Archive for August, 2010

Finding Quick And Easy Recipes

by SummerTomato

Finding Quick And Easy Recipes

Have you done a search for a quick and easy dinner recipe lately? I ask because I noticed something interesting the other day when I did a Google search for a quick and easy recipe for dinner this past weekend.The thing about that search that struck me as funny was the fact that all I had to search for was quick and easy, I did not have to mention what was quick and easy that I was looking for. No mention of dinner, appetizers, meals or another one hundred ways to cook a chicken nothing no mention of food or cooking what so ever.

I suppose it struck me as funny because I could think of quite a few things that I would look for that were quick and easy and none of them involve food. Yet when I tried to search just on quick and easy for all three major search engines they all assumed that I was looking for quick and easy recipes. Yes it’s true that quick and easy recipes is exactly what I was looking for and for the most part they all gave basically the same food sites to find quick and easy recipes.

Just got me thinking how often people around the world must be looking for quick and easy recipes that all I have to type now is quick and easy. I did find a delicious recipe for a chicken and pasta dinner with diced red peppers and yes it was quick and easy! This also got me to thinking about how the concept of spending a decent amount of time to cook a good meal with more than five ingredients has become a lost art form really. Some of the most popular cooking shows on the Food Network for example are all about limiting your ingredients and preparing your meals in thirty minutes or less.

I reflect on the cooking habits that go on in our house and I would have to say that the only time we spend more than a half hour on any meal usually means we are cooking a holiday feast. Other wise I suppose we are like everyone else looking for short cuts to making our meals. This led me to another thought about all these quick and easy meals that perhaps all this short cut cooking that we all do and cutting back on ingredients is part of the reason so many people are fighting obesity and poor health. Not to say that quick and easy recipes are not healthy but that maybe they are missing some of the key ingredients and nutrients that we used to get in our daily nutrition but are now being shorted in the interest of saving time and money.

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Hamilton Beach Set ‘N Forget Programmable Slow Cooker Review

Hamilton Beach Set ‘N Forget Programmable Slow Cooker Review

The holiday season is officially here. If you are like me, it will be busy between entertaining, pot lucks, kids school parties etc. Wooo I am tired just thinking about it. I really don’t have a lot of time to sit and cook for each and every obligation. Then add in nightly dinner and I am pooped. However, I have found my silver lining, the Hamilton Beach 33967 Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. Lets take it to the test.

Specs:

Holds 6-quart Programmable slow cooker LED digital control panel 3 cooking choices: program, manual/probe, or automatic keep-warm Power-interrupt protection Clip-on spoon Clip-tight gasket lid Side handles for safe transport Dishwasher-safe stoneware Tempered-glass lid Dimensions: approx. 10-2/5 by 16 by 16 inches

Before I even think about the features I take a look at the design of a slow. I don’t want a clunky Stone age slow cooker sticking out in my kitchen messing up the decor. That won’t happen with the Hamilton Beach slow cooker. It is sleek and clean. The stainless steel exterior also allows for easy cleaning. It has and oval shape which is great for large meats. It didn’t take me any maneuvering to fit in my pot roast. Also, the actual stoneware pot is very durable.

On top there is a clip on spoon for stirring, which I love. I always hate having to find a place for my dripping spoon. I wanted to check the lid bc I have had problems with them coming off. It has a snap tight lid that stops the sliding. Two steel handles are attached to the side for easy transporting. On the front there is a flat LED digital control panel. No more knobs for me.

The Hamilton Beach Set’n Forget Slow Cooker comes with a wide range of other features as well. With the digital control panel come 3 programmable choices for cooking. You can choose from program, manual, probe, and key warm when it is finished cooking. This makes it easier for you to make healthy meals when you are away from home. The three choices:

Program mode- cooks you meal for a specific time. After it is finished it automatically goes on Keep Warm Manual- Select from high or low Probe- Allows you to pierce the food with a thermometer. After it reaches you the temperature you decide it will automatically go to Keep Warm. Gotta love that!

Though my family and I enjoyed this slow cooker it was a couple of thing we could do without. For one, though the shape is 6 quarts I have had larger slow cookers that was able to take more. I hope they start to make at least a 7 quart model. If I wanted to had a lot of vegetable to a turkey or large hen it might be a tight fit. Secondly, the unit does not always tell you when you have programmed wrong. If you do not get a sequence in the correct order you could come home to an uncooked meal that has set for hours. The best thing to do is check to make sure you have the sequence correct before you leave.

Even with these shortcomings the Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker is still a very good appliance.

