookie recipes website. Don't have one? Use your search engine and type in "recipes". Many sites will appear for the choosing. Browse those sties until you find what you are looking for. Should a site require payment, chose a different site. There are many that do not and chance are good that you will find the recipe you are looking for without having to pay for it. So, that's where to find the recipes, but, what are we looking for?
Many of us have a few recipes that are our favorites, ones we make year in and year out. Our family loves them! Its also good to add new recipes to our collections. And its easy to do. You know what your family already likes, so looking for something with similar ingredients may be a hit with them as well. Or, maybe you are planning on spending some time with the kids and thought making some fun cookie recipes would be great. Children love cut out cookies, or cookies that require cookie cutters. These can then be decorated with icing, sugar candies, or sprinkles of their choice. Artistic or not, they will create colorful, fun cookies that are sure to be a hit! Could you be looking for a fancy cookie for a special dinner party? Although these may require special ingredients or a little extra talent, they can be found and made from scratch as well.
One of the most frequently searched for cookie recipes are Christmas cookie recipes. Not only do many of us enjoy baking cookies for our family, but we also love giving tins of cookies as gifts to neighbors and friends. Adding new cookie recipes to our collection will spark any Christmas celebration! Once you find the cookie recipe you want, make sure to follow the directions carefully. Invest in a cooking how to book to teach you how to measure ingredients and what tools you will need and even how to use these tools.
Following step by step instructions is key to making a good cookie. Use good quality ingredients and watch out for expiration dates. Many times we will only need a small quantity of an ingredient and let the rest sit on our pantry shelf. Make sure that, in this case, items are tightly closed and sealed properly. When it is time to use again, make sure it is still within its expiration date. Following good techniques will surely help you to create beautiful, tasty cookies everytime!
Many of us have an inner baker inside us that loves to find new cookie recipes to try. But, where do you find new, tried and true, cookie recipes that your family will love? People are always looking for the newest versions of their favorite recipes to broaden their dinner choices. New crockpot recipes, new chicken recipes, even new fondue recipes are all searched for by those needing something a little different. Let's face it, we all want something different from time to time, right? There are many places to find free recipes for any of your needs. Going to the local library and obtaining a membership (most of the time this is free as well) is one way to do some research.
They have many titles of books to choose from and many different types of cooking as well. You may be able to find "How to" books and books on different diet plans as well. Or you can also search for free recipes online on your favorite cookie recipes website. Don't have one? Use your search engine and type in "recipes". Many sites will appear for the choosing. Browse those sties until you find what you are looking for. Should a site require payment, chose a different site. There are many that do not and chance are good that you will find the recipe you are looking for without having to pay for it. So, that's where to find the recipes, but, what are we looking for?
Many of us have a few recipes that are our favorites, ones we make year in and year out. Our family loves them! Its also good to add new recipes to our collections. And its easy to do. You know what your family already likes, so looking for something with similar ingredients may be a hit with them as well. Or, maybe you are planning on spending some time with the kids and thought making some fun cookie recipes would be great. Children love cut out cookies, or cookies that require cookie cutters. These can then be decorated with icing, sugar candies, or sprinkles of their choice. Artistic or not, they will create colorful, fun cookies that are sure to be a hit! Could you be looking for a fancy cookie for a special dinner party? Although these may require special ingredients or a little extra talent, they can be found and made from scratch as well.
One of the most frequently searched for cookie recipes are Christmas cookie recipes. Not only do many of us enjoy baking cookies for our family, but we also love giving tins of cookies as gifts to neighbors and friends. Adding new cookie recipes to our collection will spark any Christmas celebration! Once you find the cookie recipe you want, make sure to follow the directions carefully. Invest in a cooking how to book to teach you how to measure ingredients and what tools you will need and even how to use these tools.
Following step by step instructions is key to making a good cookie. Use good quality ingredients and watch out for expiration dates. Many times we will only need a small quantity of an ingredient and let the rest sit on our pantry shelf. Make sure that, in this case, items are tightly closed and sealed properly. When it is time to use again, make sure it is still within its expiration date. Following good techniques will surely help you to create beautiful, tasty cookies everytime!
Chicken recipes that everyone enjoys!
by: Mike Yeager
Chicken recipes are a stable in many people’s diets. Many of them are recipes we have made time and time again and others, are special recipes, maybe a favorite Christmas recipe or even a special fondue recipe using chicken. Americans consume more chicken then any other meat, but we still want new recipes to use! Spicing up old recipes or creating new ones is easy when you have the right tools. Finding new free recipes is easy if you are using the Internet. Simply searching for recipes in your favorite search engine will produce many sites you can choose from. Within those sites, you can search for chicken recipes or any other that you may be looking for. Most of the time, you will receive many choices to choose from. Choose those that you have the ingredients for or are willing to purchase. If you do not have the ability to search online, check your local library for books and magazines on chicken recipes.
How will you cook the chicken? Bake it? Grill it? Stir fry? You can even use a slow cooker recipe to cook your chicken. There are many ways to prepare the chicken. There are also many types of cuts of chicken. Will you use a whole chicken? Half? Just thighs or wings? Maybe you will want it boneless or skin less. A good tool to invest in is a How To Cookbook. A book like this will teach you how to know these differences. It will teach you many important techniques you will use over and over in any baking or cooking you do. Another aspect to consider is when or how you will serve the chicken recipe. Will you prepare an appetizer recipe?
Will you make a soup or will it be a main dish? You have many questions to ask yourself. Once you come to these conclusions and know what your goals are, you will be able to find the perfect chicken recipes. Cooking with chicken you also need to understand how to prepare chicken safely. Chicken does contain bacteria that you need to avoid exposing yourself and your diners too. Always wash hands thoroughly after touching or handling chicken. Use the hottest water you can and an antibacterial soap as well. Ensure that you do not touch any equipment or items before washing your hands. This will prevent cross contamination as well.
When cooking chicken, make sure to cook it until it reaches the proper temperature. Chicken cannot be eaten raw. But, cooking it thoroughly will kill any bacteria that may be on your chicken. Again, make sure to use utensils that are clean and sanitary each time you touch the chicken. Following your directions correctly will provide you with the best possible outcome for your chicken recipes. Using the correct ingredients, properly cut and thoroughly clean, will deliver a great meal for whoever you are cooking for and whatever you make!
Chicken recipes are a stable in many people’s diets. Many of them are recipes we have made time and time again and others, are special recipes, maybe a favorite Christmas recipe or even a special fondue recipe using chicken. Americans consume more chicken then any other meat, but we still want new recipes to use! Spicing up old recipes or creating new ones is easy when you have the right tools. Finding new free recipes is easy if you are using the Internet. Simply searching for recipes in your favorite search engine will produce many sites you can choose from. Within those sites, you can search for chicken recipes or any other that you may be looking for. Most of the time, you will receive many choices to choose from. Choose those that you have the ingredients for or are willing to purchase. If you do not have the ability to search online, check your local library for books and magazines on chicken recipes.
How will you cook the chicken? Bake it? Grill it? Stir fry? You can even use a slow cooker recipe to cook your chicken. There are many ways to prepare the chicken. There are also many types of cuts of chicken. Will you use a whole chicken? Half? Just thighs or wings? Maybe you will want it boneless or skin less. A good tool to invest in is a How To Cookbook. A book like this will teach you how to know these differences. It will teach you many important techniques you will use over and over in any baking or cooking you do. Another aspect to consider is when or how you will serve the chicken recipe. Will you prepare an appetizer recipe?
Will you make a soup or will it be a main dish? You have many questions to ask yourself. Once you come to these conclusions and know what your goals are, you will be able to find the perfect chicken recipes. Cooking with chicken you also need to understand how to prepare chicken safely. Chicken does contain bacteria that you need to avoid exposing yourself and your diners too. Always wash hands thoroughly after touching or handling chicken. Use the hottest water you can and an antibacterial soap as well. Ensure that you do not touch any equipment or items before washing your hands. This will prevent cross contamination as well.
When cooking chicken, make sure to cook it until it reaches the proper temperature. Chicken cannot be eaten raw. But, cooking it thoroughly will kill any bacteria that may be on your chicken. Again, make sure to use utensils that are clean and sanitary each time you touch the chicken. Following your directions correctly will provide you with the best possible outcome for your chicken recipes. Using the correct ingredients, properly cut and thoroughly clean, will deliver a great meal for whoever you are cooking for and whatever you make!
6 Steps to Grill the Perfect Steak
by: Laura Bankston
There's nothing better than a nicely grilled juicy steak.
But how come I can't duplicate that restaurant, expensive, juicy, melt-in-your mouth, perfectly grilled steak?
Well, I found out how to grill steak perfectly - and here's how you can too.
1. The choice of meat is important!!! Just because the supermarket has labeled the steak "good for grilling" doesn't mean that it is. Lean meat does not do well. You want a piece that has marbling throughout. And these are good cuts: fillet (mignon), top loin (rib eye) - basically the same cuts that are the ones you love in the restaurant.
2. Next, proper heating of the grill is vital. If you are using charcoal, spread 2/3 of the bricks on one side and 1/3 of the bricks on the other. That way you have a hotter side for searing the meat and a cooler side for cooking the meat.
If you are using a gas grill, you will lose some of the flavor, but you will want to turn the heat down for the cooking portion.
3. Next, rub both sides of the meat with oil and cover with salt and pepper. Be generous with the salt and pepper because it will fall off during the grilling.
4. Place your meat on the hot side for searing. Cook on each side for three minutes to get the nice grilled meat crust color you love. For a hand test, I've been told that you should be able to hold you hand over the heat for 3 seconds before you can't take it!
5. Place your meat on the cooler side for cooking to your taste. The hand test for the cooler side, I've been told, is 6-7 seconds. You will want to use a timer to cook the meat - or use the slice and peak test to see if the meat is done enough for you. Just don't cut and peek too often or you'll lose all the juice!
6. When the steak is done, take if off the grill and let it set for at least 5 minutes. Some people call it "resting". It allows the juices to spread back out so that you'll have a juicy steak with a nice crust.
Follow these steps and you'll be enjoying perfectly grilled, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth steak that will impress and satisfy the most discriminating steak eater!
There's nothing better than a nicely grilled juicy steak.
But how come I can't duplicate that restaurant, expensive, juicy, melt-in-your mouth, perfectly grilled steak?
Well, I found out how to grill steak perfectly - and here's how you can too.
1. The choice of meat is important!!! Just because the supermarket has labeled the steak "good for grilling" doesn't mean that it is. Lean meat does not do well. You want a piece that has marbling throughout. And these are good cuts: fillet (mignon), top loin (rib eye) - basically the same cuts that are the ones you love in the restaurant.
2. Next, proper heating of the grill is vital. If you are using charcoal, spread 2/3 of the bricks on one side and 1/3 of the bricks on the other. That way you have a hotter side for searing the meat and a cooler side for cooking the meat.
If you are using a gas grill, you will lose some of the flavor, but you will want to turn the heat down for the cooking portion.
3. Next, rub both sides of the meat with oil and cover with salt and pepper. Be generous with the salt and pepper because it will fall off during the grilling.
4. Place your meat on the hot side for searing. Cook on each side for three minutes to get the nice grilled meat crust color you love. For a hand test, I've been told that you should be able to hold you hand over the heat for 3 seconds before you can't take it!
5. Place your meat on the cooler side for cooking to your taste. The hand test for the cooler side, I've been told, is 6-7 seconds. You will want to use a timer to cook the meat - or use the slice and peak test to see if the meat is done enough for you. Just don't cut and peek too often or you'll lose all the juice!
6. When the steak is done, take if off the grill and let it set for at least 5 minutes. Some people call it "resting". It allows the juices to spread back out so that you'll have a juicy steak with a nice crust.
Follow these steps and you'll be enjoying perfectly grilled, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth steak that will impress and satisfy the most discriminating steak eater!
Easy Gourmet Recipes
Easy Gourmet Recipes you and I can do!
by: Mike Yeager
So, you don't think you can find easy gourmet recipes? Yes, you can! While most people think that gourmet recipes are hard to make, time consuming, or too expensive, you can find things that are gourmet and easy to make. You just need to look in the right places and know what you are looking for! First of all, finding information on gourmet recipes on the Internet is easy to do. Just search your favorite recipe websites or just use a search engine like Google or Yahoo. If you do not have web access, going to the library for the information will also work. The library contains many types of books or even CD ROMs on cooking. Most importantly, both of these options result in free recipes!
The next question to ask yourself is what type of gourmet cooking are you looking to do. Are you looking to spice up a crockpot recipe you already have? Are you looking for special cookie recipes or Christmas recipe? Maybe even a gourmet chicken recipe? Are you planning on dining on a special day or for a special reason? All these questions will give you an idea of what you are looking to make or do. Make sure to know the tastes of those you are cooking for as well. Many people like to go to restaurant solely because they love the way a certain chef prepares their food and wish they could do the same thing at home. You can! You just need to knowledge of how to do this! Sometimes, gourmet meals are made from specialty store bought foods. But, in the day and age we live in, gourmet foods can be found in most large supermarkets across the country.
Spices that were hard to find even 10 years ago are available regularly. Many times you can also find gourmet meals already prepared at these same supermarkets. You can perhaps purchase a nicely made New York Style Cheesecake or Chocolate Mouse from your local bakery. But, if you are wanting to purchase your own produce and meats, do so knowing what cuts are correct for the recipe you have chosen. For instance, a chicken recipe may call for boneless thigh pieces or only white meat. Picking produce that is fresh, ripe, and the tastiest will contribute to the overall flavor of the finished food.
In order to know what to use and what to buy, make sure to choose recipes that give enough details. If they don't, research on the Internet or your local library for more information. You can make good, but easy gourmet recipes if you know what you are looking for and have the knowledge of what you need and want. Researching information you do not have is the most important first step.
by: Mike Yeager
So, you don't think you can find easy gourmet recipes? Yes, you can! While most people think that gourmet recipes are hard to make, time consuming, or too expensive, you can find things that are gourmet and easy to make. You just need to look in the right places and know what you are looking for! First of all, finding information on gourmet recipes on the Internet is easy to do. Just search your favorite recipe websites or just use a search engine like Google or Yahoo. If you do not have web access, going to the library for the information will also work. The library contains many types of books or even CD ROMs on cooking. Most importantly, both of these options result in free recipes!
The next question to ask yourself is what type of gourmet cooking are you looking to do. Are you looking to spice up a crockpot recipe you already have? Are you looking for special cookie recipes or Christmas recipe? Maybe even a gourmet chicken recipe? Are you planning on dining on a special day or for a special reason? All these questions will give you an idea of what you are looking to make or do. Make sure to know the tastes of those you are cooking for as well. Many people like to go to restaurant solely because they love the way a certain chef prepares their food and wish they could do the same thing at home. You can! You just need to knowledge of how to do this! Sometimes, gourmet meals are made from specialty store bought foods. But, in the day and age we live in, gourmet foods can be found in most large supermarkets across the country.
Spices that were hard to find even 10 years ago are available regularly. Many times you can also find gourmet meals already prepared at these same supermarkets. You can perhaps purchase a nicely made New York Style Cheesecake or Chocolate Mouse from your local bakery. But, if you are wanting to purchase your own produce and meats, do so knowing what cuts are correct for the recipe you have chosen. For instance, a chicken recipe may call for boneless thigh pieces or only white meat. Picking produce that is fresh, ripe, and the tastiest will contribute to the overall flavor of the finished food.
In order to know what to use and what to buy, make sure to choose recipes that give enough details. If they don't, research on the Internet or your local library for more information. You can make good, but easy gourmet recipes if you know what you are looking for and have the knowledge of what you need and want. Researching information you do not have is the most important first step.
Chocolate, Candy, Fudge
Chocolate, Candy, Fudge
by: Mike Yeager
A delicious, mouth-watering piece of sweetened chocolate is a treat that tempts everyone. Whether it’s a delicious chocolate truffle or a double dipped chocolate nut cluster that just bursts with flavor as soon as it placed inside your mouth; quality chocolate candy is a treat that you enjoy and deserve.Chocolate candy, soft candy, chewy candy, chocolate and fruit candy are all available today over the internet at great prices.
For a quick energy pick up, consider chocolate. After putting your body through a grueling workout such as walking, running or bike riding, it demands bodybuilding nutrition. An easy, quick and reasonably priced way of fulfilling this need is to simply savor a piece of chocolate.
How do you show someone you love them? Do you buy them expensive gifts? Spend quality time together? Make personal sacrifices just to see them smile? Dedicate a song to them? Write a love letter or note of encouragement? Become their cheerleader? Those are wonderful things to do but my question goes deeper then those types of activities, even beyond your romantic partner. How about a piece of chocolate? There’s nothing better.We hope you enjoy the selection of chocolate makers we’ve suggested. We only deal with quality makers of chocolate and candy who use the finest, freshest quality ingredients and that are offered at reasonable prices.
by: Mike Yeager
A delicious, mouth-watering piece of sweetened chocolate is a treat that tempts everyone. Whether it’s a delicious chocolate truffle or a double dipped chocolate nut cluster that just bursts with flavor as soon as it placed inside your mouth; quality chocolate candy is a treat that you enjoy and deserve.Chocolate candy, soft candy, chewy candy, chocolate and fruit candy are all available today over the internet at great prices.
For a quick energy pick up, consider chocolate. After putting your body through a grueling workout such as walking, running or bike riding, it demands bodybuilding nutrition. An easy, quick and reasonably priced way of fulfilling this need is to simply savor a piece of chocolate.
How do you show someone you love them? Do you buy them expensive gifts? Spend quality time together? Make personal sacrifices just to see them smile? Dedicate a song to them? Write a love letter or note of encouragement? Become their cheerleader? Those are wonderful things to do but my question goes deeper then those types of activities, even beyond your romantic partner. How about a piece of chocolate? There’s nothing better.We hope you enjoy the selection of chocolate makers we’ve suggested. We only deal with quality makers of chocolate and candy who use the finest, freshest quality ingredients and that are offered at reasonable prices.
Cooking Lobster at Home
Cooking Lobster at Home
by: Richard Massey
Lobster has always be one of those extravagant meals which few people ever try because of the high cost. With restaurants paying thirty dollars a pound, by the time they put their markup on it, you’re easily paying sixty dollars for a ten ounce tail. This high cost leaves lobster dinners for the well-to do or at least only for special occasions. But, this doesn’t have to be. With more and more retail store offering lobster, you can create a romantic dinner for two at a reasonable price. If you buy two eight ounce tails for thirty dollars, that’s only fifteen dollars a person. Add a starch and vegetable and it’s still cheaper than going out to dinner and having steak or even chicken. Turn the lights down low, add a candle and ship the kid’s off to grandma’s house.
