12/31/10

Cooking At Home With Famous Restaurant Recipes

A good place for Mexican food, is Don Pablo’s for dinner, if you have one in your local town. One of their most famous restaurant recipes is the Burrito Grande, which is filled with fajita meat and vegetables.

To make this dish, you need the marinated and grilled beef or chicken (you can add your own spice combination), as well as pico de gallo and guacamole.

A combination of cheeses, including sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, should be used in the dish in an authentic Mexican flavor, and you can use lettuce and tomatoes to improve the nutritional value.

You can add side dishes like Mexican rice, and refried beans to create a filling meal for a dinner. The main meal is served with chips and salsa, and you can garnish the plate with tortilla strips and a serving of sour cream, so you feel you are enjoying a meal at Don Pablo’s famous restaurants.

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12/28/10

Better Ideas For Barbecuing Steaks

The better choice of cuts for barbecuing steaks are Flank steak, Rib Eye, Sirloin and T-bone. Rib Eye is a great choice if you have guests coming over to your house and you want to treat them to a better quality meal.

The most tender cuts come from the loin - the meat that runs along both sides of the spine. Porterhouse and T-bone steak comes from this area.

For you final decision, you may choose a cut of steak with a little bit of marbling for added flavor. When you take it home, cut off the fat to about a quarter of an inch and slash the edges of the steak at one inch intervals.

When choosing chips for the grill, you may consider hardwood chips, to add more flavor on the barbecued steaks. These chips can be small, large, or even pellets or chinks. If you have a gas grill, then stick with the chips and pellets. Time to think about the taste of your steak.

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12/23/10

Bottled Tea Sold As Health Drinks

Before you buy any product, including health drinks, always read the label, to confirm this is the product you need and you are happy with the contents of the package. If you’re on the go and do not have the time to brew a pot of tea at home, try to find a brand of bottled tea with the least added sugar.

Some contain fruit juice, but beware, because these contain a high amount of sugar, possibly to sweeten the fruit flavor.

The news is not all bad though. The level of antioxidants in bottled drinking tea may be similar to fruit and vegetables, depending on the type of tea used and how it is brewed.

There are antioxidants in bottled tea drinks that are due to more fruit flavor than the tea itself! For example, black tea flavonoids reduce the production of LDL - the "bad" cholesterol that can lead to stroke and heart attack.

It is also said to have the ability to improve the function of blood vessels within two hours of drinking just one cup!

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12/21/10

Become A Better Cook With Top Secret Restaurant Recipes

When you go to the top secret restaurant website, you can watch videos that will give you all the instructions you need to create good recipes that can become a better choice of a meal in your home.

There is also the latest news on which companies will sell cooking tools, making it easier to copy your favorite recipes at home.

A number of cookbooks are also available on the top secret restaurant site, to buy and get more ideas for making dinner interesting, in addition to herbs you can buy from the site that make your food taste just as the real thing.

You can surprise your family, with your new recipes. Everyone can help in the kitchen to create family favorites at a fraction of the cost you pay in restaurants.

You may be surprised to realise that you and your family can eat the same meals at home, rather than pay top dollar at restaurants, with a little effort in your kitchen.

One tip, is to keep coming back to this site, as new top secret restaurant recipes are always being added.

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12/19/10

Authenic Ingredients In German Beer

More beer is consumed per capita by the Czechs and the Irish than the Germans, but the breweries in Germany are isolated from the rest of the world because of a German principle known as Reinheitsgebot, which means purity order.

Using this principle, brewers want to ensure that German beer includes the freshest and most authentic ingredients, and this process goes as far back as 15th century. The main ingredient in many German beers is barley malt, and beers not made with barley malt must be top fermented.

The other ingredients in most of the original classic and modern German brews are water and hops. The taste of these beers are popular around the world.

You can visit a brewery in Germany or try a number of varieties of German beer at local pubs and bars when traveling around Germany. There are a number of popular varieties you can try while on your beer tour of Germany.

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12/15/10

Surprise Your Guests With Barbecue Side Dishes

Salads are the most versatile barbecue side dishes. They can be prepared ahead of time and will taste better if they are in the refrigerator overnight. A better option, is to prepare the salads on the morning of the barbecue, to maintain that freshness.

You can add flavors to salads, depending on the type of salad, you may add a little mayonnaise, and other rich ingredients. If you serve a green salad, then you need to wait until the last minute before adding the dressing and croutons.

You may also consider making salads for those who do not want the calories of mayonnaise and add olive oil or vinegar instead, depending on the ingredients in the salad.

Many vegetables and fruits can be safely cooked right on top of the grill, wrapped in foil. You can place peppers, bananas and cantaloupe on top of the grill and these are delicious when served hot off the grill.

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12/13/10

Choosing And Eating Health Foods

If you are looking for a low-calorie source of fiber and vitamin C, then your better option is blueberries. Consuming approximately a cup of fresh blueberries contains 84 calories, 3.4 grams of fiber and 14mg of vitamin C.

They also contain a healthy dose of phytonutrients, helping to prevent urinary infections and are therefore highly recommended for consumption. Blueberries are a cheap option for delicious health foods.

Eating red beans, allows you to consume plenty of fiber and low fat and low calorie protein. They also include plenty of minerals like iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and copper.

Eating health foods like red beans, can help to prevent chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. You can buy either the small red beans or the dark red kidney beans to gain their many benefits.

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12/11/10

The Real Deal With Pomegranate Juice

There are some companies that strive to include all the health benefits of pomegranate fruit in their juices. One of the better known brands is Arthur’s Fresh Company.

This company began as a small family run business in Godrich, Ontario, Canada, and has been farming and making the juice naturally since way back in 1893. The company uses fresh and high quality ingredients in their juices.

Their aim is to maximize both nutrition and freshness in their products. They have recently introduced two antioxidant-rich juices, they are blueberries, and the famous pomegranate.

Arthur’s Pomegranate Super Juice is 100% pure pomegranate juice, not made from concentrate. This means, it does not include fillers, sweeteners and no preservatives (often added in many other juices).

It tastes like the real deal - slightly sweet with some bitterness in the aftertaste. The juice is flash pasteurized to preserve freshness and nutrients and has a richer color than most competitors juice, as much more of the fruit is in the juice.

