How To Cook Beef Rib Roast

I've mentioned this before but the "prime" in "prime rib" is just a common term, it is not referring to the USDA grade of prime. It's also called a standing rib roast or beef rib roast. [Click here for my 20 Tips for Beef Rib Roasts]
This year I cooked a USDA choice boneless rib roast for Christmas and I used the reverse sear method on my Big Green Egg. I have cooked rib roasts a variety of ways (high temp roast, low temp roast, sear/roast) and in my opinion, a reverse sear gives the most tender and evenly cooked rib roast. If you cook it at 350f straight, you'll end up with the outer edges (the "lip" or "cap") a dull grey medium while only the center is medium rare. Reverse searing a roast creates the same degree of doneness all the way through, edge to edge.
You can do this on any grill that you are comfortable with holding low temps for several hours. Heck, you could also do this method in your oven and broiler, but I promise it would be better on a grill or smoker.
Beef Rib Roast
serves: 8-10
Ingredients
5 lb boneless beef roast, left off refrigeration to temper for up to one hour
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper, coarse ground
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups beef stock
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed but left whole
1 sprig rosemary
Instructions
Set up your grill for indirect heat and preheat to 225f as measured at the grate (250f dome temp on a Big Green Egg).
Tie your roast and season on all sides with a dry rub made of the salt, pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes.
Place the roast on a roasting rack above a roasting pan filled with the stock, garlic, and rosemary.
Place the roasting rack/pan on the grill over the indirect (no coals or heat) area. Roast until the internal temp reaches 10 degrees less than your desired final temperature (see chart).
Rest the roast while you raise the grill temp to 500-550f and change to a direct heat set up.
Remove the garlic and rosemary from the au jus that has formed in the roasting pan and discard. Season au jus with salt and pepper as needed.
Sear the roast directly over the coals for 1 minute per side on all sides.
Allow roast to rest another 10-15 minutes after the sear. Slice and serve.
Notes
For your guests that want more than medium rare, a quick "bath" in beef broth in a heated skillet will quickly make the pink disappear and get the slice of roast to their liking.
Big Green Egg set up details: lump coal, no wood, platesetter in "legs up", V-rack set on top of platesetter and stoneware drip pan.

Broccoli Rice Burrito Recipe

I am telling you… broccoli is everywhere and cheap. So I need to cook off all this broccoli before it goes bad on me.
As the official caterer to my mom and aunt while my grandma was in the hospital, I decided to make something they would both enjoy, knowing how picky and particular my aunt is about vegetarian food. She says she likes it… but then she has certain rules like she only eats avocados with rice… go figure!!!
These burritos are super easy to make… their portable and can be eaten warm or at room temperature. But warm are better in my opinion. Perfect for a picnic, brown-bag lunch and even to bring to someone in the hospital…
Broccoli Rice Burrito
½ broccoli head, florets only
½ cup cooked whole grain rice
2 ounces of cream cheese
1/3 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ cup of toasted walnuts
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves
8 slices of tomato
4 tbs of Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 whole grain flour tortillas or flatbreads
In a medium covered skillet with about ¼ cup of water, add the cooked rice and the broccoli florets. Cover the skillet and over medium heat that bit of water will steam both the rice and the broccoli. After about 10 minutes, just turn off the stove and the rice and broccoli will be done.
Drain any excess water, but there usually isn’t any every time I make it this way. In that same skillet add a drizzle of olive oil, the cream cheese, parmesan, walnuts. Season with salt and pepper and mix well to combine.
You can warm up the tortillas or the flatbreads if you’d like… I do it on the oven or in a skillet, depending on which ones I’ll use. Sometimes, the flatbreads are just perfect as is.
Place about ¼ cup of rice on each tortilla/flatbread. Spread 1tbs of tomatillo salsa over it. Top with the baby spinach and tomato slices. Roll up the tortilla/flatbread and wrap in parchment paper before you put any aluminum foil over it. This way you’ll be able to stick them in the oven to warm up and they’ll stay warm for a while.

Mix Of seafood

Xie Lao Song's (Old Song's Crab) newly opened Chaoyang Lu branch combines two popular culinary elements: seafood and chili. Signature dishes include "fragrant spicy crab" and "fragrant spicy prawn". But you can also find baby lobster, bull frog, beef, fish, and duck, as well as some classic cold and hot dishes on the easy-to-read menu.

Although the "fragrant pots" served in an iron pot might look hot with their deep red color, they are actually not that spicy. You can choose from three levels of spiciness when you order: slightly spicy , moderately spicy , or very spicy . The slightly spicy pot is tastier than the spicy one, thanks to the special sauce that accompanies it.

Most crab costs 65 yuan per 500 g, but there is also one fatter variety going at 85 yuan per 500 g. Two crabs in a pot is good enough for two or three people. The restaurant also offers three different kinds of prawns and shrimps: meaty giant freshwater prawns , chewy greasyback shrimps，and a sweet-tasting red tail prawn . According to one of its managers, the crabs and prawns are freshly brought in from Chinese coastal cities in East and South China.

The hot pot is not the only hot dish as you can tuck into soup, vegetables, meat balls and mushroom, are all kept piping hot by an electric-magnetic hob placed on the table. Average spending is 60 yuan per person. Avail yourself of a 20 percent discount before Aug 28, and 10 percent before Sept 4. The menu has no English translation, but all dishes are illustrated in color. Decor is Chinese style and service can get a bit slow during peak hours.

Spring Roll Is A Traditional Chinese Snack

A spring roll is a traditional Chinese snack, made with a round, thin dough sheet with fillings rolled inside and deep fried in oil. Spring rolls have a long history in China. It is said that the pastry appeared way back in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, when people would make thin cakes with flour and eat them with vegetables on the day of Beginning of Spring. The cakes were called “spring dish” at that time. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, the cakes were all the rage. And the custom was even featured in the poems by the great poets Du Fu and Lu You. In the Tang Dynasty, Spring Dish was also known as “the Five-Spice Dish”, because five hot and spicy ingredients like spring onion and garlic were added in the fillings.
Later, Spring Dishes and Five-Spice Dishes evolved into spring cakes. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there was a custom of “biting spring”, which means welcoming spring by eating spring cakes. The practice was believed to ward off disaster and evil. Along with ever improving cooking skills, spring cakes evolved into spring rolls, which were smaller in size. Spring rolls were included in imperial court snacks.
Today, the making of spring rolls usually involves four steps: dough sheet making, fillings preparing, wrapping and deep frying. There are numerous types of fillings, including shredded pork with chives, shepherd's purses and sweetened bean paste etc. Spring rolls are ready when they are golden in color and come on top of the oil after being fried. When served, the rolls taste better if dipped in sauces. The snacks are crisp outside and fresh inside, really delicious. Spring rolls vary slightly from place to place, with well-known types being Shanghai Spring Rolls and Fuzhou Spring Rolls.

"Wrapping Wonton" Has Become An Activity Favored By Many Foreigners In China

As a sort of traditional food in China, wonton  originated in North China. It was viewed by ancient Chinese as a sealed stuffed bun without holes and therefore was named "Huidun" (meaning chaos). It was later called "wonton" in line with the formation rule of Chinese characters.
Wonton is a flour product made by stuffing and then steaming, boiling or frying. It looked almost the same as dumplings at early stage, and then in the Tang Dynasty these two were distinguished with different names. Wonton wrapper is of square shape with approx. 6cm-long side, or of isosceles trapezoid shape with approx. 5cm-long upper side and 7cm-long lower side; dumpling wrapper is of roundness with a diameter of 7cm. As a delicate flour product, wonton is thinner than dumpling in the wrapper which is transparent after being cooked. The stuffing of wonton is usually made of pork, shrimp meat, vegetables, shallot and ginger. There are many improved types of wonton with different ingredients and cooking styles, such as Sichuan hot and spicy wonton, Wuxi Sanxian wonton (stuffed with pork, dried and shelled shrimps, and preserved szechuna pickle), Guangdong wonton noodle, Hong Kong fried wonton and Shanghai small pork wonton.
Wonton has a long history. There existed numerous wonton restaurants in cities in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Wonton was featured by clear soup and delicate stuffing at that time. Its fineness was ever appraised by poets and was hard to achieve by common people. In ancient times, it was a custom in some regions to eat wonton on the midwinter day, which is said to has bearing on a famous doctor — Zhang Zhongjing. He ever stuffed wonton with medicinal materials on the midwinter day to cure villagers who suffered frostbite. Wonton’s function as a medicinal dish was also recorded in the Compendium of Materia Medica.
Seemingly simple, making wonton is in fact a difficult handiwork. At present, "Wrapping wonton" has become an activity favored by many foreigners in China.

