The Blogger Cookbook

Googles Algorithm Or the Recipe For the Secret Sauce

2009-08-08T23:09:00.003+01:00

Google's algorithm is one of the great mysteries of the cyber universe. I read somewhere, in the countless hours I spend reading on the Internet, that some say Google's algorithm is the eighth wonder of the world. Sometimes, I actually think that it may be true. As far as anyone knows, only a few people on the planet really know what the recipe for the secret sauce is. It has also been reported, that alien sources are known to be searching for the recipe for the secret sauce. If you have a clue beware, the Googlebots may be after you.

Everyone knows that Google sends out its robots, called Googlebots, which race around the World Wide Web seeking pages that are most relevant to the users search query. They then scurry back to Google's index or database, where the pages are analyzed using their algorithm, and sorted by relevance. The greater the relevance to the search query, the higher the page is ranked or listed in the search engine's index or database.

Sounds simple enough. However, you have to understand the entire process is carried out in nano seconds over billions of Web pages. Now that's something really mind boggling. It is the miracle of the World Wide Web and the Internet. You can do a Web search from anywhere in the world as long as you have a computer hooked up to the Internet.

Google, it's been rumored, stores the secret sauce in an underground bunker, which can only be reached using a light beam staircase. The only know maps to the secret vault, are carried by Mssrs, Brin and Page, in a secret hidden cavity in their bodies. The secret maps can't be seen by x-ray or other known means of detection.

To make the secret sauce even more potent and the recipe near impossible to figure out, Google changes it a tiny bit from time to time just like the Colonel does in his Kentucky stronghold. A pinch of salt may become a pinch and a half. It's pure trickery.

If anybody reading this knows or can figure out the recipe for the sauce, you have the keys to the magic kingdom. You have won the lottery a thousand times over. What more can I say other than, Good Luck in your quest to find the recipe for the secret sauce. Maybe someone, somewhere will figure it out. Then, Google will probably change it.

Arnie Katz is the author of this article. He is Director of Search Engine Optimization for ptimizeThroughdesign.com, a leading SEO web design and Internet marketing company. He is a prolific writer and also serves as SEO for several other Web design and development companies. He can be reached at http://www.OptimizeThroughDesign.com

Crock Pot Recipe for Creamy Seafood Chowder

2009-08-08T23:09:00.001+01:00

I see myself as a fairly good cook. I can make something without a recipe, create my own recipes, and alter any recipes I have to fit my family's tastes. However, for some reason I never ventured to create a clam chowder type recipe. This is truly strange considering every time I go to a restaurant and they offer clam chowder, I order it. I love clam or creamy seafood chowder, and often when I love a recipe I am anxious to try it. But again, for some reason I would shy away from trying this. Perhaps part of the fear came from creating the cream base or cooking with clams. Im not really sure, but I finally overcame the fear by cheating.

I know that we always teach our children not to cheat, but I have to admit that cheating in cooking is sometimes a wonderful thing. By cheating with this recipe, Ive created the seafood chowder I love without a lot of preparation and hassle (and added a few extra twists). Enjoy!

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cans cream of potato soup

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp minced onion

1 cup half and half

1 cup milk

tsp black pepper

1 cup celery

2 10 ounce cans of clam, undrained

1 tsp creole seasoning

4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 16 oz package frozen corn

1 pound pre-cooked tail off shrimp

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients except shrimp, mix well. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Add shrimp, cover and cook on high an additional 30-45 minutes until shrimp is tender.

Natalie is a work at home mom who loves crock pot cooking and quick and easy recipes in general. To view her crock pot recipes visit http://www.natalies-recipes.com, which also includes a variety of helpful hints, cooking tips, quick and easy recipes, great products, and an informative newsletter.

Best Sugar Cookie Recipe?

2009-08-08T23:08:00.023+01:00

There is nothing like a great sugar cookie recipe. Dont buy the roll of Pillsbury Dough, you can make a superb cookie that will remind you of the days when Grandma made them.

Grandma used to sit by the fire and drink her tea and Grandpa used to sip his coffee made from his French Press, before it was trendy. I loved seeing them sit there enjoying the day. When we walked in the house there were smells coming from the kitchen you just couldnt imagine. The sweet smell of warm sugar cookies invaded your senses. You knew today was going to be a treat.

It was a tradition that we enjoyed every year. The kitchen was filled with flour storms and the counters were sticky from Buttercream frosting. We had tin cookie cutters spread all over the table. I liked the boot best, my sister liked the angel.

Grandma had a special way with those cookies and she handed down the recipe to me. I was to teach my kids how to make these wonderful holiday sweets. It wouldnt be Christmas time without this recipe of Yummy cookies.
I am publishing it because I want you to enjoy the best sugar cookie recipe ever.

Grandmas Favorite Sugar Cookie

1 cup white sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter

2 eggs beaten

1 tsp cream of tarter

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups flour

cup corn oil

Cream the sugars and butter together. Mix the beaten eggs, vanilla and corn oil, in. Add the dry ingredients .Mix all the ingredients well and chill overnight.
Bake at 375 F for 8-10 minutes.DO NOT OVERCOOK.

We used to make the funniest colors to decorate the cookies, most of them looked inedible. They tasted heavenly, though. We figured if we made them look gross enough, the adults would leave them alone. We were wrong. Everyone knew they were Grandmas famous sugar cookies from her handed down recipe book. This page was splattered with all sorts of colors. I have that book now. I love making these cookies with my kids.

Grandmas Favorite Frosting (dont forget the food coloring)

2 cups of powdered sugar

cup butter melted

1 T Milk

1 tsp vanilla

Cream sugar, butter and vanilla. Add a small amount of milk (1 to 2 tablespoons). Beat until fluffy. If frosting is too sweet add a little more milk.

Try it this season. Enjoy your family and brew some wonderful tea or coffee and relax. Take the time to make memories with your family or neighbors or friends.

Linda Cramer is the Owner of Oregon Gourmet Foods and Gifts. She is also the co-owner of The Baby Gift Basket Company. http://www.oregongourmetfoods.com http://www.babygiftbasketco.com

Cypriot Recipes

2009-08-08T23:08:00.021+01:00

Cyprus has many historic and cultural links to Greece. The majority of Cypriots are ethnically Greek, speak Greek, and worship at Greek Orthodox churches. It is therefore no surprise to find that Cypriot cuisine also shares many features and even entire dishes with Greek cuisine.

However, Cypriot cuisine does also have its own unique identity too. The island of Cyprus is also home to a large Turkish Cypriot community, and was part of the Ottoman Empire for longer than mainland Greece, and hence many Turkish can be seen in Cypriot cuisine. Additionally, Cyprus is close to the Middle East, and has links with Africa, as well as with Greece and Europe, and all of these have influenced the development of Cypriot cuisine.

The most famous of Cyprus' food products is surely halloumi. Halloumi is type of cheese. It has a salty taste and texture similar to mozarella. In some dishes, it may also be garnished with mint. Traditionally, halloumi is made using a mixture of sheep's and goat's milk, but the recipe may be varied when producing the cheese on an industrial scale - for example, cow's milk is sometimes used in large scale production.

Halloumi is suitable for cooking and is often grilled. A particularly popular way of serving is with lounza, which is slice of smoked pork or lamb sausage, the this being grilled together with the halloumi. You will find this dish on the menu at many Cypriot eateries, and it is also a common sandwich filling.

As already mentioned, other Cypriot dishes often share much with Greek cuisine. There are many dishes that you can try, either in a restaurant, or to cook at home, so why not give Cypriot cuisine a try?

Discover more about Cypriot Recipes at http://www.recipesmaniac.com/cook_cypriot.php - visit this site for more information, pictures and details of Cypriot cookbooks.

Vegetarian Burger Recipes - Healthy Delicious Burgers

2009-08-08T23:08:00.019+01:00

Vegetarian burgers unlike burgers made of meat are a healthy and substantial food. There are several ways to make a vegetarian burger and I will list the way I like mine made.

The first is a vegetarian burger recipe, for one, that not everyone will like because it has onions:

Ingredients:

1 small onion chopped fine
1 very small or half of a medium size bell pepper (green, red, yellow does not matter)
1 small shredded carrot
1 cup of cooked dark beans (drained can of kidney beans is fine)
salt and pepper to taste.

Procedure: Place chopped onions, peppers and shredded carrots into a bowl and add the beans. Mash all of the ingredients together thoroughly. The beans will act as the base for the burger keeping all of the other ingredients together. Form into a burger. Dip the formed burger first into milk (vegans use soy milk) then into either cracker, corn flake or bread crumbs. In a skillet heat about one tablespoon of olive oil. Place the burger into the olive oil to fry. Brown it on both sides and serve on a bun with a slice of tomato and some lettuce. If you love onions place a thin slice of onion on it too. You can serve this with any kind of side dish you like along with a slice of pickle.

The second is a vegetarian burger recipe for one that is a little different and is not for the onion lover.

Ingredients:

1 very small or half of a medium size bell pepper chopped finely (green, red, yellow does not matter),
1 small shredded carrot,
1 small tomato diced
1 cup of cooked brown or white rice
salt and pepper to taste.

Procedure: Place the chopped pepper, shredded carrot and diced tomato into a bowl and add the 1 cup of cooked rice. Mash all of the ingredients together until firm and form into a burger. Fry in skillet with one tablespoon of olive oil. If you choose you may dip the burger into some milk (vegans use soy milk) and then into cracker crumbs corn flake or bread crumbs before you fry it but it is not necessary because the rice will brown. Serve on a bun with a slice of tomato and some lettuce. You may use any side dish you like with this burger along with slices of bread and butter pickles.

I use carrots to make this vegetarian burger recipe juicier. Although in these there is something about the carrot that makes the burger tastier. For variations on these recipes add other ingredients such as mushrooms, cooked mashed pumpkin or butternut squash or any other veggie that you enjoy. A variation of these recipes makes for a much more enjoyable burger each time you make it and eat it.

The rice or beans in these recipes take the place of meat and add substance to the burger. The beans in this recipe is lower in calories but the rice is easier to form and cooks up more solidly thereby, making the consistency of these two burgers a little different. These recipes contain not only healthy ingredients but they are tasty too. Try both of these vegetarian burger recipes and choose your own favorite.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about vegetarian burger recipes, please visit Free Vegetarian Recipes for current articles and discussions.

Butterscotch - Coffee Dessert Sauce Recipe

2009-08-08T23:08:00.017+01:00

I went all out last night, after purchasing some coffee ice cream, I got to thinking - why not try my hand at making up a butterscotch/coffee/caramel dessert sauce... well this is it! Sauce thickens upon cooling even more, serve over your choice of ice cream/pound cake/brownie - you get the idea - over anything! A little warning, if you are a lover of coffee, this sauce is easily addictive.

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup coffee (I used my left over freshly ground hazelnut coffee.)
3/4 cup light corn syrup
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 heavy skillet over low heat
whisk and one good arm

Directions:

Produces about 2 cups of sauce. Serve it over ice cream/pound cake, etc.
Put both cream and coffee together and stir, then set aside.
Careful while cooking sugar, as this will be very hot.
Put sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in skillet or deep heavy pot.
Caramelize the sugar in the heavy skillet over low heat stirring constantly.
Let sugar melt completely and then remove from stove top.
With pot off of heat, carefully pour in both cream and coffee.
Return to heat and boil slowly until thickens or until it reached 228 degrees.
Remove from heat once again and add vanilla.
Let cool down a bit before serving.

Now if you only wished to make a butterscotch sauce, you can use 1 cup of cream versus the 1/2 cup of coffee and 1/2 cup of cream as the recipe calls for. This is a delectable dessert sauce that is so much better than anything you could buy in the store - and frankly at roughly 50 cents per serving, it is not only way cheaper, but you know every ingredient you have put in to make this delicious sauce.

To store, I normally reuse a clean glass jar with lid (like a jelly jar) and keep the sauce in the refrigerator. This will keep for at least three weeks, though I doubt it will last that long in your refrigerator once the word gets out.

Leah Quinn, a multi-media artist and writer whose work specializes on food, health, feng shui, and self-improvement. http://leahquinn.com

God's Unfailing Recipe For Building Self-Confidence to Reach Success - Be, Do, Give and Have

2009-08-08T23:08:00.015+01:00

Most success formulas recommend us what to do without helping us deal with the biggest obstacle for success each one of us has inside ourselves: our mind-set. The problem is that the vast majority of people think wrong about themselves.

And it is that poor self-image that will always stand in their way to achieving success.

That is why God designed a plan that would make success dependent on Him and His power instead of anything we could achieve on our own. And it is available to all of us.

Here are four steps to God's unfailing success formula:

To Be

Most people have a poor self image because they are totally ignorant about who they really are. God designed each human being for greatness. Yes, there is a genius in each one of us. He created every human being with a unique set of talents and gifts and designed a perfect plan for them to walk in. No exceptions.

The problem is that mankind turned his back on God and decided to figure things out on his own. But anybody who is born again by accepting Jesus as Lord over his life becomes a child of God and is automatically marked for success. Not because of what we can do, but because of what Jesus has already done for us. He loved us so much that He gave His life to reconcile us with God and make the blessing available to us again.

It is then that our very essence comes to be that of a conqueror. God's supernatural power and favor will rest over our life and we are automatically placed in His winning team by His grace.

To Do

But it just doesn't fall into our lap. God's promises are received by faith, not out of need. And faith comes by hearing the Word of God and then acting upon it. The Word of God has the power to break that loser mentality and gives us the boldness to step out and be who He created us to be. Jesus said that by His Word we would know the Truth, and the Truth would set us free (John 8:32).

Another thing we have to start doing is to consciously develop our God-given talents with self-directed learning. God will provide the wisdom, the strength and the supernatural power to be successful in everything we endeavor, but we have to make the steps.

To Give

As soon as you receive from God, you pass it on to others. It is the giver who receives most in life. In the measure that you give to others, God will give back to you. Jesus Himself said that giving was more blessed than receiving.

To Have

Once you have followed the first three steps diligently for a season in your life, you will achieve true success. The God of abundance will bless you beyond anything you can imagine. Your confidence will no longer rest on your own limited abilities, but on the unfailing promises God has made to everyone who chooses to flow with His program.

I'd like to invite you to go for it! Visit http://www.Self-DirectedLearningForSuccess.com for tips and tools to discover God's winning formula for your life and learn how to successfully develop your talents in my FREE e-book: "The Power of Self-Directed Learning", and my FREE e-course: "Seven Steps to Consistently Change Your Life."

From Bettina Langerfeldt, who teaches people how to pursue their God-given gifts and talents by designing their own education with self-directed learning.

2008 Freedompioneer

Austrian Recipes

2009-08-08T23:08:00.013+01:00

Until 1918, Austria was the center of the multi-ethnic Habsburg Empire (also known as the "Austrian Empire", and later as the "Austro-Hungarian Empire"). This was a polygot multi-ethnic empire that at various times encompassed not only Austria itself, but also Hungary, parts of Germany and Italy, the Czech Republic, and large areas of the Balkans. It is a result of this history, that Austrian cuisine shows many diverse from the countries of the region.

Some popular Austrian recipes include:

* Wiener schnitzel - Slices of meat (traditionally veal, but pork or turkey is sometimes used nowadays), dipped in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, and then deep fried. Wiener schnitzel are traditionally eaten with potato salad and a slice of lemon.

* Kndel - Kndel are traditional Austrian dumplings. There are quite a few different kinds, including ones made from potato ("kartoffelkndel"), from dry bread (s"emmelkndel"), and which bacon ("speckkndel"). Kndel may be eaten as a side dish, or in soups.

* Goulash - Goulash is a beef stew originally from Hungary. It is made using beef, onions, and peppers, and flavored using paprika.

* Tafelspitz - Beef boiled with root vegetables.

* Sachertorte - Chocolate cake with dark chocolate icing and jam (usually apricot) in the middle.

* Palatschinken - Pancakes filled with jam and sprinkled with sugar.

* Vanillekipferl - Traditional crescent-shaped biscuits from Vienna, containing nuts (ground almonds or hazelnuts) and flavored with vanilla.

* Apfel strudel - Apple strudel - a pastry with apples, raisins and sugar. Cinnamon and rum are used for flavoring in some versions.

Discover more about Austrian Recipes at http://www.recipesmaniac.com/cook_austrian.php - visit this site for more information, pictures and details of Austrian cookbooks.

Halloween Room Mother

2009-08-08T23:08:00.011+01:00

Have you ever been a room Mother at school for your child?

This can be lots of fun especially if you use a little bit of creativity with it. For Halloween one year my son's teacher needed a volunteer for being a room Mother to bring in treats and pass them out on the day of the party. I volunteered and made cupcakes...it wasn't anything fancy, but it meant a lot to my son!

I had the best time ever passing the cupcakes out to the kids. After the cupcakes...the kids colored pumpkins on some poster board paper. They used glitter glue, buttons, and yarn to dress their drawings up. I remember walking up and down the rows encouraging each child with thier project. It made me feel really good inside being a part of the festivities that day.

Here are a few Halloween recipes for room Mothers to use and bring in to their child's school

Candy Corn Cupcakes

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup water
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces melted unsweetened baking chocolate
Candy corn
Halloween paper liners (get them at a party supply store)
Chocolate frosting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
Combine all ingredients into mixing bowl. Mix at low speed for 30 seconds, and scrape bowl. Mix at high speed for 3 minutes.

Fill liners 1/2 to 2/3 full of batter. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes in pans then remove from pan, and place on wire racks to cool completely.

Frost when chocolate cupcakes are completely cool.

Top with candy corn to make a smiley face

Biscuit Doughnut Treats

Ingredients

1 can of store bought biscuits
Vegetable oil
Deep fryer (sauce pan will work as well)
Chocolate frosting
Orange sprinkles

Directions

Pour vegetable oil in deep fryer. Plug deep fryer in to heat.
Find a small glass or something to cut the biscuits into doughnuts. Don't discard the holes.

Place 2 doughnuts into fryer at a time. Let brown on one side then flip them over. Deep fry until golden. Place doughnuts onto paper towel-lined plate to drain access oil. Deep fry the rest of the doughnuts including the doughnut holes.

When cooled, top doughnuts and holes with chocolate frosting. Top with orange sprinkles.

Black Forest Twinkie Delights

Ingredients

Hostess twinkies
White frosting
Empty food coloring bottle
Red, blue, and yellow food coloring
Orange sprinkles

Directions

Add one third of a bottle equal parts of red, blue and yellow food coloring to the empty bottle...in that order. Secure the lid on the bottle. Shake the black food coloring vigorously so it is mixed. Test the food coloring by putting a couple of drops into a small amount of white frosting.

Mix the black food coloring into the white frosting thoroughly. If you find that the food coloring is not as dark as you like it, add a little more red food coloring to the mixture.

Top the twinkies with the black frosting. Top with orange sprinkles.

Use your creativity to come up with your own recipes as well

Being a room Mom would be an excellent opportunity for you to participate in your child's school experiences as well as their education, and celebrations.

Article Written By Tammy Embrich

Tammy owns and operates two work at home websites, a work at home forum, a recipe site and three blogs.

She offers free recipes, cooking tips, parenting articles, and more. You can visit Tammy at Cookin At Home and Parent Zone

Low Fat Hummus Recipe

2009-08-08T23:08:00.009+01:00

Hummus is one of the many wonderful foods that we have come to enjoy now that the world is becoming a smaller place and we are experiencing the delights of foods from around the globe. Foods such as hummus, which were once thought of as being exotic, are now readily available in the stores and have become a regular part of our diets. Hummus is truly wonderful. It is a very versatile food which can be used as a dip, in sandwiches or even as the basis of a vegetarian kebab. It is made from a mixture of mashed chick peas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. The only problem with hummus is that it has quite a high fat content. Although most of this is monounsaturated fat, and not the nasty saturated one, it can still be quite high in calories. There is around 450 calories in 1 cup. So, what we need is a low fat hummus recipe.

Normally you would make this wonderful dip with 4 oz chickpeas, 4 fl oz olive oil, 2tbsp tahini, 2 cloves of garlic, the juice of a lemon and some salt. You would soak the chickpeas overnight and then cook them for around 2 hours, drain them and just mash everything together in a food processor. The dried chickpeas can always be replaced with tinned ones which do not need to be cooked at all and can just be added straight into the food processor. An alternative low fat hummus recipe can be easily devised.

The calories in the hummus will come from the olive oil and the tahini. Tahini is a roasted sesame seed paste and is high in oil and calories. Therefore, a low fat hummus recipe will have to replace these two with something with a slightly lower count. Some people are quite happy to leave them out completely and not replace them. Just a little water is sometimes enough for some people. This will still make a tasty dip but it will not be as creamy and does lose a little of its flavour.

If you wish to make the hummus a little more creamy, it is possible to add some yoghurt to the mixture without adding significantly to the fat content and the calorie count. Some recipes will also add further spices such as coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper. You may want to experiment with such spices if you feel that leaving out the olive oil and tahini have meant a loss of flavour.

Hummus is such a useful food and is extremely nutritious, so much so that it is becoming a regular on the lunchtime menu in many schools in the United States in a drive to improve our children's diets. If you follow a low fat hummus recipe and either remove the fat altogether or at least substitute some of it, you will find that you have a lovely, healthy and versatile food which is also very economic to make.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about low fat hummus recipe, please visit Middle Eastern Cooking Online for current articles and discussions.

Stuffed Milkfish (Rellenong Bangus) Recipe

2009-08-08T23:08:00.007+01:00

Milkfish, or bangus as it is locally called here in the Philippines is our national fish. This fish is one of the many staple diets by filipinos although milkfish is wide spread in south east asia. Countries like Indonesia and Taiwan have milkfish also in their diet. To describe this fish, the scales are bright silver. Slender body and the largest Ive seen is about two feet. They thrive either in fresh water lakes, brackish water and salt water.

When cooked, the flesh is white as milk ( that is why it called milkfish ) and lots of needle like fish bone on its flesh. Wide spread throughout the islands but the most tasty ones comes from Dagupan ( northern part of Luzon, Philippines ). There are many milkfish recipes available and stuffed milkfish or rellenong bangus is one of the best. You can also find other aquatic filipino recipes here:

http://www.aquaticfilipinorecipes.filipinovegetarianrecipe.com/

If you are now ready, here is the recipe:

Stuffed Milkfish ( Rellenong Bangus ) Recipe

1 large sized bangus ( milkfish )

1 onion, chopped finely

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small sized carrot, small cubes

1 box raisins ( optional )

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 raw egg, large

1 tsp. Vetsin ( monosodium glutamate )

1 tsp. Salt

tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 green bell pepper, chopped finely

2 tbsp. Flour

cooking oil for frying

*Scrape fish scales. Clean. Gently pound fish to loosen meat from the skin. Use flat side of a knife in pounding.

*Break the big bone at the nape and on the tail. Insert the end of the handle of an aluminum kitchen turner (sandok) through the fish neck.

*Gently scrape down the handle between the meat and the skin. Scrape down to the tail, going around and on the other side of the fish.

*If you feel the meat is entirely separated from the skin, remove the handle, squeeze and push out meat (with the big bone), starting from the tail going out through the head. This way, you will be able to push out the whole meat without cutting an opening on the skin.

*Marinate skin and head of fish with soy sauce and calamansi ( lime ) juice. Set aside. Boil fish meat in a little water. Drain. Pick out bones. Flake meat.

*Saute garlic until brown. Add onion and tomatoes. Stir in fish meat, carrot, and pepper. Season with salt, vetsin, ground pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Add raisins.

*Transfer cooked mixture to a plate. Cook, then, add raw egg and flour. Fill in mixture in bangus skin. Wrap bangus in wilted banana leaves or in aluminum foil. Fry. Cool before slicing.

*Garnish with sliced fresh tomato, spring onions or parsley. Serve with catsup.

Manolito Montala Aquatic Filipino Recipe http://www.aquaticfilipinorecipes.filipinovegetarianrecipe.com

Thai Chicken Coconut Curry Sauce Recipe

2009-08-08T23:08:00.005+01:00

I have realized that I have a very fond place in my heart for most curry dishes. It seems that they are more popular then ever these days, and I love to make and eat them often. I have tried several that are on the www but have found that I have not enjoyed them very well so I have created my own. I hope that you will find this to be a simple recipe and that you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Ingredients you will need: Chicken about 3-4 breast, Onions 1 small sliced like fajita cut, Red Bell Pepper 1/2 julienned sliced, 1/2 Can of Straw Mushrooms, 1/4 Cup of Matchstick Carrots, 1/4 Cup of Snow Peas. **For the Sauce: 1 Can of Coconut Milk, 2 Tablespoons of Sugar, 1 28 oz Can of Tomatoes Diced, 1 Yellow Can of Curry Paste, 3 Tablespoons of canola oil, 1 Toe of Fresh Garlic and Ginger, 1/4 Cup of Fresh Cilantro, Pinch of Salt and 2-3 Tablespoons of Corn Starch in about the same amount of water to make a slurry.

First you will get your sauce ready so you can let it simmer down after all of the ingredients are added. You will take a large sauce pan and add your oil and garlic and ginger over a low heat until you start to smell the aroma of them. Then add your Coconut milk and your tomatoes and curry and stir. Then add your sugar, salt and heat it up to about a simmer. When the sauce is warm add your slurry to thicken and then add your fresh cilantro and turn the heat on low and just let it hang out until your other ingredients are ready.

Chicken- You will want to cook your chicken. You can saut it or bake it with a little salt pepper and paprika if you prefer. If you are going to saut it you will need a little bit of oil in the pan preferably canola oil. It is a mono-saturated fat and it has a higher smoke point than olive. Get it to a golden brown in the pan and let hang out in the pan covered or in the oven on its lowest setting until done. To bake it you will add salt pepper and paprika and bake on 350 for about 15 minutes or until done. You do not want to overcook it because it will be dry.

Vegetables- You will want to get all of them washed and cut and ready to add the the sauce. I would saut them in the pan that the chicken was cooked in to get the flavor from the chicken. When the vegetables are warm you will add them to the chicken. First i would add the onions and get them translucent and then I would add the carrots and bell peppers. I would add the mushrooms and the snow peas at the very last and give them a toss or two, and call them done.

**Rice/Starch- If you want to make some rice for this dish and you want to keep it more on the healthy side I recommend a brown rice if you prefer. The dish is fine without the rice but if you are trying to make sure you get your grains in for the day I say go for it.

When ready to serve if you are using rice and it to a serving dish and pour the sauce around the rice. Add your vegetables an top and the chicken to top of the veggies and serve. If you are not using rice add the vegetables to the sauce and stir. You will them add all of the sauce with veggies to a serving dish and the chicken will go on top of the sauce. Enjoy!

Chef Shelley Pogue, a Cum Laude, Le Cordon Blue graduate and Executive Research and Development Chef, for Vertical Sales and Marketing, San Ramon, CA.

Great Barbeque Recipes - Apple Smoked Spareribs

2009-08-08T23:08:00.003+01:00

When it comes down to making an impression at the home barbeque, there is nothing better to offer your company a pile of tender, carefully smoked, spareribs.

Here is one of my all time favourites. It will do very well on a summer evening with family or friends and nobody will ever question your grilling skills again when they have tasted this mouth watering smoked spareribs recipe.

Here's what you need:

Apple Smoked Barbecue.

2 spareribs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup Apple Wood Chips
barbecue sauce

Preheat the oven to 400F. Rub the cinnamon, cloves and pepper into both sides of the ribs. Place the ribs on a wire rack on a baking pan. Bake for 3 hours until the ribs are tender.