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12/9/10

More Protein In Soy Milk

If you do not have the time to make your own soy milk, then you can purchase soy milk from a local food store.

Read the nutritional information, including ingredients on the packaging as some brands add oil, sugar, flavorings and stabilizers to improve texture and appearance of the product.

The appeal of soy milk is the high amount of protein. It is one of the highest of all non-animal sources.

As the milk is made from beans, it is also an excellent source of fiber, to help your bowel movements.

Isoflavones are also found in soy milk and these are helpful in slowing the aging process with its anti-oxidant effect.

Not to mention, soy milk has been shown to help reduce menopausal symptoms and to reduce the risk of many cancers, heart disease, osteoporosis and helps to strengthen bones by improving calcium absorption.

Even if it helps the absorption of calcium, soy milk does not contain much of its own calcium, although some soy milks have added calcium to compensate.

If you prefer the taste of soy over cow milk but still crave calcium, then look for the calcium added version at the local food store.

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12/6/10

Action Taken To Ban Coffee

The first known action to ban coffee came from conservative clerics, sometime around 1511, when they disapproved of the stimulating drink. But that ban was overturned by the Ottoman Sultan Selim I in 1524. There was also a coffee ban in coffee houses in Egypt, in 1532.

For the rest of the world, coffee was long considered an Islamic drink, with a strong connection to Turkey.

There was a suspicion about coffee houses and were probably forbidden until Sultan Selim I overturned the first ban. But the drink was banned again in Turkey in the 17th century. This time, for political causes, because coffee houses were places where people gathered to criticize the government of Sultan Murad IV.

He even put the ban in place, with the excuse that the Muslims were forbidden to consume intoxicating substances. The banning of the consumption of coffee led to thousands of executions of people caught drinking coffee. Then Murad died at the age of 28, as an alcoholic. So much for the ban on intoxicants.

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12/3/10

Making Your Own Treats With Chocolate Candy Recipes

Truffles are one of the more popular chocolate desserts. Although they may seem intimidating to some chefs, there are plenty of chocolate candy recipes you can find online, to show you how to quickly and easily make delicious chocolate truffles.

All you need is chocolate shavings and whipped cream, add the variety of chocolate you want, depending on how sweet or bitter you want your truffles to be, then scoop the chocolate with an ice cream scoop to create the truffles, let them chill in the fridge, to keep their shape.

Then add the toppings as you like. Some people roll their truffles in cinnamon, others choose to use chopped nuts or cocoa for the presentation and a rich flavor. You can use this recipe on the day of the party, and it will a big hit with your guests.

Toffee is another popular option at dinner parties. There are chocolate candy recipes with toffee as an ingredient, and you can find varieties of ingredients to include like dried fruit, caramel, or your favourite selection of nuts.

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11/22/10

Serving Better Beer And Wine At Your Party

If you plan to serve both beer and wine to your guests at the party, then you must also know what to look for when tasting beer. If you are going to taste beers at your home then you must serve at least 12 different beers. This way you can choose from a wide range, though you should include at least two sweet beers, with two or three darker beers.

Pale and light beers should also be a part of your tasting, and drinking with a fruity undertone could go well with desserts you prepare. You should also include at least one or two reduced alcohol light beers, as they are becoming rather popular.

Apart from traditional beer and wine varieties at your dinner party, you may look to prepare drinks like cider, you can season with apple and cinnamon flavors. It will be a great addition to the food you serve at a fall or winter party.

If you need to learn how to taste wine, then one of the first things you want to check, is the color of the wine. Tilt your glass when you pour the wine, it will give you an idea of how rich the flavor will be. If you are testing a red wine, the color of the drink should be ruby, maroon, or brown in color.

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11/20/10

Low Calorie Dishes With Nouvelle Cuisine

There are specific concepts and ideas that differentiate nouvelle cuisine from haute cuisine. In nouvelle cuisine, there is an emphasis on color, texture and freshness.

Cooking in the nouvelle cuisine style tends to produce food lower in calories than food prepared in the haute cuisine fashion. So if you are looking to try out this cooking style, one of your rewards may be to help you lose weight.

Preparation and cooking is less complicated than the haute cuisine. In nouvelle cuisine, the cooking time for most dishes has been reduced. One of the more common cooking methods with nouvelle cuisine is steaming to maintain the natural taste of foods, and avoid strong meat marinades used in haute cuisine.

Moreover, nouvelle cuisine does not use heavy sauces (eg espagnole and béchamel) popular in haute cuisine. The sauces used in haute cuisine are prepared with a mixture of fat (roux) and flour.

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11/18/10

Delight Yourself With Chocolate Truffles

If you are looking to make your own chocolate truffles, then you will need to create a soft center and an outer coating. Inside the truffle is traditionally a mixture of cream and melted chocolate, and this is known as a ganache.

The outer layer is made of tempered chocolate, and once it sets, it creates a crunchy shell. Even if this is the more traditional method, you can experiment with more creative and modern recipes methods, once you get more comfortable with the process.

You can taste many flavors, when it comes to truffles, so once you feel comfortable with your recipes, you can create gift baskets to give to friends and relatives. For more ideas for creating your own truffles go to Make Chocolate Truffles.

One online supplier of chocolate truffles is Chocolate Perfection. They also have a wide selection of truffles made from the finest chocolate and ingredients. You can find fruit-flavored varieties, which allows you to experience the sweetness of raspberries with dark cocoa, and white chocolate truffles with berries or cinnamon fillings.

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11/10/10

Storing Your Better Wines With Wine Cabinets

You can store wines at room temperature in the wine cabinets offered by the Beverage Factory. One of the better brands available is Vinotemp, which has a redwood cabinet to store up to 400 bottles of wine, complete with grape motifs on the doors. There is aluminum on the interior of the cabinet, that helps to keep the wine at the right temperature until the wine is needed.

When preparing for a dinner party, you may need a bottle or two stored in a wine cooler in your kitchen, until your guests arrive. There is a range of wine cooling units that can be purchased in addition to the main wine storage cabinet, that you can keep in the kitchen while you entertain or prepare meals for your family and guests.

One option is a countertop wine cooling unit from Danby or Avanti. They are both elegant and compact, so they will not get in the way and provide a temporary storage solution for your ready to drink wine.