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Green Mountain Coffee

by bettlebrox

Green Mountain Coffee

Founded in 1981, the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) has long been considered as one of the leading producers of high quality coffee.  The company is based in Vermont, and has been publicly traded since the year 1993.  They even had sales that reached an excess of 7 million just for the fiscal year which had ended in September 2004.

The Green Mountain coffee is generally noted for its excellent taste and aroma.  It comes in a number of varieties though, and each variety if highly valued by thousands of customers throughout Vermont and the world.  The Green Mountain coffees are produced from the superior grades of coffee beans which are bought by the company from around the globe.  The beans are roasted and vacuum packed to provide the public the finest and the freshest coffee products available.

Here are the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’ top sellers:

Breakfast Blend:  As the name implies, the Breakfast Blend is one of Green Mountain’s most popular coffee blends.  According to some claims, this product has a rich taste with a medium level of acidity.  It is part of the Green Mountain Coffee’s classic line and is produced from the blending of the crispy and citrusy Central American coffee and the sweet and full bodied Indonesian coffee.

Newman’s Special Blend:  Available in K-Cup nowadays, this Green Mountain Coffee is noted for its full bodied blend of medium and dark roasts.  The origin of this blend is actually Nell Newman’s preference for light roast and Pa’s preference for a coffee that is roasted dark.  Placed together, this variety is the result.   This product is deemed strong, yet refined and smooth.

National Wildlife Blend:  Created in cooperation with the National Wildlife Federation, this Green Mountain coffee is a Fair Trade Organic product in which the sales are given to the Federation to help provide habitats for the songbirds and other wildlife.  Just like the Newman’s Special Blend, this Green Mountain Coffee is currently made available in K-Cup form.  Aside from that, the National Wildlife Blend is produced from the combination of the Fair Trade and Organic Central and South American coffees which are cultivated from the coffee farms owned by families.  And, unlike the other Green Mountain varieties of coffee this blend is highly noted for its sweet finish and chocolate notes.

Vermont Country Blend:  This product occupies the fourth place in the line of Green Mountain coffees.  This is actually a combination of light and dark beans and is noted for its level of sweetness and for its being highly aromatic.  The coffee beans used for this blend are basically light and dark American beans.

There are other varieties of coffee included in the list of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.  You can choose your favorite coffees either based on their origin or the roasts style.  You can even select from the decaf, flavored or regular coffees.  The decision is yours.

French Cooking Terms – 3 Easy Tips To Learn Them

by spacematters

French Cooking Terms – 3 Easy Tips To Learn Them

Perhaps the hardest of the French cooking course you will find on enrolling in French cooking school is having to learn the French cooking terms. However, there is no short cut to learning these French cooking terms if you want to earn your French cooking degree. This is the foremost requirement of attending a prestigious French cooking school – learning the language!

But what do you do if you do not speak French? Well the smartest thing to do is to learn the language. You will find here some tips on how to go about learning those hard-to-pronounce French cooking terms.

1. To begin with, you should start by understanding what the French cooking term actually stands for or means. There will be times when you will be able to relate the French term to an English cooking term or word. It is best to adopt a technique to find French words you do not know and then try to find the root of the word, its origin. Many times it will help when the word is related to an English word.
2. Put in some extra time practicing the way you pronounce the word and understanding its various uses. One good way to do this is to get yourself a computer and some software that teaches French. Many people have mastered the language through this technique. A little practice pronouncing the words and remembering its meaning will have you working with the French cooking terms like a pro.
3. Make sure you use the French term as often as you can. Remember the phrase ‘practice makes perfect’? The more you hear the term the more likely you are to remember it.

Nothing can be more difficult learning a foreign language. Learning French is on of the most difficult tasks too. But when you have chosen a career where you are required to have at lease some knowledge of the language then it is only right that you learn the language when you will be dealing with people and ingredients that use French names.

The more frustrating thing about learning French terms is that most of the terms sound the same however they is a great difference in their meaning. You must get a list of French terms and names of ingredients and practice speaking them in your free time to master the use of the term. It is a good idea to give up using English terminology in class or in the kitchen. Try to use only the French terms you are supposed to master. This is sure way of you learning the terms in the shortest of time. It helps to keep the company of people with similar interests, as this will add to your practice.

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Unsweetened Masala Chai Tea

by bezajel

Unsweetened Masala Chai Tea

Sugar is not your best friend at the healthiest of times. It is well known that doctors often advise people against eating too much sugar or sugary foods. And no matter what reason you give up sugar for – be it diabetes or a fit body – you also give up taste. No matter what you do – if you give up sugar for any reason, you are always going to feel the lack of it. Right?

