Food And Drink

Cioppino Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:18:00 +0000

<data:blog.title/> Cioppino Recipe,Baked shrimp recipe tomatillos,African Chicken Peanut Stew Recipes

Actually cioppino, a tasty fish and shellfish stew, is pretty easy to make if you have the ingredients. The trick is using the highest quality seafood. I wouldn't attempt this stew unless I had access to very fresh fish and shellfish, fortunately abundant in the San Francisco Bay Area. If your fishmonger has some good fish or shellfish stock for sale as well, all the better.
Have plenty of napkins available and don't wear white.

Cioppino Recipe

INGREDIENTS
Seafood
•3 pounds halibut, sea bass, or other firm white fish, cut into inch-long cubes
•1 large (2 lb or more) cooked Dungeness crab (hard shell) or a cooked lobster
•1 pound (or more) of large shrimp
•2 pounds little neck clams, mussels, or oysters or all three Sauce
•1/2 cup olive oil

•1 1/2 cups chopped onion (1 large onion)
•1 cup chopped green bell pepper (1 large green bell pepper)
•3 coves garlic, minced
•1 teaspoon salt
•1 28 ounce can tomatoes
•Broth from the mollusks
•2 cups red wine
•2 cups tomato juice
•2 cups fish or shellfish stock
•An herb bouquet of bay leaf, parsley, and basil wrapped in a layer of cheesecloth and secured with kitchen string
•Salt and pepper to taste
•1/2 cup minced parsley for garnish

METHOD
1. Steam mollusks (clams, mussels, oysters) in a small amount of water (about a cup) until they just open. Set aside. Strain and reserve the cooking broth.

2. If using crab, removed the crab legs from the body and use a nut cracker to crack the shells so that the meat can be easily removed once it is served (leave the meat in the shell). Break the body in half, and then cut each half again into either halves or thirds. Keep the top shell of the crab for making stock.
If you are using lobster, cut the tail in pieces and reserve the body and legs for making stock.
Note you can use prepared fish or shellfish stock, or you can make your own. If you are not making your own stock, you can discard the crab top shell or lobster body. If prepared shellfish stock is not available, I would combine some prepared fish stock (available at many markets, including Trader Joe's) with clam juice.

3. Split the shrimp shells down the back and remove the black vein. (See how to peel and devein shrimp.) I found the easiest way to do this, without removing the shell, is to lay the shrimp on its side and insert a small knife into the large end of the shrimp, with the blade pointing outward from the back (away from the shrimp and your hands). Once you have split the shrimp shells, you can turn the knife toward the shrimp, and cut in a little to find the black vein. Pull out the vein as much as you can. You can probably also use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the backs of the shrimp.
Alternatively, you can shell the shrimps and devein them. Shell-on imparts more flavor; shell-off is easier to eat.

4. In a deep 8-quart covered pot, sauté onions and green pepper on medium heat in olive oil until soft. Add the garlic, sauté 1 minute more. Add tomatoes, broth from the mollusks, red wine, tomato juice, fish or shellfish stock, the herb bouquet, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove herb bouquet. Taste and correct seasoning.

5. Add the fish and cook, covered, until the fish is just cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the steamed mollusks, crabmeat, and shrimp. Heat just until shrimp are cooked (just 2-3 minutes, until they are bright pink). Do not overcook.

6. Serve in large bowls, shells included. Sprinkle with minced parsley. Serve with crusty French or Italian bread and a robust red wine. Have plenty of napkins available, a few extra bowls for the shells, and nut crackers and tiny forks for the crab.

Baked shrimp recipe tomatillos

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:33:00 +0000

<data:blog.title/> Food and Drink : Baked shrimp recipe tomatillos

One of the best received recipes on this site is for baked shrimp in tomato feta sauce. The onions and the shrimp provide the sweetness, the tomatillos or tomatoes the acidity, the Cotija queso seco or feta the saltiness, and the cilantro or parsley the bitter.

Baked Shrimp with Tomatillos Recipe
Shrimp can be cooked either shell on or shell off. Shelling and deveining the shrimp before cooking can add a good 10 minutes to prep time, but the resulting dish is easier to eat. This is a one pan dish, going from stove-top to oven, so use an oven-proof pan.

INGREDIENTS Baked shrimp recipe tomatillos :

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup
• 1-2 jalapeno chiles, seeded, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 lb tomatillos, chopped
• Salt
• 1/2 cup clam juice OR 1/4 cup water*
• 1 lb shrimp, cleaned, deveined
• 1 cup Cotija queso seco cheese (can substitute feta)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• Lime juice
• Black pepper
• An oven-proof sauté pan or cast iron pan

METHOD Baked shrimp recipe tomatillos:

1. Heat oil in the pan you will use for baking. Add the onions and jalapeños, cook for 5 minutes on medium high until the onions begin to brown. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add the tomatillos, reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, until the tomatillos are cooked through, but still hold their shape. Sprinkle salt over the tomatillos as they are cooking.
2. If using clam juice, add to pan, turn up the heat and reduce by half. If using water, just add the 1/4 cup of water without reducing.
3. Add the cheese and shrimp. Cook in a preheated 425°F oven for 10 minutes.
4. Remove pan from the oven. If using a pan with a handle, such as a cast iron frying pan, I recommend cooling the handle with ice for safety; it's so easy to forget that pan has just come out of the oven, and you grab the hot handle by mistake. Right before serving, mix in the cilantro and sprinkle with lime juice and freshly ground black pepper.

Yield: Serves 4.

African Chicken Peanut Stew Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 03:14:00 +0000

<data:blog.title/>African Chicken Peanut Stew Recipes

Food and drink : African Chicken Peanut Stew Recipes

Chicken groundnut stew is, in various forms, common all over West Africa, and this is my version, inspired by my colleagues at UW.
The best way to make this stew is with two whole stewing hens—older chickens available at Asian and Latin markets. This stew is just made for chicken thighs.
What is a little unusual about how you make the stew is that you first brown the chicken and then stew it on the bone. You can certainly eat it off the bone in the stew, but this is messy, so I prefer to fish out the meat and shred it. Why bother with the bones and skin at all? They add a ton of flavor to the stew.

Sweet potatoes or yams are a must in the African version, but if you hate them, use regular potatoes or turnips.
The stew is supposed to be pretty spicy, so I normally use a lot of hot sauce thrown in at the end of the cookingIf you truly can't take chiles, skip the cayenne. But someone in Ghana will cry.

African Chicken Peanut Stew Recipes
•Prep time: 15 minutes
•Cook time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Use chicken legs, thighs or wings for this recipe. They have more flavor and will hold up better with the flavors of the stew than breast meat.