Tofu Nuggetsr Recipe

Kid-friendly tofu nuggets are reminiscent of chicken nuggets and can be dipped in ketchup, barbecue sauce, ranch dressing or any of your favorite salad dressings. You can either bake or fry these easy tofu nuggets.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 block firm or extra-firm tofu, pressed
1/3 cup soymilk
2 tbsp mustard
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
3/4 cup bread crumbs
Preparation:
Whisk together the soymilk, mustard, nutritional yeast and spices until smooth in a wide bowl. Place bread crumbs in a separate bowl.
Coat each piece of tofu with soymilk and mustard mixture first, then coat with bread crumbs. Fry in oil until golden brown, serve with ketchup, barbeque sauce or other dipping sauce and enjoy!
For a lower fat alternative, lay tofu piece on a covered baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, turning once, until golden brown.
Makes 2 servings of vegetarian tofu nuggets.
Nutritional information: (based on baked tofu nuggets)
Calories: 294, Calories from Fat: 75
% Daily Value
Total Fat: 8.3g, 13%
Saturated Fat: 1.2g, 6%
Cholesterol: 0mg 0%
Sodium: 909mg, 38%
Total Carbohydrates: 40.9g, 14%
Dietary Fiber: 5.7g, 23%
Sugars: 5.9g
Protein: 16.0g
Vitamin A 1%, Vitamin C 3%, Calcium 25%, Iron 29%

Flour Food Has Been Popular With The Chinese People Since Ancient Times

Flour food has been popular with the Chinese people since ancient times. Flour of various materials is used to make all types of delicacies using an awful lot of cooking ways, such as steaming, boiling, frying, roasting, frying and stewing etc. Common flour food include noodles, dumplings, wontons, stuffed buns, steamed bread and so on.The Chinese flour food culture originated from the Yellow River Basin, where simple flour food was made in remote ancient times. In the Spring and Autumn Period, flour food was generally referred to as “cakes”. There appeared things similar to steamed bread, boiled dough slices, fried pastry and noodles etc. And there were cooking utensils like pans and steamers especially used for making flour food.
In the Tang and Song Dynasties, Chinese flour food underwent further development. Meanwhile, exchanges with other countries on flour food were carried out. As a result, various flavors and styles of Chinese flour food took shape in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, when large-scale pastry bakeries were mushrooming in the market. Well-known products included palace pastry in Beijing and Jiuyuan stuffed buns in Sichuan.
Flour food has a long history in China. Take the most common type, noodles, for example. Noodles can be dated back to the Eastern Han Dynasty according to historical records. They are a type of food made into long and thin strips through rubbing and pulling dough pieces formed by pressing or rolling flour dough. Noodles can be boiled, stir-fried, braised or deep-fried. It is said that during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Gao Ze, Emperor of the Northern Qi Dynasty, loved eating tangbing (soup with dough slices, similar to today’s noodles). So much so, he held a banquet and treated his court officials to tangbing.
Noodles are considered as a symbol of longevity in China. That’s why a “tangbing feast” would be held as a birthday celebration on the third day of a baby’s birth, the completion of its first month of life, or the first birthday. There’s a saying in China that goes like this: “The best Chinese noodles are in Shanxi and the best Shanxi noodles are in Taiyuan.” There are numerous types of noodles in Shanxi. The cooking ways are special, with great emphasis on the vegetables and meat served with the noodles. The main types include hand-pulled noodles, knife-sliced noodles, rubbed noodles and helou noodles (made from coarse food grains) etc.
Well-known noodles in other parts of China include Fried Sauce Noodles in Beijing, Plain Noodles in Shanghai and Hand-Pulled Noodles with Beef in Lanzhou, to name just a few.

Moo Shu Pork Recipe

Moo shu pork (also spelled moo shi pork or mu xu pork) is a dish of northern Chinese origin, possibly originally from Shandong. This dish is believed to have first appeared on the menus of Chinese restaurants in the United States in the late 1960s, and is also a staple of American chinese cuisine.
In its traditional Chinese version, moo shu pork consists of sliced or shredded pork chop meat and scrambled eggs, stir fried in sesame and/or peanut oil together with thinly sliced wood ear mushrooms (black fungus) and day lily buds. Thinly sliced bamboo shoots may also be used. The dish is seasoned with minced ginger and garlic, scallions, soy sauce, and rice cooking wine (Chinese yellow wine).
The bottom of the pancake is folded up slightly (to prevent the contents from falling out), and the pancake is either folded or wrapped from left to right, in the manner of a soft taco. Unlike the practice in wrapping a burrito, the top is usually not folded over, as the pancake is generally eaten immediately and thus there is no danger of the food falling out of the top, which is the part which is eaten first. Because the dish often contains a great deal of liquid, care must be taken that the pancake does not become soaked through and break during rolling or eating.
Today, I ‘ll sharing you a easy way to make this tasty chinese dish.
Recipe: Moo shu pork
Nutritional Analysis: 1 serving equals 564 calories, 17 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 69 mg cholesterol, 1,111 mg sodium, 63 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 38 g
protein.
Ingredients for Moo shu pork
* 1/4 cup cold water
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot
* 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
* 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
* 2 teaspoons sesame oil
* 3 cups coleslaw mix with carrots
* 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
* 5 (4 ounce) boneless pork loin chops, cut into thin strips
Method to cook Moo shu pork
1, In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, water, soy sauce and ginger until blended; set aside. In a large skillet, saute pork and garlic in oil for 3-5
minutes or until meat is no longer pink.
2, Stir cornstarch mixture and add to the skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in hoisin sauce. Add coleslaw mix;
stir to coat. Spoon about 1/2 cup pork mixture into the center of each tortilla; roll up tightly.
Moo shu pork is a wonderful dish, and you may make some significant adjustments of your own.

Stir Fried Beef

This is my very first foray into stir frying beef. After taking inspiration from Simcooks, I proceeded to the supermarket, bought myself some beef flank slices, spring onions and ginger and did this. As I did not memorise her recipe, I more or less guessed the seasoning involved. There was an added bit of anxiety as we had two friends over for dinner and I was going to serve them something I am cooking for the first time. Glad they liked it.
Some of the beef flank slices were a bit chewy – must be the ligaments or tendon or what-not. If you see some whitish looking “rubber” in the meat, just slice it offThis is my recipe for Stir Fried Beef with Ginger and Spring Onions
Ingredients
　　350 grammes of beef flank or tender slices
　　8 slices of old ginger (have more if you are using young ginger)
　　5 cloves of garlic (chopped)
　　3 stalks spring onions (cut to 6 cm lengths)
　　30 ml warm water
　　Corn starch (add 1 tablespoon corn flour to 3 tablespoons of water and mix well)
　　1 1/2 tablespoons Cooking oil (palm oil)
Seasoning
　　2 teaspoons oyster sauce
　　Salt to taste
　　a dash of white pepper powder
　　a dash of black pepper powder
　　1 teaspoon chinese cooking wine
Method
Heat oil in wok and fry ginger till aromatic. Add garlic and continue to saute till beginning to brown. Add beef and spring onions and stir fry whilst adding seasoning. Stir fry till beef changes colour like above. Finally, add about 2 tablespoons of corn starch and stir well prior to serving.If you find it too dry, add water gradually. If you added too much water, add a bit of corn starch to thicken the gravy.

