Friday, July 31, 2009

How To Select Waffle Makers For Everyday Use

By Terry L. Jones

There are many great waffle makers on the market today, but there are also many different price ranges. Depending on how much you want to spend and your intentions for use, different models will come out as your top picks. Consider the following tips as guidance on picking one that will suite your needs and deliver perfectly golden waffles for years to come.

Power is a big issue with any type of kitchen appliance. Usually, lower priced models of an appliance will have lower watts of power, and that means a more limited range of capabilities. These low power models are best suited to small households or consumers who will use them on a more limited or occasional basis.

For those who want to make larger batches of waffles or who will use the machine all the time, a higher watt model will be more suitable.

Capacity of the model is another concern. You can find very small models that only make a couple waffles at a time as well as very large professional models that will make large batches at a time. The size of your family or number of people you will often be serving at one time will determine which capacity you need.

Next, consider shape. This is something many people don't care or think much about, but for others it is very important. You can get a traditional heart shaped waffle today, but most of these machines produce standard square or circle waffles. If this matters to you, then make sure to look around and find all the options within your price range.

Price: You can go into a local store and pick up a very basic waffle maker for less than twenty bucks or you can purchase them online for well over a hundred bucks. Most consumers will go for something that falls in the mid-range, around thirty to fifty bucks.

There is one good old rule of shopping that applies here: you get what you pay for. If you spring for a top of the line professional quality waffle machine, you are guaranteed to produce more waffles and better waffles than you would with a twenty buck machine you bought down the street. Yet, do you really need that level of an appliance in you home?

You probably don't need the absolute best waffle makers on the market in your kitchen. You just need a high quality model that meets all of your individual answers to the guidelines presented here. Find one that works in your home for your needs, and you will have delicious, golden brown waffles for many years to come.

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Increase the Fun Factor By Hosting a Co-ed Baby Shower

By Edie Mindell



Although you can never go wrong with a classy, traditional baby shower, cute new trends are emerging that have proven to be successful. From serving strictly fondue lunch or dinner items, to hosting a Hawaiian Luau party, these new baby shower trends and crazes are fun, hip, and exhilarating!

Fondue has become a new trend not only for baby showers, but also for all types of events and socials. Melted cheese with crackers and melted chocolate with fruits are light but filling appetizers that will satisfy cravings. Cheese dip can be melted and served with veggies like broccoli and carrots, along with assorted crackers. Many chocolate fountains are inexpensive and can be used to melt chocolate and serve with fruits, marshmallows, biscotti, and pretzels.

The art of scrapbooking has become increasingly popular over the past few years. So much so, that it has become a popular theme among social gatherings and events like baby showers. In recent scrapbooking-themed baby showers, hosts sent out scrapbook-themed invitations to guests, tying into the theme. At the bash, each guest is given a different baby-themed layout sheet, with supplies like stickers, letters, cutouts, glue, and scissors. The guests then design and decorate the layout sheet for the mommy-to-be. All these sheets can then be put together into an album for the new coming baby. This makes a great memory and keepsake for the expectant mother.

Hula and Luau-themed Hawaiian festivities are now ranked as some of the most popular baby shower ideas of this decade. Luaus can be fun and colorful, yet inexpensive and easy on your pocket. Leis can be given out as souvenirs, and you can play tropical, Caribbean tunes as background music. Fruit platters and fun drinks like Pina Coladas and Strawberry Daiquiris will add to the Hawaiian setting. Luaus are original, entertaining, and can fit any budget. Even on a tight budget, you can impress your guests and seem like you spent a fortune on your baby shower.

Another popular tendency in todays society is to host co-ed baby showers. In past times, baby showers were considered a womens affair, therefore, women were the only ones allowed to participate. Today, that taboo has been debunked, and more women are choosing to allow their husbands and other male members of their family and friends circle to participate. For a long time, men were shut out from being able to take part in baby-welcoming festivities. Now, this has become absolutely normal and even encouraged in North America.

Among all the trends and new practices in baby shower events, the most affordable yet incredibly chic seems to be the contemporary simple look. Classy, clean-cut, and simple dcor shows fine taste and a flair for decorative trends. Today, the predominant style for interior design is contemporary chic, and this look can be accomplished even on a tight budget. If you have a knack for planning and design, coordinating a simple and classy event should be a breeze. These days, the phrase "simplicity rules" is key.

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Want a Great Holiday Meal, Try Live Lobsters

By Shannon Linnen

Entertaining during the holidays, or any other time of the year, can be stressful. It's difficult the take time out of your busy work and family schedule to try to play the consummate hostess, especially when there is so much to plan. And with money tight for everyone this year, you'd love to save some money, but probably don't feel like you have the time to hunt for bargains. So why not relax, stop stressing about the party, and take the worry out of dinner by ordering live lobsters to steam as the meal?

It's possible that you're thinking that live lobster is an insane suggestion. The work seems enormous! How are you supposed to find enough lobsters for everyone, get them home, and keep them alive for the party, and then steam them! Well, because in this day and age of internet shopping, you can simply order live lobsters online and forget the first three steps. This means you can serve live lobster at your holiday party with less work than you think!

Now that the internet age is upon us, it's fast and easy to order live lobsters online! You may have been thinking you'd have to drive from store to store, hoping you could find enough lobsters to feed everyone, and that those you have found wouldn't freeze in your car, but no more. All you'll need to do is choose what size lobster you'd like, and you'll be getting fresh and delicious lobsters caught the day before. It's much less work for much tastier lobster for your holiday gathering!

How do these fresh live lobsters get to you so quickly and stay so fresh? It's easy. Instead of coming to a local store through suppliers, something that can take up to a week at a time, you are getting your lobsters directly from the fisherman. This means that you're getting the best quality lobsters there are, and there's no waiting time, since the lobsters are shipped directly to you. This means that you're getting fresh and succulent lobster, without waiting for the middleman!

Ordering live lobsters is rewarding for many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is the price! As you may have heard, the price of lobster has recently dropped to record lows. But you may not know that from visiting your local grocery store. The best way to find a good price is to order online. When you buy at a store, you're not only paying the fee of the supplier, you're also paying the other fees of the sore. By buying online, all of your price is going straight to the fisherman, meaning a great deal for you, and maybe even more lobsters!

So why not order fresh live lobsters today and impress your friends and family. It's quick, easy and inexpensive, you'll be glad you did!

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Kids Love the Taste of Live Maine Lobster

By Shannon Linnen

As a kid, did your parents ever take you to Maine for the summer? If they did, you're sure to remember the idyllic days spent lounging by the cool ocean, reading and playing, and finally, dinner time. Who could forget delicious and fresh lobsters, caught that very morning, steamed with vegetables, and given to you with claw crackers in order to get the meat out of the whole thing. It was fun and delicious. Even if you didn't get to do this as a kid, it sounds great, right? Well, you can share it with your family by ordering live Maine lobster.

It's true, by buying online, you can get fresh succulent lobster delivered right to your door by the next day, at a great price. Have you promised your family a special dinner this week? You can have lobster in time, and wow them with a great home cooked meal. Are your in-laws dropping buy unexpectedly this weekend. Surprise them with a great lobster meal that they'll never be expecting. Because this lobster is so fresh and delicious, everyone is sure to be wowed by it's great taste and texture, even the pickiest of eaters. Live Maine lobster is a great treat for the whole family.

How do you get these succulent live Maine lobsters so quickly? It's easy, really. You're getting your lobsters straight from the fisherman themselves, just like if you were on the beach in Maine. This means that you get the best lobsters there are, directly from the people who fished them, and with no waiting. Instead of waiting for suppliers to buy the lobsters and transport them to you, you only pay for the lobster and the shipping, getting yours much faster.

When you buy live Maine lobsters online, you also save money by doing it! When you buy lobsters in the store, not only are they old, but they're expensive. That's because you're not only paying for the lobster, you're also paying the middleman's markup, the transportation costs, and the store's surcharge. By buying direct online, you're only dealing with the costs of the fisherman, who's selling to you at a record low price. It's a great way to get an amazing deal on lobster.

Live Maine lobster dinners are a great way to bring your family together. What could be better than relaxing in a warm cozy house while the smell of lobsters and fresh vegetables simmering wafts though. And eating lobsters as a family is great fun. Even kids will want to get in on the action, and take a crack at using their shiny steal claw crackers. It's a delicious meal that's sure to be remembered.

