Grow Cashew Nuts

The cashew nut is originally from Brazil but has since been propagated in just about every tropical nation. Cashew trees like sandy soil and hot temperatures. In the right climate, they can grow to as much as 39 feet high. And most interesting of all, the cashew actually grows as the offshoot of a juicy fruit, which is also edible.

Instructions

Planting the Seeds

1. Clear the planting area of all vegetation. Plow and level the soil.

2. Mark out the spots where you want to plant the cashew trees. The trees usually need about 30 square feet of land to grow comfortably.

3. Choose your nuts from a tree that is known to be healthy and produces good nuts. Dry the nuts for a few days, then soak them for two days to speed up the germination process.

4. Plant three cashew seeds on a single plot. Plant them in a triangle formation, 1 foot apart. They shouldn't be more than 4 inches deep, with their stalks facing upward at a slight angle.

5. Wait a month for the sprouts to germinate and choose the healthiest looking one. Weed out the others.

Care for the Cashew Tree

6. Keep the cashew plants well-irrigated during the first growing year. Before their root system has developed, the plants will need plenty of water to make it through a drought.

7. Clear a circle of at least 3 feet around the base of the plant. This space must be kept free of all types of vegetation. During dry periods, mulch may be used to hold in moisture.

8. Fertilize your trees according to their size. Cashew plants respond well to nutrients. Charts are available to guide how much you should use depending on the age of your crop.

9. Prune your trees free of dead or diseased branches. Otherwise, cashew trees don't need much trimming.

10. Expect to wait 3 to 5 years for your plants to produce. A cashew tree won't yield its maximum capacity until after its seventh year.

Tags: cashew trees, your trees

Natural Fruit Substitutes For Sugar

The naturally occuring sugar in fruit is an excellent substitute for refined sugar.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, "sweet" is one of the tastes necessary for a well-balanced diet. Since the Western countries recovered from World War II however, people have been overusing sugar in their daily diet. This has contributed to diabetes and obesity. There are several ways of using fruit in the diet to sweeten cakes, breakfast foods, chocolate treats and other favorite treats. All you need is a little imagination and a willingness to make lifestyle changes to your eating habits.

Dates

Dates have an irresistible toffee-like sweetness. Dates can be eaten alone or with a handful of nuts for a healthy, instant sugar fix. They are an excellent replacement for sugar in home baking. For an 8-inch round chocolate cake, soak 1 cup of dates in 3/4 cup of boiling water. Puree the mixture after five minutes and add to the cake. If the consistency is too wet, gradually add some ground oatmeal to thicken it.

Grape Juice

Grape juice is available in most supermarkets and grocery stores. You can soak fresh fruit in it for a natural sweetness. A lot of sugar-free canned fruit is soaked in grape juice instead of sugary syrup. Where savory recipes call for some sugar, add grape juice instead for a natural sweetness.

Prunes

Prunes are very ripe and syrupy, dripping with their own natural sugar. A favorite sugar-free, healthy breakfast is muesli (make sure it has no added sugar) soaked in prunes and natural prune juice. Add a few spoonfuls of natural yogurt for creaminess. You can use prunes in the same way as dates to sweeten recipies.

Dried Fruit

Dried fruit, such as sultanas, blackcurrants, blueberries and raisins, have a high natural sugar content. When making cakes and scones, add plenty of dried fruit to sweeten your baking. Use more dried fruit than you normally would to compensate for the sugar that you are omitting.

Agave Syrup

Though it is not necessarily a fruit, agave syrup is a complete solution to omitting sugar from your diet. It is the sweet sap collected from the cactus tree, and it has a low glycemic Index. This means that it does not cause your blood sugar level to rise. Use it in place of honey and sugar in drinks, home baking, on breakfast cereals --- everywhere that you would normally use sugar.

Tags: grape juice, grape juice instead, home baking, juice instead, natural sugar, natural sweetness

Filter Sugar Canes

Sugar canes heading for processing.

Sugar producers have elaborate refineries with shredders, mills, filtration and clarification systems for extracting the juice from sugar cane and making sugar. Using somewhat more primitive techniques, you can extract the juice from sugar cane and clarify it at home. Use sugar cane juice as is, or crystallize the juice and grind it to turn it into homemade sugar. Use only fresh sugar canes, as they will contain the most juice.

Instructions

1. Cut the sugar cane into small chunks using a sharp knife. Place the pieces in a shallow pan.

2. Crush the chunks to squeeze out the juice. Crush them thoroughly by repeatedly rolling over them with a rolling pin or pressing down on them with a pestle or a meat mallet.

3. Pour the juice out of the pan and into a cast-iron pot. Bring the juice to a boil on the stove.

4. Skim the foam that forms on top, using a strainer spoon.

5. Cook the juice until it turns into syrup. The time it takes for the juice to turn into syrup will vary, depending on how much juice you have and how thick you want the syrup. For a large amount of juice, it may take several hours.

6. Set the pot in a sink filled with a shallow layer of cold water. Allow the syrup to cool. Pour the syrup into a glass bottle.

Tags: sugar cane, from sugar, from sugar cane, into syrup, juice from, juice from sugar

Nacho Ideas

Jazz up your nachos so your guests will want to dig in.

Nachos are a universal appetizer because they can be served at so many different types of functions. Football parties, birthday parties, office parties, bachelorette parties and baby showers are all great excuses for serving a batch of nachos. Of course, you don't just want to throw out a bowl of plain nachos and wait around for the crowd to munch on them. You need to jazz them up a bit, and there are plenty of ways this can be done that will entice your guests to start chowing down.

Baked Chicken Nachos

Spread your chips on a baking dish that can also be used as a serving dish. Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil and add 4 cups of shredded cooked chicken. Remove from the heat and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Toss in 1 cup ketchup, 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. white distilled vinegar, 1 tsp. lemon juice and 2 tbsp. brown sugar. Stir until combined and then spread over the chips. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup Monterey jack cheese over the top of the chicken mixture. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Serve hot.

Nachos with Homemade Salsa

Set your chips on a platter, leaving a small empty bowl in the middle. In a mixing bowl, combine 5 diced tomatoes, 1 small chopped onion, 1 chopped jalapeno pepper, 2 chopped cloves of garlic, 1 1/2 tbsp. lime juice, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. white distilled vinegar, 3 oz. tomato sauce and 1 tsp. chopped parsley. Fill the serving bowl in the middle of the nachos with this homemade salsa. Store the extra in the refrigerator in case you need to refill the serving bowl later.

If you don't like your salsa chunky, just puree it in a blender before pouring it in the serving bowl.

Bean and Guacamole Nachos

Spread your nachos over an oven-safe serving plate. In a blender, combine 2 cups cooked black beans, 1 tbsp. oregano and 3 tsp. lime juice. Blend until smooth, and spread across the nachos. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Place in the oven at 350 F for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has completely melted. Serve hot with sour cream and chives.

Mexican Dip Nachos

Brown 1 lb. ground beef. Add 1 packet of taco mix and 3/4 cup water. Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes. Spread 8 oz. cream cheese on the bottom of a baking dish. Cover the cream cheese with the taco meat. Sprinkle 8 oz. cheddar cheese on top of the meat. Chop two jalapeno peppers and sprinkle them on top of the cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 F. Serve hot as a dip to go with a bowl of nachos.