Delicious Asion Food

One of the earliest dishes I tried out at Japanese restaurants was the Chicken Teriyaki. Lightly grilled and basted with the mildly sweet teriyaki sauce, the tender pieces of chicken always go well with steamed rice. Though I’ve seen the teriyaki marinade being sold at the supermarket shelves, I never got around to buying them until a few months ago – now that I have an oven at home.I never knew that it was so easy to prepare a dish of oven-roasted chicken teriyaki to perfection but that would be a recipe for another day to share with you. For today, let me share with you what I attempted for the first time which resulted in a thumbs up from my wife Stir-fried boneless chicken with capsicums in teriyaki sauce may be a long name to pronounce but definitely short and easy to cook. Ingredients are simple and cooking time is minimal. I do think that this dish would be better if a couple of slices of onion are included but you won’t be disappointed even if you don’t have it. The capsicums themselves will give a slight robust taste to this dish, not to mention, a crunch to the otherwise tender pieces of chicken.For the chicken, I chose the whole leg of chicken, completely deboned with skin removed. Breast meat may not be suitable as it is less tender. The skin is removed so that the dish will turn out less oily. Moreover, it would not be suitable to stir fry the chicken with meat intact. If you prefer to have the chicken skin on, roasting would be a better option. I never knew chicken teriyaki was so simple, and this recipe could even withstand the toughest restaurant reviews – it’s that delicious

Classify Reactions To Certain Foods

By Richard Foxx There has been a lot of debate about food allergies in recent years. In particular, medical professionals have been trying to classify reactions to certain foods by distinguishing between food allergy and food intolerance. The topic is usually broached with a little skepticism in the health news. After all, a food allergy is a lot more serious than a mere food intolerance -- or is it? Of course an anaphylactic response to a certain food is a very serious health problem. But food intolerances can also cause you a lot of suffering.
You can experience headaches, fatigue, stomach pains, breathing difficulties, achy joints and muscles -- you name it. Whatever your symptoms and health issues, a food intolerance could potentially be the trigger. While many doctors may consider a food intolerance as a psychosomatic problem -- more based in the mind than on any real physiological change in the body -- the concept has been around since the ancient Greeks. The Greeks recognized that some unpleasant symptoms could be specifically linked to the ingestion of certain foods. One of two things can happen to trigger these symptoms: either a message gets sent to your immune system to produce antibodies as a potential defense; or a much slower response takes place in the gastrointestinal system. The first is considered an allergy; the second, a food intolerance.
Another way to look at is that a food allergy is a toxic reaction, while a food intolerance is non-toxic. The bottom line here is that food intolerances are real. The good news is that the best alternative cure is simply to avoid the offending food. This should clear up any symptoms. You can investigate your own food intolerances by trying an elimination diet. If you find yourself suffering from uncomfortable symptoms and don't know the cause, try leaving out one food from your daily meals and see if anything improves. The challenge with food intolerances is that symptoms can appear hours and even days after a triggering food is eaten. It may take a little time to zero in on the one food that is causing symptoms to appear.

Delicious Snacks

Xi'an is hXi'an is honored as the "Capital of Delicacies". If you travel to Xi'an without trying out its local food. Maybe you will feel a bit regretful.Here you can get some information about famous snacks in Xi'an, China. The history of Xi'an is said to be as long as the national's civilization, retaining the table characteristics of the Qin, Han and Tang dynasties. In Xi'an, snacks play the vital role in the citizens' daily lives. A trip to Xi'an it's a nice choice to taste famous Xi'an specialties:

Dumpling Banquet: in the north China, dumping or Jiaozi in Chinese is very popular food. At the banquet, nearly 20 varieties of dumplings that are steamed and stuffed with different delicious fillings such as vegetables, meats and seafood are served, these dumplings are not only tasty, but also characteristic with their colors and fragrance, style and culture meanings, all these make this dinner unique.Tang Dynasty Banquet: Tang Dynasty Banquet is in the style of Tang cuisines, the dishes in the banquets are diverse and plentiful and with special flavor.  It is a perfect choice to taste some interesting food with full of cultures and legends with ancient styles.Beyond the above metioned, there are still many other Xi'an local snacks:

Guan Tang Baozi in Chinese: it means steamed buns filled with sauce. The choices of yours include mutton, beef, prawn, vegetable, or a combination thereof. Trying out this snack at Jia San Soup Parcel Restaurant on Muslim Snack Street is the best place to go.Rou Jia MO(Fan's pancake with stewed meat): It's also a favorite food for the local people. Fanji is the good restaurant where you will have a nice taste with a piece of good-quality (youzhi) bread and a bowl of mung bean flour soup.Buckwheat noodles: according to some research that this food has been in the Yuan Dynasty. It's the staple of the local people, and it's almost always filling and warming.

Yangroupo(steamed buns soaked in mutton soup): a bowl and one or two pieces of flat bread will be served, then you need to tear the hard bread into tiny chunks all by yourself and add them to the soup, after doing this, you can enjoy the delicious.Shannxi Liangpi(Cold Noodles): cold noodles are considered to be a seasoned snack, often offered in summer, but in cold winter, some vendors also offer it.Snacks in Xi'an are plentiful, want to know and try out them, welcome to Xi'an, here, you will eat delicious

Nutrition is Expensive

The medical media is telling the public that a healthy diet is expensive and could make it difficult for Americans to meet new U.S. nutritional guidelines, which tells people to eat more potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin D and calcium. The media and government officials though are leaving out other obvious and important nutrients like magnesium, iodine, bicarbonate, vitamin C and selenium.
The main point that the journal Health Affairs makes is that adding just the nutrients they point to above (potassium, fiber, vitamin D and calcium) would add hundreds more dollars to family's annual grocery bill. The study found introducing more potassium into a diet is likely to add $380 per year to the average consumer's food costs, said professor Pablo Monsivais from the Department of Epidemiology and the School of Public Health at the University of Washington.
Just as food prices are skyrocketing we see that at present consumption costs and patterns, Americans are malnourished and are up a creek without a paddle in terms of being able to afford better diets. Even without survival scenarios the situation is grim in terms of nutritional fitness and people's chances of standing up to the increasing toxic threats, which of course includes increasing levels of radiation due to Fukushima.
And if all that is not bad enough Byron Richards is alerting us to the fact the government actually wants to make nutrition more expensive. "The FDA and Senator Durbin's latest attack against the dietary supplement industry should leave consumers looking for natural health options at affordable prices up in arms. This attack will target some of the most popular and effective dietary supplements, removing them from the free market and placing them under control of large pharmaceutical companies. This move will drastically drive up the price of dietary supplements while severely limiting access to extremely safe and effective nutrients. For example, the GlaxoSmithKline prescription drug version of DHA fish oil (at a therapeutic dose) sells for $189 a month, whereas the equivalent, therapeutic amount of molecularly-distilled DHA sells for $35 a month in the dietary supplement marketplace. Proven to lower triglyceride levels at therapeutic amounts, it is not surprising that DHA is one of the first nutrients the FDA plans to go after."

Quick Korean Food at Home

Cafe Drake never prepares Korean food at home, mainly because it's a Herculean kitchen task to recreate the vast number of dishes typically served at a traditional meal (or at any Korean neighborhood restaurant). Like you we select favorite grill houses based on the largesse of the banchan (complimentary appetizers) selection!

A craving for super spicy tofu stew had to be sated recently however and Cafe D. didn't feel like braving the chilly, pouring rain for a trek to nearby (Korean restaurant enclave) Sunnyside, Queens. Soooo . . . as above, we made a fiery and satisfying tofu and yam stew - it's heat derived from Korean chili peppers and wedges of kimchi - along with brown rice and zucchini namul. Please see our recipe for the latter dish below.