So why not get the party started, invite over some friends, and order live Maine lobsters online today. They're at a price that can't be beat, and they'll be at your house tomorrow, all without a trip to the store. You'll see what a great time you all have with fresh, succulent lobsters!

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Seafood Recipes- Try A New One Tonight!

By Shannon Linnen

Cooking with seafood can be a great deal of fun, isn't very difficult, and gives many meals that are high in nutritional value and low in calories. There are many types of seafood you can use as the base of your meal, such as crab, shrimp, and scallops. Use some of the ideas in this article, and you'll add many tasty dinners to your repertoire.

It does not take long to find an appealing recipe for your seafood dish. All you have to do is visit one of the many search engines and just do a search for "Seafood Recipe" to quickly find out there are many available resources out there. From here it is just a matter of sorting through all the different recipes available and find one that you truly like.

Now traditional clambake recipes and lobster recipes are good, but who has the time for the clambake or the money for lobster? As a working wife and mother, time is of the essence and if I cannot get dinner on the table in a reasonable amount of time, it's not worth doing, but I have to be able to please my family in the process.

Measuring is one thing I am terrible at. I like to use a few favorite ingredients in any seafood recipes and adapt it to a healthier tastier way of cooking. And, the best part of cooking seafood is you can use whatever means you have available, whether it be grilling, broiling or sauting.

Let's take shrimp for example... a pound of 26 - 35 count shrimp on sale should cost you about $8.00 and what a treat your whole family will love! Peel and de-vein your shrimp using a small paring knife fed through the back of the shrimp from the top to the tail (knife facing away from shrimp body and cutting through the shell) making it easy to open up the shell so your shrimp will pop right out! (Hey, save even more time, by purchasing the already frozen, peeled and de-veined version.)

Use about a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil in the bottom of a saut pan, add a clove or garlic (let's be honest - we are not peeling and mincing our own garlic here, we are using a teaspoon of already chopped garlic in the jar), a half of finely chopped sweet onion, some salt and pepper, some parsley and your favorite seafood seasoning. You can just as easily wrap all of your ingredients in foil and pop on the grill or under the broiler for about 20 minutes for no-fuss cooking.

Serve your shrimp over a bed of wild rice (that you cooked in chicken broth) along with a side of asparagus and baby portabella mushrooms (cooked together with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and salt on the stovetop or wrapped in foil on the grill) and you end up with a succulent feast that is not only tasty but healthy, too in 30 - 45 minutes... now if I could only get my husband to do the dishes I'd have it made.

After awhile, cooking with fresh seafood items will become a standard way of cooking for you. The best part of utilizing seafood in your normal diet is it just so healthy! It is important to note that making sure your seafood is fresh is absolutely necessary. To ensure this, choose a company located on the eastern seaboard to handle the shipping of your seafood items. If at some point you run out of things to cook, no problem, just go online and view all the great seafood recipes out there. Of course you always have the option of visiting a bookstore in your town or city and they almost always have a large collection of cookbooks available.

When presented with the challenge of entertaining your family or just some close friends, it is the absolute best time to prepare a delicious seafood recipe. When you family and friends dig into the tasty seafood appetizer or main course they will have no choice but to automatically think this is a very special occasion and will feel as if this is a very rare treat.

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Electric Egg Poacher Overview

By Paul Eden

There are many ways to cook an egg, but if you are looking for ease and convenience, look no further than an electric egg poacher. These small appliances make poaching an egg routine and much easier than using water in a pan. Not to mention, they are simple to clean, small enough to store in any space in your kitchen, and they can do many different jobs besides poach such as making hard-boiled eggs. Egg poachers are an all around good choice for anyone who enjoys making eggs for any meal.

There categories of electric egg poachers on the market. The simplest will cook a single egg, while some of the larger models can accommodate up to 7 eggs. Even the largest models are inexpensive and offer an efficient way to prepare poached eggs.

You may want to consider an electric egg poacher that performs additional functions.. For example, there are egg poachers that not only poach several eggs at one time but they also do double duty by keeping them warm if they are not ready to be eaten, or boil more eggs underneath the poached egg section. Although these egg poachers are more expensive, they make doing the job of cooking eggs a lot easier if you are feeding several people at once.

Because there are so many models and manufacturers of electric egg poachers, it should be easy to find one with the exact features you desire. Some poachers have just a simple heating element, while others have timers or indicator lights to aid in achieving consistent results. It is a good idea to look for a see-through cover that will make it easy to monitor the cooking process.

Most electric poachers come with egg trays with a non-stick surface. Based on my experience, you should eliminate any egg poacher without a non-stick surface as there is nothing worse than scraping cooked egg off of a pan. Certainly one of the primary reasons for purchasing an electric egg poacher is for convenience, and ending up with a lengthy clean-up process would negate the advantages.

For the most convenient electric egg poacher, you may want to try a duel egg poacher that has both a poaching area and a two-slice toaster together in the same device. It is an innovative appliance that helps to make a quick and healthy meal for anyone in the house. Perfect for the person on the go, you can use this type of egg poacher to either just make toast, make just a poached egg, or you can even make a delicious egg sandwich. With everything cooking at once, this functional egg poacher allows you to eat a full breakfast in just minutes.

The best place to buy an electric egg poacher is actually just a few clicks away. When buying an egg poacher online you are able to read the reviews of actual people that used the poacher and you can compare several different egg poachers to see which one best suits your needs. With so many electric egg poachers to choose from it could take you hours to wander from store to store to check out each one individually, whereas online you can see several different brands and styles within minutes to figure out which egg poacher you are most interested in buying. It is convenient and by being able to compare prices as well you will most likely get a better dealing buying an egg poacher online.

Electric egg poachers are perfect not only for breakfast eggs, but also to make more sophisticated recipes that you can try for dinner as well. Many salads are complimented by the use of poached eggs, as are salmon, pasta and veggies. Of course you cant leave out the popular eggs Benedict but with the variety of recipes that use poached eggs you can make them for any meal.

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Thursday, July 30, 2009

Cooking Proven To Improve Health Long-Term And Economy

By Marly Schuman

Cooking at home may do more than just save money, experts say. It not only brings families together, but it also can vastly improve your health.

People consume 50% more fat, sodium and calories when they eat out in restaurants, according to USA Today. This is because the more you eat in, the more control you have over what you eat. Eating at home allows you to monitor your portion size and also lets you decide how much fat or oil you want in your food. Eating in your own kitchen lets you make appropriately sized dishes with ingredients you actually like. You can cook with more fruits, vegetables and lean protein, using less heavy and creamy sauces.

The overeating caused from restaurants can lead to obesity, which can cause certain types of cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. In fact, many experts believe that 1/3 of cancers are related to personal diet. This is why it is vital to follow a diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Restaurants often lack these three food groups. Not enough healthy foods can also lead to infectious diseases if you do not receive the appropriate vitamins and nutrients. Some even say that simply cooking for someone who is sick can make him or her feel better, and cooking for someone else can soothe your own body or mind.

Cooking itself is a relaxing activity. It can be a great way to wind down from a stressful work day, and an especially effective activity in bringing family together. Kids can help setting the table or preparing the meal. If they feel that they were a part of putting the meal together, they are often more likely to want to eat the healthy meal. Cooking on the grill also brings together friends and family in the summertime. It even gets men involved in cooking. Grilling is an easy and fast way to make a healthy dinner during the week.

Family meal-time is especially crucial for kids. Statistics show that American kids eat about 1/3 of their meals from fast food restaurants. A 2008 study from the Center for Science in the Public Interest revealed that out of 13 fast food chains, a whopping 93% have too many calories in their kids meals! Kids who eat with family watch less television, are more active, and are more healthy overall.

And don't forget, in these economic times it truly pays to cook at home. You can save enough money to pay for a week of groceries just by cutting the cost of a few meals out.

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Panini Grill

By Anthony Tripp

A panini grill is a must have kitchen appliance for everyone. Whether you live in a house or a small apt. Why even a college dorm room is a great place for a panini maker. Not only can you make fantastic panini sandwiches with a panini maker, you can also use it as an indoor grill.

Whether you call if a panini press or a panini grill or a panini maker, it's still an appliance that you should start using. The act of heating up food and pressing it together between thick slices of hearty bread make for some great sandwiches. You'll be amazed at how even the most different ingredients blend together to create new and interesting flavors.