Cooking lobster is relatively easy. There are hundred’s of recipes on the internet or in books. The simplest way is to split the shell down the top, pull the meat out of the shell about 90% of the way and lay it on top of the shell. Place in a pan with a little water and cover with foil (do not let the foil touch the lobster). Cook at 350 degrees until the meat turns white (around 140 F) then baste with butter and season with salt and pepper. As with any food, avoid the temptation to overcook it. When overcooked the lobster meat will become tough and less appealing.
About Lobster
Lobsters are ten legged arthropods, meaning they have no backbone. The lobster creates its skeleton on the outside in the form of a shell with joint appendages. There are two major types of lobster on the market. Maine also called Canadian or American lobster and spiny sometimes call rock lobster.
The Maine lobster inhabits the cold waters of the Atlantic in the area of Canada and the northeast United States. This lobster has two claws, one claw very large and flat, while the other is smaller and thinner. These lobster take up to seven years to reach one pound and average about one to three pounds when harvested. The Maine lobster is sold live or already cooked and usually the meat used in mixed dishes or dishes like lobster thermador
The spiny lobster is a clawless warmwater variety, which are actually large seagoing crayfish. There are 49 species of spiny lobster which swim the world’s warm waters. Because the tail is the only real edible part of the spiny lobster, it is usually sold frozen as a lobster tail. The spiny lobster found off Florida, Brazil and the Caribbean are called “warmwater tails”, while those found off South Africa, New Zealand and Australia are markets as “coldwater tails”. The coldwater variety of spiny lobster is considered superior and favored among restaurants.
Cooking lobster at home can be a delicious alternative to going out. Why not give it a try?
by: Richard Massey
Lobster has always be one of those extravagant meals which few people ever try because of the high cost. With restaurants paying thirty dollars a pound, by the time they put their markup on it, you’re easily paying sixty dollars for a ten ounce tail. This high cost leaves lobster dinners for the well-to do or at least only for special occasions. But, this doesn’t have to be. With more and more retail store offering lobster, you can create a romantic dinner for two at a reasonable price. If you buy two eight ounce tails for thirty dollars, that’s only fifteen dollars a person. Add a starch and vegetable and it’s still cheaper than going out to dinner and having steak or even chicken. Turn the lights down low, add a candle and ship the kid’s off to grandma’s house.
Cooking lobster is relatively easy. There are hundred’s of recipes on the internet or in books. The simplest way is to split the shell down the top, pull the meat out of the shell about 90% of the way and lay it on top of the shell. Place in a pan with a little water and cover with foil (do not let the foil touch the lobster). Cook at 350 degrees until the meat turns white (around 140 F) then baste with butter and season with salt and pepper. As with any food, avoid the temptation to overcook it. When overcooked the lobster meat will become tough and less appealing.
About Lobster
Lobsters are ten legged arthropods, meaning they have no backbone. The lobster creates its skeleton on the outside in the form of a shell with joint appendages. There are two major types of lobster on the market. Maine also called Canadian or American lobster and spiny sometimes call rock lobster.
The Maine lobster inhabits the cold waters of the Atlantic in the area of Canada and the northeast United States. This lobster has two claws, one claw very large and flat, while the other is smaller and thinner. These lobster take up to seven years to reach one pound and average about one to three pounds when harvested. The Maine lobster is sold live or already cooked and usually the meat used in mixed dishes or dishes like lobster thermador
The spiny lobster is a clawless warmwater variety, which are actually large seagoing crayfish. There are 49 species of spiny lobster which swim the world’s warm waters. Because the tail is the only real edible part of the spiny lobster, it is usually sold frozen as a lobster tail. The spiny lobster found off Florida, Brazil and the Caribbean are called “warmwater tails”, while those found off South Africa, New Zealand and Australia are markets as “coldwater tails”. The coldwater variety of spiny lobster is considered superior and favored among restaurants.
Cooking lobster at home can be a delicious alternative to going out. Why not give it a try?
Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
by: merle obrien
You will need:
1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix
Frosting
Sprinkles or other decorations of your choice
Directions:
Prepare cake mix batter according to directions, or make any standard cake recipe batter (i.e. white, chocolate, etc.)
Place flat-bottomed ice cream cones in the cups of a regular muffin pan.Pour enough batter into each cone to fill from 1/2 to 2/3 full.
Bake at time and temperature as recommended for cupcakes. After they have cooled, frost with your favorite canned or home-prepared frosting recipe.
Decorate with sprinkles or other decorations of your choice.
by: merle obrien
You will need:
1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix
Frosting
Sprinkles or other decorations of your choice
Directions:
Prepare cake mix batter according to directions, or make any standard cake recipe batter (i.e. white, chocolate, etc.)
Place flat-bottomed ice cream cones in the cups of a regular muffin pan.Pour enough batter into each cone to fill from 1/2 to 2/3 full.
Bake at time and temperature as recommended for cupcakes. After they have cooled, frost with your favorite canned or home-prepared frosting recipe.
Decorate with sprinkles or other decorations of your choice.
Choosing a Wine Gift Basket
Choosing a Wine Gift Basket
by: Peter
During the holiday season, most of us are in a frantic search for presents for loved ones and friends. Next time, instead of the usual hassle of selecting a gift which will suit him or her, try sending a wine gift basket instead. Wine gift basketsare a perfect present for both men and women and suit every occasion e.g. Birthdays, Weddings etc. The information below will help you select an appropriate wine gift for that special occasion.
Who will be receiving the wine gift basket?
Men will prefer a bottle of wine, which they can open and drink immediately or store in their own wine cabinet (The smile when he or she unwraps the present to discover a 1990 Bordeaux is priceless) whereas women are usually more delighted with a wine accessory e.g. Corkscrew, Crystal Wine glasses or a decanter. Below are the four basic questions you need to ask yourself before you shop for a wine gift.
What is the occasion?
Different wine gift baskets are suitable for various occasions. Wine gift baskets are a favorite for parties. The numerous items within will allow everyone to enjoy the gift and enjoy the wine with delicious tidbits as well. Wine merchants also have wine gift baskets for special occasions such as Valentine's Day, Christmas etc.
What is your budget?
Most nifty wine gift baskets can be had for $25-$50 although fine wines will be more expensive. Wine gifts often include cheese and chocolates (a favorite with children). Just remember it is the thought that counts!
What is their knowledge of Wine?
If the wine gift is for a beginning wine enthusiast, then a well-written book on enjoying wine will be an excellent gift whereas an expert wine enthusiast might enjoy having a stopper for the half empty bottle of wine. Try to find a wine gadget that he does not already own, most people will be touched by the thoughtfulness of your gift. The wine gadget will also remind him/her of your friendship each time he enjoys a bottle of fine wine.
by: Peter
During the holiday season, most of us are in a frantic search for presents for loved ones and friends. Next time, instead of the usual hassle of selecting a gift which will suit him or her, try sending a wine gift basket instead. Wine gift basketsare a perfect present for both men and women and suit every occasion e.g. Birthdays, Weddings etc. The information below will help you select an appropriate wine gift for that special occasion.
Who will be receiving the wine gift basket?
Men will prefer a bottle of wine, which they can open and drink immediately or store in their own wine cabinet (The smile when he or she unwraps the present to discover a 1990 Bordeaux is priceless) whereas women are usually more delighted with a wine accessory e.g. Corkscrew, Crystal Wine glasses or a decanter. Below are the four basic questions you need to ask yourself before you shop for a wine gift.
What is the occasion?
Different wine gift baskets are suitable for various occasions. Wine gift baskets are a favorite for parties. The numerous items within will allow everyone to enjoy the gift and enjoy the wine with delicious tidbits as well. Wine merchants also have wine gift baskets for special occasions such as Valentine's Day, Christmas etc.
What is your budget?
Most nifty wine gift baskets can be had for $25-$50 although fine wines will be more expensive. Wine gifts often include cheese and chocolates (a favorite with children). Just remember it is the thought that counts!
What is their knowledge of Wine?
If the wine gift is for a beginning wine enthusiast, then a well-written book on enjoying wine will be an excellent gift whereas an expert wine enthusiast might enjoy having a stopper for the half empty bottle of wine. Try to find a wine gadget that he does not already own, most people will be touched by the thoughtfulness of your gift. The wine gadget will also remind him/her of your friendship each time he enjoys a bottle of fine wine.
วันพุธที่ 27 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2551
The Creamy Taste Of Fudge!
by: Mike Yeager
Fudge is a treat that everyone loves. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, the taste of a smooth, creamy piece of delicious Fudge appeals to everyone. Fudge, candy, Fudge, and sweets have been around for a long time and they still tickle the taste-buds of people. You’re sure to be a hit with family and friends when offering them the finest quality Fudge you can find.
Delicious Fudges made from high quality cocoa beans and mixed with the proper amount of sweetener combine to create a mouth-watering treat that simply melts in your mouth with delight.
All Fudge lovers know that the right ingredients mixed with care and exactness produce a delicious Fudge truffle or flavorful sweet that are loved by everyone. We take great pride in the Fudge and chocolate we recommend, and have chosen from only the finest in the world.
Whether your looking for Fudge for a friend or a special treat for yourself, Fudge made from the best ingredients available is sure to taste fantastic. Sitting down with a treat that is only eaten because it tastes good is a luxury that everyone enjoys and deserves. We don’t eat candy because we need to (well, maybe) we enjoy chocolate, candy and other treats because we can. Remember when you were a kid and you couldn’t wait to grow up and then you could eat whatever you wanted? Well, why not get started now?
Fudge is a treat that everyone loves. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, the taste of a smooth, creamy piece of delicious Fudge appeals to everyone. Fudge, candy, Fudge, and sweets have been around for a long time and they still tickle the taste-buds of people. You’re sure to be a hit with family and friends when offering them the finest quality Fudge you can find.
Delicious Fudges made from high quality cocoa beans and mixed with the proper amount of sweetener combine to create a mouth-watering treat that simply melts in your mouth with delight.
All Fudge lovers know that the right ingredients mixed with care and exactness produce a delicious Fudge truffle or flavorful sweet that are loved by everyone. We take great pride in the Fudge and chocolate we recommend, and have chosen from only the finest in the world.
Whether your looking for Fudge for a friend or a special treat for yourself, Fudge made from the best ingredients available is sure to taste fantastic. Sitting down with a treat that is only eaten because it tastes good is a luxury that everyone enjoys and deserves. We don’t eat candy because we need to (well, maybe) we enjoy chocolate, candy and other treats because we can. Remember when you were a kid and you couldn’t wait to grow up and then you could eat whatever you wanted? Well, why not get started now?
How to Make Homemade Ice Cream
How to Make Homemade Ice Cream (Without an Ice Cream Maker!)
by: LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX, WISCONSIN — June is Dairy Month and what better way to celebrate than with homemade ice cream?
When I was growing up on our small family dairy farm in west central Wisconsin 40 years ago, my dad would make homemade ice cream using cream and milk from our very own cows and a hand-cranked ice cream freezer.
But you don't need an ice cream freezer to make your own homemade ice cream. You can make ice cream with your refrigerator. Here's how:
Dad's Favorite Recipe (From the book: Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam — True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm. Coming Soon — Fall 2004)
Allow the custard mixture to cool to room temperature.
When the custard is cool, put into a freezer-safe bowl. Blend in cream and salt. Freeze for 2 hours or until slushy. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla. Whip for 5 to 10 minutes with an electric mixer. Return to freezer and finish freezing (several hours or overnight).
Variations:
After you have whipped the ice cream, fold in 1 to 2 cups of fresh or frozen fruit, nuts and/or chocolate before returning the ice cream to the freezer to finish freezing.
Here are some ideas for additions to your ice cream:
by: LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX, WISCONSIN — June is Dairy Month and what better way to celebrate than with homemade ice cream?
When I was growing up on our small family dairy farm in west central Wisconsin 40 years ago, my dad would make homemade ice cream using cream and milk from our very own cows and a hand-cranked ice cream freezer.
But you don't need an ice cream freezer to make your own homemade ice cream. You can make ice cream with your refrigerator. Here's how:
Dad's Favorite Recipe (From the book: Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam — True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm. Coming Soon — Fall 2004)
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup milk
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
- pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Allow the custard mixture to cool to room temperature.
When the custard is cool, put into a freezer-safe bowl. Blend in cream and salt. Freeze for 2 hours or until slushy. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla. Whip for 5 to 10 minutes with an electric mixer. Return to freezer and finish freezing (several hours or overnight).
Variations:
After you have whipped the ice cream, fold in 1 to 2 cups of fresh or frozen fruit, nuts and/or chocolate before returning the ice cream to the freezer to finish freezing.
Here are some ideas for additions to your ice cream:
- Strawberries
- Blackberries
- Raspberries
- Peaches
- Cherries (or Maraschino Cherries)
- Chocolate chips
- Butterscotch chips
- Crushed Heath bars
- Crushed peppermint candy
- Chopped walnuts
- Chopped pistachio nuts
- Diced bananas
- Coconut
- Chocolate chip cookie dough (drop into the ice cream by small spoonfuls and carefully fold in)
- Caramel or chocolate or fudge syrup (drop into the ice cream by small spoonfuls and carefully fold in)
The Heavenly taste of Chocolate!
by: Mike Yeager
A delicious, mouth-watering piece of sweetened chocolate is a treat that tempts everyone. Whether it’s a delicious chocolate truffle or a double dipped chocolate nut cluster that just bursts with flavor as soon as it placed inside your mouth; quality chocolate candy is a treat that you enjoy and deserve. Chocolate candy, soft candy, chewy candy, chocolate and fruit candy are all available today over the internet at great prices.
For a quick energy pick up, consider chocolate. After putting your body through a grueling workout such as walking, running or bike riding, it demands bodybuilding nutrition. An easy, quick and reasonably priced way of fulfilling this need is to simply savor a piece of chocolate.
How do you show someone you love them? Do you buy them expensive gifts? Spend quality time together? Make personal sacrifices just to see them smile? Dedicate a song to them? Write a love letter or note of encouragement? Become their cheerleader? Those are wonderful things to do but my question goes deeper then those types of activities, even beyond your romantic partner. How about a piece of chocolate? There’s nothing better.
A delicious, mouth-watering piece of sweetened chocolate is a treat that tempts everyone. Whether it’s a delicious chocolate truffle or a double dipped chocolate nut cluster that just bursts with flavor as soon as it placed inside your mouth; quality chocolate candy is a treat that you enjoy and deserve. Chocolate candy, soft candy, chewy candy, chocolate and fruit candy are all available today over the internet at great prices.
For a quick energy pick up, consider chocolate. After putting your body through a grueling workout such as walking, running or bike riding, it demands bodybuilding nutrition. An easy, quick and reasonably priced way of fulfilling this need is to simply savor a piece of chocolate.
How do you show someone you love them? Do you buy them expensive gifts? Spend quality time together? Make personal sacrifices just to see them smile? Dedicate a song to them? Write a love letter or note of encouragement? Become their cheerleader? Those are wonderful things to do but my question goes deeper then those types of activities, even beyond your romantic partner. How about a piece of chocolate? There’s nothing better.
10 Simple Ways To Safely Store Food
by: Terry Nicholls
Storing foods can present its own set of problems. And different types of foods have different storage requirements to prevent bacteria from setting in. Here's some tips to protect your family and yourself.
Storing Vegetables
1. Vegetables should be stored in the vegetable crisper in the refrigerator. However, keep potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, and garlic in a cool, dark, well ventilated place, but not in the refrigerator. Tomatoes have better flavor if they are not refrigerated. Once cut, tomatoes should be refrigerated like any vegetable.
2. Store vegetables in the refrigerator crisper in plastic bags to prevent loss of moisture and nutritional values. However, eggplant and capsicums should be stored open in the crisper as they sweat if stored in plastic bags. Put mushrooms in a paper bag (not in a plastic bag) before placing them in the crisper.
Storing Fruits
3. Apples and berries should always be kept in the refrigerator for maximum crispness. Summer stone fruits and melons should sit at room temperature until they are ripe, then go into the refrigerator. Grapes & fruits that are not yet fully ripe can be left in a fruit bowl in the kitchen.
4. Citrus fruits are fine at room temperature unless it is very hot, in which case, put them in the refrigerator. Bananas should be kept at cool room temperature. Their skins become black if they are refrigerated, although the flesh is still fine to eat.
Storing Dairy Products
5. Always check the expiry date on dairy products, especially milk. Don’t buy milk if it will expire
in 2-3 days. Milk generally starts giving smell before its expiry date even if you store it in the refrigerator! Generally, milk bottles at the front of the shelf in the supermarket have an expiry date of only a few days. Look for bottles at the back of the shelf.
Storing Frozen Foods
6. Pack all your frozen foods together in an insulated container to keep them frozen until you get home. If foods defrost on the way home and you re-freeze them in a domestic freezer, large ice crystals will form and can rupture cell membranes in the food allowing nutrients to escape. Keep frozen foods frozen to maintain quality, as bacteria will begin to multiply when the food is thawed.
Storing Meat Products
7. Fresh meat, chicken, and fish always carry some bacteria so these foods must always be kept cold. Bacterial growth slows down in the refrigerator; at room temperature, they grow rapidly. Cooking kills these bacteria. Store meat, seafood and chicken in the coldest part of the refrigerator. See that any uncooked products do not come into contact with other foods in the refrigerator. They should be stored at the bottom part of the refrigerator so that any juices that drip out won't contaminate other foods on lower shelves.
8. Make sure that fish or other seafood are wrapped and use as soon as possible. Throw them out if not used within two days.
9. If you are going to freeze meat, seafood or poultry, enclose it in freezer wrap and freeze as soon as possible after bringing it home. Store eggs in the refrigerator, preferably in their cartons, as it provides protection and prevents moisture loss through the shell.
Storing Other Products
10. Do not allow pet foods to come into contact with human foods. Pantry items (canned foods, cereals, etc.) should be stored in a dark place like in a cupboard or pantry. Keep oils out of direct light.
Storing foods can present its own set of problems. And different types of foods have different storage requirements to prevent bacteria from setting in. Here's some tips to protect your family and yourself.
Storing Vegetables
1. Vegetables should be stored in the vegetable crisper in the refrigerator. However, keep potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, and garlic in a cool, dark, well ventilated place, but not in the refrigerator. Tomatoes have better flavor if they are not refrigerated. Once cut, tomatoes should be refrigerated like any vegetable.
2. Store vegetables in the refrigerator crisper in plastic bags to prevent loss of moisture and nutritional values. However, eggplant and capsicums should be stored open in the crisper as they sweat if stored in plastic bags. Put mushrooms in a paper bag (not in a plastic bag) before placing them in the crisper.
Storing Fruits
3. Apples and berries should always be kept in the refrigerator for maximum crispness. Summer stone fruits and melons should sit at room temperature until they are ripe, then go into the refrigerator. Grapes & fruits that are not yet fully ripe can be left in a fruit bowl in the kitchen.
