Chocolates Can Create Gourmet Foods

By Spencer Albright

Chocolate is one of the most delectable foods in the world. You can make sumptuous gourmet food out of it. Just the mere thought of this sweet cocoa can make you drool. It is exceptionally palatable. Definitely, any dish that has chocolate in it excites your taste buds.

Dining in fancy restaurants has never been boring. You and your sweet tooth may explore a number of gourmet foods made from chocolate. You can also cook by yourself and turn your kitchen into a magical world of cooking. Here is a delightful dish that you can make at home.

Try the Chocolate and Banana French Toast. It is a European gourmet food. Here are the ingredients: 2 whole eggs, 1/4 cup of evaporated milk, 2 tablespoons of sugar, sliced white or wheat bread, grated chocolate of any brand, banana, 2 tablespoons of butter, and chocolate syrup. You can easily find these ingredients in the market.

Making the dish is really easy. All you need to do is first mix the eggs, milk and sugar in a large bowl. You can use a whisk to come up with a very favorable consistency.

Then chop the banana into thin slices. Get the white bread and then grate some chocolate on top of it. Then put in the banana. Sprinkle it again with grated chocolate, and then put another slice of bread on top. Turn the stove at low heat and then put the pan.

Then dip the sandwich into the mixture you previously did. Make sure that the sandwich is coated entirely. Just make sure that the filling doesn't leak out of the sandwich. After both sides are carefully coated, put it in the pan.

Cook the sandwich until both sides are golden brown. Once you have taken in out of the pan, you can now cut it in half or in several pieces. Drizzle it with chocolate syrup and then serve.

There you have it! A gourmet food made from chocolate. You can serve it in your breakfast or during your snack time. You can also use it as your potluck on parties. Just remember, wash your hands before and after making this delicious dish.

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Where Does a Lobster Live?

By Sherry Shantel

Be it ever so humble, where does a lobster call home? Lobsters live in the coastal regions around the world. Once shunned and now cultivated for human consumption, lobsters have come to be one of the most sought-after delicacies in the world.

A lobster newborn doesn't look much like his parents. Mother lobsters lay as many as 10,000 eggs, and if this lobster baby is real lucky, he'll be one of the 10 out of that number that lives to maturity. The mortality rate is exceptionally high amongst lobster babies. Many of them get eaten during their first two weeks of life while living in the upper three feet of the ocean. During this stage of his life, he will molt three times.

Once the baby lobster has reached stage four, he has learned to swim well. He will spend this stage looking for a permanent place to live on the ocean floor. In the coastal regions around Cape Cod, he will pick out a home in the salt marsh peat. In coastal waters around Maine, his preference will be an area with cobble (small rocks) on the bottom.

The cobble provides many hiding spots where he can just lay around and let food come drifting down to him. The coast of Maine is particularly ideal for this purpose, because the water is clean and cold with a rocky bottom.

After molting once more and moving into stage five of his life, the lobster moves into his new ocean bottom home. During his first year he spends the majority of his time hiding in his crevice or tunnel in order to keep from being eaten by his numerous predators. After this first year he spends a lot of time during the next three years hiding in the ocean bottom kelp and seaweed while looking for food.

Before reaching maturity our lobster will seldom attempt to swim out in the open ocean. His survival instincts tell him that it isn't safe there, and he's right. If he ventured out too far, he'd be eaten within minutes. Only when he reaches maturity does he make another move which will most like be to an area with larger rocks. Other choice residences can be in sandy or muddy areas reaching out to the edge of the continental shelf. He always looks for a one-lobster dig, because he prefers to be alone.

Wherever there are lobsters, there will be fishermen. Between the fishermen and natural predators, most lobsters don't live very long lives. However, historically some lobsters have been noted to have achieved larger sizes and longer life spans. Colonials, for example, recorded that some of the lobsters they found were five or six feet in length.

