Grilled Chicken Breasts with Tarragon Butter

• 4 Chicken breasts*
• 1 tb Tarragon
• 1/3 c Olive oil
• 1/4 c Lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

* Cornish hens may be substituted. Butterfly in half to make sure the bird is cooked throughout.

Mix oil and lemon in a bowl with tarragon.

Marinade chicken for one hour. Remove and eliminate excess drippings.

Cook over medium heat grill. Season with salt and pepper.

Turn chicken often and baste with leftover marinade.

Serves 4.

About The Author

Peter Lenkefi

Grab more free recipes at http://recipe-directory.net

plenkefi@yahoo.com.au

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Going to college is a grand experience. It’s the first time many young adults get the chance to begin taking care of themselves, no matter what the consequences. One of the main things that worries parents when their child heads out into the world of college is, of course, their diet. What are they going to eat if the cafeteria closes too early? What if they don’t like the cafeteria food? What if they didn’t even sign up for cafeteria meals?

Parents needn’t worry. College students today have developed their own underworld of cuisine, involving quite the array of foods, time-tested by students in the past, and catered specifically to college needs by clever manufacturers.

The main staple of dorm life these days is, of course, the microwave. College students take microwave food to a whole new level. The smell of microwave popcorn is right at home in a dorm, even at 3 am. I had a roommate at college who ate microwave popcorn for breakfast. Quick, easy, cheap and filling- what more could you ask for?

There is also the infamous instant Japanese noodles (the Japanese name for this product does in fact translate to “student cuisine”). One of the biggest things I learned at school was how many ways there are to eat this ubiquitous, 25 cent meal. There’s the traditional method of boiling it into soup, of course.

There’s also the option of straining the water out before adding the seasoning, creating a haphazard pasta meal. A friend of mine used to give away his seasoning packets to those who liked their soup extra salty, and then use the noodles mixed with cafeteria vegetables to create his own vegetable soup. There is, in fact, an entire culture devoted to forming recipes around these instant noodles. And college students might be the most creative consumers of all.

But the need for so much creativity is not as dire as it once was. Nowadays microwaves are ridiculously cheap to own, and many college students don’t think twice about having one in their dorm room. This has caused manufacturers to cater to the college students’ needs like never before. Macaroni and cheese that doesn’t involve buying milk, and rice dinners in a bag that include all the seasonings, are a huge step forward for students living at school, where access to milk and butter (and having somewhere to keep them if you buy them) is not as easy as it looks.

Sure, not all of this instant and easy food is healthy. Some of it is downright bad for you. But parents needn’t worry too much. Your child might spend a few semesters believing the food groups consist of salt, fake chicken, cheese in a pouch, and potato chips… but it will make them appreciate you all the more when they come home.

About The Author

Steve Wilcott

This article provided courtesy of http://www.about-blenders.com

support@arundel.net

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The secret to this delightful dish is using only the freshest ingredients. When served with fresh bread and a glass of chilled white wine, Insalata Caprese makes the perfect summer lunch.

Here’s all you need:

2 lbs. vine-ripened tomatoes that are red, juicy and flavorful and have never been refrigerated (Get them at your local farmer’s market if you don’t have your own backyard vegetable garden)

8 to 10 leaves of fragrant young basil (check for basil at your farmer’s market if you don’t grow your own)

1 lb. good quality fresh, moist mozzarella (The best mozzarella for this dish is made from buffallo milk ? mozzarella di bufala ? but that’s hard to find, so cow’s milk mozzarella ? mozzarella fior di latte ? works well for this, too)

1/4 c. genuine extra-virgin olive oil

To make the salad:

Slice the fresh mozzarella and the tomatoes into rounds. Alternate slices of mozzarella and tomato on a platter (or individual salad plates), overlapping them for effect. Tear the basil leaves into small pieces and sprinkle them over the slices of tomato and mozzarella.