4. Citrus fruits are fine at room temperature unless it is very hot, in which case, put them in the refrigerator. Bananas should be kept at cool room temperature. Their skins become black if they are refrigerated, although the flesh is still fine to eat.
Storing Dairy Products
5. Always check the expiry date on dairy products, especially milk. Don’t buy milk if it will expire
in 2-3 days. Milk generally starts giving smell before its expiry date even if you store it in the refrigerator! Generally, milk bottles at the front of the shelf in the supermarket have an expiry date of only a few days. Look for bottles at the back of the shelf.
Storing Frozen Foods
6. Pack all your frozen foods together in an insulated container to keep them frozen until you get home. If foods defrost on the way home and you re-freeze them in a domestic freezer, large ice crystals will form and can rupture cell membranes in the food allowing nutrients to escape. Keep frozen foods frozen to maintain quality, as bacteria will begin to multiply when the food is thawed.
Storing Meat Products
7. Fresh meat, chicken, and fish always carry some bacteria so these foods must always be kept cold. Bacterial growth slows down in the refrigerator; at room temperature, they grow rapidly. Cooking kills these bacteria. Store meat, seafood and chicken in the coldest part of the refrigerator. See that any uncooked products do not come into contact with other foods in the refrigerator. They should be stored at the bottom part of the refrigerator so that any juices that drip out won't contaminate other foods on lower shelves.
8. Make sure that fish or other seafood are wrapped and use as soon as possible. Throw them out if not used within two days.
9. If you are going to freeze meat, seafood or poultry, enclose it in freezer wrap and freeze as soon as possible after bringing it home. Store eggs in the refrigerator, preferably in their cartons, as it provides protection and prevents moisture loss through the shell.
Storing Other Products
10. Do not allow pet foods to come into contact with human foods. Pantry items (canned foods, cereals, etc.) should be stored in a dark place like in a cupboard or pantry. Keep oils out of direct light.
Growing Your Own Herbs for Tea
by: Cyndi Roberts
If you love herbal teas, as I do, you know they are just a little bit pricey. However, growing your own herbs is easy and so much fun!
Here are just a few of the herbs you might want to consider for a tea garden:
Chamomile: Remember the favorite tea of Peter Rabbit? Only the flowers of this fragrant herb are used when making tea. Chamomile tea can be enjoyed by itself or you might enjoy adding mint or lemon verbena.
Lemon Balm: This herb is lemony with a touch of mint and makes a soothing cup of tea. It's easy to grow (almost too easy) so remember to keep it clipped back.
Lemon Verbena: An excellent herb to grow in a sunny spot, it makes a delicious tea. You might try combining it with orange mint or spearmint.
Mints: There are many mints available. Generally, they are aromatic plants and they are aggressive. It may be a good idea to plant mint in a pot and then put the pot in the ground so it doesn't take over your herb garden. Spearmint, peppermint, orange mint all make wonderful teas, alone or along with chamomile or any of the lemon herbs.
Herb teas can be made with fresh or dried herbs and can be enjoyed either hot or cold.
For one cup of hot tea, use one teaspoon of dry herbs or up to 3 teaspoons of fresh herbs. Bruising the leaves of fresh herbs will help release the flavor. Pour boiling water over the herbs in a glass or china pot. Metal pots can sometimes leave a metallic taste. Let steep for 5 or so minutes. Strain and enjoy with a little honey to sweeten.
Sun tea can be made simply by filling a jar with water, throw in a handful of crushed fresh herbs, and set in the sun for 3 or 4 hours. Stir in a little honey to sweeten, pour over ice and enjoy.
Trying different combinations of herbs is fun. Remember you can also add spices you have on hand, such as cinnamon, cloves, etc.
There are many benefits to growing and making your own herbal teas. Gardening itself is very relaxing and rewarding. With herbs from your garden you can soothe away your troubles with a cup of chamomile tea or make yourself a refreshing cup of peppermint tea after a hard day at work.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Look in the perfumes of flowers and nature for peace of mind and joy of life. --Wang Wei
If you love herbal teas, as I do, you know they are just a little bit pricey. However, growing your own herbs is easy and so much fun!
Here are just a few of the herbs you might want to consider for a tea garden:
Chamomile: Remember the favorite tea of Peter Rabbit? Only the flowers of this fragrant herb are used when making tea. Chamomile tea can be enjoyed by itself or you might enjoy adding mint or lemon verbena.
Lemon Balm: This herb is lemony with a touch of mint and makes a soothing cup of tea. It's easy to grow (almost too easy) so remember to keep it clipped back.
Lemon Verbena: An excellent herb to grow in a sunny spot, it makes a delicious tea. You might try combining it with orange mint or spearmint.
Mints: There are many mints available. Generally, they are aromatic plants and they are aggressive. It may be a good idea to plant mint in a pot and then put the pot in the ground so it doesn't take over your herb garden. Spearmint, peppermint, orange mint all make wonderful teas, alone or along with chamomile or any of the lemon herbs.
Herb teas can be made with fresh or dried herbs and can be enjoyed either hot or cold.
For one cup of hot tea, use one teaspoon of dry herbs or up to 3 teaspoons of fresh herbs. Bruising the leaves of fresh herbs will help release the flavor. Pour boiling water over the herbs in a glass or china pot. Metal pots can sometimes leave a metallic taste. Let steep for 5 or so minutes. Strain and enjoy with a little honey to sweeten.
Sun tea can be made simply by filling a jar with water, throw in a handful of crushed fresh herbs, and set in the sun for 3 or 4 hours. Stir in a little honey to sweeten, pour over ice and enjoy.
Trying different combinations of herbs is fun. Remember you can also add spices you have on hand, such as cinnamon, cloves, etc.
There are many benefits to growing and making your own herbal teas. Gardening itself is very relaxing and rewarding. With herbs from your garden you can soothe away your troubles with a cup of chamomile tea or make yourself a refreshing cup of peppermint tea after a hard day at work.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Look in the perfumes of flowers and nature for peace of mind and joy of life. --Wang Wei
5-Minute Strawberry Jam
by: Rondi Hillstrom Davis
Nothing tastes better than fresh picked strawberries. For many people, making homemade jams and jellies conjures up memories of grandmother in the kitchen preparing bushels of fruit, stirring and straining, and sterilizing jars. Actually, nothing could be simpler. The key to making jam is small batches. Do not double the recipe. The jam will not set up. This strawberry jam keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. But, we’ve never been able to keep it around that long! It’s also great as an ice cream topping.
Try this quick and easy recipe with your kids. It makes a great Mother’s Day present for family and friends. And, if you’re lucky, they may even save some for you.
Ingredients
1-pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
2-tablespoons fruit pectin
½ teaspoon butter
1-cup sugar
2 8-ounce jelly jars
Directions
Nothing tastes better than fresh picked strawberries. For many people, making homemade jams and jellies conjures up memories of grandmother in the kitchen preparing bushels of fruit, stirring and straining, and sterilizing jars. Actually, nothing could be simpler. The key to making jam is small batches. Do not double the recipe. The jam will not set up. This strawberry jam keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. But, we’ve never been able to keep it around that long! It’s also great as an ice cream topping.
Try this quick and easy recipe with your kids. It makes a great Mother’s Day present for family and friends. And, if you’re lucky, they may even save some for you.
Ingredients
1-pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
2-tablespoons fruit pectin
½ teaspoon butter
1-cup sugar
2 8-ounce jelly jars
Directions
- In a medium sized bowl, crush the strawberries with a potato masher
- In a skillet, combine the crushed strawberries, pectin, and butter.
- Stirring constantly, cook over medium-high heat, until the mixture boils.
- Add the sugar and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute and remove from the heat.
- Pour the jam into the jars. Seal. Refrigerate until the jam is set, approximately 6 hours. Keep jam refrigerated. It will keep for up to 3 weeks.
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The Coffee Culture in the USA
by: Remko de Knikker
It wasn't until I moved to the US that I started drinking coffee regularly and became what they call in the Netherlands a 'koffieleut', which translates literally into ‘coffee socialite.’ Although the average European drinks more coffee per year than the average American, the cultural importance and its effects on the average European seems to me smaller than that on the average American. After all, coffee is a cultural obsession in the United States.
Chains with thousands of branches like Dunkin' Donuts or Starbucks dominate US daily street life. Especially in the morning (90% of coffee consumed in the US is in the morning), millions of white foamy cups with boldly imprinted pink and orange logos bob across the streets in morning rush hour and on the train. Coffee drive-ins are a saving grace for the rushing army of helmeted and tattooed construction workers. During lunch break, men and women in savvy business suits duck into coffee shops.
Students chill out from early afternoon till late evening on comfy couches at coffee lounges around campus. Police officers clutch coffee cups while guarding road construction sites on the highway. In short, coffee drinkers in the United States can be found just about anywhere you go.
This mass-psychotic ritual causes Americans to associate Europe above all with cars that oddly do not contain cup holders (to an American this is like selling a car without tires), or with the unbelievably petite cups of coffee European restaurants serve, so small that my father-in-law had to always order two cups of coffee. It is my strongest conviction that the easily agitated and obsessed nature of the ‘New Englander’ can be blamed on the monster-size cups of coffee they consume. Not without reason is the word 'coffee' derived from the Arab 'qahwa' meaning ‘that which prevents sleep.’ Arabs have cooked coffee beans in boiling water since as far back as the 9th century and drank the stimulating extract as an alternative to the Muslims’ forbidden alcohol.
These days coffee is second only to oil as the most valuable (legally) traded good in the world with a total trade value of $70 billion. Interestingly, only $6 billion reaches coffee producing countries. The remaining $64 billion is generated as surplus value in the consumption countries. Small farmers grow 70% of world coffee production. They mainly grow two kinds of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta. About 20 million people in the world are directly dependent on coffee production for their subsistence.
Table 1: production in 2002/3
country % 70% Arabica
30% Robusta
Brasil 42.03% Arab/Rob
Colombia 8.88% Arabica
Vietnam 8.35% Robusta
Indonesia 4.89% Rob/Arab
India 3.74% Arab/Rob
Mexico 3.54% Arabica
Guatemala 3.1% Arab/Rob
Uganda 2.53% Rob/Arab
Ethiopia 2.44% Arabica
Peru 2.24% Arabica
Table 2: consumption in 2001/2world consumption % kg per capita (2001)
USA 30.82% Finland 11.01
Germany 15.07% Sweden 8.55
Japan 11.47% Denmark 9.71
France 8.89% Norway 9.46
Italy 8.59% Austria 7.79
Spain 4.90% Germany 6.90
Great-Brittain 3.63% Switzerland 6.80
the Netherlands 2.69% the Netherlands 6.48
Although the consumption of coffee per capita in the world is decreasing (in the US alone it decreased from 0.711 liter in 1960 to 0.237 liter presently), world consumption is still increasing due to the population explosion. Considering that coffee consists of either 1% (Arabica), 2% (Robusta) or 4.5%-5.1% (instant coffee) caffeine, the average American consumes at least 200 to 300mg (the recommended maximum daily amount) of caffeine a day through the consumption of coffee alone.
The place I frequent to down a cup of coffee is the Starbucks in Stamford, Connecticut. The entrance can be found on the corner of Broad Street and Summer Street, to the left to the main public library with its plain pediment and slim Ionic columns. The location right next to the library harmonizes with Starbuck’s marketing plan. At the entrance of the coffee shop a life-size glass window curves around to the left, providing superb voyeuristic views of pedestrians on the sidewalk. As you enter, you step directly into the living room area with stacked bookshelves against the back wall. Velvet armchairs face each other with small coffee tables in the middle, creating intimate seating areas. The velvet chairs near the window are the prime seats, which people unfortunate to score a wooden chair prey upon. At the back of the long rectangular room is the coffee bar and a small Starbuck’s gift shop. There is a dark wooden table with electrical outlets suited for spreading out laptops and spreadsheets, dividing the living room area from the coffee bar.
Since I have been cranky for weeks I hesitate to order a regular black coffee. It is very easy to get cloyed with a favorite food or drink in the US because of the super-sized portions served. The smallest cup of coffee is a size 'tall' (12oz.=0.35l.), after which one can choose between a 'grande' (16oz.=0.5l.) and a 'venti' (20oz.=0.6l.). Half a liter of coffee seems a bit over the top, and it sounds absolutely absurd to my European mind. I finally end up choosing a 'solo' espresso.
Sitting in one of the booth-like seats against the back wall, unable to obtain a prime seat, I feign to read my book while eavesdropping on conversations around to me. Three middle-aged men sit in three ash gray velvet chairs and converse loudly. A vivid dialogue develops, exchanged with half roaring, half shrieking, laughter. They mock a colleague in his absence and then clench their brows in concern while discussing the teeth of one of the men’s daughter. Two African-American women sit at a small table opposite the reading-table in the murky light, one of them with a yellow headscarf with black African motifs. Close to the entrance, in the seating area next to the animated conversation, a vagabond is playing solitaire. One by one he places the creased cards with rounded backs over one another, as if he attempts to stick them together. He rendered a couple of dollars in exchange for a small coffee to feel, in the warmth of the front room, nostalgia for a cozy living room and relives a sense of intimacy of having your own house.
It's a bright, sunny, early autumn day, a typical New England Indian summer. Sunbeams radiate through the coloring, flickering foliage, and throw a puzzle-shaped shadow into Starbuck’s window. Autumn’s hand turns her colorful kaleidoscopic lens. The green ash tree near the sidewalk resembles, with its polychrome colors, somewhat a bronze statue: its stem sulphur bronze, its foliage intermittently copper green and ferric-nitrate golden. On the other side of the cross walk the top of a young red oak turns fiery red. These are the budding impressions of the autumn foliage for which Connecticut is 'world famous' in the US.
In the world of marketing and entrepreneurship, Starbucks is a success story. It is one of those stories of ‘excellence’ taught as a case study at business school. Founded in 1971, it really began its incredible growth under Howard Schultz in 1985, and presently has 6,294 coffee shops. But what does its success really consists of? A large cup of coffee at Starbucks is much more expensive than at Dunkin' Donuts: $2.69 compared to $3.40 for a Starbucks' ‘venti’. But while Dunkin' Donuts offers only a limited assortment of flavors like mocha, hazelnut, vanilla, caramel and cinnamon, you will find exotic quality beans at Starbucks like Bella Vista F.W. Tres Rios Costa Rica, Brazil Ipanema Bourbon Mellow, Colombia Nariño Supremo, Organic Shade Grown Mexico, Panama La Florentina, Arabian Mocha Java, Caffè Verona, Guatemala Antigua Elegant, New Guinea Peaberry, Zimbabwe, Aged Sumatra, Special Reserve Estate 2003 – Sumatra Lintong Lake Tawar, Italian Roast, Kenya, Ethiopia Harrar, Ethiopia Sidamo, Ethiopia Yergacheffe and French Roast. So Starbucks offers luxury coffees and high quality coffee dining, reminiscent almost of the chic coffee houses I visited in Vienna.
Every now and then, I grin shamefully and think back at my endless hesitation choosing between the only two types of coffee available in most Dutch stores: red brand and gold brand. Even up to this day I have no clue what the actual difference is between the two, apart from the color of the wrapping: red or gold. Not surprisingly, Starbucks appeals to the laptop genre of people: consultants, students, intellectuals, the middle class, and a Starbucks coffee is a white-collar coffee, while a Dunkin' Donuts coffee is a blue-collar coffee. In Dunkin' Donuts you will run into Joe the Plumber, Bob the barber, and Mac the truck driver. But what is it exactly, that attracts the white collared workers in the US to fall back into the purple velvet chairs?
I imagine their working days filled with repetitive actions and decisions within a playing field of precisely defined responsibilities. How many of the players in these fields get through the day with its routines for simply no other reason than being able to enjoy their daily 30 minutes-escape into the Starbucks intimacy where, for a brief moment in the day, you regain the illusion of human warmth and exotic associations of resisting the coldness of high finance? For 15 minutes you fall back into the deep, soft pillow of a velvet chair and randomly, and alas how important is that moment of utter randomness, pull a book from the shelves. While, in the background, soothing tones resound of country blues, with its recognition of deep human suffering, a blaze of folk with the primary connection with nature and tradition, or of merengue reviving the passionate memories of adventure and love, you gaze out the window and ponder about that simple, volatile reflection in the moment, strengthened by the physical effect of half a liter of watery coffee that starts to kick in and the satisfaction of chewing your muffin, bagel, cake, brownie, croissant or donut. It is, above all, that bodily ecstasy caused by a combination of caffeine, sugar and the salivating Pavlov effect. You remember the struggling musician behind the counter taking your order, the amateur poet as you pay her for the coffee and give a full dollar tip, feeling a transcendental bound in your flight from reality. You stare with a fastened throbbing of the first gulps of coffee at the advertisements and poems on the bulletin board, and dauntlessly you think: They are right, they are so right! and what do I care? Why should I care? Fuck my boss, fuck the system, fuck everybody!'
But then you look at your watch and notice you really have to run again. 'Well, too bad, gotta go!', or people will start gossiping for being so long away from your desk. And while you open the door, an autumn breeze blows in your face, the last tunes of the blues solo die out as the Hammond organ whispers: 'I throw my troubles out the door, I don't need them anymore'.
Coffee in the US is a subculture that massively floated to the surface of the consumer’s society. Starbucks is more than coffee, it's more than just another brand on the market, it is a social-political statement, a way of perceiving how you would like to live, in other words it is a culture. Starbucks is the alternative to Coca-Cola and so much more than just coffee: it's chocolate, ice-cream, frappuccino, travel mugs with exotic prints, cups and live music, CD's, discounts on exhibitions and even support for volunteer work.
It wasn't until I moved to the US that I started drinking coffee regularly and became what they call in the Netherlands a 'koffieleut', which translates literally into ‘coffee socialite.’ Although the average European drinks more coffee per year than the average American, the cultural importance and its effects on the average European seems to me smaller than that on the average American. After all, coffee is a cultural obsession in the United States.
Chains with thousands of branches like Dunkin' Donuts or Starbucks dominate US daily street life. Especially in the morning (90% of coffee consumed in the US is in the morning), millions of white foamy cups with boldly imprinted pink and orange logos bob across the streets in morning rush hour and on the train. Coffee drive-ins are a saving grace for the rushing army of helmeted and tattooed construction workers. During lunch break, men and women in savvy business suits duck into coffee shops.
Students chill out from early afternoon till late evening on comfy couches at coffee lounges around campus. Police officers clutch coffee cups while guarding road construction sites on the highway. In short, coffee drinkers in the United States can be found just about anywhere you go.