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11/8/10

Choosing Your Barbecue Grill

One of the better ideas, is to look for a barbecue grill with a well known brand, a long warranty and better customer support. With a good quality, sturdy grill, you can entertain your guests with some great barbecues.

Choose a grill with at least four hundred square inches of space for cooking. This is enough room to cook steak, chicken and vegetables at the same time. Cooking for five or more guests will be much easier, with a large enough grill.

Look at the features carefully and do not pay for unnecessary additions that you will not use. Some of the better features you may need, include stay cool knobs and space for your grilling accessories.

Finally, better built grills require minimal assembly and their instructions are easy to follow and if you are stuck, there should be easy to contact details at the cost of a local call.

When talking to barbecue aficionados, you will find out, many would rather use charcoal than gas, because the meat will lose some of its flavor when flames and charcoal are not used.

Gas grills are easy to store, but not so easy to put on the back of your car for a day at the beach. Gas grills are often more expensive and may cost up to $10,000.

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11/6/10

Time For A Coffee Break

Once coffee houses were established in Turkey, Egypt, and eventually in Europe, people actually stopped for short or long coffee breaks. Some of these breaks lasted for the whole day.

These days, the coffee break is a 20th century phenomenon. Although the concept was not invented by union organizers, the advantage of such a break for workers, became apparent over a period of time.

The standard benefits you see these days, were non-existent in the US in the late 19th century. This was especially true in factories or companies that had large numbers of employees, often working closely together, doing heavy work or strenuous rote work.

These were the times when employees were not even allowed to take a bathroom break on company time. The only standard benefit, was to have a job, and they could lose it and have their pay cut at any time.

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10/31/10

Knowing About Your Coffee Beverages

A cappuccino is espresso mixed with frothed milk and a latte is one that is blended with steamed milk. All these blended drinks, along with others, use the same coffee bean and are some of the best and more popular coffee beverages.

Before the coffee bean arrives to your favourite store, the seeds are processed with a series of long and carefully monitored processes, hand picking and sorting one seed at a time. When the beans are ready, they are used to create some of the more popular types of coffee around the world.

Calling a beverage, the coffee, is like calling a glass of wine, the wine. This is a general label applied to different types of beverages. The basic principle is the same with all coffee beverages, coffee is created by filtering hot water through ground coffee beans.

You can drink a black coffee, without milk or a white coffee, with milk, cream or sugar, it is among the most popular beverages all over the world.

In comparison to wine, which differs based on the types of grapes used to make the wine and on the region, coffee is also affected by the type of bean used to make it.

The taste of a coffee bean is very different depending on the type of plant it is from and where in the world it is grown, not to mention the maturity of the bean when it was picked off the plant.

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10/30/10

Cold Beer In Your Beer Fridge

When looking to purchase a beer fridge, you must determine the size of the unit you need, to suit your requirements. Think of how many cans or bottles of beer you want to store on a regular basis and satisfy the needs of your friends for any major social events you want to hold in your home.

Most beer fridges are around 2 cubic feet or larger, giving you plenty of room to store a lot of cold beer.

To stay within your budget, you can shop around, in order to find an affordable beer fridge within your price range. You can go to local retail stores, search online and read user reviews, in order to find the best appliance to suit your needs, for the best price.

Finding a wine and beer refrigerator will be a challenge, as the temperature settings and storage will vary depending on the range of beverages you are storing.

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10/27/10

Improving Your Treats With Chocolate Chips

Another option is to melt chocolate chips for a large fondue for the whole family. You can add cinnamon, sugar, milk or honey to chocolate chips for a "sauce" that will complement your fruit well and you can also use nuts and dried fruit for the fondue.

This is one of the chocolate chip recipes that is fun to do with your kids, and it will encourage them to eat more fruit.

If you are looking to make glaze and frosting to your desserts, then you can look at melting chocolate chips. Chocolate icing tastes great with yellow cake, and fruit-flavored cakes that are infused with lemon or orange essences, will taste even better with chocolate accents.

You can complement brownies or cupcakes with chocolate frosting, adding coconut or walnuts for some good flavor, and these ingredients will also add some more nutrition for dessert.

When you are making the batter for your cakes and cupcakes, you can add chocolate chips, making the batter more moist and the batter will improve the taste to create delicious desserts.

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10/21/10

Finding Restaurant Recipes Online

A site for restaurant recipes is copykat recipes. There is no need to register with the site to gain access to the recipes, and use of the site is free. You can also submit your own recipes, that taste like your favourite restaurant recipes.

You will also find blogs on the site with plenty of ideas about what to cook for certain holidays or events, cooking for your guests or to surprise your family with a new dish.

There are recipes for dishes of popular restaurants like Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and Outback Steakhouse. You will find a number of recipes for your favourite dishes, you can prepare and cook at home and surprise your family.

The aim of cooking popular restaurant recipes at home, is you can spend more time at home with your family, when you will be preparing meals everyone loves right in your own kitchen.

You can also buy cookbooks that will help you find the perfect restaurant recipe, as well as herbs and spices that will make for a much more delicious dish for your next dinner party.

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10/19/10

Chocolate Candy Maker Skills To Create Delicious Candy Treats

There are many types of chocolate candy, including candy bars, fudge, turtles, the little chocolate candies that come in boxes and gift bags, and you can even make gourmet candy by making your own version of chocolate covered fruit.

You can find old recipes from family members and friends. Another option, is to go online and visit www.food.com/ and www.recipes.com for great chocolate candy recipes from people all over the country, and add a few of your own special ingredients to make the recipe stand out.

Once you place your recipes online, you can get feedback from people who have used your recipes. This way, you can get ideas on how to improve your recipes and gain more skills.

To be a chocolate candy maker will also require you to pay particular attention to the skill that you apply to making candy. You can think about the presentation of your candy, as you need to ensure your chocolates stand out, especially when you are looking to sell them, making their appearance to grab the attention of potential customers.

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10/17/10

The Great Success Of Australian Wines

Australia maintains a wide range of biodiversity. It is a land of strange marsupials, including kangaroos, koalas, emus, possums and some of the most venomous snakes in the world.

