Simple Gourmet Coffee
August 31, 2007
Simple Gourmet Coffee
by: Dana Goldberg
There are a number of countries that produce coffee and new regions are converting their crops to the mighty bean as our demand for different tasting coffee increases. We are also adding more exotic flavourings to our coffee. It comes as no surprise that the number of coffee shops and stores that sell coffee beans and all the associated paraphernalia to be able to make our own perfect coffee at home.
Coffee houses are a great place for us to go and relax with friends and family over an expertly made cup of coffee. We often ignore how much effort has been put into our drink by the coffee maker that roasts the beans, grinds them up and then uses the exact quantity required to brew a satisfying cup of coffee for us. There are a number of techniques involved in making a cup of coffee and a lot of us are happy to leave someone else to make it for us. The equipment used is only part of the story; you also need to practice with various quantities of coffee and water until it reaches your optimum strength.
The Best Picks For Home Coffee Makers
August 30, 2007
The Best Picks For Home Coffee Makers
by: Ciara McNamara
Coffee in the morning. Coffee at the office. Coffee in the afternoon or after dinner. Coffee consumption is a ritual of enormous proportion and that has feed the need for the ever faster and more efficient way to make the coffee.
Coffee makers have evolved like everything else in the world of technology. A simple filter over a pot of steamy water is ancient history. The coffee makers we find today do it all and do it better than ever before.
How Do You Take Your Coffee?
There are so many new kinds of coffees and ways to take it that you almost need an English to Coffee dictionary to interpret for you at the coffee shop. Even more revealing is the fact that many people want to have these exotic mixes and brews in their own homes to enjoy any time of day or night.
Home coffee makers don’t just make regular coffee. There are Espresso Maker machine and Cappuccino Makers that make what one could only find at a nice restaurant a decade or two ago. Now these machines at home can grind fresh beans into the perfect recipe and dispense the perfect cup.
Sot Suppe (Norwegian Sweet Soup)
August 29, 2007
My mother was the daughter of Norwegian immigrants who homesteaded our small Wisconsin dairy farm in the late 1800s. When my mother was a child, sweet soup was a traditional part of Christmas Eve, served cold with julekake, lefse, Christmas bread, or open-faced sandwiches. Sweet Soup is made with dried fruit and tapioca.
Sot Suppe
- 6 cups water
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (depending upon how well you like the taste of cinnamon; you can also use a cinnamon stick)
- 2 cups dried fruit (use any kind you like: apples, apricots, peaches or a mixture of dried fruit)
- 1 cup raisins (dark or golden)
- 1 cup dried prunes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (you can also use 1 teaspoon of dried lemon rind or several slices of fresh lemon)
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, tapioca, cinnamon and water. Bring to boiling, stirring constantly. Stir in fruit (including the lemon if you’re using sliced lemon) and heat to boiling again. Cover. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the fruit is tender.
Healthy Breakfast Foods
August 28, 2007
Healthy Breakfast Foods
by: Sharon Hopkins
It is always surrounded by silly excuse of lack of time. And still no one denies that fact that “breakfast” is the most important meal of the day.
Why such a hullabaloo about this early morning meal? Well, for starters, this meal comes after a break of 8 - 10 hours; hence your blood sugar level will be low. Since your body has gone with out food for such a long time, it needs nourishment to kick-start its day. Therefore “breakfast” is considered to be an important and essential meal of the day.
Breakfast benefits both, young and old. It is the key to jump start your muscles and your day. People who eat breakfast (healthy) daily are more likely to
- Consume more vitamins, minerals and less of fat and cholesterol.
- Increased strength and endurance.
- Better concentration and productivity all day long.
- Control over weight
- Low cholesterol = no risk or little risk of heart disease
Children who eat breakfast are likely to have better concentration, problem-solving skills and eye-hand coordination. They will be alert, creative, and less likely to miss days of school.
Dutch Oven Cooking Basics
August 28, 2007
Pioneer Cooking
When you think of a cast iron Dutch oven, what comes to your mind? Pioneer cooking? Stews over the open fire?
Of coarse both are true, but they are still very much in use today and as for the Dutch oven, the possibilities are endless.
Dutch ovens can be used for frying, baking, boiling, and steaming as well.
Purchasing Your Dutch Oven
When purchasing your Dutch oven, make sure the lid has a raised ridge. This is to hold your heat source, which will be briquettes.
This will help you to reach the proper temperature needed for whatever cooking you are wanting to do , with the exception of boiling or frying.
In which case you would want all the heat on the bottom.
Heating Fundimentals
If you are planning on baking, you need more heat on the top than on the bottom.
Put one briquette on the bottom for every 3 on the top of the lid.
For preparing stews, use one on the top for every 4 on the bottom. When roasting, put briquettes on the top and bottom evenly.