This mass-psychotic ritual causes Americans to associate Europe above all with cars that oddly do not contain cup holders (to an American this is like selling a car without tires), or with the unbelievably petite cups of coffee European restaurants serve, so small that my father-in-law had to always order two cups of coffee. It is my strongest conviction that the easily agitated and obsessed nature of the ‘New Englander’ can be blamed on the monster-size cups of coffee they consume. Not without reason is the word 'coffee' derived from the Arab 'qahwa' meaning ‘that which prevents sleep.’ Arabs have cooked coffee beans in boiling water since as far back as the 9th century and drank the stimulating extract as an alternative to the Muslims’ forbidden alcohol.
These days coffee is second only to oil as the most valuable (legally) traded good in the world with a total trade value of $70 billion. Interestingly, only $6 billion reaches coffee producing countries. The remaining $64 billion is generated as surplus value in the consumption countries. Small farmers grow 70% of world coffee production. They mainly grow two kinds of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta. About 20 million people in the world are directly dependent on coffee production for their subsistence.
Table 1: production in 2002/3
country % 70% Arabica
30% Robusta
Brasil 42.03% Arab/Rob
Colombia 8.88% Arabica
Vietnam 8.35% Robusta
Indonesia 4.89% Rob/Arab
India 3.74% Arab/Rob
Mexico 3.54% Arabica
Guatemala 3.1% Arab/Rob
Uganda 2.53% Rob/Arab
Ethiopia 2.44% Arabica
Peru 2.24% Arabica
Table 2: consumption in 2001/2world consumption % kg per capita (2001)
USA 30.82% Finland 11.01
Germany 15.07% Sweden 8.55
Japan 11.47% Denmark 9.71
France 8.89% Norway 9.46
Italy 8.59% Austria 7.79
Spain 4.90% Germany 6.90
Great-Brittain 3.63% Switzerland 6.80
the Netherlands 2.69% the Netherlands 6.48
Although the consumption of coffee per capita in the world is decreasing (in the US alone it decreased from 0.711 liter in 1960 to 0.237 liter presently), world consumption is still increasing due to the population explosion. Considering that coffee consists of either 1% (Arabica), 2% (Robusta) or 4.5%-5.1% (instant coffee) caffeine, the average American consumes at least 200 to 300mg (the recommended maximum daily amount) of caffeine a day through the consumption of coffee alone.
The place I frequent to down a cup of coffee is the Starbucks in Stamford, Connecticut. The entrance can be found on the corner of Broad Street and Summer Street, to the left to the main public library with its plain pediment and slim Ionic columns. The location right next to the library harmonizes with Starbuck’s marketing plan. At the entrance of the coffee shop a life-size glass window curves around to the left, providing superb voyeuristic views of pedestrians on the sidewalk. As you enter, you step directly into the living room area with stacked bookshelves against the back wall. Velvet armchairs face each other with small coffee tables in the middle, creating intimate seating areas. The velvet chairs near the window are the prime seats, which people unfortunate to score a wooden chair prey upon. At the back of the long rectangular room is the coffee bar and a small Starbuck’s gift shop. There is a dark wooden table with electrical outlets suited for spreading out laptops and spreadsheets, dividing the living room area from the coffee bar.
Since I have been cranky for weeks I hesitate to order a regular black coffee. It is very easy to get cloyed with a favorite food or drink in the US because of the super-sized portions served. The smallest cup of coffee is a size 'tall' (12oz.=0.35l.), after which one can choose between a 'grande' (16oz.=0.5l.) and a 'venti' (20oz.=0.6l.). Half a liter of coffee seems a bit over the top, and it sounds absolutely absurd to my European mind. I finally end up choosing a 'solo' espresso.
Sitting in one of the booth-like seats against the back wall, unable to obtain a prime seat, I feign to read my book while eavesdropping on conversations around to me. Three middle-aged men sit in three ash gray velvet chairs and converse loudly. A vivid dialogue develops, exchanged with half roaring, half shrieking, laughter. They mock a colleague in his absence and then clench their brows in concern while discussing the teeth of one of the men’s daughter. Two African-American women sit at a small table opposite the reading-table in the murky light, one of them with a yellow headscarf with black African motifs. Close to the entrance, in the seating area next to the animated conversation, a vagabond is playing solitaire. One by one he places the creased cards with rounded backs over one another, as if he attempts to stick them together. He rendered a couple of dollars in exchange for a small coffee to feel, in the warmth of the front room, nostalgia for a cozy living room and relives a sense of intimacy of having your own house.
It's a bright, sunny, early autumn day, a typical New England Indian summer. Sunbeams radiate through the coloring, flickering foliage, and throw a puzzle-shaped shadow into Starbuck’s window. Autumn’s hand turns her colorful kaleidoscopic lens. The green ash tree near the sidewalk resembles, with its polychrome colors, somewhat a bronze statue: its stem sulphur bronze, its foliage intermittently copper green and ferric-nitrate golden. On the other side of the cross walk the top of a young red oak turns fiery red. These are the budding impressions of the autumn foliage for which Connecticut is 'world famous' in the US.
In the world of marketing and entrepreneurship, Starbucks is a success story. It is one of those stories of ‘excellence’ taught as a case study at business school. Founded in 1971, it really began its incredible growth under Howard Schultz in 1985, and presently has 6,294 coffee shops. But what does its success really consists of? A large cup of coffee at Starbucks is much more expensive than at Dunkin' Donuts: $2.69 compared to $3.40 for a Starbucks' ‘venti’. But while Dunkin' Donuts offers only a limited assortment of flavors like mocha, hazelnut, vanilla, caramel and cinnamon, you will find exotic quality beans at Starbucks like Bella Vista F.W. Tres Rios Costa Rica, Brazil Ipanema Bourbon Mellow, Colombia Nariño Supremo, Organic Shade Grown Mexico, Panama La Florentina, Arabian Mocha Java, Caffè Verona, Guatemala Antigua Elegant, New Guinea Peaberry, Zimbabwe, Aged Sumatra, Special Reserve Estate 2003 – Sumatra Lintong Lake Tawar, Italian Roast, Kenya, Ethiopia Harrar, Ethiopia Sidamo, Ethiopia Yergacheffe and French Roast. So Starbucks offers luxury coffees and high quality coffee dining, reminiscent almost of the chic coffee houses I visited in Vienna.
Every now and then, I grin shamefully and think back at my endless hesitation choosing between the only two types of coffee available in most Dutch stores: red brand and gold brand. Even up to this day I have no clue what the actual difference is between the two, apart from the color of the wrapping: red or gold. Not surprisingly, Starbucks appeals to the laptop genre of people: consultants, students, intellectuals, the middle class, and a Starbucks coffee is a white-collar coffee, while a Dunkin' Donuts coffee is a blue-collar coffee. In Dunkin' Donuts you will run into Joe the Plumber, Bob the barber, and Mac the truck driver. But what is it exactly, that attracts the white collared workers in the US to fall back into the purple velvet chairs?
I imagine their working days filled with repetitive actions and decisions within a playing field of precisely defined responsibilities. How many of the players in these fields get through the day with its routines for simply no other reason than being able to enjoy their daily 30 minutes-escape into the Starbucks intimacy where, for a brief moment in the day, you regain the illusion of human warmth and exotic associations of resisting the coldness of high finance? For 15 minutes you fall back into the deep, soft pillow of a velvet chair and randomly, and alas how important is that moment of utter randomness, pull a book from the shelves. While, in the background, soothing tones resound of country blues, with its recognition of deep human suffering, a blaze of folk with the primary connection with nature and tradition, or of merengue reviving the passionate memories of adventure and love, you gaze out the window and ponder about that simple, volatile reflection in the moment, strengthened by the physical effect of half a liter of watery coffee that starts to kick in and the satisfaction of chewing your muffin, bagel, cake, brownie, croissant or donut. It is, above all, that bodily ecstasy caused by a combination of caffeine, sugar and the salivating Pavlov effect. You remember the struggling musician behind the counter taking your order, the amateur poet as you pay her for the coffee and give a full dollar tip, feeling a transcendental bound in your flight from reality. You stare with a fastened throbbing of the first gulps of coffee at the advertisements and poems on the bulletin board, and dauntlessly you think: They are right, they are so right! and what do I care? Why should I care? Fuck my boss, fuck the system, fuck everybody!'
But then you look at your watch and notice you really have to run again. 'Well, too bad, gotta go!', or people will start gossiping for being so long away from your desk. And while you open the door, an autumn breeze blows in your face, the last tunes of the blues solo die out as the Hammond organ whispers: 'I throw my troubles out the door, I don't need them anymore'.
Coffee in the US is a subculture that massively floated to the surface of the consumer’s society. Starbucks is more than coffee, it's more than just another brand on the market, it is a social-political statement, a way of perceiving how you would like to live, in other words it is a culture. Starbucks is the alternative to Coca-Cola and so much more than just coffee: it's chocolate, ice-cream, frappuccino, travel mugs with exotic prints, cups and live music, CD's, discounts on exhibitions and even support for volunteer work.
Pleasures of Soup
by: Merrie Schonbach
Often our diets change during the cold weather. More hot foods then cold sandwiches grace the dinner table. Our schedules do not slow down so we seek out hardy, quick to prepare meals.
Making a pot of soup is a perfect solution for a healthy, hot meal. There are dozens of different soups that you can make.
Make your meal different then chicken noodle or tomato soup, why not try a creamy wild rice mushroom, white chicken chili, cheesy potato with bacon, country bean or even Italian wedding soup.
You do not have to make these wonderful soups from scratch or pour from a can, purchase a soup kit and add fresh meat for a great home made taste.
Soup kits provide all of the dried ingredients, spices and instructions. The ingredients you add are minimal and the cooking easy and relatively quick.
You can find these soup kits from several small Internet businesses that sell gourmet foods at very affordable prices. Make dinner different tonight and try a soup kit for your family.
Often our diets change during the cold weather. More hot foods then cold sandwiches grace the dinner table. Our schedules do not slow down so we seek out hardy, quick to prepare meals.
Making a pot of soup is a perfect solution for a healthy, hot meal. There are dozens of different soups that you can make.
Make your meal different then chicken noodle or tomato soup, why not try a creamy wild rice mushroom, white chicken chili, cheesy potato with bacon, country bean or even Italian wedding soup.
You do not have to make these wonderful soups from scratch or pour from a can, purchase a soup kit and add fresh meat for a great home made taste.
Soup kits provide all of the dried ingredients, spices and instructions. The ingredients you add are minimal and the cooking easy and relatively quick.
You can find these soup kits from several small Internet businesses that sell gourmet foods at very affordable prices. Make dinner different tonight and try a soup kit for your family.
Tea at Sea
Tea at Sea
by: Ieuan Dolby
Marylyn Monroe famed amongst other things for her love of Tea once said that, “World Peace would be with us if politicians drank tea at meetings” – or something to that effect. And she was very true in her words, very true indeed. A cup of Tea does wanders to all that drink it.
Did you know that people in Britain and the Republic of Ireland consume the most tea per person in the world? I always thought it was Japan or China but then their cups are much smaller than our cups! It is also interesting to note that more than 2,000,000,000 cups of tea are drunk every day throughout the world! That is a gigantic amount of cups and I can but imagine how many I contribute to that figure, about one I might guess! In weight terms, that equals out to 2 and a half million tones of Tea being drunk throughout the world every year or from a British point of view just under 6lb’s per person per year is consumed!
Where does tea come from, who' had the first cup of Tea and why does everybody like it? The answer is not from the supermarket, my mother and because it is cheap and easy to make. There is a deep routed culture and history behind Tea, something that all dedicated Tea drinkers should have knowledge of.
Tea became very popular to the British gentry in the seventeenth Century. This was when Tea became widely known and built itself initially into an upper class act of snobbery! Tea at this time was only grown in China and was a closely guarded secret of the Chinese Emperors of the time. Tea was bought and shipped from China to the rest of the world, Japan, Formosa, India, America and Europe in a variety of ships of different nationalities. Dutch and Spanish ships competed with the massive fleets of the British Empire to carry tea to where it was most needed. For the most part companies like the Dutch East Indian Company whom first imported Tea to Europe and The British East India Company controlled most of the market for themselves.
From any old ship to specially built Clippers this tea was brought from China to the Western World in ever increasing quantities, yet no matter how many ships were built or how much tea was grown they could not keep up with the Western Demand! Famous ships' like the Cutty Sark will ring a bell with most. This ship is typical of those used purely to carry Tea from China to Europe and hence to the Tea Rooms’ of the wealthy. Large barrel like ships designed to carry as much cargo as possible and built with quantity in mind rather than of speed. The early Nineteenth Century saw ships like the Cutty Sark being replaced by sleeker and faster ships and in 1834 a ship called The Oriental completed a voyage from Canton to London in 95 days. 15 days less than the Cutty Sark would have taken.
Tea in America was the third most important import during the eighteenth century and Tea sparked off what was to become the separation of Britain and America – the War of Independence. Does the Boston Tea Party ring a bell? This was where armed immigrants dressed as Indians secretly boarded three clipper ships in Boston Harbor and threw all of the imported tea into the sea. A show of resistance against the high taxation of the British Government on Americans settlers and by throwing the Tea away they sparked off the war. Yep, the Boston Tea Party in December of 1773. Maybe they should have all just sat back and have a cup of tea to think about it, but then that would mean that Britain would still control colonies in America! Wow, except for “Tea” history would be so different.
In the late eighteenth/nineteenth Century America and Europe fast became the major players in the Tea Trade. Competition was fierce and ships battled the seas to leave first, sail fastest and arrive first to whichever port they may be going. Bigger ships, faster ships and more of them were used yet at no point could they keep up with the growing demand. Tea was rapidly being reduced in price and spreading through all walks and classes of society. The rich and the poor could now all relax with a cup of tea but only if faster ships could be built or more vessels could be found! The Chinese tried to keep the trade even with all countries but Britain in a show of determination wooed the Chinese with inbound Opium from India thus breaking any vestiges of rebellion. Through opium shipments and thus a resultant lack of orientation on the part of the Chinese through drugs the British controlled Tea Shipments out of China and to the rest of the world for many a year.
Bigger ships and faster ships but all still very slow and small in comparison to the ships of today. The start of the decline of the Clipper era was in 1869 when the Suez Canal opened thus shortening sailing times from Asia to Europe by many days. Then with the invention of the steam ship good-byes where said to the heroic dashes and brave men who battled the oceans to bring tea to our shores on the wooden sailing ships.
The story of Tea does not end with the demise of the sailing ships and clippers. Long before that happened many a budding tea drinker found great interest in Tea Growing. How was tea grown, where does it come from and many asked the simple question of “why do we have to buy it from China?” Of course, if the secret of “how to grow tea” could be found then all would be so much simpler. If somebody could get that secret from the Chinese then tea could be grown in other places and closer to the demands of European and American Tea drinkers. If somebody could steal the secret and grow it in India, Ceylon, Turkey and other such places where ships could ply their trade on shorter and therefore more frequent voyages and where tea was closer to the places it was needed in, life would be so much better.
Tea was first used in China a thousand or so years before the rest of the world even knew about it. It took a ‘thief’ in 1849 disguised as a Chinese Merchant to go to the Tea regions in China, to learn how the closely guarded tea was produced and eventually to bring back samples of the plants. In fact this ‘thief’ was Robert Fortune a Botanist from England and he was commissioned by the Tea Commission to steal from the Chinese and observe their secretive methods of Tea Making. Wow, what a brave man he must have been! He managed to watch and gain valuable insight into the arts of growing tea, to appropriate various tea plants and to take them to Calcutta. A Botanist to Thief to Tea Grower – an excellent career move!
He noted that: Tea needs loose, deep and acidic soil and high altitudes to grow best and he eventually saw his dream come alive with the planting of twenty thousand tea tree saplings at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains. And from this point we come across some of the famous names in Tea. Those that are with us today and who were at that time referred to as “gentlemanly Tea Merchants”. To name but a few: Thomas Lipton, Thomas Twining and James Taylor. Through Robert Fortunes thieving skills the Tea Island of Cyprus sprang into being, India became famous for its Assam Tea and Darjeeling and today Tea is now a major revenue earner for over forty countries.
Tea Drinking is a ritual in many a society. In China guests must be greeted with a bowl of tea, tea is synonymous with Buddhism in the Far East and to the Zen faith in Japan. Russians love of tea is depicted through the Samovar, in Morocco we have the famous Mint Tea and in Europe’s Tea Houses history and culture lives on deep and faithful as part of life itself. And in Japan one can gain a Diploma in Tea Mastery from one of three schools dedicated to the teachings in the “Way of Tea” (cha-do) So Tea culture is very strong all over the world but why is this so?
Why do we drink tea? Why do we insist on drinking tea every day of every week? What is it that makes us sit down and slowly consume a cup when there are things to do, shopping to get and kids to feed? Why do we suddenly give up all that is necessary and sit back with a cup of tea and smile as if we have not a care in the world?
The answer is in itself. People love Tea for its calming essence and the culture that goes with it. Tea is used in times of trouble and to escape from life, not because of any association but because Tea does have many a body altering ingredient, even if we know nothing about them. We in the Western World drink cups of Black Tea and do not associate such with any medical or body altering feature but little do we know. Even those thousands of years ago when China alone drank tea, they drank it to cure many an ailment or problem that they might suffer from. It is known today that certain teas can cure headaches, reduce cholesterol or improve ones sight amongst many hundreds of other cures and results. These are specialty teas and not the ones we associate with morning or afternoon Tea-time but they are readily available should one look into it. Our Western culture is sparked from the calming essence associated with the Black Tea, more from a cultural point of view than from its physical properties. For your information though; the average Tea contains vitamins A, B and E. A cup of tea is rich with minerals of iron, copper, zinc, sodium and contains fluoride to fight the cavities. So much, all in a cup? Yes, it is true that so much can be in so little! So whilst you are sitting back and relaxing, you can now think about what it is doing for you!
Two points that tea drinkers often struggle with is the question of milk! The first is the question of, “with or without Milk”? First of all Green teas and Mint Teas do not go with milk. They are kept well away from that sort of thing. Milk goes with Black Tea to dilute it’s often bitter and harsh taste and has stemmed from there into an everyday requirement. The second is that of milk before or after pouring the tea into the cup? Does one pour the milk in first and then the tea, or the tea first and then top up with milk? Each to his/her own way, I say, but there is a rather more rooted reason for milk first. Milk was originally placed in the cup first to prevent the gentle porcelain from cracking when the hot tea was poured into it. What becomes more important is whether or not the Tea is brewed in a Teapot or it is being infused in the Cup itself. I say this with regard to people who place a Tea Bag in the cup, then pour milk onto the tea bag and then add the boiling water. This is not allowed! This way destroys all the culture associated with Tea and needless to say the Tea itself does not infuse correctly. In this case the Milk must be added after the water and infusion has taken place.
Whilst writing all the above a certain picture kept coming into my mind, a piece of “Tea Culture” that is depicted in the famous Asterix and Obelix Cartoon Series. It is in the one where The Romans come to Britain to expand their Empire and are very upset because the British always stop fighting at ‘Tea Time”. The picture in my mind is of the Romans hanging around impatiently, wanting to attack and conquer the British, but they are all sitting back and sipping Tea – not fighting until they have finished their brews!