The continent with a vast geography and variations in climatic conditions, ranges from tropical rainforest to snow-capped mountains and vast desert areas. This large quantity of soil and soil diversity, just like Crocodile Dundee’s strange accent and cultural practices, has only helped to add to the lure and mystique of Australian wines.

In 1788 the British crown created the penal colony of New South Wales as a way to relieve stress in already overcrowded British and American colonial prisons.

Most people eventually learned about Australia’s gift of wine by the great success of a variety of Penfolds Grange vintages of Shiraz, include winning first prize at the Wine Olympics in 1971, and the 1990 Vintage Red Wine of the Year the winery won from the Wine Spectator magazine.

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10/9/10

Better Buying Ideas For Wine Gift Baskets

There is a wide range of prices for wine gift baskets, depending on where they are purchased. Even making your own homemade can be expensive depending on the quality and vintage of the wines purchased.

Making the time and effort to create wine gift baskets sometimes means more to the recipient than buying a ready made gift basket. If you have the time, then you can show your creative talents and create a personalized wine gift basket.

Wine accessories are another option for wine gift baskets. Dangling charms to hang from the stem of a wine glass sitting alongside the colorful wine bottle toppers.

You can purchase these charms from wine shops and department stores in a variety of shapes and colors and look great in any combination of wine gift baskets.

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10/7/10

Better Gift Ideas With Personalized Chocolate Candy

If you are raising money for school sports teams, you can order personalized chocolates online and sell them at fundraising events. Another option is to supply photos to be included on the candy wrapper, and create personalized chocolate candy for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter and Christmas.

There is an increasing range of products offered by the company including a cookie and muffin mix. While the prices are reasonable, there are special offers and discounts being advertised on the website frequently, check back several times while you plan your event. You can speed up the turnaround time by working with an associate.

Another site for good quality chocolate is http://wrappedhersheys.com. You can select the message you want printed on the label, and the recipient will get a rich, dark chocolate Hershey bar with your message.

If you are a teacher, you can use this service to customize the treats for your students. Alternatively, if you want to announce a new arrival to the family with a gift to all your friends and relatives, then you can give out Hershey bars with the customized ‘Heresheis’ or ‘Hereheis’ labels.

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10/5/10

Ideas For Baking A Chocolate Cake

If making a big chocolate cake is too much work and you do not have the time, then you can think about preparing a tort. These cakes look like tarts, and can be made with dark chocolate icing and a filling of sweet fruits, like apricots or pears.

A chocolate souffle is an option for a great dessert. Bittersweet chocolate with citrus fruit and raspberries can compliment the chocolate in the souffle.

Next, you should consider creative ideas for presenting the chocolate cake. For example, rather than baking a fruit-filled cake, adjust the recipe to make cupcakes with fruit filling on a number of platters for large social gatherings and events.

Another option, is to make different flavors of chocolate fudge in gift baskets, you may want to give to your work colleagues and friends. Making your own chocolate gifts shows you have talent in the kitchen and your gift will be appreciated much more.

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10/2/10

Buying Online Wine Resrtrictions

There are online wine groups, where a new bottle of wine is delivered each month, in order to experiment with new types of wine, from around the world. The price of these wines varies along with the quality, but if you taste wine from a beautiful bottle of wine, then you may decide to order a dozen bottles to keep in your cellar.

Buying wine online can be fun. There are many great wineries in the country, shipping wine to certain states. Wine prices vary, just like if you buy wine in a liquor store and depends on the type, age and selected brand.

There are wine shipping restrictions where a person cannot buy wine directly from a distributor or winery. There are some liquor shops, selling out of state wines, but these are regulated under the supervision of the Alcoholic Beverage Agency.

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9/30/10

Regional Variations With Mexican Cuisine

Mexican cuisine is known for its diversity and colorful presentation. Many of the ingredients are indigenous to Mexico. The dishes combines indigenous foods of Mexico with those imported by the conquistadors.

The food of pre-Columbian Mexico include chocolate, corn, vanilla, avocado and papaya. The conquistadors introduced onions, rice, beef, and pork. Mexico’s past is still evident in the food eaten by the people.

The exotic dishes from Aztec and Mayan traditions are still cooked in villages in Mexico. Some of these dishes include rattlesnake, grasshopper, ant eggs and iguana. Due to its historical origins, Mexican cooking is a mix of several cuisines, including South America, Caribbean French and African.

Many of the common ingredients in Mexican cuisine are corn, chills, and black beans. But, there are regional variations highlighted by local climate and geography of local regions of Mexico. Some of these regional variations, were also influenced by the Spaniards.

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9/28/10

Finding Better Restaurant Menus Online

Community review sites include restaurant menus online. For example, you can visit www.citysearch.com or www.kudzu.com, type in your city and state and find all the restaurants in your local area.

Privately owned restaurants and franchises are listed, so you can find one-of-a-kind dishes in your town that you may find most appealing.

Review sites have links to restaurants, so once you read the reviews from customers about the best places to eat in town, visit the restaurant site itself to look over the menu, so you’ll have an idea what to order when you arrive.

After reading some restaurant menus online, you may want to make your own dishes at home. If you can not pick out all the ingredients in a large bowl as you eat, you can check out sites like www.topsecretrecipes.com, this site will teach you how to make the items you’ve found on restaurant menus online.

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9/22/10

Finding Information Online For Food Allergy Help

Parents whose children are diagnosed with a food allergy often feel confused, utterly alone and dismayed. They understand that the road ahead could be long and require a lot of lifestyle modifications.

The good news is that there are many avenues for getting food allergy help, including emergency room staff, Epi-Pen makers, ambulance drivers, CPR instructors and nurses ready to spring to action in the event of serious allergic reactions. As well, there are doctors, researchers and allergists working on long-term therapies.

In addition to the short-term emergency treatments, there are currently three long-term experimental treatments that could offer food allergy help for patients. "This is the first time that we have a number of studies going on at the same time," says Anne Munoz-Furlong, founder of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

"This is huge for the food allergy community. We finally can say that probably in 10 years, the landscape will look very different than it does now." For milk, peanut and egg allergies, researchers are proposing oral immunotherapy, which has patients swallowing tiny but incremental increases of the food they're allergic to, under doctor supervision, to build tolerance.