Soak the wood chips in water for about 30 minutes. Prepare the grill. Place the apple wood chips directly in the center of hot barbecue coals. Baste ribs and place on grill above wood chips. Cover, grill and cook for 10 minutes. Turn ribs, baste again and cook another 10 minutes or until ribs are browned but still moist.

For the barbecue sauce:

215 oz. cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup molasses
10 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dry mustard
fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Combine all the ingredients (except for the vinegar) in a saucepan and simmer, covered, on low heat for 1 hour. Stir occasionally. Add the vinegar to taste and simmer for another 15 minutes. Chill for at least 24 hours, or until ready to use. Enjoy!

If you liked this recipe, then you may download thousands more at the Ultimate Recipe Collection: http://www.ecookbookrecipes.com

America's Most Wanted Recipes Review

2009-08-08T23:08:00.001+01:00

Do you love to go out to your favorite restaurant and order those sumptuous dishes that you crave, but with today's soaring food prices you just can't afford it anymore? Do you wish you could duplicate these delicious dishes at home so that you and your family can still enjoy them while saving a ton of money? I tried to solve this problem by trial and error experimentation but could never get the recipes quite right. I didn't want to let my family down, so I kept on trying and trying, spending lots of cash and lots of time. Still no luck.

I have always loved to look for new and unique recipes in cookbooks and magazines, so I decided to expand my research for restaurant recipes on the web, since I couldn't find what I wanted anywhere else. One day I came across this cookbook that seemed to solve my dilemma. I discovered a cookbook called "America's Most Wanted Recipes". It promises to offer exact replicas of today's popular restaurants including The Olive Garden, Red Lobster, KFC, The Cheese Cake Factory, Applebee's, Burger King, and many, many more! I was pretty excited as you can imagine.

These recipes are exact replicas of your favorite restaurants dishes, and are presented in an easy-to-follow format. Even the beginning cook can successfully create these dishes. Experienced cooks will love the uniqueness of these recipes found nowhere else. You will discover the closely guarded secrets of restaurants from around the country. Just imagine eating your favorite restaurant dishes at a fraction of the cost in the comfort of your own home! (You'll also stop wasting time spent waiting in line).

All of the recipes were researched and tested for 5 years with over 45,000 members of the America's Most Wanted Recipe Forum. The value of the cookbook is unsurpassed. The small cost of the book itself will be paid for many times over with the savings from restaurant outings. And the excitement of creating these dishes and receiving praise and even awe from your family and friends is priceless! You'll get 700 duplicate restaurant recipes plus 7 free additional cookbooks chock full of fantastic recipes. Now that's a great value at a low price! Try this cookbook out. You and your family will be so glad you did!

Meanwhile, happy cooking!!

For duplicate recipes from your favorite restaurants please visit my blog at www.cookinginamerica.blogspot.com to find out how to grab this cookbook!

Hi,

My name is Diane Gray and I have been cooking in restaurants for 20 years. I have gained a lot of cooking experience in that time! I also love to cook at home for my family. Two of my favorite food activities is creating new, original recipes and looking for unique ones. Since prices on everything seems to go up constantly, we have had to limit our restaurant outings. No longer could we explore new dishes or simply savor our favorite ones.

So I decided to try and duplicate our favorite restaurant dishes at home. It was trial and error until I found a great cookbook "America's Most Wanted Recipes" that actually gives you exact replica recipes of your favorite restaurant entrees! Recipes from The Olive Garden, Red Lobster, KFC, The Cheescake Factory and many more are explained in an easy-to-follow format so you have to succeed! All of the recipes have been researched and tested for 5 years by 45.000 testers. The value of the cookbook is outstanding. Please visit my blog at http://cookinginamerica.blogspot.com and read my review of "America's Most Wanted Recipes".

Starbucks Iced Coffee Recipe Versus All Other Iced Coffee

2009-08-08T23:07:00.022+01:00

- Are All Recipes The Same?
If you like iced coffee then I expect as you are probably a serious coffee lover you love the starbucks iced coffee recipe. If you are reading this article then you have tasted and know what iced coffee is and you will certainly have tried a starbucks iced coffee recipe. But iced coffee is not what you are thinking it is. You do not make a cup of hot coffee and wait for it to cool down or chill it in the freezer to make a glass of iced coffee. You could not be more wrong! Yes of course iced coffee is a variety of a hot brewed coffee, but there is a method to make it, a method that is different from the way a hot coffee is brewed and the starbucks iced coffee recipe is just gorgeous.

Making Iced Coffee- Tips And Tricks

Hot coffees are hot-brewed, but if you want to make iced coffee the way it was made when it was started, then you have to cold-brew the coffee. Yes, you read that right You do not need to heat coffee if you want to make an iced coffee. All you need is a special pot, cold water, and coarsely grounded coffee beans! Or if you prefer try the starbucks iced coffee recipe below and you can be the judge.

Pour the cold water in the pot.

Put in the coarsely grounded coffee beans.

Other Ideas for you to try:

Put some of the coffee youve made in the freezer and make ice cubes out of it.

Try adding a bit of sugar syrup and a little chocolate flavoring.

Top off your iced coffee with a generous helping of whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles and a flake to really impress your friends- they will think you are an iced coffee expert or an employee of starbucks coffee house!

What will happen is that the cold water will extract the coffee flavors but will not extract the bitter compounds and the fatty oils that are present in the beans. This means that the iced coffee, which is made, will have less acid content than what it would have had if it were hot-brewed. Coffee made using this method was originally called iced coffee. This method was invented in 1962 by a chemical engineer, Todd Simpson, and his company is still around today (Its called Toddy Products).
If you choose to make iced coffee using the hot-brew method, then you must get the coffee into the refrigerator once it reaches room temperature. If you allow it to get colder than that, then it may lose its flavor.

Starbucks Iced Coffee Recipe:

Starbucks Frappuccino

2 shots (3 oz.) espresso

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 cups low-fat milk

1 Tbls. pectin OR 1 tsp. pectin + 1 tsp. arrowroot

1. Stir sugar into espresso. Cool mixture.

2. Stir milk and pectin into espresso mixture until pectin is dissolved.

3. Fill a glass with ice and either serve mixture over ice, or pour glass contents into blender and blend for 30-45 seconds. Enjoy!

http://www.mycoffeearoma.com is an informative site relating to coffee, coffee machines, coffee recipes and all related coffee products

Healthy Dinner Recipes For Vegetarian Lasagna

2009-08-08T23:07:00.021+01:00

Are you sick and tired of trying to find healthy dinner recipes that your family will eat? Do your kids refer to the healthy food you cook them as 'seaweed?'

Well, you should know that there are tons of great recipes that are healthy and delicious. Here's one for vegetarian lasagna that the whole family will love. What you'll need -

* 2 26 ounce jars of organic pasta sauce

* 1 8oz package of whole wheat lasagna noodles

* 3 Tbsp Olive Oil

* 2 cloves garlic, crushed

* 1 large eggplant, chopped up

* 2 zucchini, sliced thinly

* 1 cup chopped mushrooms

* 3 Tbsp chopped oregano

* 1 12oz tub of low fat cottage cheese

* 1 8oz package of shredded low fat mozzarella cheese

You want to try and use organic foods as much as possible in your healthy dinner recipes. Organic foods are free of pesticides, hormones and harmful toxins. Here's how you make this delicious lasagna.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a large saucepan, drizzle your olive oil, and allow it to heat up. Then place your garlic in to saute a bit. After it's sizzling pretty well, you want to add your eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and place your lasagna noodles in it. Allow it to boil until your noodles are almost done. This will take around 30 minutes.

Continue to saute your vegetables until they are almost completely done. Then, you will layer your lasagna noodles, veggie mixture, pasta sauce, and cheeses in a large baking dish.

When you have used all of the ingredients, finish off with the last layer of cheese and sprinkle on the oregano. Instead of using salt for your healthy dinner recipes, find a great seasoning that will add flavor without the consequences. Enjoy!

Jessica S loves to cook. She is owner of Healthy Dinner Recipes, Healthy Snack Recipes and Healthy Lunch Ideas where you can discover healthy meals even your husband will love.

Recipe For "The Birds" Cinnamon Cherry Cheesecake Bars

2009-08-08T23:07:00.019+01:00

A seaside town is attacked by birds. You wouldn't think a plot line like that would fly (pardon the pun), but this was no ordinary movie.

After all "The Birds" was an Alfred Hitchcock film. No one builds suspense like him (even today) and puts an incredible twist of humor that shocks and amazes, to go along with it. "The Birds" is one of my favorite Hitchcock films just for the fact that there is this plot that is unbelievable and some how it tricks you into believing that it is probable.

Nothing embodies the spirit of this movie like my cinnamon cherry cheesecake bars. Strange, you may think (only at first), but let me plead my case and you will soon see what I mean.

First, we have the cheesecake part of the bar. This part is inspired by the ultimate Hitchcock blond Tippi Hedren. In "The Birds" she is the character that the whole movie revolves around. Hitchcock always wanted his actresses to be platinum blonde. You could say with hair almost white, it was so blonde. It is just like the color of our cheesecake. Sophisticated....a Hitchcock blonde must always be sophisticated, just like the taste of the cheesecake. Last of all, the Hitchcock girl must portray coldness. A Hitchcock blonde is best when icy cool. Unapproachable and witty is the way they always were. Tippi Hedren was no exception and you could say that she was as cold as cheesecake.

Underneath the cake we have a buttery crust of cinnamon graham crackers. That's the surprise you don't see coming. It makes every bite something special. That part of the bars I would call the bird element. "The Birds" is primarily about the people in it, but it just so happens that they are being attacked by birds. It's what gives the movie that extra punch. Would you watch a movie about an overprotective mother who is trying to be won over by her son's girlfriend? Probably not, but if they were being attacked by birds at the same time you would.

Let's talk about the deliciously beautiful and red cherry topping that we put on top of our sour cream topping. Vivid and sweet it makes the dessert all that much more perfect. There's nothing more beautiful than the colors and shots within "The Birds." The movie was done in Technicolor. The colors are so bright and sharp that they are almost startling to the eye. It makes the audience focus. Just like how the cherry pie filling makes you focus all your attention on the full flavor of the bar.

For a "The Birds" inspired cheesecake bar, try this:

"The Birds' Cinnamon Cherry Cheesecake Bars"*

Ingredients: cup melted butter, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 16 oz cherry pie filling, 1 and cups crushed cinnamon graham crackers, 16 oz softened cream cheese, 16 oz sour cream, cup sugar, cup Splenda, and 3 lightly beaten eggs.

1) In a bowl combine the graham crackers, butter, 1/8 cup sugar, and 1/8 cup Splenda. Press onto the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Put aside.

2) Beat the cream cheese, cup sugar, and cup Splenda. Mix the eggs in on low speed. Then put in 1 tsp of the vanilla extract. Pour onto the crust.

3) Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Let stand for 5 minutes. Combine the sour cream, cup sugar, cup Splenda, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Spread over the cheesecake . Bake for 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least four hours. Cut into squares. Pour cherry pie filling on the top.

4) Enjoy along with the excitement and spice of a great Hitchcock classic.

*Base for recipe from the Taste of Home and I molded it from there.

Rachael Rizzo has been acting since she was nine years old. She uses her experience to write about what the things she loves mean to her (mostly movies and baking). She is twenty-three years old and resides in beautiful Oregon.

Chicken Parmesan Recipes - Easy & Quick To Prepare!

2009-08-08T23:07:00.017+01:00

These chicken parmesan recipes are easy, quick and delicious. Just check these out and I'm sure you'll be amazingly surprised.

So put your hat on and get ready for some quick easy chicken parmesan recipes:

>> Chicken Breasts Parmesan

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves1/4 Cup Flour1 Egg3/4 Cup Bread Crumbs1 Teaspoon Salt1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder1/4 Teaspoon Paprika1/2 Cup Chopped Onions2 Cloves Garlic Minced16 Ounces Tomato Sauce -- (canned ok)1/2 Teaspoon Oregano1/2 Teaspoon Basil1/4 Cup Olive Oil1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese4 Ounces Mozzarella Cheese -- shredded

Flatten each breast into an oval shape. Get out three bowls. Put flour in the first. Lightly beat the eggs in the second. In the third, combine the bread crumbs with the salt, onion powder, garlic powder and
paprika. Dip each breast into the flour, then the eggs, and finally into the bread crumb mixture. Place on a cookie sheet and refrigerate to set coating--at least 30 minutes. Make the sauce by lightly sauting the chopped onion and garlic and then adding the tomato sauce, oregano, and basil. Simmer 20 minutes. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and saut the breasts until golden brown. Arrange them in a shallow baking dish. Pour the sauce over the breasts, top with parmesan cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle mozzarella on breasts. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

>> Chicken Parmesan Version 2

1/2 c seasoned dry bread crumbs

1 tb parsley -- chopped

1 sm garlic clove -- minced

olive or salad oil

coarsely ground black pepper

2 tb dijon style mustard

2 lg chicken breast halves -- w/skin and bones, about 1 1/2 pounds

3 md plum tomatoes -- about 3/4 lb

2 tb parmesan cheese -- grated

1 t dried oregano leaves crushed

1/2 ts salt

1 bn watercress

bottled olive oil and vinegar salad dressing

About 50 minutes before serving:

Preheat the oven to 400 Degrees F. In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, chopped parsley, minced garlic, 2 ts of the olive or salad oil, and 1/4 ts of the pepper, blending well.

Brush the Dijon style mustard onto the skin side of the chicken-breast halves, then coat with the bread crumb mixture, firmly pressing the coating mixture into the chicken. Spray an 11 X 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with non stick cooking spray.

Place the chicken, skin side up, in the baking dish. Bake the chicken, without turning, for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut each tomato, lengthwise, in half. On waxed paper, mix the Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt and 1/4 ts of black pepper, stirring to mix well. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the tomato halves.

Add the tomatoes to the chicken in the baking dish and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until the coating on the chicken is crispy and browned and the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with the tip of a knife.

To Serve:

Toss the watercress with the salad dressing. Arrange the tomatoes, chicken and the salad on 2 plates and sit down to eat.

That's it for today! If you want more chicken parmesan recipes just check below:

Nathalie Sanders is a chef mom. She reveals her delicious recipes and up-to-date cooking tips in a very famous newsletter: Quick Easy Recipes Secrets. She is also a fan of Secret Restaurant Recipes. You can grab a copy here: Copycat Recipes.

Vegetarian Recipe - Oatmeal Mushroom Steak

2009-08-08T23:07:00.015+01:00

Vegetarian or not, come this way, this is so nummy. This recipe is vegetarian, so you meat eaters might want this with a beef, pork, or whatever meat steak. This is not a recipe for Vegans though, I have not gotten there yet unless I fill up on vegetables and fruit. Hey! what a concept, vegetables and fruit. One should always remember the basics if one wants to stay healthy right?

Years ago for about nine months I was a vegetarian. I bought a lot of veggie stuff.. veggie hot dogs, veggie patties, unknown what they were supposed to be really , anyway you get the picture right? I wanted to be a vegetarian for the animals. I felt to so guilty and I guess I still do, but I eat meat again and I guess close off that part of me that worries about it. Once in awhile I make this dish just because I love it. The consistency is very meaty actually. Try it, I think you will like it Micky!

"Oatmeal Mushroom Steak"

1 TBL. vegex (like a bouillon cube)
1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp. sea salt (yes if you are gonna be healthy make it sea salt, smile)
1/2 sage or poultry seasoning
1 onion chopped
3 TBL. Butter (I always use real butter, the flavor cannot be compared)
3 eggs well beaten
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 soup cans - hot water
1 can mushrooms (I know, I can 'hear' you, canned stuff isn't all that healthy)
2 1/4 Cup uncooked old fashioned oatmeal

Saute the onions in the butter. Combine all except the mushroom soup, 2 cans of hot water and vegex. Mix well. Cover and let it stand for about 45 minutes. Mold the mixture into small meal size patties and fry in hot oil until golden brown. (Gads another unhealthy thing, stop thinking so loud! I can hear you all the way to Hawaii). Pour a little of the soup mixture (all the stuff you did not use to make the patties) in the bottom of a 9x12 baking dish to cover the bottom. Arrange patties on top of mixture and cover the rest with the soup mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Yay, you are almost done. Make a little salad and some fruit for dessert, set a lovely table. Yay!

~~*~~

ABOUT Kathy Ostman-Magnusen

I paint and sculpt female fantasy art and map fairy tale adventures. I dream of beautiful women on canvas and art of exotic women.

I have illustrated for Hay House Inc.,"Women Who Do Too Much" CARDS taken from Anne Wilson Schaef's book. I also illustrated for Neil Davidson, who was considered for the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing, and several other publications. My paintings are collected worldwide.

Giclee canvas art work, greeting cards & posters are available for sale on my website:

http://www.kathysart.com

Sign up for my mailing list FREE ART GIFTS: Drawings of whimsical angel pictures, legends of mermaids & fairies in art. Tiny angels & mermaids for shrink art, or coloring pages. Also a "Letter From the Tooth Fairy". Ya just never know when you might need one!

Check out my Squidoo about creativity: Unlock Creativity|Critical Thinking Creative Writing Active Reading=Great Art
http://www.squidoo.com/createart/

~~*~~

Preparing Great Vegetarian Soup Recipe

2009-08-08T23:07:00.013+01:00

A great vegetarian soup recipe doesn't just tweak your appetite for the main meal; it can also simply make you feel good. Here are some great tips to come up with your own vegetarian soup recipe.

Experiment

With vegetarian soups, there are really no hard-and-fast or clear cut rules on how you should do it. You just have to follow the preliminary basics and then let your imagination rule. This means that you may just have to saut the usual garlic, onions and your choice of vegetables, add the soup stock or vegetable broth and then add whatever you like including spices. If you are preparing a cold and raw recipe, then you can experiment by swapping some ingredients like watermelon for tomatoes or vice versa.

The only thing you might want to keep in mind is your own taste buds as well as those of whom you are preparing the meal for. It would be better though to reserve experimentation on your free days and simply use tested soup recipes on regular days when you have little time.

Be Generous with Spices

At times, a small portion of green onions, celery or carrots sauted in onions will make a big difference in taste. Other soup recipes however may need a little more than the usual herbs and spices. Try a few mixes like oregano and rosemary; pepper and lemon or pepper and lemon grass. You can also use other spices like cayenne and cumin. One tip with vegetarian soup recipe seasoning is to use an appropriate amount or mix of spices so you can cut back on salt.

Thicken the Soup

Part of the secret to savory vegetarian soup recipe includes making the texture just right. Texture may of course be improved by thickening the soup. One secret of oriental cooks is that they use flour or cornstarch to thicken a recipe instead of using milk. Some would suggest adding a precise number of parts of flour or cornstarch to water but sometimes you just have to make an estimate.

To put more texture or thickness to your soup, simply add a small amount of cornstarch. Simply mix a small amount of cornstarch with some warm water and then slowly pour the mixture while stirring in soup that is just about ready to be taken out of the fire.

Convert

Non-vegetarians usually add meat to make the soup tastier. However, vegetarians can substitute the meat with other ingredients. Aside from spices, pepper and green onions, you can also add a bit of soy sauce to give your soup some flavor. Beans can also add to the flavor of your vegetarian soup recipe and even supply much needed protein which others normally get from meat. Aside from beans, peas, lentils and squash are also tasty additions to it.

Freezing Soup

The great thing about soups is that you can prepare it ahead of time and freeze it for the next day. Just make sure that before you freeze soup, you allow it to cool completely first. Have it chilled so that you can remove excess oil before transferring it to small containers for freezing. Makes sure there is some extra space in your container after the soup has been transferred to allow the liquid to expand.

Want to spice up your vegetarian meals? Discover the tastiest recipes from vegetarian soup recipe to easy chili vegetarian recipe.

Copycat KFC Chicken Recipe

2009-08-08T23:07:00.011+01:00

As a lot of families know it's hard to please everyone all the time. I have a pretty big family and I know this well. Finding movies, shopping, who sets where, and especially what sounds good for dinner. Sometimes where and what to eat, can cause huge debate.

Have you ever ordered light when eating out because your money is tight, just to get your bill for more then you think and then the tip? This use to happened to me. Now we don't go out to eat very much at all and find it's a lot of fun for the family to recreate our favorite foods, whether it be a KFC Chicken recipe or our favorite Applebee's meal.

When I first heard about this program from a friend, I decided to go online and get my own copy. When I went online I found quite a few programs offering some of the same dishes and some different ones. This prompted me to do a product guide review of some programs offered today. I selected some of the top choices available for my review, and gave my preference but made these items available for you to review as well.

One thing my family thinks is kind of funny is when my son or I build something or work on something we never look at directions, because we want to figure it out for ourselves or it takes too long. When my son or I cook we measure everything out to the exact directions, because as my son said we got to put it in our mouth. My kids still laugh because I cooked a frozen pizza with the cardboard still under it. I know my kids and wife don't see me as a great cook but when I follow some of these recipes my kids ask for dads pizza sauce or dads KFC Chicken recipe. You should understand that my son and I live in the house with my wife and my 4 daughters. They all can cook better then me, that's probably including the 7 year old too.

You may not see yourself as a great cook. At this time you may not see yourself making food for friends or family. However these recipes are kind of addictive and you will find your self showing off, even calling it your recipe. You are probably already a better cook then me and if not you probably eat out quite a bit.

This collection of recipes is a great addition to the variety of my family's tastes as well as great family time spent in preparing them. Please see my review of some of these top programs with the KFC Chicken recipe and many others.
http://product-guide-review.info/KFC-ChickenRecipe/

How to Cook Walleye

2009-08-08T23:07:00.009+01:00

Whenever I hear the word "walleye," I think of Minnesota and cold northern lakes. I picture men huddled in fishing shacks, drinking peppermint schnapps while dropping lines through holes cut in the ice.

These images and others are no doubt due to my rapt listening every week to "Prairie Home Companion," but I don't think they're far off the mark. For walleye is a quintessential northern fish--in fact, it's Minnesota's official state fish. It is also found in other northern-tier states as well as throughout most of Canada.

A few trivia facts about walleye: The name comes from the fact that the eyes of walleyes "glow" by reflecting light, much as a cat's eyes do. Walleyes can grow up to about 15 pounds in weight and reach two-and-a-half feet in length. Walleyes are nocturnal fish, feeding at night, which is when anglers are most likely to try to catch them.

Walleye is a prize game fish, but it is also caught commercially and processed into fillets. The flesh of walleye is definitely good eating--white, firm and tasty. Some people consider it to be the best-tasting of all freshwater fish.

You can cook walleye fillets using any recipe that you would for other species of white fish. Here are two that I like.

Grilled Walleye

Ingredients

2 pounds walleye fillets

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup lime juice

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon lemon pepper

1 teaspoon crushed rosemary

1/4 cup melted butter

2 tablespoons horseradish

Directions

1. In a pan large enough to accommodate the fillets, mix lemon juice, lime juice and garlic salt.

2. Lay the fillets in the pan to coat one side, then turn to coat the other side. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 1 hour to marinate the fish.

3. Remove fillets from the pan and sprinkle them with lemon pepper and rosemary.

4. Cook over hot barbecue grill for 8 to 10 minutes (4 to 5 minutes per side).

5. Stir horseradish into melted butter in a bowl, then spoon this mixture over the walleye fillets and serve.

Broiled Walleye

Ingredients

2 pounds walleye fillets

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons lime juice

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons dry white wine

1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes

1/4 teaspoon crushed rosemary

Directions

1. Blend lemon juice, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, wine, parsley and rosemary together until they form a kind of paste.

2. Place fish on broiler and brush with the paste. Broil fillets 20 to 30 minutes (10 to 15 minutes per side). Serve, garnishing as you wish with paprika, lemon wedges, etc.

Sarah Sandori is the food and entertaining columnist for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Have you ever wanted to be able to exactly duplicate a favorite dish from a favorite restaurant? Check out Sarah's article where she reveals her source for the most mouth-watering secret restaurant recipes in America: http://www.solid-gold.info/most-wanted-recipes.html

Austrian Recipes

2009-08-08T23:07:00.007+01:00

Some popular Austrian recipes include:

* Goulash - Goulash is a beef stew originally from Hungary. It is made using beef, onions, and peppers, and flavored using paprika.

* Tafelspitz - Beef boiled with root vegetables.

* Sachertorte - Chocolate cake with dark chocolate icing and jam (usually apricot) in the middle.

* Palatschinken - Pancakes filled with jam and sprinkled with sugar.

* Vanillekipferl - Traditional crescent-shaped biscuits from Vienna, containing nuts (ground almonds or hazelnuts) and flavored with vanilla.

* Apfel strudel - Apple strudel - a pastry with apples, raisins and sugar. Cinnamon and rum are used for flavoring in some versions.

Discover more about Austrian Recipes at http://www.recipesmaniac.com/cook_austrian.php - visit this site for more information, pictures and details of Austrian cookbooks.

Chocolate Recipes and Memories

2009-08-08T23:07:00.005+01:00

Everyone has a favorite chocolate recipe that is dragged out for the holidays or other special occasions. Friends and family beg you to share your delectable and sinful recipe, but so far you just haven't been quite ready. When you decide to take the leap, here are some suggestions to get the best effect.

Chocolate Recipe Gift Basket

Gift baskets are very popular especially around the holidays, so make a few of your best chocolate recipes and put samples in a small basket along with nicely decorated recipe cards and serving suggestions. If you really want to make the basket special, include some of the dry ingredients in mason jars and attach the recipe card to the jar. This makes a lovely holiday gift or a shower gift for a new bride or bride to be.

Chocolate Recipe Memory Book

Every family recipe has a memory or story behind it and chocolate recipes are usually a favored and special moment in families. Create a scrapbook or memory book and include your chocolate recipes along with family memories, stories and even a picture or two.

Thanks to the internet and the many creations that one can find on a computer, there are many ideas to make the book special. If you have a child about to leave home, put a book together for your child along with stories of your favorite memories from their childhood that surround those chocolate recipes.

Maybe your recipe has a history. Was it Great Grandma's recipe possibly handed down from her great grandma? Have there been changes in the recipe over the years? Or, possibly Uncle Joe asked for a goodie box with those chocolate delights while he was serving in the Army in some Godforsaken place.

Chocolate seems to bring people together, and with those people come wonderful memories to be cherished. Sharing those memories along with the recipes will bring joy to many generations to come, and help create a family history for the young ones who are not yet old enough to understand how important that history will be at some point in their lives.

When you share your chocolate recipes you are sharing a part of yourself with those who matter most to you. Enjoy your chocolate recipes with your family and friends while creating new memories.

For more information on living and loving life, visit Happiness Is A Choice You can also visit http://happynessisachoice.com to find How to live a happy life.

Party Themes - Hawaiian Luau Cocktail Recipes

2009-08-08T23:07:00.003+01:00

A luau party seems to naturally conjure up images of fruity drinks with cocktail umbrellas. When planning a luau party, don't forget the flower leis, tropical straws and coconut cups (and cocktail umbrellas, of course!). Get your cocktail shaker and blender out and enjoy some traditional luau cocktails with the following cocktail recipes.

Mai Tai

Ingredients

1 oz (2 tablespoons) dark rum

1 oz (2 tablespoons) amber rum

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1/2 oz (1 tablespoon) Cointreau or triple sec

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon superfine granulated sugar

Dash of grenadine

Garnish with an orange slice

Preparation

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with 1 cup ice cubes, then strain into a glass filled with ice cubes. Makes one drink.