INGREDIENTS
•2-3 pounds chicken legs, thighs and/or wings
•3 Tbsp vegetable oil
•1 large yellow or white onion, sliced
•A 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
•6-8 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
•2-3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
•1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
•1 quart chicken stock
•1 cup peanut butter
•1 cup roasted peanuts
•1 Tbsp ground coriander
•1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
•Salt and black pepper
•1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

METHOD :

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Salt the chicken pieces well, pat them dry and brown them in the oil. Don't crowd the pot, so do this in batches. Set the chicken pieces aside as they brown.

2. Sauté the onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, then add the sweet potatoes and stir well to combine.

3. Add the chicken, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more if needed. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes (check after an hour), or until the chicken meat easily falls off the bone and the sweet potatoes are tender.

4. Remove the chicken pieces and set them in a bowl to cool, until cool enough to touch. Remove and discard the skin if you want, or chop it and put it back into the pot. Shred the meat off the bones and put the meat back in the pot.

5. Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne, then add as much black pepper as you think you can stand—the stew should be peppery. Stir in the cilantro and serve by itself, or with simple steamed rice.

Yield: Serves 6-8

Food and Drink :Apricot Chicken Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 02:55:00 +0000

<data:blog.title/> |Food and Drink|Apricot Chicken Recipe|

Every year about this time we are inundated with fresh apricots from our neighbor's tree. And every year I tell myself I'm going to make a chicken dish with them, but never get around to it. Instead, we'll make apricot jam, apricot cobbler,apricot tart, or just eat them straight. Finally this year, we've experimented with apricot chicken and I'm quite please with the results. The additions of rosemary, Tabasco, and especially cinnamon really brighten up the flavors and make the dish more interesting than you would expect. We served it over rice, but it would be also pretty good with some egg noodles.

Apricot Chicken Recipe
If you don't have fresh apricots, you can use a combo of dried pitted apricots and apricot jam. Chop up about a dozen dried apricots and add them, with a half cup of apricot jam, to the stock in step 4 (skipping steps 1 and 5).

INGREDIENTS
•1 1/2 pounds apricots, roughly chopped, pits removed and discarded
•1/4 cup sugar
•2 Tbsp cider vinegar
•2 pounds skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces
•Salt
•1 Tbsp unsalted butter (can sub olive oil)
•3 Tbsp olive oil
•1 chopped onion
•2 cups chicken stock or broth (use gluten-free stock if you are cooking gluten-free)
•1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
•1 teaspoon cinnamon
•2 teaspoons Tabasco or other hot sauce (you can add more if you like)
•Black pepper

METHOD
1 Place the chopped apricots in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and the vinegar. Let sit while you brown the chicken in the next step.

2 In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, place chicken pieces in the pan, without crowding the pan, and brown them on each side. As the chicken cooks, sprinkle salt over it. Once the chicken is browned, remove the pieces from the pan to a bowl and set aside.

3 Add the remaining oil to the pan and sauté the onion until it begins to brown. As the onion cooks and releases moisture, use a flat edged spatula or wooden spoon to scrape off the browned bits from the chicken (called fond) from the bottom of the pan.

4 Once the onions have browned a bit, add the chicken stock and lower the heat to medium.

5 Put about 2/3 of the apricots, along with any juice they have given up, into a blender and blend into a purée. Pour the purée into the pan with the chicken stock and onions.

6 Add the cinnamon, rosemary and Tabasco and taste. You may need to add some salt. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and gently simmer for 10-20 minutes.

7 When you are ready to serve, put the chicken and the remaining apricot pieces into the pan and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Serve hot with rice.
Yield: Serves 6.

Grilled Lemon Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:01:00 +0000

Grilled Lemon Chicken

Ingredients
• 8 chicken thighs
• ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg

Method

In a blender, add the egg, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt, pepper, vegetable oil, poultry seasoning and lemon zest and blend until all the ingredients are combined well. Place the chicken thighs in a zip lock bag and add the marinade into it. Seal the bag and place it in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours to marinate. Remove chicken pieces from the marinade and grill them in an oiled grill rack for 20-22 minutes, until the meat is cooked through. Transfer the grilled lemon chicken into a platter and serve hot with lime wedges and a sprinkling of chopped dill.

Braised Chicken Balsamic

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 03:46:00 +0000

Balsamic chicken recipe cooking is a recipe prepared with attention to the rules of health, so for those of you who are always attentive and always want to maintain the health of your body, this recipe is great for you to test.

Ingredients

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

Season chicken breasts with ground black pepper and garlic salt. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet, and brown the onion and seasoned chicken breasts.
Pour tomatoes and balsamic vinegar over chicken, and season with basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Simmer until chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes.

Fried Banana Krispi

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 03:43:00 +0000

Fried Banana Krispi
Food and Drink blogs this time will present a dessert made from bananas. Atthe weekend a time to pamper your child. Light snacks are easily made andsecured the children love it. Banana wrapped in a crispy flour batter crispsavory taste. Dipped in mayonnaise taste became more fun!

ingredients fried bananas krispi:
- 5 bananas kepok horn or a ripe banana tree
- Cooking oil

Dough Coating:
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons rice flour
- 1 tablespoon grated cheddar cheese
- 150 ml water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 / 2 teaspoon salt
- 100 g coarse flour panir

Complement:
- mayonnaise

Method:
Peel bananas, cut into 6-10 cm and split longitudinally into 3 parts.

Batter coatings: Stir flour, cheese, rice flour, sugar and salt and water
until smooth and quite thick
Dip each piece of banana in the dough Coatings.
Dredge in flour panir until both sides coated in flour panir.
Fry in hot oil until golden brown and a lot and dry.
Remove and drain.
Serve with mayonnaise, if desired. these foods are highly favored by the Indonesian community that is served to their children at the end of the week.

Spinach Lasagna recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 02:22:00 +0000

Spinach Lasagna recipe

Food and drink: This time it serves dishes from basic ingredients and spinach lasagna

The spinach lasagna ingredients are:

2000 ml of water
1 / 2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
225 gr dried lasagna
200 gr spinach, take the leaves, boiled, chopped
100 grams grated cheddar cheese, for sprinkling
50 ounces grated parmesan cheese, for sprinkling

Spinach lasagna meat sauce:

2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
100 gr onion, finely chopped
500 g beef, minced
500 g tomatoes, peeled, chopped
170 gr tomato paste
100 ml of water
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 / 2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tsp pepper powder
1 / 2 tsp sugar

Spinach lasagna cheese sauce:

75 g butter
75 g flour
600 ml of liquid milk
150 ml of aqueous cream (single cream)
125 gr grated cheddar cheese
1 / 2 tsp pepper powder
1 / 4 tsp nutmeg powder
1 teaspoon salt

How to cook:

Boil water, salt, and oil, dried lasagna enter one by one in order to keep the water boiling. Cook until the lasagna is cooked but not soft, remove and soak briefly in cold water, drain and set aside.