Wrong! Because with the new Quik Tea Unsweetened range of products you will never again be asked to compromise. You can have the best of tea and coffee and all without losing out on the flavor. The ultimate aroma and taste of the best tea of India is not just retained but enhanced in this unique effort to combine health with taste. With Quik Tea Unsweetened Masala Chai you will never again feel the need to crave for just that little bit of sugar. That’s a guarantee!

Quik Tea Unsweetened Masala Chai is the result of months of hard work and specialized research into getting the best of both the worlds – health and taste. Our team of experts have striven to maintain the good taste of a hot cup of Masala Chai tea while also improving its health benefits. So now, along with the fact that your cup of sugar-less tea tastes better than ever, you can also enjoy all the health benefits of having a tea without sugar with its natural medicinal values.

The best tea leaves specially grown in India’s richest tea-farms are mixed in ideal quantities with the seven special Ayurvedic ingredients of Masala Chai Tea like Cinnamon, Clove, Cardamom, Ginger,Pepper and Fennel for our discerning Quik Tea customers. We also take optimum care to preserve the aromas of all the spices along with the health benefits which they bring to your Masala Chai Tea cup.

Quik Tea’s packs are conveniently packaged for you to get the maximum benefit of ease of use and great flavor. Just pop a pack open, pour the ready mixture of special Masala tea leaves and Milk powder in a cup of hot steaming water and that’s it! Your special unsweetened Masala Chai Tea is ready to drink.This mixture especially comes in handy when you are short on time or need a quick kick of your beloved Masala Chai.

Masala Chai is the ideal way to kick back, relax and savor your day. It is an even better way to start your day with a kick. So whatever be your reason, do not forget to indulge in the tasty treat of Quik Tea’s <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://www.quiktea.com/products/UnSweetened_Masala_Chai_10_Pack-15-0.html”>Unsweetened Masala Chai Tea</a>.

Personalised Chocolate – Wedding Favours You Can Count On

by kristin_a (Meringue Bake Shop)

Personalised Chocolate – Wedding Favours You Can Count On

It is not uncommon or foolish to leave your wedding favours as the last item on your wedding checklist. In fact, in my honest opinion it is the wisest thing to do. After all, that is why they are called favours. A favour is not an obligation or compulsory it is quite simply a favour. Wedding favours like a wedding dress have just become part of the wedding day etiquette so if they’re missing it is not a disaster.

However, if you decide that you want to follow tradition and have wedding favours and are almost out of pocket then personalised chocolate is the best option. You can find personalised chocolate bars or truffles for as little or as much as you can afford all over the internet. Is there someone maybe a friend that has said to you while planning your wedding “please let me know if you need any help?” then smile.

Simply ask this someone or friend to search on the internet for personalised chocolate within your budget. The next step is simply to call the company and arrange for your wedding chocolate to be personalised. Make sure you do not ask a friend to do this on your behalf. The favours are not a major part of the wedding but guess what? They will show up in the wedding photos so ask them to give you a list of the best websites they found. Then, visit each one to make sure you are happy to purchase from them.

Once you have made a decision to buy your personalised wedding chocolate favours from a particular company, ask them to send you a sample of what your favours should look like. They might decide to deduct the cost of the sample from your total order. Best practice is actually to ask for samples from as many companies that are willing to send out samples. This way you can rest assured you won’t be receiving any surprises in form of personalised chocolate. Unfortunately, with food items bought on the internet, you can’t ask for a refund. So, be sure you are happy with the sample before ordering.

If you’re not sure you want to try out so much chocolate before your wedding, you can ask for just the wrapper to be sent. As a personalised chocolate wrapper designer, I send out a sample as well as a photo preview to ensure all areas of likely worry are covered. Here’s to your successful wedding day!

Tola Popoola runs a personalised chocolates business, Chocolat A Toi. You can follow her work via her Blog.

Tips on How to Make an Easy Pumpkin Soup Recipe

by Matthew Bietz

Tips on How to Make an Easy Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Do you always have leftover pumpkin after Halloween or Thanksgiving, and want to know how to cook it? Do you love pumpkin soup and want to make sure that you do not make any mistakes? Whatever your reason, there are lots of important tips for cooking with this versatile squash relative.

While most people stick to plain old pumpkin desserts, there are lots more options out there. Let us take a look at some of the things you should know about the pumpkin before you get started cooking. You will have a lot more luck!