Blue Hawaiian

Ingredients

1 oz light rum

1 cherry

2 oz pineapple juice

1 oz Blue Curacao liqueur

1 oz cream of coconut

1 slice pineapple

Preparation

Blend light rum, blue Curacao, pineapple juice, and cream of coconut with one cup ice in an electric blender at high speed. Pour contents into a highball glass. Decorate with the slice of pineapple and a cherry. Makes one drink.

Hawaiian Cocktail

Ingredients

2 oz Gin

1 oz Pineapple Juice

1/2 oz Triple Sec

Preparation

Shake all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into a cocktail glass (an old-fashioned glass). Garnish with cherry. Makes one drink.

Hawaiian Fruit Punch (this one is for the kids!)

Ingredients

1 oz. Lemon Juice

Juice of 1/2 Lime

1 oz. Guava Nector

1 oz. Pineapple Juice

1/2 oz. Passion Fruit Juice

Soda

Preparation

Blend with crushed ice and pour into a chimney glass. Fill glasses with soda. Stir and add fruit you like. Makes one drink.

Use these fun and tasty Hawaiian cocktail recipes to create a fun luau party theme!

Hilary Basile is a writer for MyGuidesUSA.com. At http://www.myguidesusa.com, you will find valuable tips and resources for handling life's major events. Whether you're planning a wedding, buying your first home, anxiously awaiting the birth of a child, contending with a divorce, searching for a new job, or planning for your retirement, you'll find answers to your questions at MyGuidesUSA.com.

Find birthday party planning tips and resources at http://birthdays.myguidesusa.com

Homemade Baked Beans Recipe

2009-08-08T23:07:00.001+01:00

If you're looking for a good "homemade baked beans recipe" recipe - this is the place! Everyone loves some good baked beans, but most recipes call for them to be in a crockpot. Mine doesn't, instead I use can beans and cook them on the stove top. It's true, you could just buy a fancy can of Bush's baked beans, but it's just not the same as making your own homemade baked beans and letting them simmer of the stove as the flavors meld together! These are equally as good in the summer with a BBQ as they are in the winter on a cold blistery day!

3 cans great northern or navy beans, or 1 - 48oz jar or Randall's mixed beans (drained)
1 small onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (diced)
1 cup barbeque sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
3-4 strips of chopped cooked bacon (if you like)

Drain each can of beans and pour into a sauce pan. Add all other ingredients and cook on medium high heat until it boils, then cover and reduce to low heat and simmer for one hour. If you're in a real hurry, you can cook on high for 10 minutes and serve (it just won't taste as good!).

In the winter time you can cook this on the stove and let it simmer while making the main dish, but in the summer I like to just put the pot on the grill and let the beans simmer while I grill my meat. By the time the meat is done, the beans are usually done shortly after. There are all kinds of beans you can experiment with on this recipe as well, I usually end up using what I have on hand at the time. So I may use Pinto beans, Chili Beans, Mexican Beans - and even though you're making "homemade beans" it doesn't mean that you can't utilize any leftovers that you may have around. For instance, if I grill out and have left over burgers and beans, the next day I may chop up the leftover cooked burgers and thrown them in the beans and simmer for 20-30 minutes and eat! I've used thrown in leftover taco meat, sloppy joe, and even chicken. Technically that makes the "homemade baked beans" more like a chili - but it's ok to change it up a bit! Another thing that's fun with this recipe is to add some cubed cheese of any kind just minutes before it's done. That melted cheese can make it a big hit with everyone in the house!

John Pratt writes on his blog JTPratt's Blogging Mistakes, but his love of cooking keeps him writing for Free Online Recipes by Kieli! Catch him texting on his latest used cell phone!

Lemon Pound Cake Recipe

2009-08-08T23:06:00.022+01:00

If you are looking for a delicious and satisfying dessert idea, this lemon pound cake recipe is what you are looking for. This is a tasty lemon pound cake that has a lemon glaze. It is easy to prepare, easy to make and tastes great anytime.

Ingredients for lemon pound cake recipe:
1 cup of butter softened
cup of vegetable oil
3 cups of white sugar
5 eggs
3 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of lemon extract
cup of white sugar for the glaze
cup water for the glaze
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind for the glaze
cup of lemon juice

Directions for lemon pound cake recipe:
Beat butter in a large bowl
Gradually add in the oil
Beat until well blended
Gradually add in the sugar
Beat well
Add in the eggs one at a time
Beat well
Add in the flour to the creamed mix with the milk
Mix until blended after adding each ingredient
Stir in the lemon extract
Pour the batter into a greased and floured 10 inch tube pan
Bake at 300 degrees for one hour and 30 minutes
Cool in the pan or a rack for 15 minutes
Combine the ingredients for the glaze and stir until the sugar dissolves
Brush the lemon glaze on the sides of the cake and spoon the glaze over the top
Let the cake cool completely

If you would like to try another lemon pound cake recipe that is delicious, here is one that you may want to consider.

Ingredients:
1 cup of shortening
2 cups of sugar
3 cups of flour
4 eggs
1 cup of buttermilk
2 tablespoons of lemon extract
teaspoon of soda
teaspoon of baking powder
teaspoon of salt
2 cups of confection sugar for the icing
5 tablespoons of lemon juice for the icing
5 tablespoons of orange juice for the icing

Directions:
Put all of the ingredients for the cake into a bowl
Beat for 3 minutes
Bake in a greased and floured tube pan
Loosen edges while hot and pour icing over the cake
Return to the oven for 3 minutes
Bake at 325 degrees for one hour

You can serve and enjoy these delicious lemon pound cake recipes anytime as a dessert or as a tasty treat.

Katie Appleby is an accomplished niche website developer and author.
To learn more about lemon pound cake, please visit Holiday Foods Site for current articles and discussions.

Recipe For a Page Turner - Turn Up the Tension

2009-08-08T23:06:00.021+01:00

Tension is built up on a wave of emotion. Emotion fuels the tension and vice versa. Every story needs tension to some degree or other because as a writer you want to grab the emotions of your readers. Tension is one way to do just that.

So just what is tension? We can define it as where a character is being pulled in two, or more, directions at the same time.

Imagine Lizzy Battlebridge, the heroine in our tale of everyday country folk, falling for Tom Roding the tractor mechanic. She has been giving him the eye and knows he is interested. Problem is she's been seeing Ralph the postman for five years now and is really in love with him. Or is she?

You will recognise this as the classic love triangle. What we have to do now is show the reader the various emotions that assail Lizzie as she is torn between Tom and Ralph. We must show the excitement and even danger of her new love, whilst at the same time telling the reader what she goes through whilst trying to sort out who she will end up with. Plus there is the fear of having to tell Ralph, assuming he hasn't cottoned on already (but maybe he has!), and the agonising over what Ralph's reactions might be when she does.

Tension is usually something which develops over a period of time and several incidents or conversations, but it is possible to hit the reader between the eyes with a situation that generates tension immediately. This will often be when the tension arises between just two people or between one person and a situation.

Here are examples of both of these situations:

Lizzie is in the Post Office staffroom about to relieve her workmate at the counter when, through the half open door, she overhears two customers talking...

Scenario 1: They are saying that Tom has fallen off his tractor and is on his way to hospital. Lizzie can't go and sit by his bedside until her shift finishes at 5.30. But wait! She has arranged with Ralph to pick her up and go into Milchester for a Macdonalds and a movie! This is where we must build up the tension as Lizzie is forced by circumstances to go through the evening with one beau whilst agonising over the fate of the other. It could be protracted over several days as one thing after another prevents her from seeing Tom.

Scenario 2: One customer is telling the other they have just heard that the Melksham & Milton Keynes Building Society is in turmoil. The Chief Cashier has disappeared and vast amounts of cash have disappeared with him. Lizzie has put Aunt Matilda's inheritance and all the rest of her dosh into M&MM. What is she going to do? Of course, there is insurance in place to cover embezzlement, but Lizzie doesn't know this. Yet. When she does, tension relieved.

In a previous article I have spoken about using suspense in a story. Suspense and tension go hand in hand. If you've generated one the other should be close on its heels. The difference is, and this is a generalisation, that suspense can be held over a long period of time, whereas tension needs to be introduced at intervals followed by the relief of that tension. Until the next one. Otherwise your readers are going to have no nails left!

So, in our storyline with Lizzie we could say that the suspense of who she is going to end up with runs throughout the story, but scenes of tension, such as Tom's precipitation from the tractor, make up just part of the story.

Now if you've got an hour or so, I would be awfully grateful if you would kindly finish the story above as I'm dying to know what happens to poor Lizzie. Will she, won't she? I'm on my fifth black coffee and the suspense is killing me!

Mervyn Love's website for aspiring writers http://www.WritersReign.co.uk offers a mix of advice, resources, market information, competition listings, links to many other useful sites for writers and much more. Subscribe to his popular short course on Article Writing here: http://www.writersreign.co.uk/WRac.html

Homemade Baked Beans Recipe

2009-08-08T23:06:00.019+01:00

3 cans great northern or navy beans, or 1 - 48oz jar or Randall's mixed beans (drained)
1 small onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (diced)
1 cup barbeque sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
3-4 strips of chopped cooked bacon (if you like)

John Pratt writes on his blog JTPratt's Blogging Mistakes, but his love of cooking keeps him writing for Free Online Recipes by Kieli! Catch him texting on his latest used cell phone!

Recipes For Candy Kids Can Make

2009-08-08T23:06:00.017+01:00

Kids do love eating sweets and often, they will buy candies out on the store spending couple of quarters for sweets. For moms who have kids, you can teach your kids making candy and for sure it can create a bonding for you too. There are recipes for candy kids can make which are available. The process is simple and the end result is tastier and healthier too.

One of the more simple recipes for candy kids can make that you can teach your young ones would be the Easiest Fudge in the World. This is one recipe which is so simple that you spend more time in preparation that the actual cooking. All you need would be a twelve ounce semisweet chocolate chips and a fourteen ounce can of sweetened condensed milk, double-check that you are using sweetened condensed milk since common mistake by other mothers would be using an evaporated milk instead. To begin, get a microwave safe bowl where you need to place your chocolate chips and milk. Heat it inside the microwave oven for about two to three minutes on medium power. After two minutes, stir it and continue stirring at one minute intervals in between microwave heating. Do this until chocolate chips are already melted and when the mixture achieves smoothness. Pour the mixture into a greased pan of about 8 inches in size to let it cool down. This recipe makes about two pounds of candy that your kids will enjoy!

Another one from the list of recipes for candy kids can make would be the Nut Goody Bars. This recipe is just fantastic it is so rich so make sure that you would be able to cut then into small square pieces. Ingredients you need would include a twelve ounce of semisweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips of the same size, a couple of peanut butter cups, two cups of peanuts, a cup of butter, a twelve ounce evaporated milk in can, a quarter cup of light cream, 3 ounces of vanilla pudding mix, and two pounds of powdered sugar. Get a jelly roll pan sized 15x10, butter it and set aside for later use. Melt you chocolate and butterscotch chips in a large saucepan until it becomes smooth by stirring frequently. Add your peanut butter when you remove the pan fro the heat and continue to stir until mixture is melted. Half of this mixture will be spread into the prepared pan and place inside a refrigerator while the other half of the chocolate mixture will be mixed with peanuts in a saucepan. Grab another pan to combine butter milk and pudding mix in medium heat. After heating, add the sugar and vanilla and cool for fifteen minutes. Get the pudding mixture and spread it over the solid chocolate mixture in the jelly roll pan. Cool for 30 minutes then add the reserved mixture to cover. In about to hours, it will be ready for cutting and served after storing in refrigerator.

These are just a couple of examples of recipes for candy kids can make. Im sure a lot of moms there are willing to share their own home made recipes that kids would surely love.

Candis Reade is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about Recipes for Candy Kids Can Make, please visit Candy Today for current articles and discussions.

A Tasty Barbecue Ribs Recipe

2009-08-08T23:06:00.015+01:00

Spare ribs are great when grilled on the barbecue. Everyone likes them, even children. And as spare ribs are cheap, you can feed a big group and not break your wallet. There are a few rules to keep in mind when you want to get great and tasty spare ribs.

First, it is important to remove the membrane from the bones with a sharp knife before you put the ribs in the marinade. There's no need to parboil the ribs before you grill them. You can place them raw on the barbecue grill once they are marinated.

Just do not put the ribs on a high heat grill fire. Doing this will make your ribs dry and burn black. It is not good practice, yet many people fail to grill properly. You need to wait for the charcoal to become gray or white. If you still see flames, then you must wait for the fire to slow down. If you grill ribs on a low heat, you will make them tender and nicely browned.

Here's a great barbecue rib recipe...

4 lb Spareribs
1/4 c Ketchup
1 ts Dry mustard
2 Cloves garlic - crushed
1 c Brown sugar - packed
1/4 c Soy sauce
1/2 c Chili sauce
1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
ds Pepper

Preparation:

Combine all the ingredients and marinate the ribs at room temperature for about 1 hour. You can let them marinate longer if you like a stronger taste.

Grill the ribs for about 30 minutes, depending of the thickness, constantly turning and basting the ribs with marinade.

Serve.

If you liked this recipe, then you may download thousands more at the Ultimate Recipe Collection: http://www.recipes.instantinfoprofit.com

Diabetes Recipes

2009-08-08T23:06:00.013+01:00

When you were told that you have diabetes, your first impression probably was that you were doomed to bland, uninteresting food for the rest of your life. But that impression could not be more wrong.

Starting with your breakfast and working through the day with lunch, snacks, main courses, desserts, and more, your food can be just as exciting, exotic, and full of taste as it has always been, perhaps even more so.

I've gathered together the creativity of some of the best chefs in the United States and put them at your disposal.

You can choose from simple recipes, requiring few ingredients, or take it to the next level by trying recipes with more ingredients. I guarantee that all will be delicious, because I've tested all of them to make sure that you will enjoy them and can cook them yourself.

A big part of keeping your blood sugar steady is eating regularly. Typically, the longest break without food during a day comes at night.

While your body rests and revitalizes itself, your blood glucose level takes a nosedive. Start your day the right way with a healthy balanced breakfast each and every day.

Choose a quick scrambled egg and whole-wheat toast if you're in a hurry. But brush up on the diabetic recipes for a change of pace. By planning ahead, you can make a delicious breakfast that's anything but boring.

Breakfast is a critical meal for a diabetic. Getting your day off to a steady, balanced start sets you up for success the rest of the day.

Try these yummy Diabetes Recipes that are healthy and taste great!

Easy Indiana Catfish Recipe

2009-08-08T23:06:00.011+01:00

I was talking with my brother yesterday and was reminded of an easy catfish recipe that I will give you below. We were invited to a farm not far from us for a cook out and we saw three boys heading into the woods with fishing rods. We asked our host where they were going and he said we should follow in the general direction they went. There would be large pond about a 1/4 mile in.

David and I decided to check it out. Sure enough, after about 15 minutes of walking we came to pond and a good sized one at that. It was about 100 yards across and 300 yards long and surprisingly had very little moss. The boys had a can of worms they had dug up and were having a good time catching bluegill.

It was very similar to the pond where my brother and I learned how to fish from my father. I spent my entire childhood in one location, Plainfield, Indiana and there were many ponds to choose from but that first one was always my favorite. You could always catch catfish, bluegill and the occasional bass.

When we would get home mom would take the fish, making a big deal out how good we were for providing dinner. These dinners were always special and here is one of my favorite recipes from those times.

Ingredients

4 catfish fillets
1/3 milk
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 large egg
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
vegetable oil

Combine cornmeal, flour, salt and black pepper to taste.

Combine the milk and egg in a separate bowl.

Heat a 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet. Oil should be about 350 degrees.

Dip catfish in egg and cover with cornmeal, flour mixture.

Place fillets in skillet and cook about 5 minutes on each side or until fish turns a golden brown color.

Remove and drain on paper towels.

Doug Burns has been an avid angler for more than 35 years. For more free recipes visit Free Recipes

If you want to to hook a Catfish visit Catfish Angling

Portuguese Recipes And Cuisine

2009-08-08T23:06:00.009+01:00

Portuguese cuisine is very different from other that of other European countries, reflecting the country's relative isolation in Europe (it is bordered only by Spain) and Portugal's long maritime tradition - with Portuguese explorers bringing back many influences from the New World, Africa, the Far East, and the East Indies - and fish and seafood being a major and important part of the Portuguese diet. Portuguese cuisine is particularly known for salted cod, pork, and its exciting use of spices.

Some popular Portuguese dishes include:

- Bacalhau - salted cod - there are many different ways that this can be cooked, some say one way for each day of the year, whereas other says over 1,000.

- Caldeira - a stew consisting of a variety of different types of fish (and sometimes shellfish), together with potatoes, tomato and onion. Spices are sometimes added as well - typically nutmeg and saffron, cloves, allspice, piri-pri, or ground ginger and curry powder, depending on the region.

- In general, as noted previously, thanks to the country's long maritime tradition, a wide variety of fish and shellfish are eaten in Portuguese cuisine. These include crabs, hake, horse mackerel (scad), lamprey, lobster, octopus, sardines (especially when grilled as sardinhas assadas), scabbard. sea bass, shrimp and squid.

- Cozido portuguesa - a traditional rich meat stew, made with beef and pork (or sometimes chicken), cabbage, carrots, turnips, rice, potatoes and Portuguese smoked sausages.

- Pastis de nata - small creamy tarts, originally from Lisbon, but now popular throughout Portugal, as well as former Portuguese colonies.

Originally published at http://www.recipesmaniac.com/cook_portuguese.php - visit this site for more information, pictures and details of Portuguese cook books.

Discover more about recipes and cooking at http://www.recipesmaniac.com

Home Cooked Dog Food Recipes

2009-08-08T23:06:00.007+01:00

Cooking food for your family is a certainly a treat. But do you know that even your dog loves home cooked goodies as well? Give your dog something healthy to eat. Here are some easy-to-follow home cooked dog food recipes.

Chicken Stock

Heat four table spoons of corn oil in a skillet. Add the pre-cut chicken necks and backs. Cook it until brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Pour a cup of water on the same pan over medium heat. Put in some cabbage and carrots. Add the cooked chicken. Bring it to a boil. Strain the chicken and vegetables to obtain the chicken stock. You can add the stock to rice or oats. Dogs will enjoy other home cooked dog food recipes served with this.

Beef and Vegetables Mix

Chop two pounds of beef. Mix it with a bag of ground beef. Cook beef in a pan with three tablespoons of oil. Add some mixed vegetables. Stir fry. Turkey and pork can be used alternately with beef. Leftovers can be stored in a refrigerator. Just microwave it before serving. This probably is one of the easiest home cooked dog food recipes you can prepare.

Dog Biscuits

With a pastry cutter, cream margarine and flour in a large bowl. In a smaller container, dissolve garlic powder and powdered milk with water. Whisk in an egg. Add it gradually to the creamed flour and margarine mix. Knead on a floured surface for about four minutes. Roll the dough until it is half an inch thick. Cut the biscuits using the desired cookie cutter. Bake for 40 minutes at 325 Fahrenheit.

Your dog will surely like these home cooked dog food recipes. Why not try them today?

Charlene J. Nuble is a healthcare professional who loves writing about women's issues, parenting, pets and other health related stuffs. Click on the link to learn more about Home Cooked Dog Food Recipes...

Homeschooling - Learning Through Recipes

2009-08-08T23:06:00.005+01:00

There are so many wonderful packaged unit studies available to homeschoolers that you don't know where to start. Instead of buying something pre-packaged, how about starting with an idea and let your children's interests decide where to go with it. Have you thought about starting a unit study in the kitchen... with a recipe?

You can certainly pick your own recipe to start your unit study, but here is an example of how it can work. The recipe I have in mind is for Beef Stroganoff. Your kids can decide which way they want to go with this, but here are some suggestions:

1. Investigate the different stories about the origins of Beef Stroganoff and decide, based on the evidence, which version may be the correct one.

2. Research the year the dish was invented and explore that time period. What important events were happening around the world then? Who was the US President and what was the US like at that time? What were the people in Russia wearing in the 19th century? What other foods were popular in Russia back then? What was the main mode of transportation during that time period? Get in as deep as you want on any of these.

3. What is a count? Draw and color a nobility tree showing the rankings of nobility from most important to lowest ranking. Is it still that way in Russia today?

4. Explore Russia geographically. Find it on the world map. Make your own map of Russia and include topographical items. Add bodies of water, mountains, cities, industry, and whatever else you want. Make charts of demographics. Create math story problems involving air or boat travel from Russia to the US, or from one city in Russia to another. Compare the size and circumference of Russia as compared to Europe and the US.

5. Learn about Count Stroganov and his family history. Create a play about his life.

6. Make a scrapbook by downloading pictures off the Internet and then adding captions explaining the pictures.

7. Compare 5 different Beef Stroganoff recipes and notice which ingredients are the same and which are different. Make a bar chart of the ingredients from all the recipes.

8. Create a Russian newspaper with news items that might have happened in the 19th century. What kind of ads might they have had then?

9. Make beef stroganoff! You can have Russian night and make a whole meal of Russian food. Visit some online Russian museums to understand what their dishes and utensils might have looked like and how they would dress for a meal.

10. Write a fictional story about a girl or boy in Russia.

These are ideas on how to go from just one recipe to a unit study. Other recipes work just as well. Take a look at your recipe for pizza and take a trip to Italy, or explore the Tollhouse chocolate chip cook recipe; there's a good story there. How can you go wrong with pizza or cookies?

Peggy Baron cooks with her kids in Colorado, and runs http://cookinkids.com, a website devoted to helping parents and kids have fun together in the kitchen. Check out the popular Cookin' Kids Newsletter, a bi-monthly newsletter with different themes - including Russia.

Vegetarian Burger Recipes - Healthy Delicious Burgers

2009-08-08T23:06:00.003+01:00

Vegetarian burgers unlike burgers made of meat are a healthy and substantial food. There are several ways to make a vegetarian burger and I will list the way I like mine made.

The first is a vegetarian burger recipe, for one, that not everyone will like because it has onions:

Ingredients:

The second is a vegetarian burger recipe for one that is a little different and is not for the onion lover.

Ingredients:

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about vegetarian burger recipes, please visit Free Vegetarian Recipes for current articles and discussions.

Organic Fertilizer Recipes Have All Three of These

2009-08-08T23:06:00.001+01:00

Growing vegetable plants need plenty of nutrients in the soil. You do not want to add chemical fertilizers as you wish to avoid adding chemicals to an organic garden. Grow wonderful fruits and vegetables. Grow flowers you can't wait to show off. Grow herbs indoors can be attractive, A trio of aromatic herbs: basil, oregano and chives.

Compost is perhaps the best organic amendment. It can be purchased or made at home by recycling yard prunings and clippings. Composts may include residues of plants that were treated with pesticides containing heavy metals. Additionally, fertilizer pellets made from manure or litter may have additives that contain heavy metals or other non-allowed substances.

Gardeners will also benefit from mulching their plants because it conserves moisture and nutrients in the soil and it reduces erosion and weed growth. Gardenias will not bloom well in the shade. Researchers found dairy manure compost increased crop yields by an average of ten percent. Soil microbiology research found that the ratio of total fungal to total bacterial biomass was a strong predictor of yield.

Plants need three important nutrients in order to grow: nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous. All three of these are found in organic fertilizer recipes.

Weeds are the thorn in the side of any gardener, but they can be especially bothersome to organic gardeners. Many gardeners choose to use weed killer to get rid of weeds, but you can't do that in an organic garden. Weeds harbor harmful insects and spread disease. If it is possible, keep at least 300ft around your garden weed free.

To get the plants off to a good start, plastic mulch helps to keep the soil warm. Plants grown in organic soils are naturally more resistant to insects and disease. They are simply healthier and insects and disease generally attack plants that are already unhealthy to begin with. So always think about producing the right organic soil recipe.

Author: Gregory Wadel
Tips To Producing An Awesome Organic Garden
http://wadeshealthmatters.info

Healthy Lunch Recipes For Sending the Kids Back to School

2009-08-08T23:05:00.021+01:00

Today's parents know that kids need a nutritional lunch, even at school. But what exactly to put in-and how much of it-can seem confusing. "Healthy meals in general should focus on fruits, vegetables and grains," says Mary Ellen Renna, MD, a pediatrician and author of Growing Up Healthy the Next Generation Way.

When packing a lunch box, include:

6 ounces of grains. Choose as many whole grains as possible, since they contain fiber and vitamins that refined grains lack. Look for whole grain breads, tortillas, pastas and cereals.
2 cups of vegetables and 1 cups of fruit. Keep your selections varied, since different fruits and veggies offer different nutrients. Also, try to buy what's in season.
3 cups of milk (2 cups for kids ages two to eight) or an equivalent calcium source. Get calcium from lowfat milk and cheese, yogurt, calcium-fortified soy, and dark, leafy greens.
5 ounces of protein. Look for lean varieties of turkey, chicken and ham, fatty fish such as salmon and tuna, as well as legumes, tofu and tempeh.

When grocery shopping, parents should look for unprocessed foods. "A good rule of thumb is, if a label has unpronounceable ingredients or if an ingredient looks like it would be on your shampoo bottle, avoid it," says Jennifer Bevilacqua, a nutritionist who helps families overhaul their kitchens for healthier eating.

Follow these guidelines in the grocery store:

Look for whole grains and whole wheat in bread and grain products.
Buy fresh fruits and vegetables, and look for dried fruits labeled "unsulphured" and "unsweetened."
Choose lowfat and organic dairy products.
Choose nitrite-free lunchmeats and low-mercury tuna.
Pack soy nut butter or SunButter instead of peanut butter, since many children are allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.

Products to avoid:

High-fructose corn syrup
Partially hydrogenated oils
Trans fats
Nitrite (an additive often used in lunch meats that becomes a carcinogen in our bodies)
Artificial sweeteners (often found in products marked "light" or "sugar-free," or you may see aspartame, Splenda, sucralose or saccharin in the ingredients list)

Getting a Picky Eater to Eat

Include children in lunch prep. "Kids are more likely to eat something if they're involved in making it," says Bevilacqua.
Limit choices. Rather than asking your child what he wants out of a limitless selection, Renna suggests giving him two or three healthy options.
Make trying mandatory. Make it a rule that your kids have to at least sample new foods.
Educate them. Renna stresses the importance of letting kids know the benefits of each food. For example, explain how calcium will help them grow strong bones.
Looking good, feeling good. Presentation is a key part of eating. Kids gravitate toward small portions, fun shapes and cute containers.

For healthy organic recipes and current health articles, visit the KIWI Magazine Website. Sign up for the FREE KIWI Scoop E-Newsletter and get the Top 25 Recipes of 2007. KIWI Magazine is an organic family lifestyle and parenting magazine, Informing readers how to live a more natural, healthy, and organic lifestyle on an everyday basis.

Two Delicious Rice Recipes Made Easy

2009-08-08T23:05:00.019+01:00

There are no binary perceptions about the fact that rice is, by far, the most important food crop in the world, and is often an inextricable part of many cultures. Not surprising then that the most consumed grain on the planet occupies a persistent place not just on the dinner table, but also in our fertile imagination.

Infinite Possibilities

The best part about this revered grain is that you are never hamstrung for lack of options, at least as far as the dazzling and delightful flavors are concerned. The massive assortment of rice recipes has cemented its frontline status in our contemporary culinary firmament.

Here are two such recipes that are sure to make your tastebuds not just jump, but also leap and vault with unbridled joy.

Say Hola With Pride

You guessed it, out first recipe is from Spain. It needs:

1 medium onion, chopped finely
A can of chopped tomatoes
1 small green pepper, finely chopped
cup long grain rice
1 cup cold water
1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
A pinch of freshly ground pepper
A drop of hot, spicy sauce

Bring together long grain rice, cold water, can of tomatoes, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, chili powder, hot sauce and pepper in a pan. Bring this mixture to a boil, and allow it to simmer till the rice is cooked. Serve hot.