Best Temperature
Olive Oil - What’s the Difference? Questions and Answers
August 27, 2007
Olive Oil - What’s the Difference? Questions and Answers
by: Kelly Martinez
‘Olive oil’, ‘Virgin’, ‘Extra Virgin’, ‘Light’, ‘Pure’ - Is there a difference? If so, does it matter? Which is better? Are all olive oils ‘extra virgin’? What is ‘extra virgin olive oil’? Are all products sold as ‘olive oil’ essentially the same thing? Here are some answers in plain English:
What is ‘Olive Oil’
A. Olive oil is olive juice, plain and simple.
What is ‘Virgin?’
A. Virgin means mechanical extraction. The oil or juice is extracted by machines with no chemicals used in the process.
What is ‘Extra’?
A. Mechanically extracted (virgin) olive oil is not all the same quality. ‘Extra’ is the highest quality and is thus classified because it goes through a battery of tests, both laboratory (analytical) as well as ‘taste’ (a cutting by an olive oil master similar to the way wines are taste tested). Virgin olive oil that is judged to have ‘no defects’ is classified as extra. So ‘extra virgin’ means - mechanically extracted olive juice that passes laboratory and taste testing with no defects.
The Mystery of Decanting
August 26, 2007
Decanting is a strange word to many people. Some do not even know what it means exactly. Taking the sophistication out of it, decanting literally means pouring the wine from the bottle to a special glass container. This is done in order to expose the wine to oxygen and enrich it.
What is the meaning of this process? Do all wines benefit from decanting or not?
The wine experts are not in agreement. Some say wine should be decanted in order to allow it to "breathe" and develop fully before consumption. Others claim decanting does not contribute to the quality of the wine.
So who is right? Well, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Decanting does seem to benefit certain wines more than others. Most red wines, except for the very aged and some white ones would definitely benefit from decanting 1-2 hours before serving. Young red wines, on the other hand, which are low in tannins, light and fruity, would not improve if allowed to oxidize. There are also wines that would actually suffer from decanting. Those are the aged reds. Their quality could worsen if allowed too much contact with air.
Planning Help: Meal One
August 25, 2007
It’s nice when I find a meal where the foods compliment each other because it simplifies my life by knowing what to serve with what. Of course I don’t have to stick to any one meal plan; I can mix and match the main dishes and sides, but a lot of the time I’m in a hurry and don’t have a lot of time to think about it. I already have quite a few meals like this up my sleeve, but when I find a NEW one to add to my collection I get happy because it adds a little more variety to our meal choices.
I’d like to share some of my new and old meal plans with you in hopes of helping you with the question `what do I make for dinner’. Here’s a meal that we have tried lately where the foods complimented each other really well. The food items aren’t necessarily new for us, but the flavors are and that makes a big difference.
The Meal:
Olympic Breakfast Heroes
August 24, 2007
Olympic Breakfast Heroes
by: Eddy Chavey (aka Mr. Breakfast)
At the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, the physical endurance and dexterity of the world’s greatest athletes will be on display. The television coverage will show many emotional vignettes about what it takes to reach the Olympics, but they’ll fail to mention one of the most important ingredients of athletic excellence. Steroids? No way! Our Olympic heroes take a daily dose of healthy breakfast.
Hannah Teter: Maple Syrup Superstar
Sport/Event: Snowboarding Halfpipe
Hannah Teter has a secret weapon. She had it when she took gold in the superpipe at the 2004 Winter X Games. She had it when she took first place in the U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix. It’s homemade maple syrup… and she has it at the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy.
Snowboard enthusiasts know Hannah for her huge amplitude and amped yet peaceful demeanor. But people who spend hours searching the internet for “Olympic athletes” and “breakfast” know that Hannah is also a rad spokesman for her family’s homemade syrup.
What You Should Know About Low Carb Diets!
August 23, 2007
What You Should Know About Low Carb Diets!
by: Theresa Sontag
What is a Low Carb Diet? You’ll do away with bad carbs and bad fats, and start eating good fats and good carbs. What you need to understand is that you are not really on a diet, but changing the way you eat. Eating the wrong foods consistently throws your body out of balance. Most of us tend to overdue it eating processed carbs. What do I mean by processed carbs? Basically, there are two kinds of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Some refer to them as bad and good carbs, fast and slow digestion carbs and others. Here are some basic explanations:
SIMPLE CARBS - Foods with simple or refined carbohydrates most often have a low nutrient content and a high-glycemic index. They are metabolized quickly (quick to digest). They enter the bloodstream and rapidly elevate blood sugar levels, then fall dramatically within a short span of time. In order to keep the body running healthy and stable, it is recommended that these type foods be limited. Examples of these simple or overprocessed carbs are white bread, potatoes, and sugary treats like cookies, candy, cupcakes and cakes, and beverages like cola products.
