Archive for the ‘Food and Drink’ Category
Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 6:19 am
by Shannon Linnen
It is also a perfect meal solution for all your outdoor summer parties and events. Fresh shrimp can be used in just about any dish. Add it to a pasta salad, slaw or appetizer plate. Fresh shrimp is both healthy and delicious. Topped with lemon juice and cocktail sauce, this refreshing food makes a great pre-dinner snack.
Maine, renowned for best seafood, is the home of smoked Maine shrimp. The shrimp can be prepared with sauces. You can barbeque or just cook and serve cold. You can find lots of shrimp recipe by surfing the Net or from cookbooks. And it is pretty easy to make a recipe yourself
The opportunities when cooking with fresh shrimp are truly endless. Shrimp is used in seafood dishes along with other fish and shellfish. For instance, fresh shrimp makes a wonderful addition to stews, soups and Cioppino. Rubbed with Cajun spices, shrimp makes excellent Creole meals such as Jambalaya.
Italian restaurants use shrimp in dishes such as scampi, linguine and tortas. Thai dishes add coconut juice, peanut oil and lime to shrimp to create exotic-tasting meals.Shrimp is used in Mexican dishes, as well. It puts a healthy spin on fajitas, tacos and burritos. It adds a fresh, light flavor not found in traditional, heavier meats.
As you can see, fresh shrimp and smoked Maine shrimp can take you from brunch to lunch to dinner! With very few calories and packed with protein, shrimp is an excellent food that fits into any diet. Whether you are eating light or splurging on a rich, decadent meal, shrimp is one ingredient you can count on to satisfy you.
Versatility is at the top of the list when talking about fresh shrimp. Having a shrimp cocktail is often not really thought of or is totally overlooked. This is suck a delicious and tasty way to enjoy fresh shrimp. The best part about it is even if you do not feel up to preparing a full blown meal, making a shrimp cocktail is not only easy, but very filling and delicious.
You don’t really need a recipe to make a great-tasting shrimp dish, though recipes abound online and in cookbooks. It is very easy to include it in your menu, even if you never cooked shrimp before. There are many delicious and colorful shrimp dishes that can be prepared without spending much time and effort to learn the entire gamut of cooking. That is one of the important advantages of eating shrimp; just sprinkle green salad on top of shrimp and a bland dish becomes a gourmet item.
It is a good idea to make sure that the shrimp has already had the shells removed as well as the veins on the shrimp. There is nothing wrong with doing this yourself, however it takes time. One of the best things about fresh shrimp is that when this is already done, it is so easy and quick to prepare.
Most people are trying to make their lifestyles healthier. If eating healthy is important to you then adding shrimp to the mix is a great idea. Not only are shrimp low in fat, they literally have none on them! This is a very lean and clean meal indeed. Add shrimp to your diet to help fortify a healthy lifestyle.
Remember that if fresh shrimp isn’t readily available in your area, you can always visit a reputable online vendor on the internet and have some sent to you overnight. Typically shrimp that you find either in a grocery store or from an online seafood vendor has already been cooked. Once they have been cooked they will then flash freeze the shrimp and package them for shipping.
About the Author:
From this article you can learn about seafood, however this is a huge topic and can’t really be covered in one sitting. There is also steaming lobster that we could probably write another 10 articles on. You may also want to check out live lobster sales.
Posted on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 4:47 am
by Sangria
Oh my days, its cold in England. I have spent the last 30 years in southern Spain! My aim is to spread the word about my Grandma’s secret Sangria recipe, sharing with my new friends and work mates.
what you must understand is that my grandma’s sangria reciepe is the very best. There is no better tasting sangria out there in the world. I have tried and failed to get the sangria to taste like hers, she uses only the best ingredients, and prides herself on teh result. granted not many people can afford to use the best, but obviously one gets the flavour out of what one puts in in teh first place
I have tried on many occasions to copy the recipe and re-create Granny’s secret taste but it just doesn’t happen. Grandma must have the magic touch.
She is famous in the town she lives in for her amazing homemade wines but her Sangria recipe really does take the biscuit.
She made a few bit of money selling cups of the good stuff from a small shop next to her house but recently she has just made it for family and friends.
She actually won an award for brilliance. I was so proud of her that day, I weaped for days after. Awwww.
I have spent hours and hours trying to replicate her exact recipe, but I am failing. I am going to visit her next summer so I will definitely ask her advice on how to improve my version of her classic.
I want to be able to share her Sangria recipe with everyone and tell them how wonderful she is.