For various food allergies, a similar technique called sublingual therapy (drops containing proteins that trigger allergies placed under the tongue) is being used. Lastly, adults and kids with a shellfish, tree nut, fish or peanut allergy are being given the Food Allergy Herbal Formula-2 (FAHF-2) pill.

If you would like more comprehensive food allergy help, you can find local resources through the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (www.foodallergy.org) or the Food Allergy Initiative (www.foodallergyinitiative.org).

Here you will find support groups, food-related allergy recipes, activism events, research updates, literature downloads and methods for coping with allergy symptoms at home, school and restaurants.

Once you're armed with enough allergy information, you'll feel more prepared for dealing with whatever life throws your way.

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9/20/10

Better Ideas To Barbecue Chicken

The first rule of grilling is to be patient. Cooking with any kind of meats, especially when you are preparing to barbecue chicken, it takes time to cook properly. If you are cooking on a gas or an electric grill, then do it slowly and gently.

If you are using an old charcoal barbecue, then wait for at least forty five minutes to let the coals burn. When you see a white coating of ash over the coals with a dull orange glow in the middle, then you are ready for some serious cooking.

Before you place the chicken on the grill, you must prepare the chicken for cooking by ensuring the meat is fully defrosted, and washed thoroughly.

Then cut it into smaller pieces and remove any excess fat to prevent flare ups when the meat is on the grill. Most of the fat is underneath the skin, so look for the fat and remove it.

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9/17/10

Vintage Wine Stored With Your Collection

The more prestigious vineyards around the world have a tendency to label their wines "vintage wine" only if the quality of the wine gets better with time. As it gets older, there is an increase in the quality of the wine.

If the wine is of a quality that is not suitable for aging, such manufacturers can label a wine as "Beaujolais Nouveau" which means that it should be consumed within a few months of bottling.

If wineries manage to produce a high quality vintage wine then this is when the price is much higher than the price for lower quality wines. The problem arising with a majority of drinkers, whether experts or not, is that most cannot tell the difference between a vintage wine and other wines and cast doubt on the value of the higher priced bottle of wine.

Many experts and even some amateurs were able to easily tell the difference of a vintage wine and a fresh bottle. The lower price of the fresh bottle does not mean it is of lower quality, it just means it costs less to purchase.

When drinking a glass of wine, your first consideration should be the taste, rather than the prestige name on the label. You may be disappointed when you pay $100 dollars or more for a vintage wine and it tastes awful, but if you buy a $15 bottle, it may agree much better with your pallet.

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9/16/10

Better Food Choices At Healthy Restaurants

You can visit sites with restaurant reviews like www.kudzu.com. On this site, you will see a number of restaurant reviews, including healthy restaurants and you can search locations with city and state options, allowing you to locate restaurants closer to your home.

On the site, you will also find information on the menu for the relevant restaurant, and in some cases, a link to the restaurant website. You can also locate vegetarian or vegan restaurants in your area and if you do not eat meat or animal products, then you can look for a restaurant offering healthy choices free of animal products, including entrees and desserts.

Whenever you are dining at your favorite restaurant, you should look carefully at the menu for healthy food choices. Although these restaurants, may not be dedicated healthy restaurants, there is a strong probability that there will be a choice of dishes that are low in fat, high in fiber and low in cholesterol.

Some of the casual dining restaurants like Applebee’s, Chili’s, and T.G.I. Friday’s offer Weight Watchers options you can order if you’re on a diet, and steamed vegetables you can order with your meat entree instead of fries and fresh fish dishes, served with rice and veggies, creating a better meal option.

If you enjoy going to a particular restaurant, all you need is to be more discerning about the choices you make, by reading the menu carefully and finding the gems that will suit your diet. If you are looking for a healthier meal and it is not on the menu, you can ask the waiter, if a healthy meal can be made for you.

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9/13/10

Easy To Prepare And Cook Baby Meals With Homemade Baby Food Recipes

Lots of people think that homemade baby food recipes take a long time to prepare and can be a pain to store, but it really is surprising easy and inexpensive.

Many of the ingredients used in fresh and healthy baby food like fruits, vegetables and meats would be on your grocery list anyway. Your baby food can easily be prepared and cooked at the same time that you're cooking your own meals.

Even tiny tots need a bit of dessert, so make this one of your favorite homemade baby food recipes. You'll need 1 sweet potato, 1 finely grated carrot, 1/4 cup of plain yogurt and 1 egg.

Some people use raisins but they can be a choking hazard in young babies. Save the raisins until your child is over a year old. Peel the sweet potato and cook until soft. Baking brings out the sweetness of the sweet potato but boiling or steaming is also acceptable.

Mix in the carrot and yogurt, then the egg and puree in a food processor or with a hand blender until smooth. If the mixture appears dry, add another tablespoon of yogurt. Cook in the microwave for about three minutes, stirring it halfway through.

To avoid burning your baby's mouth, allow the mixture to cool completely before serving. Because this healthy recipe includes egg, it's best not to store it for more than two days.

Many devotees of homemade baby food recipes prefer steaming produce instead of boiling it to retain more of their natural vitamins and minerals. The age of your baby will determine your cooking times.

For babies who are just starting to eat solid foods, it is better to cook the food longer, until it is very soft to prevent hard chunks that can cause choking. Cook the food less for babies who are already used to solid morsels.

How you prepare infant food recipes is as important as the ingredients, so take your time when preparing your tot's homemade meals.

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9/12/10

Busy Moms Making Baby Food

Busy moms may think that they don't have the time to cook and puree their own baby food; yet home made baby food is surprisingly quick and easy to make. In under an hour a week, you can make a week's worth of food that will then be ready to pull out of the refrigerator or freezer at a moment's notice.

This is a great way to feed your baby food that hasn't been over-processed and laden with lots of salt, sugar and additives.

Making baby food with fresh apples is always a great idea. Besides being easy to prepare, babies love the natural sweetness of the fruit. This healthy recipe combines vitamin rich apples with oatmeal.

Peel three apples and steam them or cook them in the microwave until they're soft. Add a tiny pinch of cinnamon and blend in a baby food grinder or with a hand blender.