The first thing to remember is that not every pumpkin will make great soup or pie. The kind of pumpkin you carve at Halloween has been bred to grow big and fast, to stand up to a lot of abuse, and to look pretty on your doorstep. Unfortunately, that means that it is not the best choice for food.

While jack-o-lantern pumpkins are cheap and readily available at supermarkets and roadside stands (especially right after Halloween), they are not always the best pick for eating. They can be fun to feed to local animals and they compost well, but their flesh is not most people’s top choice when they want to eat pumpkin.

This does not make this type of pumpkin completely inedible, but you have to know what you are doing if you are determined to use it. Make sure to remove the seeds, and then cook down the pumpkin in the oven or a pot of hot water, until the flesh has softened. Scoop it out of its skin and put the pulp in a food processor to remove any fibrous strands. It will work in pumpkin bread, chili, and other foods that do not need a lot of pumpkin taste.

For foods where you want that pumpkin taste to shine through, like pumpkin pie or an easy pumpkin soup recipe, look for smaller sugar pumpkins. Chock full of potassium, vitamin A and fiber, these pumpkins have a lot more flavor, are much sweeter, and have smoother, more pleasant flesh. They are often used for desserts, but work for any meal where you want the flavor of pumpkin to be a major player.

Use pumpkins in chunks for your pumpkin soup, or cook them in it and puree them with some broth for a silky texture that cannot be beat. There are even a few recipes that call for cooking the soup right in the pumpkin, then stirring the softened flesh off the walls to create your soup. It all depends on what you prefer. Just make sure that you process your pumpkin with care to prevent it from cooking incorrectly and spoiling the recipe.

Pumpkin is a great choice for making soup, and a whole lot more. By paying attention to the type of pumpkin, you have and making sure that you cook it correctly, you will have a much better chance of getting a great fall meal. Try all the great options for making pumpkin soup, and do not forget to buy the right kind of pumpkin.

Top 10 Foods That Are Good For Both Low-Fat and Low-Carb Diets

by oblivion9999

Top 10 Foods That Are Good For Both Low-Fat and Low-Carb Diets

A lot of people use popular diets to lose weight and help them live healthier lifestyles. Two very popular options are low-carb and low-fat diets. All though these diets seem to be at odds with each other, they do have some common ground with healthy lo- carb vegetables and low-fat meats.
Here are my Top Ten Good for You and Your Diet Foods that can be staples for either low-carb or low-fat dieters. I’ve also picked out recipes from our Guides to Low-Fat Cooking, Low-Carb Diets, and Busy Cooks to get you started in the kitchen.
1. Greens and Lettuces
The best way to fill up a diet plate is to start with a generous portion of greens and lettuces. They add volume to the meal without adding many calories.
Darker greens and lettuces are wise choices, as they pack extra vitamins and minerals.
Low-Carb Tip:
Enjoy your salad with a bleu cheese, Italian or vinaigrette dressing.
Low-Fat Tip:
Add lemon juice or your favorite low-fat dressing.
2. Asparagus
This beautiful low-carb vegetable can be a centerpiece of low-carb or low-fat dishes. Asparagus is low in calories and adds vitamins like folate and vitamin A.
Low-Carb Recipe:
Seafood Salad With Asparagus
Low-Fat Recipe:
Farfalle with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes
3. Zucchini
Zucchini is another low-calorie, low-carb vegetable. Actually, it is a squash. Zucchini is a great when added to salads or stir-fry dishes, or sautéed alone or with other vegetables.
Low-Carb Recipe:
Zucchini Pasta
Low-Fat Recipe:
Roasted Vegetables
4. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a staple for sauces and have lots of uses in the kitchen. Tomatoes are delicious in a tasty tomato soup, or sliced raw on a salad.
Low-Carb Recipe:
Stuffed Tomato With Shrimp
Low-Fat Recipe:
Red Lentil and Tomato Soup
5. Salmon
Salmon is a fatty, though healthy, fish. The fat it has contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for your cardiovascular system. Salmon is also a great source of protein.
Low-Carb Recipe:
Crock Pot Poached Salmon
Low-Fat Recipe:
Smoked Salmon Roll-Ups
6. Chicken and Turkey
Chicken and turkey are both great choices because, when prepared properly, they are both low-fat and excellent protein sources. Organically raised chickens and turkey make even better selections.
Low-Carb Recipe:
Low-Carb Chicken Pot Pie
Low-Fat Recipe:
Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry
7. Game Meats
Game meats, such as venison and elk, are very lean. They are healthy substitutes for fatter, hormone-tainted beef. The low-fat recipe below calls for beef, but elk, venison, or bison would make healthier replacement ingredients.
Low-Carb Recipe:
Venison Pot Roast
Low-Fat Recipe:
Game Day Chili
8. Broth or Soup Stock
Broth or stock can be used as a base for soups, stews and sauces. Stocks and soups can also be used in other recipes to keep meats moist during cooking.
Low-Carb Recipe:
Beef Stock
Low-Fat Recipe:
Black Bean Soup In a Hurry
9. Berries
Eating berries can be a healthy way to reign in a sweet tooth. Berries are high in vitamins and antioxidants, so they make a great dessert or nice addition to salads.
Low-Carb Tip:
Serve blueberries and strawberries with a dollop of heavy whipped cream, and a sprinkle of slivered almonds.
Low-Fat Tip:
Serve berries with low-fat yogurt and sliced almonds.
10. Wine