Meat sauce: melt butter, saute garlic and onions, enter mince, stirring until it changes color. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and water, bring to a boil, season oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook until thick, remove and set aside.

Cheese sauce: melt the butter, put flour, stirring until blended. Pour the milk and cream dilute, mix well, season cheese, pepper, nutmeg, and salt, stir well, cook until thick, lift, then set aside.

Presentation: Grease a heat-resistant dish with butter the size of 18x28x6 cm, set in a dish of boiled lasagna sheets to cover the dish, place 1 / 3 parts of boiled spinach on top of lasagna, pour 1 / 3 of meat sauce and 1 / 3 of cheese sauce, do same for the rest of the ingredients. Sprinkle cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese on top until blended.
Bake in hot oven 180 degrees Celsius temperature until ripe. Remove, cut into wedges and serve while warm.

Cuisine Shrimp Tofu Cheese Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 02:56:00 +0000

Cuisine Shrimp Tofu Cheese Sauce
This dish is very simple presentation, but have a high taste to be enjoyed. the material is very easy to get, because this is the Indonesian cuisine is also veryeasily obtainable ingredients in Indonesia, especially tofu and shrimp.

Ingredients Cheese Sauce Shrimp Tofu Cuisine:
2 pieces of tofu
200 grams of peeled shrimp

Sauce:

1 tablespoon margarine or butter
1 / 2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon flour
500 ml of liquid milk
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp thick rim
50 grams of cheddar cheese, grated

Topping:

1 tomato, remove the contents, diced and chopped parsley

How to make a dish out of shrimp cheese sauce:

Cut out two broad sections, bake until browned, remove from heat.

Sauce: heat the margarine or butter, saute onion and garlic until wilted, put the shrimp, stir well. Enter the flour, stir well, put milk, salt, and pepper, stir well.After it thickens and boils, put the cream, stir well, add cheese, stir well, remove from heat.
Set out in the dish, pour the sauce, sprinkle with tomatoes and parsley. Servewarm.

Recipes fried shrimp oyster sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 03:26:00 +0000

Shrimp Fried Oyster Sauce

Indonesia is famous for its maritime country, so do not be surprised if her cooking many dishes with ingredients from marine animals. One of them is ashrimp.

Cuisine Shrimp fried oyster sauce. presented by
ingredients:

500 g large shrimp, peeled, leaving tails, cut back
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tsp fine salt

1egg, beaten
50 g cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter
50 g onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 pieces of red chili, seeded, sliced 1 cm oblique
125 g canned sweet corn kernels
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 tsp fine salt
Leaves 15 chives, cut into 2 cm

How to make - Shrimp Fried Oyster Sauce:
Marinate shrimp with oregano, pepper, lemon juice, and salt. Let stand for 30minutes. Drain.
Dip in beaten eggs, remove, dredge in cornstarch until blended.
Fry shrimp in hot oil until golden. Remove and drain.
Heat the butter, saute onion and garlic until wilted.
Enter the chili and sweet corn. Stir until wilted peppers. Then enter the fried shrimp, stir well.
Add oyster sauce, pepper, and salt. Stir until cooked vegetables.
Enter the chives, stir and remove from heat. Serve hot.
Please try it.

Food and drink-Lemon Chicken Savoury

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 03:51:00 +0000

(Food and drink) this time it will present the cuisine of chicken served with lemon mixture. This recipe is taken from Campbell's website, hopefully you can make use of fatherly your family needs.

As for the ingredients:

Vegetable oil cooking spray
4 (about 1 lb/500 g) Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can (284 mL) CAMPBELL'S ® Condensed Low Fat Cream of Chicken Soup
2 tbsp (30 mL) water

1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped, fresh parsley leaves
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1 / 2 tsp (2 mL) paprika
1 / 4 cup (60 mL) chopped red or green pepper
4 cups (1 L) hot cooked rice, cooked without salt
4 lemon slices

Savoury chicken lemon Directions:

1. Heat large non-stick skillet, lightly coated with cooking spray, at medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until well browned - about 5 minutes per side. Set chicken aside. Reduce heat to medium.
2. Add soup, water, parsley, lemon juice, paprika and pepper to skillet. Heat to a boil, stirring Often. Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat to low.
3. Simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through - about 5 minutes. Serve over rice and garnish with lemon slices.

Food and Drink-Chicken Cordon Bleu

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 03:15:00 +0000

Food and Drink-Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken cordon bleu is a recipe with basic ingredients of chicken. This dish is perfect served on a small family party.

ingredients chicken cordon bleu:

2 chicken breasts, skinless
2 pieces of sliced roast beef (roast beef)
2 teaspoons mustard
salt & pepper to taste

leather :
plain flour
bread crumbs
1 egg beaten

Method to cook:
1. Cut the chicken breasts horizontally (wide), but do not cut off. Open in the middle, coat with mustard, salt & pepper.
2. Place roast beef in tengah2 chicken breasts, cover again. If necessary, skewer with a toothpick so as not to open. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3. Labur chicken breasts with flour, then dip in beaten eggs. After that labur with bread flour until the whole surface of the coated chicken breasts.
4. Fry over low heat first. After 3 / 4 cooked, raise the fire. Do not forget to throw a toothpick after frying, before the serve.
5. Serve with ketchup or chili sauce.

Dishes can be added with fresh vegetables lettuce and cucumber

Squid rolls of Indonesian cuisine

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 03:58:00 +0000

Cuisine from Indonesia darting through the much-loved by the people of Indonesia, because Indonesia People loved the food derived from the squid.This time you can see how to present it how you please see below

material:
• 100 grams of squid and peeled small size
• 2 sheets nori
• to taste cooking oil for frying
• chili sauce for serving

Coatings Materials squid:
• 400 grams out of white, crushed
• 200 grams of meat snapper
• 5 sheets of spinach leaves, trimmed and finely chopped
• 2 eggs
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 / 4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 cm ginger, grated

Method:
coatings:
• fish puree in blender until smooth
• Mix with other coating materials
• PM - at up to dull
• Fill in the squid with a compacted, set aside

Squid:
• flatten remaining dough 1 cm thick coatings squid on plastic
• lay the pieces of nori. Add the squid thin batter coatings only.
• Put 2 pieces of squid in the middle and then roll contents
• with plastic wrap and cover with a clean cloth.
• steamed 30 minutes
• after cooked, fried until brown.
• cut into wedges and serve with chilli sauce.
Hopefully you like it.