Add a tablespoon of cooked oats or baby cereal and a tablespoon of breast milk or formula to each serving given to the child. Make sure the puree is cool before serving. This puree freezes very well and will stay fresh for days.

For the first 6 months of your child's life, breast milk or formula will meet all of your child's nutritional needs. Starting on solid foodstuff depends on your baby's development.

To prevent choking, your baby should be able to support his own head and have strong neck muscles. Most experts recommend rice cereal as the first food for your baby because it's not highly allergenic and is easily digested.

Other good foods include pears, applesauce, peaches, bananas, sweet potatoes, potatoes and avocados. Some babies who start out on cereal can even experience a bit of constipation, so foods like peaches and avocados can help alleviate or prevent this.

Potatoes are a good starter food because they're often part of your family's meal already. No extra preparation besides mashing and mixing with some liquid like formula or breast milk is necessary.

These foods are all quick and easy to prepare, so making baby food will take no time at all.

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9/10/10

Cooking Healthy Meals By Making Your Own Baby Food

New moms are busy taking care of their babies and may not want the added chore of making homemade baby food. However, making fresh baby food is surprisingly easy and far more economical than you might think.

By cooking in bulk and freezing the baby food in small one-meal proportions, you can have healthy meals on hand for every meal.

Bananas are the instant infant food that you'll find easy to prepare when making your own baby food. Since they don't require cooking, preparation time in nil, plus they're packed with nutrients.

Bananas are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. In addition, ripe bananas contain pectin, a soluble fiber that prevents constipation. Fully ripe bananas are better for your baby as they contain more antioxidants than under ripe fruit.

A baked banana with apricots is a sweet treat for babies as young as six months old. You'll need 1/2 cup of dried apricots, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla essence and 1 medium ripe banana. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Simmer the apricots in a little water or apple juice until soft, and then puree them in a food processor. Combine the apricot puree with the vanilla. If you'd like a little sweetness add a drop of maple syrup.

Remember to NEVER use honey. Slice the banana in half lengthwise and place them each on a piece of foil. Spoon the apricot puree onto each banana and seal the foil so that you have two individual packs. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Allow the bananas to cool and then mash them with a fork. Voila! Your baby will love this sweet treat.

Making your own baby food should be an enjoyable experience, so have fun experimenting with lots of different healthy recipes for babies. No matter what kind of baby food you're making, just remember to keep all of your tools clean and beware of choking hazards and potential allergens.

Babies love to learn and discover new things, so make exploring the delights of a healthy diet part of their lives.

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9/8/10

Finding Better Ideas For Recipes For Baby Food

Many people turn to bland cereals when introducing their baby to solid foodstuff for the first time. Would you want a steady diet of mushy oats? Food is one of life's great pleasures, so set your baby on the path of healthy eating with tasty and fresh morsels.

Recipes for baby food that contain lots of nutrient rich ingredients can easily be found in bookstores and the Internet, so put on your chef's hat and get cooking.

When considering recipes for baby food, applesauce is a perennial favorite for moms introducing solid foods for the first time. The smooth consistency makes it easy for the baby to swallow and they love the mild sweetness of the apples.

Applesauce is very easy to make and freeze to use later on. To make a batch of applesauce all you'll need is 4 pounds apples and 1/3 of a cup of water. Wash and core the apples with the skin on and cut them into small pieces. Simmer the apples in a large saucepan until they're tender.

This should take about 10 minutes. Once they're soft, put the apples in a blender and puree them until they're nice and smooth. Pour the puree through a sieve to remove any lumps or seeds that could be a choking hazard. Pour the puree into ice cube trays.

Once it's frozen, pop out the cubes and store them in a freezer bag. Now all you have to do is defrost a cube every time you want to give your baby a tasty, home made treat that doesn't have any added sugar.

Making fresh and healthy recipes for baby is very easy and inexpensive and it gives your baby nutrients that commercially prepared foods may lack. Look for recipes for baby food online, in parenting magazines, in bookstores and from other parents.

As your baby gets more used to solid rations, experiment with flavorful ingredients like cheese, duck and lamb. Food and eating is an enjoyable experience, so have fun sharing new tastes with your baby.

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9/6/10

Better Ideas For Matching Food With Wine

The main idea behind food pairings is that some elements, including texture and taste, in the food and wine react differently to each other and finding the right combination of these elements makes the whole dining experience even more enjoyable.

But the taste is very subjective, and what may be a perfect pairing for one, it may prove less pleasant to someone else.

Food and wine experts believe that the most fundamental part of the food and wine pairing is to understand the balance between the weight of food and weight (or "body") of wine, to create better pairings.

For example, a heavy, sturdy wine will likely overwhelm a lighter, more delicate dish, while the lighter body wines would become overwhelmed by a heavier meal.

Apart from the weight, you also need to consider the taste and textures of the food. Pairing flavors and texture can be achieved by using either complement or contrast strategies.

You can purchase a special wine with a dish to complement each other. For example, an earthy, Burgundian Pinot noir can be matched with an earthy, mushroom dish.

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9/3/10

Paying Higher Prices For Top Health Foods

In urban United States, low income vegetarians cannot afford the high cost of fresh fruit and vegetables. As more people are turning away from junk food and fast food, they are increasing the demand for fresh fruit and vegetables, with producers increasing the prices to lower the demand.

As the the demand for top health foods is outstripping supply, the few farmers and producers cannot meet the demand from teaming consumers. Then, there is the problem of storage, as most top health foods are organic, are therefore highly perishable and best consumed fresh from the farm, as quickly as possible.

This makes these foods very expensive, when they are out of season. For example, fruit and vegetables can only grow in specific climates around the world and then only at certain times of the year, when there are the most favourable conditions.

These days, dietitians and nutritionists are recommending to their clients, to eat more fresh and healthy food. This has escalated the demand for top health food, because people are always looking for ways to control, monitor, limit or prevent an undesirable medical condition, by improving their nutrition and eating healthy food.

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9/2/10

Early Settlers With A Hearty Breakfast

The first settlers in North America, were mostly farmers and they developed the tradition of a hearty breakfast. They worked long days, from dawn to dusk, with very little time for a great lunch break. Therefore, a hearty breakfast was necessary to last the whole day, until they were sitting at the table for their family dinner.