Beware though folks of the tea today! Tea bags are produced and made for the simple reasons of economy and ease of transportation to your supermarket shelves. Tea bags are easy to use but do be suspicious of a tea that as soon as it is in contact with water turns black! I am sure that it cannot be Tea. Stick to the real stuff that has taste. If you have any further questions please do go to the Tea Council Web Site to dialogue with the experts or to gain extra information to what has been given above. Failing that an excellent Book on Tea is available and called “The Little Book of Tea” and published by Flammarion. A French Publisher – good excuse to go to France and taste some wine!
“I’ll put the Kettle on and we can talk all about it”
by: Ieuan Dolby
Marylyn Monroe famed amongst other things for her love of Tea once said that, “World Peace would be with us if politicians drank tea at meetings” – or something to that effect. And she was very true in her words, very true indeed. A cup of Tea does wanders to all that drink it.
Did you know that people in Britain and the Republic of Ireland consume the most tea per person in the world? I always thought it was Japan or China but then their cups are much smaller than our cups! It is also interesting to note that more than 2,000,000,000 cups of tea are drunk every day throughout the world! That is a gigantic amount of cups and I can but imagine how many I contribute to that figure, about one I might guess! In weight terms, that equals out to 2 and a half million tones of Tea being drunk throughout the world every year or from a British point of view just under 6lb’s per person per year is consumed!
Where does tea come from, who' had the first cup of Tea and why does everybody like it? The answer is not from the supermarket, my mother and because it is cheap and easy to make. There is a deep routed culture and history behind Tea, something that all dedicated Tea drinkers should have knowledge of.
Tea became very popular to the British gentry in the seventeenth Century. This was when Tea became widely known and built itself initially into an upper class act of snobbery! Tea at this time was only grown in China and was a closely guarded secret of the Chinese Emperors of the time. Tea was bought and shipped from China to the rest of the world, Japan, Formosa, India, America and Europe in a variety of ships of different nationalities. Dutch and Spanish ships competed with the massive fleets of the British Empire to carry tea to where it was most needed. For the most part companies like the Dutch East Indian Company whom first imported Tea to Europe and The British East India Company controlled most of the market for themselves.
From any old ship to specially built Clippers this tea was brought from China to the Western World in ever increasing quantities, yet no matter how many ships were built or how much tea was grown they could not keep up with the Western Demand! Famous ships' like the Cutty Sark will ring a bell with most. This ship is typical of those used purely to carry Tea from China to Europe and hence to the Tea Rooms’ of the wealthy. Large barrel like ships designed to carry as much cargo as possible and built with quantity in mind rather than of speed. The early Nineteenth Century saw ships like the Cutty Sark being replaced by sleeker and faster ships and in 1834 a ship called The Oriental completed a voyage from Canton to London in 95 days. 15 days less than the Cutty Sark would have taken.
Tea in America was the third most important import during the eighteenth century and Tea sparked off what was to become the separation of Britain and America – the War of Independence. Does the Boston Tea Party ring a bell? This was where armed immigrants dressed as Indians secretly boarded three clipper ships in Boston Harbor and threw all of the imported tea into the sea. A show of resistance against the high taxation of the British Government on Americans settlers and by throwing the Tea away they sparked off the war. Yep, the Boston Tea Party in December of 1773. Maybe they should have all just sat back and have a cup of tea to think about it, but then that would mean that Britain would still control colonies in America! Wow, except for “Tea” history would be so different.
In the late eighteenth/nineteenth Century America and Europe fast became the major players in the Tea Trade. Competition was fierce and ships battled the seas to leave first, sail fastest and arrive first to whichever port they may be going. Bigger ships, faster ships and more of them were used yet at no point could they keep up with the growing demand. Tea was rapidly being reduced in price and spreading through all walks and classes of society. The rich and the poor could now all relax with a cup of tea but only if faster ships could be built or more vessels could be found! The Chinese tried to keep the trade even with all countries but Britain in a show of determination wooed the Chinese with inbound Opium from India thus breaking any vestiges of rebellion. Through opium shipments and thus a resultant lack of orientation on the part of the Chinese through drugs the British controlled Tea Shipments out of China and to the rest of the world for many a year.
Bigger ships and faster ships but all still very slow and small in comparison to the ships of today. The start of the decline of the Clipper era was in 1869 when the Suez Canal opened thus shortening sailing times from Asia to Europe by many days. Then with the invention of the steam ship good-byes where said to the heroic dashes and brave men who battled the oceans to bring tea to our shores on the wooden sailing ships.
The story of Tea does not end with the demise of the sailing ships and clippers. Long before that happened many a budding tea drinker found great interest in Tea Growing. How was tea grown, where does it come from and many asked the simple question of “why do we have to buy it from China?” Of course, if the secret of “how to grow tea” could be found then all would be so much simpler. If somebody could get that secret from the Chinese then tea could be grown in other places and closer to the demands of European and American Tea drinkers. If somebody could steal the secret and grow it in India, Ceylon, Turkey and other such places where ships could ply their trade on shorter and therefore more frequent voyages and where tea was closer to the places it was needed in, life would be so much better.
Tea was first used in China a thousand or so years before the rest of the world even knew about it. It took a ‘thief’ in 1849 disguised as a Chinese Merchant to go to the Tea regions in China, to learn how the closely guarded tea was produced and eventually to bring back samples of the plants. In fact this ‘thief’ was Robert Fortune a Botanist from England and he was commissioned by the Tea Commission to steal from the Chinese and observe their secretive methods of Tea Making. Wow, what a brave man he must have been! He managed to watch and gain valuable insight into the arts of growing tea, to appropriate various tea plants and to take them to Calcutta. A Botanist to Thief to Tea Grower – an excellent career move!
He noted that: Tea needs loose, deep and acidic soil and high altitudes to grow best and he eventually saw his dream come alive with the planting of twenty thousand tea tree saplings at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains. And from this point we come across some of the famous names in Tea. Those that are with us today and who were at that time referred to as “gentlemanly Tea Merchants”. To name but a few: Thomas Lipton, Thomas Twining and James Taylor. Through Robert Fortunes thieving skills the Tea Island of Cyprus sprang into being, India became famous for its Assam Tea and Darjeeling and today Tea is now a major revenue earner for over forty countries.
Tea Drinking is a ritual in many a society. In China guests must be greeted with a bowl of tea, tea is synonymous with Buddhism in the Far East and to the Zen faith in Japan. Russians love of tea is depicted through the Samovar, in Morocco we have the famous Mint Tea and in Europe’s Tea Houses history and culture lives on deep and faithful as part of life itself. And in Japan one can gain a Diploma in Tea Mastery from one of three schools dedicated to the teachings in the “Way of Tea” (cha-do) So Tea culture is very strong all over the world but why is this so?
Why do we drink tea? Why do we insist on drinking tea every day of every week? What is it that makes us sit down and slowly consume a cup when there are things to do, shopping to get and kids to feed? Why do we suddenly give up all that is necessary and sit back with a cup of tea and smile as if we have not a care in the world?
The answer is in itself. People love Tea for its calming essence and the culture that goes with it. Tea is used in times of trouble and to escape from life, not because of any association but because Tea does have many a body altering ingredient, even if we know nothing about them. We in the Western World drink cups of Black Tea and do not associate such with any medical or body altering feature but little do we know. Even those thousands of years ago when China alone drank tea, they drank it to cure many an ailment or problem that they might suffer from. It is known today that certain teas can cure headaches, reduce cholesterol or improve ones sight amongst many hundreds of other cures and results. These are specialty teas and not the ones we associate with morning or afternoon Tea-time but they are readily available should one look into it. Our Western culture is sparked from the calming essence associated with the Black Tea, more from a cultural point of view than from its physical properties. For your information though; the average Tea contains vitamins A, B and E. A cup of tea is rich with minerals of iron, copper, zinc, sodium and contains fluoride to fight the cavities. So much, all in a cup? Yes, it is true that so much can be in so little! So whilst you are sitting back and relaxing, you can now think about what it is doing for you!
Two points that tea drinkers often struggle with is the question of milk! The first is the question of, “with or without Milk”? First of all Green teas and Mint Teas do not go with milk. They are kept well away from that sort of thing. Milk goes with Black Tea to dilute it’s often bitter and harsh taste and has stemmed from there into an everyday requirement. The second is that of milk before or after pouring the tea into the cup? Does one pour the milk in first and then the tea, or the tea first and then top up with milk? Each to his/her own way, I say, but there is a rather more rooted reason for milk first. Milk was originally placed in the cup first to prevent the gentle porcelain from cracking when the hot tea was poured into it. What becomes more important is whether or not the Tea is brewed in a Teapot or it is being infused in the Cup itself. I say this with regard to people who place a Tea Bag in the cup, then pour milk onto the tea bag and then add the boiling water. This is not allowed! This way destroys all the culture associated with Tea and needless to say the Tea itself does not infuse correctly. In this case the Milk must be added after the water and infusion has taken place.
Whilst writing all the above a certain picture kept coming into my mind, a piece of “Tea Culture” that is depicted in the famous Asterix and Obelix Cartoon Series. It is in the one where The Romans come to Britain to expand their Empire and are very upset because the British always stop fighting at ‘Tea Time”. The picture in my mind is of the Romans hanging around impatiently, wanting to attack and conquer the British, but they are all sitting back and sipping Tea – not fighting until they have finished their brews!
Beware though folks of the tea today! Tea bags are produced and made for the simple reasons of economy and ease of transportation to your supermarket shelves. Tea bags are easy to use but do be suspicious of a tea that as soon as it is in contact with water turns black! I am sure that it cannot be Tea. Stick to the real stuff that has taste. If you have any further questions please do go to the Tea Council Web Site to dialogue with the experts or to gain extra information to what has been given above. Failing that an excellent Book on Tea is available and called “The Little Book of Tea” and published by Flammarion. A French Publisher – good excuse to go to France and taste some wine!
“I’ll put the Kettle on and we can talk all about it”
วันอังคารที่ 26 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2551
Is Your Recipe Safe?
by: News Canada
(NC)—Sure, it tastes great and earns rave reviews from everyone sitting at the dinner table. But is your favourite recipe also a safe one? To prevent serving up foodborne illness at the dinner table, follow this helpful checklist when preparing a meal:
Marinating
(NC)—Sure, it tastes great and earns rave reviews from everyone sitting at the dinner table. But is your favourite recipe also a safe one? To prevent serving up foodborne illness at the dinner table, follow this helpful checklist when preparing a meal:
Marinating
- I am marinating in a covered container in the refrigerator. Uncooked meat, poultry or fish in a marinade is perishable.
- I am marinating meat for less than 24 hours.
- I have disposed of leftover marinade to avoid cross-contaminating other foods.
- I avoid cooking meat at low oven temperatures. Slow cooking at temperatures under 325°F (163°C) can create a bacteria-friendly environment.
- I cook meat thoroughly. Consuming undercooked or raw poultry, fish or meat is risky, as harmful bacteria may be present.
- I cook red meat to at least 160°F (71°C) and poultry to at least 180°F (82°C).
- I use a meat thermometer. Look for products on the forefront of food safety, like Maple Leaf hams and turkeys with built-in meat thermometers. When the meat has been safely cooked, the thermometer will pop up to let you know it's ready to eat.
By carefully preparing and cooking your food, you can minimize the risk of foodborne illness. Food processing companies, like Maple Leaf, recognize the importance of food safety. To read more tips on enjoying safe recipes, and to learn more about Maple Leaf's commitment to food safety assurance and innovation, visit http://www.mapleleaf.com/.
Fun & Fruity Recipes
by: Deborah Shelton
Sometimes the easiest way to get children to eat healthy is to let them have a hand in making their own snacks…and add whipped cream on top. Here are two fruity recipes that are fun and easy to make, and even more fun to eat.
Miniature Fruit Pizzas
1 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Assorted fresh fruit, cut into bite size pieces, such as bananas, kiwis, oranges, blueberries, grapes, strawberries, pineapple, etc.
Directions: Cut sugar cookie dough into 1-inch slices and place on ungreased cookie sheet or pizza pan. Bake as directed, or until lightly browned around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool.
Combine cream cheese and confectioners' sugar; mix well. Spread over cooled cookies. Decorate with assorted fruit. Yummy!
....................................................
Strawberry Angels
1 angel food cake
6 large strawberries
1 carton whipped topping
Directions: First, cut the cake into serving-size pieces. Slice the strawberries and layer on top of the cake. Then spoon whipped topping on top of the strawberries. Serve and enjoy!
Sometimes the easiest way to get children to eat healthy is to let them have a hand in making their own snacks…and add whipped cream on top. Here are two fruity recipes that are fun and easy to make, and even more fun to eat.
Miniature Fruit Pizzas
1 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Assorted fresh fruit, cut into bite size pieces, such as bananas, kiwis, oranges, blueberries, grapes, strawberries, pineapple, etc.
Directions: Cut sugar cookie dough into 1-inch slices and place on ungreased cookie sheet or pizza pan. Bake as directed, or until lightly browned around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool.
Combine cream cheese and confectioners' sugar; mix well. Spread over cooled cookies. Decorate with assorted fruit. Yummy!
....................................................
Strawberry Angels
1 angel food cake
6 large strawberries
1 carton whipped topping
Directions: First, cut the cake into serving-size pieces. Slice the strawberries and layer on top of the cake. Then spoon whipped topping on top of the strawberries. Serve and enjoy!
English Muffin Crab "Au Gratin"
English Muffin Crab "Au Gratin"
by: News Canada
Perfect for lunch or brunch
4 English muffins, halved
1/2 cup (120ml) Summersweet Crab and Three Cheese Dip
fine bread crumbs
parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Green onions, finely diced for garnish
Preheat the oven to 325F (170C). Arrange the English muffin halves on a baking sheet. Spread one tablespoon (15ml) of Summersweet Crab and Three Cheese Dip on top of each half. Sprinkle generously with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven & let cool slightly and top with green onions. Serve.
Serves 4
by: News Canada
Perfect for lunch or brunch
4 English muffins, halved
1/2 cup (120ml) Summersweet Crab and Three Cheese Dip
fine bread crumbs
parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Green onions, finely diced for garnish
Preheat the oven to 325F (170C). Arrange the English muffin halves on a baking sheet. Spread one tablespoon (15ml) of Summersweet Crab and Three Cheese Dip on top of each half. Sprinkle generously with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven & let cool slightly and top with green onions. Serve.
Serves 4
Tasty Rice Pudding
by: Kenia Morales
Tasty Rice Pudding by Kenia Morales
1 cup - uncooked rice
1 teaspoon - vanilla
a pinch of salt ( if desire)
3 sticks - cinnamon
1/3 cup - sugar
2 1/2 cups water
12 0z. - evaporated milk
Bring water to boil for at least 7 minutes with cinnamon sticks, stir in rice. When rice tenders completely stir in evaporated milk, sugar, salt and vanilla.
Cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes. It makes up to 4 servings. It can be serve hot or cold.
Tasty Rice Pudding by Kenia Morales
1 cup - uncooked rice
1 teaspoon - vanilla
a pinch of salt ( if desire)
3 sticks - cinnamon
1/3 cup - sugar
2 1/2 cups water
12 0z. - evaporated milk
Bring water to boil for at least 7 minutes with cinnamon sticks, stir in rice. When rice tenders completely stir in evaporated milk, sugar, salt and vanilla.
Cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes. It makes up to 4 servings. It can be serve hot or cold.
Cool Snacks for a Hot Summer
by: Deborah Shelton
Beat the heat with these cool summer treats!
Mouse Popsicles
It’s not what you’re thinking! The name refers to the size of the popsicle—not the contents. Wash a bowl of seedless grapes, and then set the grapes in the freezer for about an hour. Poke colored toothpicks into the grapes to serve.
Juice Pops
Summer isn’t complete without homemade juice popsicles. Simply fill a popsicle mold or an ice tray with your favorite fruit juice. Cover the ice tray with clear plastic wrap and poke a toothpick through the plastic into each square. Place the tray into the freezer until the popsicles are frozen solid.
Frozen Monkey Treats
Here is a healthy snack that your kids will go bananas for! Peel a banana and cut it in half. Insert popsicle sticks into the cut ends. Dip the bananas into yogurt or melted chocolate, and then roll the bananas in chopped nuts, crushed cereal, or coconut shavings. Place the bananas on a small waxed paper-lined baking sheet and set the sheet into the freezer for an hour or so. Fun to make and even more fun to eat!
Fruit Fizzy
Don’t plan your summer party without this refreshing drink. Pour one can of Sprite (it doesn’t have caffeine) into a blender, along with small ice cubes. Add several large strawberries, a handful of blueberries, or other favorite fruit to the mix. Blend the mixture until it has the texture of a slush. Pour into a glass and garnish with a cherry on top.
Beat the heat with these cool summer treats!
Mouse Popsicles
It’s not what you’re thinking! The name refers to the size of the popsicle—not the contents. Wash a bowl of seedless grapes, and then set the grapes in the freezer for about an hour. Poke colored toothpicks into the grapes to serve.
Juice Pops
Summer isn’t complete without homemade juice popsicles. Simply fill a popsicle mold or an ice tray with your favorite fruit juice. Cover the ice tray with clear plastic wrap and poke a toothpick through the plastic into each square. Place the tray into the freezer until the popsicles are frozen solid.
Frozen Monkey Treats
Here is a healthy snack that your kids will go bananas for! Peel a banana and cut it in half. Insert popsicle sticks into the cut ends. Dip the bananas into yogurt or melted chocolate, and then roll the bananas in chopped nuts, crushed cereal, or coconut shavings. Place the bananas on a small waxed paper-lined baking sheet and set the sheet into the freezer for an hour or so. Fun to make and even more fun to eat!
Fruit Fizzy
Don’t plan your summer party without this refreshing drink. Pour one can of Sprite (it doesn’t have caffeine) into a blender, along with small ice cubes. Add several large strawberries, a handful of blueberries, or other favorite fruit to the mix. Blend the mixture until it has the texture of a slush. Pour into a glass and garnish with a cherry on top.
The Skinny On Chicken
by: News Canada
Tips on Healthy Eating are Served
(NC)-Eating well isn't always easy let alone finding the time to cook. But if your secret ingredient is chicken, maintaining a healthy diet is much less work. Dishing up a high-protein, low-fat meal, chicken is one of the leanest meats on grocery store shelves.
In fact, a skinless chicken breast contains less than 1.5 grams of fat per 100 gram serving, according to Bryan Hughes, New Product Development Manager, Maple Lodge Farms. An essential ingredient to every meal, low-fat protein in chicken boosts your energy level by transporting oxygen and nutrients in your blood and cells while replacing and forming new tissue.