Preparing an Avocado for Use-food-and-drink

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 03:22:00 +0000

The avocado fruit from the outside doesn't look that great. Its skin looks pebbly. It even looks scary sometimes when the fruits skin turns dark. However, this fruit is very delicious and is quite easy to prepare.

Avocado

This fruit can be prepared in various ways for different recipes. There are two common forms in which it is used. It can either be mashed or sliced.

One of the most popular recipes which require a mashed avocado is Guacamole. This is recipe for an avocado based dip which originated from Mexico. One of the factors which can make or break the dip is the ripeness of the avocado used. Using the incorrect avocado can ruin the whole thing. It is ideal to use a ripe avocado. Its color should be dark to blackish and soft to the touch when you squeeze it. This would make it easier for you to mash.

If you are going to mash an avocado the preparation is very simple. The first thing you need to do is cut it in half. The proper way to do this is by inserting a knife into the stem-end section. Then cut the fruit lengthwise, running the knife around the avocado.
To separate the two halves you simple have to twist them away from each other. The next step is to remove the seed. You can use a spoon or fork to lift the seed from the pit. Now that the avocado is cut in half and the seed has been removed, you can start scooping the meat using a spoon. The meat is now ready to be smashed.

Another common way of using avocado is by slicing it. This can be used in salad and various other recipes. If you are going to slice it you need to choose a firmer fruit. Using very ripe avocados is useless because they are smashed when you slice them.

The steps used in preparing the avocado for slicing is very similar to the steps mentioned above. After you have cut the avocado in half and removed the seed, turn the half over making it face the table and peel off a small portion of the skin. You can continue peeling off the rest of the skin by hand, or you can also use a knife. Once the skin is complete removed, the avocado is now ready to be sliced into your desired sizes.

An avocado fruit may not look much from the outside but remember the saying: "don't judge a book by its cover". Its meat is very delicious and very easy to prepare.

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Decadent Nutella Truffles

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 03:12:00 +0000

The weekend - it's time to indulge a bit! If I'm going to indulge I might as well do it right and the only way to do that is with chocolate. Lots of it. Even better if you add nutella into the equation. So, I decided to make these delicious home-made nutella truffles. They don't really take too long, but taste like you slaved over them for hours. It's a great way to impress family and friends and get on their good side!
If you've never made truffles, you might think that they are hard to make at home. Not at all - it's probably the easiest dessert to make - no cooking and no baking. I made these truffles three ways - fruit and nut, coconut and gingerbread. You can have them plain too, but I always like to add a twist to things.
The fruit and nut nutella truffle is made with raisins and pistachios and reminds me of my favorite candy bar - Cadbury's Fruit and Nut! My mouth is watering just writing about it. The coconut nutella truffles have moist shreds of coconut which go surprisingly well with the hazelnut flavour of nutella. The third truffle contains crushed gingerbread snaps for an unusual flavour. I think ginger (sweetened of course) tastes amazing with chocolate. Have you ever tried candied ginger chocolate? It's to die for!

Ingredients
makes 40-50 truffles
Pantry
350 g baker's dark chocolate
400 g Nutella
1/4 cup chopped unsalted pistachio nuts
1/4 raisins
1/3 cup gingerbread crumbs
1/3 cup sweetened desiccated coconut
Produce/Fridge
1 cup whipping cream
Step 1: Coarsely chop all the baker's chocolate.
Step 2: Put a quarter of the chopped chocolate aside for later. Take the remaining chocolate and place in a large mixing bowl.
Step 3: Heat the whipping cream on medium-low heat in a small pot until it simmers and bubbles. Tip: Keep stirring the cream to ensure it doesn't burn.
Step 4: Pour the hot cream over the chocolate in the mixing bowl and stir well until smooth. Add the nutella and fold in and continue to mix for 4-5 minutes. You will notice the texture change to a whipped consistency.
Step 5: Cool the mixture in the fridge for one hour.
Step 6: In the meanwhile, prep the remaining ingredients.
For the fruit and nut truffle, measure and lay out the raisins and pistachios.
For the gingerbread truffles, pulverize some store-bought gingerbread snaps in a food processor. I used these lovely gingerbread hearts from Sasha Bakery. They are gingery and sweet, but not too sweet.
For the coconut truffle, measure and lay out the desiccated coconut.
Step 7: After the chocolate mixture has cooled for an hour, divide it equally into three bowls.
Fruit and nut truffle: Add all the raisins and half the chopped nuts to one of the bowls and mix well.
Coconut truffle: Add two-thirds of the coconut to the second bowl and mix well.
Gingerbread truffle: Add two thirds of the crumbs to the third bowl and mix well.
Step 8: Cool the three bowls in the fridge for one hour.
Step 9: After an hour, melt the reserved chocolate from Step 2. Note: Never melt chocolate on direct heat. I used a bowl on top of a hot, not simmering pot of water. For more details: http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/questions-about-cooking-with-chocolate2.htm
Let the melted chocolate cool for two minutes.
Step 10: Take the three bowls out of the fridge and begin assembling the truffles.
Fruit and nut truffle: Take a coin-sized amount of the chocolate mixture and roll it into a small ball. Dip the ball into the melted chocolate and sprinkle the chopped nuts on top. Place the truffles on a lined baking tray.
Coconut truffle: Take a coin-sized amount of the chocolate mixture and roll it into a small ball. Roll the ball in the remaining desiccated coconut to coat well. Place the truffles on a lined baking tray.
Gingerbread truffle: Take a coin-sized amount of the chocolate mixture and roll it into a small ball. Dip the ball into the melted chocolate and sprinkle some gingerbread crumbs on top. Place the truffles on a lined baking tray.
Step 11: Cool the truffles in the fridge for two hours. Serve at room temperature. Dig in!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6369975

Start a Fast Metabolism Diet

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 03:04:00 +0000

Food and drink with a fast metabolism diet will help you lose weight. Searching for the right type of food that you need to eat and combining the food together to start your fast metabolism diet. Let's discuss what fast metabolism really means, and what certain kind of food and habits that helps us to boost our metabolism so that we are able to lose weight. There are two kinds of metabolic process that take place in our body. The first one is catatonic metabolism process, which provides us with the energy we need for our daily activities during the day. Basically, this is the process that breaks down the food and provides us with all the energy that our bodies require. In fact, our bodies also store certain amount of energy or fat, which is absorbed during dieting period. When we start a diet, which is known as the low calorie intake phase, the body will then utilize all the fat that it has stored so that you are able to lose weight.