Tags: cheddar cheese, serving bowl, baking dish, bowl middle, cream cheese, distilled vinegar

Pair White Wine With Meals

A glass of white wine paired with a delicious meal can be the perfect ending to a stressful day. There is no such thing as a "correct" food and wine pairing, but certain combinations will certainly enhance the flavors of your dining experience.

Instructions

1. Enjoy the flexibility of appetizers. Unlike the main course, appetizers are more versatile and are willing to join forces with most white wines, including chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc, pinot grigio, dry riesling and gewurztraminer.

2. Go with the classic combination of chicken and chardonnay. Chicken, whether it's baked, broiled, fried or grilled, loves a good chardonnay. Sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc or pinot gris (or pinot grigio) also pairs well with chicken.

3. Give a seafood and white wine pairing a little extra attention. Seafood can be tricky. For example, seafood in a cream sauce goes nicely with a chardonnay, but seafood in a lighter non-cream sauce is complemented by a dry riesling. Shellfish, crab, shrimp and lobster like chenin blanc. Almost any seafood can be paired with sauvignon blanc.

4. Pour dry rieslings with Asian food. The even balance of a dry riesling holds up against spicy Thai or full-flavored Chinese food. Gewurztraminer will also complement Asian cuisine, especially a curry dish.

5. Serve pork dishes with chardonnay, gewurztraminer or dry riesling. Pork is a food that can be served with either red or white wine. Barbequed pork goes well with riesling, while pork chops are complemented by a chardonnay. Pork tenderloin can be served with a red wine, such as pinot noir.

6. Dish up your pastas with red wine. Unfortunately, most pasta doesn't pair well with whites. There are exceptions to this rule; for example, sauvignon blanc can be served with pasta in a cream-based sauce, pasta primavera is complemented by a light pinot grigio and pasta served with shellfish goes well with chardonnay.

Tags: served with, well with, chenin blanc, pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc

Make Baking Extracts

Vanilla beans produce an aromatic extract prized by bakers.

Extracts provide extra intensity to the flavor of baked goods. A baking extract is an essence or concentrate prepared by extracting the essential constituents of an aromatic plant, usually using alcohol. One of the best-known baking extracts is vanilla, which is made from the beans of the vanilla-bean orchid. Rather than pay premium prices for baking extracts, make them yourself with a few, simple ingredients. The result is a pure product with no corn syrup, an ingredient found in many commercial extract brands.

Instructions

Basic Technique

1. Buy a fifth (0.757 liter) of the best-quality vodka you can afford in 80-proof. The higher the alcohol proof, the better it dissolves the plant's flavors and aroma. Commercial vanilla extract must contain 35 percent alcohol by law.

2. Buy or find a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. A 1-pint Mason canning jar, which hold 2 cups, works well, as do recycled glass jars from jams, pickles or other grocery items. Some home extractors use a colored or dark glass bottle, such as a green recycled beer bottle with a tight stopper. Label the jar with the date the extract will be ready -- four to six months from the day you make it -- and the extract's name. The plant's essence will start to extract in a matter of weeks, but the longer you steep it, the deeper and more aromatic it becomes.

3. Purchase or assemble your plant stock. For vanilla extract, buy two to four whole, extract-grade vanilla beans. To make the extract stronger, add more pods -- up to eight. Cut them lengthwise with a knife or scissors and scrape out the seeds with a small paring knife. Discard the seeds. Slice the bean pods into three or four pieces.

4. Pour 1½ cups of vodka into the jar.

5. Place your vanilla bean pod pieces (or other plant stock) into the vodka and cover the jar tightly. The pods must be fully covered by the alcohol.

6. Shake the jar well and tuck it into a cabinet away from direct light. During the first week, shake the jar once a day. For the next two months, shake it once a week. Shake it occasionally in the remaining months.

7. Strain the liquid -- when you reach the finish date -- through a coffee filter or cheesecloth into a spouted bowl. Pour the liquid back into the original jar and put on the lid. The vanilla extract is ready for use and will keep at room temperature for many years. The bottle may be topped off with 1 ounce of vodka when it runs low.

Lemon and Orange Extracts

8. Lemon extract can be used to make a lemon meringue pie.

Thinly peel one lemon or orange with a peeler, being careful not to include the white pith. Dice the peel.

9. Use the basic vanilla extract method above, except you will need only ½ cup of vodka, which may be watered down with ¼ cup of water, and a smaller jar.

10. Combine the peel with the vodka and allow it to steep in darkness for a minimum of three days. When the extract is ready, strain and rebottle it in the same jar. The extract will keep for many years.

Tags: vanilla extract, extract ready, extract will, make extract, many years

Smokehouse Smoked Cheese

Each year, cheese seems to become more and more popular. Just head to almost any market and you're sure to find an extremely wide and varied selection of cheeses, if not a specific cheese section with standard to gourmet choices. Even liquor stores are putting cheese shops in their stores. The Midwest has chalets devoted explicitly to the product. With so many varieties out there, it can be hard to choose. And with the so many varieties within a variety, it can make it even harder. One such variety that seems to really be taking hold of the cheese market is that of the smoked cheese. So what's all the hubbub about?

Features

Basically, a smoked cheese can be any cheese that is cured through a smoking method. Typically, you'll find that the cheese has been cured through mostly cold-smoking, but may well encounter some the have went through a hot-smoking, with both processes adding that more natural smoked taste. For cold-smoking, the cheese is smoked at somewhere around 70 to 90 degrees. Of course, this process takes a bit longer than the hot-smoking, and depends on the type of cheese that is being smoked. For hot-smoking, the temperature is set a little to a great deal higher than 100 to 190 degrees. There are also those smoked cheeses that are smoked in name only, where a smoky flavor is added to the product. Not the most natural way to "smoke" anything.

Identification

You can usually tell just by looking at a block of cheese whether it has been smoked or not. Most, if not all, smoked cheeses will have a skin, for lack of a better word, of a brownish hue encrusting the cheese itself. This is a natural occurrence that will happen during the smoking process. But, be warned, there are some smoked cheeses that have added the artificial smoky flavor and then died the outside to appear like a naturally smoked cheese. When in doubt, you can always ask someone at the deli counter for a sample. You can easily taste the difference between natural and artificial smoking.

Types

If you're looking for a smoked cheese to purchase, many times they'll have your favorites in a smoked variation. You can often find a smoked Cheddar, Gruyere, Gouda, Havarti and Swiss. The list really goes on and on up to some of the lesser known like Applewood, Rauchkase and Scamorza.

Considerations

With the popularity of smoked cheese still on the rise, people have even started smoking their own with products such as the SmokePistol or GrillKicker which emits a natural, sort of hickory smoke when lit. The brick of cheese is placed in a smoker (or some kind of makeshift enclosed container) and left to smoke for a couple of hours.

Expert Insight

Cheese isn't just classified by its flavor, such as smoked. It also finds classification in age, texture, fat content, milk type, origin and even method of making. The next time you hit a specialty cheese counter take a look at all the different cheeses. You'll be surprised at what you'll find.