ZUCCHINI NAMUL

Namul are rapidly prepared stir-fried vegetables; generally several varieties are served at the Korean dinner table.

1 T. vegetable oil
2 t. sesame oil
1/2 an onion, sliced thinly
2 medium zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
about 1/2 t. salt or more to taste
2 T. sesame seeds (toasted first in a dry skillet)
Black Pepper
Dried Chile Flakes

Heat the oils in a large frying pan over a medium-high flame. Add the onion and saute for 1 minute. Now add all the other ingredients and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Adjust seasoning. A namul should be quite spicy so add as much chile as you can bear!

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve warm or at room temperature.

Lovely Desserts You Can Make by Yourself

Any Indian festival, including Raksha Bandhan, which is celebrated without eating delicious sweets is unheard of. Sweets with their mouth-watering taste, makes the occasion more grand. Raksha Bandhan, commonly known as Rakhi is a festival which is celebrated to honour the eternal bond between brothers and sisters. Apart from the ritual of tying a Rakhi thread on the brother’s wrist by sisters, exchanged gifts is also an indispensable part of this festival. Once all these customs are completed, siblings feed sweets to each other to celebrate this joyous event.

Thus, on Rakhi 2011, surprise your brother by making him some delicious sweets. Here are some simple dessert recipes which you can prepare yourself at home.

Badam Phirini (Almond Pudding)

badam phirnisIngredients:

2 tbsp rice
2 cups milk
3 tbsp sugar
1/4th cup blanched almonds (sliced)
1/2 tsp kewra essence
1 tsp green cardamom (crushed)

silver or gold foil paper (varak)

How to make badam phirni:

1. Soak rice in water for few hours, then drain water and grind rice into a smooth paste.

2. In a non-stick saucepan bring milk. Over a moderately low heat add rice, sugar and cardamom and stir constantly till milk turns thick.

3. Remove from heat and add almonds

4. Put in serving bowl and chill.

5. Garnish the badam phirni with silver or gold foil paper (varak) and serve.

Doodh Pak

doodh pakIngredients:

1/2 cup Almonds
1 litre Milk 250 grams Sugar
1 teaspoon Saffron
1 teaspoon Cardamom powder
1 1/2 tablespoon Raisins
1 tablespoon Pistachios

Preparation:

1. Soak the almonds in warm water for 1 hour. Peel and grind to a fine paste. Dissolve the saffron in 1 tablespoon of warm milk and keep aside.

2. Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan, stirring constantly. Add the almond paste and simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring regularly.

3. Add the saffron, sugar, pista and raisins. Cook on a very low flame till thick. Sprinkle cardamom powder.

4. Serve doodh pak hot or chilled.

These lip-smaking delicacies will surely make your brother savour its taste for several days.

But, if you are miles away from home, it will not be possible for you to prepare these mouth-watering dishes for your brother. Instead of this, you can make his day special by sending an attractive Rakhi to India along with gifts with the help of GiftstoIndia24x7.com. From men’s wear, accessories, watches to men’s personal care, watches, perfumes, etc, you will find these all here. But, before you send Rakhi to India with gifts, keep your brother’s preference in mind, if you want him to appreciate your gift. You do not want to gift him something which will be ultimately end up in the basement.

If your brother is a teenager, then along with an attractive Rakhi to India, you can send him a latest mobile phone, watch or some stylish men’s jewellery. We offer you mobile phones from popular brands such as Nokia and Samsung so you need not worry about their quality and durability. Hence, send Rakhi to India along with a latest hand-set from our site and make your brother’s day truly memorable. For your working professional brother, you can opt for a pair of cuff-links, neck-ties or some formal wear as Rakhi gifts.

Pubs vs. Bars vs. Clubs vs. Taverns

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I am found of drinking establishments. It would be odd, as a writer of a book covering whisky, if I did not have at least some affection for these sorts of locations.
What's striking to me is how distinctive my needs are for these sorts of places. Or rather, how many places out there cannot meet these needs. Because, when I examine them, these characteristics that I am looking for in a watering hole are, while distinctive, are still quite easy to meet. They are, in no particular order:

• The establishment must create a sense of community. I'm not saying that the drinking place must be an upstanding member of the chamber of commerce or members of the local Fraternal Order of Moose. Instead, these places need to illicit a feeling within the customer that they are part of something special. And by customers, I mean all customers, regardless of age, gender, or social status.
• The place in question must not be intimidating. It must be warm and inviting.
• Finally, it must be a place of celebration, or of laughter. Typically if the other two items are met, this third one will happen by default. But sometimes not, so it is worth mentioning.

What amazes me when it comes to bars, pubs, clubs, and taverns, is how many fail to meet these three items. This suggests to me, as a simple observer, and one who has routinely dismissed any idea of running such an establishment, that either it's quite difficult to hit these marks, or that owners have no idea that these are desirable traits in their business, or that they simply do not care to cater to those who want that out of their social drinking experience.

We see this last point demonstrated in many places. Clubs ( who, almost by definition, seek to exclude) are typically the worst offenders of this, seeking to market themselves to a select clientele, be they under-25 supermodels and celebrities, or white males over the age of 65 who hide out in their Eagles, Elks or other similar social clubs . I'm not stating that such exclusion is improper, only that such exclusions exist and should be noted.
And let's not kid ourselves. There are some places out there who accomplish their exclusivity through sheer intimidation. This can be and is still done intentionally, in many locations. One need to only be of the wrong race, or gender, or have the wrong sexual preference to see this up front, and at times, in your face. In a great majority of the drinking establishments throughout the United States, the straight male rules the roost.
But intimidation comes in other forms as well, sometimes without the owners even realizing. Everything from liquor and beer selection to where the bar is located is enough to get a place labeled as "snobby" or "elite". There are times when nothing will run out a customer faster than to not have their beer selection available to them, be it Guinness, Duvel, or Budweiser.
As I get older, bolder, and wiser, I find myself no longer willing to settle for places that seek to exclude, even if I meet whatever unspoken requirement needed to stay at these locations. And in my travels, I have found that, for the most part, those places that call themselves "pubs" rather than bars or clubs, meet my needs.
I find this peculiar for a variety of reasons, with the first being that this is not a hard and fast rule. There are bad pubs in America, just as there are cozy bars and taverns. Secondly, Pubs, at least from a legal definition, are bars. Let's make no mistake here. The fact that owners of these "pubs" have called them as such demonstrates to me how important it was to differentiate these places from the bars, clubs, and taverns. Yet many of these self proclaimed pubs are often based, not on actual British or Irish pubs, but rather on the American idea of what a British or Irish pub is or should be. In essence, many of these pub owners have taken the traditional pub ideal, and have created places that are similar, yet they are distinctive enough to be their own entity.
And now that I reflect upon it, the taverns here in Washington State (where 'tavern' has a definitive legal meaning that marks them differently that bars and clubs) seem to have more in common with British and Irish Pubs in terms of substance and feel than the British and Irish pubs that dot our American landscape. Note to self: research this for a later post.
That aside, there seems to be a concerted effort on "pub" owners here in the States to create a sense of community amongst its patrons. Some bars do this as well, and they need to be commended for this as much as anyone else. But in my experience, if one is looking for those three items listed above, the odds of finding them in a self-proclaimed "pub" seem higher than finding them at any other drinking establishment.

The Illusion of Taste Make You Feel Great

I love articles such as this one, as they tend to affirm my own experiences and world-view. Its basic thesis is this:

A survey of hundreds of drinkers found that on average people could tell good wine from plonk no more often than if they had simply guessed.
In the blind taste test, 578 people commented on a variety of red and white wines ranging from a ?3.49 bottle of Claret to a ?29.99 bottle of champagne. The researchers categorised inexpensive wines as costing ?5 and less, while expensive bottles were ?10 and more.
The study found that people correctly distinguished between cheap and expensive white wines only 53% of the time, and only 47% of the time for red wines. The overall result suggests a 50:50 chance of identifying a wine as expensive or cheap based on taste alone ? the same odds as flipping a coin.