More Canadians are weighing in on the benefits of chicken than ever before. "Chicken consumption has almost doubled over the past 20 years in a country where over 75 per cent of households eat at least one chicken meal each week," says Hughes. "The trend in comfort foods has hit home and consumers are turning to chicken as essential to a well-balanced meal."
And it's simple to be creative when serving chicken, adds Hughes. From picnic salads to garden party entrees, Maple Lodge Farm's Premium Oven Roasted and Seasoned Chicken Breasts are quick suggestions to spice up any meal…and you can save the leftovers for sandwiches the next day.
Both products are easy to find at your neighbourhood Sobey's, IGA or Knechtel's.
But when it comes to food safety, refrigerate cooked chicken promptly after serving to protect yourself from harmful bacteria. Spread out large quantities of leftovers in a shallow container to chill faster. But leave the dishes for later.
Tips on Healthy Eating are Served
(NC)-Eating well isn't always easy let alone finding the time to cook. But if your secret ingredient is chicken, maintaining a healthy diet is much less work. Dishing up a high-protein, low-fat meal, chicken is one of the leanest meats on grocery store shelves.
In fact, a skinless chicken breast contains less than 1.5 grams of fat per 100 gram serving, according to Bryan Hughes, New Product Development Manager, Maple Lodge Farms. An essential ingredient to every meal, low-fat protein in chicken boosts your energy level by transporting oxygen and nutrients in your blood and cells while replacing and forming new tissue.
More Canadians are weighing in on the benefits of chicken than ever before. "Chicken consumption has almost doubled over the past 20 years in a country where over 75 per cent of households eat at least one chicken meal each week," says Hughes. "The trend in comfort foods has hit home and consumers are turning to chicken as essential to a well-balanced meal."
And it's simple to be creative when serving chicken, adds Hughes. From picnic salads to garden party entrees, Maple Lodge Farm's Premium Oven Roasted and Seasoned Chicken Breasts are quick suggestions to spice up any meal…and you can save the leftovers for sandwiches the next day.
Both products are easy to find at your neighbourhood Sobey's, IGA or Knechtel's.
But when it comes to food safety, refrigerate cooked chicken promptly after serving to protect yourself from harmful bacteria. Spread out large quantities of leftovers in a shallow container to chill faster. But leave the dishes for later.
You Don't Know Beans!
by: News Canada
(NC)-Looking for reasons to get your family to eat more legumes? It turns out that the skin on beans is not just an important source of fibre, it's rich in powerful nutrient compounds that may help prevent chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease. So haul out the old saucepan and start experimenting. From navy through to pinto, black and kidney, beans not only taste good, their benefits will be music to your ears!
Black Bart's Souper Black Bean Soup
This delicious soup is made in minutes and serves four. Enjoy it with thick slices of toasted wholegrain bread and you've got a nutritious, four food group meal.
1 can black or black turtle beans, drained and rinsed (19 oz/540 mL) 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (375 mL) 3/4 cup chunky salsa (180 mL) 1/2 cup corn niblets (125 mL) Dash of hot sauce (optional) Squirts of fresh lime juice (optional) 1 cup shredded Canadian Cheddar, Colby or (250 mL) Monterey Jack cheese 1/8 cup finely chopped green onions (30 mL)
Combine first 5 ingredients in saucepan and heat thoroughly. Spoon into 4 bowls. Add lime juice. Combine shredded cheese and green onions. Portion on top of each serving.
(NC)-Looking for reasons to get your family to eat more legumes? It turns out that the skin on beans is not just an important source of fibre, it's rich in powerful nutrient compounds that may help prevent chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease. So haul out the old saucepan and start experimenting. From navy through to pinto, black and kidney, beans not only taste good, their benefits will be music to your ears!
Black Bart's Souper Black Bean Soup
This delicious soup is made in minutes and serves four. Enjoy it with thick slices of toasted wholegrain bread and you've got a nutritious, four food group meal.
1 can black or black turtle beans, drained and rinsed (19 oz/540 mL) 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (375 mL) 3/4 cup chunky salsa (180 mL) 1/2 cup corn niblets (125 mL) Dash of hot sauce (optional) Squirts of fresh lime juice (optional) 1 cup shredded Canadian Cheddar, Colby or (250 mL) Monterey Jack cheese 1/8 cup finely chopped green onions (30 mL)
Combine first 5 ingredients in saucepan and heat thoroughly. Spoon into 4 bowls. Add lime juice. Combine shredded cheese and green onions. Portion on top of each serving.
วันพุธที่ 20 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2551
6 Delicious Coffee Recipes
by: Merrie Schonbach
Do you love coffee? Most of us do. In this article we will provide you with 6 recipes to enjoy your coffee a different way. We hope you enjoy it.
Irish Coffee
1 teapsoon of suger
1 jigger of Bushmills Irish Whiskey
2/3 cup of coffee or flavored Irish Creme coffee
1/4 cup of heavy cream, lightly whipped
Prehead the glass with hot water. Dump the water out and add the hot coffee with the teaspoon of suger and stir. Add the jigger of whiskey, and top with the whipping cream. Dark coffee's are best for this recipe.
Spiced Orange Coffee
1 teaspoon fresh, grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
5 whole cloves
Regular amount of your usual coffee or try Swiss Chocolate Orange flavored coffee
Add the above ingredients together and brew as normal. Place a slice of orange at the bottom or your cup. Pour in coffee and add suger and cream to taste. Top with whipping cream and sprinkle with a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon if so desired.
Mint Cocoa Coffee
1 ounce of chocolate mint liquear
Dash of shaved chocolate
Whipping cream (optional)
Regular coffee or try Dutch Chocolate Decaf flavored coffee
Brew your regular coffee, add the 1 ounce of liquear into your cup. Add some whipping cream if desired and sprinkle with shaved chocolate.
Coffee Milkshakes
1 pint of coffee ice cream
2 teaspoons finely ground coffee
1/2 cup light rum (optional)
4 to 6 scoops vanilla ice cream
Instant coffee powder
Spoon coffee ice cream into blender. Add rum and finely ground coffee. Blend on high until creamy smooth. Pour into tall glasses, adding a scoop of the vanilla ice cream to each glass. Sprinkle lightly with instant coffee powder.
Frosty Mochas
1 cup of freshly brewed coffee
1 pint of vanilla ice cream, softenend
6 tablespoons of chocolate syrup
1 cup prepared cold coffee
Blend hot coffee and chocolate syrup in blender. Blend until smooth. Cool the mixture to room temperature. Pour the mixture into a medium bowl. Add the softened ice cream and cold coffee. With a rotary beater, beat until smooth. Spoon into tall glasses and serve immediately.
Nogged Coffee
1 cup of coffee or try Pumpkin Spice flavored coffee
1 egg yoke
1/2 cup of cream
Dash of nutmeg
Beat the suger and egg yoke together. Place cream in a saucepan and heat over low setting, do not burn. Wisk the egg mixture into the warmed cream, heat until hot. Add coffee to mugs and top with the cream mixture. Garnish the coffee with nutmeg.
Do you love coffee? Most of us do. In this article we will provide you with 6 recipes to enjoy your coffee a different way. We hope you enjoy it.
Irish Coffee
1 teapsoon of suger
1 jigger of Bushmills Irish Whiskey
2/3 cup of coffee or flavored Irish Creme coffee
1/4 cup of heavy cream, lightly whipped
Prehead the glass with hot water. Dump the water out and add the hot coffee with the teaspoon of suger and stir. Add the jigger of whiskey, and top with the whipping cream. Dark coffee's are best for this recipe.
Spiced Orange Coffee
1 teaspoon fresh, grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
5 whole cloves
Regular amount of your usual coffee or try Swiss Chocolate Orange flavored coffee
Add the above ingredients together and brew as normal. Place a slice of orange at the bottom or your cup. Pour in coffee and add suger and cream to taste. Top with whipping cream and sprinkle with a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon if so desired.
Mint Cocoa Coffee
1 ounce of chocolate mint liquear
Dash of shaved chocolate
Whipping cream (optional)
Regular coffee or try Dutch Chocolate Decaf flavored coffee
Brew your regular coffee, add the 1 ounce of liquear into your cup. Add some whipping cream if desired and sprinkle with shaved chocolate.
Coffee Milkshakes
1 pint of coffee ice cream
2 teaspoons finely ground coffee
1/2 cup light rum (optional)
4 to 6 scoops vanilla ice cream
Instant coffee powder
Spoon coffee ice cream into blender. Add rum and finely ground coffee. Blend on high until creamy smooth. Pour into tall glasses, adding a scoop of the vanilla ice cream to each glass. Sprinkle lightly with instant coffee powder.
Frosty Mochas
1 cup of freshly brewed coffee
1 pint of vanilla ice cream, softenend
6 tablespoons of chocolate syrup
1 cup prepared cold coffee
Blend hot coffee and chocolate syrup in blender. Blend until smooth. Cool the mixture to room temperature. Pour the mixture into a medium bowl. Add the softened ice cream and cold coffee. With a rotary beater, beat until smooth. Spoon into tall glasses and serve immediately.
Nogged Coffee
1 cup of coffee or try Pumpkin Spice flavored coffee
1 egg yoke
1/2 cup of cream
Dash of nutmeg
Beat the suger and egg yoke together. Place cream in a saucepan and heat over low setting, do not burn. Wisk the egg mixture into the warmed cream, heat until hot. Add coffee to mugs and top with the cream mixture. Garnish the coffee with nutmeg.
All The Sweetness, Without Sugar!
by: News Canada
(NC)-Imagine eating sweets without having to think about all the calories you're taking in . . . Believe it or not, it's a reality! Tabletop sweeteners are powerful sugar substitutes used in food products as an alternative to white sugar. Since they contain very few calories, these agents provide a sweet taste without the added energy - much to the delight of people watching their caloric intake.
In addition, tabletop sweeteners are also suitable for people who are affected by diabetes and who need to limit their sugar consumption in order to control their blood glucose level. So when they feel like indulging in a sweet treat, they can reach, for products sweetened with aspartame!
There are two main sugar substitutes on the market: aspartame and sucralose. A number of foods claiming to be "light" or "diet" - such as juices, cereals, yogurt, chewing gum, desserts, breads, pastries and soft drinks - contain aspartame (sold under the brand names NutraSweet and Equal) or sucralose (marketed as Splenda). Both products have a pronounced sugary taste: aspartame is 180 times sweeter than white sugar, while sucralose is 600 times sweeter.
Dr. Joe Schwarcz, Director of the McGill University Office for Chemistry and Society, devotes an entire chapter to aspartame in his new book That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles. He stresses that aspartame has undergone numerous studies, and it is currently found in thousands of products. Health Canada approved its use over 20 years ago, in 1981. Over 70 million North Americans regularly eat or drink products sweetened with aspartame and that consumption is growing steadily.
So, what will you choose to sweeten your coffee in the morning, sugar, sucralose or aspartame?
(NC)-Imagine eating sweets without having to think about all the calories you're taking in . . . Believe it or not, it's a reality! Tabletop sweeteners are powerful sugar substitutes used in food products as an alternative to white sugar. Since they contain very few calories, these agents provide a sweet taste without the added energy - much to the delight of people watching their caloric intake.
In addition, tabletop sweeteners are also suitable for people who are affected by diabetes and who need to limit their sugar consumption in order to control their blood glucose level. So when they feel like indulging in a sweet treat, they can reach, for products sweetened with aspartame!
There are two main sugar substitutes on the market: aspartame and sucralose. A number of foods claiming to be "light" or "diet" - such as juices, cereals, yogurt, chewing gum, desserts, breads, pastries and soft drinks - contain aspartame (sold under the brand names NutraSweet and Equal) or sucralose (marketed as Splenda). Both products have a pronounced sugary taste: aspartame is 180 times sweeter than white sugar, while sucralose is 600 times sweeter.
Dr. Joe Schwarcz, Director of the McGill University Office for Chemistry and Society, devotes an entire chapter to aspartame in his new book That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles. He stresses that aspartame has undergone numerous studies, and it is currently found in thousands of products. Health Canada approved its use over 20 years ago, in 1981. Over 70 million North Americans regularly eat or drink products sweetened with aspartame and that consumption is growing steadily.
So, what will you choose to sweeten your coffee in the morning, sugar, sucralose or aspartame?
The Fruits Of Summer
by: News Canada
Peaches, plums and nectarines are a rite of summer - and a must for healthy summer skin
(NC)-It's a sure sign of summer: mounds of sweet, juicy peaches; plump, flavorful plums; and aromatic nectarines that seem to arrive with the warm days of late spring and leave with the first cool autumn breezes.
Perhaps it's just a coincidence that these same peaches, plums and nectarines - long considered a delicious source of nutrition like most fruits and vegetables - are also important sources of antioxidants, essential for maintaining healthy skin. When the sun begins to shine, these fruits begin to work their magic.
A recent study conducted by the University of California - Davis found that these three summer stone fruits are rich in phenolic compounds which act as antioxidants, and include ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), carotenoids (orange or red colored substances found in many fruits) and provitamin A/beta-carotene.
Here's how antioxidants work to protect the skin. Photoaging - skin changes resulting from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays - happens where there is an imbalance of pro-oxidants (free radicals) and antioxidants in the skin's cells. The sun's UV rays can accelerate free radical production while at the same depleting antioxidants. Photoaging usually manifests itself in rougher, drier, wrinkled and less elastic skin.
Antioxidants protect skin cells by counteracting free radical activity. In addition,
Vitamin C is critical for the formation of collagen in the skin, and beta-carotene (transformed in the body into vitamin A) is important for maintaining the growth and health of skin cells.
All are good reasons to stock up on tree fruits between now and September. The best reason is just to enjoy these juicy, flavorful fruits that seem to be bursting with sunshine - all the while combating the harmful effects of the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays.
A long legacy
According to The Peach Sampler, a cookbook compiled by Eliza Mears Horton, peaches originally came from China: the fruit is referred to in the writing of Confucius in the fifth century. Peaches then traveled, via caravan routes, to Persia, Greece and Rome. In the United States, peaches first appeared only years after the pilgrims landed in 1620.
Interestingly, peaches, plums and nectarines are members of the rose family. Nectarines, which many consider a form of the peach, is actually a very distinct fruit and likely predates the peach. Nectarines take their name from the drink of the Olympic gods: "nectar."
Plums come in two types: Japanese and European. Japanese plums - tarter, juicier and larger than European plums - are the most abundantly produced varieties in the United States. They were first introduced to the United States in the late 1880s when legendary plant breeder Luther Burbank imported the parent stock from the Satsuma province of Japan. They come in a variety of colors - red, purple, black, green and yellow. European plums were introduced in the United States by the Pilgrims: they tend to blue or purple, more oval-shaped, smaller and sweeter than the Japanese varieties.
Today, there are more than 1.7 billion pounds of plums, peaches and nectarines packed each spring and summer in the United States, with more than 75 percent grown in California.
The state commercially produces more than 200 varieties of peaches, 200 varieties of plums and 175 varieties of nectarines. Most peach varieties are freestone, meaning the flesh of the fruit easily slips away from the pit. For nectarines, freestone varieties are generally available in June and July. All plum varieties are clingstone.
Summerwhite varieties of peaches and nectarines have a pale white skin with splashes of bright pink, while the flesh is light pink or white. Summerwhite varieties represent about 20 percent of the peaches and nectarines packed in California.
The basics: Selection, storage and handling
When stone fruits are purchased in the grocery store, they often feel hard to the touch and are not fully ripe. The best way to ripen stone fruit is to place it in a paper bag, fold the top of the bag over loosely, and place the bag on the counter for one to three days. Never store hard fruit in the refrigerator, in plastic bags, or in direct sunlight.
Check the fruit daily. When it's ripe, it will be aromatic and will give slightly to gentle pressure. Once ripened, it can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week.
Peaches, plums and nectarines are easy to prepare: simply rinse under cool water and they're ready to go. Unless a recipe calls for it, you never need to peel any of these fruits: in fact, many of the antioxidants found in stone fruits are contained in the peel, and it's highly recommended that the peel be consumed along with the flesh.
For more information, please visit the California Tree Fruit Agreement's consumer Web site at http://www.eatcaliforniafruit.com.
Peaches, plums and nectarines are a rite of summer - and a must for healthy summer skin
(NC)-It's a sure sign of summer: mounds of sweet, juicy peaches; plump, flavorful plums; and aromatic nectarines that seem to arrive with the warm days of late spring and leave with the first cool autumn breezes.
Perhaps it's just a coincidence that these same peaches, plums and nectarines - long considered a delicious source of nutrition like most fruits and vegetables - are also important sources of antioxidants, essential for maintaining healthy skin. When the sun begins to shine, these fruits begin to work their magic.
A recent study conducted by the University of California - Davis found that these three summer stone fruits are rich in phenolic compounds which act as antioxidants, and include ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), carotenoids (orange or red colored substances found in many fruits) and provitamin A/beta-carotene.
Here's how antioxidants work to protect the skin. Photoaging - skin changes resulting from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays - happens where there is an imbalance of pro-oxidants (free radicals) and antioxidants in the skin's cells. The sun's UV rays can accelerate free radical production while at the same depleting antioxidants. Photoaging usually manifests itself in rougher, drier, wrinkled and less elastic skin.
Antioxidants protect skin cells by counteracting free radical activity. In addition,
Vitamin C is critical for the formation of collagen in the skin, and beta-carotene (transformed in the body into vitamin A) is important for maintaining the growth and health of skin cells.
All are good reasons to stock up on tree fruits between now and September. The best reason is just to enjoy these juicy, flavorful fruits that seem to be bursting with sunshine - all the while combating the harmful effects of the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays.
A long legacy
According to The Peach Sampler, a cookbook compiled by Eliza Mears Horton, peaches originally came from China: the fruit is referred to in the writing of Confucius in the fifth century. Peaches then traveled, via caravan routes, to Persia, Greece and Rome. In the United States, peaches first appeared only years after the pilgrims landed in 1620.
Interestingly, peaches, plums and nectarines are members of the rose family. Nectarines, which many consider a form of the peach, is actually a very distinct fruit and likely predates the peach. Nectarines take their name from the drink of the Olympic gods: "nectar."
Plums come in two types: Japanese and European. Japanese plums - tarter, juicier and larger than European plums - are the most abundantly produced varieties in the United States. They were first introduced to the United States in the late 1880s when legendary plant breeder Luther Burbank imported the parent stock from the Satsuma province of Japan. They come in a variety of colors - red, purple, black, green and yellow. European plums were introduced in the United States by the Pilgrims: they tend to blue or purple, more oval-shaped, smaller and sweeter than the Japanese varieties.
Today, there are more than 1.7 billion pounds of plums, peaches and nectarines packed each spring and summer in the United States, with more than 75 percent grown in California.