Using a panini maker as an indoor grill is also a common practice. Look at the George Foreman grills. Do you think that if they were called hamburger cookers that they'd be as popular as they are? No, they wouldn't. People love how you can cook most anything on a George Foreman grill and it's the same deal with a panini maker. Grill some vegetables or meats before you press them together in your panini sandwich. No reason to create dirty frying pans when the panini press can do it all.

There are several must have features that you're going to want in a panini maker. The first one is easy clean up. Make sure your panini grill has removable grilling plates that you can put in the dishwasher. Next you'll need a large cooking area. Don't buy a tiny panini maker that will only fit a white bread grilled cheese sandwich. When you're cooking panini you're going to want to go big and pile on the ingredients. And that brings me to the next important feature, a floating hinged top. No matter how thick you go, the top will adjust to give your sandwich the best possible press it can.

No matter what you decide to cook you'll be happy that you bought a panini maker. It will probably become your favorite kitchen appliance even if you're not a big sandwich fan. And nothing beats a hot panini sandwich fresh off of a brand new panini maker.

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Panini Press

By Anthony Tripp

Everyone should own a panini maker. No matter where you live, there should be one of your kitchen countertop and it should get a lot of use. Even if you don't like panini sandwiches you can still use a panini maker as an indoor grill. There's tons of great food that you can make with a panini maker.

A panini maker is sometimes called a panini grill or a panini press but no matter what its called, itll make a great sandwich. Theres some sort of magic that takes place when you heat and press several ingredients together on thick slices of crusty bread. Its like of of those whole is greater than the sum of its parts type of situations.

Using a panini maker as an indoor grill is also a common practice. Look at the George Foreman grills. Do you think that if they were called hamburger cookers that they'd be as popular as they are? No, they wouldn't. People love how you can cook most anything on a George Foreman grill and it's the same deal with a panini maker. Grill some vegetables or meats before you press them together in your panini sandwich. No reason to create dirty frying pans when the panini press can do it all.

When buying a panini maker theres a couple of important features to keep in mind. First, removable dishwasher safe grill plates are a must have. Theyll make clean up a breeze. Second, if you plan on making greasy foods like hamburgers youre going to want a drip spout on the grill plates. Even better if the panini maker comes with a little cup to be used for catching grease from the drip spout. Third, a cool to the touch handle makes panini cooking much easier. Dont forget, youre goal is to press the sandwich together. And thats a little harder to do with a big pot holder on your hand. The cool touch handles make getting a little leverage and squashing your panini a lot easier.

No matter what you decide to cook you'll be happy that you bought a panini maker. It will probably become your favorite kitchen appliance even if you're not a big sandwich fan. And nothing beats a hot panini sandwich fresh off of a brand new panini maker.

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How Dinner Is Not Complete Without Chicken

By Chris Lee

No matter how you cook it, chicken is one of the most delicious meats for dinner. With the many ways of preparing chicken, you are guaranteed to have a dinner-time hit with your family. No matter how you cook it, chicken is an excellent choice for dinner.

Chicken has less fat per serving than both beef and pork. With the many ways that you can prepare it, you can literally have chicken every night and never grow tired of eating it. Chicken and fish are the healthiest meats that you can eat. If you love chicken, then there is no limit to the tasty dishes that you can prepare. Many recipe sites online offer hundreds of original chicken recipes for you to enjoy. Just search through the many online databases to find even more chicken recipes. Children love eating foods that they help to prepare so let them help you with dinner to ensure that they get the health benefits of chicken as well. Children are sometimes not prone to look for healthy foods so you should help them by preparing healthy chicken dishes at home. Look for recipes that are prepared in such a way as to make them look unhealthy. And they will have no idea that they are eating a healthy dinner.

You can also look for recipes that incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables. These ingredients will also make your dishes healthier. You simply cannot beat the flavor of fresh ingredients. Use any fruits or vegetables that your family loves to eat. You can find many chicken recipes that call for fruits or nuts to make them tastier. You can add other healthy ingredients as well using whole-grains. Using all healthy ingredients will make your dinner healthy and delicious.

Although chicken is an amazingly good lunch protein, most people enjoy it more for dinner. Not only is chicken healthy, but it satisfies your appetite as well. Chicken is a common dinner meat particularly in the southern parts of the United States. Chicken has become the most popular choice of dinner meats for many people. You should definitely be one of them.

Try adding chicken to your dinner menus at least three nights each week. Substituting chicken for beef or pork is recommended by physicians all over the world for optimal health. Not only are you avoiding unneeded fats, but you are enjoying a delicious dinner as well.

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Incorporate Unique Baby Gifts into the Baby Shower Agenda

By Edie Mindell

Although the classic "Its a Girl" and "Its a Boy" themes are lovely classics, there is so much more you can do with a baby shower. There are various sweet baby shower themes that will make your shower shine and stand apart from the rest. Themes like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," "Noahs Ark," and "Candy Land," will make your shower unique and unforgettable. This article will provide some basic baby shower themes from which you can get ideas from, and adapt them to your needs.

"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is a beautiful nursery rhyme inspired theme that will fill the room with sweet vibes and tenderness. This theme is also easy to assemble at any location, whether it be a house, a restaurant, a banquet hall, or a hotel. Finding basic star- shaped decorations will definitely not be a problem, and making them is not difficult at all. For example, for centerpieces, you can fill star-shaped baskets or containers with baby-themed items, flowers, candy and confetti. For a special touch, you can also throw shiny star-shaped confetti on the tables.

Have nursery rhymes playing as background music, and decorate the room space with quotes from the poem, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." You can also buy pre-packaged cookie dough and use moon and star-shaped cookie cutters. For a little something extra, decorate the cookies with sprinkles. Another great idea is to buy white chocolate chips and moon and star candy molds, melt the chocolate, and fill the molds in with the melted chocolate. Put these in little star-shaped decorative boxes and give to the guests as party favors. "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is very versatile, and there are countless ideas that you can use for this theme.

The theme, "Noahs Ark" makes an adorable setting for your shower. For this idea, purchase or design your own ark mural and post on the wall. Make sure it is big and top-notch quality, because this will make a great background for taking pictures. For each table, use different animals for centerpieces. You can buy different types of stuffed animals like bunnies, giraffes, elephants, and bears, and use these as a foundation for your centerpieces. Decorate cute baskets, fill them up with candy and baby items, and place the stuffed animals inside of the baskets (a different animal in each basket). Make little animal-shaped chocolates, and hand out Noahs Ark themed invitations.

Candy Land makes a fun theme, for men, women, and children of all ages. For invitations, send out candy in personalized wrappers. You can have candy wrappers customized in several websites online, or you can use a candy wrapper template, also found online, and make them yourself. Buy big, colorful, and yummy candy, and use them to design centerpieces. Use Candy Land board games as the base of your centerpieces and decorate with more candy! Purchase or make your own candy posters, and place them all over the room. Remember to use a lot of confetti, decorative party strings, and colors!

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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Herbal And Organic Gardening: How To Start Growing

By Susan Honeywell

It can seem daunting to begin with an organic vegetable or herbal garden for the first time, but there are few better ways to be good to the planet while also being good to yourself and enjoying yourself.

If you already eat some organic herbs and vegetables, you will surely appreciate the better taste, the health benefits and also the lack of harmful residual substances. Imagine how great it would be if you had an organic garden that would furnish you wit a plentiful supply!

Te first thing that you should do, as it will take a little while for this to be ready, is to separate your kitchen waste from the rest and build a compost heap. This can also be done indoors. Compost will prove a great boon as it is the best natural fertilizer for an organic garden and its vegetables and herbs.

Your home-made compost will also fulfill a secondary purpose: it will help your organic garden to retain moisture, and as a result you will need to water your edible plants less often. Put all your kitchen waste and also any garden cuttings you may have onto the compost heap, but avoid great quantity of fish and meat remains.

You'll also need to source organic seeds or sprouts for your organic vegetable and herbal gardening project. In most cases, commercial seeds are not organic so you will have to make doubly sure to get the right starters.

Try purchasing your organic garden seeds online. There are plenty of retailers, you will have a bigger choice, the purchase will be delivered to your home and you will be protected by a postal return guarantee.

To begin seeding, don't start your organic garden outdoors right away! Use a glasshouse or put your seeds inside the house, where it's warm. Let them sprout on a piece of damp cotton or paper and then transfer them to small pots and let them grow a bit.

Once your little plants have grown two leaves, you should repot them into biodegradable pots and later bury these in your garden. You can of course also go for an indoor window garden for your herbs. These make additions to windowsills and beautify the house.