If there's one I've pulled from this, it is as follows - Taste, as always, is subjective.
Yes, yes. there's a vast difference between poorly made foods and those that have been made adequately. But that line between good and great? First off, trying to define that line is difficult unto itself. After all, there's a reason why there are hundreds of recipes for bolognese out there; there's more than one, proper way to do things. How do you or I or anyone else state emphatically that there's only one way to make wine, whiskey, or any number of other of the hundreds of thousands of recipes out there?


So, if we can't determine the one and only way to make something, then there will be variations introduced. Variations of technique, variations of ingredients, and variations of portion size. Hell, even presentation matters when it comes to how we interact with our food. And once variation is introduced, all bets are off as to what can claim to be "better than" good enough. One variation is introduced, what matters to taste can be boiled down to the two words that are a bane to marketers and publicists everywhere - personal preference.


Why does personal preference create even more turbulence when trying to define taste? Because it is influenced by things far out of control of the food producer. Things such as country of origin, or which socio-economic class one was born into all play their part in determining what a person likes and doesn't like.

So when a person drinks a glass from a ?3.49 bottle of Claret, and goes "That's delicious!", it's as valid of an opinion as someone who can taste the nuances in a $100 bottle of Grand Cru Burgandy.
I'm not trying to diminish those who have a refined palate, and can tell the differences between good wines and great ones. Life is made grander by those who seek out the best and have the skill to do so.


Ultimately it doesn't matter that much when it comes to putting the glass to the lips. Most people haven't put in the time and effort to refine their palate to make such distinctions in their food or wine, and will rely upon others to tell them what is "great". But remove those influences, be they experts in the field, or advertisers on the television, and your typical consumer is left to their own devices. And what we find out, time and time again, is that refinement of the palate cannot be bought. Remove the price tags and we find that most people cannot tell the difference between what is simply good and what is a work of utmost craftsmanship.

Food can make you make many good friends

I've broached this topic before, but it is worth repeating.
For all of the talk surrounding local food movements, or the kitchen chops of the chef du jour; For all of the e-mails sent to us by marketing firms extolling the virtue of yogurt or the commercials that praise the glory of cheese; a fair majority of the food media seems to forget the critical ingredient involved in every food consumed. The food is secondary to your relationship to yourself and the friends you break bread with.


If you hate yourself, the wine will taste less sweet, and eating alone becomes something to avoid rather than something to relish. Sharing a moment with friends over food or drink makes those items taste that much better. Remove positive relationships from the equation, and suddenly dinner becomes dull, and drinking becomes more of an exercise of avoidance than one of celebration.
This has been made extra-clear to me of late, as Tara and I go through two very stressful situations. The first is a move from Seattle to Redmond*. The second is a legal issue that I can't yet go into full detail here. The results of these issues have brought forth the following:

• Friends offering to help us move - with pizza as payment.
• Friends offering to go out to eat with us in our new city, for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
• Nights out at a local pub to let off some steam.
• Friends offering us dinners out to give us a medium to talk about our stresses.
• Friends listening to me vent about our current situation over coffee.

And, not to paint my world as completely bleak, there are the good times we are celebrating. We've given out gifts of spirits of late in order to celebrate successes, and plans to Europe are being made with trips to distilleries, restaurants, pubs, bistros, and beer halls all on the agenda, with the intent of us sharing in the experiences of these places.


I have been thinking a lot about food and friends of late. For everyone trying to sell me on something, be it a healthy life style or a bottle of tequila, through television commercials or the self-important ramblings of a food blogger, the question that I wish to have answered by these folks is simply this - would either me or my loved ones care?


You would be surprised on just how much white noise this question filters out.Yes, it's interesting to know the good from the mediocre. But all of the events that I've mentioned above would have the same value to them, regardless of the food or drink. Sure if the wine or beer was bad, we would bitch about it, or if the pizza was amazing we would be sure to order from them again. But the food items involved here don't add or subtract from the quality of the relationships. They are little more than window dressing.


As I go through my RSS feeds of a few of my favorite food blogs (and some that I love to hate), it amazes me how often this aspect of our relationship to food and friends is glossed over, if mentioned at all. Go to eater.com or slashfood and review a sampling of posts, and apply the question I have mentioned above to them. I'd love to hear the answers you come up with.

Questions and Food Culture Also Looks Very Great

Trying to communicate to people my full on perspective regarding food is a difficult balance of personal and anecdotal interpretations of life experiences mixed with the empirical data that comes from those who gather such things. All of which provides evidence that helps answer the question of "Why do we eat what we eat?".


The question is far more difficult than one might imagine. It would be far easier for me to ask "Why do I eat what I eat?". But, as seven plus years of food blogging can demonstrate, I'm a bit of an outlier. My activities over the past seven years are not typically those of most people. These activities leave me questioning my own motives, and wondering why I give care what the average person from Skokie, Illinois had for dinner and what motivated them to buy that particular brand of potato chips, or sit down at that particular restaurant.


More than any other question, the one that sticks in my head is thus: since my own experiences had led me to several wonderful discoveries that are often easily obtainable, what is it that leads people to purchase crappier versions of my discoveries. Why do people buy Lipton Tea, Budweiser, or Kraft Singles? What made them purchase these items in the first place, and what motivated them to keep on buying them throughout their lifetime?

As I pulled back from looking for an answer from an individual perspective, I found that the answers to these questions often led to bigger questions. How did Budweiser get so big as to influence the beer market in the United States, putting them in the position to influence purchasing habits? What is there culturally that encourages us to over-sweetening our tea? Why, in God's name, is Kraft cheese such an unnatural color of yellow-orange?


(A quick side note: It's interesting, at least to me, on how my mind works. Because my intent when staring this post, was to discuss how much my family, particularly my parents, shaped my worldview on food. This isn't an uncommon approach to food writing. But exploring that avenue seems pointless to me, irrelevant to most, except for myself. I already know how I came to appreciate food and drink, and what influences my parents had in that. What makes me curious is why my father felt the need to buy cake mixes, when his mother was a near genius in the baking department. But I digress.


Food writing is such an odd vocation, especially at this point and time in American history. Our food culture is a hodge-podge of conflicting ideas and ideals, with different people being motivated to succeed in it for reasons as diverse as trying to do the right thing, to trying to be a celebrity, to out-and-out greed. Then there are the folks who participate in the food culture who don't even realize they are doing so.

ConAgra And Our PR Folly Also Feel Great

For those of you not on Twitter, and are not privy to the latest and greatest news and events, there's been a bit of a hub-bub of late regarding a PR event that failed miserably. The short version, as explained by the New York Times, sums the details pretty well:

In August, food bloggers and mom bloggers in New York were invited to dine at an underground restaurant in a West Village brownstone run, apparently, by George Duran, the chef who hosts the ?Ultimate Cake Off? on TLC.

Sotto Terra, the invitation said, was ?an intimate Italian restaurant? where attendees would enjoy a ?delicious four-course meal,? Mr. Duran?s ?one-of-a-kind sangria,? and learn about food trends from a food industry analyst, Phil Lempert. The invitation continued that upon confirming ? for one of five evenings beginning Aug. 23 ? bloggers would receive an extra pair of tickets as a prize for readers and that the dinner would include ?an unexpected surprise.?

The surprise: rather than being prepared by the chef, the lasagna they were served was Three Meat and Four Cheese Lasagna by Marie Callender?s, a frozen line from ConAgra Foods. Hidden cameras at the dinners, which were orchestrated by the Ketchum public relations unit of the Omnicom Group, captured reactions to the lasagna and to the dessert, Razzleberry Pie, also from Marie Callender?s.