In those days, many of these farms were self sufficient and raised a range of crops and livestock. The farmers took advantage of their produce, to enjoy the fruit of their labours with a balanced and hearty breakfast.

Their chickens provided eggs, while the cows supplied milk and the fattening pig was their source of ham and bacon. Homemade bread would have been on the menu and potatoes were available all year long, from their fruit cellar.

This is how the traditional American breakfast was developed. The early morning smells of cooked food, would fill up your nostrils and you couldn’t wait to start the day with eggs, bacon, potatoes and bread in your style of choice.

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8/31/10

Valuable Tips For Making Homemade Baby Food

You may think that making your own baby food with fresh ingredients is enough to keep your baby strong, but you'd be surprised at the contaminants that can creep into fresh baby food recipes. Some foods that are nutritious for adults can be dangerous - even deadly - for babies.

Homemade baby food is packed full of nutrients, but there can be hidden dangers in the fresh ingredients that you use. First of all, never, ever use honey as a sweetener. Honey can cause infant botulism - a form of food poisoning - that can be fatal to a baby.

Produce such as beets, spinach, collards or turnip greens should not be given to babies under one year of age due to high concentrations of natural nitrates that can reduce the baby's hemoglobin.

You should also be very conscious of potential choking hazards in foods. Some of the worst culprits include nuts, raisins, popcorn, raw vegetables, unpeeled fruits and peanut butter.

If you want to make your baby food recipes in bulk and store them so that you always have a supply on hand, then you have to store the meals properly. If you've made only a small quantity of food, then place it into an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator.

Don't put it in the door - the temperature is lower there. Always store baby food on the refrigerator shelves, and store larger quantities of homemade baby food in the freezer. Cooked fruits, vegetables and meats should last up to 2 months.

Keep in mind that food does lose some taste and nutrition after freezing. There are lots of easy baby food recipes available on the Internet, so have fun exploring new foods with your baby.

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8/29/10

Parents Choosing To Make Baby Food

Many parents are opting to make homemade baby food instead of buying commercial foods, and many easy baby food recipes can be found online. There are lots of benefits to making your own, such as eliminating additives and preservatives, and you will know the ingredients are fresh.

It's also less expensive. However, without proper preparation, you can inadvertently contaminate the food with health threatening bacteria. In this article, well show you some simple and quick things that you can do to ensure that your baby's food is safe.

How you cook infant food is as important as what you cook. Their little digestive systems can't fend off bacteria that are harmless to adults, so it's critical that everything that comes in contact with the food is sterile. This includes knives, cutting boards, counters, bowls, and pots and pans.

Cleaning dishes and utensils in a dishwasher is preferable but hot water and antibacterial soap will do the job. Before you begin preparing baby food, clean your hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap. Cross contamination is a big culprit with bacteria, so watch out for places where it may lurk.

Plastic cutting boards can harbor bacteria in scratches and cracks even after washing. Contaminated meat can transfer bacteria to vegetables through a dirty knife, bowl and even your hands. Scrub vegetables thoroughly and cook meat until it is well done.

The appropriate food also depends on age. At 4 to 5 months you can begin to introduce cereals and iron-fortified baby rice. At 5 to 6 months babes can digest well cooked vegetables like carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, spinach and beets.

When they reach 7 to 8 months they can begin to eat meat. However, it's essential that all of your baby food is made with fresh ingredients and cooked and stored using sterile utensils and dishes.

You want your baby to grow up healthy, so start the process with healthy recipe choices.

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8/26/10

Making Your Own Chocolate Ice Cream

After receiving your ice cream maker, all you need is to follow the instructions and create your own chocolate ice cream for the whole family to enjoy this summer. Once you learn the basics of making ice cream with your machine, you can start adding your choice of ingredients, to improve the taste of the ice cream.

For example, you can try adding coffee or toffee to the ice cream, but also for a more savory flavor, make sundaes and add almonds and cherries, which taste great with chocolate ice cream.

If you do not have the time to make your own ice cream, you can buy ice cream, like Blue Bell with a homemade taste. Their ice cream has a good texture, so you can use it for smoothies and milkshakes. Another option are fudge ice creams which include a rich, sweet flavor to keep your family satisfied this summer.

If you want the best of the best, then rich European chocolates are the foundation of chocolate ice cream that comes from Hagen Daas, a German company that makes gourmet ice cream in several flavors - many of which are infused with chocolate.

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8/25/10

Benefits Of Growing Organic Coffees

Growing organic coffees is good for the environment because it stimulates the organic growth process, while this stimulates the environment and improves natural ability of the soil to keep out pests and diseases.

Most of the organic coffee is shade grown, this means that significant amounts of local forests have been preserved as a result of these farming practices.

These farming practices also help to maintain the natural habitat for many animals, including birds. For example, these practices help to maintain the leaves from the trees that birds live in and use of the bird droppings, which fertilize the ground to grow the coffee beans.

Growing organic coffee in the vicinity of the places where birds live, reduces the need for pest control, as the birds will eat many of the insects that would destroy the coffee plants.

There are benefits to consumers and farmers by growing organic coffee. Using organic farming practices reduces the need for chemical herbicides and fertilizers and therefore reduces the cost to grow organic coffee.

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8/22/10

Traveling Europe With A Continental Breakfast

There may be many variations of a continental breakfast in different locations across Europe, a good breakfast will always have an abundance of four of the main food groups including grains, dairy, meat and fruit.

As in most European dishes, grains are the dominant food group of a continental breakfast. Your morning bread is different in different countries with variations of the local cuisine.

For example, in French-speaking countries croissants, baguettes and pastries are normally found on the morning table, while in other countries, you will find a local variety of bun or bread rolls that will be different from region to region.

You may be offered a wide range of local spreads to place on the morning bread rolls and buns, including fresh butter, wild honey and homemade jams.

If you like to add milk to your cereal, then note that in Europe, milk usually has a much higher fat content, so the taste and texture is very different from the milk you normally have with your breakfast.

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8/20/10

Understanding The Effect Of Food With Child Food Allergies

Child food allergies occur when the immune system develops antibodies to proteins found in normal everyday foods. When the body comes in contact with a certain food protein, the immune system mistakenly identifies the proteins as harmful invaders.