Suzanne Lieurance is a freelance writer and owner of the Three Angels Gourmet Co. which produces a unique line of “heavenly gourmet mixes” for sale at http://www.threeangelsgourmet.com and through gift shops, Christian bookstores, gourmet food stores, and gift basket companies across the country.

For daily food tips and other fun food information, visit the Three Angels Gourmet Co. blog at http://www.threeangelsgourmet.blogspot.com

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These pasta recipes are excellent for dinners or parties.

In this article, I’m going to share with you three delicious pasta recipes that you can prepare for any occasion that suits you. The recipes are very easy and can be prepare in less than 30 minutes.

So, here we go

Lemon Tuna Pasta

• 4 tsp Butter
• 18 Black olives, pitted & sliced
• 1 tsp Oil; olive
• 2 can Tuna; chunk, drained
• 4 large Garlic cloves, chopped
• Pasta; penne, cooked and drained
• 1/8 cup Lemon juice
• 4 tsp Butter (add at end)
• 3 tsp Capers, drained

Melt butter with oil in skillet. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, capers and olives and cook another 2 minutes. Turn heat to lowest setting. Add tuna & separate it (do NOT flake) with a fork. Heat through, stirring gently. Drain pasta. Add remainder of butter and sauce to hot pasta, tossing well.

Tomato Soup with Pasta

• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper
• 1 small Onion, chopped
• 1 tsp Basil
• 1 lb Tomatoes, chopped
• 3 pt Stock
• 1 Carrot, sliced
• 1 cup Small pasta / broken vermicelli
• 1 Celery stick, sliced
• 1 tbsp Chopped parsley
• 1 tsp Salt

Heat oil in soup pot & gently fry the onion for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, carrot & celery. Mix well with the oil. Sprinkle in the seasonings & stir together. Fry for 3 minutes. Add stock & bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes then add pasta. When pasta is tender, serve, garnished with parsley.

Both Pasta Recipes yield 4 servings

If you are concerned about your health and think that the above pasta recipes are too rich in calories, here is one recipe that I’m sure you’ll love

Broccoli-Pasta Toss

• 2 cups Broccoli flowerets
• 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
• 4 oz Fettuccine, broken up
• 1 tsp Sesame seed, toasted
• 1 tbsp Oil, cooking
• 1/8 tsp Garlic powder

In a large saucepan cook broccoli and pasta in a large amount of boiling water for 6 -8 minutes or just until tender, stirring once or twice. Drain. Add oil to pasta mixture and toss. Add cheese, sesame seeds, garlic, and pepper to taste. Toss gently to coat. Serve immediately. 4 servings.

PER SERVING: 168 cal., 6g Pro., 24g carbo., 5g fat, 3mg chol., 72mg sodium.

**MUST TRY** Recipes: http://www.easy-recipes-secrets.com/cold-pasta-salad-recipes.html and http://www.easy-recipes-secrets.com/easy-chicken-recipes.html

Copyright 2005

About The Author

Jonathan loves eating! If you are like him, then you definitely need to visit http://www.easy-recipes-secrets.com - The special place where Jonathan reveals 3 BIG secrets to make any recipe a pure success!

**IMPORTANT**: You may use this article on your website but you are **NOT** granted permission to modify any part of its content and all the links should be kept active!

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The best way to start a big task is to start small and think of one thing at a time. If you think of everything you need to do you may just never do it!

Here are some easy kitchen organizing tips:

Mentally Prepare - Look in your kitchen and make a mental note of what belongs in there, what can be put away, what you don’t need anymore, etc.

Organize Kitchen Cabinets - Take everything out of your kitchen cabinets, clean, and place them back into different categories such as glasses, plates, baking trays and so on. If your cabinets are organized you will save a lot of time during cooking.

Clean your Pantry - It’s amazing the things you’ll find stored in the back of a pantry. We often buy things we already have because we simply can’t find them. So, take everything out of the pantry, clean and place back in categories. Use one shelf for dry foods such as cereals, pasta, etc. Use another for canned goods, and so on. Use baskets in your pantries for smaller items like stock cubes and gravy mixes. This will make them easier to find and avoid spillage from opened packets.