Vigorous, organic soil is fundamental for organic vegetable and herbal gardening. Like compost, good organic soil will not only grow healthier plants that taste better, but will also act as a natural pest controller. If you've had a non-organic garden before, it may take some time to clean the chemical laden soil, or you can dig it all out and start anew with organic soil.

Fill your windowsill pots with organic soil, or put a layer of at least six centimeters in your outdoors organic garden as topsoil. Ass compost and you will be on the right track to grow delicious and healthy organic herbs and vegetables.

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The Crock-Pot Is A Great Idea For Cooking Dinner

By Chris Lee

A crock-pot is the perfect solution to the age-old problem of no time. Using a crock-pot, you can prepare wholesome and delicious meals for your family. You have the opportunity to cook delicious meals while running errands or working all day. Instead of bringing home fast-food burgers and fries, you can prepare a healthy meal at home. You can use your crock-pot to prepare nutritious meals for your family instead.

You can prepare a wonderful dinner in practically no time when you use your slow cooker. You just have to prepare your meal the night before. You just fill your cooker, turn on the timer and go about your daily business. You can give your family the nutritious meal that they need while spending very little time in the kitchen. You can also use your crock-pot for preparing nutritious meals in advance.

You can cook foods for storage for later times. Consider preparing soup in your slow cooker for dinner one night. Use these soups to stock your freezer with wholesome meals. Then, after you are finished with dinner, simply put the leftovers in freezer bowls or freezer bags and freeze them. Once you need them you simply heat them up in the microwave. This is the easiest way to make sure that your entire family is eating right.

You can find many recipes that are specifically geared toward using your crock-pot. The recipes will tell you everything that you need to know from ingredients to cooking times. Many will also tell you the nutritional value of the meal that you are preparing. Be sure that marinate anything overnight that requires it.|Consider marinades for your slow cooker as well.|Many recipes call for marinating] This is an excellent way to get a flavorful meal.

Having a crock-pot is virtually a must for families today. You cannot find another way to cook your family a nutritious meal in so little time. When you do get back home, the aroma from your wonderful meal will meet you at the door.

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How To Eat Well Without Eating Fat

By Dan Sewinski

With the humongous servings that restaurants serve these days, Americans have grown used to eating large amounts of food every day. This is good if the food that they eat is nutritious and lesser in calories. Unfortunately, this is not the case. That is why, it is important that when you do eat at home, you eat healthy and light as much as you can to counteract the calorie intake that you have gotten. This starts with the cooking light.

Cooking light does not only depend on the ingredients but also the oil that you use. In fact, the oil can change the caloric and fat content of the dish. You see, even if all your ingredients are healthy, for instance, vegetables; but if you use oil that is based on animal fat, you will still have a not so healthy dish.

These guidelines will help you to cook light and healthy when you prepared home-cooked meals. First, you need to use vegetable oil when cooking, so that your meals don't add a lot of fat and calories. Corn oil and palm oil are the most popular vegetable-based cooking oils. They contain lots of the so-called 'good' cholesterol that can help to protect your heart, and they cancel the effects of the 'bad' cholesterol contained in animal fats.

No added chemicals: As much as you can, do not put any other chemicals or flavoring into your food that are not natural. It adds to the unhealthiness of the dish that you are serving. Powder flavoring may help enhance the taste in the dish that you are cooking but it can also cause liver and kidney problems because of its high salt content. Another thing to avoid is to use deep fried mixes and batter to your food as this only add to the caloric content of the food but none to the nutritional content.

In order to have a healthy diet, you should replace some servings of meat with vegetables and seafood. It is best to have meat for only one or two meals a day. Your family will still gain the protein they need, while reducing harmful fats and cholesterol. White meats, such as turkey or chicken, are more healthy than red meats, such as pork and beef. Turkey and chicken contain less cholesterol than red meats. If you must serve a red meat, choose pork because you can quickly remove the fat from the meat. It is difficult to remove fat from beef since the fats are distributed throughout the meat.

Eating light does not just refer to cooking foods that are low in calories and fat, but also to the size and frequency of servings. Over a period of time, start serving smaller meals and cut back on the side dishes, such as rice. A phased plan to incrementally decrease the serving size will avoid the health problems associated with a sudden decrease in food intake. However, children need the calories from properly proportioned meals in order to grow and should not be a part of a dieting plan without a physician's approval.

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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Simple Steps To Make Chocolate Truffles

By Breanna Lee

Most chocolate truffles are manufactured in factories and some are loaded with so much sugar, it is hardly good for you. Some of those cheaper, waxy chocolates do not even contain as much cocoa as it's suppose to have which renders it not as good as dark chocolate is supposed to be. So, if you are a chocolate lover and wants to get some great health benefits from it, you could try making your own wonderfully delicious chocolate truffles.

Making chocolate truffles is pretty easy as some of these do not even require too much cooking time or baking skills. As long as you learn not to burn the chocolate, you will soon be cranking out chocolate truffles like a pro! If you are worried about messing up and turning it into burnt bitter hunks, then you should read on for the tips I have in making some simple and easy chocolate truffles that are way better than store-bought ones.

Before setting out to make chocolate truffles, the first things you need to do is to stock up on the essential ingredients. The most important one is of course, the chocolate. I'd recommend dark baking chocolate that has high cocoa content of 70% and above. We want high cocoa content because only chocolates with high cocoa content are of better quality, richer and has more anti-oxidants that are also good for you. But if you don't really like the slight bitter taste of dark chocolate, you can also choose to get milk chocolate with a lower cocoa content.

Other than chocolate, you may also want to get other ingredients to add some special flavors to your truffles such as nuts and dried fruits. Nuts like almonds, peanuts, macadamia or even cashew are fun additions that will add a crunch to your truffles. Other than that, you can also get other decorative food items such as colorful chocolate rice to dip your truffles in so that it is more interesting looking.

The very first thing to do is to break or chop the chocolate into smaller pieces. The put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Add in butter and then place the bowl over a simmering pan of water. Be careful to ensure the bottom of the bowl do not touch the boiling water. Using a wooden spoon, stir the chocolate butter mixture until it is thoroughly melted. If you like cheese, you can also get some cream cheese on hand so that you can add it in later.

When the chocolate butter mixture is melted into soft, silky brown liquid, remove it from the pan and leave aside to cool down. You can then add the cream cheese, the nuts, dried fruits or whatever you want to add to your truffles. Use a mixer to blend it all together until it is all well combined. You want to make sure that the whole mixture are evenly combined so that there won't be concentrations of nuts or chocolate or clumps of cream cheese. Lastly, you just pour the thick mixture onto a pan and leave it to cool for awhile. If it is very thick, use an ice cream scoop or a spoon to form small balls out of it. Dip the chocolate balls on the chocolate rice or some cocoa powder. Then put the balls on wax-paper lined trays. Place the trays of chocolate truffles in the fridge to firm up and there you have it, you very own delicious chocolate truffles!

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How Much Do You Enjoy Chicken Salad Sandwich

By Chris Lee

Chicken salad sandwiches are the cream of the crop for many people. Adding that delicious white meat chicken with a host of other flavorful ingredients simply holds no comparison to other sandwiches. No matter who you are, you are likely one of the millions of people in the world who believe that eating a chicken salad sandwich is as close to heaven on earth as you can get. While there are many versions of the famously delicious chicken salad, they are all equally delicious.

While some recipes use cucumbers and onions, others have a sweeter taste, implementing fruits and nuts. There are recipes also that do not use mayonnaise, taking the fat completely out of the recipe. There are so many versions of chicken salad that you should never grow tired of having a chicken salad sandwich.

Finding the perfect chicken salad sandwich depends greatly on your personal tastes. For instance, if you cannot stand the taste of mayonnaise, then a sandwich including mayonnaise will simply not be your cup of tea.|You may like mayo in your salad, while someone else does not.|For example, if you do not like nuts, then you would not like a recipe that includes nuts. You may not like mayo, but would rather have mustard. Alternatively, you may simply prefer to add a bit of olive oil and some fresh herbs for the dressing part of your sandwich.

No matter your taste, there is likely a recipe for chicken salad that you will love. Once you have ruled out one recipe, try another until you find your perfect fit. Look through your cookbooks and visit online recipe sites for a wide variety of recipes. You can also create your own chicken salad recipe. You can pick and choose which ingredients will be included in your creation. It is so easy to pair chicken with other ingredients. So you can add virtually anything that you believe will make your chicken salad taste better. Just pair your recipe with bread and you have created your own perfect chicken salad sandwich.