Tags: smoked cheese, smoked cheeses, cheese that, cheeses that, cured through

Make A Gummy Bear Martini

The martini is not just for James Bond anymore. Today there are literally thousands of variations on shake and stir your way to martini bliss. Here's one called the Gummy Bear Martini.

Instructions

1. Rim your cocktail glass. Take your bar sugar and rim a chilled martini glass. Do this by taking a lemon slice and wiping it along the edge of the glass. This will moisten the glass, then dip into the sugar. Shake off any additional sugar.

2. Combine ingredients. In a shaker, combine 4 parts lemon flavored rum, 2 parts vodka, 1 part Southern Comfort, 1/2 teaspoon of dry vermouth and a dash of lemon juice.

3. Add ice to the shaker, and cap the top.

4. Shake, shake, shake. Shake the drink for at least 30 seconds to mix the flavors.

5. Pour the drink. Using the strainer, pour the drink into your chilled, rimmed glass. Using the standard shot glass for measuring, this makes 2 Gummy Bear Martinis.

6. Sprinkle a few Gummy Bears into your drink. They will add a festive quality to your drink.

Tags: Gummy Bear, Bear Martini, Gummy Bear Martini, into your, your drink

Decorate A Bagel Shop

Decorate a Bagel Shop

The amount of business your bagel shop receives depends greatly upon how much attention you are able to bring to it. Besides location, how you decorate it is a major factor in this. Follow these steps to learn decorate a bagel shop and increase your profit.

Instructions

1. Draw attention to your shop by placing a tent sign on the sidewalk. The sign should have the name of your bagel shop, logo, hours of operation and your current lunch special or promotion. Verify that your lease doesn't prevent you from advertising outside your store.

2. Choose tables and chairs that are small yet functional. Food offered on bagel shop menus rarely take up much room, so a small rectangular table is suitable. If customers need a larger table, they can push two or more small tables together. Verify that the chairs, though small, can bear weight to accommodate all customers.

3. Decorate your menu board with pictures for the promotional items. Black and white text is cost effective but customers often overlook many items. Use colored text and decorative fonts for the menu headings.

4. Hang up pictures that are unique to the bagel business. These include pictures of the bagel making process, bagels and lox and families eating bagels.

5. Install a window in front of the baker's area so that customers can watch the bagel making process. Place tables and chairs in front of the window so that customers can observe the baker while they dine.

6. Place a refrigeration case in front of the cash register. Display your selection of cream cheeses and juices in an orderly fashion. This will allow customers to easily access the products they desire and provide you with an inexpensive way to market your goods.

Tags: bagel shop, bagel making, bagel making process, Decorate Bagel Shop, making process, tables chairs, that customers

Does Wine Need Refrigeration After Opening

If you have a little wine left in the bottle at the end of the evening, you don't have to pour it out. With just a little care, the wine will retain a reasonable level of quality for about three days in the refrigerator.

Oxygen

Once you open a bottle of wine, air gets into the bottle and the oxygen in it starts to react with the wine. Initially, this action, called oxidation, improves the flavor of the wine, particularly of red wines. Consequently, wine experts like Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan, authors of Wine for Dummies, recommend that you let your red wine "breathe" by opening the bottle an hour or so before you plan to drink it. In the case of very young and very old red wines, you should pour the wine into a decanter or carafe for extra oxygen exposure.

The exposure to air that improves the taste of wine, however, eventually will cause it to spoil. This is partly because over time, oxidation will degrade the taste of the wine, but also because airborne bacteria can get into the wine once you open the bottle.

Storing Leftover Wine

If you only drink a glass or two of wine at a sitting, you are going to have some left in the bottle. Cellar Notes, an online resource for wine lovers, recommends that you recork opened bottles of wine and store them in the refrigerator. This will slow oxidation and inhibit the growth of any microorganisms that may have gotten into the wine.

Recorking

Recorking can be as simple as putting the original cork back into the bottle, but you can also get fancier by using specially designed stoppers or systems that fill the neck of the bottle with an inert gas. McCarthy and Ewing-Mulligan suggest that one inexpensive way to protect leftover wine is to pour it into a smaller bottle and cork that before you put it into the refrigerator. This will reduce the amount of oxygen that the wine is exposed to.

How Long Does It Last?

Cellar Notes advises that even stored in the refrigerator, leftover wine will continue to degrade; after three days, you will be able to taste a distinct decline in its quality. At that point, you should probably either use it or throw it away.

Tags: Cellar Notes, into bottle, into wine, left bottle, leftover wine, open bottle

What Are Greek Gyros With Chicken

The traditional gyro is made using minced lamb; however, chicken can be substituted for a healthier option.

A gyro is a Greek pita wrap. Filled with meat, onion and tomato and a cucumber yogurt sauce, it can be likened to a burrito or sandwich. The word gyro actually comes from the process by which the meat is cooked -- on vertical rotisseries before being sliced into thin strips. The roasting allows the meat to retain moisture, while still becoming crispy. There are many variations of the gyro which are found in Greek restaurants and sold via street vendors.

Traditional vs. Chicken

The traditional Greek gyro is made with minced lamb meat. In the United States, other variations are used, such as pork or chicken. Versions containing chicken have less fat, making them a healthier option, and are much milder to taste.

Preparing the Chicken

Chicken gyros are prepared using 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breast. The chicken is cut into 2 1/2 inch strips which are pounded down until they are ¼ inch thick. The chicken is then seasoned using a marinade of two cloves of crushed garlic, 2 tsp. of ground coriander, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, 1 tbsp. olive oil, 2 tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. of salt and 1 tsp. of ground black pepper, in addition to two to three drops of lemon oil. Allowing the chicken to marinate for 24 hours is recommended for optimal flavor.

Traditional Sauce

Chicken gyros are served with a traditional cucumber yogurt sauce, also known as tzatziki. This sauce has a cooling quality and provides a balance for heavily seasoned and spiced meats. Tzatziki sauce is made using 2 cups of plain yogurt, one large peeled and seeded cucumber, two cloves of crushed garlic, 2 tsp. of salt, 1 tsp. of black pepper and ¼ cup fresh mint.

Cooking and Assembling

If made at home home, the seasoned chicken can be cooked in a heavy frying pan that is lightly greased in place of the vertical rotisserie. The chicken should be thoroughly cooked and allowed to brown. Assemble your chicken gyro by lightly brushing a piece of pita bread with olive oil. Top the pita with cooked chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion and tzatziki sauce. You can also add peppers, olives and crumbled feta cheese.

Tags: black pepper, Chicken gyros, cloves crushed, cloves crushed garlic, crushed garlic, cucumber yogurt, cucumber yogurt sauce

Serve Dessert Wine At Christmas

Classic Chrismas desserts include spiced pumpkin, sweet potato, pecan and apple pies and puddings such as traditional plum, custard and bread. Dessert wines are just as delicious and just as varied, and will finish off your holiday dinner in memorable style.

Instructions

1. Pair moderately sweet dessert wines such as Muscat with pumpkin pie or bread pudding.

2. Combine sorbets, chocolate and fruity desserts with sparkling Gamay, tawny Port or Madeira. Rich desserts made from bitter chocolates are delicious combined with vintage Port. Milder Ports or dark berry wine work well with more moderate chocolate flavors.