Use a Spice Rack - By simply using a wall-mounted or counter top spice rack you can save a lot of cabinet space and have your spices close at hand. Clearly label your spices and place the ones you use more often towards the front of the rack.

Clear your Counter Tops - Remove any items you don’t use on a regular basis from your counter tops. Instead, store them in a cabinet or even your basement or garage (if you don’t use them very often). Group appliances together for conveniences like the toaster and coffee pot.

Organize that Junk Drawer - Okay, just because we all call it the “junk drawer” doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be organized. Take a look through and throw out any items you many not need. Place small baskets in there to store items like batteries, clips and all those other interesting things we seem to collect in our kitchens.

Clean up your Cleaning Products - Buy an inexpensive plastic dish drainer and place it under your sink. These make it easy for you to organize cleaning products, sponges, etc. Please remember to keep a lock on all cabinets with dangerous items if you have young children.

Clean that Fridge - Every time you go grocery shopping clean out your fridge. You’ll find lots of things in there which have gone bad, are empty, etc. Throw out all these items and give your fridge a good wipe. Bacteria in fridges can accumulate quickly so you want to make sure this area is cleaned weekly.

Set up a Message Station - If your kitchen allows, set up a specific place for the telephone, messages, keys, etc. I have a small peg board where I keep reminders and messages. Underneath that there’s a wall-mounted key rack, and under that a small desk with the telephone, a basket for mail, a calendar and pens and paper for writing. Having an area like this can save you tons of time and you won’t loose messages or mail again. If you don’t have space for this in your kitchen then place it in your hallway or living room.

Invest and be Clutter Free - Now you can find all sorts of inexpensive organizing products and gadgets for your kitchen and home. If possible invest in a few of these as they will make your job much easier. A simple pegboard where you can keep photos, messages or your kids works of art can be a lifesaver. The same thing goes for a plastic bag organizer or good spice rack. Invest a little and you’ll reap the rewards in time saved and much more pleasant kitchen to cook in.

For more cooking tips, family-friendly recipes, nutrition articles and free fun kid recipe ebook visit http://www.easy-kid-recipes.com - The site for good home-cooked food and balanced nutrition!

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One of the “tricks” I find most useful for hosting stress-free dinner parties is to make some of the recipes ahead. I find that too many last minute jobs can overwhelm me, so I plan ahead to eliminate as many as possible.

The more dishes you can prepare a day or some hours before guests ring your doorbell, the more you reduce your stress. Here are some reasons:

• You avoid a last minute crisis if preparation takes longer than you thought it would.
• If you like to cook, you’ll have the leisure to enjoy what you’re doing instead of feeling frantic about a deadline
• You have time to clean up after you cook.
• If there is a disaster, say you burn something, you have plenty of time to come up with an alternate plan.
• If you have prepared the dessert ahead, you don’t need to leave the table for a long stretch just when the conversation is getting really interesting.

Put your imagination to work for you! Try to imagine your way through the last minute jobs you will have to get dinner on the table, and reduce them to a minimum you feel comfortable with. It helps to think about what all those last minute jobs are: setting out the ice water pitcher, lighting the candles, putting items in serving dishes and getting the guests to the table.

By the way, many of these are jobs that your guests can do.

What is your level of tolerance for last minute jobs?

Now ask yourself what your level of tolerance is for last minute jobs? If it is low, then you should think about finding some recipes that absolutely minimize any last minute work. This is especially true if you are an inexperienced cook.

Some of the recipes I rely on are make-ahead, and some are just items that I can bring home from the store and put out in nice serving dishes.

Some cooks even make everything ahead. If you love stews, lasagna and casseroles, then you could do that too.

But I often prefer serving a delicious roast of lamb or beef or chicken as the special item on the menu. Luckily these dishes are ones you can put in the oven and leave to themselves while you do other things.