Anytime that you want you can enjoy your favorite sandwich. You can take them to work, to the beach or anywhere else you want to enjoy your favorite sandwich. In addition, if you add healthy ingredients, your favorite sandwich can also be your most healthy meal.

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Yes You Can: Hot Panini Sandwhiches At Home With A Panini Maker

By Chris Smith

Panini sandwiches are probably the most perfect sandwich ever. If you haven't had the pleasure of trying one out yet then by all means stop reading this article and go get one. If you have already tasted the toasted goodness of a panini sandwich then you know exactly what I am talking about. These little sandwiches come from Italy and the word panini means little sandwich. They are typically made on a cibatta roll filled with sandwich meat and cheeses and then grilled. This article explores some of the reasons why you should own your own panini maker. I know you might be thinking not another kitchen gadget. I had the same thought when we first purchased one myself. However, I quickly fell in love with it and use it two to three times a week easily. Here are some of the top reasons you should consider getting a panini maker. Word of warning though these sandwiches are very addicting and once you get started you won't want to give up your panini maker for anything.

Perfect For Parties What can be more fun then entertaining guests in your home. It is so much fun to have family and friends over for good food and a night of laughs and fun together. However, sometimes it is also one of the most stressful things to do. There is getting the food, the cooking and the clean up and that can be a lot of stress. Well, here is one of the top reasons you should have a panini maker in your kitchen. It takes a big chunk of the stress of entertaining out of the equation. If you want to make things really simple have some friends over for a panini making party. You supply all of the raw ingredients like the bread and meats and each person can have fun making their own panini. Just be careful to buy extra ingredients because they are very addictive and most people will want more then one once they take their first bite. If you are looking to do something a little more elegant then you can easily cook up some panini sandwiches for appetizers. It is a big crowd pleaser and very easy to do.

The Perfect Solution To Fast Food Are you sick and tired of eating unhealthy fast food that is bad for you and causes you to gain weight? I think many of us are unfortunately it almost seems like a necessary evil in the busy lives that we live today. However, there is a better way to do it. You can get a panini maker and easily make a few panini sandwiches in just a few minutes. If you have the ingredients on hand and keep them in the refrigerator it really is a no brainier. Instead of fat causing fast good you can have tasty and healthy fast food in just minutes. Not only is it super easy to make panini super fast it is also easy to make them healthy. This makes probably the perfect solution to the fast food roller coaster we often find ourselves trapped on.

Make Your Own Panini And Make It Healthy One of the biggest benefits to having a panini maker in your home kitchen is you can make the panini the way you want. If you are really into food and love to eat then the chances are good you are very specific about how you want your food prepared. Too much cheese, or too much mustard and the sandwich just isn't right. However, if you have a panini maker at home you can make it with the exact ingredients that you like and int he right amounts. Not only that you can explore with all different kinds of panini recipes. There are a ton of them online and in cookbooks everywhere. Unfortunately you often can't get a wide variety of panini at the store and you are locked into the way they make it. At home you can explore and come up with your own healthy creations.

There are many different ways to call these things. Each one works a little different b ut essentially they are all the same. There is the Panini grill, Panini press and Panini maker while there are slight difference between them they all will work very well for creating how wonderful tasting Panini sandwiches. Panini makers are great to have at home as you can add your own tastes and come up with unique recipes. They are incredible when you entertain your friends as they make a great appetizer or meal. They also are the best when you are tight on time and need something quick and on the go. Check out the many varieties of Panini makers available.

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Monday, July 27, 2009

10 Simple Tips for Losing Any Amount of Weight

By George Alarcon

Healthful living begins with learning how to achieve safe weight loss using these 10 wonderful foolproof tips on how to lose weight naturally. Many people experience the struggle with their weight going down and up on the scale. If you would like to successfully achieve healthful weight loss and gain real balance in your life, these 10 wonderful foolproof tips on how to lose weight naturally will be the best way to safely get to a healthy weight and lose pounds of undesirable fat.

But if you don't have the time to stick to a regular exercise routine, then is there anything you can do to lose weight? The answer is absolutely yes! There follow 10 tips are small ways that you can lose weight:

1. Make small changes in your diet such that you eat slightly less. Believe it or not, but most people who effectively lose weight make small changes in their diet. This may mean that you still go to McDonald's lunch every other day, but instead of eating regular fries you down size it to small fries. Or instead of a large Coke, you go with a medium Coke.

Tip-3. Supervise your portions. The best guide in measuring how much may be too much is the palm of your hand! If the food portion cannot fit in your palm; it should not go in your mouth.

Tip-4. Do not pass over Meals. You will not feel hungry throughout the day and boosts your metabolism as well.

4. Slow down, and chew your food. Follow your mothers advice. Eat your food more slowly, and you will not become too full.

5. Skip dessert. If you have a sweet tooth, this may seem impossible. Instead, why not try some of the reduced fat cookies and cakes that are on the market. Otherwise, step away from the chocolate cake!

6. Cut down on the beer and wine. Most types of alcohol contain a lot of calories. If you are a beer drinker, switch to the light variety of your favorite brew. If wine is your spirit of choice, why not try cutting your consumption by at least half.

7. Use calorie free sugar substitute instead of sugar in your coffee. Every little bit of sugar you cut out of your diet will help.

Tip-9. Increase your activity level with cardiovascular and resistance conditioning. Start with 15-30 minutes daily, 2-3 days per week. Aerobic combined with weight-bearing exercise is among the most effective method to lose weight naturally.

Tip-10. Detox using a herbal colonic body cleanse at initially to lose weight naturally and rid your body of concentrated unsafe substances.

10. Cut out all snacks. Snacking between meals can add on as many calories as the meals themselves. Cut them out and schedule your food consumption such around formal meal times. If you do snack, then use healthier low calorie alternatives such as plain carrots and grapes.

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Freshest Seafood Available At Captain Joey Patti's Restaurant

By Ray Pope

Looking for a good seafood restaurant with a decent reputation is just not for religious occasions like Lent season and Good Friday. Seafood ticks off a lot of boxes: It's healthy, romantic, and above everything else, its a thin line between glamorous and laid back. Fine seafood restaurants are worth their weight in gold.

It would be wonderful if people can eat fresh seafood anytime they want without worrying about the price. Some seafood restaurants prices are outrageous and doesnt even give the right quality and service. Fortunately, the perfect place has opened for all us. Conveniently located in Pensacola Florida, Captain Joey Pattis Restaurant is the best place for fresh seafood and ingredients, outstanding service and great crowd. You will also love the super low prices for a decent seafood meal. The owner once joked, the prices are so low, its getting me out of business.

When it comes to seafood, simple and fresh is a definitely a winner. It is important that the dishes allow the seafoods delicate flavors shine through. Captain Joey Pattis Restaurant features extraordinary seafood dishes, from simple to fancy. This restaurant do a little of both, but doesnt require glorious outfits.

f you have never been to Captain Joey Pattis Seafood Restaurant, and you adore seafood, youve been cruel to yourself. You know its good, because every time you walk in, the place is always packed. It was difficult for the Captain to name the most popular menu choice, mentioning the oyster and mullet sandwiches, the seafood dinners, and the crab burgers.

Theres also their established New England fish chowder, the kind served in Maine. On Thursdays, the deli is extra packed for shrimp creole day, featuring wild-caught spicy shrimp. They dont serve farm-raised seafood of any kind. A lot of people who dines at Captain Joey are impressed. The place is filled with friendly people and the prices are just lovable!

Other seafood choices include friend Apalachicola oysters, crab claws, scallops, popcorn shrimp, mullet and grouper baskets. Chicken fingers and hamburgers are also available for those who are not into seafood mood.

The side dishes are not to be ignored, the cheese grits, homemade cole slaw, hushpuppies and steak fries are all delicious. Its not easy, but you must try to leave room for dessert. The mouth watering rich, dark chocolate, light and moist mandarin/pineapple, and carrot cake are delicious. At Captain Joey Pattis Restaurant, you can always be assured that the seafood is fresh and tasty, and the prices are super, and service is fast.

Visit them now at 596 East 9 Mile Road Pensacola, FL 32514. Or call them at iQpon850-607-7766. They are open Monday - Thursday 11 to 8, Friday and Saturday 11 to 9, and Sunday 11 to 3.