Sangria is a treat for local people and tourists alike and if it is made right, it can make someone’s day amazing, just like my Grandma has done year after year.
Posted on Sunday, November 16, 2008 at 8:05 am
by Gary Pearson
If you thrive in the crowd and love everything about food, your ideal entrepreneurial niche could be a catering business. The challenges in a catering business include back-breaking hours at the stove and lots of physically laborious activities, but the ultimate rewards are definitely worth all the hard work.
Although it’s not necessary to have a culinary degree, you must be familiar with food safety and handling procedures, food preparation techniques, and food presentation. As you may be aware, eating food begins with the eyes, therefore it is crucial for you to possess the ability to present your food in a pleasing-to-the-eye manner. Not only must your food look good, it must taste even better!
Most importantly, you need to believe in yourself and get started with enough information to succeed. So, start by researching on the internet or by visiting libraries. Make sure you do a thorough research on licenses, certifications and registration requirements before you invest your time, energy and money to your catering business.
Once you are through with your primary research, you will have to assimilate relevant data and organize it well for your use. Now you have to formulate a business plan and a marketing strategy from all the information that you have learned. The internet provides excellent resources for this. You can check out websites like www.sba.org, where you can find various published papers and other useful data.
Once you have developed your business and marketing plan you’ll be in a better position to obtain financing from a lending institution or private investor. When you start your own business, you will be required to invest some of your own money into the venture. A good rule of thumb is to never invest more than you can afford to lose.
It’ll be a joyous experience when you first establish your catering business, but it’s essential to keep in mind that you’ll be multitasking during the first few months. Besides food preparation and event catering, you’ll need quite a good knowledge about advertising and marketing to find new sales opportunities. Furthermore, there are the daily operations necessary for your business, such as telephone answering, follow-ups, price quotations, ordering supplies, accounts managements and more.
While the experience is worth the challenges, you need to be mentally prepared for the long hours and busy weekends. It’s compulsory to work hard with a minimal budget until you’re well-established and recognized.
Owning a catering business requires a great deal of stamina. Not only will you be preparing the food, you will also be required to deliver it, set-up serving tables, serve the food, tear everything down, and clean all the equipment.
There’s more for you to tackle when you are running a catering business. Most often, caterers work 15 hours per day, 7 days a week. Outdoor events are more common than indoor events, so you’ll need lots of energy and gumption to be able to handle the summer-day catering events. Also, maintaining a friendly attitude with lots of vitality throughout all this is essential for a good catering business relationship.
Work is never really “work” when you enjoy what you do, no matter how challenging it is. While it can be stressful and rarely give you any personal time, your investments from every category, be it money, time or energy, will be highly rewarded with great profits and satisfaction.
About the Author:
Gary Pearson is an accomplished author.
Posted on Saturday, November 15, 2008 at 6:58 am
by Sophia Darby
Who has time to prepare meals from scratch every day? If you’re like most people your busy life often gets in the way of preparing tasty and healthy dinners. Slowcooker recipes rescue you from the daily dinner scramble by allowing you to make delicious meals with little effort while being budget friendly to boot.
It can be nearly impossible to create mouth-watering meals when you only have a short period of time to cook them in. Today’s busy families are often crunched for time between work, activities and household chores. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a meal pre-cooked and waiting for you at dinner time? That’s exactly what you get when using your slowcooker.
Prepping slowcooker recipes takes, on average, very little time. Simply cut up your ingredients, place them in the slowcooker’s pot and leave it to simmer and cook all day while you get on with your daily activities. Don’t have time in the morning? Prep your meal the night before, refrigerate overnight and turn it on in the morning as you’re heading out the door. When you arrive back home your delicious meal is ready when you are.
Another advantage to cooking with a slowcooker is the process’ ability to turn cheaper cuts of meat into tender, delicious meals. When grilling or frying you often have to choose more expensive, marbled cuts of meat to avoid a brick-like outcome. A slowcooker, so named because it cooks meats over a longer period of time at lower temperatures, breaks down tougher connective tissues and delivers premium meals at rock bottom prices.
Every time you throw away leftover foods you’re throwing money in the garbage. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to quickly and easily reuse those leftovers in a future meal and save money on your grocery bill? With slowcooker recipes it’s simple to use leftover roasts, steaks, rice or even vegetables. Make a stew with your leftover pot roast, throw pre-ccoked vegetables in a few minutes before serving to reheat them and the cost of that night’s dinner became pennies a serving. For leftover rice use it to make stuffed green peppers that is both healthy and inexpensive thanks to the reuse of leftovers.