The state commercially produces more than 200 varieties of peaches, 200 varieties of plums and 175 varieties of nectarines. Most peach varieties are freestone, meaning the flesh of the fruit easily slips away from the pit. For nectarines, freestone varieties are generally available in June and July. All plum varieties are clingstone.
Summerwhite varieties of peaches and nectarines have a pale white skin with splashes of bright pink, while the flesh is light pink or white. Summerwhite varieties represent about 20 percent of the peaches and nectarines packed in California.
The basics: Selection, storage and handling
When stone fruits are purchased in the grocery store, they often feel hard to the touch and are not fully ripe. The best way to ripen stone fruit is to place it in a paper bag, fold the top of the bag over loosely, and place the bag on the counter for one to three days. Never store hard fruit in the refrigerator, in plastic bags, or in direct sunlight.
Check the fruit daily. When it's ripe, it will be aromatic and will give slightly to gentle pressure. Once ripened, it can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week.
Peaches, plums and nectarines are easy to prepare: simply rinse under cool water and they're ready to go. Unless a recipe calls for it, you never need to peel any of these fruits: in fact, many of the antioxidants found in stone fruits are contained in the peel, and it's highly recommended that the peel be consumed along with the flesh.
For more information, please visit the California Tree Fruit Agreement's consumer Web site at http://www.eatcaliforniafruit.com.
วันจันทร์ที่ 18 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2551
Tropical Fruit Basket--A Gift to Say You Care
by: Laura Weaver
Have you ever wondered what to give a friend to let her know you're thinking of her during a time of crisis? Not that anything could change the outcome of her problem, but just a little something to let her know you care. I found a simple yet healthy way to do just that.
My girlfriend was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Her symptoms developed quickly, so this diagnosis came as quite a shock to her. Of course, facing this medical crisis was very frightening for her, even though the prognosis was encouraging with the proper treatment. Even so, she became depressed and worried.
Wanting to do something to cheer her and to just let her know I was thinking of her during this trying time in her life, I decided to send my girlfriend a Tropical Fruit Basket. I, myself, was recently the recipient of a lovely fruit basket. In the basket I received, the seasonably ripe fruit was displayed on a round serving tray which can be used over and over again. The crisp apples, juicy pears, and fragrant oranges were a delicious treat that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I found that there are many choices involved in selecting fruit baskets, from containers holding the fruit to filler items that personalize the gift to the actual kinds of fruit, itself. Containers can range from simple boxes with colorful wrappings to useful serving platters to elegant wicker baskets. Fillers can consist of little wrapped hard candies, foil-covered wedges of cheese, a box of cookies, or even a bottle of wine.
Of the many choices in selecting the kind of fruit basket to send my friend, I was excited to choose a Tropical Fruit Basket. We have vacationed together in tropical locations and both enjoy the images of palm trees, balmy ocean breezes, vibrant colors, and a relaxing carefree lifestyle that thinking "tropics" brings to mind. This seemed to be a very appropriate theme to lift my girlfriend's spirits.
The Tropical Fruit Basket I sent was presented in a beautiful white wicker basket with a large, bright yellow hand-tied bow. It was brimming with beautiful tropical fruit: a centrally-placed pineapple surrounded by oranges, tangerines, bananas, and kiwi. There was also an assortment of hard lemon and lime candies my girlfriend could savor when her stomach was feeling a little queasy from her treatments. I also included a personal note card with a photo of a beautiful sunset over the turquoise sea and palm trees lining the white sandy beach.
My girlfriend was very appreciative of receiving such a beautiful, nutritious gift. The selection of fresh tropical fruits appealed to her appetite, helping her to keep up her strength. Sending the Tropical Fruit Basket was the perfect way to remind my girlfriend how much I care. Receiving it brightened her mood and made her day!
Have you ever wondered what to give a friend to let her know you're thinking of her during a time of crisis? Not that anything could change the outcome of her problem, but just a little something to let her know you care. I found a simple yet healthy way to do just that.
My girlfriend was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Her symptoms developed quickly, so this diagnosis came as quite a shock to her. Of course, facing this medical crisis was very frightening for her, even though the prognosis was encouraging with the proper treatment. Even so, she became depressed and worried.
Wanting to do something to cheer her and to just let her know I was thinking of her during this trying time in her life, I decided to send my girlfriend a Tropical Fruit Basket. I, myself, was recently the recipient of a lovely fruit basket. In the basket I received, the seasonably ripe fruit was displayed on a round serving tray which can be used over and over again. The crisp apples, juicy pears, and fragrant oranges were a delicious treat that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I found that there are many choices involved in selecting fruit baskets, from containers holding the fruit to filler items that personalize the gift to the actual kinds of fruit, itself. Containers can range from simple boxes with colorful wrappings to useful serving platters to elegant wicker baskets. Fillers can consist of little wrapped hard candies, foil-covered wedges of cheese, a box of cookies, or even a bottle of wine.
Of the many choices in selecting the kind of fruit basket to send my friend, I was excited to choose a Tropical Fruit Basket. We have vacationed together in tropical locations and both enjoy the images of palm trees, balmy ocean breezes, vibrant colors, and a relaxing carefree lifestyle that thinking "tropics" brings to mind. This seemed to be a very appropriate theme to lift my girlfriend's spirits.
The Tropical Fruit Basket I sent was presented in a beautiful white wicker basket with a large, bright yellow hand-tied bow. It was brimming with beautiful tropical fruit: a centrally-placed pineapple surrounded by oranges, tangerines, bananas, and kiwi. There was also an assortment of hard lemon and lime candies my girlfriend could savor when her stomach was feeling a little queasy from her treatments. I also included a personal note card with a photo of a beautiful sunset over the turquoise sea and palm trees lining the white sandy beach.
My girlfriend was very appreciative of receiving such a beautiful, nutritious gift. The selection of fresh tropical fruits appealed to her appetite, helping her to keep up her strength. Sending the Tropical Fruit Basket was the perfect way to remind my girlfriend how much I care. Receiving it brightened her mood and made her day!
New Class of Drugs Brings Hope to Cancer Patients
by: ARA Content
(ARA) - This is an exciting time in cancer research. Recent information on angiogenesis -- the growth of new blood vessels -- is providing researchers opportunities to find new ways to slow or stop a tumor's growth by cutting off the blood supply it needs.
Angiogenesis performs a critical role in the development of cancer. To grow, solid tumors need oxygen and nutrients provided by new blood vessels. Once a vascular network has been generated, cancer cells can also invade the rest of the body, a process called metastasis. Currently, researchers believe that more than 90 percent of all cancer cases are angiogenesis-dependent.
The good news is that a novel class of drugs, which acts as angiogenesis inhibitors, shows great potential in fighting more than 20 different diseases, including many types of cancer.
These "anti-angiogenesis" drugs being developed and tested block the formation of new blood vessels, starving cancerous cells and stopping tumor growth. One drug being tested, Neovastat, was discovered in 1994 and is derived from cartilage tissue. Neovastat is the only angiogenesis inhibitor being developed in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical universe that has four mechanisms of action to combat blood vessel growth. Furthermore, Neovastat is taken orally, making it convenient for patients who need long-term treatment, and it has shown minimal side effects in clinical trials. This means that unlike standard chemotherapy, Neovastat is not likely to interfere with a patient's immune system, or cause adverse gastrointestinal symptoms or hair loss.
In addition, because most cancer cells are genetically unstable and more prone to mutations, resistance is a major problem with many chemotherapy agents. But since anti-angiogenesis drugs target normal endothelial cells that are not genetically unstable, drug resistance is less likely to develop and has not been a problem so far in clinical trials.
Another hope is that angiogenesis inhibitors can be used in combination with therapies that directly target tumor cells. Because anti-angiogenic drugs and chemotherapy are aimed at different cellular targets, it is possible that the combination will prove even more effective than either therapy is as a stand-alone.
Currently, Neovastat is the subject of three clinical trials, targeting three forms of cancer for which there are urgent needs for new therapies. For multiple myeloma, the second most common form of blood cancer, the drug is in phase two trials with 125 patients in the United States, Canada and Europe. This trial should be completed by the end of 2002. For progressive renal cell carcinoma, the drug is in phase three trials with 280 patients in the United States, Canada and Europe, which should be completed in early 2003. For non-small cell lung cancer, Neovastat is in a phase three trial sponsored by the National Cancer Institute with 760 patients in the United States and Canada. This trial should be completed in 2005.
Once the clinical trials are complete, health authorities in various countries can then assess test results and make decisions on approval.
Neovastat is being developed by Aeterna Laboratories of Quebec, Canada. For more information about current trials, call (888) 349-3232. If you are an oncologist, contact Claude Hariton, PhD, vice president of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs, (418) 652-8525, Ext. 306.
To learn more about anti-angiogenesis and Aeterna Laboratories, visit the Aeterna Web site at www.aeterna.com. For more information about the NCI's clinical trials, visit http://cancertrials.nci.nih.gov.
(ARA) - This is an exciting time in cancer research. Recent information on angiogenesis -- the growth of new blood vessels -- is providing researchers opportunities to find new ways to slow or stop a tumor's growth by cutting off the blood supply it needs.
Angiogenesis performs a critical role in the development of cancer. To grow, solid tumors need oxygen and nutrients provided by new blood vessels. Once a vascular network has been generated, cancer cells can also invade the rest of the body, a process called metastasis. Currently, researchers believe that more than 90 percent of all cancer cases are angiogenesis-dependent.
The good news is that a novel class of drugs, which acts as angiogenesis inhibitors, shows great potential in fighting more than 20 different diseases, including many types of cancer.
These "anti-angiogenesis" drugs being developed and tested block the formation of new blood vessels, starving cancerous cells and stopping tumor growth. One drug being tested, Neovastat, was discovered in 1994 and is derived from cartilage tissue. Neovastat is the only angiogenesis inhibitor being developed in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical universe that has four mechanisms of action to combat blood vessel growth. Furthermore, Neovastat is taken orally, making it convenient for patients who need long-term treatment, and it has shown minimal side effects in clinical trials. This means that unlike standard chemotherapy, Neovastat is not likely to interfere with a patient's immune system, or cause adverse gastrointestinal symptoms or hair loss.
In addition, because most cancer cells are genetically unstable and more prone to mutations, resistance is a major problem with many chemotherapy agents. But since anti-angiogenesis drugs target normal endothelial cells that are not genetically unstable, drug resistance is less likely to develop and has not been a problem so far in clinical trials.
Another hope is that angiogenesis inhibitors can be used in combination with therapies that directly target tumor cells. Because anti-angiogenic drugs and chemotherapy are aimed at different cellular targets, it is possible that the combination will prove even more effective than either therapy is as a stand-alone.
Currently, Neovastat is the subject of three clinical trials, targeting three forms of cancer for which there are urgent needs for new therapies. For multiple myeloma, the second most common form of blood cancer, the drug is in phase two trials with 125 patients in the United States, Canada and Europe. This trial should be completed by the end of 2002. For progressive renal cell carcinoma, the drug is in phase three trials with 280 patients in the United States, Canada and Europe, which should be completed in early 2003. For non-small cell lung cancer, Neovastat is in a phase three trial sponsored by the National Cancer Institute with 760 patients in the United States and Canada. This trial should be completed in 2005.
Once the clinical trials are complete, health authorities in various countries can then assess test results and make decisions on approval.
Neovastat is being developed by Aeterna Laboratories of Quebec, Canada. For more information about current trials, call (888) 349-3232. If you are an oncologist, contact Claude Hariton, PhD, vice president of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs, (418) 652-8525, Ext. 306.
To learn more about anti-angiogenesis and Aeterna Laboratories, visit the Aeterna Web site at www.aeterna.com. For more information about the NCI's clinical trials, visit http://cancertrials.nci.nih.gov.
Beat the Morning Rush
by: ARA Content
From eating exotic leftovers to brushing their teeth in the shower, Americans get creative when it comes to simplifying morning routines
(ARA) - With today's hectic lifestyles, many Americans say it's all they can do to get out the door in the morning.
According to a recent survey conducted for Chex(R) Morning Mix(TM), a new portable breakfast product, 75 percent of Americans multi-task in order to manage their morning routine, with some people performing up to four tasks at once.
Often the challenge starts with getting out of bed. More than 30 percent claim to oversleep on a typical weekday, and 31 percent say they hit the snooze alarm. To minimize oversleeping, 39 percent of Americans set their alarm to go off earlier than needed.
Once their feet hit the floor, however, the rush is on. When mornings are packed with making lunches, grabbing clothes out of the dryer and squeezing in a few minutes of exercise time, respondents in harried households say multi-tasking is the name of the game. Tasks encompass everything from brushing teeth in the shower to grabbing weird leftovers from the fridge. Rushed breakfast choices include everything from leftover liver paté to rattlesnake stew.
While the "ideal way to start the day" is having breakfast in bed for 20 percent of all respondents, 62 percent say they frequently eat breakfast "on the go." One third say they skip breakfast altogether, with a third of these people citing not enough time as the reason for not eating breakfast.
"Getting the day started right and having a nutritious breakfast can be the most important part of a busy day," says Bibie Wu, General Mills marketing manager. "But with hectic morning routines, the importance of breakfast is often overlooked. Chex Morning Mix is one way for people in busy households to start the day right, no matter where life takes them for breakfast."
For those who feel like they never have enough time, Chex Morning Mix is a one-of-a-kind portable breakfast that's filled with all the right ingredients -- delicious Chex cereal, wholesome fruits and nuts.
Instead of turning breakfast into one more task to complete before heading out the door, busy people can simply grab a bag of Chex Morning Mix and eat it on the run -- walking to work, on the bus or at their desks.
Other survey findings include:
* If given 15 extra minutes every morning, most people would sleep in.
* Laying out clothes the night before was considered the most effective time-saving tip.
* On average, women reported performing up to four tasks at once compared to men performing up to two.
* 32 percent of women claimed their morning routine typically made them feel "always a bit behind the clock," compared with 25 percent of men.
Chex Morning Mix is available in three flavors: Fruit & Nut, Cinnamon, and Honey Nut, and contains Chex cereal, almonds, raisins and cranberries in each single-serve pouch. Part of a balanced diet, Chex Morning Mix is a good source of calcium and provides nine vitamins and minerals. It has 130 calories per serving, 3.5 grams of fat and 2 grams of protein.
Chex Morning Mix comes in 1.15-ounce single serving pouches, with six pouches per box. It can be found in the granola/breakfast bar aisle with an approximate retail price of $2.99 per box.
For more information about Chex Morning Mix, visit the General Mills Web site at www.generalmills.com.
From eating exotic leftovers to brushing their teeth in the shower, Americans get creative when it comes to simplifying morning routines
(ARA) - With today's hectic lifestyles, many Americans say it's all they can do to get out the door in the morning.
According to a recent survey conducted for Chex(R) Morning Mix(TM), a new portable breakfast product, 75 percent of Americans multi-task in order to manage their morning routine, with some people performing up to four tasks at once.
Often the challenge starts with getting out of bed. More than 30 percent claim to oversleep on a typical weekday, and 31 percent say they hit the snooze alarm. To minimize oversleeping, 39 percent of Americans set their alarm to go off earlier than needed.
Once their feet hit the floor, however, the rush is on. When mornings are packed with making lunches, grabbing clothes out of the dryer and squeezing in a few minutes of exercise time, respondents in harried households say multi-tasking is the name of the game. Tasks encompass everything from brushing teeth in the shower to grabbing weird leftovers from the fridge. Rushed breakfast choices include everything from leftover liver paté to rattlesnake stew.
While the "ideal way to start the day" is having breakfast in bed for 20 percent of all respondents, 62 percent say they frequently eat breakfast "on the go." One third say they skip breakfast altogether, with a third of these people citing not enough time as the reason for not eating breakfast.
"Getting the day started right and having a nutritious breakfast can be the most important part of a busy day," says Bibie Wu, General Mills marketing manager. "But with hectic morning routines, the importance of breakfast is often overlooked. Chex Morning Mix is one way for people in busy households to start the day right, no matter where life takes them for breakfast."
For those who feel like they never have enough time, Chex Morning Mix is a one-of-a-kind portable breakfast that's filled with all the right ingredients -- delicious Chex cereal, wholesome fruits and nuts.
Instead of turning breakfast into one more task to complete before heading out the door, busy people can simply grab a bag of Chex Morning Mix and eat it on the run -- walking to work, on the bus or at their desks.
Other survey findings include:
* If given 15 extra minutes every morning, most people would sleep in.
* Laying out clothes the night before was considered the most effective time-saving tip.
* On average, women reported performing up to four tasks at once compared to men performing up to two.
* 32 percent of women claimed their morning routine typically made them feel "always a bit behind the clock," compared with 25 percent of men.
Chex Morning Mix is available in three flavors: Fruit & Nut, Cinnamon, and Honey Nut, and contains Chex cereal, almonds, raisins and cranberries in each single-serve pouch. Part of a balanced diet, Chex Morning Mix is a good source of calcium and provides nine vitamins and minerals. It has 130 calories per serving, 3.5 grams of fat and 2 grams of protein.
Chex Morning Mix comes in 1.15-ounce single serving pouches, with six pouches per box. It can be found in the granola/breakfast bar aisle with an approximate retail price of $2.99 per box.
For more information about Chex Morning Mix, visit the General Mills Web site at www.generalmills.com.
How To Get A Good Night's Sleep!
by: Michele Carelse
Do you remember when you were little and it seemed as though sleep overcame you as soon as your head hit your pillow? And you slumbered through the night until morning time? They call it the sleep of the innocent, but don't you wish you could sleep like that again?
Adult responsibilities, stress, lifestyle and other worries often result in poor sleep habits and once the cycle of tossing and turning begins, it is difficult to return to a decent night's sleep. Many adults rely on prescription drugs to fall asleep and quite a few are addicted to them! Others 'self medicate' and use alcohol and other recreational drugs to try and fall asleep. If you are regularly struggling to sleep well, then you probably need to learn to fall asleep again!
So let’s go back to basics!
And who better to consult than babies! After all babies are the experts at sleeping so why not learn a little from them! Apart from their age and body clock, there are specific reasons that babies fall asleep so well. Let’s have a look at a few of them and see if we can’t borrow some of the tricks!
ROUTINE: Most parents try very hard to get their children into a routine. Regular bedtimes, bath times and mealtimes are something to strive towards. Of course, one cannot be too rigid, but a child on a regular routine will feel secure and will be able to ‘predict’ his environment more easily. It also helps his body clock to start the process of winding down before he actually gets to bed. He knows that after supper comes his bath, a story, a prayer and a good night kiss. When his head hits the pillow, he is ready to meet the sandman!
So try and follow this example. Start a night time routine. Make your evenings more or less predictable along the lines of supper, bath and bed. For at least three weeks try and follow this simple routine and go to bed at the same time each night – about 8 hours before it is time to get up. Wear soft comfortable and cozy nightwear, specifically for sleeping (remember flannel pyjamas?)
