What is a Serving Size?
October 31, 2008
Have you ever wondered how much a serving really is. Well, pull out your box of Raisin Bran, grab the milk a bowl and a spoon. Now fill up your bowl with cereal pour on the milk and get ready. This is around four servings. On average a single serving of raisin bran is ½ cup cereal and ½ cup milk. If this was all anyone ever ate for breakfast refrigerators world wide would be open for raiding by 9 am.
Fruits and vegetables are no different. The U.S. government has stated we should consume 5 to 9 servings of fruits and veggies a day. To think about eating 9 apples a day or chomp down half a dozen carrots is overwhelming. Take a look at what constitutes a serving.
FRUITS
? 1 medium piece of fruit, this is not the fruit size you get from Harry and David, this is about the size of a closed fist.
? ½ cup chopped fruit, measure this out it really is not that much fruit.
? ½ grapefruit
? ¼ small cantaloupe
Hot Barbeque Recipes
October 31, 2008
Anyone can create delicious homemade hot barbeque recipes once they know the basic ingredients. The main ingredient is of course some type of tomato base.
You can use, tomato sauce, a combination of tomato paste and tomatoes, a combination of tomato paste and either tomato juice of V-8 juice, and ketchup. Then everyone uses ingredients such as garlic, mustard, and onions. The other items that enhance the flavor of your barbeque sauce are items such as Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, vegetable oil, olive oil, liquid smoke, and Tabasco sauce.
Spices that are preferred include garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt and pepper. These are just a few of the ingredients you will see when you read a barbeque sauce recipe.
To make hot barbeque recipes you can begin with an ordinary store bought brand of barbeque sauce like Heinz or Hunts. Pour the entire bottle of sauce into a medium saucepan. Add items such as jalapeno peppers, Tabasco sauce, and cayenne pepper or chili powder. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Now, you can use this sauce to baste your favorite meat before baking, grilling, or broiling.
Chinese Food
October 30, 2008
Chinese Food
by: Marci Crane
Chinese food now holds a popular place among the entire population of the world. You can find a Chinese restaurant in every major city and in many smaller areas of the world as well. Why is Chinese food so popular? Is Chinese food healthy? What is the history of Chinese food?
The History of Chinese Food
The history of Chinese food1 is an interesting one. Unlike many cultures the Chinese believe that the preparation of food is an art and not simply a craft. The art of cooking Chinese food can include dishes and food preparation techniques which are difficult to develop and may require the expertise of a chef with lots of experience. One such technique is noodle pulling (scroll down to the bottom of the page to learn more about this technique). Noodle pulling requires skill and lots of practice and results in a delicious noodle dish. This article will refer to noodle pulling later on, but for now, let’s go back to the history of Chinese food.
Three Light, Simple and Easy Meals from Turkey Leftovers
October 29, 2008
Three Light, Simple and Easy Meals from Turkey Leftovers
by: Constance Weygandt
If you’re like me, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, every year, is a blur. There never seems to be enough time to prepare for the holidays. Our immune systems plummet and stress rises. During this time, I try to find shortcuts to make things less stressful, for myself. Turkey leftovers are a mandatory part of this strategy. Even if the family dinner is not at my home, I buy a turkey. During the holiday season, it is very economical and a lifesaver.
Here are three light, simple and easy ways to use your turkey leftovers:
1 Turkey Quesidillas. Spray a whole wheat flour tortilla with Butter Pam. Place in frying pan and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped turkey pieces and sliced green onion. Place another tortilla on top and spray with Butter Pam. Brown on both sides until cheese is melted. You can add some chopped olives or jalapeno peppers if you desire. Serve with salsa.
2 Spinach and Turkey Salad. Mix together - chopped turkey, bacon flavored almonds, dried cranberries and fresh spinach. Serve with your favorite vinaigrette or honey mustard salad dressing.
Kosher Food Popular With Health Conscious Of All Faiths
October 28, 2008
Kosher Food Popular With Health Conscious Of All Faiths
by: Miklos Margaretten
Until recently, it was close to impossible for the kosher or health conscious traveler to keep his religious or healthy meals while in transit. Now developments in the kosher food industry are making this challenge much easier.
The health conscious and dieters are finding Kosher food is better for you and offers a very wide range of items and dishes, and this trend is spreading rapidly.
Keeping kosher means following dietary laws handed down through the centuries among the Jewish faithful. Kosher has its roots in the Old Testament. Kosher laws are generally more strict than U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards.
Religious inspectors also rule out sick or injured animals that would be normally be accepted in non-Kosher markets.
In our modern world where most animals are often treated roughly, keeping Kosher means eating a much healthier grade of meat.
Kosher tradition features a major group of foods known as Parve. Parve includes a huge variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains in their natural, unprocessed state. This is exactly what many people who are trying to eat a healthier, low-fat, high-fiber diet are looking for.