3. Serve champagne or sparkling wine with almost any dessert, except for desserts with dark, bitter chocolate.

4. Serve your guests Sauterne, Riesling, iced apple wine or Gewurztraminer with apple pie or plum cake.

5. Pair gingersnaps, gingerbread or pumpkin pie with Madeira, sherry, tawny Port or Gewurztraminer.

6. Combine Christmas cheesecake, Scottish shortbread or other buttery, creamy desserts with a delicious ice wine or fortified blueberry or blackberry wine.

7. Select a Port wine, sweet sherry or a delicious aged sherry that will echo the spicy flavor of traditional Christmas pumpkin pie.

Tags: desserts with, tawny Port

Drink A Wine Vertically

Vertical wine tasting tells you a lot about the quality of a producer.

When you sample several bottles of the same wine from the same vineyard, but from different years, you are conducting a vertical wine tasting. Tasting a particular wine from different periods of time is a great way to learn about how the age, weather, growing and production conditions change a wine's body and flavor from year to year. You can throw your own vertical tasting with any wine you'd like -- just be sure you can get several vintages of it.

Instructions

1. Set up the wine tasting by laying out a white table cloth on a table and placing the bottles of wine on the table, with tasting glasses set out in front of them.

2. Pass out sheets of paper and pencils to you and your guests to write down any notes they may have about wine, including a score out of 100.

3. Start with a clean palette by eating a neutral food like crackers or fresh mozzarella. Wine critic Stephen Tanzer recommends having a tasting before lunch or dinner so the flavors of your food won't affect your judgment of the wine and so you can enjoy the wines you liked best with your meal.

4. Taste the wines one at a time in chronological order, from youngest to oldest. Refresh your palette in between every tasting. The older the wine is, the more you should notice a more complex taste and feel. Write down notes and compare with guests which wines you think may be too young, too old or just right.

5. Taste wines again after the first round. Some wines improve with sitting out in the open for a bit.

6. Vote which wines tasted best. Some vineyards provide growing and production backgrounds on their wines, such as if their region was suffering a drought. If you have this literature available, discuss what roles the age, aeration, and growing conditions might have played with how the wines tasted. You can also use professional wine critic reviews and scores for comparison.

7. Treat your guests to a few bottles of the winning wine for an post-tasting meal or later meet-up.

Tags: wine tasting, down notes, from different, growing production, Taste wines, which wines

Make A Tomato And Cucumber Salad

Cucumber tomato salad offers a colorful presentation.

It may appear a simple dish -- and rightly so considering the minimal time and ingredients required -- but tomato cucumber salad packs a flavor punch of fresh vegetables, herbs and no-fuss vinaigrette. Cucumber salad provides a refreshing light bite or a side dish for barbecue fare. The crunchy texture, cold temperature and non-cream base of the salad complements outdoor dining on warm days. You can replace heavy potato or pasta salads with cucumber salad to offer a low-calorie picnic option.

Instructions

1. Slice five plum tomatoes in half with a serrated knife and remove the seeds. Chop the plum tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces and add them to a mixing bowl.

2. Peel one cucumber with a vegetable peeler. Cut the cucumber into 1/2-inch thick circular slices. Cut each slice into four pieces and add to the mixing bowl.

3. Chop a quarter of a red onion or four scallions into small pieces and add them to the mixing bowl. Finely chop and add 1/4 cup of parsley or mint for added flavor, if desired.

4. Pour 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil over the ingredients. Pour 2 tbsp. of lemon juice or red wine vinegar into the mixing bowl, based on your preference. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Toss the ingredients with a spatula and set the cucumber salad aside until serving. This allows the ingredients to absorb the flavors of the olive oil, acidity, herbs and spices.

Tags: mixing bowl, into 2-inch, pieces them, pieces them mixing, plum tomatoes, them mixing

Differences Of Red & Green Curry

Red curry can be easily paired with meat and vegetables.

You can find all sorts of savory curry dishes with a blend of herbs and spices. These are usually considered a Thai or Indian dish that has a stew-like consistency with water or coconut as its base. There are a few differences between green and red curries that should be noted before you make, buy or order a curry dish.

Color

The most obvious difference between red and green curry is the color. Red curry is has a medium red color, while green curry has a medium green color that closely resembles the shade of grass. There is also a yellow curry which resembles the shade of mustard.

Origin

The color of the curry indicates its main ingredient. Red curry is made out of red chilies. Green curry is made of green chilies but can also get its color from coriander, spinach or mint included in the curry mixture. Yellow curry is derived from turmeric.

Spiciness

Since red curry is made from red chilies, the dishes made with this curry tend to be on the spicy side. Green chilies are made from jalapenos and are on the medium to hot side. When you order curry dishes from a restaurant, they can easily make the dishes spicier if you request it.

Uses

Red curry is often paired with meat, poultry, seafood, tofu, noodles or vegetables to make spicy dishes. Green curry is found in meat, seafood and noodle dishes that have a milder flavor than red curry dishes. Yellow curry is usually sweeter, is paired with spices, such as cinnamon and nutmeg, and found in a variety of dishes and soups.

Tags: curry dishes, curry made, paired with, between green, color curry, curry medium, green curry

Choose A Claret Wine

Claret can be one of many varietals. Robert Foley Vineyards claret is really Cabernet Sauvignon and claret from the European Union is from Bordeaux. No matter what name it assumes, this red wine is easygoing and flavorful and can be happily paired with anything from filet mignon to a pork barbecue sandwich.

Instructions

1. Understand the claret label. Wines labeled as claret that is produced in any country other than France are light-bodied wines full of forward, dark fruit flavors with medium to low tannins.

2. Learn about Left Bank claret. This wine is produced in the Me?doc, Graves and Pessac-Le?ognan appellations in Bordeaux, France. Clarets produced in the Left Bank lean toward Cabernet Sauvignon in both body and flavors. These are big-bodied, earthy wines full of tannins with flavors of black currant and dark berries.

3. Know about Right Bank claret. This wine is produced in the Pomerol and St. Emilion appellations in Bordeaux France. Right Bank Clarets tend to mimic the characteristics of a fine merlot. While full of big tannins, it is more mellow than its Left Bank counterpart. Its dominant flavors evoke blackberries, bittersweet chocolate and coffee, with a slight hint of vanilla.

Tags: Left Bank, appellations Bordeaux, appellations Bordeaux France, Bank claret, Bank claret This, Bordeaux France, Cabernet Sauvignon

Make Homemade Butter

One of the easy ways you can make your cooking a little extra special is by making your own homemade butter. Not only is it cost-effective, it also adds a nice touch to any holiday meal, and is even a fun project to accomplish with the kids. Here are a few tips on enhancing your cooking and entertaining by making your own butter.

Instructions

1. Sterilize a jar. This can be accomplished by boiling a jar, or washing it thoroughly in soap and water. (Make sure it's well rinsed, so there is no residual soap taste.)

2. Purchase fresh cream that is slightly soured. To ripen or sour your cream, leave it out for 12 to 24 hours or until it starts to appear shiny and has a slight acidic texture.

3. "Churn" your cream. Make sure the cream is about 60 degrees. Slowly begin to shake or swirl the jar until little pellets of butter begin to form. This process will take about 30 minutes. (Have the kids pass the jar around as a project to take turns shaking.)