If you’re looking for ways to cut back on your grocery spending or the stress it takes to cook a meal from scratch every night try using slowcooker recipes instead. You’ll save your money and time for other things while still enjoying tasty meals with little effort.
Beef Stew in the Slowcooker: 2 pounds fresh stewing beef or leftover roast, cut into 1-inch cubes 4 carrots 3 potatoes 1 medium onion, chopped 1 celery stalk, sliced cup flour tsp. pepper tsp. salt 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 cups beef broth 2 tbsp. HP sauce 1 tsp. Paprika Place your cubed meat into the slowcooker. Mix flour, pepper and salt together and pour the mixture over the meat to coat thoroughly. Then add the remaining ingredients. Stir together well. Place the lid on your slowcooker and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or, if rushed, 4 to 6 hours on high heat. Stir well before serving your stew.
About the Author:
Stop stressing over dinner.Browse our easy recipes for cooking and find new dinner recipe ideas that are tasty and easy. Visit the best recipe site for easy meal ideas today.
Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 11:40 am
by Rowena French
Sadly, emotional eating can interrupt your healthy eating and prevent you from losing weight on a consistent basis. Too often our efforts to lose weight come unstuck when we indulge in emotional eating. Using these tips and tricks can help you control your emotional eating, stay on your calories loss diet and enjoy long term weight loss.
Learn the difference between being truly hungry and wanting to feel better is not always easy, especially if you have eaten in response to your changing emotions over an extended time. You need to learn to recognize that true hunger comes with feeling physically fatigued and can include a grumbling stomach. Make sure that before you next eat food that will help fuel your body that you permit yourself to get really hungry as this is the only reason you should ever eat.
Determine what sets off your emotional eating, making note of the times and causes of these occasions and look for a pattern around this to become apparent. Do you hanker after salty fatty food when the pressure is on at work instead of those calories loss lunches you know are nutricius and much better for you? Do you head for the cookie jar at the end of the day after a drive home filled with traffic jams or do you eat lashings of gravy on mashed potatoes when the kids are a nightmare after school?
Understanding the causes of and times when you have an overwhelming ‘need’ for certain foods is the answer to preventing your uncontrolled eating. When you can pinpoint these aspects of your behavior you can begin to change this by finding other ways to manage stress. Have alternative healthy foods that will satisfy you cravings for sweet and fatty salty foods on hand to eat or plan to actively do something like jogging or working out or, on a more relaxing note, playing your favorite music or asking for a back rub or head massage.
Cross comfort food off your shopping list as this may give you momentary comfort when things are tough, but if there is none in the pantry, you can not eat it and will learn to seek comfort in other ways. If you feel down and think escaping in front of the TV with a soda and bag of buttery popcorn is the best way to recover, will you drive to the nearest supermarket to buy this comfort food? Probably not, if you are like most people who search for an alternative food at home rather than go out to buy what they would like to indulge in.
Do not use food as comfort and instead of reaching for the ice cream when you are depressed or lonely, find other ways to comfort yourself. Call a friend, take a hot bubble bath, treat yourself to a manicure, write in a journal to try and discover what is making you sad or lonely. There are hundreds of ways you can comfort yourself besides reaching for food so learn to use other things to get you through a tough day and this leaves room for you to continue to eat calories loss meals when you need to.
Keep healthy food in the house because if you have healthy snacks in the house you can use those as a substitute for comfort food when a craving hits. Instead of candy bars, keep granola bars in the cupboard and instead of chips, keep popcorn or sliced veggies or other calories loss foods around because making healthy substitutions for the foods you crave is a very practical way to deal with emotional eating. After all, cravings happen but eating healthy snacks in place of the high fat, high calorie comfort food is a practical and responsible way to deal with food cravings when they happen.
Wait 30 minutes and when a craving does hit, wait it out by setting a timer, looking at your watch, whatever you need to do. But wait a full 30 minutes before acting on that craving. If you still are craving that food after 30 minutes, allow yourself to have a half portion of it, but you will find that usually after 30 minutes that craving will disappear.
Get exercise because exercise is not just good for burning calories as when you exercise, your brain releases serotonin and endorphins, which make you feel good and make you happy. Twenty minutes or more of exercise can trigger the same feeling of peace and happiness and well-being that you get from food. Emotional eating is not responsible for your entire weight gain, but it can be a factor in why it is hard for you to make a consistent weight loss. Using these tips and tricks to control your emotional eating will help you stick with a calories loss diet and might be the way for you to start losing weight and keeping it off.