Merlot Wine
October 27, 2008
Merlot wine is a rich, soft wine with the flavor of blackberries, beloved because it is seldom harsh and not as acidic as a Cabernet Sauvignon with which it is often blended. Merlot wine has the added advantage of being rich and supple but only moderately tannic and, therefore, wonderfully drinkable from early on.
The Merlot grape is larger and thinner skinned than the Cabernet grape. It has an opulent texture that goes admirably with h’ordeuves or as a dinner drink. Similar to the soft Algerian wines of the Pied Noirs, Merlot wine is used to round out and add complexity to Cabernets.
in today’s world, Merlot wine is a premium varietal in its own right. Merlot wine is a round sensual wine that does not need the same care in aging. So Merlot wine can be a splendidly pragmatic and commendable choice for many occasions.
Merlot wine is so popular due to the fact that it is softer, fruitier, and earlier-maturing than cabernet sauvignon, yet displays many of the same aromas and flavors ? black cherry, currant, cedar, and green olive ? along with mint, tobacco and tea-leaf tones.
Crockpot Cooking - Advantages and Disadvantages
October 26, 2008
In my ‘un-biased’ opinion, the crockpot / slow cooker is one of the most convenient and easy to use appliances in my kitchen. The time savings features of the slow cooker and the delicious dinners that have resulted more than offset any minor drawbacks.
Before I list my top reasons why the crockpot is the most useful appliance in any kitchen, I will list a few of the areas where it does not perform as well.
- Large cuts of meat such as boneless prime rib or leg of lamb are still best when oven roasted.
- Except for stews and chowders, the slow cooker does not cook fish very well.
- The slow cooker collects a lot of the juices since the steam does not escape during cooking and these juices can become diluted and watery, which can affect the flavoring of the food.
- If not careful, a slow cooker can overcook food -especially some of the more tender meats and poultry.
These drawbacks are relatively minor compared to the positives which I will list now.
- The slow cooker needs virtually no tending while it cooks, freeing you up to do other chores or recipes.
Picnic Checklist
October 26, 2008
In the previous article, we suggested that you start a picnic checklist, improve it over time, and keep it handy for picnic prep. Here’s a list to get you started. Scratch out the items you don’t need and add others until you have the perfect list for your family. If you keep the list on your computer, you can print out a new copy whenever you need it.
We suggest keeping picnic and camping items in large containers in the corner of your garage where you can grab them in a moment and be ready for an outing.
* Cooler
* Ice for cooler (we prefer those "blue ice" blocks that can be frozen in the freezer and reused)
* Eating and serving utensils
* Tablecloth or picnic blanket
* Cutting board and two sharp knives-a serrated knife for bread and a paring knife to cut vegetables and other foods
* Napkins and paper towels
* Cleaning wipes
* Moist washcloth in a zipper-type plastic bag
* Hand towel
* Seasonings (we keep a small plastic tub filled with seasonings plus salt and pepper)
* Sugar
* Condiments
Delicious Desserts
October 25, 2008
Delicious Desserts
by: Ryan Fyfe
A “Dessert” is a meal course that usually comes after dinner. Most often Dessert foods are of sweet food but can also be of a strongly flavored food, such as cheese, like cheese cake. The world dessert comes from the Old French word “desservir”, which means ‘to clear the table’. Often times in the English language dessert is confused with the word desert(note only one “s”), which is a baren peice of land normally with sand as soil.
It wasn’t until after the 19th-century where the rise of the middle class, and the mechanization of the sugar industry, brought the privilege of sweets into the general public and unreserved it exclusively for the aristocracy, or as rare holiday treat. This was because sugar became cheaper and more readily available to the general public. As sugar was widely spread, so was the development and popularity of desserts.
In today’s culture http://www.dessert-1.com - dessert recipes have become a popular item for discussion, as they are a winning way to win people over at the end of any meal. This is partly because if you serve a mediocre meal, with an excellent dessert, people will remember you for the dessert and forget about the meal.
Experience The Joy Of Eating At A Restaurant
October 24, 2008
Experience The Joy Of Eating At A Restaurant
by: Sintilia Miecevole
Restaurants offering a variety of cuisines are dotted all over the United States. They provide not just lip-smacking food but a great ambience too. Most restaurants also pride hemselves on their standards of cleanliness. You can choose to sit in comfort and enjoy a leisurely meal at a host of estaurants or order a take-away meal that you can eat at your convenience elsewhere.
One great advantage of eating at a restaurant is that you get to try a range of international cuisines, ranging from the Eastern to the Mediterranean. You could enjoy the fine meat preparations offered by Arabic restaurants or choose the exotic Filipino dishes like Sisig, Lechon Kawali and Laing offered by Filipino restaurants. Not to mention the Indian restaurants serving their mouth watering dals and curries and the much loved authentic Chinese restaurants which are a favorite with many people. For an indulgent evening, you could opt for a five course meal at an Italian restaurant. The first course is the antipasti or appetizers like garlic bread followed by pastas or soups as a second course or primi. The main dish or secondi usually comprises fish or meat platters, which are served along with side dishes or controni. The last course of this extravagant meal is the dolce or the dessert.