Lobsters don't get the chance to grow as large in this era of modern fishing techniques. The biggest one on record was caught in 1977 just off the coast of Nova Scotia. It measured in at somewhere between three and four feet, and it weighed a mighty 44 pounds, 6 ounces. It was estimated that he was around 100 years old. How about that!

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Get Your Live Maine Lobsters Direct

By Sherry Shantel

I can't think of anything else more wonderful to enjoy from Maine than the delicious tasty Maine lobsters that this state is know for.

While unpacking, and feeling blue because he has left his home state of Maine, he suddenly gets excited, because he knows the joy of what he has brought back. One more taste of the delicious lobster his state is known for sends him into a delightful daydream of this culinary favorite.

While you are in Maine, you will see many signs advertising lobsters for sale-you can buy the live seafood for yourself and take it home with you.

The quality of the lobsters depends on the freshness. If you aren't lucky enough to be in Maine, you can have this same fresh quality delivered straight to your door. There are many companies that will send your lobster favorites overnight, for your enjoyment.

When these lobsters are sent out to you, they are shipped very carefully and packaged in an insulated box with an ice pack to retain the freshness. This keeps your lobster cold and provides a constant supply of ocean water needed to ensure the freshness.

When the lobsters are shipped to you, they are shipped in an insulated box with an ice pack and moist paper. This helps to keep your lobster cold and provides a constant supply of ocean water. Thus, every effort is made to assure you of the finest quality of fresh seafood that you could ever imagine.

All live lobsters are caught daily off the coast of Maine and New Hampshire. These are then sent to you directly. You can be sure that your lobster has not been in a tank waiting a long time for you to order one. Most of the lobsters are caught the day before arriving to your door.

Enjoy something sweet, delicious, and succulent. Enjoy some Maine Lobsters. Have a seafood feast soon. Don't put it off; you know you are craving the taste all of Maine is talking about-Live Maine Lobsters! Enjoy eating something that is nutritious and good for your health. Buy some live Maine lobsters and eat hearty!

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Can You Cook Live Lobsters Humanely?

By Sherry Shantel

Advocates for animal rights will protest the practice of putting live lobsters into boiling water. Their concerns are based on whether or not the lobster is capable of feeling pain. They believe that there has to be a better way to cook live lobsters.

There has been a lot of scientific research done to try to determine the amount of pain a lobster actually feels. While not being totally conclusive the findings have been good news for people who love to eat fresh lobster.

A lobster has a brain about the same size as a grasshopper has which is pretty minute for a larger animal like a lobster. Lobsters brains are lacking in the complexity human brains have which means a lobster is unable to think.

Because of this lack, it is also extremely doubtful that a lobster is able to feel pain the way people do. Based on these findings, the practice of cooking live lobsters continues. Three common methods of cooking a live lobster are by steaming, boiling, or grilling.

To steam a lobster you need to start with a four to five gallon pot which is the ideal size for steaming six to eight pounds of lobster. Put about two inches of seawater (if you have access to it) or other salted water in the bottom of the pot. Put your steaming rack inside the pot, and bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the live lobsters one at a time. Put the lid on the pot and start timing. One pound of lobster takes approximately 10 minutes to steam. With six to eight pounds, it will take closer to an hour. Make sure that you rearrange the lobsters in the pot half way through the cooking process.

For every 1 to 2 pounds of lobster you want to boil, add three quarts of water to your large pot. Calculate the total number of gallons of water in the pot, and add one quarter cup of salt for each gallon. Heat the water to a rolling boil and add the lobsters one at a time. It will take about 8 minutes to boil one pound of lobster. Six to eight pounds will take 50 minutes to an hour. Halfway through the cooking time, stir the lobsters.

Before grilling lobsters, you have to parboil them. Use the same procedure you use when boiling lobsters, but only boil them for five minutes. Remove the lobsters immediately and plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking process, and then drain them thoroughly. On a cutting board, lay a lobster on its back. Split it down the center with a sharp knife and remove both the black vein in the tail and the sand sac near the head. Use butter or oil to baste the lobsters before placing them flesh-side down on the grill for five to six minutes. Turn them over, re-baste, and finish cooking another four or five minutes.