4. Pour off extra cream. As the process continues and the butter forms a solid, there will be some residual buttermilk that is formed. Pour it off, and save it for another recipe that calls for buttermilk. (Biscuits, perhaps).

5. Rinse your butter. Line a colander with cheese cloth, place the butter inside, cover it with cheese cloth and rinse with cold water. This will remove any residual buttermilk which may have a slightly sour taste.

6. Add salt. Place butter in a bowl and add salt to taste, using a wooden spoon or spatula to form the "shape" of your butter.

Tags: your butter, cheese cloth, Make sure, making your, residual buttermilk, with cheese, with cheese cloth

Description Of Thai Mushrooms

Shiitake are one of the only Thai mushrooms sold fresh in the United States.

Thai mushrooms are used fresh or dried in a variety of native dishes. They range from small, common and mild, to large, expensive and flavorful. Many varieties do not ship well. Others only grow wild or have unique relationships with their surroundings, which makes them difficult to cultivate. Consequently, few are found fresh in American grocery stores. Nevertheless, you can find some native varieties, especially the more popular ones, canned or dried in Asian markets.

Straw Mushrooms

Straw mushrooms are one of the most common types of mushroom in Thai cooking. They are small, tan mushrooms with a brown or gray cap and a mild, meaty flavor. They are usually harvested before their caps open, when they are more nutritious, and are sold raw in local markets. Because they are too perishable for commercial transportation and have not been successfully grown in the West, most varieties sold in the United States are canned or dried. Their English name describes the rice straw on which they often grow. Their Thai name is het fang.

Ear Mushrooms

Several types of ear mushrooms are used in Thai cuisine, including the Jew's ear, cloud ear and silver ear, or white jelly fungus. Jew's ears are reddish brown or gray. Cloud ears, also called wood or tree ears, are dark on one side and light on the other. Silver ears, as their name suggests, are white. All varieties are thin and wrinkled. They are often sold dried and must be soaked in water before use. Even when reconstituted and cooked; however, they add a crunch to the dish. In Thai, cloud ear, Jew's ear and silver ears are called het hu nu, het hu nu si nam tan and het hu nu khao, respectively.

Oyster Mushrooms

Oyster mushrooms, or hed nang ROM, appear to have a cap that is a widened extension of the stem. They are white or light with a yellow, gray, pink or blue tint, and taste somewhat like oysters. They are often found in soups and stir-fries.

Shiitake

Shiitake are large mushrooms, often two to four inches wide, with a light to dark brown cap that flattens as it matures. These caps are often sold fresh in American markets, although ironically, many Thai prefer them dried. The name is Japanese for "oak mushroom," reflecting one of their usual hosts. The Thai name is het hom.

Termite Mushrooms

These unusual fungi only grow near termite mounds. They have tall light stems with brown caps, and are crisp and meaty when cooked. Because they only grow in the wild, they must be hunted on foot, often at night. Their rarity and popularity make them an expensive delicacy. Their Thai name is het kone.

Tags: only grow, Thai name, Because they, brown gray, canned dried, cloud silver

Marinades For Salmon

Salmon is one of the most popular fish in America.

Salmon, being one of the most widely-enjoyed fish in America, has a wide array of options for tasty preparation. Using a marinade can enliven your salmon dish with a spicy, sweet, savory or even smoky flavor that makes the entree a dinner to remember. All types of preparation can be used for an exceptional salmon marinade, from grilling to frying, baking or even poaching. One caveat is that fish is always best served as fresh as possible, so avoid allowing the salmon to marinade overnight, if possible.

Lemon Marinade

Lemon marinade uses the citric acid in the lemon to tenderize the salmon. This marinade needs no more than an hour or two at most for the fish to soak up the flavors. Combine fresh lemon juice with a minced garlic clove and a small amount of lemon zest. Add an equal amount of turmeric and ginger, then whisk the mixture together, drop in the salmon and refrigerate in an airtight plastic container.

Teriyaki Marinade

Teriyaki marinade should not be allowed to soak into the salmon for more than two hours, due to the strength of the flavors. Make your own teriyaki marinade by combining 1 cup soy sauce with 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 3 tbsp. brown sugar and three smashed garlic cloves. Add 1 tbsp. ginger and 2 tbsp. cooking sherry. Dump the marinade into a plastic container with a lid, drop in the fish, cover and refrigerate.

Italian Dressing

For a quick marinade that you don't have to fuss over, simply drop the salmon into a plastic lidded container and pour bottled Italian dressing in. This quick and easy marinade infuses intense flavor to the salmon and works well for grilling and frying. Allow the salmon to marinade for no more than one hour for a mild taste, two hours for a stronger, more lively taste. For extra punch, add a little white wine vinegar to the mix before sealing the top.

Dill Marinade

Dill marinade utilizes the same ingredients as lemon marinade, but with several tablespoons of dried dill weed mixed in. To tone down the lemon taste, reduce the amount of lemon juice and substitute for an equal amount of red wine vinegar.

Tags: more than, salmon marinade, amount lemon, drop salmon, equal amount

Roll Phyllo Dough

Phyllo (or filo) dough comes in paper-thin sheets that can be finicky to work with. They dry quickly and tear easily and even some experienced cooks would rather avoid any recipe using them. However, this dough can be a tasty, versatile addition to your pantry.

Instructions

1. Allow your frozen dough to thaw completely. Place it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Then, allow it to warm at room temperature for at least 2 hours. Rushing this step can result in your sheets of phyllo sticking to each other and increase the chances of tears.

2. Assemble all your needed ingredients before hand. Time is of the essence when working with phyllo dough, so have everything you need ready before opening the dough package.

3. Keep the dough moist. Place a damp towel over any dough you aren't working with. Place a piece of wax paper between the dough and the towel to prevent the two from sticking to each other.

4. Coat every layer with melted butter, egg wash or an oil to keep the layers from moving across each other and causing holes and tears. Work quickly when coating the individual sheets so that they don't dry out, but don't tear the dough.

Tags: each other, least hours, sheets that, sticking each, sticking each other

What Are The Health Benefits Of Rice Vinegar

Vinegar made from naturally grown brown and black rice have many health benefits.

Rice vinegar, which is made directly from either black or brown rice, is used extensively in cooking and curative medicine. It is recognized for its ability to kill harmful bacteria and promote a healthy life.

Brown Rice Vinegar Sustains Good Health

Brown rice vinegar maintains good health by blocking two fatty peroxides from forming. One of these peroxides damages the free radicals in your body while the other facilitates cholesterol buildup on the walls of blood vessels. Both of these peroxides are prevented from doing damage by the amino acids in brown rice vinegar.

Brown Rice Vinegar as an Antiseptic

Brown rice vinegar is used in antiseptic medicines and can be used to cure athlete's foot. Brown rice vinegar has the potential to kill detrimental bacteria, such as those found in food, on contact.

On Black Vinegar and Thinning Blood

Black rice vinegar, known as black vinegar or kurosu, has blood-thinning properties and also has the ability to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Black Vinegar and Energy

Black vinegar boosts energy levels as it is a good source of citric acid---a compound crucial to the cell's production of energy.

Rice Vinegar and Lactic Acid Buildup

The amino acids in brown rice vinegar negate the lactic acid buildup in the blood which causes fatigue, irritability, stiffness and inflamed muscles. Lactic acid buildup can also lead to diseases.