Time For The Calypso

Here's a Jamaican rice recipe that's sure to add a spring to your stride. Here are the ingredients:

2 cups long grain rice
I cup red kidney beans and a cup of Pigeon peas ( both optional)
1 cup fresh coconut milk
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
One large Habanero pepper
A pinch of salt and ground pepper

Soak the peas, and while draining them do not discard the water. Add it instead to the coconut milk, and make four cups of water. In a large skillet, saut the onion, garlic and Habanero pepper till they become tender but retain their crispiness. Now add the rice and liquid and cover. Allow it to simmer for 30 minutes on low heat.

Once all the liquid is absorbed, the rice will turn soft and fluffy. Gently fluff with a fork.

Do you know just how to Cook Long Grain Rice - Easy and Fast? Do you know about organic food for toddlers? See http://www.SpicyKitchens.com

Low Carb Recipe For Amazing Chicken Salad

2009-08-08T23:05:00.017+01:00

With so many different low carbohydrate diets, different peoples likes and dislikes, and so many recipes that have been created, or have yet to be created, it is hard to find something everyone can enjoy. I hope that this chicken salad will be one you enjoy as much as we do.

This chicken salad is 16 grams of net carbohydrates per serving.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup celery

1/2 cup mayonnaise

4 tablespoons relish

2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

pinch black pepper

3 chicken breasts

A variety of lettuces, and salad greens

Instructions:

Cook chicken at 350F until cooked through, and cut then into bite size pieces. Allow to cool.

Chop up the celery into small pieces. Place into a large bowl. Add mayonnaise, relish, Dijon mustard and black pepper. Mix very well.

Place the chicken into the celery and mayonnaise mixture.

Cover the bowl, and refrigerate for several hours. The longer that this is refrigerated the better the flavors blend together.

Serve over the variety of lettuces and salad greens. That you have chosen,

Per serving (makes 4) 410 calories, 16 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 41 g protein

My Extra Tips:

I recommend using Dijon mustard and not substituting with a regular mustard. It ass that hint of flavour that makes this salad something special.

Use as much pepper to suit your tastes. I chose not to add extra salt, but again feel free to add what prefer.

The minimum amount of time I would leave in the fridge is 1 hour. If you do plan ahead, make this the day before. Then the flavors will be well blended.

Have fun, and try something new!

Low Carb Recipes is a blog that will help you and your family in planning to eat a low carb diet. A collection of Free Low Carb Recipes and Videos as a way of improving health. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snack Ideas. New recipes are added Everyday. All Recipes are are from 0-30 Grams per Serving. Come check our delicious Blue Smoothie

Gourmet Camping Recipes - Be Creative And Enjoy A Great Meal!

2009-08-08T23:05:00.015+01:00

Gourmet recipes for camping will permit your cooking to be impressive to your guests at camping and give you the lavishness of home while outdoor camping. Addition of gourmet camping recipes for cooking menu will create a memorable experience for sure while camping.

It's a great activity to use gourmet recipes to have fun filled meals while sitting near a campfire.

A helpful hint wile preparing a gourmet type of meals during camping is that the preparation should be done much ahead of time. You can also use your home kitchen to do the preparation for cooking at the camp site like cutting vegetables. In this way you will save lot of time and can utilize that time doing other activities at the camp site. Cooking gourmet camping recipe at the camp side around the campfire is real fun. You can also transport vegetables and sauces in a container so that your campsite preparation is not to bothersome. Plan ahead for a quick and easy preparation.

Dutch ovens can be used for gourmet camping recipes and it will be able to cook meals you thought were not possible. You can cook gourmet camping recipes like pies, pastas, roasted fish and also other similar dishes in Dutch ovens at the campsite.

Being little creative can help you to transform any of gourmet recipes into a gourmet camping recipe which is delicious, impressive and easy to prepare around the campfire.

You can find other gourmet camping recipes from cook books, or from various online websites. The following recipe is of a fish dish, which is simple and easy to make and does not require complicated utensils.

To start with this gourmet camping recipe ,there are some preparations which are to be done at home,like making ginger garlic paste, spicing the lime and lemon. Once done, all you will require at the camp side is an aluminium foil and a grill if you wish.

A simple gourmet camping recipe:

- Put 2 salmon steaks on the aluminum foil

- Some lemon and lime zest should be grated in a bowl

- Lemon to be squeezed and along with lime juice put some of it over the fish and the remaining into the bowl with the lemon and lime zest.

- One table spoon should be sprinkled over the salmon fish and place thin slice of lime and lemon over it.

Three table spoons of melted butter to be mixed with the lemon and lime zest bowl. Spread this over the salmon.

- The aluminum foil can be wrapped and the salmon can be cooked either over fire or even a grill can be used.when fish is flaky ,this is the indication of fish being done.

The other such gourmet camping recipes are available online, you can visit many websites and try different gourmet camping recipes for your camping experience to be fun filled and memorable.

Abhishek is a Camping freak! Visit his website http://www.Camping-Guru.com and download his FREE Camping Report "Camping With The Family: How To Have A Safe, Fun, And Inexpensive Vacation" and learn some amazing Camping tips and tricks for FREE. Learn how to have the perfect vacation on a shoe-string budget. But hurry, only limited Free copies available! http://www.Camping-Guru.com

Coconut Cream Pie Recipes

2009-08-08T23:05:00.013+01:00

Pie is one of the most delicious desserts that are loved by most of the people around the world. Among most of the yummy pie recipes, the coconut cream pie recipes are very good to taste. It is one of the pie recipes that are highly used in those areas where coconuts are available easily.

For making delicious coconut pie, here is one of the best coconut cream pie recipes. In order to start with, you have to cook the coconut filling on the stovetop, so that you can pour it into baked crust later.

The main ingredients for best coconut cream pie recipes are: cornstarch - cup, granulated sugar - 1 cup, Table salt - teaspoon, milk - 4 cups (use only after scalded it finely), eggs- 2 (well beaten), vanilla essence - 1 teaspoon, margarine - 2 tablespoons, coconut extract - teaspoon, fresh coconut - 1 cup (coarsely shredded), whipped cream - 4 cups.

There are various methods that are used in many coconut cream pie recipes. The method explained here, is one of the best method by using the above ingredients. Start your preparation with the basic step. Combine sugar, salt and cornstarch first and then mix well all together. Thereafter, mix scalded milk into the cornstarch mixture by gradually stirring and mixing. Put a pan over the stove with medium flame and pour mixture into it. Take a boil and also stir the mixture constantly in order to avoid any curdling of contents. Boil the mixture for two minutes or wait until it becomes shiny and thickened. Take a small amount of pie mixture and add it into the well beaten egg mix. Blend this mixture well and then add it into the rest of the mixture.

However, you should take care to avoid any type of curdles in the mixture. For this avoidance, you have to stir the mixture regularly while mixing any thing in the mixture. Once you see the required thickness in the mixture, remove the pan from stove. Add margarine and vanilla essence in the mixture and stir it until it becomes smooth and light. Pour the mixture through sieve, so that you can avoid lumps. Place plastic wrapping over the filling and wait until it becomes cool. Thereafter, add the coconut extract and half cup coconut into cooled filling. Pour this filling in the pie shell and keep it for chilling. Dress the pie with whipped cream by mounding it in center. Thereafter, for more dressing you can sprinkle the fresh coconut over the pie and serve. With this recipe you can serve 10" pie easily. For other top and delicious coconut cream pie recipes you can search on internet. There are many cooking websites that have lots of tips for such pies.

Clifford Young is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about coconut cream pie recipe, please visit Tasty Desserts Site for current articles and discussions.

3 Easy Recipes For College Students

2009-08-08T23:05:00.011+01:00

I am going to show you 3 easy recipes for you college students out there. The recipes are cheap and inexpensive because we all know that most college students are living on a tight budget and rather spend money on beer then food. Anyways, here are the top 3 recipes for college students.

1. Oatmeal is king

Oatmeal is good and delicious! Did I mentioned that it's cheap also? What you want to do is eat oatmeal in the morning because it will release energy throughout the day. It makes you stay alert so you can check out facebook in class. You can add honey and fruits in oatmeal for extra energy.

Forget about paying $5 for breakfast at McDonald's because a package of oatmeal worth five dollars will last you for a week.

2. How to get all the vitamins you ever need with fruits

Remember to eat your fruits because they're important for vitamins and other nutrient values. And they're good for feeding the squirrels.

What you want to do is buy apples, bananas and oranges. Because they're inexpensive and available throughout the year. I don't like vegetables much but fruits are cool.

Note: you want to avoid iceberg lettuce like History Class because there are no nutritional value in it. Just by normal green lettuce. It is cheap, healthy and should be part of your diet.

3. Rice and beans -- the super meal?!

Rice and beans should be the staple of your diet because they are nutritious and cheap. Plus, it taste good. You should have an ample supply of rice and beans in your kitchen at all times because you could cook it up and then put in the fridge for later.

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Antioxidant Packed Breakfast Smoothie Recipe

2009-08-08T23:05:00.009+01:00

It has been almost a year since I made a vow to start taking an appropriate dose of antioxidant rich fruits every morning with my breakfast. I quickly learned that for me, the best possible way to obtain this goal was to make a smoothie blended with the right ingredients. You can substitute almost anything in the recipe, but I've tried so many combo's I believe I got one of the best possible tasting healthy breakfast smoothie.

I used to drink green tea and soon moved on to drinking white tea, but found the taste of both lacking in the flavor department. Back when I was trying to lose weight I would drink Slim Fast to be my meal replacement, and get my daily vitamins. I found I was still burning out mid afternoon, right when I really needed that extra energy boost to finish off the workday in good fashion. By January last year I was always hearing about antioxidants, and especially the Acai Berry. It let me to read up all I could on the amazon berry, as well the amazing benefits of antioxidants.

This blended recipe of tea, fruits, ice and proteins is a great way to get your daily vitamins and that extra and natural energy boost. I stated before that you can substitute any fruit in here to make it more to your liking, but trust me on this excellent combo.

Antioxidant Breakfast Smoothie:

1 cup green tea
1 cup white tea
1 full Banana
1 cup of Acai Berries
1 cup of Blueberries
1 cup of Bilberries
1 cup of Goji Berries
2 tbsp Whey Protein (or Slim Fast vanilla)
2 cup of ice

I highly recommend putting in the ice and both white and green tea into the blender first, mix these up so its almost a slushy. From here you can add your fruits and whey protein to the mix and I usually let it blend for 45 seconds to a minute. Give this smoothie a try for a week and hopefully you will notice that you feel better, and have no problem keeping awake at your job.

Ryan Clark writes about antioxidants on his blog Antioxidants Magazine

Two Candy Recipes Suitable For Diabetics

2009-08-08T23:05:00.007+01:00

Are you diabetic but crave candy? One the the biggest adjustments for me when I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic was, in a word--Candy! As all those who are familiar with my website and writings know, sweets are my weakness. I could skip the meal just to get to the dessert table and it would not bother me one bit. I soon found that "sugar-free" candy cost quite a bit more than regular candy and sometimes it wasn't very good. That's not to say all "sugar-free" candy isn't good, some of it is downright delicious--and expensive. So I started working with some of my favorite candy recipes and have come up with some good alternatives. Below are a couple of my favorites to share with you.

STRAWBERRY FUDGE BALLS

1 pkg (8 oz) light cream cheese, softened

6 oz sugar-free chocolate pieces, melted

3/4 cup sugar-free cookies ie vanilla wafers or shortbread, crushed into crumbs

1/4 cup sugar-free strawberry preserves, seedless or strained

finely chopped plain almonds and/or cocoa powder for rolling

Combine the melted chocolate with the softened cream cheese and mix until blended. Stir in cookie crumbs and preserves. Chill overnight. Remove from refrigerator and shape into 1-inch sized balls. Roll balls in the crushed almonds and/or cocoa.

TEXAS COW PATTY CANDY

1 stick butter

2 cups Equal Sugar-Lite

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a 2-qt saucepan, combine butter, Equal, cocoa and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until mixture begins to boil. Boil for a full two minutes, stirring often. Remove mixture from the heat and add vanilla and peanut butter. Stir until peanut butter is melting. Add the oats and stir until all the oats are covered. Drop by a teaspoon onto waxed paper or lightly buttered cookie sheets. Allow to cool fully so candy will set.

For more of Linda's recipes, writings and diabetic information go to http://www.diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com

How to Attract Hummingbirds and Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

2009-08-08T23:05:00.005+01:00

Humming birds are found throughout the Americas including the Caribbean. Known for their hovering ability and unique ability to fly backwards, humming birds hover by rapidly flapping their wings at speeds up to 80 times a second. The Bee Hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world at only 2 inches long and around 1.8 grams. The Giant Hummingbird is the largest hummingbird at 24 grams and approximately 8 inches long. They have the fastest metabolism of any birds and to sustain this they must eat their own weight and more in food daily. To do this they must visit hundreds of blooms a day to harvest the nectar. They have long bills and tongues to reach deep into flowers. They are able to slow down their metabolisms when at rest, unlike most other high metabolism animals and this extends their lifespan which has been reported to be up to 17 years.

A Hummingbird Friendly Garden To attract humming birds to your garden plant brightly coloured flowers and shrubs. Hummingbirds have very little sense of smell but are attracted to bright colours. Hanging a hummingbird feeder in your garden or on your patio will attract these lovely birds. Annuals to plant include beard tongue, salvia, petunia, jewelweed, jacobinia, impatiens, and firespike. Perennial plants to attract hummingbirds include foxglove, hosta, hummingbird mint, lupine, yucca, cardinal flower, bee balm, canna and columbine. For trees and shrubs choose azalea, buddleia, cape honeysuckle, mimosa, weigela, flame acanthus, lantana, red buckeye and tree tobacco.

Do not use pesticides in your garden as, not only will they kill bugs and insects that the hummingbirds eat but any residue left on flowers could be ingested by them. Also provide lots of perching places as hummingbirds spend about 80% of the time resting on twigs, clothes lines etc. Provide plants that will supply nesting materials to attract female hummingbirds. They prefer downy nesting material from trees such as eucalyptus and willow and from ferns, mosses and lichens.

Hanging brightly coloured feeders in your garden will attract the hummingbirds. A good ideas is to attach red ribbons that blow around the feeder. It is also a good idea to provide feeders at different heights as hummingbird species have different preferences. Species that favor low growing plants will visit a feeder placed lower while species that feed on taller plants and shrubs will prefer to visit a feeder placed in a higher position. Hummingbirds are also very territorial and one hummingbird may defend a single feeder and prevent others from approaching. Place at least three feeders at different heights around your garden.

Hummingbirds love to bathe in the mist on leaves so you could place a mister close to some broadleaved plants to provide them with a bathing place.

Making Hummingbird Nectar Make a sweet nectar by mixing together a cup of sugar and four cups of pre-boiled water. Cool and store in the refrigerator. Unused nectar can safely be stored for about a week. Thoroughly clean hummingbird feeders weekly by rinsing with a solution of one cup of vinegar to four cups of water then rinsing with plain water. Fill with the nectar and hang in a shady place. Do not use any food colouring or synthetic sweeteners or honey as it can ferment and produce a fungus that is harmful. Change the nectar in your feeder every three days or more often in hotter weather.

Give the hummingbirds the food they love and a comfortable environment and they will visit our garden often.

Janet Ashby is a keen gardener who finds gardening in the tropics a challenge. For more information and lots of craft ideas visit Hobby Craft or Easy Craft Ideas.

Free Restaurant Recipes

2009-08-08T23:05:00.003+01:00

Imagine a world with restaurant quality food in the comfort of your home. Sound impossible? Well it is not! By using free restaurant recipes, you can make great meals any time of the day. There are many great reasons to use these recipes. Some of these reasons include saving money, time, impressing friends and family, gaining a sense of accomplishment, and so much more!

I've been using free restaurant recipes for a long time and I would have to say it is one of the best things I've ever done. No longer do I have to wait in the confines of expensive restaurants to get a meal. I can shop for all the best foods that I love to eat and prepare it for myself and others for tons cheaper! Not only am I saving money, this is a great way to start conversations about cooking, and I have found that everyone I have cooked for asks me the secrets to my great food! I would like to take the credit, but I know that the free restaurant recipes I have been using are the keys to my success.

Cooking has always been a passion of mine, but using the step by step recipes makes my love of cooking even easier! With the free restaurant recipes, I can cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner and cook fantastic meals with great variety.

With the changing times of higher prices and less time, nothing seems like a better idea than using free restaurant recipes. By using these recipes, you will gain a sense of satisfaction, explore new foods with great taste, and be a great chef!

To start making great food, click the link below to access many great free restaurant recipes.

http://copy-cat-recipes.info

Fun Recipes For Your Fall Party

2009-08-08T23:05:00.001+01:00

Fall is a great time for parties, from children's parties to adult parties. Everything from Halloween to Harvest to Football call for parties. If you are looking for something new for your party, check out the recipes below.

How about having a taffy pull? This is fun for all ages and here is one of my vintage recipes for taffy.

TAFFY

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup water
2 tsp vinegar
2 tbsp oleo
2 tsp vanilla

In a 2-quart saucepan, combine sugar, syrup, and water. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and add vinegar. Cook to soft crack stage or 268 degrees. Remove from heat, add oleo and vanilla. Pour into 2 buttered plates with edges. Cool until able to handle. Butter hands, gather taffy into a ball and pull with fingertips until satiny in color and hard to pull. Pull each piece until it is about 1/2-inch thick. Cut into bite-size pieces and wrap in waxed paper. Makes about 1 1/4 pounds.

Note: You can change the flavor of the taffy by using butter flavoring, mint extract, banana extract, or other flavored extracts instead of the vanilla. For colors, use a drop or two of food coloring to match the flavor you are making; ie yellow for banana, red for peppermint, etc.
Note: This is an old Southern Indiana recipe.

Popcorn balls are another great fall party item. You can make them in advance or have your guests assist as a party activity. Here is a recipe for you to try.

NEVER FAIL POPCORN BALLS

1 cup white syrup
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup unpopped popcorn, popped

Pour popcorn into a large glass mixing bowl or other bowl that won't be ruined by the hot syrup. Bring syrup to a boil, add sugar to syrup and return to boil. Remove from heat and add baking powder and butter; stir until smooth. Add vanilla. Pour over popcorn, let stand a couple of minutes then shape into balls using your hands that have been lightly buttered.

Yield: approximately 18 popcorn balls

Having a big crowd? Dig out your large-sized perculator and make our Perculator Punch.

These recipes are all from Linda's Vintage Recipe Collection. Please visit her blog at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com for more of her recipes. For her diabetic recipes and information go to http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com

Natural Colon Cleansing Recipes

2009-08-08T23:04:00.000+01:00

Out of many ways for colon cleansing methods, natural colon cleansing recipe is the one that is generally sought-after. This is because of many reasons; easy availability, instant recipe requiring no much time and less efforts etc. People, since centuries, have been making various home recipes for colon cleansing. It is long-familiar fact that for healthy digestive system, one should go for colon cleansing because it offers good health. Over the times, the foods that we consume generally get lodged onto the walls of the entire gastrointestinal tract and then ultimately such wasteful/harmful materials get reabsorbed into the bloodstream instead of being expelled from the body. Natural colon cleansing recipe helps removing those unwanted substances and make body healthier.

There are many homemade natural colon cleansing recipes, using Bentonite clay, as one of them. This is edible clay having strong power to bind the wasteful materials present in the intestines. It can adhere with the build-up along the walls of the intestines aiding in expulsion. Generally, such edible material is mixed with Psyllium-husks and juices or simply, plain water. This is normally taken over a period of some weeks depending upon the case. During therapy, a person is asked to drink plenty of water and to eat generally whole raw-foods like fresh fruits and dark green leafy vegetables.

Another great way to go for natural colon cleansing recipe is to be on juice diet. A fruit-juice diet is very efficacious way to cleanse the entire gastrointestinal tract. One can get extract/juice of the fresh fruits and vegetables and should include them into daily-diet. It is therefore, store bought juices might not make the cut. It is well known fact that while making juice from fresh fruits or ingredients, all the vitamins and other essential minerals get into it and the pulp remains as a waste. Consuming such rich extract, one can retain the powerful natural fruit/vegetable enzymes that ultimately aid in colon cleansing. Being on a juice diet, one is also asked to drink plentiful amounts of water in order to flush out toxins and unwanted/harmful material from the alimentary canal.

Including Probiotics such as acidophilus would restore the friendly-bacteria into the digestive system making it more capable to digest the food eaten. It is now proven that Yeast flakes or raw eggyolk is quite similar of taking multivitamins as they both are rich in vitamins and minerals. A healthy oil supplements are also important for which, one can go for cod-liver oil, coconut or fish oil. Sunflower oil and oils with omega-3 are also good ton consume as they contain natural colon cleansing properties. Consuming Vitamin C as a daily health supplement helps lessening some unwanted side-effects such as lethargy or dullness.

Simple colon cleansing recipe can also be made using some spices and herbs that we have around us. You can simple take holy basil, cloves, black pepper, tsp lemon juice, rock salt and a pinch of asafetida. Mix them all and put them into the boiling water. Allow it to be a bit cool and when turns to lukewarm solution/drinkable, consume it at once. Do this for about 15-20 days and remain on fruit juice/vegetable juice diet - this works in majority of the cases where natural colon cleansing recipe is required.

Colon Cleansing Foods for Natural Detoxification

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Perfect Boiled Eggs Recipe

2009-07-04T20:59:00.018+01:00

PERFECT BOILED EGGS

Method:

1. Purchase good quality eggs. Cage free, organic eggs are the best.

2. Place the eggs in a saucepan and add enough water to cover them by an inch.

3. Without the lid on the pot bring the water gradually to a boil over medium heat.

4. Once the water comes to a boil remove pot from heat and cover with lid.

5. Set the timer, 3 minutes for soft-boiled or 5 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.

6. Remove eggs promptly from saucepan and cool in a bowl of cold water.

It is important to purchase the best quality eggs you can find to begin with. Top chefs pay a good amount of attention to product quality because they know how much it counts in the final result of whatever they prepare.

The trick to not turning boiled eggs into golf balls and losing flavor is to cook them gradually. You will be delighted to find with this recipe for perfect boiled eggs how good the texture and taste of them is.

My favorite way of enjoying boiled eggs is to serve them in an eggcup. This way you can crack the top off with a teaspoon and eat right out of the shell. No shell peeling and it's a lot of fun to boot!

I am glad to have shared with you this secret recipe to cooking perfect boiled eggs. Now you can have perfectly boiled eggs to enjoy at home or take along to a picnic. Also, you have a top quality ingredient to use for the basis of an excellent egg salad or for deviled eggs if you wish.

For more of Jeannette's free cooking tips and recipes go to http://www.cookingmagic.blogspot.com/

Champagne Recipes

2009-07-04T20:59:00.017+01:00

What is it to cook a meal or make a cocktail recipe with a dash of a little effervescence around to create that bubbly entertaining look around your glass, while your drink adding the ingredient Champagne needs to sense that strong affluent showoff attraction if you are a male and should be made sizzling sparkle if you are a female. For one and many need not make a guess that Champagne is just the right drink for your parties, celebrations and New Year blast. You can use this wine all year around to add to a drink or roll over drinking all nightlong Thanks to human hands and creation now you can create Mumma Mia champagne recipes in your Mama's kitchen. You can train your cook or just ask the bartender to do the needful.

A Champagne recipe along with its taste and aroma makes a mouthful glass. The main ingredient will be the root of a champagne mix to do the trick. Some Champagne recipes are subtle and can be consumed in each course, from salad to dessert. You need not use expensive champagne. Champagne recipes have everything in them. Right from blackberry brandy to honey. To some of the recipes you can also add baked ham, carrots, onions and peach soup.

You need not be an ace chef for a champagne recipe. These recipes are widely available on the Internet. Everyone in any part of the world can view this. There are a fine collection of Champagne recipes books and literature to go through, these books are written by well known chefs and cooks and are readily available in annul book store. So the next time you think of popping up champagne try and make it yourself, adding a personal touch to the occasion.

Champagne provides detailed information on Champagne, French Champagne, Champagne Glasses, Champagne Racks and more. Champagne is affiliated with Alcohol Treatments.

How To Cook Salmon - Varities Of Recipes For Salmon

2009-07-04T20:59:00.015+01:00

Enjoy these very simple yet healthy salmon recipies.

Salmon Recipies - FRIED SALMON RECIPES - I

Firstly. cut slices of salmon into small pieces and put into a saucepan together with pepper, salt, minced parsley, and lemon-juice to be used as seasoning. Then add sufficient amount of butter and fry carefully. Serve with Ravigote or any preferred sauce.

Salmon Recipies - FRIED SALMON RECIPES- II

Wrap slices of salmon in oiled paper, fastening firmly, and fry in deep fat. Drain carefully and serve in the paper.

Salmon Recipies - FRIED SALMON RECIPES- III

First step is to sprinkle salmon steaks with salt and flour. Then brush with the beaten yolk of an egg and fry in hot olive-oil. Drain, garnish with fried parsley, and serve.

Salmon Recipies - FRIED SALMON CUTLETS- I

Steam the salmon steaks then let it cool down. Afterwards cut them into fillets, dip in egg and crumbs, fry in deep fat, and serve with Tartare or Hollandaise Sauce.

Salmon Recipies - FRIED SALMON CUTLETS - II

Firstly prepare very thick cream sauce and mix with it cold cooked fine-cut salmon. Then season it with red pepper, salt, and lemon-juice and let cool down for a few minutes. Shape into cutlets, dip into beaten egg, then in crumbs, and fry in deep fat.

Salmon Recipies - FRIED SALMON CUTLETS - III

Rub cold boiled salmon smooth with one-third the quantity of mashed potatoes. Season it with salt, pepper, and pounded mace. Shape into cutlets, dip in egg and crumbs and fry in deep fat. Serve with any preferred sauce.

SALMON PIE

First step is to butter a baking-dish and line the sides with a rich biscuit crust. Fill the pan with fresh or canned salmon, and season it with salt and pepper, lemon-juice, a pinch of mace, and a teaspoonful of onion juice. Spread over the salmon a cupful of boiled lobster which has been seasoned with melted butter and Worcestershire Sauce. Cover with biscuit crust, slit diagonally down the centre, and bake for an hour in a moderate oven.

PICKLED SALMON - II

Start by cutting the fish into large pieces and cook them until done in salted and acidulated water. Drain, let it cool down then skin them. Put two quarts of vinegar, one cupful of boiling water, four blades of mace, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, a dozen cloves, two tablespoonfuls of mustard seed, an onion sliced, a dozen pepper-corns, one small red pepper, two bay-leaves, and a teaspoonful of celery seed into a preserving-kettle. Wait until it boils, add the fish, boil up once and cool. Let stand for two or three days before using.

For more great tasting, healthy, easy to cook and prepare recipes for salmon that will make a huge difference to your family meal, feel free to visit our How To Cook Salmon - Home of Salmon Recipes blog and you'll certainly never run out of salmon recipes again.

Hearty and Healthy Fava Beans

2009-07-04T20:59:00.013+01:00

It's no secret that beans give you gas.

Yet aside from this noxious side effect, beans and legumes offer other benefits relating to health, taste, and - with more frequent inclusion in the diet - less gas.