There are still people who shy away from lobsters that are cooked live, but most have come to accept the fact that the lobsters do not suffer. Cooking a live lobster is the way to experience the freshest lobster meat available. Not only can you purchase live lobsters at restaurants and supermarkets, there are also many wonderful online seafood shops that promise the very freshest lobster delivered to your door overnight.

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Color of Maine Lobsters: The Truth

By Sherry Shantel

Maine lobsters are not red! I know the ones you see in all the pictures in magazines and restaurant menus are red, but; that is not their natural color. In fact, Maine lobsters are naturally found as being greenish-brown or black in color. They may also be found as blue, yellow or even white. One out of every 30 million lobsters born has a blue shell.

Black holes or marks on a lobster's shell are the result of much wear and tear. And these are usually an indication of an older lobster who hasn't recently shed its shell. Marks or holes are not harmful at all.

The color of a lobster's shell does not affect its flavor or its texture. When cooked, all of the color pigments except for the red are hidden. That is why when you have completely cooked the lobster, it takes on the beautiful red hue.

Cooking a lobster longer than necessary makes the meat tough. When cooked properly, lobster meat is creamy white in color. The shells are bright red and the front antennae are easily removed.

Live Main Lobster can be boiled, grilled, steamed, or baked. The white meat of the lobster is located in its tail, knuckles, and claws. Meat is also located in parts of the body and the legs. The red substance in the tail section is the roe, or female eggs and is considered a delicacy. The green matter at the section of the body and tail is known as tomalley, which is the liver, and has a peppery taste, used in many recipes.

Eating tomalley on a regular basis is not recommended. Contaminants may settle in the liver, as it does with other animals, so it is best to refrain from too much.

Main lobsters are delicious and nutritious! Remember, go light on the butter. This seafood has less calories, saturated fats, and calories than that of lean beef, pork, or skinless chicken. Lobster provides a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. These have shown to reduce hardening of the arteries and the risk of heart disease.

Celebrating any occasion by eating lobster would make it special. This delight is sweet, succulent, and tasty. Look for fresh Maine lobsters. Remind yourself, you are not looking for a red creature to begin with. It will be red when is ready to consume and enjoy.

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A Passion for Pink Stuff

By Ian Tyrrell

A popular new trend has began to appear in the world of high fashion and home decorating: the use of the colour pink. What began as a fashion statement has become a personal obsession, as pink lovers discover new ways to use pink in every aspect of their daily lives. The history of pink provides interesting insight into the rising popularity of the colour pink.

The History of Pink - Pink has been used as a colour in fashion and make-up for centuries. However, it was only after the second World War that pink became associated with femininity. Before World War II, baby boys were often dressed in pink, as red was viewed as a masculine colour, and pink was just a "watered down" red. (By contrast, baby girls were typically dressed in blue.) However, after World War II, pink began to be associated with traditional womanhood.

As women began to return from the wartime factories into the home in the 1950s, there was a rise in consumer goods, which prompted women to purchase more pink products. (Pink represented the blush of health and vitality, and was particularly popular as a make-up color.) Audrey Hepburn, the great icon of 1950s femininity, appeared in the film "Funny Face" in 1957, which included the song "Think Pink." The pink-clad Barbie doll was also introduced in the 1950s, further linking the color pink to girlishness. In the 1960s, pink became the color of anti-masculinity in film "The Pink Panther". In the 1980s, songs like "Pink Cadillac" and "Pretty in Pink" played with the idea of pink femininity, and in 2000, the singer Pink emerged on the scene with a shock of hot pink hair.

What Started the present Passion for Pink? - The current pink obsession was probably set in motion by the 2001 film "Legally Blond," in which Reese Witherspoon plays a law student who lives in a world of pink and even has a tiny pink-dressed dog. The comedy showed how a human "Barbie doll" could be tough and smart without losing her girlish femininity. Girls everywhere enjoyed the idea of combining intelligence with girly sexiness, and the popularity of pink products rose even further.