Tags: rice vinegar, Brown rice, brown rice, Rice Vinegar, acid buildup

Guar Gum Vs Xanthan Gum

Guar gum and xanthan gum are ground powders that are used in a variety of products.

Creation

Guar gum comes from seed of the guar bean, while xanthan gum comes from the fermenting sugars with xanthomonas campestris, a bacteria that can normally cause diseases and spoilage in fruits and vegetables.

Discovery

Guar gum was first utilized during World War II because of a shortage of locust bean gum, while xanthan gum was developed in an American lab in the 1950s.

Food

Xanthan gum and guar gum are a common emulsifier in ice cream and salad dressing, and occasionally other liquids. They also help waterproof ice cream, preventing ice crystals, and are used as a preservative in other foods.

Other Uses

Guar gum is used in other products such as toothpaste and explosives when a product for similar purposes as its uses in food. Xanthan gum is not as common, but it can be found in helping drill bits operate.

Health

Studies have shown guar gum can help lower cholesterol and diabetes. Large doses of xanthan or guar gum on their own can cause diarrhea, but in lower doses can help natural colon cleansing similar to fiber.

Tags: bean while, bean while xanthan, comes from, while xanthan

Make Mint Flavored Green Tea

I've been drinking a lot of green tea lately, and frankly, drinking cup after cup of the stuff straight gets a little boring. Plus, I don't always want to add extra calories with extra honey or sugar.

So, I have a host of original tea blends in my personal files that I use when I need to shake things up a little bit. I like to make this one in the summer because I usually have fresh mint growing outside. Ideally, I use dried herbs in the blend and garnish it with a few sprigs of fresh mint.

For presentation, I like to serve it in a clear mug so you can see the mint leaves. (I put the garnish directly into the cup so the fresh mint can infuse it.)

Here is make this tasty tea for a change of pace.

Instructions

1. This recipe makes two cups of tea. Mix the green tea, peppermint and spearmint in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container until ready to steep.

2. When ready to drink, add 1 tsp. of the blend into a tea strainer and fit it over a mug. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the mug. Sweeten or add cream as desired and garnish with a sprig of mint.

3. You can also make this in larger batches and give the blend away for gifts. To improvise a tea bag, measure 1 tsp. and place in the center of a small piece of cheesecloth or muslin and tie with cooking twine.

Tags: fresh mint, make this, garnish with

Grow Habaneros Peppers On A Balcony

Habanero peppers are bright orange or cream colored.

Native to the Yucatan Peninsula, the habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense) is one of the hottest peppers available -- 10 times hotter than the jalapeno pepper. Habaneros add sparkle and flavor to culinary dishes of many cultures. The habanero pepper plant is a flowering perennial and will live for several years if protected from freezing temperatures. Habanero pepper plants, also known as "Bahama Mama" or "Scotch Bonnet," take up little space and are easily grown in containers on a sunny patio or balcony.

Instructions

1. Choose pepper varieties based on how much sunlight your balcony receives.

Prepare a planting mixture of two-thirds potting soil and one-third organic compost. Select pots with good drainage. Fill the pots or containers. Water well to allow the soil to settle prior to planting. Habanero peppers can be started from seed or you can purchase starter plants online or from local garden nurseries or home and garden supply stores. Seeds can be started in small pots indoors. Transplant to an outdoor location after all danger of frost has passed. Plant seeds 1/4- to 1/2-inch deep in the soil.

2. Place containers in a sunny location. Seedlings or transplants that do not receive adequate sunlight will be tall and leggy. Keep the soil uniformly damp but not soggy. Soil temperature should be 65 to 75 degrees F. Habanero seeds require 18 to 25 days to germinate. Thin the seedlings or transplants as they develop, retaining only the strongest plants. When transplanting to container or tubs, space habanero pepper plants 8 to 12 inches apart. Each plant will produce about a dozen peppers per season.

3. Feed habanero pepper plants with bone meal. Habanero peppers require an abundance of calcium. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of bone meal around the base of the plant every two weeks. Do not over-water your pepper plants. Excessive moisture causes the peppers to be bitter. Water around the base of the plant, avoiding excess water on the stems and leaves. Water pepper plants in the mid-morning, allowing time for excess water to evaporate before nightfall.

4. Habanero peppers can be dried for future use.

Harvest peppers when they are fully ripened and firm. The growing time to maturity takes 80 to 120 days, depending on temperatures. The majority of habanero pepper varieties produce a bright orange pepper. Some varieties are a salmon color or creamy yellowish-orange. The lightest-colored peppers prove to be the hottest.

Tags: pepper plants, habanero pepper, Habanero peppers, around base, around base plant, base plant, bone meal

Irish Gourmet Food

There is a stereotype that Ireland lacks a gourmet food tradition. Though Ireland may not have "grand cuisine" like that of France, the Irish have elevated their hearty cuisine to gourmet levels. In fact, Irish cuisine is all the more fascinating because it has roots in a famine-struck history.

The History of Irish Gourmet Food

For most of its history, Ireland has suffered severe food shortages and famines. It was only in the 1960s that Ireland began to grow richer, attracting more tourists. It was then that the Irish food industry began to build steam, building on the strong tradition of Irish comfort food.

The Importance of Traditional "Comfort Food" in Ireland

Because the Irish have suffered from so much hunger, they enjoy eating hearty "comfort foods" such as breads, potatoes and stews. Though Ireland has also adopted multicultural cuisines, their traditional cuisine is never far from their hearts.

Irish Breads

Many Irish meals use bread as a main ingredient. The Irish have developed and mastered many different kinds of artisan breads, including soda bread, whole wheat soda bread known as "wheaten" and blaa, a gourmet soft white bread roll, covered in layers of flour, that is unique to Waterford City.

The Potato

If there is one essential food in Irish cuisine, it is the potato. During widespread famines, Irish families usually ate a diet of potatoes to stay alive. Today, many Irish gourmet meals revolve around potatoes. One such meal is colcannon, a meal of mashed potatoes, kale or cabbage, garlic and butter. Another popular meal is shepherd's pie, a pie containing meats, vegetables and mashed potatoes. Even though they may appear simple, these foods are very popular in many Irish gourmet restaurants.

Alcoholic Drinks

Irish cuisine utilizes many Irish pub drinks. The primary drinks are ale and stout, though many types of alcoholic drinks are used. For instance, one Irish gourmet meal is pork chops simmered in ale.

Shellfish

Ireland has a strong fishing tradition due to its access to the Atlantic Ocean. The Irish greatly enjoy shellfish, especially mussels and oysters. Smoked shellfish is an Irish gourmet delicacy, as is smoked salmon.

Irish Desserts

The Irish enjoy adding fruit to their desserts, especially apples. Many of their desserts are bread desserts, such as bread puddings and bread tarts. A quintessential Irish dessert is Soda Bread Tarte Tatin, which uses both soda bread and apples.

Tags: Irish cuisine, Irish gourmet, Irish have, many Irish, soda bread, Gourmet Food

Make Greek Lemon Soup

Greek lemon soup is typically served as an appetizer before the main course of a Greek meal. The soup, also called avgolemono in Greek, is popular even outside of Greek cuisine and introduces people to custom Greek food. The most common type of Greek lemon soup uses chicken broth, but other variations also include chicken for a more hearty soup.