Once the ruse had been made known, the response had been everything from bewilderment to embarrassment to outright anger.
I'm of two minds in regard to this. For one: ShittyCheaply made, processed food presented nicely, is, in the end, still shitty cheaply made, processed food. Ketchum PR and ConAgra foods know this, but hoped to dupe enough people with bells and whistles to impress and influence so as to pimp their shitty cheaply made lasagna and "razzleberry" pie. The folks realized that sending out invitations to food and Mom bloggers to sample the new "Marie Callender's" frozen boxed meals, few people would show up. So they had to find another solution.

Luckily for the folks at Ketchum, the Food Blogger and Mom Blogger system has been built to allow the unscrupulous to take advantage of the unwary. Years of taking free product samples and dining at the expense of PR companies have created an industry unto itself, one where e-mails are sent out inviting bloggers to exclusive events and making them feel part of the larger food world, one where they get to hang out with celebrity chefs and sup at "underground" Italian restaurants in the heart of New York City. Somewhere, out there, PR folks have created a magical, and exclusive, food world. They then sell it to folks who oh-want-so-much-to believe that it exists, with the end goal of the PR clients getting good publicity out of it.


Let's be frank here - those who accepted the invitation bought full-on into this false idea, and were played like a fiddle by Ketchum. But here's where it get's interesting - Again, from the New York Times article:

Once we sensed it was not meeting attendees? expectations, that?s where we stopped, we listened and we adjusted,? said Ms. Moritz, of ConAgra.
?It was never our intention to put any bloggers or their guests in an uncomfortable position and for that we are sorry,? she said, adding that the brand subsequently offered to reimburse attendees for such expenses as cab fare and baby-sitting.
Still, ?most attendees had a fun evening? and in a survey, 62.5 percent of participants indicated having a favorable impression of Marie Callender?s, Ms. Moritz said .

Major Players Want To Cook For People

So if I'm to dabble in the world of the Renaissance and Colonial Eras of Europe, it's good to know who, exactly, I'm going to be talking about. The topic is so large and so intertwined, that the amount of people involved make it just a little less complex than A Song of Ice and Fire (or Game of Thrones, for those of you who couldn't slop your way through the books).


It should be noted that my brief overview should not be considered complete, nor should it be considered factual. More, it should be considered where I'm going to start, and perhaps I will find evidence that contradicts my points below. The task here is to find a way to keep an eye on everyone, and see how far the trade for spices, and then later coffee, tea, and chocolate, affected the world. If I've missed anyone, let me know in the comments.

The Main Cast
Portugal: The country that could be said to have started it all. From the creation of the tireme, to the Pope giving them half of the world, the Portuguese were one of the first to have it all, and one of the first to lose it all.


Spain: The center of the Roman Catholic world thanks to their ties to the Hapsburg dynasty, they had the difficulty of balancing bankruptcy and fighting for their souls against the Protestant world.
England: The small bit player who ended up to being the empire where the sun never set, (which was the exact opposite of what the Pope wanted), the English, ended up becoming the tea merchants of the world and a major player in the opium trade.


The Dutch Republic: The little country that could, starting out being the stepping mat of Spain, to making so much money that they could commit genocide in order to ensure the supply of nutmeg. And they never did it in the name of God. They did it all for money.


India/The Mughal Empire: When we talk about pepper, we talk about Goa, which was on the west coast of India. The quest for pepper in India would eventually lead to the British Raj. Of course getting from the 1500's to the 1850's will take to explaining.


China: China is a bit of a cipher to me in all of this. The Europeans were just another bunch of traders in their eyes, and the focused diplomatically instead upon their neighbors. That is, while they weren't in the midst of their own civil wars.


Indonesia/Sultanate of Mataram: How can over one thousand islands defend themselves against interlopers with bigger ships and bigger guns? And what happens when they have several of the most valuable commodities on the planet?
The Bit Players:

France: France played at the edge of trading history for the longest time before diving into colonialism and trade. Their standing in this aspect of history was not helped by the fact that the Royalty tended to spend beyond their means.


The Hapsburgs: The origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, the Hapsburgs had their fingers everywhere in Europe. And some say they were the real power behind Spain.

Do you like the chinese food

One of the reasons I love ordering Chinese food with friends is that there’s something for everyone. When you order pizza or subs, you have fewer options and there’s always someone not happy. With Chinese food, you have a huge variety of treats from which to choose, and everyone can order something that they enjoy.

Do guest posts on other sites in your niche. Write content that can easily be linked by other bloggers. Get people excited about what you’re doing so that your name just starts to just appear everywhere. You want people to be like, “Oh, I’ve heard of him/her…” even if they can’t rattle off your bio (yet). 

One of the complaints that lots of people have about Chinese food is that you’re hungry again an hour later. Is that true? Maybe…but for bloggers, this is a good thing! You want great content, but you also want to always leave them always wanting more. Include related links at the end and links within the body to keep readers on your site. Encourage readers to sign up for your mailing list or subscribe to your RSS feed. Clearly link to your social media profiles on your sidebar and make sure you promote you content on these platforms. Most importantly, make sure every single post you write is awesome. It only takes one “meh” post to make a reader decide they don’t need to come back to your site.

Most Chinese restaurants even have healthier options for those who are dieting. Does you blog have something for everyone? Of course, you won’t connect with every person in the world (that would be a crazy blog), but within your specific target market, there are going to be a lot of different tastes. If you rely on just one type of post (like just list posts or just rants), you’re not going to appeal to as many people. Make sure your target is focused, but don’t make it so focused that your audience is too small.

No matter where you live, you can find Chinese food. Heck, even at my mom’s house, which is located in a super rural area with less than 100 people in the entire town, you can get to a Chinese restaurant pretty quickly. Make your content similarly easy to find. You want to create a presence for yourself so that others are mentioning you and your name just pops up in conversations related to your niche. Attend offline conferences (like BlogWorld LA of course).

The Beaufiful Chocolate Loved By Me

Meanwhile the sun is back up and shining again, the tons of snow are almost gone (I try to ignore the sad-looking slushy grey piles of what used to be proud mountains of snow on every street’s corner) and the stacks of flour and almonds are reaching astronomical heights in my pantry. It’s time to get baking!

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes (eat a test cookie, if your unsure when they are done, because their color is not really helping here), then take out and slide the parchment paper with the cookies off the tray, then you can let them cool down completely.

Life doesn’t always play along nicely. Just after we finished our book project, everybody involved got sick. One after another, almost in sync. Then hell winter broke loose on the exact day I needed to travel north and see my family. As much as I had anticipated some christmas baking frenzy, sometimes a cookies-to-bake-list has to be put on ice – pun intended – for a couple of days.

I usually start off my Christmas baking with cookie recipes that require a little extra time for decoration, simply because after cookie batch no. 12 I most likely have lost the patience to neatly decorate each and every cookie. So I need to get these out of the way early.
This time I filled some of the cookies with apricot jam and sealed the little cut-out shapes in the top layer with some white chocolate – what a treat! The ones without jam filling received a more abstract look with white and dark chocolate ornaments – easy, yet eye-catching.

Cut the cold butter into small cubes (or – if the butter is really well chilled – use a coarse grater) and add the egg. Quickly knead together by hand or with a pastry blender and form into a neat ball. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours.




For starters, how about a very basic cut-out cookie with cocoa and a touch of cinnamon, one that allows for all kinds of variation? Like fragile and not so fragile shapes, fancy chocolate decoration or traditional jam filling? This recipe might just be the one for you – you can use it any way you like.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (~350°F) and line the baking trays with parchment paper. Take the dough out of the fridge and cut off half of it (put the other half back into the fridge). Dust a large wooden board with flour and roll out the dough until about 3 to 4 mm thick. Cut out the shapes of your choice and place on the baking trays, then continue with the other half (any dough scraps should be chilled before using again).

Decorate to your liking with either melted chocolate, a brush and a piping bag or a jam filling (heat the jam for some minutes, so it becomes easier spreadable). Store in an airtight cookie jar.