If you can add potatoes and vegetables to the roast while it cooks you have almost all of the advantages of make-ahead. Once you pop them in the oven beside the roast you can pretty well ignore them until they are cooked.

So I tend to focus on finding appetizers, salads, side dishes and desserts that I can make ahead, or set out straight from the store, or vegetables I can cook alongside a roast. Then I can concentrate on the last minute items like slicing a roast, making gravy, and getting things on the table.

Probably the most important category for me is appetizers. I find it too stressful to be fussing at cooking something while the doorbell is ringing. If you are hosting by yourself you may find the same.

So I try to have a repertoire of make-ahead or buy-ahead appetizer recipes that work for me. Often I serve more than one, since some of my guests like to stick to very light appetizers, and others enjoy heartier ones.

You can build your repertoire of make ahead recipes for your home dinner parties. I suggest you start with appetizers. If you want to see some of my favorites, just go to my the Make-Ahead Appetizers page on my website.

Enjoy minimizing your hosting stress and watching your guests’ eyes light up at the sight of your tasty, well presented appetizers.

About The Author

Joanie Williams has been enjoying giving home dinner parties with minimum stress for over 25 years. See how you can use make-ahead appetizers to reduce your stress and enjoy your own dinner parties. http://www.thedinnerpartyplanningsite.com/make-ahead-appetizers.html

jwilliamsto@hotmail.com

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The 1970’s brought a great deal of upheaval and new ideas to the forefront, and the world of cuisine was no exception. In June of 1975, the British magazine Harpers & Queen coined a term to refer to a new type of food that was sweeping the world: Nouvelle Cuisine.

What is nouvelle cuisine? It is, in a word, the marriage of health-conscious California to traditional France. Consider it an updated version of French cuisine- flavorful food with a light-handed, healthy approach. It’s difficult to define nouvelle cuisine in more specific terms because of its huge impact on the way food in general is prepared today. Nouvelle cuisine opened doors to a new generation of restaurant-goers who loved rich tastes and fresh combinations, but didn’t want their bodies to pay for it later.

With this new lighter menu came a new style of cooking as well. Chefs in nouvelle cuisine restaurants used shorter cooking times and fresher ingredients, cutting down on the multiple steps that got in the way of the natural flavors of the food. In a world that was waking up to faster-moving times and stricter diets, this new cuisine caught on with incredible speed.

Like any other trend, nouvelle cuisine was often widely misunderstood and misrepresented. Depending on what regional restaurant you visited, you might have been subjected to a low-calorie meal with tiny portions and been told it was nouvelle cuisine. Many chefs and consumers alike did not grasp the concept that lighter did not necessarily mean less.

One of the main goals of nouvelle cuisine was to excite more than just the sense of taste. A skilled nouvelle chef would be able to produce a meal that was artistically arranged on the plate and contained a wonderful mix of smells, textures, and flavors. Oils and fresh spices were used extensively to bring out the natural flavor of the fresh vegetables and pastas in these meals.

The way we cook at home today owes a great deal to nouvelle cuisine. Olive oil, vinaigrette, and fresh herbs are common today in many American kitchens, mainly due to the influence of the nouvelle cuisine movement. Restaurants, too, have taken their cue: before the appearance of nouvelle cuisine, portions were heavier and larger, and consumers went to restaurants expecting to come out full, but not necessarily sated. Nowadays fine restaurants base their expertise on combining flavors, not smothering them; and on their presenting food that satisfies, not simply fills, an empty stomach.

There is still a debate on whether nouvelle cuisine has disappeared from the radar. It has certainly influenced other fields of cooking, but nobody is sure if it can be considered a movement of its own in the current times. Then again, a trend that catches on so quickly is almost always destined to develop in other ways and spread to other things, losing its identity as a separate entity along the way.