The tastiest kind? Fava beans. Enjoyed by Egyptians 5,000 years ago, this type of bean is acclaimed as the most meaty-tasting and is a great source of protein - a good resource even for vegetarians. One serving, which is usually one-third of a cup, contains only about 80 calories, zero cholesterol, and little fat. It's a good source of B vitamins, fiber, and potassium, too, thus promoting digestive health, preventing colon cancer, and reducing cholesterol. And if you're constipated, there's no cure more natural than the fava bean.

How do you pick them out? Favas are sold fresh, dried, and canned. Fresh favas should be crisp-looking and stay fresh if stored in the refrigerator for no longer than a week. Dried, on the other hand, can stay fresh for up to a year in airtight glass containers.

So what do you do after you pick up your fava beans? For quick and easy cooking, you might find the following recipe useful. It's a simple one, learned from my mother, who is a wonderful Mediterranean cook. When I was a little girl, in my home country, fava beans cooked in tomato sauce and olive oil were popular not only in Greek taverns by the beach, but also at lunchtime at home. Here's how to make them:

Ingredients
1 cup fava beans
2 tbsp olive oil
1 can tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Bring saucepan with six cups of water to high heat, until the water boils.
2. Drop fava beans in water. Boil for fifteen minutes.
3. Lower heat to medium, and leave beans until soft.
4. Pour tomato sauce and olive oil over beans.
5. Add salt and pepper, and keep checking beans until they reach desired tenderness.

When done, add the cooked fava beans as a side dish to a main course, or have them as a main course themselves. Either way, you'll be getting the nutrients you need while enjoying a delicious meal.

Who knew scrumptious and healthy could be found in one - and be so easy to make!?

By Natalia M (http://zmrzlina2.wordpress.com)

Hearty Homemade Apple Butter - An Old Fashioned Blend

2009-07-04T20:59:00.011+01:00

Have you ever made your own jams or preserves? If you have, this one will be easy. If not, no problem. Making your own Apple Butter is simple and uses simple, easy to find ingredients. It doesn't need pectin like most jams. All you need is a bunch of hungry kids to see it disappear fast! So, let's get started. By the way, if you want preservatives in yours, buy it at the store. Canning the stuff is good for about a year without them.

* 5 lb Apples (About 15 medium apples)
* 4 & 1/2 cups Apple cider or apple juice
* 2 cups Sugar
* 1 Tblsp Apple Cider Vinegar
* 1 & 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
* 1/2 tsp Ground Allspice

First, peel, core and slice apples, then cut into pieces about the size of your thumb(about 3/4 inches square). Then combine them with the cider or juice in a 10qt pot. Bring to a rapid boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, remove from heat and mash the mixture with a potato masher until you have a consistent but fluid mix. There will be some lumps, but they will break down with the next cooking cycle. Mix in the vinegar, sugar and spices, the cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Return to heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook, uncovered, for about an hour and a half, stirring often. If the mixture thickens sooner, all the better, but watch it closely. You are trying to evaporate the water out.

When done, ladle into hot, sterilized pint or half-pint jars, depending on your crowd. Leave about 1/4 inch headspace, wipe the rim and seal the jars. Next, place the jars in a boiling water canner and bring to a boil. Process the jars for five minutes after the water returns to a boil. Then remove the jars and let them cool on racks. You may want to open one for your hungry crowd right then if they start to get restless. By then the smell of apples and cinnamon will have drifted through and filled your house with love and anticipation. If you are the daring type(?), then try substituting brown sugar for the regular sugar. Enjoy!

Jim Hall is a Caveman from another millennium. He's an aspiring author and novelist wanna be. Writing for him is a change of character as well as occupation. Bear with him and he will grow and develop into a writing butterfly after his metamorphosis. He once was a carpenter caterpillar until he entered the chrysalis stage. Breaking out of the cocoon of a previous career is hard work but rewarding work. Like a butterfly, look for great things to come. You never know!

Find him in the Ezine Articles Author area. The sales pitch is he is eager to write and he needs cash. He is fairly literate and somewhat well read. Carpenters can read, you know!

The real plus here is he is not bound by the conformity and whims of conventional thought. To him, functionality is beauty. If it works well, it's beautiful. It doesn't have to be pretty.

Great Bread Recipe

2009-07-04T20:59:00.009+01:00

I have had great bread recipes passed down from my grandmother to my mother and finally to me. This is a great bread recipe.

Blueberry Buckle Brunch Bread

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup milk
2 cups blueberries
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Ok, now the directions on this great bread recipe. Cream 1/4 cup butter together with 1/2 cup sugar. Beat in egg and vanilia and stir until smooth. Sift together 1 cup flour, baking poweder and salt. Add alternately with the milk to the creamed mixture, starting with the dry ingredients. Pour intoa greased 9-ich square baking pan and top with blue-berries. Combine the remaining sugar and flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in remaining butter until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle oer blueberries. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for one hour. Cool slightly before serving. This is a great bread recipe that I know will make your house smell great.

I like to plan ahead what breads I am going to make that week. As the winter comes I start to gravitate towards heavier more filling breads, such as sourdough and heavy coffee cakes. Of course, in the summertime I like the lighter more airy tasting breads, such as strawberry bread or a variation of angels food cake with lime. When you leave the house for a while and come back in to the smell of baking bread, I think you'll agree that there is nothing like the smell or taste of a great bread.

http://greatbreadrecipes.blogspot.com/

Spicy Chili Recipes - Tuna Chili Curry

2009-07-04T20:59:00.007+01:00

This is for all of you out there who love spicy chili recipes. I created this Mouth-watering recipe by chance, due to the fact that I'd been ill and had not been shopping and therefore was practically out of food.

I had a quick look through my kitchen cupboards and found the ingredients that I have put together to create this magnificent spicy and delicious chili recipe, which I am now sharing with you.

One of the chief benefits, aside from being totally healthy and easy and quick to cook is the fact that it is really as cheap as chips to make.

If you like any kind of spicy chili food, then you are going to love this - I promise you.

So get your chili taste buds ready for this one. I'll be very surprised if you don't make this one of you spicy favorites. If you like it hot, like I do, then simply add more chillies or chili powder.

I call it Spicy Chili Tuna Curry and it is ideal for anyone, but especially for students and the like who are living on a small budget.

Spicy Chili Tuna Curry.

Ingredients:

One Large Onion (peeled and roughly chopped)
1 Inch of fresh ginger (peeled and finely chopped)
1 flat teaspoon of garlic granules (use fresh garlic if you prefer)
1 large green pepper (roughly chopped)
1 large red pepper (roughly chopped)
3 - 6 table spoons olive oil
1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400 gram)
1 tin of tuna in spring water (200 gram) drained
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
3 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons of sugar (Optional)
2 heaped tablespoons of Patak madras curry paste
4 - 6 tablespoons of vinegar
2 flat tablespoons of salt Fresh ground black pepper Juice from 1/2 a lemon
2 teaspoons of extra hot chili powder (Use less if you prefer)
Rice cooked

Method:

Fry the onions until medium to dark brown. Add garlic and ginger. Add peppers and stir-fry on high heat for 5 minutes. Stir in curry paste. Fork in your Tuna and mix well. Add tinned tomatoes and tomato puree. Add salt, pepper, chili powder, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and lemon juice and stir well. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes once it's boiling.

Dish up on a bed of rice.

This meal serves four to six good helpings!

I kid you not, this is one of the best tasty and yet inexpensive spicy chili recipes.

Anthony Marquis has been a keen cooking enthusiast since watching his Maltese grand parents cook in their restaurant as a young boy. You can now get all his Spicy Chili Recipes in one place by visiting his website. For a limited time only, you will be able to grab 4 free recipes cook books as well from his website. Why not go grab these tasty Mouth-watering recipe books NOW? You can visit his website by clicking here: spicy chili recipes

Three Sisters Stew Story and Recipe

2009-07-04T20:59:00.005+01:00

The Medicine Woman watched her beautiful daughters bicker with a heavy heart.When she finally tired of the constant squabbling among her three daughters, she contacted the Creator and pleaded for help.

In great wisdom, the Creator turned them into corn, squash, and beans.The Medicine Woman was very pleased, for she knew her daughters would always live in harmony and that her people never would go hungry again.Her contentious daughters would now always affectionately help each other.

Corn, squash, and beans have since been planted, harvested, and eaten together in Indian gardens.The bean vines grow up the tall, proud stalks of corn, and the squash with its large leaves, stays near the ground, keeping the soil moist and cool.

Each year theHaudenosaunee (Iroquois) give thanks to the Three Sisters for providing nourishment and sustenance for their families.Growing the Three Sisters together is an ancient practice that seems to have originated among the Huron-Wyandot and Mohawk Haudenosaunee peoples and is now widespread among North American Indian tribes.

1/2 pound dried pink or red beans
1 teaspoon crushed chili peppers
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons corn oil
1 slice bacon, cut into small pieces, optional
1 carrot, peeled and chopped, optional
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped, optional
1 small white onion, peeled and chopped
4 small yellow squash, sliced (or about 3 cups diced pumpkin)
4 ears corn, cut from the cob, cob discarded, about 4 cups kernels
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned or fresh)

Soak the beans overnight and drain.Cover them with fresh water, and boil about one hour with the chili peppers and salt, until the beans are soft but not mushy.Remove from heat and drain.Set aside.

Roast the cumin in a large non-stick skillet on low heat, about 5-10 minutes, until it begins to release its smell.Increase heat to medium-high.Add the bacon, corn oil, carrot and bell pepper if you are using them, onion, and garlic.Saut 5 minutes.

Add the squash, and saut 5 minutes more.

Add the corn, tomatoes, and maple syrup, and cook 5 minutes more.

Add the cooked beans, and cook until thoroughly heated through.

Remove from heat and serve warm.

Serves 8.

Katherine C. H. E. is a Flower Energy Consultant and Flower Meditation Coach. She helps empower her clients to take charge of their own well-being to empower themselves - with flowers - to live the BEST LIFE POSSIBLE.

She also ran a cooking column called "Special Meals" and has edited several well-known cookbooks for major publishers.

Check out her website http://www.KatherineCHE.com for meditation audio (including some free downloads and meditations designed specifically to help to uplift in different ways). For more information, go to her website: http://www.KatherineCHE.com

Easiest Holiday Turkey Ever

2009-07-04T20:59:00.003+01:00

When the holidays come around we start thinking about that mouth-watering turkey. Every year, poor mom spends Thanksgiving or Christmas Evegetting up to baste the turkey several times in the night. As children, we never realized exactly how much trouble she went to for our enjoyment.

Well, times have changed and I have found a perfect turkey recipe that requires no basting or checking at all. Sound too good to be true? I know, I couldn't believe it either until I tried it.

No-Baste, No-Trouble Roasted Turkey

1 12-pound turkey, completely thawed, all giblets removed

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter (softened)

2 tablespoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

2 stalks celery, cut in lengths to fit turkey cavity

1 medium sweet onion, cut in half

1 large carrot

2 cups boiling water

Adjust the oven racks so the covered roasting pan fits easily inside the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Rub the butter on the outside and in the cavity of the turkey. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the inside and on the outside of the turkey. Put the celery, onion, and carrot in the cavity. Place the turkey, breast side up, in a large roasting pan. Pour the boiling water into the pan. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and put the pan in the preheated oven.

Start a timer when the oven temperature returns to 500 degrees. Bake for exactly 1 hour and turn off the oven. (Yep, turn it off.) Do not open the oven door.* Leave the turkey in the oven until the oven cools; this may take 4 to 6 hours. Reserve the pan juicesand refrigerate the turkey if it will not be served soon after roasting.

Serve with cornbread dressing and giblet gravy.

You won't believehow great this turkey will turn out and you will definitely never go back to cooking it the old fashioned way. You will probably want to pick up some extra turkeys while they are on sale to keep in the freezer for in-between holiday meals. It's so easy to cook it this way that you won't mind doing it more often.

*Note: If necessary, hang a sign that threatens the family with bodily harm if they even think about opening the oven door to peek! LOL

Want more great ideas for de-stressing your life? Call 1-800-719-8268 and ask for extension 24763. Also sign up for our great free newsletter at http://www.365DaysOfleisure.com to get FREE PROFESSIONAL TIPS on having fun and de-stressing.

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Campfire Coffee Recipes

2009-07-04T20:59:00.001+01:00

Want to know a few secrets to making a good cup of campfire coffee? There are lots of recipes for making coffee in a plain pot over a campfire or for your camping coffee pot. Try a few varieties to see what suits your taste the best. Here are a few good recipes to get you started so your morning or evening brew tastes good every time.

Traditional Campfire Coffee Recipes

Recipe 1. Bring two quarts of water to a good, rolling boil in a camping coffee pot. Take it from the fire and add 2 handfuls of fine ground coffee. Keep in mind that whoever makes the coffee will change the results of this traditional recipe. Steep for 4 minutes. The secret to good campfire coffee is adding a few tablespoons of cold water to the mixture after steeping. This settles the grounds to the bottom. Then pour slowly to keep as many grounds out of your cup as possible.

Recipe 2. Add 6 teaspoons of ground coffee into a camping coffee pot, and pour 3 pints of cold water over the grounds. Put the pot on the fire and bring it to a boil. Take it off the heat and let steep for 3 minutes. Don't forget the secret. Add those few tablespoons of cold water to the mixture after steeping to settle the grounds. This makes about 6 cups of good campfire coffee.

Campfire Perculator Coffee Pot

Recipe 3. This is the most common method of making campfire coffee. Start with 1 tablespoons of coarsely ground coffee for each 6 oz of water when using a perculator coffee pot. Here is a trick if you end up with grounds in your coffee. Poke a hole in a regular coffee filter and put it in the perk basket. Watch the percolator for the coffee color. The longer it perks the stronger your coffee will be. A perculator coffee pot takes practice but they make great campfire coffee.

Good Tip

If you use unpleasant lake, well or tap water your coffee will never taste very good. Coffee is 98% water so using good water will make all of difference in good or bad coffee. Bring good water with you and you will enjoy your campfire coffee a lot more.

This article is supplied by Best-Coffee-Makers-Online.com where you can easily shop and compare coffee makers so you can purchase exactly what youre looking for at great values.

Hungarian Goulash Crock Pot Recipe

2009-07-04T20:58:00.019+01:00

With so many Hungarian Goulash recipes out there, how do you know what's authentic? Dumplings or not, stew or thicker, noodles or plain.

My husband spent a year abroad studying in Bonn, Germany and traveling all over Europe, so when he asked me to create an authentic Hungarian Goulash recipe I was a little timid. With a little bit of research and my crock pot, I came up with this recipe and held my breath while he took his first bite.

He loved it! He claims it is as close to "true" Hungarian Goulash as he's ever tasted in the states. We served it over noodles, however traditionally it's thicker than a stew and is eaten by itself; no dumplings, no noodles. Ironically enough, a few months later a friend of ours made the same recipe (found on Natalie's Recipes) for their father who was also picky about his goulash having spent time in Budapest. More compliments reigned in; this truly was a close-to-authentic recipe. Beyond that, it's extremely easy and very tasty - enjoy!

Crock pot Hungarian Goulash

Ingredients:

3 medium onions, chopped

1 large green pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds beef stew meat or beef round steak cut into 1 inch pieces

1- 12 ounce can tomato paste

3 tsp paprika

tsp black pepper

1- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Add all ingredients, mix well. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Serve with noodles.

Note: Add another teaspoon or so of paprika if you'd like a little more spice.

Natalie is a work at home mom who loves crock pot cooking and quick and easy recipes in general. To view her crock pot recipes visit http://www.natalies-recipes.com which also includes a variety of helpful hints, cooking tips, quick and easy recipes, great products, and a fun and informative newsletter.

Homemade Yogurt Recipes - The Book of Yogurt

2009-07-04T20:58:00.017+01:00

The Book of Yogurt by Sonia Uvezian is the ultimate yogurt recipe cookbook and the perfect complement to your yogurt maker. This yogurt cookbook is a masterpiece and will have you spending many exciting hours in your kitchen whipping up mouth-watering dishes that will have your friends and family raving. Your other cookbooks may be sitting on the shelf collecting dust, but you will be constantly digging through The Book of Yogurt for fresh new yogurt ideas.

With her impeccable culinary skills, Sonia Uvezian offers hundreds of remarkable recipes. She tells the history of yogurt, how to make yogurt and how it is easily incorporated into all kinds of delicious recipes. Yogurt is consumed in a variety of ways in many cultures throughout the world. Several cultures use yogurt in sauces or as an ingredient to add a little zest to their favorite dishes. Sonia Uvezian's yogurt recipes are simple to follow, use familiar ingredients from your kitchen and turn out great.

Several types of yogurt recipes are mentioned in this cookbook such as yogurt cheeses, dips, soups, sauces, salad dressings, cakes, cream cheese spreads and many more. Recipes for fish, poultry, pasta and vegetables are also included. Countless international dishes are offered from delicious Middle Eastern dishes to spicy Indian and Caribbean influences to the wonders of French foods. There are also frozen yogurt recipes included.

The Book of Yogurt is a sensational collection of yogurt recipes for healthy eating. It contains hundreds of delicious dishes that you will revisit over and over again. If you are new to making yogurt or looking for new ways to incorporate yogurt in your meals, you will not be disappointed with The Book of Yogurt.

The author's website Yogurt Maker Enthusiast features tips on yogurt, using a yogurt maker, yogurt starters and homemade yogurt recipes.

Are You Looking For Disgusting and Gross Recipes For Halloween?

2009-07-04T20:58:00.015+01:00

Although Halloween has always been about chilling things like haunts, hobgoblins, and hexes, some get more stimulated about things that are pretty disgusting. Although your kids may not wish to eat carrots or spinach throughout the year because they consider them to be 'disgusting,' this is one time of the year when they are going to go wacky for the chance to slash into a brain, or to maybe gobble down a handful of lopped off digits. We may never realize the difference, but we can certainly go with it. If you really want your event to be a success you'll want to try some fun and gross Halloween recipes to dish out on this fun day.

If you can prepare Jell-O, you can find some pretty rank Halloween recipes on your own. You might have to browse online to discover them, but there are some really interesting Jell-O molds out there that can help you to form brains, fingers, and other interesting body pieces. If you would like to dish out a heart in a bowl of blood, this is the direction to go. You have to come up with the right colouration for these gross Halloween recipes, but they should be easy enough to make. Don't forget to use strawberry sauce, or something else that is deeper red, to have for the blood. Things are much more sickening when they come with some blood.

You can likewise do some intriguing things with spaghetti for rank Halloween recipes. Things like this are screeching out to be prepared into something truly yucky. You can come up with a heavy, dark red sauce and then use it to make what would look like guts. This may not make things good to eat, but they are going to be very interesting. Find some type of item that you can use to present the intestines, and you are going to truly gross your kids out - just like they have wished you would do.

If you are effective with baking, you can make some disgusting Halloween recipes that call for ornamenting things with eyeballs and other icky items. You can build cupcakes that look like jumbo eyeballs, or perhaps you could cut up a cake to decorate as something that is going to repulse and please your children or your other invitees. These thoughts for gross Halloween recipes work swell at home, but don't forget to share them with others that you know. If you are having a party of any type, be sure you have sufficient amounts to service all of your guests. It's a celebration they are not going to forget any time in the near future.

Whether you are searching for Gross Halloween Recipes or Printable Halloween Stencils, you can get every thing you need by visiting our website: Halloween Party Ideas

Pork Recipes: Pork Casserole with Mustard, Capers and Sage & Lemon Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce

2009-07-04T20:58:00.013+01:00

Pork Casserole with Mustard, Capers and Sage

This is a simple casserole with a subtle flavour a family favourite, with a classy touch.

Ingredients

6 (1kg) large pork loin chops

25ml oil

Salt and milled black pepper

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

50ml flour

250ml chicken stock

50ml white wine

14 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

5ml French mustard

10ml capers, rinsed and chopped

Pinch each salt and sugar

25ml cream or thick sour cream

Ingredients

Cut off rind and trim chops of most fat. Heat oil and brown chops very lightly on both sides. Arrange in baking dish to fit closely, in single layer. Season. To pan drippings add onion and garlic. When softened, add flour, and stir for a minute, then slowly stir in stock and wine. Allow to thicken, then add sage, mustard, capers, salt, sugar and cream or sour cream. Mix well and pour over chops. Cover and bake at 160C for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until chops are tender and gravy is thick and aromatic the timing depends on thickness of chops, size of dish and position in oven. Good with lemon-flavoured rice, or jacket potatoes and a cabbage salad. Serves 6.

Lemon Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce

These chops, lightly perfumed with lemon and sage, are crumbed and baked and served with mustard sauce made in the old-fashioned way.

Ingredients

1kg pork chops

7ml dried sage

300ml fine, toasted breadcrumbs or 5 wholewheat breakfast biscuits, crushed

5ml salt

100ml yogurt or buttermilk

50ml mayonnaise

25ml lemon juice

2ml finely grated lemon rind

MUSTARD SAUCE

250ml milk

1 egg yolk

10ml dry mustard

20ml flour

10ml brown sugar

15ml brown vinegar

Pinch salt

Small knob butter

Method

Remove rind and most of the fat from chops. Crush sage between fingers after measuring and mix with crumbs and salt. Mix yoghurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice and rind. Dip chops into yoghurt mixture, then into crumbs and chill for 2-3 hours. To bake, preheat oven to 160C. Lightly oil base of large baking dish, heat for a few minutes, then arrange chops in single layer, turning once. Cover and bake for 1 hour, then uncover and bake for 30 minutes more. For the sauce, put all ingredients, except butter, into the top of a double boiler, whisk well and then stir over simmering water until thick and smooth. Finally, stir in butter. Serves about 6.

More delicious pork recipes!

Crock Pot Recipes and Quick Fixes

2009-07-04T20:58:00.011+01:00

THANK GOODNESS FOR CROCK POT COOKING - IT SAVED THE DAY!

Am I ever grateful for crock pot cooking because I had an experience the other day which highlighted the benefits of cooking in a crock pot and fortunately it turned out extremely well!

I had invited my daughter and family over for dinner and planned on putting a crock pot on with lamb chops at about 10.30am. Well, I got busy at this computer and before I knew it 1pm loomed and the meat was still in the fridge and I had to go out! I quickly popped the chops into the crock pot, some water and that was it. Put it on high and took off out the door. (I NEVER start a lamb crock pot without putting in onions, bay leaves, peppercorns and carrots at the beginning.) No time for that this day, but at least it was in and cooking!

When I got back later at least the meat was cooked but no flavourings had been added, so hence a pretty bland meal. At about 5.45pm I thought 'I had better fix this' so I took out the chops, poured the juice into a pan, added honey/soy sauce, beef stock, salt and pepper, then thickened it. I thought about this mix then poured in a little balsamic vinegar.

YU-U-MMY! After all that rush and bustle the meal turned out fabulously, a little bit of a sweet and sour taste -- we all just loved it! The end to a perfect day!

BUT you know, if I had been entertaining the fact that I used a CROCK POT really would have saved the day. They do make life so easy when you get home at the end of a busy day and with all the recipes available you don't have to be cooking the same thing day in, day out.

What I especially like about crock pot cooking is that when you do get home the end of the day you can sit down with the family for a few minutes and have some quality time with them before dinner. Or in the case of guests being invited over you sit down and socialise before having to get up and serve the meal. I think crock pot cooking has certainly changed the face of entertaining in this busy world we live in.

Kaye had a catering business for many years and entertaining was part of her everyday life but is now part of an international publishing network of lifestyle ebooks and software programs. For more crock pot recipes than you would cook in a year go to http://ebooksnowonline.com/cooking/crockpot/

Recipes to Warm Your Heart & Your Soul

2009-07-04T20:58:00.009+01:00

This time of year most of us are thinking of ways to keep warm. What could be better than recipes which come straight out of our grandmother's kitchen? Whether you are a star chef, culinary arts student, home cook or foodie your passion for delicious food most likely stems from childhood memories of grandmother's cooking. Who can forget the smells and tastes of the foods which came out of her kitchen? If you are lucky enough to have those childhood memories, you are very lucky!

Nowadays it is referred to as "comfort food" and it is just that. It is food that will comfort us and nurture us. Let's face it, at the end of our busy days all of us could use a little of both. For many it is easy to rush home from a busy day and throw something in the microwave for a quick meal to serve the family. But there is something about cooking up a pot of homemade soup and baking fresh biscuits which just can't be beat. It may take a little longer to get dinner on the table, but in the end it is worth it and your family will thank you for it. Perhaps the soup could be made on a Sunday afternoon and will be ready to eat come Monday. When the aromas of home cooking fill the air our bodies begin to relax and are soothed by it. So in a sense home cooking nourishes us in two ways: it nourishes our soul by soothing us and nourishes our bodies when it is eaten.

I don't know about you, but I love to reminisce about being in my grandmother's kitchen. Her country cooking style learned many years before as a child came second nature to her. She could whip up a pot of Vegetable Soup with Dumplings with no effort and bake a tray of Buttermilk Biscuits with her eyes closed! It was a treat to watch and of course, always a treat to eat in grandmother's kitchen! Wouldn't you love to create those kinds of memories for your own family? With that thought in mind, I want to share with you my grandmother's Vegetable Soup with Dumplings and Buttermilk Biscuits recipes. They are sure to warm your heart and your soul! Enjoy!

Vegetable Soup with Dumplings

Use a nice piece of shin meat with a marrow bone in it. Put the meat into a 4 qt. pot. Fill with water and cook until boiling. Turn down to simmer. Add all of the diced vegetables. I use everything, 2 carrots, a piece of turnip, 2 stalks celery, 1 large fresh tomato or cup stewed tomatoes, 1 onion, 1 clove garlic, 1 bay leaf, 3 cloves, a few slices of cabbage leaves, some green pepper, a package of mixed frozen vegetables, 1 tablespoon salt and a dash of pepper. I also like to add 2 tablespoons barley or rice, whichever you prefer. Let it all simmer together for at least 2-3 hours. When it's done, add the dumplings.

For the dumplings: In a bowl mix 1 cup flour, a pinch of salt, 1 egg and enough water to make a stiff dough. Take a teaspoon and cut off teaspoon size of dough and drop into the soup. Cook about 5 minutes until they rise and are done. Cut the meat into bite sized pieces and put back into the soup. Sprinkle a little chopped parsley on top before serving. This soup is a meal in itself.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Sift 2 cups flour, teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder and teaspoon baking soda. Cut stick ( cup) of butter into it with a knife or use your hands. Then add cup buttermilk. Blend into a ball. Roll out 1/2" thick. Cut into rounds using a cookie cutter or a glass. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Carrie J. Gamble is the co-author, editor and publisher of Grandmother's Cookbook, a collection of her own grandmother's best recipes. Details about the cookbook and more delicious recipes of Carrie's grandmother, Elizabeth Rose von Hohen, can be found on their website. Visit the site and download free recipes and "A Family Love Letter" chapter at http://www.grandmotherscookbook.com

A Recipe For a Delectable Custom Home

2009-07-04T20:58:00.007+01:00

Ingredients

4 Heaping Cups - Expert Custom Home Builder
3 Cups - Innovative Architect
2 Cups - Creative Interior Designer
I Pint - Understanding
4 Tsp - Time and Patience
3 Tsp - Encouragement
2 Heaping Measures - Trust
2 Well Rounded Scoops - Respect
2 Equal Amounts - Communication
1 Oz - Happiness
Dash of Humor

Instructions
Fold in the top three main ingredients forming a strong and united team. Add the pint of understanding and pack it firmly between your hopes and dreams. Blend in the time and patience allowing it to rise while it's sprinkled with encouragement. Then marinate in trust, respect and communication. Work the whole thing together until everything is mixed well. Now bake in happiness and be sure to top it with a dash of humor. Serve on a strong foundation and enjoy it with family and friends.