Bubble Gum Cigars can be a dielicious food

I bought these Bubble Gum Cigars while on vacation last month, mostly because it’d be so longer since I’d seen the full array of the flavors in quite a long time. They’re made by Concord Confections in Canada which is now owned by Tootsie. (They also make Dubble Bubble Gum.)


I picked out three of them, in a standard array of colors orange, green and yellow. Each has a special name on the band, which is smaller than the standard cigar band (so I can’t wear it as a ring, even on my pinky). The wrapping is simple, just a clear cellophane sleeve, all were fresh and pliable (though if you’ll notice I dropped the orange one and it broke into pieces).

Cigars have faded a bit from pop culture, but starting sometime in the early 20th century it was common to celebrate a new baby with a gifting of cigars to friends (mostly by the father to friends, coworkers and contacts). As something that children today are aware of, it’s kind of an anachronism, as I know I can go months without even catching a whiff of the scent of a cigar, much less actually seeing someone smoking one. The relationship between real cigars and bubble gum ones is so far removed, I don’t think anyone can say that they actually improve the opinion folks have of tobacco. The reverse is probably true, the shape and association of a cigar with a children’s chewing gum is more likely a hindrance to sales.


El Bubble is green and Apple Flavored. I admit that I’m kind of a gum purist. Chewing gum should be mint, cinnamon or that Juicyfruit flavor ... and bubble gum should be bubble gum flavored. None of these cigars is actually bubble gum flavored (I couldn’t find a pink one). The apple is actually rather more on the actual apple juice flavor side of things than tangy green apple. It’s sweet and light. Even after the sugar fades, it’s not offensive or even very strong at all. I don’t think anyone sitting near me would recognize the flavor.

The gum is soft and easy to chew. It’s gets very soft and grainy quickly, kind of made my mouth fill up with saliva. But a little chewing and the gum firms up into a stiff enough piece that makes decent bubbles.

Help To Make Your Own Peach Preserves

Before they’re gone, you can easily preserve fresh peaches’ fleeting, nectared essance by making a batch of homemade jam. Perfect for holiday gift giving, I also love opening a jar of homemade jam on a snowy winter morning, slathering it on a hot, buttery biscuit and being transported back to sweet memories of the previous summer.
I used to make jam the old-fashioned way, standing at the stove for hours boiling and stirring the mixture and trying to keep it from scorching. Recently I made a batch with packaged pectin, and I think the jam tastes better and retains more of the true peach flavor. You don’t need to use as much sugar or cook it as long, and the process is much faster and easier, too.

Here’s the simple recipe I used:
FRESH PEACH PRESERVES
4 cups peeled, chopped organic peaches (about 3 pounds of fruit)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin like Kraft Sure-Jel
¼ teaspoon butter (Kraft recommends this to reduce foaming)
5 1/2 cups sugar
Prepare the canner and sanitize the jars. To peel the peaches, cut an “X” in the bottom end of the peach and drop it in a pan of boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon, cool briefly, and the peel should rub right off. If not, return to the water for another 30 seconds. Finely chop or mash the peaches and measure 4 cups of fruit. Stir the fruit and lemon juice together and pour into a large, heavy bottomed sauce pot.
Stir in the pectin, and add the butter. Turn the burner to high heat and bring the mixture to a full boil, stirring constantly. Add the sugar and stir it constantly to dissolve. Return the mixture to a full boil and boil for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pot from the heat, and skim off any foam that has risen to the surface.
Ladle the jam into the prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean damp cloth. Cover with the two-piece lids and screw the bands on tightly. Process according to your canner’s directions; I processed mine for about ten minutes. Remove the jars and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When the jars cool to room temperature, check the seals by pressing the middle of the lid. They lids shouldn’t ‘give,’ but if one springs back don’t worry; just move this jar to the refrigerator and plan to use the jam in the next week or so. Store the jam jars in a cool, dark place. This recipe makes about 7 cups of jam.
There is something deeply satisfying about ‘putting up preserves.’ Try it and see if you don’t agree.

Iced Peach Tea

When you have tart peaches, make Iced Peach Tea!
I picked a peck of peaches...no, not really. I picked up a quart of Texas Peaches from the Main Street Farmers' Market and discovered they were a little tart after I got them home. I was too impatient to wait for them to ripen so I got the idea to let them soak in a batch of tea.

That was a thirst quenching idea that I can do over and over again.
HERE'S WHAT YOU DO
4 cups boiling water
3 to 5 (2g) tea bags, tied together
3 to 5 small peaches, seeds removed, cut into slices
Drop in the peach slices into a medium size container, add tea bags, then pour in boiling water. Steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Sweeten to taste THEN chill.

Personal Polenta Pizza Cooking

It was Friday night, and I was in the mood for pizza. But I’ve been strong, sticking to my resolution to eat healthier, and I knew I needed something lighter than the standard crust. You may remember that I’ve already used potatoes as a pizza crust; this time I wanted something a little more crust-like yet still gluten-free. I finally settled on polenta.
I’d seen a lot of recipes for polenta pizza that, unfortunately, all seemed to come out more like polenta casserole, but I thought with a little tweaking I could make a polenta crust that would be more like an actual crust–crispy and sturdy enough to eat out of hand. In my version, the polenta is first cooked, then baked, then baked again with the pizza toppings. The crust is sturdy enough to pick up–if you’re careful. (If you’re not, you may wind up with a lap full of pizza toppings!) It still tastes like polenta, so if you’re looking for an authentic-tasting, gluten-free pizza crust, this isn’t it. But it did the trick to quell my pizza cravings; maybe it will have the same effect on yours.

Personal Polenta Pizza
3 cups water
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
generous grating of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon each basil and oregano
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)
about 1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 green pepper, sliced
1/2 small red onion, sliced
about 8 mushrooms, sliced
3-4 ounces vegan sausage, cooked (or gluten-free alternative)
sliced black olives (optional)
2-3 cloves garlic
Preheat the oven to 425. Oil two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.
Put the water, cornmeal, salt, and seasonings into a large microwavable casserole dish or 1-quart measure. Cook at full power for 4 minutes. Stir well and cook again at high power for 2 more minutes. Stir again and cook at high power for another 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave, stir in the optional oil, and beat with a spoon until completely smooth.

Healthy Choices In Vending Machines

Exactly, how much are you willing to pay for a healthier menu? Or, are you going to spend at all for a plate of green salad over a serving of a quarter pounder burger?
Fast food and vending machines are amongst the least healthy place to be in, but surprisingly, people just don’t heed the advice. Every day if you pass by any nearest fast food chain in your area you can’t help but notice how many people would flock in fast foods for lunch and dinner. Many people just love burgers, fries, and all those greasy food even if it means higher risk of heart attack as they age should they continue binging on them.

Now as the nation continues to rally on ending obesity especially among children, going for the healthier options isn’t just easily accessible to everyone. After all, it’s been said plenty of times before that healthful food comes with a price. And the price we’re talking about is just not acceptable to everyone and would rather rely on vending machines to keep them full. People are looking for healthier vending options especially in schools and offices and are willing to pay a bit more to enjoy fresh healthy foods and drinks.
What many people, who devour on junk foods, fail to realize though is paying extra to get healthier food can have more benefits than scrimping. The choices for green salads, grilled chicken breast, natural fruit juices, and vegetables help nourish our mind and body. And a properly nourished person has a better concentration, better immune system to help fight common illnesses, better lifestyles, etc.
For kids, early introduction to a good eating habit does not only improve their performance in school, but also helps them achieve a balanced overall wellness. Several studies have shown that kids who are exposed to healthful foods early in their life tend to develop a lifelong healthy lifestyle. And this is what every parent can wish for to protect their kids from sickness.

Sweet Tomatoes Cream of Broccoli Soup Recipe

The Broccoli Soup rounds out our trip to Sweet Tomatoes. This is a lighter version of the soup than what we are used to. Please do not keep this soup for a long time, it will not hold as nicely as other soups do. It is lower in fat.