Instructions

1. Pour 6 cups of chicken broth in a large pot and heat on medium-high heat. Once the broth begins to boil, add 1/2 cup of long-grain rice. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

2. Add 3 eggs and 1/4 cup of lemon juice to a small bowl. Whisk the mixture until it's finely combined. Remove the rice and broth from the heat once the rice has fully cooked.

3. Use a ladle to pour 2 cups of the hot broth into the egg and lemon juice mixture in the small bowl. Whisk this mixture until is combined and then pour the small bowl into the pot of broth and rice.

4. Cook the soup in the large pot on medium heat for 10 minutes without letting the soup boil. Stirring continuously to make sure the soup mixture spreads evenly and doesn't get too hot.

5. Remove the soup from heat and serve hot. Before serving, you can also add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish the soup with fresh lemon and chopped parsley.

Tags: small bowl, bowl Whisk, chicken broth, from heat, Greek lemon soup, lemon juice

Cook Chitlings

Chitterlings, also referred to as chitlins, is a popular Southern soul food dish made from pig intestines. Chitterlings can be breaded and fried or incorporated with vegetables as a type of stew. During cooking, chitterlings give off a distinctive, pungent aroma that some people might find off-putting. For that reason, chitterlings were often prepared outside. Purchase chitterlings at specialty markets.

Instructions

1. Use a small kitchen brush to clean the chitterlings, wiping away any foreign matter. Rinse the chitterlings under the faucet three or four times to get the well rinsed. Cut the clean chitterlings into 1/2 inch pieces.

2. Place chitterlings in a large pot and add enough water to just cover the chitterlings. Add in one chopped onion, one chopped small potato, one teaspoon cider vinegar, two bay leaves, 1/4 cup chopped green pepper and one clove of minced garlic. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for three hours, or until the chitterlings are tender.

3. Stir into the pot, at the halfway point of cooking, 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes and salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from heat when cooking has finished and serve chitterlings in bowls with a dash of hot sauce.

Tags: clean chitterlings

Serve Sparkling Shiraz

Shiraz--also known as Syrah--is a wine made from the French Shiraz grape. While often used as a blending grape, Shiraz is gaining popularity among wineries as a primary grape in wine. This grape produces a wine with bold flavors, ranging from blackberries to dark chocolate. Its popularity has brought upon a sparkling variety which tends to be lighter, yet still retains its bold, dark flavors. As with any wine, the proper serving technique will bring out best in a sparkling Shiraz.

Instructions

1. Place the unopened sparkling Shiraz bottle in the refrigerator for 10 to 20 minutes before serving it, just enough to bring the temperature down slightly below room temperature. An ideal temperature is between 60 and 64 degrees.

2. Pour the chilled wine in a Shiraz glass. The glass should be about half-full. Alternatively, pour the sparkling Shiraz in a champagne flute.

3. Serve the sparkling Shiraz with grilled red meat, barbecue or spicy food. The bold flavor of Shiraz grapes may overpower any other types of food. The wine can also be served on its own after a meal.

Tags: sparkling Shiraz

Cook Ribs In A Slow Cooker

Slow cooking yields baby back ribs that are moist and tender.

Baby back ribs, also known as Canadian back ribs, are taken from the part of the ribs near the loins of the pig and are usually meatier and tenderer than spare ribs. Baby back ribs contain from eight to 15 ribs. These ribs are usually barbecued, but they can also be prepared in a slow cooker. This recipe utilizes a 2 1/2-lb. slab of baby back ribs and will serve two to three people. However, this can be used with any type of ribs you have available.

Instructions

1. Coat the surface area of the ribs with a dry meat rub of your choice. Ensure that all of the meat is covered, and then roll the ribs up and put them into the slow cooker.

2. Put the lid on the slow cooker, and set the heat to low. Allow the ribs to cook undisturbed for 9 to 10 hours.

3. Remove the ribs from the slow cooker. Lift them out slowly and gently, as the meat should be falling off the bone.

4. Brush the meaty side of the ribs with a barbecue sauce of your choice. Choose a flavor that complements the flavor of the meat rub for best results.

5. Lay the ribs across a broiler rack, meat side up. Set the broiler to high, and allow the ribs to cook for 7 to 8 minutes. If a broiler is not available, the ribs can be seared, meat side up, on a gas grill set to high heat for 7 to 8 minutes.

6. Remove the ribs from the broiler or grill, and place them on a cutting board. Carve the ribs with a sharp knife, and serve immediately.

Tags: back ribs, ribs with, slow cooker, meat side, Remove ribs

Make A Quick Lowcarb Hollandaise Sauce With Your Microwave

Make curry powder with an assortment of dried herbs and spices.

Hollandaise sauce is naturally low in carbohydrates and full of flavor. The rich and creamy butter- and egg-based sauce is typically used for eggs Benedict. You can also use the sauce, which features a hint of fresh lemon, to accent other egg or even seafood and vegetable dishes. If you're pressed for time in the kitchen, prepare a classic Hollandaise sauce conveniently in your microwave rather than on a stove.

Instructions

1. Soften a 1/2 cup of butter in a microwave-safe measuring cup.

2. Whisk together three egg yolks, 1 3/4 tbsp. of freshly squeezed lemon juice and salt, ground black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste in a microwave-safe mixing bowl.

3. Add the softened butter and whisk until the mixture is well-blended.

4. Microwave the sauce on high in 15-second increments for one minute, or until it is smooth. Take the bowl out of the microwave and whisk the ingredients every 15 seconds. Don't over stir the sauce to prevent it from breaking or separating.

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Make Thai Spinach Soup With Lemongrass Ginger And Fresh Coconut

Thai spinach soup with lemongrass, ginger and fresh coconut is an easy-to-prepare dish with Thai origins, combining ingredients commonly found in Thai cuisine such as lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves and coconut milk with fresh spinach, potatoes and leeks. Thai spinach soup with lemongrass, ginger and fresh coconut is something of a Thai-inspired comfort food, especially when served with a glass of chilled, dry white wine and a slice of fresh-baked French bread. Thai spinach soup can also be served cold on hot days by simply chilling it in the refrigerator or over a bowl of ice.

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the leek, onions, garlic, lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves, cilantro (reserving 2 tbsp. for garnish), garlic and red chile. Cook for four to five minutes, but do not brown.

2. Add the potatoes and vegetable stock and season with sea salt to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

3. Turn the heat up to high and add the spinach. Once the spinach has wilted, approximately one to three minutes, transfer the soup to a blender a puree in batches until smooth.

4. Pour the soup through a strainer and into a clean saucepan. Add the coconut milk and stir to combine. Cook over low heat for three to four minutes.

5. Transfer the soup to individual serving bowls and garnish each with 1/4 tbsp. of chopped cilantro.

Tags: spinach soup, Thai spinach, Thai spinach soup, coconut milk, fresh coconut, ginger fresh coconut

Lunch Box Ideas For Diabetic Kids

A diabetic-friendly lunch often comes in a lunch box.