To obtain free, online, printable discount coupons for Captain Joey Pattis Restaurant (or iQpons), check out www.eHubPensacola.com. Also get a chance to grab one of the cheap (half off!) Thrift Certificates (or Gift Certificates) that are currently on sale!

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Sunday, July 26, 2009

How To Make Friends And Influence People With A Navy Bean Soup Recipe

By Kris Russell

'Goodbye England' ' and 'Hello America'. Once my family and I had taken the decision to lift up our roots and head to the US for a new life, it didn't take us long to make the necessary changes. We were all very keen to embrace opportunities available in the New World, and quite rapidly found ourselves living the life ' and being a part of a real neighbourhood.

Most people don't like looking as though they're tourists when they're at home, and having established our home as being the US, it was important to all of us that we try our best to fit in. That necessarily meant making various changes in our lifestyle, as well as learning a lot about local customs, including traditional recipes. As very keen cooks my wife and I enjoy finding out about different recipes and local cooking.

For many years we've been very happy to cook traditional British recipes, everything from Fish and Chips to the old Spotted Dick. But now we were in the US we wanted to introduce our family to traditional US recipes. At first we were slightly stumped, knowing that we couldn't very well feed our kids on steak and chips every day. What we needed to do was to find out as much as we could about healthy, delicious recipes we could enjoy making in our new home.

So we spent quite a while trying to identify just what makes a traditional US recipe. We were looking for recipes that were very much part of America, taking in its history and culture as well as local foods and popular dishes. We had started making a lot of friends, and wanted to be able to offer them local recipes and typical US meals, not so much to make them feel at home, but to help them feel that we were trying to feel at home ourselves.

As well as looking for recipes which were traditional, we were also fairly anxious to identify some recipes which would be warming too. Naturally, as English, we are very used to fairly cold weather. But with the US version of cold reinventing the concept, we were all on the lookout for warming food. We used the internet to help us with our search, quickly coming across a Navy Bean Soup recipe which we agreed sounded fantastic, as well as a Ham Navy Bean soup recipe. We downloaded these, and gave them our best shot.

After having a go with the Navy Bean Soup recipe, we all agreed, children included, that it was a resounding success. To have the children giving one of our recipes the thumbs up is always good, and we felt as though we'd accomplished an important step in becoming accepted as locals! We tried the Ham Navy Bean Soup recipe too with equal success. Both were heartily warming, although we did feel that it was important to expand our repertoire beyond merely two alternative dishes. I had a look online again, at the same place I got the Navy Bean Soup recipe from.

The website from where I downloaded the Navy Bean Soup Recipe had a number of others available, two hundred other recipes to be precise. I figured that two hundred traditional US recipes would probably be about enough to see my family through the winter! They sounded just as appetizing as the Ham Navy Bean Soup recipe, and when I saw the price I was astonished, 200 recipes for just $10!

Being able to pick up two hundred traditional recipes for just $10 was too good to be true - and I immediately acquired the full pack. In all honesty I couldn't even take my kids to the pizza parlour for $10 - so to have a whole heap of successful recipes was a bargain. I know my children are definitely impressed with the food, and my wife and I have discovered a great way to make a lot of new friends too!

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What should we know about muffins?

By Johny Mohny

A certain sweet smell that brings up the childhood memories of every man and woman can be sensed sometimes walking near a bakery in the very early hours of the morning. They come in various flavors smiling when coming out of the oven, fashionably organic or simply sweet but always bringing the very special sense of stylish home baking.

What am I talking about?Well that would be muffins.

Born on France under the name of moufflet (soft bread) they were considered imported French bakery sins and treated likewise until somehow around the 10th century they found their way into the tea shops from all Great Britain under the name of muffin and established themselves as the most valued and enjoyed breakfast items next to the porridge.

The original English muffins recipe used a recipe that contained yeast, and contained nooks and crannies being cooked on a hot griddle pretty much like the Irish shortbread. Very early English muffins were baked inside muffin rings the size of a small wire hoop and were placed directly on the stove or on a skillets bottom.

The colonists introduced them in the United States and they became popular next to the ham and egg breakfast. The American muffins resemble as style, moisture and preparation the very common quick bread. They originally contained potato flour and this caused carbon producing inside the batter and made it rise.

They were baked inside individual molds and started introducing, ham, oaks and berries as main flavor, separately of course. After baking powder was invented in1857, the muffin recipe changed and became more versatile. The batter was easier to make and the bakers started to introduce chocolate chips as an established flavor. By the 19th century muffins raved all over the streets of England and United stats and were present in every bakery and tea shop.

The very popular children song Do you know the muffin man/ That lives on Drury Lane originated from the very funny habit of English bakers to dress up with muffin caps and walk on the streets this way in order to attract clients. In United States muffins became so famous that almost every state adopted a muffin recipe as its own brand. This is how Alabama has butter pecan muffins, Texas "corn bread muffins, Massachusetts adopted corn muffins and New York the apple muffin.

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Discover Nature's Perfect Food-Virgin Olive Oil

By Beth Allen

Olive oil is clearly one of the good oils, one of the healing fats. Olive oil is a natural juice which preserves the aroma, vitamins, taste and properties of the olive fruit.

For a healthy diet, one or two teaspoons of extra virgin olive Oil should be added to most of your meals. There is a large body of clinical data to show that consumption of olive oil can provide heart health benefits such as favorable effects on cholesterol regulation and LDL cholesterol oxidation, and that it exerts anti-inflamatory, anti-thrombotic, anti-hypertensive as well as vasodilatory effects both in animals and in humans.

From a natural health perspective, olive oil is the magic bullet of nutrition and a healthy diet. Spanish researchers suggest that including olive oil in your diet may also offer benefits in terms of colon cancer prevention. For more than 5000 years olive oil has been part of the human diet. We have to return to eating a more traditional diet to reverse our pandemic of chronic disease, and high quality olive oil can safely be included in that diet.

Virgin olive oil is better than more refined oil because it contains polyphenols that work as antioxidants to keep your heart healthy. Virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, has an acidity less than 2%, and is judged to have a good taste. Virgin oils are categorized and graded in two ways, one is chemical and the other organoleptic (taste). Virgin olive oil that is judged to have no defects is classified as extra. But while all types of olive oil are sources of monounsaturated fat, extra virgin olive oil, from the first pressing of the olives, contains higher levels of antioxidants, particularly vitamin E and phenols, because it is less processed.

The best-quality oils are called cold-pressed, a chemical-free process that involves only pressure and which produces oils that are low in acidity. When buying olive oil you will want to obtain a high quality extra virgin oil. In North America, Italian and Spanish olive oils are the best-known, and top-quality extra-virgin oils from Italy, Spain Albania and Greece are sold at high prices, often in "prestige" packaging.

Olive oil is best suited for using uncooked in dishes where you can appreciate its exquisite aroma and flavor. It can enhance the flavor of a salad or be used to marinate meat or fish. Add flavor to olive oil by infusing the oil with a sprig of rosemary or other dried herbs. The result is a full-bodied, deeply-colored olive oil that can be appreciated for its own distinctive bouquet and rich and complex flavor.

The perfect oil for all ages, virgin olive oil is a panacea.

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Why A Healthy Dinner Is Incomplete Without Banana Bread

By Chris Lee

If you have ever eaten banana bread, then you know what a wonderful cap this can be to a healthy dinner. This wonderfully aromatic and delicious bread is a tradition in many homes during the holidays. Of course, banana nut bread is so delicious that it simply seems a waste to only bake it during the holidays.

Banana bread has many good health benefits. Because of the potassium content in bananas, this bread is extremely healthy. The daily requirement of potassium for both men and women is 2,000 milligrams. For children, it is only 1,500 milligrams. The potassium content alone makes banana bread healthy for you.

It helps you to obtain the potassium that your body needs every day. Bananas also contain other vitamins and nutrients including dietary fiber. Bananas have no cholesterol. While banana bread has other ingredients, it still contains the health benefits of bananas. You get a boost of potassium and other nutrients in each slice of banana bread. Banana breads also contain nuts, which are very good for you. There are healthy proteins and other nutrients in nuts.

Who would have thought that something that tastes so good could be so good for you? You can top off your healthy meal with a wonderfully aromatic slice of banana nut bread. With so many people trying to eat healthier, it simply makes sense to have a dessert that is equally as healthy. You could also opt for fresh fruit, but that simply does not have the wholesome taste of freshly baked banana nut bread.