About the Author:
Rowena French recognizes how emotional eating can sabotage weight loss programs. Tired of dieting with no success? Determined to reach your weight loss goals? My free gifts show you how calories loss is the simple answer. Read my guide, listen to my audio book!
Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 8:31 am
by Marcus C. Evans
Bordering eight separate countries, the Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world. Not only does its massive river basin provide one fifth of the world’s freshwater but it teems with uncountable varieties of birds and freshwater fish. In fact, one third of all living animal and plant species are found in Amazon.
It is here that you will also find the acai berry. The peoples native to the Amazon basin use nearly 2,000 of the region’s native plants for medicinal purposes - and the acai berry is considered to be one of the most potent of these.
Despite its use in the treatment of ailments for thousands of years, the acai berry remained virtually unknown to the western world before around 1990. But at last, we too are able to tap into the amazing health benefits that the acai berry possesses.
Naturally rich in antioxidants, the acai berry contains ten times as many if these compounds as do grapes and twice as many as do blueberries. They also contain fibre, protein and minerals.
The acai berry also contains high levels of anthocyanins; the compounds which give red wines some of their health benefits. The acai berry contains a larger amount of anthocyanins than does wine and is also free of the negative effects of alcohol.
The benefits don’t stop there! The acai berry is listed as an effective anti-aging super food in health food circles and is actually believed to decelerate the aging process. This is presumed to be a joint effect of the anthocyanins and the antioxidants found in the berry.
Acai berries have also been used to prepare wine rich in minerals, to combat schistosomosis (transmitted by snails) and in the preparation of an antibiotic protecting against ‘Staphylococcus aureus’ (an infection usually contracted in hospitals). It is a truly amazing berry.
The acai is about the size of a grape and is similar in appearance. This is a food which is becoming very popular thanks to its many health benefits; and its flavour which is enjoyed by almost everyone with its hints of chocolate. The acai berry is best drunk in smoothies or as juice.
About the Author:
About the author: Marcus C. Evans reveals other interesting facts about the acai berry on his site where you can discover more information on the positive effects that come from drinking the acai fruit.
Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 7:01 am
by Georgia Sutherland
Making your own wine is a hobby that is growing quickly. There’s a variety of reasons for this.
one is that for the few past years, there has been a number of books published on home wine making, and a number of “How to” manuals providing the information needed to get started.
Another reason is that you can make your own wine for only pennies per bottle. Many are cutting costs these days, and why not make your own wine when it can be a substantial savings.
And then there is the most important reason of all. Making your own wine is really gratifying and plain old fun. Sipping your perfectly fermented fruit or grape wine that you prepared and nursed, and followed from cleaning the fruit to racking, bottling and now drinking is just nourishment for the soul.
Giving your own wine as a gift is a one of a kind gift, inviting your friends and family to taste the great wine you have made is just something that feels very special.
If you are new at wine making you can get started in a very simple way. No need for fancy equipment or gadgets. You need only a few simple things such as a fermentation vessel, which can be a five gallon bucket, an air lock, and some tubing. Some of these things can probably be found around the house.
Basically, there are three levels of making your own wine.
1. Using a purchased wine kit. Just add water and follow the instructions.
2. Making wine from fresh or frozen fruit juices bought in your local store.
3. Using fresh fruits and berries to make your wine.
Once you make your first batch of wine there is no going back. The satisfaction of sipping your own home made wine is simply delicious.
About the Author:
Make Your Own Wine today. Learn how to make wine using fruits and berries, or going the easy way with a ready to go easy peasy Wine Kit Come see us at www.winekits.winetoasters.com
Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 6:26 am
by Bob Miller
We all hear about how fresh fruits and vegetables offer nutrition and how we need the vitamins and minerals in them to strive, but have you ever heard about the health benefits that chocolate offers, because many people have not. Many people are not aware of it but dark chocolate offers a lot of nutrition. Don’t get it confused with your regular milk chocolate which does not offer the same health benefits, but as long as you eat it in moderation, you will receive an array of dark chocolate nutrition.
The Difference with Dark Chocolate Nutrition
One of the biggest differences between dark chocolate and other types of chocolate is that it is rich in antioxidants. These antioxidants work to kill off free radicals in the body which are harmful molecules that are destructive to the body and which are implicated in heart disease and other ailments.
Besides this, there are also many other components to dark chocolate nutrition that you will want to be aware of. Recent studies have shown that dark chocolate - when eaten in moderation of course - offers an array of health benefits, and actually contains flavonoids similar to those found in green tea, and we all know how healthy green tea is.