Yield: 8 servings.
4 C. Fresh Broccoli Heads and Three Inches of Stalks (diced)
1/3 C. Yellow Onion (diced)
4 C. Water
3/4 tsp. Celery Salt
1/4 tsp. McCormick Seasonal
1/2 tsp Sugar
2 C. Low Fat Milk
Simmer Broccoli and onions in 4 cups of water until the broccoli and onions are tender. Remove 3/4 cups of broccoli heads and set aside. Cook the remainder of broccoli and onions until soft. Remove from heat and strain broccoli and onions.
In a blender pour remainder of broccoli and onions add celery salt, seasonal, sugar and milk. Blend until all are smooth. Pour mixture into a saucepan, add the 3/4 cup of broccoli and simmer on a medium low setting for 20 – 25 min.
Great served with crusty hard rolls and a selection of cheeses.

Green Onion

At my mother's assisted living home, the staff helped my mom and other residents put in a small garden in the spring. Onions, featured in the planting, are now being enjoyed by all. Mom says they are past that first delightful small green onion stage; the bulbs are getting bigger, and the tops thicker and stiffer. Which takes her back to childhood, and some creative onion engineering.

Mom says when she was young, and the onions got to this point, they would cut off a top to use as a bubble blower. They would cut off the top end of the green stalk, and make slits on the bottom end so the it could be curled and feathered out. Then they would use this with soapy water mixed up at home to blow bubbles. "Of course," she said, "you made sure you didn't bite into it! But that's how it was back then. We made all our toys." Mom says her dad showed them how to do this.
Any of you out there have a similar onion stalk bubble blower story from your elders? I'd love to know. I wish I had some onions growing in my backyard right now. I would love to try this out. If you are growing onions, why not give it a test and let me know how it goes? I'd be particularly interested in how the modifications to the bottom end of the tube affect bubble production.
Just remember not to bite into it!

Taste Beer

I have always brewed beer with malt extracts and a small amount of crushed grain. At some point I would like to use 100% grain, which means a lot more water is used at critical times that affect chemical processes well before any fermentation occurs. That is why the local water profile is critical in all-grain brewing.When you use extracts, the extract producer’s water was used to extract the malt sugars, and your own water is less important — except I’ve read that really hard water can affect the taste, mainly in lighter beers, and it may not be an agreeable result. The limescale can also gunk up your equipment.

I’ve also read that water softened with sodium can slow down enzyme action during fermentation and make beer taste salty, so once again there’s another good reason to use potassium, unless that too affects flavor in a bad way. I think we’ll have to try unsoftened, softened, and softened, filtered water in a three batch taste test. My guess is that the filtered water will work best for extract brewing.

Different Types Of Beer Glasses

There are nearly as many ways to drink beer as there are types of beer. If your goal for drinking is simply to get drunk fast, chances are that the type of glass or mug is utilized is of little importance. However, if you're drinking beer for the pleasure of the experience, then a good mug or glass to make all the difference in the final results.
There are many different types of Beer Glasses. These glasses have nothing to do with Beer Goggles that may be gotten from drinking too much alcohol in general. These glasses are far more important than that! They include Pilsner glasses, Pint glasses, Wiezen (Wheat) Glasses and of course the classic Beer "Mug" or "Stein."
The importance of having the right glass may be overlooked by many. It may seem that it is being overly picky to say that specific beers should be consumed from specific glasses. Perhaps it is. But there is a distinct difference in taste quality from the different glasses. The reason for this is mostly because of the amount of head.

The different types of glasses are designed to capture the correct amount of "head" for the specific brand of beer or ale. The reason that it is desirable is to capture a good amount of beer, "head" is that beers have specific compounds that evaporate that give the different beers that specific flavor and aroma. With no head these will evaporate faster decreasing the taste of a good beer.
Pint glasses and Beer mugs are by far the most versatile of the glasses. The results from drinking from pint glasses and beer mugs and stiens will always of at least "decent" quality, almost regardless of the beer type chosen. These mugs tend to be of heartier construction than pint glasses and also happen to be the best choice for a few more types of beers. If you only have one type of glasses, therefore, it is best to have beer mugs.

Hotpot History

With a history of over 1000 years, the hot pot has become popular throughout most of China. Mongolian hotpot originated from the Yuan dynasty (A.D.206-1368) .With rich nutrition and fantastic taste, it contains the protein and various vitamins for human body. It also has medical effects such as nourishing the liver and kidney, restoring the energy and lubricating the intestines. It can strengthen the body, improve the complexion and protect the skin if eaten regularly as well.

Do You Like Chinese Hot Pot

In the winter season, when chilly temperatures and frigid winds prevail over the land, people like to eat food that instantly warms their bodies and lifts their spirits. For that, the hot pot is a delicious and hearty choice. Families or groups of friends sit around a table and eat from a steaming pot in the middle, cooking and drinking and chatting. Eating hot pot is not a passive activity: diners must select morsels of prepared raw food from plates scattered around the table, place them in the pot, wait for them to cook, fish them out of the soup, dip them in the preferred sauce, and then eat them hot, fresh, and tender. They can also ladle up the broth from the pot and drink it.
While the cooking is in progress there's some waiting, so the diners may sip a little hard liquor. A togetherness ensues, which soothes their hearts. Weilu--to 'circle' a hot pot--has a deep and profound meaning to the Chinese, who are gregarious and strongly emphasize family and clan. It is cozy, yet informal. It's not a banquet, yet it can take as much time as one. It uses a single pot, yet is varied in ingredients, sauces, and cooking styles.

The hot pot (huokuo) has a long history in China. It originated in the north, where people have to fend off the chill early in the year. It spread to the south during the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-906). Later, northern nomads who settled in China enhanced the pot with beef and mutton, and southerners did the same with seafood. In the Ching dynasty, the hot pot became popular throughout the whole area of China.
The pot itself is usually ceramic or metal. In the past, charcoal was the fuel of choice. Nowadays people use mostly gas or electricity for this purpose; only the most nostalgic use charcoal. Alcohol is also used occasionally. Some of the pots are equipped with a chimney in the middle along with a valve for controlling the size of the flame.
The soup stock is prepared well beforehand and is made by boiling beef, pork, or chicken bones. Meat, seafood, vegetables, tofu, and bean noodles are the most popular ingredients. Freshness commands. Pork, beef, and chicken are often presented side by side; mutton is less frequently used. Meat should not be cooked too long; otherwise it will lose its tenderness. It's best for the meat to be cut as thin as paper, and that's why a sizable piece of meat often shrinks to a small bite after being boiled.
Seafood usually includes shrimp, crab, oysters, clams, squid, cuttlefish, and fish fillet. To make sure the morsels do not drift away or sink to the bottom or hide somewhere, a strainer in which each diner can hold onto his or her delicacies is recommended. Meat, seafood, and egg come in ball or ravioli-like form.
Popularly used vegetables are cabbage, spinach, turnip, green onions, celery, and lettuce. Lettuce is a special favorite among diners for its tender, crispy, and sweet nature. People use a variety that does not have a head and whose leaves are dark green, resembling those of chrysanthemums. Fresh vegetables should be boiled only lightly. Mushrooms of various kinds, dried or fresh, are widely used, as are dried lily flowers. Bean curd and bean noodles serve as more than just fillers. They do not have much taste themselves, but they absorb the richness of the other ingredients. Bean noodles are usually cooked later to help finish up the soup. Some people put plain rice into the last of the soup to make a porridge. Consistent with Chinese culinary thrift, nothing is wasted.
The sauces are also pre-prepared. Some are personal concoctions; while most consist of soy sauce, vinegar, and hot pepper, some people like to beat a fresh egg, or just the white of it, into the sauce. Like other Chinese cuisine, various kinds of hot pot from the mainland have congregated in Taiwan since the arrival of mainlanders in 1949. The Taiwanese have also developed their own styles and have even imported foreign varieties. In Taiwan today, Korean, Japanese, Thai, and Swiss hot pots exist alongside Chinese ones.