There are studies that show a correlation between wine consumption and good health. Remember that one serving of wine is only 4 ounces. Wine is also used as a key ingredient to several recipes.
Low-Carb Recipe:
Simply Scrumptious Spinach
Low-Fat Recipe:
Red Wine Gravy

WU long premium chinese slimming tea

by Thomas Hawk

WU long premium chinese slimming tea

wu-long slimming tea should be considered as a one of the most successful constituent in weight control diet. Slimming tea is especially designed for your weight loss program. and put your body on those excercise machines which sip out blood from you, then you would consider yourself lucky when you take this product. Make okuma’s wu long slimming tea as an integral part of your lifestyle and you can make weight loss as easy as other things. Slimming Tea affects about all part of the body and performs action on fat deposits and manage the metabolism rate in your body. You can definately achive the target reduction in your fat.

Wu long premium chinese slimming tea has anti-oxidants which help in protection of cell decadency. okuma’s wu long slimming tea enhances your immunity and frequently occurring disease. This tea also increases your overall health status. The most important thing about this slimming Tea is that it’s 100% natural and does not carry any of those harmful chemicals that have huge side effects resulting in decline of health rather than improving it.

Slimming tea helps in Detoxification, which help in being free from waste toxin materials which are there in the body. These toxic materials are produced in the body in during a course of time period and need to be removed. This tea happens to do exactly the same. Not only it helps in losing weight and detoxification, but in fact, it also helps in natural growth of your skin cells and enhances your overall beauty.

Almost all of the weight loss programs are extremely expensive and are very much difficult to afford for almost all of us. This slimming Tea is normally cheap and readily available. It is extremely easy to take and our body easily consume the valuable nutrients & formulas which help in maintaining and reducing our weight. Slimming tea is a Great product who want to lose weightwith minimal effort, ease and in a cheap way.

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Promote Your Business With Chocolate Gifts

by EverJean

Promote Your Business With Chocolate Gifts

Corporate chocolate gifts are a great way to build and maintain a good relationship with all the people your company is doing business with.

Those gifts can be given to employees, clients, partners, customers and vendors on all kinds of occasions and for different reasons, such as; holidays like Christmas and Easter, to show appreciation or to give support in difficult times like sickness or grief.

What better gift can there be than a corporate chocolate gift?

Chocolate will in most cases be well received since it is a treat that almost everyone loves dearly. In those times, when everyone has everything they need, corporate gifts is the perfect choice to show the people you’re doing business with your appreciation.

To give a corporate gift with your company’s logo on the wrapper really gives a great impression. A great idea as a Christmas gift for you employees is to create a chocolate gift basket and to put all sorts of chocolate in it that has your specially designed wrapper. Or add it to other gifts you are giving as an extra treat. For corporate events it’s a great idea to have your chocolate with your own design and give to the people attaining the event, in this way you make a lasting positive impression on customers and clients. You ensure that your business will be remembered when its logo is connected to a decadent treat.

If you have a special client that you want to give an extra treat, a designed truffle box with your logo on and some gourmet truffles inside really is the perfect gift. Chocolate has the property to be well received by all and after all, we all love to receive a gift and it can never be wrong or inappropriate.

The wrappers can be designed with any message you want to bring forth to the person that’s to receive the corporate chocolate gift. If you have closed a deal you can send a gift that has a few words of appreciation on the wrapper. This can really be of great aid when you want to maintain good relations with clients and partners.

It is an easy process to have your own corporate chocolate gift designed and you ensure that you bring in good-will in your work environment and relations. It is something that everyone loves and in this way it can never go wrong.