Therefore, this simply means that the body will set-up a new metabolic rate, which is a much slower process then the previous food burning rate. However, when we go on a diet the body will slowly burn the fat away so that can't retain it any longer. Due to a slower metabolism the body will find it extremely difficult to burn the fat away so it is very important not to pursue a fad diet. As a matter of fact try sticking to a healthy food diet, indulge in a daily workout for about an hour or so that way you body's metabolic rate will speed up so that you won't put on any weight. People who are overweight have a very slow metabolism due to the food they consume that isn't helping them to digest the food fast enough. Therefore, the faster your metabolism rate is the better your chances of losing weight without having to cut down in calories. Below are some very important tips on fast metabolism diets and also some special fat burners that should help you to boost up your metabolism and to increase the speed of your weight loss goal.

Don't Skip Breakfast:

Try to pursue these important measures if you are on a fast metabolism diet to lose weight. First important thing, you must not skip breakfast because breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Have you notice that most people who tend to skip breakfast is heavier, than the ones that have it regularly? You can have like a boil egg, some cereal with milk, some fruits or an omelet for breakfast to start your day... it is a fact that your metabolism is much faster in the morning and we tend to burn the breakfast even faster. Eating breakfast will help you to avoid binging during other meals.

Eat More That 3 Meals A Day:

Most importantly, the secret to boost up a fast metabolism and lose weight is by eating frequently but smaller meals during the day. In order to do that you can make a meal plan that includes 5 to 6 small meals daily. One advice through, be sure that you have a salad and a fruit serving before each meal.

A Rich Fiber Diet:

Actually, you must load yourself on fiber because fiber rich foods are a great metabolism booster that will improve your digestive health that burns the fat out of the body. Did you know that your body stores fat and make you feel full even longer?

Rest And Exercise:

By indulging yourself into an exercise routine every morning for about 45 minutes to an hour is one of the best ways to help you lose the weight. If you follow a fast metabolism diet, doing some exercise and also getting your 8 hours sleep is also helpful when trying to lose weight.

Metabolism Foods And Fast Weight Loss:

• Below are the foods to consider eating if you want to burn fat fast and it's a great metabolism booster.

• Drinking a glass of fresh lemon juice with cold water every morning, will help to boost up your metabolism.

• Green tea is also great for detoxification and weight loss, drink about two to three cups of green tea daily.

• Another effective way to help lose the weight is by drinking about 2 to 3 liters of water daily, which is another method to use to boost up your metabolism too. This will help to keep your body flushed, glowing skin and keep your metabolism at a very high level.

• Grapefruit juice is also very rich in fiber so having a grapefruit for breakfast for or lunch is good. Leafy green vegetables such as string bean, spinach, cabbage, legumes and colored greens are excellent in fiber.

• Well, I hope that you have learned something new from this article about the different types of foods to eat that will boost up your metabolism. It will also help those who are trying to lose the belly fat so observe these method above to get fit and lose weight and don't forget to include fiber, protein, and crabs into your daily diet to increase your metabolism at a faster rate.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6423755

The Chocolate Connection

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 03:42:00 +0000

food and drink : Chocolate has been enjoyed for 1000s of years. The first records in history are found from the Olmec people of of southeast Mexico. They lived around 1000 BC. Their word, "kakawa," gave us our word "cacao." Unfortunately, that's all That is know. We don't know how, or even if, the Olmec people actually used chocolate.
The Maya and Aztecs enjoyed it. Prepared as a drink, and possibly alcoholic, They also used it as money. Wouldn't be nice to be able to eat your money. If you had enough of it.

The conquering heroes from Europe took it back to the old world were it was still was sipped as a drink and only royalty and the rich could afford it.

It's some what of a process turning the raw bean into an enjoyable treat we know today. The bean is bitter and has to be fermented, dried and roasted. There are two components, The solids and cocoa butter.

It took some time for chocolate to evolve into what we enjoy today. The first chocolate house opened in England in 1657. A milk chocolate drink was created in 1689 and this became the Cadburry Co. We all love them at Easter, Yes.

Finally a Dutchman came up with a recipe in 1847 that became the chocolate bar we have to day. Oh thank you Mr.Fry.

Do You Like Cranberries?
My Grandmother made this for me when I was small. I have enjoyed it ever since. It's one of my favorite combinations. Cranberry juice and chocolate ice cream. Just scoop the ice cream into a large glass of juice. It's wonderful. Hope you try it!

I indulge in all kind of the stuff. I have my favorite candy bars. Chocolate covered every thing. I really like those jellies. A Bridge mix bag turns me into a magician. It will disappear with no problem.

We have so many choices. Swiss, Dutch, Belgium. Dark, Milk, and White. Variety is the spice of life. I do believe we Americans have some really great chocolate too. There are hundreds of small chocolate companies across the country. These chocolate chiefs have created wonderful candies.

White Chocolate
Did you know White Chocolate isn't chocolate at all? The chocolate solids are missing. Just cocoa butter and sugar. No wonder it never eased my craving.

Chocolate Is Love
The chemists can't quite figure why chocolate releases the same chemical's in the brain as falling in love. The components of chocolate is quite a long list. I have known a few people that are allergic to it and they have my greatest sympathy. Diabetics and gluten sensitive people can have a problem. Thank goodness there are chocolates made just for them.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate
No It's chocolate and peanut butter.

A gentleman in Canada came up with the peanut butter cup the sold the recipe to the American Chocolate Barron. I like the miniature ones. I keep the in the fridge. There great cold and I have little trouble eating the entire bag.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6344489

Decadent Nutella Truffles

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:35:00 +0000

Food and drink : the weekend - it's time to indulge a bit! If I'm going to indulge I might as well do it right and the only way to do that is with chocolate. Lots of it. Even better if you add nutella into the equation. So, I decided to make these delicious home-made nutella truffles. They don't really take too long, but taste like you slaved over them for hours. It's a great way to impress family and friends and get on their good side!
If you've never made truffles, you might think that they are hard to make at home. Not at all - it's probably the easiest dessert to make - no cooking and no baking. I made these truffles three ways - fruit and nut, coconut and gingerbread. You can have them plain too, but I always like to add a twist to things.