It can help to decrease blood pressure, improve circulation, lower death rate from heart disease, improve function of endothelial cells that line the blood vessels, improve digestion and stimulate the kidneys, and dark chocolate has even been used to treat patients with anemia, kidney stones and poor appetite. Obviously this dark chocolate nutrition information is very interesting and makes us all feel as though we now have a reason to eat more of the stuff, but make sure that you do not go overboard. You can really only benefit from dark chocolate nutrition if you eat it in moderation.
Although dark chocolate nutrition is beneficial to your health it also contains a large amount of calories. If eaten in excess you are sure to pack on the pounds as well as reducing the dark chocolate nutrition you will receive. If you are careful and take it in small quantities everything will be just fine. A smaller portion means that you still maintain the health benefits that dark chocolate nutrition has to offer. If you would like more information contact your doctor or nutritionist. They may also be able to give you tips on where to find the best quality dark chocolate in your quest for dark chocolate nutrition.
About the Author:
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Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at 8:48 am
by Sherry Shantel
Sweet, succulent, dripping with butter ah, live Maine lobster and only minutes away from becoming your next meal! This delicious seafood can now be yours, complete with side dishes, appetizers, chowder and dessert. What more could the gourmet diner want?
You will find a vast sea of delights, by checking out the Internet under the heading of Maine Lobsters.
There is something there to please everyone. You may want to start by having the famous Maine Lobster Can Bake that comes with everything you need to have a delicious dinner, including the can in which to cook your treasure. All you need to add to make this meal complete is the water and the steam to cook it in.
It will be difficult to decide what to have first, or how much you should order. But, the nice thing about this is, that you can order more than once; it is fine with them.
You can have a varied menu, thanks to the convenience of the Internet. You can begin with the simple and end up with the simply elegant. It is up to you.
If you would like something a little different to dine on, why not try the Lobster Pie?
Maine not in your next vacation? Don’t worry, it can come right to your front door. That is, you can have the best that Maine has to offer you.
Why not set down now to your computer with your phone at hand, and look over the vast numbers of lobster dinners available to you. The choices are up to you.
Since you can’t get away to Maine, why not have the best Maine has to offer sent directly to you? Order some live lobster dinners and enjoy them in the comfort of your own home, without ever leaving home. You are sure to enjoy some great eating!
So, if what you have been wanting is fresh live Maine lobster and you can’t wait to get some this summer, your prayer has been answered. You can now order your food and be eating fabulously tomorrow. Remember, everything you need for your dining experience is at your fingertips. From appetizers, to main course, side dishes, chowder, and dessert, they can do it all for you. Enjoy!
About the Author:
Hopefully you enjoyed this high quality article about lobsters. If interested, just surf over to Quality Fresh Seafood where some extremely informative articles are being highlighted. The main topic is a live lobster which should be very interesting.
Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at 5:40 am
by Marc Warren
Coffee roasters vary in almost every way from extremely technical to very simple. The cost varies as greatly as the styles you can choose from. Certain manufactures are trusted to make a quality product and these are not always the most expensive. But in addition to quality and cost there are other factors to be considered.
What part will you play in the process?
Some roasters are designed very simply and leave more of the technical work to you. They merely serve as the heating device while you are responsible for measuring and mixing to get the desired result.
The handle contains a crank that allows the roaster to stir up the beans during the process. Stirring is essential to keep the beans from burning on the bottom as well as to keep the hot air inside circulating evenly.
Even in this simple set up, be sure to look for ones that have a thermometer in the lid. Temperature control is important for proper roasting.
Other roaster models need almost no help from you. The instructions give you the amounts. Then you simply attach the cover and wait.
These deluxe models have inbuilt thermometers, thermostatically controlled heating mechanisms, clever air-flow control geometry and rotating canisters and a timer to automatically shut off the device at the proper time.
At the upper end of the price range, these rocket ship roasters do everything but eliminate the smoke that invariably accompanies the process.
Efficient air circulation and heat
Air roasters work by rotating hot air in through the beans while also keeping the beans in motion. This will roast your coffee beans evenly and in some models even clean away the unwanted residue left over when the shell of the bean expands and bursts.
Many models are made of glass so that you can see what is happening and roast to the extent that you want. On many roasters you can make that determination before you begin to roast because they have settings where you can indicate whether you want a dark roast or a light roast.
About the Author:
Are you looking for information about making expresso or other coffee-centric topics? Look no further than the Coffee Poet blog, where we share your love of a great java. Visit http://www.coffeepoet.com for more great tips and advice.
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