Why not have banana nut bread with breakfast too? It contains the dietary fiber, potassium and other vitamins that can help you to get through your day. You can also make banana muffins to serve at breakfast. While you may enjoy it cold, this bread tastes most delicious when it is right out of the oven. This is absolutely the best way to eat banana bread. Consider adding some ice cream on top for an ala mode. Low-fat ice cream of course. Healthy eating just got a bit better with banana bread.

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Reasons To Remodel Your Kitchen

By Sherie Shoter

Anyone with an older house may want to modernize the kitchen because it will not only make your guests feel more welcome, but also raise the resale value of your house. There are lots of things you can improve upon to modernize your kitchen including redoing the cabinets, adding an island, installing decorative blinds, and repainting the kitchen. All these things will help make your kitchen the highlight of your home.

The kitchen is such an important room in the house that very often by just remodeling it you will make the whole house look better. Your guests probably spend most of their time in and around the kitchen as people usually gather where the food is. If you spend the time and money to upgrade your kitchen, your guests will love it and it will also increase the resale value of your home.

Prospective house buyers always head straight to the kitchen and of course many women list the kitchen as the most important room. Redoing your kitchen will give you the benefits now and a higher price when you go to sell your home. For this reason, if you are thinking of remodeling your house or parts of your house, the kitchen should be right at the top.

Kitchen design is a big business and you can spend a just about as much money as you want remodeling your kitchen. Because it can be so expensive, it is important to choose the main aspects of the kitchen that you want to change that will make the biggest overall impact. Most people begin with replacing or resurfacing the cabinets because they are such a big part of what you see when you walk in. You can also redo the floors and maybe put in better lighting. By changing the colors in your kitchen and repainting, you will also make a big noticeable change without spending too much money.

If you have a large enough kitchen, you might also want to consider installing an island that will help your older kitchen look more modern. This would only work if your kitchen is big enough and to put in an island in too small a kitchen would be counterproductive. All in all, redoing your kitchen can do wonders for the overall look of the main floor in your house and spending money on your kitchen is often money well spent.

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Saturday, July 25, 2009

Essential Oils and Summer Garden Cuisine

By Uma Thorne

Spring?s seeds are finally turning into the fruits of summer! We?ve already worked our way through some of the leafy greens, such as chard, mustard and butter lettuce. Now we?re waiting on our heirloom tomatoes and carrots. Since last year?s blueberry success, you?re confident in this year?s prize of the garden: juicy peaches. Regardless of what specialties you?re nurturing this year, the long months of summer make us pause in gratitude for what the earth offers us each growing season.

For much of the year, our produce is trucked in from distant farmlands. Once summer arrives, though, everyone gets the chance to claim their birthright as gardeners and cultivators of their own food. What?s best, local summer harvests allow us to experiment with simple, nutritious meals. With very little effort, a meal of fresh vegetables and summer fruits can become a lavish feast. And if your simple cuisine asks for a hint of the exotic, you can harvest a bouquet of flavors from the most unlikely of places: your aromatherapy medicine chest.

When buying aromatic oils, you should always strive to use medicinal-grade oils. These oils come from huge amounts of plant material, so it?s wise to use high-quality oils from reliable sources. Of course we already consider this when we buy aromatherapy products for external use. However, committing to therapeutic-grade oils has a secret bonus: you can use these oils in food as well. If you?ve never seen your aromatherapy collection this way, just remember that smell has more control over our sense of flavor than even our taste buds do. Keeping that little fact in focus, here are some fun ways to use essential oils in your summer cuisine.

First and foremost, let?s address the issue of food safety. Essential oils are, obviously, plant-derived substances. While you may not want to eat a hunk of frankincense resin straight from the tree, frankincense is still a naturally occurring substance. It is not poisonous in small quantities, but it may make you want to brush your teeth immediately. Many essential oils are expressly dangerous for internal consumption, such as wintergreen and birch, but other oils can be used in small quantities for internal health as well as for cooking. In fact, the FDA has qualified many of the common essential oils as GRAS, Generally Recognized as Safe, substances. This means that, although they are not labeled as food additives, they can be internalized without apparent side-effects. When considering which oils to cook with, this is a good rule of thumb: essential oils of citruses, spices and other commonly-eaten foods are probably going to make good additions to your cuisine. Just be cautious when using essential oils that are known to irritate mucous membranes, such as cinnamon, oregano and peppermint.

How can essential oils improve your summer harvest? Let?s first consider one of the gifts of the Mediterranean region: the citruses. Oils like grapefruit and lemon blend nicely with olive oil for simple, tangy dressings. All it takes is one drop of oil per tablespoon of oil, and your salad will be transformed. Love guacamole? Try a few drops of lime oil mixed with ripe avocado and serve it with chips or jicama slices. Still munching on this spring?s spinach? Mandarin orange essential oil, which smells outrageous, is refreshing drizzled on greens. How about beverages? Oils add dimension to juices and fizzy waters, too. By mixing grapefruit, mandarin and lime in equal parts, seltzer water is transformed into a healthy citrus soda without the sweeteners found in commercial brands. As with all aromatic oils, though, don?t overdo it. Thankfully, a little bit of oil goes a long way.

What about the group of essential oils derived from well-known cooking spices? Sweet marjoram, basil, ginger, thyme, oregano and bay can all be used to enhance food. Try blending sweet basil oil in with a tomato-mozzarella-Italian parsley pasta, or put a drop of ginger oil in your summer cabbage and mushroom stir fry. Like your coffee with cardamom, Arabian-style? One drop of this oil transforms regular coffee into a delicious treat (hint: try this drink iced!). Cooking spice essential oils tend to be surprisingly strong, so again, don?t be liberal with them. Too much oregano or thyme oil will definitely ruin an otherwise balanced dish, so be careful. It?s also usually a good idea to wait to throw the oils in until the food is nearly done cooking, thereby reducing the chance of evaporation before you?re able to enjoy your creation.

Essential oils can also be used when making sweets. Vanilla and cacao essential oils infuse foods with their distinctly delicious flavors without the addition of refined sugar. And, different from extracts, essential oils do not contain alcohol, the substance used to distill food flavorings out of plant matter. For many, a couple of drops of vanilla bean essential oil in a cookie recipe tastes better than the sugary, chemical concoctions we find in commercially-made desserts. The same goes for cacao. Think baking chocolate! Dark, bitter yet definitely "chocolate." Lucky for us, the chemical constituents of chocolate that make us feel happy are best found in the darkest cacao. Toss a couple of drops of cacao essential oil in your yogurt and experience the elation of a chocolate high without the guilt!

We think of summer cuisine, and its accompanying picnics and patio parties, year-round. The season's harvest helps us eat right and participate in the cultivation of our own food, a rare treat for many living in urban environments. Using aromatic oils to add variety and spice to our diet is easy and often enables us to forgo unnecessary trips to the grocery for specialty items. This summer, when a friend stops by unannounced and you're down to rice milk and coffee, don't despair. Take a drop of grapefruit oil and turn water and ice into a refreshing citrus drink. After all, that's how it's done in the summertime!

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6 Top Cooking Ideas for Beans

By Matthew Kaplan

Whether on top of a pile of rice or with a plate of hot dogs, beans are a delicious and tasty addition to any meal. Full of protein, fiber and nutrients, beans are flavorful and good for you too. Unfortunately all to often, most people think of beans in its canned form. It does not have to be that way. Let these tips show you how to properly cook and enjoy beans. Discover the taste possibilities of beans.

Get Dry Beans: Avoid the temptation of pre-made or canned beans. Sure, they may save you time, but dry beans are better because you get to control all the flavors. Dry beans are really cheap too.

Soak The Beans: The beans will taste the same even if you skip this step, but your intestines will not react well. Soaking the beans accomplishes two major tasks. One is that is softens the beans to shorten cooking time. Another is that it removes excess gas from the beans, dramatically decreasing the negative side effects beans can have within our digestive systems. Soak beans for as long as possible, ideally overnight. Do not boil the beans in the soaking water. The soaking water contains all the excess gas, so cooking the beans in the soaking water just reintroduces the gas back into the equation. After soaking, thoroughly drain, rinse and pat dry the beans to ensure that all of the excess gas is gone.