EXERCISE: This is something kids do lots of! They don’t stop running around for a minute! Now I am not suggesting that you start running around wherever you go, but regular exercise is one of the best sleep aids around! It’s also free and healthy and has lots of good side effects. Take up a sport, go to the gym or start regular walks. You won’t regret it!
HAVE PEACEFUL EVENINGS: How many times don’t you hear parents saying to their kids “Calm down now, it’s nearly bed time”. Or “You’d better stop running around – you won’t be able to fall asleep!” Perhaps you say this to your own children – with good reason! Do you follow your own advice? Or do you sit up watching thrillers (or even worse the news!) or finishing off the day’s work that you brought home from the office? Sound familiar? Try a different approach. Never watch TV while trying to fall asleep. Rather dim the lights while you get into a hot bath and put on some soothing music. Use aromatherapy in your home – in particular lavender for it’s soporific properties. Be quiet and peaceful for the hour before you go to bed and your body will start to get the message!
OTHER HINTS: Avoid all products with caffeine or sugar after 6pm. That means coffee, cola chocolate and all 'soda pops' (fizzy drinks). Also stay away from heavy meals at night. Your tummy will be too busy digesting to allow you to sleep well! Don't eat red meat, refined products or lots of cheese. Go for pastas, grains, pulses, potatoes and rice. Good evening or bedtime drinks are warm milk, lettuce extract and chamomile tea (sleepy tea) - all safe and proven sleep aids. If you are really struggling, some herbal remedies to aid sleep are Valerian, Passiflora and Kava Kava. Try to put these simple hints to the test for three weeks only. You will be surprised at the difference they make! Should you do this faithfully and still struggle to sleep, consult your doctor or request an online consultation at www.feelgoodcounseling.com/onlinecounsel.htm
Good night!
Do you remember when you were little and it seemed as though sleep overcame you as soon as your head hit your pillow? And you slumbered through the night until morning time? They call it the sleep of the innocent, but don't you wish you could sleep like that again?
Adult responsibilities, stress, lifestyle and other worries often result in poor sleep habits and once the cycle of tossing and turning begins, it is difficult to return to a decent night's sleep. Many adults rely on prescription drugs to fall asleep and quite a few are addicted to them! Others 'self medicate' and use alcohol and other recreational drugs to try and fall asleep. If you are regularly struggling to sleep well, then you probably need to learn to fall asleep again!
So let’s go back to basics!
And who better to consult than babies! After all babies are the experts at sleeping so why not learn a little from them! Apart from their age and body clock, there are specific reasons that babies fall asleep so well. Let’s have a look at a few of them and see if we can’t borrow some of the tricks!
ROUTINE: Most parents try very hard to get their children into a routine. Regular bedtimes, bath times and mealtimes are something to strive towards. Of course, one cannot be too rigid, but a child on a regular routine will feel secure and will be able to ‘predict’ his environment more easily. It also helps his body clock to start the process of winding down before he actually gets to bed. He knows that after supper comes his bath, a story, a prayer and a good night kiss. When his head hits the pillow, he is ready to meet the sandman!
So try and follow this example. Start a night time routine. Make your evenings more or less predictable along the lines of supper, bath and bed. For at least three weeks try and follow this simple routine and go to bed at the same time each night – about 8 hours before it is time to get up. Wear soft comfortable and cozy nightwear, specifically for sleeping (remember flannel pyjamas?)
EXERCISE: This is something kids do lots of! They don’t stop running around for a minute! Now I am not suggesting that you start running around wherever you go, but regular exercise is one of the best sleep aids around! It’s also free and healthy and has lots of good side effects. Take up a sport, go to the gym or start regular walks. You won’t regret it!
HAVE PEACEFUL EVENINGS: How many times don’t you hear parents saying to their kids “Calm down now, it’s nearly bed time”. Or “You’d better stop running around – you won’t be able to fall asleep!” Perhaps you say this to your own children – with good reason! Do you follow your own advice? Or do you sit up watching thrillers (or even worse the news!) or finishing off the day’s work that you brought home from the office? Sound familiar? Try a different approach. Never watch TV while trying to fall asleep. Rather dim the lights while you get into a hot bath and put on some soothing music. Use aromatherapy in your home – in particular lavender for it’s soporific properties. Be quiet and peaceful for the hour before you go to bed and your body will start to get the message!
OTHER HINTS: Avoid all products with caffeine or sugar after 6pm. That means coffee, cola chocolate and all 'soda pops' (fizzy drinks). Also stay away from heavy meals at night. Your tummy will be too busy digesting to allow you to sleep well! Don't eat red meat, refined products or lots of cheese. Go for pastas, grains, pulses, potatoes and rice. Good evening or bedtime drinks are warm milk, lettuce extract and chamomile tea (sleepy tea) - all safe and proven sleep aids. If you are really struggling, some herbal remedies to aid sleep are Valerian, Passiflora and Kava Kava. Try to put these simple hints to the test for three weeks only. You will be surprised at the difference they make! Should you do this faithfully and still struggle to sleep, consult your doctor or request an online consultation at www.feelgoodcounseling.com/onlinecounsel.htm
Good night!
Beauty and Health Tips
by: Mary Rose
Beauty and health are the two sides of the same coin. You cannot possess either in isolation. Indeed a healthy person is naturally beautiful and the reverse is also true. It is a fact that health and beauty go hand in hand. Health is the metabolic efficiency in all people and beauty brings joy to the beholder. The following are some health and beauty tips that are simple and easy to follow.
Firstly, find ways to move your body. Always make it a point to use the stairs rather than elevators or escalators unless you are pressed for time. If you are overweight, eat less or exercise more to have a youthful body. The daily regime of either calorie restriction or exercise increase has positive effects on the body function. It is important to keep diabetes under control if one is diabetic or even take preventive measures to reduce the onset of diabetes and the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, hyper tension, and cancer or lung disease. Sedentary lifestyle is the greatest bane of health and beauty. It is imperative to exercise 30 minutes a day, 5 or 6 days a week. Indulge in anything that moves your limbs. It is not only a beauty and fitness tool, but a stress reliever as well. You can move around in small time intervals. It will be definitely far more rewarding if you could devote 45 minutes to 1 hour for any physical activity.
The next of the tips is - learn to say no to fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats. Reduce the intake of cheese, butter, nuts, sauces etc. Drinking water is one of the best beauty and health tips we can all follow. Water is essential for virtually every function of the body. The average person needs 1 to 3 liters of water a day. Drink with meals, as well as before, during and after exercise. Remember during your workouts, cold water is more readily absorbed.
The most important of the beauty and health tips is to quit smoking. It is mandatory to be a non smoker in order to improve the overall beauty and health of the individual.
Try to reduce stress filled situations. It is always easier said than done. Devote 30 minutes a day doing something you enjoy. Keep your temper under check and count to ten before losing your temper or getting aggravated. Stay away from people whom you find difficult to cope with. It is also important to practice oral hygiene and stay in a pollution free environment to remain healthy.
Recent studies suggest that a glass of wine or one drink a day is good for the heart, but take it easy!Gulping down glasses of wine can cause health problems such as liver and kidney disease as well as cancer.
There are many health and beauty products available in the market right now. They bring in different promises, guarantees and offers. Think for a while before making the purchase. Collect the details of the products you intend to buy. You should ensure that the product will do well for your beauty and health which you are looking for in it. Health and beauty products do help to improve your skin, health and fitness.
The link between genetics and beauty and health is a powerful one. But if one follows these basic beauty and health ,it is possible to live a healthy and beautiful life.Finally, stay positive. There's an ultimate connection between positive outlook and healthy and happy living. We all agree to the fact that a beautiful mind exists in a beautiful body That is the best of all beauty and health tips.
Beauty and health are the two sides of the same coin. You cannot possess either in isolation. Indeed a healthy person is naturally beautiful and the reverse is also true. It is a fact that health and beauty go hand in hand. Health is the metabolic efficiency in all people and beauty brings joy to the beholder. The following are some health and beauty tips that are simple and easy to follow.
Firstly, find ways to move your body. Always make it a point to use the stairs rather than elevators or escalators unless you are pressed for time. If you are overweight, eat less or exercise more to have a youthful body. The daily regime of either calorie restriction or exercise increase has positive effects on the body function. It is important to keep diabetes under control if one is diabetic or even take preventive measures to reduce the onset of diabetes and the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, hyper tension, and cancer or lung disease. Sedentary lifestyle is the greatest bane of health and beauty. It is imperative to exercise 30 minutes a day, 5 or 6 days a week. Indulge in anything that moves your limbs. It is not only a beauty and fitness tool, but a stress reliever as well. You can move around in small time intervals. It will be definitely far more rewarding if you could devote 45 minutes to 1 hour for any physical activity.
The next of the tips is - learn to say no to fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats. Reduce the intake of cheese, butter, nuts, sauces etc. Drinking water is one of the best beauty and health tips we can all follow. Water is essential for virtually every function of the body. The average person needs 1 to 3 liters of water a day. Drink with meals, as well as before, during and after exercise. Remember during your workouts, cold water is more readily absorbed.
The most important of the beauty and health tips is to quit smoking. It is mandatory to be a non smoker in order to improve the overall beauty and health of the individual.
Try to reduce stress filled situations. It is always easier said than done. Devote 30 minutes a day doing something you enjoy. Keep your temper under check and count to ten before losing your temper or getting aggravated. Stay away from people whom you find difficult to cope with. It is also important to practice oral hygiene and stay in a pollution free environment to remain healthy.
Recent studies suggest that a glass of wine or one drink a day is good for the heart, but take it easy!Gulping down glasses of wine can cause health problems such as liver and kidney disease as well as cancer.
There are many health and beauty products available in the market right now. They bring in different promises, guarantees and offers. Think for a while before making the purchase. Collect the details of the products you intend to buy. You should ensure that the product will do well for your beauty and health which you are looking for in it. Health and beauty products do help to improve your skin, health and fitness.
The link between genetics and beauty and health is a powerful one. But if one follows these basic beauty and health ,it is possible to live a healthy and beautiful life.Finally, stay positive. There's an ultimate connection between positive outlook and healthy and happy living. We all agree to the fact that a beautiful mind exists in a beautiful body That is the best of all beauty and health tips.
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 14 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2551
Peppermint Sweets Gift
by: S. Roberts
At Christmas time we all like to indulge in rich foods, such as Christmas pudding and Christmas Cake, sweets and candy. During the Second World War when food was rationed, children went without sweets. Sugar was rationed to 8oz (225g) per person per month. Sugar is the main ingredient of sweets, which is why they were so scarce and why they became a luxury item.
To make peppermint sweets you will need...
12 tablespoons of icing sugar
1 egg white
green food colouring (optional)
peppermint flavouring and cooking chocolate.
Remember to wash your hands and clean the work surfaces before you begin.
Method...
Add to a bowl the icing sugar, egg white, 4 drops of peppermint flavouring and 12 drops of green food colouring. Mix well and kneed the mixture to form a smooth ball. If the mixture is a little too wet add more icing sugar.
Roll the ball into a large sausage and slice into individual sweets. Use your hands to shape the sweets and leave them on a chopping board to dry.
Melt the chocolate in a dish in the microwave, it will only need a minute or two. Don't over do it, it just needs enough time to melt. If you do not have a microwave, you may need an adult to help. Stand a mixing bowl inside a pan of boiling water on the hob, keep the water simmering. Don’t let any water bubble over the side and into the chocolate because this spoils the chocolate. Be careful not to let the pan boil dry.
Dip each sweet into the chocolate half way, and leave it on some tinfoil until the chocolate sets.
To package your home made sweets you could buy a small metallic gift box or gift bag, or you could bundle the sweets in paper napkins tied up with ribbon or tinsel, these look a bit like mini Santa sacks.
A perfect Christmas gift for someone with a sweet tooth.
At Christmas time we all like to indulge in rich foods, such as Christmas pudding and Christmas Cake, sweets and candy. During the Second World War when food was rationed, children went without sweets. Sugar was rationed to 8oz (225g) per person per month. Sugar is the main ingredient of sweets, which is why they were so scarce and why they became a luxury item.
To make peppermint sweets you will need...
12 tablespoons of icing sugar
1 egg white
green food colouring (optional)
peppermint flavouring and cooking chocolate.
Remember to wash your hands and clean the work surfaces before you begin.
Method...
Add to a bowl the icing sugar, egg white, 4 drops of peppermint flavouring and 12 drops of green food colouring. Mix well and kneed the mixture to form a smooth ball. If the mixture is a little too wet add more icing sugar.
Roll the ball into a large sausage and slice into individual sweets. Use your hands to shape the sweets and leave them on a chopping board to dry.
Melt the chocolate in a dish in the microwave, it will only need a minute or two. Don't over do it, it just needs enough time to melt. If you do not have a microwave, you may need an adult to help. Stand a mixing bowl inside a pan of boiling water on the hob, keep the water simmering. Don’t let any water bubble over the side and into the chocolate because this spoils the chocolate. Be careful not to let the pan boil dry.
Dip each sweet into the chocolate half way, and leave it on some tinfoil until the chocolate sets.
To package your home made sweets you could buy a small metallic gift box or gift bag, or you could bundle the sweets in paper napkins tied up with ribbon or tinsel, these look a bit like mini Santa sacks.
A perfect Christmas gift for someone with a sweet tooth.
How to Make Your Own Cake - Basic Tips
by: Nina Romanov
You have grown up hearing how your grandmother could bake a cake without ever using a recipe, the story may even claim she never measured anything. However if we ordinary humans want to successfully make a cake we need to follow a recipe and measure carefully.
When you are going to make a cake, preparation is absolutely vital. It is very important to preheat the oven in order to ensure that baking times will be accurate. Use a thermometer.
You also need to properly prepare the pans you will be using. Most baked items require a pan to either be greased or greased and floured.
To grease a pan, use a paper towel or pastry brush to apply a thin even covering. Grease generously only if the recipe calls for it. Try using solid vegetable shortening, it won’t add flavor to your cake. You can also use a cooking spray specifically for baking.
If a recipe calls for greasing and flouring a pan, grease the pan as usual and then shake the pan to coat all surfaces. Turn the pan upside down to get rid of the excess flour.
Before you start to make a cake, make sure you have everything you need. Check to be sure you have all of the ingredients the recipe lists. Do you have the right size cake pan?
Don’t substitute ingredients unless the recipe lists alternatives. When you are a little more experienced then you can play with your recipes. Especially with a cake, if a recipe calls for butter, use it.
You also need to measure carefully. A cup of liquid does not have the same volume as a cup of dry ingredients. So if you use a dry measure for liquids, you will have less, you will only have 2/3 cup when you need 1 cup. On the other hand, if you use a liquid measure for dry ingredients, you will be adding extra and your baked goods may be too dry.
It is best to use a clear standard liquid measuring cup. Place the cup on a level surface and fill to the desired mark. Check it at eye level for accuracy.
With dry ingredients, lightly spoon the ingredients into the proper cup and level it off with a spatula or knife.
When measuring solid fats and brown sugar, firmly press the ingredient into a standard dry measure cup and level it off with a knife or spatula.
Measuring margarine or butter is easy, as the wrapped sticks are marked for each tbsp. and ¼, 1/3, and ½ cup marks.
Dry measure cups are also used for sour cream, yogurt or whipped cream.
Along with liquid and dry measuring cups, you need a set of measuring spoons. Most sets have four spoons for ¼, ½, 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon. Fill the spoon with dry ingredients and level it off with a spatula or knife. Liquids can also be measured in these spoons. Just fill the spoon to the top.
Another necessity for successful baking is a good basic cookbook.
You can go on line and find charts that will show you the metric and imperial equivalents of both liquid and dry measures.
There are also instructions for how to halve or double a recipe and oven temperature in Fahrenheit and Celsius scales.
High altitude baking requires adjustments in temperature liquids baking powder and sugar, there are also charts that can give you these adjustments. Cakes, biscuits and muffins, cookies, yeast dough and quick breads all have their own altitude adjustments.
These tips are actually making a couple of cakes will soon turn you into an expert.
You have grown up hearing how your grandmother could bake a cake without ever using a recipe, the story may even claim she never measured anything. However if we ordinary humans want to successfully make a cake we need to follow a recipe and measure carefully.
When you are going to make a cake, preparation is absolutely vital. It is very important to preheat the oven in order to ensure that baking times will be accurate. Use a thermometer.
You also need to properly prepare the pans you will be using. Most baked items require a pan to either be greased or greased and floured.
To grease a pan, use a paper towel or pastry brush to apply a thin even covering. Grease generously only if the recipe calls for it. Try using solid vegetable shortening, it won’t add flavor to your cake. You can also use a cooking spray specifically for baking.
If a recipe calls for greasing and flouring a pan, grease the pan as usual and then shake the pan to coat all surfaces. Turn the pan upside down to get rid of the excess flour.
Before you start to make a cake, make sure you have everything you need. Check to be sure you have all of the ingredients the recipe lists. Do you have the right size cake pan?
Don’t substitute ingredients unless the recipe lists alternatives. When you are a little more experienced then you can play with your recipes. Especially with a cake, if a recipe calls for butter, use it.
You also need to measure carefully. A cup of liquid does not have the same volume as a cup of dry ingredients. So if you use a dry measure for liquids, you will have less, you will only have 2/3 cup when you need 1 cup. On the other hand, if you use a liquid measure for dry ingredients, you will be adding extra and your baked goods may be too dry.
It is best to use a clear standard liquid measuring cup. Place the cup on a level surface and fill to the desired mark. Check it at eye level for accuracy.
With dry ingredients, lightly spoon the ingredients into the proper cup and level it off with a spatula or knife.
When measuring solid fats and brown sugar, firmly press the ingredient into a standard dry measure cup and level it off with a knife or spatula.
Measuring margarine or butter is easy, as the wrapped sticks are marked for each tbsp. and ¼, 1/3, and ½ cup marks.
Dry measure cups are also used for sour cream, yogurt or whipped cream.
Along with liquid and dry measuring cups, you need a set of measuring spoons. Most sets have four spoons for ¼, ½, 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon. Fill the spoon with dry ingredients and level it off with a spatula or knife. Liquids can also be measured in these spoons. Just fill the spoon to the top.
Another necessity for successful baking is a good basic cookbook.
You can go on line and find charts that will show you the metric and imperial equivalents of both liquid and dry measures.
There are also instructions for how to halve or double a recipe and oven temperature in Fahrenheit and Celsius scales.
High altitude baking requires adjustments in temperature liquids baking powder and sugar, there are also charts that can give you these adjustments. Cakes, biscuits and muffins, cookies, yeast dough and quick breads all have their own altitude adjustments.
These tips are actually making a couple of cakes will soon turn you into an expert.
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