About The Author

Troy Pentico

Visit The Tasty Chef for more great tips, techniques, and insights pertaining to cooking and recipes. http://www.tastychef.net

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Suppose you want to kick back after a long day at work. You light a candle and put on some quiet music but realize the evening isn’t complete, so you run out to your local liquor store, looking for the perfect bottle of wine to cap the evening. What will you buy? When you see all the choices, you will probably look for a brand you tried before or a name you recognize-perhaps White Zinfandel by Sutter Home, the California winery.

What you might not realize is the wines that are stocked in local liquor stores tend not to be local, but are from the largest wineries that can afford a wide distribution. Often, small, local wineries have a smaller distribution, and even though their wine is better, you will have a harder time finding it unless you buy from the winery itself.

There are probably many local wineries within a short drive of your house. A quick online search reveals that, around Detroit (for example), wineries exist in Ann Arbor (less than one hour away), Albion (less than two hours away), and even in south-western Ontario (less than one hour away). All fifty states have wineries, and each winery often produces their own distinct-tasting wine. A merlot, for example, will taste different depending on geographic location and the particular winery. Some wineries specialize in creating basic wines (i.e., merlot) while others focus on creating fruit or specialty wines (i.e., blackberry merlot or ice wines).

One way of discovering these wineries is to take a day, perhaps on a weekend or during a vacation, and visit several of these wineries. Because of the conditions needed to grow and harvest good grapes, many wineries are often clustered together along a very scenic "wine trail." Following a trail can be very informative and educational, as you learn about wine-making and taste many of the different wines the wineries make.

Once you have followed your local wine trails, you will know how to pick out a good local wine you will enjoy. You’ll probably even buy several bottles from the wine trail you visited! Not only will you be drinking good wine that you didn’t know about before, but you will be supporting your local economy.

Another benefit to visiting a wine trail is that you can turn the visit into the perfect family trip. Many wineries have U-Pick fruit orchards, so you and your family can pick fresh fruit during your winery visit.

One way to begin learning more about wine and local wineries is to make a commitment to following one wine trail each month. You can begin in your home state, visit a few wineries, and then begin branching out to other nearby states. By the end of a year, you will have visited many of your own local wineries, as well as wineries in many other states!

Jim and Laura Hofman are avid travelers who enjoy exploring and learning about various wineries and wine regions in the United States. Known as unofficial “travel advisors” for their family, friends, and business associates, the Hofmans enjoy the simple pleasure of sharing a bottle of wine and enjoying life. Subscribe to their free, monthly online newsletter at http://www.WineTrailsUSA.com

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In olden times (that is until about 4 months ago) I thought I couldn’t live without pasta; then I tried - and discovered how much better I felt. My body certainly is a happier creature on rice noodles.

But pasta is a fantastic vehicle for carrying flavours, and rice noodles, truth to tell, are not. Still rice noodles have the edge in that you can get them from packet to table, sauced, within about 15 minutes flat.

There’s no need to bring huge vats of water to the boil, salt humungously and then drain off a veritable sea of potentially lethal, scalding water. (Never a good idea with small children and furry companions in the kitchen.) All you have to do is boil a kettle full of water, throw the noodles into a bowl, pour the contents of the kettle over and leave to sit for a few minutes while you prepare the sauce.

(Oops! That’s my English heritage revealed. If you live without the joy of a kettle for boiling the water for your daily ‘fix’ of tea, then you’ll have to bring a couple of litres of water to the boil as you normally do and then proceed as above.)

Now the sauce is, of course, the interesting part. The trick is to build up layers of flavour and then cook the noodles in the sauce for a couple of minutes, so that the noodles really absorb the sauce. But this takes chutzpah (aka barefaced cheek) and flies in the face of received wisdom about what you do, when and how.

So be it, I say. The end result is delicious. It’s filling, but light enough on the digestion for a picky maiden aunt.

Leftovers, if you have any, are great at room temperature. And it showcases lots of great Italian flavours in a slightly unconventional way.