The fruit and nut nutella truffle is made with raisins and pistachios and reminds me of my favorite candy bar - Cadbury's Fruit and Nut! My mouth is watering just writing about it. The coconut nutella truffles have moist shreds of coconut which go surprisingly well with the hazelnut flavour of nutella. The third truffle contains crushed gingerbread snaps for an unusual flavour. I think ginger (sweetened of course) tastes amazing with chocolate. Have you ever tried candied ginger chocolate? It's to die for!

Ingredients

makes 40-50 truffles
Pantry
350 g baker's dark chocolate
400 g Nutella
1/4 cup chopped unsalted pistachio nuts
1/4 raisins
1/3 cup gingerbread crumbs
1/3 cup sweetened desiccated coconut

Produce/Fridge

1 cup whipping cream
Step 1: Coarsely chop all the baker's chocolate.
Step 2: Put a quarter of the chopped chocolate aside for later. Take the remaining chocolate and place in a large mixing bowl.
Step 3: Heat the whipping cream on medium-low heat in a small pot until it simmers and bubbles. Tip: Keep stirring the cream to ensure it doesn't burn.
Step 4: Pour the hot cream over the chocolate in the mixing bowl and stir well until smooth. Add the nutella and fold in and continue to mix for 4-5 minutes. You will notice the texture change to a whipped consistency.
Step 5: Cool the mixture in the fridge for one hour.
Step 6: In the meanwhile, prep the remaining ingredients.
For the fruit and nut truffle, measure and lay out the raisins and pistachios.
For the gingerbread truffles, pulverize some store-bought gingerbread snaps in a food processor. I used these lovely gingerbread hearts from Sasha Bakery. They are gingery and sweet, but not too sweet.
For the coconut truffle, measure and lay out the desiccated coconut.
Step 7: After the chocolate mixture has cooled for an hour, divide it equally into three bowls.
Fruit and nut truffle: Add all the raisins and half the chopped nuts to one of the bowls and mix well.
Coconut truffle: Add two-thirds of the coconut to the second bowl and mix well.
Gingerbread truffle: Add two thirds of the crumbs to the third bowl and mix well.
Step 8: Cool the three bowls in the fridge for one hour.
Step 9: After an hour, melt the reserved chocolate from Step 2. Note: Never melt chocolate on direct heat. I used a bowl on top of a hot, not simmering pot of water. For more details: http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/questions-about-cooking-with-chocolate2.htm
Let the melted chocolate cool for two minutes.
Step 10: Take the three bowls out of the fridge and begin assembling the truffles.
Fruit and nut truffle: Take a coin-sized amount of the chocolate mixture and roll it into a small ball. Dip the ball into the melted chocolate and sprinkle the chopped nuts on top. Place the truffles on a lined baking tray.
Coconut truffle: Take a coin-sized amount of the chocolate mixture and roll it into a small ball. Roll the ball in the remaining desiccated coconut to coat well. Place the truffles on a lined baking tray.
Gingerbread truffle: Take a coin-sized amount of the chocolate mixture and roll it into a small ball. Dip the ball into the melted chocolate and sprinkle some gingerbread crumbs on top. Place the truffles on a lined baking tray.
Step 11: Cool the truffles in the fridge for two hours. Serve at room temperature. Dig in!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6369975

The Reasons for Us to Love Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 03:34:00 +0000

Food and drink : Generally speaking, most of us like to eat chocolate in our daily life. We can not resist the good taste and romantic property of chocolate. When we mention chocolate, a romantic feeling can take up our heart. Maybe the reasons for us to love chocolate are different, but we are all the supporters of chocolate. Five reasons can be summarized to explain our love to chocolate.

1. A good taste. When we eat chocolate, the chocolate can be easily and smoothly dissolved in our mouths. During this process, the unique flavor and taste of chocolate can be completely transmitted to our sense of taste. We usually can not resist this good taste.
2. An adjustor of our mood. The substances like caffeine and sugar contained in chocolate can fasten our breath and stimulate our nervous system. As a result, our mood can be activated. In addition, according to the research in America, when we eat chocolate, a kind of substance called "opiate" can be produced in our brain which can adjust the nerves. Therefore, we can alleviate the pain and sorrow we are suffering from by eating chocolate.
3. A romantic bailor. Many women expect their boyfriends or husbands to give them chocolate as a gift. Maybe many men can not understand women's attachment to chocolate. Sometimes, women themselves can also not explain their attachment to chocolate. If men want to give absolutely satisfactory gifts to women, they can choose chocolate.
4. A cardiac stimulant of heart. Various beneficial substances are contained in chocolate. For example, some antioxidants and flavonoids can help us reduce the chances of getting cancer and cardiovascular disease. The substances contained in cocoa can also help us prevent the formation of heart disease. Therefore, if we feel tired, we can eat chocolate to support our heart.
5. An adjustor of blood pressure. The intake of chocolate can help us prevent high blood pressure and protect heart vessels. Among all the kinds of chocolate, dark chocolate can play a most effective role in adjusting blood pressure for us.

In short, we always have various reasons to explain our attitudes toward chocolate. However, we must remember that we can not always eat chocolate in our spare time. If we always eat chocolate excessively, we will absorb too much sugar and caffeine caffeine contained in chocolate. The excessive absorption of sugar and caffeine can seriously hurt our teeth and brain.
Liu Xueyan is the freelance writer for e-commerce website in the chemistry. LookChem.com is just a place for you to Look for Chemicals! Our LookChem provide the most convenient conditions for the international buyers and let these leads benefit all the business person.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6377527

Organic Farming

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Tue, 31 May 2011 03:44:00 +0000

food and drink : "Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved." - International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements.
In recent years there has been a much greater emphasis on eating healthy and natural foods. The word often used to describe this is 'organic'. Organic foods are foods that are produced without synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers and aren't genetically modified.
This recent push might be the result of increasing environmental worry, the rise of obesity around the world but especially in the west, or concern about the negative effects of globalisation.
In our global marketplace, we are now importing foods that we can grow in our own home countries. The effects that travel, packaging, and storage have on our food can be quite harmful. The 100-mile diet is not a new concept but one that has been increasingly encouraged over recent years. It affirms that people who have local access to the goods and services they need, including food, should take advantage of them and not outsource for the same things.
If people come from places where they have the opportunity to eat a better quality of food, then why would they choose otherwise? Price is the number one factor in most purchasing decisions, and the truth is organic food is more expensive. Also, people are still sceptical as to whether the studies proving that organic food is better for you are even true. There has been a lot of published evidence proving the opposite. Having said that the market for organic products has grown from being valued at next to nothing to $55 billion in the past twenty years.
Organic food is grown on organic farms which are typically managed and maintained by trained staff who are well versed in the world of organic. They understand what the plants require for optimal growth and survival against unforeseen diseases or weather. Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control. Many organic farmers are starting to sell their products to supermarkets or local shops, but a lot of them still rely on individual orders and farmers markets to stay afloat. It can be a difficult business, but the food really does taste much better.
Artemis Tree Services provide their clients with a full range of professional tree care services to ensure your trees, shrubs and hedges remain healthy and beautiful