Pink in the Home - Those in search of a rosier world can now find a wide range of ways to decorate their homes in fashionable pink things. Pink can be the dominant colour scheme for a room, or it can be used as an accent colour to bring a little fun to the everyday. In the bedroom, pink blankets and sheets create a cosy haven, with pink fuzzy slippers waiting at the foot of the bed. In the bathroom, pink toothbrushes and shower curtains can create a sense of pampering, and pink clocks and rugs create elegant touches for the living room as well. Pink has even invaded the kitchen. Now pink kitchen accessories are available, from pink kettles and toasters to a pink microwave oven!

Pink Motoring - Those who love pink do not just want it for the home, however. Pink car accessories are now the rage, with pink flashlights, key chains, and even car mats for pink floors. Travellers heading overseas may decide to purchase pink luggage, which not only makes a statement but is easy to spot at the airport.

The True Pink Lover - There is even a nickname for the true pink lover: a "pink princess." Pink princesses are women who like to enjoy an entire array of pink stuff. For these women, pink can be a whole identity, even a personal statement. These women embrace the two sides of the colour pink: on the one hand, softness, flirtation, and beauty, and on the other hand, elegance and high fashion. Colour psychologists even claim that pink can be a soothing colour. Some studies have shown that violent criminals may behave less violently if they are surrounded by pink walls.

The rise of pink may be driven by these new psychological explanations. Pink lovers are doing more than just choosing a few fashion accessories. They are hoping to "see the world through rose-colored glasses," to use the power of a positive colour to bring more happiness to their lives.

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Ian talks about new automobile trends like pink car mats alternatively known as rose accessoires auto

Watch Cooking Shows and Become An Expert In Gourmet Foods

By Steve Auerbach

Do you want to be a chef? Are you fantasizing about cooking gourmet foods to serve to different people in a restaurant or hotel? If you do, then I highly advise you to read on to find out what goes on inside a chef's kitchen,

If you want to really become a good chef, you need to be passionate about cooking. This will help you achieve your goals. And if you want some sort of free lessons, start watching cooking shows. Today, different cooking shows have emerged, in addition to those that we already watch. Cooking shows can give you bits of helpful information.

Cooking shows are fascinating. The way they are made makes one watch in awe. Similar to famous series shows, cooking programs come in episodes. A studio is set with complete cookware, just like the kitchen in your home except for the fact that you are the only audience in your own kitchen show. Producing a cooking show is not that expensive. Who knows? You might have your own show in the future.

It can be said that you can cook like a chef even without taking culinary courses that cost a fortune. If you watch enough cooking show, you can pick up important tips and advice on how you can whip up a gourmet food without much effort.

The word chef has been mentioned several times already in this article. I guess it's about right to discuss where this term come from. It is derived from the French term "chef de cuisine" which means had of the kitchen. There are two kinds of chef: executive chef and sous chef. Before you can be an executive chef, you first need to be a sous chef.

The next thing you want to do after watching cooking shows is to, of course, cook the food yourself. Referring to cookbooks are always helpful, especially for those who are not that skilled in the kitchen department. Take note that even experts still use cookbooks. You can buy different cookbooks in your local bookstores.

If you want to make gourmet foods, you can get a lot of help from cookbooks. These are loaded with different recipes for gourmet foods. You can even choose from the different cuisines like Asian, Greek, and Italian, for starters. With the help of cookbooks, making gourmet foods is made easy.

Cooking shows, whether contest-like or not, will definitely help you a lot. You should be having fun while learning how to cook, otherwise you will get bored and junk off your interest. Cooking shows did justify this epitome. So, what are you waiting for, grab that pepper grinder and start cooking.

About the Author:

Country Mercantile is a family run company that focuses on in gourmet food, fresh Wahington produce, and specialty chocolates. Don't forget to check out the luxury delicacies like our fan favorite pickled okra. Visit out our online website at http://www.countrymercantile.com