The antibodies trigger a release of histamines into the bloodstream, which causes the allergic reaction. Currently, researchers aren't sure what exactly causes the body to develop a food intolerance.

Another one of the most prevalent child food allergies is the milk allergy. This allergy is caused by two types of protein found in milk; casein and whey. Generally, a few minutes or hours after consuming milk, the individual will begin wheezing, vomiting or will have hives.

Over time, other allergy symptoms may turn up, like loose stools, diarrhea, cramps, runny nose, watery eyes or colic (in babies). An allergy to milk is differentiated from lactose intolerance because allergies involve the immune system attacking the body.

On the other hand, a food related intolerance involves the digestive system, with other problems like bloating, gas, diarrhea and vomiting. The only way to treat milk allergies is through avoidance of dairy.

While it may seem overwhelming to deal with child food allergies at first, there are many cookbooks and websites dedicated to helping you out. For instance, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network has a section for food allergy recipes at www.foodallergy.org/recipes.html.

You'll be able to search by breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts. You can find recipes for egg, wheat, milk, soy, peanut and tree nut allergies here. Or, if you prefer, you can also order The Food Allergy Cookbook (at www.foodallergycookbook.com), which contains over 260 allergy-free recipes.

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8/19/10

Grinding Your Own Coffee With Fresh Whole Bean Coffee

Fresh whole bean coffee can fall into any category, like fair trade, organic or regularly-grown. That's because it doesn't really specify any particular kind of bean or a method of growing it.

So why do retailers, whether they are fair trade or regular stores, like to make a special point of letting you know whether a coffee they're selling you is whole bean or already ground?

That's because it tends to be fresher than pre-ground. That's a key to why it actually works well as fair trade coffee.

What many people think of as the superiority of fresh whole bean coffee comes from one simple fact; whole beans keep their flavor and aroma longer than if they are ground. Once ground, they have more exposure to air and humidity, and the freshness begins to evaporate.

It doesn't matter what sort of gourmet coffee you might be dealing with, if the beans are pre-ground, you'll lose freshness in the package much more quickly than if they're left intact until just before brewing.

Fair trade wholesale buyers may recognize a slight advantage in fresh whole bean coffee, if they are able to take the coffee from the farmer to the end consumer more quickly than normal coffee brokers can.

The coffee already has a good likelihood of tasting better if it's been grown organically. Combine these two factors, and many fair trade brands of coffee have a good chance of being fresher and more delicious than coffee grown in a more mass produced setting.

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8/17/10

Sustainable Farming And Certified Organic Fair Trade Coffee

While many people believe the fair trade movement began with coffee, it has actually simmered behind the scenes since the 1950s, with church organizations like Ten Thousand Villages promoting the handmade crafts of poor third world artisans.

It eventually resulted in the certified organic fair trade coffee that people know today. The beginning of fair trade came in answer to the plight of coffee growers being squeezed almost literally to death by many a large profit-guzzling coffee company. For the sake of those farmers, the fair trade movement really took off.

Once fair trade took off with coffee, it wasn't long before the same concept was applied to other products. Fair trade tea followed soon afterward, and the movement spread to other foods like sugar, fruit, juice, rice, spices and so on.

But as the fair trade idea spread around the world, the environmental movement began exerting an influence as well, as the concept of environmentally friendly and sustainable farming methods began taking hold.

That was when the movement involving coffee began to help farmers learn sustainable farming as well, and organic fair trade coffee finally came into its own.

Now there are fair trade retailers carrying full lines of products from all over the world, including organic fair trade coffee. The movement has been so influential that even some corporations are recognizing that this could be the wave of the future, and are trying to get involved in buying and promoting fair trade products.

Whether this will help or ultimately hinder the progress of fair trade remains to be seen. But treating smaller producers of goods fairly is becoming a mainstream idea, and while it started with coffee growers, it clearly applies to everyone, whatever they grow or create.

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8/15/10

Producing Pollutants With Coffee Roasting

You may think that coffee roasting isn't of very much concern when someone is producing organic, environmentally and socially responsible coffee through the fair trade system. After all, on the one hand great care is taken to make sure coffee growers are paid properly and are able to maintain a decent life from their profits.

On the other hand, one element of fair trade practices is to help the farmers learn to use environmentally friendly and sustainable farming methods to produce the crops. So aren't the most important environmental aspects of fair trade coffee pretty much taken care of by the time harvest rolls around?

Although it sounds so innocuous, coffee roasting is quite an involved process and produces pollutants as byproducts. The smoke alone from the roasting carries alcohols, organic acids, and nitrogen and sulfur compounds. Most roasters use ovens that are powered by natural gas.

There is usually a second oven meant to clean the air of all the pollutants, which adds to the gas used and the CO2 emissions. Even though steps are now being taken to use just one oven and even recapture the heat from the cleaned air, your morning cup of fresh coffee is definitely looking less green by the minute.

Fair trade and environmentally responsible farming may result in organic coffee beans, but that's just the first step in turning the coffee industry completely green.

If the subsequent coffee roasting and other processes continue to be energy hogs and go on wasting vast amounts of resources, what good does it ultimately do that the beans themselves are organic?

It probably makes some small difference, but the good is undone unless all the steps between the field and your morning cup of coffee are equally environmentally responsible.

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8/13/10

Combine Culinary Traditions With Fusion Cuisine

One type involves the combination of dishes from one region to create a new dish. Asian fusion may involve different aspects of dishes from different Asian countries to create new dishes, or even different dishes from different regions from the same country are mixed together to create a new delicious dish with a similar theme as the original dishes.

Other fusion dishes can be eclectic, without following a particular theme. This is when ingredients and dishes from different culinary traditions are combined to produce new and creative dishes.

Another type of fusion cuisine is when ingredients from one culture are added to produce food with different culinary traditions.

One example would be taco pizza where the traditional pizza crust is topped with refried beans, salsa, and pepper jack cheese to create a mix of Italian-American and Mexican cuisine. This approach can be used to add pieces of dishes from other cuisines, to make a new delicious and exotic dish.

Fusion cuisine had it its origins in the 1970s when a series of French chefs started combining French cuisine and Asian cuisine. This idea soon became popular with other chefs in other European countries and in the U.S.

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