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6391687

Great Ideas For Summer Picnics

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:46:00 +0000

Food and drink : Despite the unpredictability of the British summertime, it remains one of the best loved times of the year in the whole country. And whether you're watching Wimbledon from a crowded Henman Hill or you're nestled in the seclusion of your back garden, summer picnics are almost guaranteed to feature on your list of things to do over the season.
But what do you do once you've grown tired of cucumber sandwiches and Pimms with lemonade? However much you might love traditional British picnic food, it's important to vary your al fresco menu to ensure that your picnics remain fresh and exciting. Here are few ideas on how to diversify your picnic basket.

Look Overseas For Inspiration

Britain isn't the only country that loves a good picnic, so rest assured that you'll find plenty of inspiration on what to put in your basket from other nations. For instance, why not try an Italian themed picnic? Italian cuisine might be best known for its hearty pastas and delicious pizzas, but its cured meats, cheeses and breads make the ideal picnic menu. Fill your empty hamper up with ciabatta, focaccia, prosciutto, Parma ham, gorgonzola, mozzarella and some grated parmigiana and let everyone make up their own Italian sandwiches. If you want to feature something a bit more substantial, try slices of cold pizza or arancini, delicious fried rice balls filled with ragu, tomato sauce and mozzarella.
Alternatively, add some spice to your picnics with a Middle Eastern-themed outdoor dining experience. Pack up some pita and flat breads along with a range of dips like hummus, tahini, baba ghanoush (roasted aubergine dip) or garlic yoghurt sauce. And if you've got children, a fun picnic idea might be to let them make their own kebabs. All you need for this will be flat breads, a selection of salad and shredded lettuce, leftover chicken or lamb and some chilli sauce. You and your kids will have a great time putting them together, they'll taste delicious and you won't even need to pack cutlery.

Go Gourmet For A Day

Most picnics tend to be homely, down-to-earth affairs but that doesn't always have to be the case. If you're holding a picnic for a special occasion, why not up scale and go gourmet? Possible options for a gourmet picnic basket include smoked salmon, caviar, blinis and most importantly a bottle of champagne.
If you want to be truly extravagant, you don't even have to make your picnic basket yourself. Many gourmet shops, boutiques and websites let you buy hampers for picnics that are chocked full of upper-class treats, so all you'll need are plates, glasses, knives and forks. These ready-made baskets make great gift hampers too, so could be the ideal birthday or wedding present if you're stuck for ideas over summer

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6391429

How To Make Spicy Tomato Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 03:18:00 +0000

Food and drink : At any time of year but particularly in the depths of winter, you just cannot beat having a nice bowl of spicy tomato soup, yet most supermarkets and restaurants only serve plain tomato soup. And whilst it is great served with a swirl of cream on top of it and a large chunk of crusty bread, many of us crave for something will a little more "Bite" to it. So if like us you love spicy tomato soup but find it rarely on sale then why not try our recipe for spicy tomato soup?

When I started out first making spicy tomato soup at home all I actually did was use tinned soup and then add in sliced chilies to it before microwaving it. This actually gives good results if you are in a hurry, and it is a technique I still use today when I am in a rush. However if you have the time, then try the following, you will need:

* 1 or 2 Bird's Eye (Very hot) or Serrano (Hot) chilies depending on how spicy you like your tomato soup
* 1 red pepper cut into inch sized chunks - you can de-seed it or not, again this depends on how spicy you want it
* 1 tin of plum tomatoes
* 1 squirt of tomato puree
* 1 or 2 cloves of Garlic (Local organically grown is best) - peeled
* 1 large onion cut into small ½ inch pieces
* 1 tablespoon of Olive oil
* 1 vegetable stock cube
* 1 teaspoon full of dried mixed herbs
* ½ tablespoon of sugar
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste (As required)
To make the soup roast the garlic, pepper, chili and onion in an oven at 200 deg C for about 25 minutes with the Olive Oil.
Whilst they are cooking, use the vegetable stock cube to make up approx 1 pint of stock, adding in the tinned tomatoes, puree, herbs, sugar and salt and pepper. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes, then add in the roasted vegetables and simmer for another half hour.
Then place the contents of the pan in to a blender, and blend until you are happy with the constituency of the soup.

You can then serve immediately or just let it go cold and then you can freeze it in plastic containers if required. Enjoy!
Note: The "Spicy" element can be varied considerably by the choice of chilies that you choose to use, so experiment and enjoy, hot and spicy soups can be addictive.
If you like this recipe then why not find out more about How To Grow Tomatoes and learn more about How To Grow Vegetables on my site which is packed full of free tips and ideas as well as lots more recipes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6371862

Six Advantages of White Tea

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:16:00 +0000

food and drink : Compared with green tea, white tea usually contains more nutrients and antioxidants. Just because of these abundant nutrients and antioxidants, white tea can effectively help people maintain the body health. Generally speaking, this kind of tea has six advantages for people to make full use of.
First, white tea can help people decrease blood pressure. The antioxidants can effectively thin blood, lower blood pressure and decrease the risks of getting heart disease.
Second, the tea can effectively prevent the formation of cancer. The antioxidants like polyphenols can kill the free radicals in human body and protect the cells. Free radicals can cause a series of harmful reactions in human body. After they are killed by antioxidants, the harmful reactions can be stopped, which can resist the formation of cancers, such as colon cancer and prostatic cancer.
Third, the tea can decrease cholesterol for human body. The antioxidants like catechins play an important role in decreasing cholesterol. At the same time, they can enhance the human immunity to arteriosclerosis.
Fourth, the tea has unique functions of resisting bacteria and viruses. The antiviral function and antibacterial function can effectively help people enhance the immunity to various diseases and maintain the body health.
Fifth, the tea can help people beautify the skin. The antioxidants can effectively resist oxidation and premature aging for human skin. It is known to all that oxidation and premature aging can seriously hurt skin, damage the skin cells and cause various skin problems like pigmentation and wrinkles.
Sixth, the tea can help people protect eyes and prevent visual problems. The abundant provitamin A can be absorbed and transformed into vitamin A in human body. What's more, vitamin A can accelerate the synthesis of rhodopsin to improve the eyesight in the dark and prevent nyctalopia and xeroma. At the same time, the anti-radiation substances contained in white tea can protect the hematopoiesis in human body and alleviate the harms of radiation. When people are watching TV or operating computers, they should drink white tea moderately so as to protect eyes and maintain the body health.
Six advantages of white tea have been concretely stated above. People must need white tea to improve health and protect eyes and skin. If people do not like to drink white tea, they can choose green tea, black tea and oolong tea in their daily life. Each kind of tea can protect the human health in different ways.
Liu Xueyan is the freelance writer for e-commerce website in the chemistry. LookChem.com is just a place for you to Look for Chemicals! Our LookChem provide the most convenient conditions for the international buyers and let these leads benefit all the business person