Oh, and if you ever need to, you could probably keep a self-respecting vampire away with this one. But, hey, everyone’s got to live and garlic’s health giving properties are not to be sneered at.

(”Gloriously Gluten Free”, the cookbook, boasts a number of more conventional conventional recipes for corn pasta and polenta.)

Rice noodles with tomatoes and tuna

Makes 6 appetizer portions, 3-4 main course servings

1 x 250 g/ 8 oz packet medium rice noodles 4 tbs extra virgin olive oil 3 or 4 plump garlic cloves (crushed, peeled, green germ removed and minced ) 1 good pinch, or as much as 1/4 tsp, dried chilli flakes 6 anchovy fillets in olive oil (drained and finely chopped) 4 tbs tomato paste/puree 125ml/ 4 fl oz/ 1/2 cup dry white wine (good enough to drink) 250g/ 8 oz cherry, or mini plum tomatoes cut into quarters salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 200g/ 7 oz can tuna in olive oil (drained) 3-4 tbs diced black olives (stones removed)

Method

Place the rice noodles in a bowl and, as directed above, pour approximately 2 litres of boiling water over. (If it’s slightly less or slightly more, it really doesn’t matter, provided the noodles are fully covered. Give them a quick stir around with a wooden spoon, so you don’t get the odd gummy clump that has not absorbed the water evenly.)

Now ignore the noodles for a few minutes while you deal with the other ingredients. Place the garlic and chilli flakes with the olive oil in a medium-large frying pan over medium-high heat. ( Adjust the heat, as necessary, to prevent burning.)

As soon as the mixture becomes fragrant and the garlic starts to turn golden, add the anchovies and stir well.

Now add the tomato paste/puree and stir furiously, to dissolve it.

Add the wine and leave to bubble away for a couple of minutes while you drain the noodles and hack them into smaller lengths with a pair of kitchen scissors. (Sure, you’re not meant to do this for Oriental dishes; it’s meant to bring bad luck, but it makes eating them easier, andit will protect your shirt.) Add the sliced tomatoes, turn the heat up to high and give them a minute to soften. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bearing in mind that rice noodles are naturally flavour vampires, this is no time to go light on the salt.

Break the tuna into flakes as you add it to the pan and stir. Quickly add the noodles and toss for a minute or two until all the noodles are well coated.

Finally add the chopped olives, stir again, transfer to a serving dish and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Buon appetito.

(C) 2005 Annie Kaszina

Annie Kaszina, Coach, writer and ‘foodie’is not a Celiac, but has foresworn wheat in the interest of ‘caring for a delicate digestion’. She works with Celiac Gina Gardiner to provide great information and recipes to restore the confidence and zest for eating of Celiacs who have had their easy enjoyment of food taken away from them by their disease.

Annie’s e-cookbook “Gloriously Gluten Free” and Gina’s handbook for Celiacs “Live Well - Eat Well With Celiac Disease” are available through their website: http://www.celiacliving.com.

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Finding a Bartending School will be the first step towards a rewarding career! Bartenders at popular nightclubs can make as much as $500 per shift - which can add up to more then enough for the rent by just working a few nights a week!

Lots of people think they’ll go to Bartending School and get a job pouring drinks - easy work, right? But if you’ve ever watched a bartender hustle around, you should know bartending isn’t easy money. But being with the crowds, listening to the lastest music, and meeting people make it worthwhile for most people who choose to attend Bartending School.

When looking for a bartending school, it can help to choose one with job placement assistance. Also look for abartending school that has been in business for a while - you don’t want to go to some fly-by-night operation.

Bartending is about more than just pouring drinks - although you’ll have to know the difference between a Mai-tai and a Lynchburg Lemonade (and you’ll learn that at bartending school). Bartending is about personality - making people feel welcome, providing fast, friendly service, and even being the life of the party! As you become more comfortable performing behind the bar, you’ll watch your tips grow!

About The Author

Kenzie Thompson

For more information on finding a bartending school, visit http://www.bartendingschoolcentral.com.

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