Cook Simply: Beans have a lot of subtle flavors. Cooking dry beans with other ingredients can sometimes overpower the natural flavor of beans. It is always easier to add flavors than to subtract flavors. Unless you plan on eating the beans on its own, add other flavors to the equation when you combine the beans with other ingredients. I like to boil my beans with some onions and maybe a little pepper.

Give The Beans Time: Even after the soaking process, dry beans still take a long time to cook. Typically, dry beans take about 1 to 2 hours to cook in a boiling pot on the stove top. Beans are easy to make, just not fast. Do not rush the beans. Be patient with the beans and your patience will be rewarded.

Give The Beans Room: Beans expand. The beans will expand during the cooking and soaking process. During soaking and cooking, put the beans in large containers to give the beans room to expand. It is unfortunate when cooked beans spill out of the cooking vessel all over your cooking space.

Cook In Advance: Dry beans can take a long time to cook. On weeknights, rarely do people have the time or patience to wait two hours for the beans to cook. If you want to enjoy beans on a night where you have little free time to cook, just make a big batch of beans beforehand. Over the weekend, make a big pot of beans and then store them in the refrigerator. Reheat the beans when needed.

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Some Pointers To Make Your Birthday Cake Remarkable

By Chris Lee

The focal point of any birthday party is normally the cake. Whether you are planning your own birthday or one for someone else, you need to make the birthday cake a remarkable one. There are a few tips to help you with this. If you are planning to buy your cake from a bakery, then be specific about what you want. You will find most bakers to be very helpful when designing your perfect cake.

You should take into consideration who the cake is for. It is important that the cake be a reflection of the birthday person. Be sure that you are keeping their personality in mind. Even if you are purchasing a cake for yourself, it should match your own personality. Have a cake designed that will suit your own style and personality.

If you are a cake decorator, then you should keep a few things in mind as well. Be sure that you take the size of the cake into consideration. Be sure that you are baking the correct size birthday cake. You want to have a size large enough to feed guests, but small enough that it will not cave or fall if you are making a tiered cake. Be sure that you are keeping the cake's structure in mind before you begin baking it.

Be sure that you are following a specific theme when you are baking your own birthday cake. If you have not yet chosen your theme, then be sure to secure it before you begin the cake creation process. Be certain that the theme is in keeping with the personality of the birthday boy or girl. Be sure also to match the theme of your cake to the party's theme. You want to ensure that your overall party is a success as well as the cake. It is very important that your themes for the cake and party match.

You will find that choosing the perfect birthday cake is much easier than you think. No matter what your theme, you can find an amazing birthday cake that will be the hit of any party. Remember, the birthday cake is the most important aspect of many birthday parties, so choose wisely.

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Chicken Salad Or No Salad At All

By Chris Lee

Most people know that salads contain fresh vegetables which are very healthy. Chicken is also a very healthy food. When you add the two together, you get an amazingly healthy and completely delicious meal all in one dish. There are several recipes for chicken salad and all are equally delicious. Many people like to simply add chicken to their salad.

Alternatively, there are many healthy recipes for cold chicken salad as well. No matter what you like in your salad, adding certain foods like nuts and fruit can add to the health benefits. Nuts contain good proteins and make chicken salad a kids' favorite as well. Although most people add mayonnaise to chicken salad, there are other considerations that are healthier.

You might want to add some fat free mayonnaise instead of the traditional version. Alternatively, you can delete the mayo from your recipe and go with fresh herbs and spices.Try different versions of this dish adding different ingredients recommended by your favorite healthy cookbook. Head to the internet and you can find various versions of chicken salad that are all healthy and delicious.

During the summer months, add fresh goodies from your garden. You can add fresh scallions, garlic and other garden goodies to spice up your favorite recipe. If you buy your chicken salad already made, make sure that you read the labels. Even light chicken salad that is pre-prepared can contain a lot of fat. You may love chicken salad, but be sure that you also love what is in your salad. A good rule of thumb when purchasing pre-made chicken salad is to be sure you can pronounce all the ingredients.

Chicken salad is a delicious food, but only when it is prepared fresh and includes fresh ingredients. If you are eating chicken salad that contains fatty or unhealthy additives, then you are simply defeating the purpose. If you make your chicken salad yourself, you will know that you are eating healthy ingredients. Don't be afraid to make too much, you can always eat leftovers the next day. Throw in some celery and carrot sticks and you have a delicious and healthy lunch already prepared. It is also a delicious dish that gives you not only a full serving of vegetables, but healthy, lean protein as well. Consider cranberries, grapes and nuts to give your salad not only a boost in taste, but in health benefits as well.

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Why Eating Chicken is Positive For Your Health

By Chris Lee

Nearly everyone in the world knows that chicken is much healthier for you than beef. Beef is filled with fats, while chicken has lean protein that is much healthier. Medical professionals encourage their patients, particularly those with heart disease, to consume chicken at least three times each week. Research has been done on the results of substituting chicken for beef or pork in those older people who have AMD. People who are fifty or older have a much higher risk of contracting macular degeneration or AMD.

The risks of other age-related diseases as well as heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, can also be reduced by eating chicken. It is also important to add fresh fruits and vegetables to your daily food intake. Since most people enjoy the flavor of chicken, this should not be a problem.

Chicken can be prepared in many delicious and healthy ways. Whether you prefer your chicken baked, grilled or topping a nice salad, as long as you are eating it, you are adding to your overall health. Typically speaking, if you were to drop your intake of red meats such as beef and more fatty meats like pork, and replace these with chicken and fish six days out of seven, you would soon see the benefits for yourself. You can lower your risk of heart disease, lose fat and enjoy healthier blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

While there are many ways to become healthier, eating chicken is one of the most delicious. Taking this step can lower your risk for many age-related conditions. Choose some recipes that will allow you to prepare your chicken in a healthier way and you will soon see your risks for certain diseases dropping. The protein in chicken is not fatty, which is what you get when you eat red meats and pork.

Among all the meats that you can eat, chicken is one of the healthiest, providing you with lean proteins. Do not be afraid that you will grow to hate chicken if you eat too much, there are many ways that you can prepare it that are all different. You can literally prepare chicken in a new way every day for weeks and never eat the same dish twice. While other meats are available, they will simply not give you the health benefits and versatility of dishes as chicken.

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Friday, July 24, 2009

Homemade Deep Fried Food

By Kristen Thorpe

Okay, we all know that deep fried food is bad for us, but sometimes it may be hard to resist the taste of some of our deep fried favorites. It may be the urge to have a piece of crunchy deep fried chicken for dinner one night or simply an irresistible urge for some hot French fried. I know there are times when I really love a dish of fried clams. You don't have to go to a fast-food restaurant to get your favorite fried foods because it's easy to make it at home with a deep fryer.

And really, there's nothing quite the same as the taste and crunch of homemade fried food. You'll find there are many quality deep fryers available that make deep-frying food at home much more convenient than you would expect. For example, Italian manufacturer DeLonghi makes a nice variety of popular deep frying machines including it's Dual Zone fryer, its deluxe Roto Fryer and their Cool Touch frying machine. Other brands include Fry Daddy and George Foreman with its new Lean Mean Deep Frying Machine.

You'll have fun making a lot of great dishes with your own deep fryer - and there's no shortage of recipes since there are many deep frying cookbooks as well as many deep frying recipes available free on the internet. A quick look on the web will show you lots of tasty deep frying recipes for almost any food including meats, veggies, seafood, desserts, and other popular dishes.

Are you looking for a simple recipe such as the foodie favorite battered onion rings? You can find many variations of recipes for this sinful goodie - in addition to the onions, most of the recipes will commonly include the batter ingredients of cornmeal, flour, spices such as pepper and salt, and egg. Once you've sliced the onions, you'll soak them in a dish of milk before dipping them in your batter. Then you drop them into your hot deep-fryer and within minutes you'll have a batch of delicious fresh hot onion rings to eat.

Another favorite is fritters including seafood fritters like lobster, oyster, and clam-based fritters as well as ham fritters and green bean fritters. The common ingredients in these dishes generally feature eggs, breadcrumbs, mashed potatoes, and various spices. Once the ingredients are combined, fritters are either rolled into balls or dropped by spoonfuls into the hot oil of the deep fryer.

Another popular deep fried batter is made using beer - there are recipes for beer battered vegetable and beer battered chicken too. These can be a treat as an appetizer for an upcoming gathering or as part of your main meal. Once you've tasted homemade deep fried food, you'll probably never want fried food from a fast food restaurant again.

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