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6370648

Enjoying A High Tea

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 04:10:00 +0000

Food and drink : High tea is a British tradition that has been customary for hundreds of years. It is still practiced by multitudes of people today due to the enjoyment that comes from it. Many people enjoy different aspects of this tradition and for different reasons. For many people, enjoying tea is just an excuse to take a break and eat a nice, tasty snack in the afternoon. You can enjoy this tradition at home, in the homes of your close friends, or at a top-notch hotel or restaurant.
It is interesting to note that tea is actually coming back into fashion. The reason for this is that it is very civilized and a great way to meet new friends and socialize in a nice environment. There are also people who use a tea setting as a way to network as part of their business. Tea should be a time to enjoy yourself, but you should also be aware of the correct etiquette involved when you are taking tea.
This may not be an important factor for all people, but note that you will show your lack of knowledge and manners should you fail to display the correct etiquette skills. Because tea is an English invention, it should come as no surprise that there are certain protocols to be observed, and rules to follow. The etiquette is in place to make the occasion more enjoyable for everyone present. Here are some of the most important high tea etiquette skills:
High tea time: The correct time for high tea is between five and seven in the afternoon. The "high" part of the title is used to represent the formality of the event. High tea is often a misnomer, especially for people in America, as they assume high tea is afternoon tea. High tea tends to be a little heavier than afternoon tea, however many American hotels advertise "high tea" but serve fancy pastries, cakes and biscuits on delicate china.
To ensure that your don't spill the tea in your cup, the proper way to hold the vessel of the cup with no handle, is to place your thumb at the six o clock position and your index and middle fingers at the twelve o'clock position, while gently raising your pinkie finger up for balance.
If the teacup has a handle then you should place your fingers to the front and back of the handle with your pinkie up for balance. Your pinkie finger should not be upright in the air but instead slightly tilted. This is a graceful way to hold the teacup and avoid spilling. One thing you should never do is to loop your fingers through the handle, or hold the vessel of the cup with your palm. Another point of etiquette is that you should never stir the tea with your teaspoon in sweeping circular motions. Instead, you should place the teaspoon at the six o clock position and slowly fold the liquid towards the twelve o clock position, two or three times in a row.
It is important that you never leave your teaspoon in your teacup. When you have finished using your spoon, place it on the right side of your tea saucer. The saucer should always remain on the table. The only time it should be raised is together with the teacup when present at a standing reception.
Using these simple high tea pieces of etiquette will ensure you enjoy the experience much more, in the manner than has been giving people pleasure for hundreds of years.
One of the things that often make many high teas special is an antique tea sets. They help to make your tea more special.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6376984

Five healthy drink for party ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 04:04:00 +0000

Food and drink : Having to organize a party signifies having to plan the menu and drinks. If you are a health-conscious person, you would certainly want to offer guests a number of healthy options both in terms of food and drinks.

Healthy menu and great party can go hand in hand, as long as you know how to offer people diversity and intriguing options to choose among.

This article will give you ideas about five healthy drinks that can be served during parties and special occasions. Preparing them by yourself or by purchasing organic drinks containing no preservatives will make your beverage selection even more impressive.

Fruit Juices and Fruit Cocktails
Fresh fruit juices are certainly the number one option for everyone who loves healthy and delicious drinks.

The best aspect of serving fresh fruit juices is the wide medley of tastes you can offer. Each fruit has its specific taste and is certain to appeal to someone attending your party. Having the right selection of fresh juices will turn your party into a success.

Apart from fresh juices, you can serve non-alcoholic fruit cocktails. These are amazing for summertime parties and parties held at the beach. Perform a simple web search. You will discover dozens of opportunities.

If you feel like it, you can come up with your own fruit cocktails. It is all about discovering good mixes and serving the drinks well-chilled and beautifully decorated.

Lemonade
Everybody loves lemonade. It is refreshing, it is tasty and it can be made effortlessly at home.

For a liter of good lemonade, you will need four lemons and eight tablespoons of sugar (or any alternative sweetener that you prefer).

Take your container and pour some cold water in. Add the sugar and stir until all of it gets dissolved. Squeeze the juice of the four lemons and add it to the cold water and the sugar. Add more water to get a liter of lemonade.

Serve your lemonade well-chilled. This unpretentious drink is very healthy, since lemons are rich in vitamin C.

Iced Tea
Homemade iced tea is another amazing healthy option.

Select your favorite type of tea. Make sure that you use enough of it, since the taste will change once the drink gets cooled. Prepare the tea the way you usually do. In case you want to offer guests diversity, you can pick several tea flavors.

Add sugar, honey or another type of sweetener that you prefer. Do that while the drink is still hot to get the sugar dissolved easily.

Let the tea cool down. Add ice to it and decorate any way you find appropriate - use lemon or lime slices, nicely shaped ice cubes or anything else that will look good with other decorations. Fresh tea is certainly connected to a number of health benefits.

Homemade Punch
Homemade punch can be healthy, as well. It contains natural ingredients and it contains no artificial colorants or preservatives.

Make any type of punch that you like. Whether it is alcohol free or containing some type of alcohol is entirely up to you. Try to pick organic ingredients when preparing your punch.

Red Wine
Red wine can be very beneficial if consumed with moderation. You can add it confidently to your selection of healthy party beverages.

This wonderful drink has been known for centuries. Red wine decreases the level of bad cholesterol, counteracts infections, stimulates metabolism and helps the body overcome anemia.

Pick quality wines. After all, the taste is just as important as the health benefits associated to the beverages that you plan to serve.

So whether you are planning a birthday party, a cookout, a baby shower, or just want a nice cool drink to enjoy at home, remember these healthy drink ideas.

Criss White writes about various party topics including baby shower planning and other baby shower ideas. Criss is a professional writer and enjoys planning and hosting parties.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6387293