The Custom Home Building process requires a lot of time and energy from you. I'm not trying to make light of it with this cute poem but sometimes humor is another way to deal with a monumental task that at times is very stressful. Adding humor to the ingredients can make the task at hand easier. There is so much that goes into a custom home build. It is important to know what is needed to make the process run smooth and work well.

Being prepared with the right mindset will be so beneficial when you have so many decisions to make. Many construction companies don't share this information with the public because they want to make the process sound so dream-like. Yes, you are building your dream but reality has to be a part of the dream, too. Another monumental task is choosing the right builder; architect and interior designer. A team that completes the circle of experts will help you to create the right recipe for your custom home build.

About Cheryl: Cheryl Sandella, Interior Designer ASID Allied Member, works with her husband and partner of 30 years, Al Sandella, General Contractor. They own Sandella Custom Homes and Interiors in Fountain Hills Arizona and design and build homes in the valley. To read more about her go to http://www.sandella.net/aboutus/aboutus.html

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Cheryl Sandella, Interior Designer publishes a monthly eZine called "Bespoke Home". If you want Tools, Tips and Guidance to design and build your custom home, be sure to get your complimentary subscription at http://sandella.net

Cheryl Sandella
Sandella Custom Homes & Interiors
PO Box 18132
Fountain Hills, AZ 85269
480.836.1543 - office
480.816.4233 - Cheryl's personal line
bespokehomeezine@ymail.com

Diabetic Birthday Cake Recipes

2009-07-04T20:58:00.005+01:00

This article has some top tips for making a diabetic birthday cake for anyone who craves cakes even if they are diabetic, I know I do. Obviously diabetics are still allowed sugar just not in the quantities of most people. But everyone has a sweet tooth and when it comes to your birthday you are craving that birthday cake.

Here are some top tips when you are planning to make a diabetic birthday cake.

1. The first tip of mine is to use a sugar substitute instead of granulated sugar in the diabetic birthday cake.

2. Plan the cake out well, make sure there is not too much icing as this contains a lot of sugar. Make the icing with a low sugar topping or even try an alternative to icing such as fruit or cream.

3. Fashion the cake with sugar free candy to make it look aesthetically pleasing to anyone.

Other ideas are going for a totally different diabetic birthday cake such as an apple cake or another sort of fruit cake. How about a carrot cake, personally I hate carrot cake but some people can live of it. Angel cake is also another common alternative to a birthday cake as it has a lower level of sugar.

If all this sounds a bit to hard and confusing, a little too much effort before your friend/family members birthday you can buy many useful guides/cookbooks on diabetes. I have the best hand selected eBooks and various other diabetic products on my website with some great reviews, come and have a look.

If you are looking to heal your diabetes i suggest you read my review here Heal Diabetes Now Review This review is 2,000 words long and covers a great new resource to help you heal diabetes. Here is a List of foods for diabetic to eat to help you create your diabetic diet plan.

I am Will Blears I have been reading and writing articles on diabetes for years now, and I have recently developed my website to teach and educate others.

Not Sure What To Serve For Easter Dinner?

2009-07-04T20:58:00.003+01:00

Make These Easter Treats Your Easter Feast!

Easter Day and the Easter recipes we choose to cook play an important role in our lives.

Easter is about life; it's about springtime and welcoming back the flowers and birds; it's about a warmer sun on our backs and a renewed faith in all the good we want and believe in for everyone. Easter is a day to be with family. Easter is about love.

Yes, some people will think about new suits and new dresses and as a time for chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and colored eggs. Certainly a number of children will. But for me, Easter is about being with family and friends and enjoying a great meal with them.

I recently saw a statistic that says, despite the fact that the better restaurants seem packed with people on Easter, only 35 per cent of Americans go out for their Easter meal. That means 65 per cent of us either stay at home and cook or we are the guests of relatives who are doing so.

I will be cooking and preparing Easter dinner at my house this year for the first time in 24 years! I finally have a fully trained, very competent staff at my restaurant. They will handle everything at the business, allowing me to cook for my family, relatives and friends. I consider this a great honor, not a burden. This is one of the things I do best, and I enjoy it!

One of the most interesting things about Easter is that it is somewhat of a "melting pot" holiday, with traditions from many cultures and religions. But there is no doubt about it, food plays a big part of celebrations in every culture.

Not sure what to serve for Easter dinner? The recipes on this page are traditional Easter recipes, or would make good components to an Easter dinner. But don't stop your recipe search here on this page. This is only a sampling of what you will find on my website.

Ham is a traditional main course at this time of year, so I have included a wonderful ham recipe here, along with a secret restaurant appetizer recipe, a starch and vegetable to accompany the ham and a recipe for dessert - a fabulous Triple Chocolate And Vanilla Cheesecake.

But on my website I have many other Easter recipes from which to choose. Mix and match components of these menus or other recipes on the website to create your own perfect Easter dinner.

This Crab Artichoke Dip Appetizer is the all-time best selling appetizer at my restaurant, despite the fact that crab is expensive. The combination of ingredients is what drives the price but it is so good my restaurant guests buy it frequently. They have asked me for this crab recipe many times and, until now, it has always been one of my secret restaurant recipes.

Hot Crab Artichoke Recipe For 8-10Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese

2 cups of mayonnaise

3/4 pound of Dungeness crab

1 cup quartered artichoke hearts

1/2 cup white onions, diced

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar

1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 tablespoons green onions, minced

2 tablespoons red pepper, minced

2 tablespoons celery, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons parsley, chopped

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups grated Mozzarella cheeseInstructions:

In a mixer, whip the cream cheese until soft but not airy

While the cream cheese is mixing, prepare the crab, artichoke hearts, onions, garlic, red pepper, celery, parsley and cheeses

When the cream cheese is softened, fold in the remaining ingredients, adding the cheeses last

Refrigerate until ready to use

Bake in a baking dish in a pre-heated 375 degree F oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned on top and bubbly around the edges

Serve with thinly sliced French bread and/or artisan crackers

Apricot Glazed Ham RecipePreparation time: 1 1/2 hours. Serves 15.

Ingredients:

One 5 pound old fashioned smoked, boneless ham (pit ham)

1 cup apricot nectar

1 cup apricot preserves

1/2 cup orange marmalade

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmegInstructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F

Place the ham and apricot nectar in your roasting pan

In a small mixing bowl, combine the preserves, marmalade, cinnamon and nutmeg

Spread the mixture over the surface of the ham and loosely cover the ham with foil

Bake for 1 1/4 hours basting your ham with pan juices every 20 minutes

Using a thermometer, check the internal temperature of the ham and remove it from the oven when the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F

Slice the ham and place slices on a serving platter and spoon the pan juice over the slices ham

Basic Scalloped Potatoes Preparation time: 20 minutes. Serves 8-10.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted

8 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (I am fortunate to have a mandoline, otherwise slice the potatoes with your knife)

2 medium onions, diced

2 cups heavy cream

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Ground Allspice, optional

Fresh parsley, mincedInstructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

Grease a shallow baking pan with some melted butter

Place a layer of potato slices on the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with half the onion, salt and pepper to taste

Place a second layer of sliced potatoes over the first layer

Repeat the layering process until all the potato slices are gone

Pour the heavy cream over the potatoes, sprinkle again with salt and pepper and if you wish - AllSpice

Drizzle the remainder of the butter on top

Bake for one hour in the oven or until most of the cream is absorbed and the top is golden to golden brown

Sprinkle parsley on top to serve

Fresh Green Bean RecipePreparation time: 5 minutes (once your Dill Butter is prepared). Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 pound green beans

Dill Butter - Recipe Below (or simply use regular butter and salt and pepper if you prefer)Instructions:

Wash beans thoroughly in clear, cold water and trim the ends

If using baby green beans, you probably do not need to cut them into smaller pieces. Otherwise you may want to cut the green beans at least in half. You can cut them straight across or at an angle

Place green beans in a pot of boiling water and blanch them for 3-4 minutes (Some people add a bit of salt to the boiling water, but this is optional and there should be plenty of room in the pot but don't use more water than you have to. If you are cooking more beans than you have room for, it's okay to cook them in batches.)

Drain beans in a colander

Place your Dill Butter in a skillet or saut pan over medium-low heat to melt the butter

Put beans in the pan with the Dill Butter and heat thoroughly, making sure the beans are re-heated but not over-cooked

Plate beans and serve

Dill Butter RecipePreparation time: 15 minutes. Makes enough for bean recipe above.

Ingredients:

1/4 pound soft butter

1 table spoon chopped or minced fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

3/4 teaspoon lemon juiceInstructions:

Coarsely chop the dill and process in a food processor with the butter, garlic and lemon juice (or mix thoroughly with a fork)

Shape the mixture into a roll and wrap in parchment paper or wax paper and twist the ends

Store in freezer until needed

Triple Chocolate And Vanilla CheesecakeFavorite Restaurant Dessert Recipe For Home CooksPreparation time: 30 minutes. Serves 12.

Ingredients For Crust:

4 1/2 ounces Oreo cookie crumbs

1/2 ounce melted butterInstructions For Crust:

Combine the Oreo cookie crumbs and the butter in a mixing bowl and pour into a springform pan

Spread the crumbs over the bottom and press down with your hands to firm it

Smooth the crust with the back of a spoon

Chill in the freezer while preparing the cheescakeIngredients For Cheesecake:

2 pounds softened cream cheese

1/3 cup flour

14 ounces of Eagle Brand condensed milk (no substituting, this is an important ingredient)

7 whole eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

4 ounces chocolate chips, meltedInstructions For Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe:

In a Kitchenaid mixer, beat the cream cheese on low and then beat until fluffy

On low speed, add the flour and mix well

Gradually add the Eagle Brand condensed milk, mixing until smooth

Add eggs and vanilla and mix well

Pour half of the batter into the prepared crust in the springform pan

Add the melted chocolate chips into the remaining batter and mix well

Pour the chocolate batter evenly oven the white layer in the springform pan

Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree F oven for about 40 minutes

Cool the cheesecake out of the refrigerator until the cheesecake is room temperature, then refrigerateIngredients For Glaze:

4 ounces of chocolate chips

1/3 cup whipping cream (not whipped)Instructions For Glaze:

Combine chocolate chips and cream in a sauce pan over low heat to melt chips and combine

Cool slightly, pour over the cheesecake and refrigerate

Enjoy your Easter recipes and the company of those you share them with! Cultivate the love!

Donna Hager has owned and operated an American-style restaurant for over two decades. More articles and hundreds of recipes can be found on her website that features real restaurant recipes, menus, cooking tips, and much more at Real Restaurant Recipes To access a large variety on Easter Menu Ideas with the needed recipes, click on Easter Menu.

Donna is also the author of the new e-cookbook, "Real Restaurant Recipes: Food That Built a Business"

Free Soul Recipes Helping Struggling Households

2009-07-04T20:58:00.001+01:00

Free soul recipes, available on the internet is attracting more budget starved consumers, reveals a current University study. With soul foods low cost and high quality ingredients this southern food has a long reputation for it's staying power and the ability for filling the belly.

The best southern foods such as collard greens, sweet potato pie, southern meatloaf, peach cobbler, hot water cornbread and other tasty treats continue to make a strong comeback with many struggling families. As households struggle to meet growing food cost, soul food continues to roar back as a life preserver for more and more families across America.

Home cooking, comfort food, and food that sticks to your ribs are descriptions more families are looking for to stretch their food dollar. An increasing number of families are starting to ride past fast food arches and drive-thrus and straight home to cook their own meals in growing numbers.

It's estimated the average family of four can save hundreds o f dollars a month by skipping the Burger and Fries, Pizza and other fast food stops by simply cooking more meals at home instead. This startling statistic is what's causing the growing popularity of easy soul food recipes available on the internet.

Recipe clubs, cookbooks and newsletters continue to increase in popularity for struggling families, single mothers and down-sized employees. The increase in food cost is another reason more families continue to choose eating in ... instead of eating out.

With a generation of families accustomed to eating out (baby boomers, generation X'ers, generation Y's and below), cooking at home is quickly the style of the day. This is especially true because of tightening budgets and shrinking incomes growing numbers continue to experience in this economy. Because food cost is one of the largest items in most families budgets, soul food recipes continue to work as a life preserver for more low income families.

In the past soul food helped to stretch the dollars of many cash starved people, now the tasty, nutritious and satisfying food is sought after by people longing for the nostalgic feeling of this popular comfort food. Cookbooks, cooking classes and other home making skills are again in style. June Cleaver is no longer laughed at or ridiculed like in the past.

Like in the past, soul food helped a generation of African Americans get through tough times, tight budgets and low incomes. Now to help fight bulging food cost at the checkout counter home cooked meals like soul food continues to increase in demand .. and there's no end in sight.

Yes, with tightening bank accounts, job lay offs and shrinking budgets cooking at home is in. Free soul food recipes is a good place to start if you're looking for a food cost - stretching solution. Another benefit of this growing trend? Fighting obesity. Home cooking helps to fight obesity.

You can avoid many of the high calorie, high sodium, high fat ingredients fast-food is known for by preparing more of your meals at home. Take advantage of the many free soul food recipes available.

Roy Primm has written dozens of articles and soul food recipes online. For more easy soul food recipes, cooking tips and money saving coupons go to http://www.FreeSoulFoodRecipes.net

Delicious and Easy Vegetarian Recipes

2009-07-04T20:57:00.019+01:00

My recipe collection of easy vegetarian recipes has evolved over time, after some embarrassing moments, some boring meals, and also, after some luscious and scrumptious food that was mouthwatering and memorable.

I once had a fantastic friend who would have done anything for me.

The sort of person who, if you admired her clothing would want to give it to you.

One night we attended a dinner party in her very tiny flat. The room was so tiny that we were almost sitting against the walls with all rooms in close proximity. We had not met some of the people before and would have preferred to make a good impression.

I had the misfortune to be going through a phase of not wanting to drink anything other than fruit juice. Very silly. Being the very thoughtful person that she was she had prepared me a large glass of the most delicious pure plum juice ..... here read - "prune" - same family........
This was followed by a large dinner of beans, and vegetarian food in abundance.

It was not long before it took effect.

Have you ever felt so bloated and full of wind that you dare not move a muscle without embarrassing yourself and everyone in sight ? Even worse, the bathroom in full earshot of the rest of the dinner guests, half of which we had not met before. I tried in vain to contain this new threat to my demeanor and eventually excused myself so I could go out on the balcony "to get some air".

More like get rid of some air.

Unbelievably, everyone arose too and trudged with me out to the balcony.

I was almost desperate by this time and the cramps were extremely severe and I decided I was either going to explode or visit the bathroom. Safe now you would think with everyone on the balcony. Wrong ! They all followed me inside again. Deciding that embarrassment was the lesser evil than exploding, I gingerly went in and closed the door and leaning against the wall I tried to stifle the sound of the ever increasing wind shift before venturing in the direction of the plumbing.

Wind like you would find a severe gale or extremely efficient wind tunnel.

You guessed it.

The stifling did not work and the thin walls seemed to act as an echo chamber.

Depth sounder had a whole new meaning and those people we had never met before suddenly knew more of me than I wanted right at that moment. I could hardly crawl out of that bathroom for embarrassment

That was the beginning of my quest for a different focus to my vegetarian food, for quick, easy vegetarian recipes that would allow me to entertain with ease and feel at ease too.

I am no longer totally vegetarian and love to cook all types of food and there are a lot of recipes that can be adapted and taste even better for the creativity of experimentation.
Simple, quick and easy vegetarian recipes can often add years to your life and dollars to your purse.

Some of my recipes are from my mother who would often cook "meatless" meals way back as sometimes we could not afford meat and when asked the recipe she would look puzzled and say it was just "out of her head."

Ideas and favorite recipes

Tree tomato Salsa - makes everything taste delicious and is very quick and very easy to do
You may want to make a double lot and keep in the fridge covered. This is uncooked.
Quantities depend on how many people you want to serve so add more or less than recipe)

Cut 4 Tree tomatoes in half scoop out the flesh and chop up finely
Add either 1 spring onion, scallions or a small amount of chopped onions or shallots
Add brown sugar around a desert spoon full and half a squeezed lime

Mix everything together and leave aside to absorb the flavors.

This salsa is delicious on vegetable patties, fritters, quiche, mashed potatoes and steak for those who are not vegetarian. This recipe can also be made with either tomatoes or peppers and taste delicious too.

Peanut Dipping Sauce
A quick and easy to make delicious and yummy sauce to serve with raw vegetables, grilled vegetable patties, vegetarian Satay sticks, mashed potato or make thinner as a salad dressing or thicker as a dip.

To make
Half a cup crunchy peanut butter
1 Tablespoon sesame seed
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup of water or coconut milk
Method Combine the ingredients in a pot and stir over moderate heat until dipping consistency.
Thin with extra water if you require or leave thicker as a dip. Delicious and real easy.

Potato Patties
This is so simple its almost a joke to put it in here with these easy vegetarian recipes

Grate several large potatoes, squeeze out some of the liquid or it will go squelchy.
Cut up one onion & chop or grate and add spring onions,shallots, or chives
Add parsley, and any other herbs you have around
Drop in 2 eggs (organic naturally) and mix everything together
Add salt and pepper
Drop spoonfuls onto a hot pan and cook.
This is delicious with the salsa above and to make even more delicious add feta cheese,
either in the mix or sprinkle some on top.

My latest piece-de-resistence is a stunningly simple chocolate sauce that makes any food taste like the latest chef's invention.

After you have cooked your patties or fritters, add a little stock to the pan, melt a small amount of butter, or margarine although butter will give a better flavor.
Add about two rows of dark chocolate over a low heat.
Stir this slowly and add wine if you wish (is optional) and Chili gives it a bite and depth.
Also optional as not everyone likes Chili Serve.
Mint is a good addition.
This sauce takes an ordinary meal into a gourmet delight.
Just make sure you only make the amount you need at the time or it is ultra easy to scoff the lot.

Endings:

Quick Pineapple dessert
Take yogurt, - one serving each person, and a can of crushed pineapple
Whip it all up and put in the freezer to set.
Serve with fresh yogurt and if you feel decadent grate some chocolate on top or garnish
with frozen grapes.

Quick and easy Blackcurrant yogurt dessert
Best in tall dessert cups or glasses as this looks appealing.
Layer yogurt, sliced peaches and more yogurt
Drizzle over blackcurrant syrup and top with a few peaches
Serve with a wafer biscuit or ginger nut biscuit.

Enjoy

Carol Skinner is a creative artist and photography enthusiast living in Auckland, the City of Sails, New Zealand. After a career in the property field she gave it up to pursue her passion for Art, especially painting and concentrate on internet marketing and has, through the internet rediscovered her fondness for writing articles.

Website: http://www.EasternArtShop.com

Two Delicious Vegetarian Chili Recipes

2009-07-04T20:57:00.017+01:00

Do you love chili? Did you think you had to give up this old favorite because you would switch to a low calorie or vegetarian diet? Well, I will introduce you two vegetarian chili recipes. With them, you can enjoy healthier versions of one of your favorite dishes.

Of the two recipes, one is for the average palate, and the other is for those who like something spicier.

* Easy Vegetarian Chili

Here is a simple, easy to prepare chili recipe. For this recipe, you will need:

- 1/2 onion, diced

- 1 bell pepper, diced

- 3 garlic cloves, minced

- 2 teaspoons olive oil

- 1 can of diced tomatoes

- 3 tablespoons vegetable broth

- 2 tablespoons chili powder

- 1 can of pinto or black beans, drained

- 1 can of kidney beans, drained

1. Add the olive oil to a large soup pot. Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper to the pot, and saute for about 4 or 5 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth and chili powder to the pot. Stir the mixture together.

3. With the heat set to medium-low, add the black beans and kidney beans to the mixture.

4. Cook the chili for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you have the time, reduce the heat and let the chili simmer for a while. The longer the cooking time, the more enhanced the flavor will be.

* Hot and Spicy Vegetarian Chili

Do you like your chili hot and spicy? If so, this recipe is for you.

For this recipe, you will need:

- 1 onion, diced

- 3 cloves of garlic, minced

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes

- 4 tablespoons of chili powder

- 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

- 1 teaspoon each of cumin, red pepper flakes, and salt

- 1 1/2 cups of hot salsa

- 1 cup of water

- 3 cans of kidney beans

1. In a large soup pot, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil for about 4 or 5 minutes.

2. To the pot, add your tomatoes, cayenne, chili powder, cumin, red pepper, salt, hot salsa and water. Give the mixture a stir, and then let it simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the bean to the pot, then let the chili simmer for another 30 minutes. After that, it's ready to serve.

If you are a chili fan and a vegetarian the same time, you can give these two vegetarian chili recipes a try. You may find that you do not have to give up your favorite dish to stick to your healthy diet.

Is vegetarian chili recipe your cup of tea? You can dig out more about vegetarian recipes from our site. You can also check out some videos for vegetarians from our site and watch how others prepare their vegetarian diet!

Campfire Coffee Recipes

2009-07-04T20:57:00.015+01:00

Traditional Campfire Coffee Recipes

Campfire Perculator Coffee Pot

Good Tip

This article is supplied by Best-Coffee-Makers-Online.com where you can easily shop and compare coffee makers so you can purchase exactly what youre looking for at great values.

Cod Fish Recipes

2009-07-04T20:57:00.013+01:00

Cod fish recipes are delicious, healthy, and an easy way to make dinner. The great thing about cod fish is that you can make it in a variety of ways. You could bake it or fry it. You can dress it up with vegetables or you can serve the dish bare. The great thing about the dishes is that you can take what you like and incorporate it into the dish to make for a truly unique and delicious meal. You can't go wrong when it comes to making cod fish.

First, when choosing between recipes, consider your needs. Do you want something healthy? If so, avoid frying the fish, as it isn't the healthiest of ways to prepare the dish. Do you want something flavorful? Then consider choosing a recipe that involves using a variety of vegetables or sauces. Do you want something simple? If so, consider a bare-bones recipe that focuses on preparing the cod fish without any other garnishes or ingredients.

Also, consider the amount of time you have to make this meal. If you're in a rush, you may not want to prepare sauces to soak or coat the fish in. Know the amount of time you have to spend making cod fish recipes before looking for the right one for your meal. Also, consider where or not you want fresh or frozen cod fish.

The following is just one of the many cod fish recipes you can make for yourself for others. Though easy to make and inexpensive, this recipe will taste like a dish you might have a fine dining establishment. The recipe is simple and involves tomatoes and cheese, but otherwise, its fairly bare bones.

First, you will need to know your ingredients. You will need: 1 1/2 pounds of frozen cod fillet, 1 teaspoon of butter, salt and pepper, four sliced tomatoes, Swiss cheese (as much as youd want on the fish), and 1/2 cup of half and half.

To make the cod fish recipe, first remove the fish's skin and bones. Dry the fish using a paper towel. Your oven should be preheated at 375 degrees. Take the butter and melt it. Take your fish and top it with the tomato slices. Sprinkle on as much cheese as youd like, pour the cream on the fish, and add the butter to a baking dish or pan. You are now ready to bake your fish. Cook your cod fish for 25 minutes or until the fish appears to flake.

You can of course substitute many of the ingredients. For example, if you dislike Swiss cheese, you could always go with cheddar cheese. If you dislike tomatoes, you could always use green peppers instead.

Candis Reade is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about Cod Fish Recipes, please visit Fish Recipes Online for current articles and discussions.

5 Most Commonly Used Ingredient In Chinese Vegetarian Recipes

2009-07-04T20:57:00.011+01:00

Are you into vegetarian recipes?

How about trying out vegetarian recipes in Chinese style?

Not sure what to use?

No worries! Here are five most commonly used ingredients you can use to create you own Chinese style vegetarian meal!

1. Mushroom

The mushroom you see here is actually the dried mushroom, which is also known as Black Mushroom, Chinese Black Mushroom or Dried Flower Mushroom.

It is an excellent ingredient to add taste and aroma to your dishes. It is also an excellent absorbent which takes in the taste and flavor of your cooking thus giving you a pleasurable bite; exploding the splendor in your mouth as you chew!

Because of it's ability to add taste and aroma to the dishes, it is commonly added into vegetarian dishes to add more flavor to the otherwise plain vegetables.

2. Chinese Wolfberry

These tiny red seeds has sweet and plain taste, and has found its way into many Chinese soup and dishes. In fact, it is considered to be one of the medicine used in Traditional Chinese medicine.

It is also used to improve lung functions, strengthen lower limbs, reduce headache and fainting, improve premature ejaculation etc. Current researches have proven that Chinese Wolfberry have anti-oxidant ability, increasing immunity, anti radiation, anti aging and other health effects.

It is commonly known to have helps improve eye-sight.

Because of its benefits, Chinese vegetarian practitioneer use it widely to enhance nutritional value of their meals.

3. Bean Curd (Tofu)

Bean Curd was created by the Chinese, accidentally, in the Eastern Han dynasty. Initially, only monks and priests ate them. However, slowly it was accepted by the masses, and now, it is an indispensible ingredient for most of the Chinese meals, be it vegetarian or not.

Bean Curd is soft, tender, nutritious and affordable. It can be easily digested.

It promotes production of bodily fluid to reduce dryness. It also reduces heat and removes toxins; reduces blood cholesterol and the risk of heart diseases; and reduces respiratory and digestive problems.

You can find Bean Curd in many forms soft, firm, dried, Bean Curd puff, Bean Curd skin (which we will see next), Jelly form, fermented Bean Curd, smelly Tofu, and many more!

Because of its wide variety, you'll find it almost in every meal, cooked in many different methods.

4. Bean Curd Skin or Sheet

Bean Curd Skin, either in long stick form, or in sheet form, is as popular as Bean Curd.

This is because it can either be soaked and fry together with the vegetables, or cooked in soup, or in sweet soup. And the sheet form can be used for wrapping in many recipes, e.g. Wanton, Chinese vegetarian sausage etc; or even used to create the popular Chinese vegetarian duck!

Another indispensible ingredient for Chinese vegetarian meals!

5. Bean Thread

Bean Thread or Mung Bean Vermicelli which is also known as Glass Noodles, Cellophane Noodles, or Fenzi in Chinese or Fun See in Cantonese.

It is commonly used in many Asian countries, and in particular - Chinese vegetarian dishes.

Althought it is a form of noodle, and may be eaten as noodle, when these slender and gelatinous noodles are soaked, they become soft and slippery, springy and translucent. Theyre almost flavorless, but they are a good absorbant which absorb the taste of their accompanying sauce or broth.

Because of that property, it is added into dishes for more bite and flavor, and is commonly found in the famour vegetarian meal - Luohan Zai (The Dish of The Arahant)

So, here you are - the 5 most commonly used ingredients which you can also use to create your own Chinese vegetarian meal today! Enjoy your meal today!

Janice Hoo, the author of "Vegetarian Recipe: The Chinese Way" introduced a revolutionary way of enjoying Chinese vegetarian meals which are healthy and uses natural, gluten-free ingredients. In her book, stories related to the dishes are been shared so that you'll appreciate the dish better, and any health benefits of the ingredients are been highlighted as well! You can get hold of this wonderful book at http://www.ChineseVegetarianRecipe.com

Recipe For Scottish Warrior Apple Custard Pie

2009-07-04T20:57:00.009+01:00

Mel Gibson's "Braveheart" has always been a spiritual experience. One month after the movie came out, I (and the rest of the world) had watched it a total of six times. Everyone in the household had done the exact same thing. We were obsessed. In every way possible it stirs the heart and puts you on an emotional roller coaster that is far beyond any other movie. It called to my heart and I still feel it to this day.

My inspiration for the dish I played with this week is the movie "Braveheart." My belief it that pies are best served rustic. Lots of pies can be clean cut and very uppity, but nothing is better than a grounded dish that reminds one of origins and countries built on old world traditions. So goes my Scottish Warrior Apple Custard Pie.

"Braveheart" is a movie primarily about the love of home and country. All the characters in the movie are fighting for the soil that they have put so much work and dreams into. The pie crust represents that element. While most pie crusts are made out of white flour, this one has wheat incorporated within it to represent the colors and essence of their very Earth. Also, instead of rolled out pastry we have pressed in the pan crust. We use our hands to mold the crust to the pan, as the Scottish peasants use their hands to till their Earth and feed their families.

Apples, (although not primarily Scottish) has always represented home life. Anything baked with apples brings you to that feeling of comfort. The cinnamon-sugar laced apples remind me of the essence of which William Wallace craves. It's primarily the ability to build a home, be at peace, and have a family. In order to do this he must fight, that is why the apples are buried within the pie and not on the top. It is the idea he cherishes and keeps within himself in order to be a good leader.

Thick, creamy, and sweet the custard represents the spirits of the said warriors. The custard is thick and well cooked on the outside but once you cut through that layer you get a sweet and rich flavor (as only the Scottish warriors are, softies on the inside with a rough shell on the outside).

Brave, rustic, and sweet on the inside this is exactly what a Scottish revolution ordered:

"Scottish Warrior Apple Custard Pie"*

Ingredients: 1 cup evaporated milk, 3 cups sliced and peeled granny smith apples, cup all-purpose flour, cup whole-wheat flour, 1 large egg, tsp salt, cup plus 1/6 cup sugar, cup plus 1/6 cup Splenda, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and cup cold unsalted butter.

1) Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

2) In a bowl sir the flours and salt, then cut in the butter until coarse crumbs show. Press on the bottom and up the sides of a nine inch pie pan. Arrange apples over the crust. In another bowl stir 1/6 cup sugar, 1/6 cup Splenda, and the cinnamon. Sprinkle over the apples. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, in a bowl whisk the evaporated milk, egg, cup sugar, and cup Splenda until smooth. Then pour over the apples. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

4) Cut with a sword and enjoy like a warrior.

* Base of recipe from Taste of Home and I molded it from there.

Chicken Spaghetti Recipes

2009-07-04T20:57:00.007+01:00

These chicken spaghetti recipes are delicious. Just check these out and I'm sure you'll be amazingly surprised.

So here we go for some chicken spaghetti recipes:

>>Spaghetti Chicken Casserole

12 ounces vermicelli spaghetti1 1/2 sticks butter or margarine salt pepper1 can tiny english peas drained1 lg green pepper chopped1 lg onion chopped1 pound processed cheese2 cans rotel tomato w/green chili2 chicken fryers

Boil chicken in seasoned water and save broth. Remove chicken from bone. Cook spaghetti in broth. Grate cheese and add to spaghetti while hot. Cook pepper and onion in margarine and add to spaghetti mixture. Add rotel tomatoes and green chilies, peas and chicken. Mix well and pour into greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees until blended through. This recipe freezes well.

Do you like chicken liver? Here's a recipe that goes with spaghetti.

>>Chicken Liver And Spaghetti Bake

3/4 lb hamburger1 lg green pepper, chopped1 lb chicken livers, cut up1 lg can of tomatoes1 tb melted butter1 t salt1 t ground basil1 t chili powder1/2 lb thin spaghetti2 sm onions, chopped2 tb vegetable oil6 oz tomato paste

Simmer hamburger, onions, green pepper and oil until meat has lost red color. Sieve tomatoes and add with tomato paste and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Simmer livers and butter for 10 minutes and add to meat mixture. Cook spaghetti, drain and place in a 2 quart dish. Pour on meat sauce and toss lightly. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

That's it for today! If you want more chicken spaghetti recipes just check below:

Goulash Recipes

2009-07-04T20:57:00.005+01:00

Hungarian cuisine is known for its use of paprika, and this includes the most famous Hungarian dish of all, goulash (which is known in Hungary as "Gulys" or "Gulysleves"). In Hungary, goulash is a soup prepared using chunks of beef, seasoned with salted, pepper and paprika, and then browned pot, and then slowly simmered in water or stock together with other ingredients such as onions, bell peppers, a small amount of tomato, and perhaps chopped potatoes, as well as herbs such as thyme, bay leaf or caraway seeds.

Versions of goulash are also popular in other countries, but they are often modified by using local ingredients, and reducing the amount of paprika. In some cases, the dish may taste so completely different, that the only really resemblance to the Hungarian original is in fact the name!

In the United States and Canada for example, hamburger meat is often used, and the amount of paprika greatly reduced, or perhaps even the paprika is removed entirely. Use of hamburger meat does reduce the cooking time, but it also greatly change the flavor of the dish. Americans also like to add extra tomatoes and perhaps spaghetti sauce to their version of goulash, and serve the dish with noodles or macaroni - and the result may come out tasting more like an Italian pasta dish than the Hungarian original.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with adapting a dish as you see fit, if you haven't tried it, I would urge you to try goulash cooking in the style of the Hungarian original. The spicy taste of the traditional dish, could be a welcome change from the "comfort food" version of the dish made using hamburger.

By S. Tanna. Discover Hungarian Recipes including Goulash at http://www.downloadfocus.com/cat_recipes_hungarian.php

3 Easy Baked Bean Recipes

2009-07-04T20:57:00.003+01:00

The following baked bean recipes may all have very different ingredients, but they have one main thing in common - they are all cooked in the crockpot! These recipes can either be used as side dishes, or part of a main meal. Be sure to see more crockpot recipes at our website below.

CROCKPOT BAKED BEANS I

1 pound dried small white beans -- rinsed

4 1/2 cups water

1/3 cup molasses

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 onion -- chopped

1/4 pound salt pork -- cut into 1" cubes

1 tablespoon dijon-style mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

In slow-cooker, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on LOW 13 to 14 hours, stirring occasionally, if possible.

CROCKPOT BAKED BEANS II

1 lb ground beef

3/4 lb bacon fried and diced

1 onion lg chopped and browned

1 lge can pork and beans

1 16 oz kidney beans canned

1 16 oz buttered lima beans canned

1 cup catsup

3 Tbsp white vinegar

1/4 cup liquid smoke

1 tsp salt

dash pepper

Put all ingredients. in crock pot cook 4-6 hrs on low.

CROCKPOT BAKED BEANS III

2 cans canellini beans

2 cans black beans

2 cans red kidney beans

1 can chick peas

2 diced onions

2 tablespoons mustard (from the fridge - the wet kind)

1 cup molasses

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup maple syrup

Rinse and drain beans and set aside. On bottom of crockpot place diced onions, then dump on beans (don't mix just dump 'em all on). Then drizzle on all other ingredients. Mustard stays lumpy - it's ok. If you wish to add bacon - pre cook 1 lb. crumble and put
over top of entire mixture. DON'T STIR. It will look dry for awhile. Crock Pot on High for 6-8 hours stirring once about 3/4 of the way through. Serve.

Enjoy!

About the Author: Kara Kelso is the mother of two, and owner of several websites online. For more crockpot recipes, see our ebook at: http://www.idea-queen.com/ebooks/crockpot-cooking-recipes.html

Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

2009-07-04T20:57:00.001+01:00

This is another one of my favorite bbq sauces because its a sauce that is great for bbq competitions. You see, most people prefer a sweet barbecue sauce and competition judges are people too! When we first started cooking ribs for competition, this was one of the recipes we developed. You can substitute your favorite bourbon for the Wild Turkey. This sauce gives the ribs a real nice color and the taste aint bad neither! This sauce is excellent to use with the professional rib cooking techniques found in our book, Competition BBQ Secrets...

Chatham Artillery BBQ Team's Bourbon Barbecue Sauce:

1/4 cup Wild Turkey Bourbon

2 cups ketchup

1 cup Brown sugar

1/2 cup Apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup Pineapple juice

3 teaspoon Molasses

2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoon Olive oil

1 teaspoon Lemon juice

1 teaspoon Salt

Mix all ingredients and simmer on stove until sauce thickens.

Imagine that you are a bbq competition judge... tasting the same old bbq sauces over and over again. The first thing the judges do is look at your ribs and give it a presentation score. Then they pick up a rib and tug on it to see how tender it is. Your rib meat should pull clean from the bone, but not fall off the bone. After that, they take a small bite and taste your ribs. Now what do you think will score higher... the same old sauce that they already tasted 100 times that morning, or something new that dances on their tongue and surprises them with a unique flavor that they have never tasted before?

Well... I think you know which of the bbq sauces the judge will score higher - the unique one. The Wild Turkey sauce with apple cider and pineapple flavors. Your family and friends will love a unique sauce recipe too. KC Masterpiece is a great sauce, but dont you think they have all tasted that before? Give them what they want... a sauce with a bold, unique flavor.

For more information on slow smoking competition quality ribs, butts, chicken, and brisket, please visit Bill Anderson's web site at http://www.bbq-book.com

Chicken Divan Recipe With Mornay Sauce

2009-07-04T20:56:00.021+01:00

Chicken Divan is a chicken casserole dish. It was first created at the Divan Parisien restaurant in New York City. It is a casserole of sliced chicken breast, spears of broccoli, covered with sauce Mornay and baked until the top is golden brown.

The Divan Parisien served Chicken Divan as their signature dish in the 1950s. The chef or chefs who originally created it are unknown. In France the word divan refers to a meeting place or great hall. This name was chosen to attract the attention of the Divan Parisien owners by implying a kind of continental elegance.

A Mornay sauce is a Bechamel sauce with shredded or grated cheese added. Usually, it is half Gruyere and half Parmesan, though variations use different combinations of Gruyere, Emmental cheese, or white cheddar.

It is often served with seafood or vegetables.

Chicken Divan Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts+
4 bunches of fresh broccoli (4 packs of frozen broccoli)
3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. mayonnaise
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 c. sour cream
1 can cream of celery soup

Chicken Divan Preparation Boil chicken for 45-60 minutes or until it is cooked. At the same time boil broccoli for 30 minutes or until soft (if you don't like broccoli soft cook it until you like it) Make cream sauce from butter, flour and milk. Add celery soup and mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and nutmeg. Mix well. Stir in sour cream. Place broccoli in the baking dish, top with chicken. Cover with sauce. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve hot. Enjoy!!!

For more chicken divan pictures, recipes and ingredients please visit my Chicken Divan Recipe site. Also consider visiting my other sites about heartburn and file extension.

Easy Super Bowl Recipes

2009-07-04T20:56:00.019+01:00

January means Super Bowl parties and our easy Super Bowl recipes make it easy on the cook.

A Super Bowl party seems like a great idea, but after all the work of the holiday season, many of us don't want to put out all that effort again. On the other hand, buying everything you need to feed a crowd can be expensive.

Here are some easy superbowl recipes, some of which can even be made ahead.

Garlic Apricot Chicken Wings

12 whole chicken wings (about 2 pounds) or 24 divided wing pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup apricot preserves

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix together minced garlic and apricot preserves.

Barbecue, bake or broil wings until almost cooked. Brush with the apricot/garlic mixture and continue cooking until tender.

Make Ahead Notes:
Bake the wings earlier in the day, then brush with the sauce just before you need them and pop them into the oven again to finish up.

Blue Cheese Dip

8 ounces Roquefort or blue cheese, softened and broken into small pieces
1/2 small onion, grated
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until ready to use. Serve with chips, raw vegetables or crackers for dipping.

Make-Ahead Notes:
This blue cheese dip should be refrigerated for at least two hours to allow the flavors to meld together well. Nothing says you can't prepare it earlier though and refrigerate it until needed.

Hot Filled Bread

Another recipe with lots of tasty variations.

Take 1 long loaf of French or Italian crusty bread and cut it into fairly thick slices. Spread each slice on one side with your choice of filling. Put the loaf back together and wrap in aluminum foil.

Bake at 400F for 10 minutes. Open the foil and bake for a further 5-7 minutes until the crust is crispy and the cheese is hot.

Make Ahead Notes:
Make the fillings earlier in the day, then just spread them on the bread when you are ready to pop them in the oven.
The bread can also be filled, wrapped well with foil and frozen until ready to bake. Just thaw first and bake for a few minutes longer to make sure the filling gets hot.

Fillings -
For each of these filling recipes, mix all the ingredients together and spread on bread slices. Follow the recipe above to bake.

Garlic and Herb Bread:
Traditional garlic bread at its finest.

3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 to 1/3 pound butter
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
pinch of mixed herbs (chopped chives, basil, or rosemary, whatever you prefer)

French Onion Bread:
1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 envelope onion soup mix

Ham and Blue Cheese Bread:
1/4 pound butter
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 ounces of ham, finely chopped
1 ounce blue cheese, crumbled

Cheese and Chive Bread:
1/4 to 1/3 cup butter
1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons chives, chopped
3 tablespoons other herbs, chopped if desired (or use more chives)
freshly ground black pepper

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 pound large mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
1/4 cup fresh chopped mint or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Preheat oven to 400F.

Rinse mushrooms. Pat dry with paper towels. Remove stems. Combine mushroom caps with 1 tablespoon oil, salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place mushrooms stem-side-up on nonstick baking sheet.

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add spinach. Cook until dry. Remove to a bowl. Add feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, mint, lemon peel and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix well. Spoon into mushrooms. Bake 8-10 minutes until mushrooms are tender and stuffing is hot.

You're done making easy super bowl recipes! Party's on!

Karen Ciancio is a fan of all things cooking related. Her website Cookingnook.com contains recipes, cooking tips, diet and nutrition information. Visit the site for more great recipes, for easy party recipes for every occasion.

Super Green Food Recipes

2009-07-04T20:56:00.017+01:00

Smoothies are no longer crunchy granola hippie food. They are in sidewalk cafes and are being sold at the grocery store in 6 packs. But smoothies are easy to make at home and can be even more nutritious when you make them yourself. One of the best reasons to start drinking smoothies is if you are prone to skipping breakfast.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet millions of people walk out the door with a thermos of coffee and a full to-do list. Your body needs fuel to work properly. Your brain needs energy to think properly. Smoothies are a great way to get super nutrition in a tasty treat. They are quick to make and easy to share. What more could you want form a great breakfast?

I keep a list of smoothie ingredients on hand so I can make the best tasting, most nutrient rich shake I can. I keep these ingredients on hand all the time so I can substitute different fruits or juices to change the flavor depending on my mood.

Here is my list: juice (I mix it up), plain whole yogurt, flax seeds, a super green powder, coconut milk powder, protein powder (vanilla), flax seed oil, and wheat germ.

You can start out with juice, yogurt, green food and the Coconut milk powder and work in the flax seeds, protein powder and other ingredients. I recommend a powdered super green mix because it mixes easily and digests very quickly. (In fact I often mix it with a cup of juice and take a green shot for a mid afternoon pick me up!) Plus it is less expensive than other vitamin regimes because you get all the nutrients you need in one shot. I particularly like adding vanilla protein powder and Coconut milk powder because they add more protein and omega 3 fatty acids, plus the coconut milk powder tastes really creamy and good! Ok, now that you have your basic ingredients lets get down to it!

Smoothies are good for you for many reasons, but two in particular. One: smoothies combine readily available nutrients in a liquid form. This means you get the nutrients you want in a highly digestible form, right away. Second: they are great healthy food on the go. Let's face it, we need better food for a fast pace society. Before you go drop another 5 dollar bill on a starbucks -try creating your own smoothies and feel the super green food difference!

Smoothie recipes without using a blender

Creamy orange

1 cup orange juice (to taste)

1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

1 tb super green energy powder

1 tb coconut milk powder

2-3 cubes of ice (helps mix ingredients and keeps it cold)

Put ingredients into jar with tight lid and shake vigorously or whisk together

Grape dream

2 cups grape juice (to taste)

1 cup vanilla protein powder

1 tsp super green energy powder

1 tsp coconut milk powder

2-3 cubes of ice (helps mix ingredients and keeps it cold)

Put ingredients into jar with tight lid and shake vigorously or whisk together

This one is sweet and creamy

Cranberry Lemon zest

1 cup cranberry juice (to taste)

1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

1 tsp super green energy powder

1 tsp lemon juice

2-3 cubes of ice (helps mix ingredients and keeps it cold)

Put ingredients into jar with tight lid and shake vigorously or whisk together

This one is a real zinger and great when it's hot!

Smoothie recipes using your blender

These are easy to make before work and you can
make plenty to share with your family too!

Apple banana fun

1 cup apple juice

1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

1 tsp super green energy powder

1 tsp wheat germ

1 large cored apple (with or without peel)

1 ripe banana

2-3 cubes of ice

Put ingredients into blender and serve cold

This one turns out very chunky and good! The wheat germ gives I a slight texture and wonderful nutty taste.

Coconut banana cream

1 half cup fresh filtered water

half cup coconut milk powder

1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

1 tsp super green energy powder

2 tsp flax seeds

1 ripe banana

half a cup of half and half (optional, but good)

2-3 cubes of ice

Put ingredients into blender and serve cold

Ok, are you ready for a yummy, creamy, coconutty and that's really good for you? Try this recipe!

For this one I use fruit I keep the freezer, try it - its easy. Next time bananas, blueberries or strawberries (or any other fruit) starts to go bad, just peel chop and freeze it in a bag. I then use these chunks for smoothies all year long! It replaces the ice and gives your smoothies great flavor and texture.

Frozen Slushie delight

1 cup 2% milk

1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

1 tsp super green energy powder

2 tsp flax seeds

1 cup frozen fruits

1 ripe banana

2 tsp coconut milk powder

1 tsp flax seed oil

1 splash of vanilla extract

Put ingredients into blender and serve cold

Healthy bloody mary

2 cups tomato/ vegetable juice

1 tsp super green energy powder

1 quarter cup celery leaves

2 -3 fresh basil leaves

2-3 cubes of ice

Put ingredients into blender and serve cold, serve with fresh celery sticks

Now that you have all these delicious options for adding a super green drink to your morning - what are you waiting for?

Darren Craddock is an expert in Naturopathy, Diet, Nutrition, Herbology, Massage, and Yoga. Get your Free Report: Discover how to keep from getting sick and have more energy! The best value and the best tasting super green energy boost of Enerfood powder at http://www.Enerfood.com

Strawberry Cake Recipes

2009-07-04T20:56:00.015+01:00

If you are looking for an excellent dessert recipe and love southern cooking, this is the recipe for you. This strawberry cake recipe is one of the favorites among the southern states and is perfect for any kind of occasion. This strawberry cake recipe can be made with either white or yellow cake mix and can also be used with any from scratch cake recipe.

Ingredients for Strawberry cake recipe:

1 package of white cake mix
1 package of strawberry flavored gelatin powder - 3 ounces
1 cup of vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup of water
3/4 cup of mashed strawberries
1/2 cup of butter
1 pound of confection sugar
1/4 cup of mashed strawberries

Directions for Strawberry Cake Recipe:

Combine the cake mix and gelatin powder in a large bowl
Beat in oil, eggs, water and strawberries
Pour into two 9 inch round and greased cake pans
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes
Cool and frost with strawberry icing
For the icing, beat the butter and confection sugar until smooth
Add the strawberries
Spread between the layers of cakes
Frost the top and sides

If you would like to try a variety of the strawberry cake recipe, try this pecan strawberry cake recipe.

Ingredients:

1 box of white or yellow cake mix
1 cup of vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 cup of flaked coconut
1 package of strawberry flavored gelatin
1/2 cup of milk
1 cup mashed fresh or frozen strawberries
1 cup chopped pecans
1 package of cream cheese, 8 ounces at room temperature
1/2 stick of margarine, 2 ounces at room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
1/2 cup of strawberries mashed
5 to 6 cups of sifted powder sugar

Directions:

Mix cake mix with the strawberry flavored gelatin
Add the oil, eggs, coconut, gelatin and milk
Beat until well blended
Stir in one cup mashed strawberries and one cup of pecans
Drizzle the cooled layers with reserved juice
Spread with a layer of icing
Ice the sides and top
Store the cake and refrigerate

You can serve these delicious options of the strawberry cake recipe for any occasion. You can add in other ingredients such as rhubarb to add an extra tart flavor. You can also top with whipped cream or any other fruit topping you would like. Serve the cake right away or store in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.

Katie Appleby is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about Strawberry cake recipe, please visit Tasty Desserts Site for current articles and discussions.

Winter Recipes

2009-07-04T20:56:00.013+01:00

Is it truth that sweets can be seasonal, like kinds of sport or cloth? Yes, they can. In winter its time for us to pass to all that dishes, we refused to eat in summer: thick, hot, nourishing and hearty.

What we need to eat in winter

All fruit with vitamin C it strengthens immunity and prevent from colds, give forces to us, tones up and cheers you up, like tea or coffee. Plenty of vitamin A is vital, as it controls our good adaptation to long gloaming and short light day, moreover, it makes our skin elastic, able to resist cold and freeze. So, we generously add citrus juices, rich in vitamin C, or black-currant syrup in all desserts.

Sea-buckthorn juice contains a lot of carotenes (provitamin A). Yolks contain natural vitamin A.

Immune system needs a lot of protein it produces antibodies of proteins, protecting us from flu and bugs. Milk, cream, sour cream are excellent sources of protein.

All hot dishes help nutritive materials to be completely assimilated and in cold weather protect us from excess weight as completely processed food almost is not saved in our organism as hypodermic fat, but burn during calorification. Thats why we like hot dessert drinks in winter so much. Kitchen herbs, improving blood circulation, have the same warming effect cinnamon, cloves, ginger, - and strong alcohol rum, brandy, whiskey and cognac, - that are generously added in fillings for pies, cakes, puddings, spice-cakes and cookies.

Warming sweet drinks

Do you always boil tea with water? Try to cook a mountain Scotch tea on milk! Pour a table-spoon of black tea with boiling milk (400 ml), leave covered for 7 minutes, add 2 table-spoons of flower honey or brown sugar to your taste. Children like this drink.

A mountain tea for a lady is very interesting. Whisk 2 egg yolks and 100 g of sugar in white foam and mix with strained hot tea, boiled on milk. A drink will be very nutritious obviously, in Scotland men liked chubby ladies with voluptuous shapes.

Note, - black tea, rich in tanning agents, helps organism to assimilate milk including people who stand milk badly.

You can drink hot juices, instead of usual tea, - orange or black-current ones, adding sugar to them and serving up 35% of whipped cream without sugar. A hot grape juice with a pinch on cinnamon, couple of cloves and a tea-spoon of orange peel is very tasty.

Forget about calories!

Of course, we wont do without hot chocolate in winter aromatic and piquant. Melt 70% brown chocolate (150g) broken to pieces on a water bath with milk (100 ml), then add a peel of one orange, half of tea-spoon of cinnamon and again 200 ml of hot milk. Mix everything carefully and boil to the boiling point. Remove from cooker at once. Whip 35% cream (200 ml) with a table-spoon of powdered sugar and fixing agent (1 packet) in think wavy foam. Pour hot chocolate in 2 big cups, cover with whipped cream and powder with cocoa powder or cinnamon. You can add liqueurs egg, amaretto, creamy, coffee, and also cognac or brandy in hot chocolate, instead of peel and cinnamon.

Note! Cranberry, cowberry, banana and coconut liquors and vodka dont go with hot chocolate.

It's as easy as pie

You never used half-stocks to cook cakes and pies? Youd have to. You will save powers, time and receive a wonderful tasty home product. Before baking, you can add melted butter to a half-finished product (instead of vegetable one, noted in receipt), and also candied fruits, raisins, dried apricots, prunes, orange peels, jam and grated black and white chocolate. As a result, you will receive a unique dessert. Or soak just baked chocolate cake you have taken out of oven 5 minutes ago with a mixture of 100 ml of brandy, warmed-up with a packet of vanilla sugar and a table-spoon of coffee. Then pour with chocolate icing of chocolate melted on a water bath (200 g).

Note! Almond or filbert you add in pastry before baking can greatly refine a cake you bought in a store. Calcine nuts in an oven under 200C during 5 minutes, peel them off and crush with a knife to big bits. You will need about 100 g of nuts for one cake.

Parfait Winter sun

Your husband will like this ice-cream with bitter sauce of brandy!
Cooking:

We will need: 5 egg yolks, 150 g of sugar, 100 g of powdered sugar, 100 g of sea-buckthorn juice, 3 egg-whites, 300 ml of 35% cream

1. Warm up sea-buckthorn juice with sugar, wait until sugar dissolves and the liquid thickens.

2. Whip hot sea-buckthorn syrup together with egg yolks using mixer. Mass should increase its volume twice.

3. Whip cream into a wave foam. Mix it with the rest egg mass.

4. Whip egg-whites and powdered sugar in elastic thick foam separately.

5. Mix creamy-yolk and egg-white mass together carefully.

Put into mould and place in freezer compartment for 6 hours, till mass hardens.

Cooking a black sauce

We will need: 200 g of black 70% chocolate, 6 table-spoons of water, 120 g of sugar, 50 ml of brandy.

1. Boil water with sugar in a pannikin. Remove from fire and leave for a while.

2. Add chocolate broken to pieces in syrup. Place on slow fire. Mix until chocolate melts, then pour brandy.

Cool sauce till room temperature and serve up with ice-cream.

Right winter desserts

1. Cake and pretzel

2. Hot patties with jam or nut filling

3. Pies with nuts, chocolate, cotton cheese

4. Biscuit pies

5. Pastry

6. Dessert cream

7. Creamy ice-cream

Wrong winter desserts

1. Fruit jelly

2. Yoghurt cakes

3. Curd cakes with gelatin

4. Open pies with berries

5. Berry mousse

6. Light yoghurt ice-cream

Yana Mikheeva is the creator of All about women site, it is an on-line resource for women and about women. Here you can find articles on various subjects, such as: diets, receipts, health, cellulite, figure, aromatherapy, wholesome food, psychology of relationships, pregnancy, parenting, fashion and many others. She also has Blog for women.

Recipe to Write Amazing Articles

2009-07-04T20:56:00.011+01:00

So, you decided to write amazing articles! Most of the time whenever you want to write something amazing and prepare yourself by equipping yourself with a pen, paper or with your new cute laptop - suddenly you feel, internally, that your mind goes blank. At that moment, you feel that there is nothing to write, someone else already written whatever you feel to write, and there is nothing new to contribute. Why is that so? It is the common scenario that every writer comes across sometime or another but there are ways to overcome this kind of feeling (what is known as "idea emptiness"). Read further to know how you can overcome the gigantic feeling of the idea emptiness.

Writing is passion to some and for others it is a way of expressing themselves. Whatever the purpose may be, you need to have to have at least an idea in your mind about what you want to write. You need to organize your thoughts and do some research on the topic in your hand. Then only you can write about your selected topic. But quite often, you feel lack of ideas. On the other hand, whatever you know was already there to read. In this kind of scenario, what you need to do? How you can write popular articles?

The answer is READ (RESEARCH, EXPLORE, APPLY, DEVELOP). Follow the READ concept and you will have lots of stuff to write. You need to select a topic first; the topic may be a well-known idea or an obscure one. Try to understand it fully by doing thorough RESEARCH. Then, EXPLORE the domain of the topic to find out the difference and similarities between different topics of the same domain. By doing this, you will come to know a lot many things about the topic domain, which will be helpful to you in your current and future writings.

Once the exploration is done, APPLY the logic of the topic on a real-time event so that you can highlight the same as an example. By doing this, you are explaining the reader that the logic you are talking is a practical one. When you talk about practicality, your credibility increases in the eyes of the reader.

After the practical part is explained, finally, DEVELOP the idea by applying your imagination based on the knowledge gained while gathering the stuff about the topic. Do not go overboard. The only litmus test for this part is that the reader after reading your topic should agree with you in every sentence.

In summary, at any point of time when you want to write that amazing something but lack ideas/topics follow the READ concept religiously. No matter how esoteric your topic is, at the end, you will come up with a nice article and whoever reads it, will definitely compliment you.

Check your learning skills

Turkish & Greek Coffee Recipes

2009-07-04T20:56:00.009+01:00

A lot of people know how to make a basic cup of Turkish coffee, but these are some not so common Turkish and Greek coffee recipes:

Greek Coffee Recipe with "Ouzo"

This is a traditional coffee recipe of the Greek monks in the sacred "Agio Oros". You will need:

2 teaspoonfuls of Greek coffee

2 teaspoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of "ouzo" (traditional Greek alcohol drink)

2*3oz cups water

After you prepare your coffee add the Ouzo inside, and serve.

With "Koniak"

This is a traditional coffee recipe of Greek seamen. It's the same as the previous recipe with the only difference that you use Koniak instead of Ouzo.

With "Honey"

This is an old Greek coffee recipe from Smirni. Prepare your Greek-Turkish coffee, and then add one teaspoon of honey. It's delicious!

With "Cardamom"

This is sort of Arabic version for Turkish coffee recipe. Use a dark coffee blend ground for Turkish. Get some cardamon, and grind it or use a mortar. 2 seeds per cup is enough.

Cardamon is used to spice up and give aroma to the coffee. You will need:

2 teaspoonfuls of coffee

1-2 teaspoons of sugar

as much cardamon as you want

2*3oz cups water

Prepare coffee as usual. You will get a delicious exotic coffee, which is very different from anything you've tasted before!

With "Mastich"

Same as the above recipe but instead of cardamom you must use mastich (only produced in Chios island, Greece)

Turkish Coffee Recipe with "Fennel Seeds"

Same as the above recipe but instead of cardamom you must use fennel seeds.

So, go ahead and enjoy great coffee!

Karolos Tsiligirian is the author of the Fresh Coffee Encyclopedia and the owner of FreshCoffeeShop.com

Cat Food Recipes - Quick, Easy, Nutritious

2009-07-04T20:56:00.007+01:00

For years, I thought that the best cat food was bought from the supermarket, in tins, packets and boxes. After all, the labels said things like "scientifically proven" and "recommended by vets" and "low ash", things that seemed to indicate to me the manufacturers knew what they were talking about.

I don't doubt, that you do or perhaps did, feel the same.

It's easier to assume the best if you have high demands on your time. And who hasn't these days?

It was only when I started looking at a more holistic way of treatment, that I began to run into the idea that perhaps commercial pet food wasn't the best way.

After all, the makers of such food are normal people trying to make their business pay. It's tempting to cut corners. And the more corners you cut, the easier it becomes to do more.

Now, you're probably as concerned as I am about the lack of quality in commercial pet food. From the low grade meat, to the meat-by-products, to the high fat, to the synthetic nutrients, to the chemical preservatives. Even the cans aren't safe, with BPA in the lining leaking into the food.

Really, the only way to ensure your family or your pet is getting proper nutrition is to make it yourself, from scratch.

And, of course, just as you and your family want variety, so too does your cat.

So you're looking for some inspiring cat food recipes?

Cat food recipes that are quick to deliver after a hard day's work?

Cat food recipes that are nutritious and balanced to ensure your cat's ongoing good health?

Cat food recipes that don't cost an arm and a leg?

Well, you've come to the right place!

When I adopted the idea of home made cat food I struggled with providing my cats with food they would eat and what was healthy. It took a lot of trial and error, but I got there in the end.

Now I know what the most nutritious cat food is, I know what cats like and I can vary the meals so they get something different every day of the week.

I thought others might like to learn from my experiences, rather than make their own mistakes. Why reinvent the wheel? This other has gone before and ironed out the wrinkles for you!

Cat food recipes must contain the essential meat that cats need, but just by varying one ingredient, you can create a difference that will stimulate your cats appetite.

And it's just so easy!

OK, I admit, it's not quite as easy as opening a can or box. But then, I'm guessing you're looking beyond that, for quality and health enhancing nutrition.

Good quality home made cat food recipes are fun to make, easy to do and ensures your cat's optimum health.

The emphasis is on good quality.

I've read many different cat food recipes which really aren't worth the paper they're written on. It's obvious that the writer hasn't done any research into the dietary requirements of cats.

My cat food recipes are based on what I have researched, but also what holistic veterinarians are saying, as a body. They're saying what really works, what diseases, often serious, melt away with a proper diet, made from good quality home-made cat food recipes.

Enjoy!

Madeleine Innocent has been a homoeopath, a natural health therapist, since 2000. She treats both people and animals and finds that when the diet of her patient is addressed, to one that is more in keeping with natural laws, at the same time as her treatment, enormous strides in the resultant good health are made. To underestimate a good, natural diet is to play Russian roulette with life.

http://www.naturallyhealthycats.com

Old Fashioned Doughnuts and Peach Cobbler Recipes

2009-07-04T20:56:00.005+01:00

Old Fashioned Doughnuts

3 cups flour
1/3 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2/3 cup sugar
1 small egg
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon melted shortening

1. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Add the sugar.

2. Beat the egg lightly, add it to the milk and melted shortening. Blend with the dry ingredients to form a soft, light dough.

3. Roll our dough about a half an inch thick on a well-floured board.

4. Cut and drop each doughnut gently into hot oil or shortening, whichever you prefer.

5. Turn immediately, and when golden brown, lift from the hot grease with tongs and place on a layer of paper towels. You may want to line a baking pan with the paper towels to prevent greasy countertops. The doughnuts should take about 3 minutes to cook.

6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or use the frosting recipe below.

Plain Cake Frosting

1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons canned milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients together, stirring till smooth. If needed, add more canned milk or confectioners sugar to create the consistency you want. Water or regular milk can be substituted for the canned milk if desired.

Peach Cobbler

1 quart fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons additional sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk

1. Place peaches, water, and 1 cup sugar in saucepan and cook over medium heat until tender, stirring frequently.

2. Meanwhile, sift flour, salt, and baking powder together. Add the 2 tablespoons of sugar, and mix to a light batter with the beaten egg and milk.

3. Place the cooked peaches and liquid in a baking dish. Cover with the batter and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

~Jessica Gerald~

http://www.oldfashionedhomemaking.com

Frozen Peach Dessert Surprise Recipe

2009-07-04T20:56:00.003+01:00

This is a great recipe for ice cream lovers; it will be a good recipe for the first batch of fresh peaches. It is also a good recipe for the family get together, or just a lazy hot summer afternoon. I am a peach fan, and when I have a recipe that calls for the fresh juicy peach, you will see it on this website! I hope that you enjoy this wonderful peach recipe.

Frozen Summer Peach Ice Cream Surprise Recipe:

1 Cups of crushed/crumbs vanilla wafers, divided

2 Cups sliced fresh peaches, or frozen peaches if they are out of season. Fresh peaches work the very best!

Cup sugar

1 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Tablespoon of a really good vanilla bean paste

1 Cup of softened Blue Bell Home-made Vanilla ice-cream if it is available, if not use a very good store brand in your area. If you have your own ice cream make you can make your own vanilla ice cream and use it if you prefer. This is an easy to make recipe, so we are using a store bought ice cream.

First you will spread half of the vanilla wafer crumbs in the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch baking dish. In a food processor or a blender you will add the peaches, sugar, lemon juice and the vanilla bean paste. You will run the blender or food processor for about a minute. You will stop the blender at least once to scrape down the sides to make sure you get all of the peaches and sugar blended until it is a smooth texture. You will then pour the peach and sugar mixture into a large bowl, and gently fold in ice-cream. You will then pour over crust and sprinkle any remaining cookie crumbs on top of the peach dessert. You will then cover with plastic wrap and freeze for about eight hours until good and frozen. When you are ready to serve this peach dessert you will then remove it from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving. You should be able to get about 8 servings from this dessert, and there should be eight happy people after trying this easy to make peach dessert.

Chef Shelley Pogue, a Cum Laude, Le Cordon Blue graduate and Executive Research and Development Chef, for Vertical Sales and Marketing, San Ramon, CA. Shelley is also the desserts editor for http://www.BellaOnline.com

Beer Can Chicken Recipes - Make a Delicious Chicken Today

2009-07-04T20:56:00.001+01:00

What the heck is beer can chicken? No, it's not chicken stuffed inside a beer can, it's actually the other way around. It's chicken propped up on a beer can (full, of course) and baked or grilled. The steam and flavor of the beer helps keep the chicken moist during cooking, and it gives it a great taste, too. So, how do you make beer can chicken? Read on for some simply great beer can chicken recipes!

Beer Can Chicken on the Electric Smoker

1 whole chicken (do not cut up)
1 can beer at room temperature
2 Tbsp. onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt

First, turn on the smoker to preheat according to your manufacturer's directions. Wash chicken and trim off loose skin if necessary, remove giblets from inside the chicken. Season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper. As smoker heats, open beer and drink or pour out half the can, leaving half the beer in the can. Cut off the top of the can with a can opener, being careful not to spill. Add onion, vinegar, and garlic to beer, along with salt and pepper. When the smoker is heated, place the beer on the grill rack. Carefully place the opening of the chicken on the beer can, standing up with the legs down toward the grill rack. Adjust the chicken on the can until it stands up by itself. You have to completely cover the beer can with the chicken for this to work. Smoke the chicken on medium heat for about 4 hours or until the skin is a dark tan and the internal temperature of the thigh reads 170 degrees. Allow to stand 10 minutes before carving.

Beer Can Chicken on the Grill

1 whole chicken (do not cut up
1 can beer at room temperature
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried rosemary
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Juice of 1 lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt

Begin preheating grill. Rinse chicken and trim off any loose skin, if necessary. Take out giblets from inside the chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the outside of the chicken. Open beer and drink or pour out half. Place remaining ingredients inside the can. Use a can opener to take off the top of the can. Balance the chicken on top of the can, making sure the can is completely covered by the chicken. You may have to move the chicken around to get it to balance on the can. Place the chicken on the preheated grill. Cook over indirect heat for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the internal temperature of the thigh is 170 degrees. Let chicken stand about 10 minutes before carving.

You can adapt beer can chicken recipes to the oven, just use the beer can to balance the chicken and place it on the bottom rack in the oven and bake like you would normally. Beer can chicken recipes are a fun way to make chicken, and the juicy, tasty results are worth it!

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about beer can chicken recipes, please visit Home Distillation Site for current articles and discussions.

Portuguese Chicken Recipes - Easy & Quick To Prepare!

2009-07-04T20:55:00.017+01:00

These portuguese chicken recipes are quick, easy and delicious. Just check these out and I'm sure you'll be amazingly surprised.

So here we go for some portuguese chicken recipes

>> Poached Chicken Portuguese
1 bay leaf1 c chopped onions1 tb red wine vinegar1/2 ts ground cloves1/2 ts worcestershire sauce1/2 ts cajun sunshine (hot pepper sauce)1/4 ts pepper10 to 15 strands saffron2 garlic cloves, minced2 tb olive oil4 md tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions until translucent. Add garlic and hot sauce, cook about 1 minute. Add remaining ingredient, except chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Place chicken on top of sauce, cover pan, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Serves 4.

>> Portuguese Fried Chicken With Chili Mustered

Emeril's dry rub1 roasted red pepper peeled seeded and chopped3 cl garlic crushed to a paste3 tb olive oil salt and pepper

Chicken1 fryer cut into 8 pieces1/2 c mustard sauce2 c flour2 eggs lightly beaten oil for frying

For the dry rub: in a food processor, combine the peppers, garlic and olive oil, puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

For the chicken: completely coat chicken pieces with the dry rub. Place on a baking sheet and allow to sit for 20 minutes.

Evenly coat each piece of chicken with the flour. Dip each piece in egg, removing any excess liquid. Turn back into flour, coating each side well. Fill a skillet with oil 2 inches high. When oil is hot, carefully lay the chicken in the oil, do not over crowd. Fry until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Turn the chicken over and continue cooking until done. Season with essence. Serve with mustard sauce.

That's it for today! If you want more portuguese chicken recipes, be sure to visit us today at:

Easy Recipes Secrets is the world's favorite cooking newsletter.

How To Make A Delicious Low Purine Diet Gout Recipe

2009-07-04T20:55:00.015+01:00

The searing pain of gout has you fed up and looking for relief. Well a tasty
low purine diet gout recipe is just what you need. One that does not taste like
you are chewing cardboard, or making you feel that your taste buds have gone on
a holiday.

Do not despair, there are many diet options open to someone suffering from painful
gout symptoms. But the key is finding the right ingredients to put into your
dishes.

The main criteria when selecting ingredients for a gout recipe is to ensure that
it is low in purine. Purine is a natural substance that is found in all tissues
of our body, and many foods, including all protein to varying degrees.

When the body breaks purine down it produces uric acid, which is released into
the bloodstream. An excess of uric acid can form into crystals and collect in
the spaces between the joints.

Sharp uric acid crystal in the joints can cause pain, stiffness and swelling,
and excess uric acid has also been shown to also contribute to the production
of kidney stones - which can further compromise the effectiveness of uric acid
removal.

The kidneys are our trash removal system and they remove uric acid from the body
through urine, but they can get over worked and not keep up with the demand placed
on them by the body if too much uric acid is produced, or kidney functions are
compromised in any way. When this happens it is referred to as Hyperuricemia
- which is basically the medical term for gout.

So, the importance of having a diet low in purine is clear. Take in less purine
and there is less uric acid produced. This will allow the kidneys to get on top
of the job of removing the excess uric acid, and of course this will then alleviate
the gout symptoms.

But there are some dangers when creating a gout diet. Some foods are high in
purine, and often these are the ones that are used extensively in the Western
diet. The foods that you should avoid include, dried beans, fish and shellfish
and gravy and meat extracts, offal (liver, kidneys, heart) and most read meat.
This list is not all inclusive, and more information can be found on our website.

However, the good news is that there are many foods that can be eaten safely,
that are low in purine. These include fruit and fruit drinks, most beverages
(not alcoholic), milk and cheese, the large majority of vegetables, white bread
and cereals.

So, you have a huge choice available to you when creating your gout friendly
recipes - And if you want to know more gout friendly foods that are available
to you, you can find out more on our website.

Sticking to a gout friendly diet is not difficult once you have mastered the
art of choosing the right ingredients to include. Getting that right, experimenting
a little, and using a little imagination can will have you whipping up a healthy,
tasty and nutritious low purine diet gout recipe in no time.

In Our Free Newsletter You Will Discover New Insight Into Low Purine Diet Gout Recipes, and Learn Methods For Eliminating gout symptom naturally.

Cod Fish Recipes

2009-07-04T20:55:00.013+01:00

Candis Reade is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about Cod Fish Recipes, please visit Fish Recipes Online for current articles and discussions.

Old-Fashion Recipes For Pago Pago (Shrimp) Pasta Salad and Cloverleaf Potato Rolls

2009-07-04T20:55:00.011+01:00

Pago Pago pasta salad is a shrimp-pasta salad that is perfect for lunch or a light dinner. Add this old-fashion recipe for cloverleaf potato rolls for a delightful touch.

PAGO-PAGO PASTA SALAD

1 can (20-oz) pineapple chunks in own juice, drained (reserve juice)
1 can (10 1/2-oz) manadrin oranges in light syrup, drained (reserve juice)
8 oz cooked macaroni
1/2 lb medium shrimp, shelled, deveined and cooked
1 medium red or green bell pepper, julienned
1/2 cup sliced green onions

Dressing:

1/3 cup salad oil
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsps grated fresh ginger
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a large mixing bowl, combine pineapple chunks, oranges,macaroni, shrimp, bell pepper, and green onions. To make dressing:
In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine oil, 2 tablespoons of the reserved pineapple juice, 1/4 cup reserved orange syrup, lime juice, vinegar, ginger, salt and peppers. Cover and shake. Pour dressing on the pasta mixture while the pasta is still warm. Serve at room temperature.
Makes 8 servings of about 265 calories each.

CLOVERLEAF POTATO ROLLS

1 cup sugar
1 cup margarine
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 eggs
11 cups flour
1 cup powdered milk
2 tbsp salt
3 cups warm water
4 pkgs dry yeast, softened in 1/2 cup warm water

Preheat oven 375 degrees.

Mix together sugar, margarine, mashed potatoes, and eggs. In a separate bowl, combine flour, milk and salt. Mix both mixtures together as though making a pie crust. Add water and softened yeast. Mix thoroughly and knead for 5 minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. Work down and form into cloverleaf rolls. Let rise again until doubled and then bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. When you shape dough into cloverleaf rolls, put them in muffin pans to bake.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's vintage recipes, visit her blog http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com/

For her diabetic recipes and information go to http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com

Nigerian Recipe for Traditional Egusi Soup

2009-07-04T20:55:00.009+01:00

Staple foods in the Nigerian diet include: peanuts or ground-nuts, yams, cassava, fish, rice, okra, bananas, guinea corn and millet, and palm nuts.

They are usually starchy and Nigerians love to cook with a lot of pepper and spices especially those from the southwest and southeast. This recipe uses all local ingredients to create a tasty and nourishing meal.

Ground Egusi seeds give this soup a unique color and flavor. If you can't find Egusi seeds in your store, you can substitute pumpkin seeds or Pepitas which you can find in Latin American grocery stores. This soup is thickened with flour ground from seeds of gourds, melons, pumpkins, and squashes, many of which are native to Africa.

Egusi Soup

200 g Water Leaves

50 g Egusi seeds

1 teaspoon Dry Ground Red Pepper

1 medium Onion

100ml Palm Oil

10g Dry Ground Crayfish

120g Fresh Tomatoes

100ml Water

Salt & Pepper to taste

Wash the water leaves well in clean, fresh water.
Liquidise or pulverise the onions, tomatoes and egusi seeds until smooth.
Add the dry ground pepper and fry in palm oil for five minutes.
Add the water, put the lid on and cook for five minutes.
Now add the water leaves, replace lid and cook for a further five minutes.
Finally, add the crayfish and seasoning, warming through well.

Serve with pounded yam or cooked rice and a meat stew, to provide protein.
Alternatively, serve with eba, fufu or any suitable carbohydrate.

With thanks to the people of Nigeria who made us welcome and instilled in us a love of traditional Nigerian food.

For further tips and ideas for cooking great and traditional food from around the world, visit Nigerian Recipes & Food. This article was submitted by Jen Carter, owner of the World Food & Recipes website.

Find more recipes & cookbooks at the One Dollar bookstore.

Smoked Fish Recipes

2009-07-04T20:55:00.007+01:00

When it comes to smoked fish recipes, salmon is likely the most popular. However, white-fleshed fish like cod, tuna and fresh water fish like pike, trout and bass can also be counted among the tastiest smoked fish. Smoked salmon is readily available in most seafood stores.

Smoke it Yourself

The process of smoking fish isn't complex. First, fish is "cured" in a brine of water and salt until the flesh glazes. Then, smoked slowly over wood in a covered "smoker". The brine can also be updated by adding other ingredients like garlic, pickling spices, etc. for more flavor. Salt and water are the most important factors in "curing". Once the flesh of the fish has glazed, you can allow it to dry slightly, if preferred, or place directly in the smoker. Then, it's ready for use in smoked fish recipes.

Pre-Smoked for Your Convenience

Though the variations decrease when purchasing pre-smoked fish, the quality of the fish should always be fresh. The easiest way to distinguish freshly smoked fish is the "nose test". The "fishier" the odor, the less fresh the fish is apt to be. Also, you'll want the flesh to be firm. Whether you'll need to de-bone depends on the type of fish you buy. Salmon generally has a small bone if cut "steak"-style. With salmon, you want to bring out its best flavors. So, be sure you select smoked salmon that retains a somewhat juicy consistency. Smoking does dehydrate natural juices to some degree. But, you don't want smoked fish that results in a "leathery" or "papery" texture. Flavor and texture are crucial to any smoked fish presentation.

Smoked Fish Recipes
Smoked Salmon Steak with Mango Salsa
2 lbs of smoked salmon steaks

For salsa:
1-2 jalapenos diced
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 mango - seeded and mashed
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 tsp. fresh cilantro chopped finely
2 shallots - diced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 Anejo rum or regular white rum

In a small bowl, combine all salsa ingredients. Mix until well blended. Allow to marinate at least 2 hours. Place smoked salmon on a bed of water cress for presentation. Cover with salsa. Garnish with slices of avocado if desired.

Smoked Fish Confetti Salad
2 1/2 cups smoked fish (any type) shredded into large slivers
1 Purple onion (large) cut into thin slivers
2 tomatoes seeded and diced
1 green pepper (may use jalapeno is desired)
1 cup shredded carrot
2 scallions - sliced finely
1/4 shredded cabbage
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic crushed
anchovie paste

Dressing: Mix olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, garlic and anchovie paste together in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of water if too thick.

Place remaining ingredients in a large salad bowl. Gently toss with dressing. Serve on crusty bread or bed of romaine lettuce.

Not Just A Tuna Sandwich
1 loaf crusty bread sliced lengthwise
purple onion slices
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
4 oz. cream cheese
1 pimento diced
1 smoked tuna steak sliced
1/4 cup chives
1/8 cup freshly chopped dill
1/4 teaspoon fresh tarragon diced

Lightly toast bread. Mix remaining ingredients to a smooth paste. Spread on inside top and bottom. Layer smoked tuna and purple onion.

Lucy Bushman is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about fish recipes, please visit Fish Recipes Online for current articles and discussions.

Traditional Recipe For Bajan Limeade

2009-07-04T20:55:00.005+01:00

There is nothing quiet like going into our garden and picking some limes straight off our lime tree and making some Bajan limeade, it sure beats walking down to the shop for a soft drink.

It really is so simple to make limeade, that even a wee child could do it. It took me about 15 minutes to make my big jug of delicious limeade, there is no rush here in the Caribbean and it tasted absolutely delicious, it really doesn't get any better than this.

This traditional recipe tasted real fine and tastes so much better than any of the fizzy drinks that you find in abundance in the shops. I also found that it quenches your thirst much better than any fizzy drink ever will.

Ingredients for Bajan Limeade, everything in this recipe can vary depending on your personal tastes.

About 10 small Limes {this varies depending on how much lime you squeeze out}.
About 1 Litre of water
Sugar to taste

Instructions:

Squeeze the limes into a jug with your hand.
Add water to taste.
Add sugar to taste.
Strain it.

If required you can add bitters.

Add crushed ice,
And serve.

I poured myself a delicious glass of limeade and sat down in my porch here in Barbados and watched the world go bye. Sometimes the simple things in life are so sweet. Why not go make your own limeade and see how good it really tastes, as yuou can see it is a very easy juice to make.

http://thebarbadosblog.com

Healthy Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries Recipe - A Healthy Alternative to French Fries

2009-07-04T20:55:00.003+01:00

Got a craving for french fries but don't want to eat junk food? Here's a quick and easy substitute that's much healthier. Sweet potatoes are good for you because they have high levels of beta carotene (you know, the same vitamin found in carrots). This sweet potato fries recipe is a very tasty way to add this wonderfully healthy vegetable to your diet.

Ingredients for the Healthy Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries Recipe:

3 large Sweet Potatoes
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of Salt
1 teaspoon of Pepper
1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

1. Thoroughly scrub and rinse sweet potatoes. Cut lengthwise into fries.

2. In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, salt, pepper and cayenne together.

3. Add sweet potatoes to bowl with mixture. Toss them until the oil and spices are evenly distributed.

4. Place a sheet of aluminum foil over a cookie sheet.

5. Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer on aluminum foil.

6. Bake for 25 minutes. Flip over the sweet potatoes and bake for another 25 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and let stand for ten minutes before serving.

When done, the sweet potato fries should be golden brown and slightly crispy. If not, toss them back in the oven for another 15 minutes. For dipping sauces, I recommend using ranch dressing or ketchup.

Its a shame that most people rarely eat sweet potatoes. The health benefits they posses warrant them a stable placement on everyone's diet. Using this sweet potato fries recipe will get even the most finicky of eaters to try out this underrated vegetable.

Click Here to get more recipes like the Healthy Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries Recipe.

Visit my site at http://www.UltimateRecipeBookCollection.com to learn about how to get thousands of recipes just like this one. Chances are that you're bored with your normal meals. Why not try a new dish tonight? Come to my website to get more information.

This article can be reprinted by newsletter/ezine owners and webmasters as long as the links are kept active and none of the content is altered.

Apple Salad Recipe From Rome - Did You Know How Gorgeous This Italian Apple Salad Is?

2009-07-04T20:55:00.001+01:00

This apple salad recipe is called Insalata di mele alla romana in Italian.

When I learned this apple salad recipe I was told it had its origin in Rome, the modern town, not old Rome. I love its simplicity and its deliciously natural taste and I hope you will too.

The first time I prepared this apple salad myself I thought it would be very difficult to blend the tastes of the apples and the onion, but I had a delightful surprise. The flavors of the two main ingredients recipe fused perfectly.

This apple salad is uniquely refreshing. It's ideal for the hot summer months or whenever you have sweet apples and sweet onions available. It's so surprisingly tasty that it would be a shame that you don't try it right way.

Ingredients for the apple salad recipe

2 red onions or any onion that is sweet
4 apples of a sweet variety
The juice of 1 big or 2 small lemons
Salt

For the vinaigrette sauce

6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp umeboshi vinegar or red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
A pinch white pepper

How to prepare this apple salad recipe

Cut the onions into thin slices. Make them as thin as you can, and place them in a colander. Sprinkle the onions with salt and leave aside for about 10 minutes.

If you have access to sweet red onions, they are perfect for this salad, but if not, any sweet onion will do. You could even experiment with scallions, but then you should find a nice way of cutting and presenting them.

Peel the apples and cut them into slices. The apple slices should also be as thin as you can possibly cut them. Put them in a bowl.

Juice one or two lemons, depending on their size, and pour the fresh lemon juice over the apple slices. If you do this immediately after cutting the apple slices they don't turn brown at all, it's really cool.

Now it's time to prepare the vinaigrette salad dressing. Put 6 table spoons of olive oil in a mortar, if you have one in your kitchen, or a bowl. Try to use a fruity extra virgin olive oil if you can. Add 2 tablespoons of umeboshi vinegar.

I know the umeboshi plum vinegar is Japanese, not Mediterranean food, but it goes really well with this apple salad recipe, and it's the one I use whenever I have it in my kitchen. Any other good quality red wine vinegar will do though, and it's certainly more typically Mediterranean.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of white pepper. Mix well with the mortar pestle, a small wooden spoon or any spoon.

You are now in the presentation phase of the apple salad recipe. First rinse the onions with running water briefly. Place the apple and onion slices in layers in an oval serving dish. First one layer of apple slices, next one layer of onion slices and so on. And every time, you pour a little vinaigrette sauce over the layer.

If you use the umeboshi vinegar the apple salad looks lovely because the vinaigrette takes a red wine color that colors the apples and onions.

That's it; the apple salad is ready to be served. Serve it as an appetizer, as it is done in many Mediterranean countries; after or with the second course, the French way, your inspiration rules.

If you liked this delicious apple salad recipe there are many more Mediterranean recipes waiting for savvy gourmets like you at http://www.mediterraneanfoodrecipes.com. Mei Fontana loves good Mediterranean food recipes and enjoys spreading the word about them.