There was a time when diabetic children had very restrictive diets that included specialized foods and no sugar at all. Today, children with diabetes can thrive on a well-balanced diet of the same foods the rest of the family eats, with regular snacks during the day and a moderate amount of sugar..

The key to a healthy diet for a diabetic child is to know what is in the food she eats. Carbohydrates, fat, and protein should be balanced according to a doctor's plan--generally about 50 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent fat, and 20 percent protein. Many parents of diabetic children monitor the diet with carbohydrate counting or other methods to balance food and insulin intake. Because it is important to know what is in a diabetic child's meals, lunches often come from home.

The sandwiches below can be packed with raw carrots or celery, fresh fruit, and baked veggie chips or crackers for complete meals. When available, the diabetic dietary or carbohydrate counting exchanges are listed.

Chicken and Cole Slaw Wrap

The Mayo Clinic suggests this easy wrap. This variation uses a whole wheat flour tortilla for extra fiber.

Combine 1/2 cup bagged shredded cabbage with 1/8 cup reduced fat coleslaw dressing. Add 2 1/2 ounces canned white meat chicken and 2 ounces crushed pineapple. Chill. Spread on tortilla, fold the bottom, and roll.

Diabetic dietary exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fruit, 1 nonstarch veg, 2 meat, 1 fat

Club Wrap

Nemours suggest this wrap, which keeps well in a lunchbox: spread 2 Tb light cream cheese on a whole wheat tortilla and layer with one slice each lean/low sodium turkey and ham, a slice of swiss cheese, 1 leaf of iceberg lettuce, and 2 slices of tomato. Fold up bottom and roll.

Carbohydrate counting exchange: 2 carbohydrates

Waffle Sandwich

D Life offers this unusual kid-friendly sandwich: combine 1 Tb chunky no salt peanut butter, 2 Tb mashed banana and 1 tsp honey in a bowl. Lightly toast two 8 grain frozen waffles, cool, and spread with peanut butter mixture.

Diabetic dietary exchanges: 1 starch, 1 1/2 fat, 1/2 very lean meat.

Make Your Own Lunck Kit

Diabetic Lifestyle suggests making your own diabetic-friendly lunch "kit," similar to the pre-packaged kits that are full of salt, fat, and msg: cut up cubes of low-fat cheese and cooked leftover chicken breast, plus baby carrots in a small container, with a plastic bag of crackers and a thermos of low-fat milk.

Tags: bottom roll, diabetic child, diabetic children, Diabetic dietary exchanges, diabetic-friendly lunch

Can Borscht Soup

Authentic borscht can be canned and stored for use throughout the year.

Canning homemade soup is a great way to store leftovers without cramming your freezer or refrigerator with storage containers. You can give homemade canned soup away as a gift or you can keep it in a temperature controlled area for use throughout the year. Use extra vegetables from your garden or local farmers market rather than commercially produced vegetables from your local grocer. The benefits to purchasing locally are great. You support local industry, reduce your carbon footprint and will consume vegetables with a greater nutritional content than those farmed and shipped from great distances. Borscht and other vegetable rich soups are great for canning.

Instructions

Prepping the Jars and Lids

1. Heat 2 qts.of water to boiling in a stock pot.

2. Wash your canning jars with hot water and anti-bacterial dish soap. Allow the jars to air dry upside down on a clean kitchen towel or inside of your dish-washer.

3. Drop the canning lids into the boiling water and allow them to boil slowly while you fill the canning jars and prepare to can.

Filling the Jars

4. Remove the canning jars from your dishwasher or turn them right side up on the draining towel.

5. Fit the funnel into the top of one of the jars and ladle enough of the hot soup into the jar to fill it while leaving one inch of head-space. Do not add cream or milk to the soup you will be canning. The dairy will curdle and it will make your borscht look completely unappetizing. Add cream or milk to your soup once you are ready to eat it.

6. Wipe any spillage from the rim of the canning jar with a clean, moist towel and tap the side of the jar to release trapped air bubbles. Repeat this process with the remaining jars.

7. Remove the lids from the boiling water using the lid lifter. Fit a clean lid to each filled jar and tighten until just fingertip tight, but do not over tighten the lids.

Processing the Jars

8. Place the pressure canner on top of the stove on the largest burner. A pressure canner is necessary because of the low acid content of this soup. Other canners will not reach a high enough temperature or pressure to successfully can the soup.

9. Drop the rack into the pressure canner and place your filled, sealed jars in one layer inside of the canner.

10. Pour enough hot water into the canner to fill it approximately three inches.

11. Fasten the lid to the canner and remove the weight from the vent port. Turn the burner to high and allow the water inside the canner to come to a boil. Steam should vent strongly through the port once the water comes up to temperature. Allow the steam to vent for ten full minutes.

12. Place the weight over the vent port and allow the canner to come up to ten pounds of pressure. Once the canner has reached ten pounds of pressure, start your timer. Process the borscht for forty-five minutes and keep an eye on the pressure gauge. If the pressure begins to drop or raises too high, adjust the temperature of the burner to maintain ten pounds of pressure.

Finishing Up

13. Turn off the burner and remove the canner from the heating element once the processing time has elapsed.

14. Allow the canner to cool down until the pressure has completely stabilized. The gauge on the canner should quickly begin to drop toward zero as the canner cools down and the pressure is released.

15. Remove the vent port weight while wearing an oven mitt and safety glasses. Once all of the steam has vented and the pressure gauge reads a solid zero, remove the lid from the canner. Do not try to remove the lid when the canner is still pressurized.

16. Remove the jars from the canner using an oven mitt and a jar lifter. Place the hot jars on a cooling rack or on a clean, dry towel in an area free of cool drafts. Allow the jars to completely cool. The cooling process generally takes a full twenty-four hours. Store the jars in a cool, dry place.

Tags: canning jars, from your, pounds pressure, pressure canner, vent port

Tell If Fresh Duck Has Gone Bad

Refrigerated fresh duck meat should be used within one to two days.

If you've purchased a package of fresh duck meat, Chef's Best, a cooking website, recommends you choose meat that has a smooth, creamy appearance. Fresh duck meat should be free of lesions, cuts or bruises. Additionally, if you suspect the duck meat is bad, check the color, texture and smell before you prepare and consume it.

Instructions

1. Observe the color. While duck meat, along with goose, is inherently darker in color, spoiled meat takes on either a yellowish-greenish or grayish cast. This discoloration occurs when colonies of bacteria reproduce on the surface of the raw duck meat.

2. Feel the texture of the meat. Fresh duck meat should feel wet but not slimy. A slimy surface is indicative of bacterial growth. The book "Poultry Meat Processing" suggests that a slimy surface occurs when bacteria feed and metabolize poultry muscle. Sliminess is a byproduct.

3. Sniff the duck meat. Though duck meat is naturally gamy, spoiled duck meat assumes a putrid odor. According to the website Chefs Best, fresh duck meat should smell clean without odors. A sulfur, "skunky" or moldy dishrag smell is evidence of S. putrefaciens and Pseudomonas, both odor-producing bacteria present on spoiled chicken and duck.

Tags: duck meat, duck meat should, meat should, fresh duck, Fresh duck

Quick Way To Bake Yams

Quick Way to Bake Yams

Yams and sweet potatoes are often prepared and eaten as if they were the same vegetable. Actually, they are totally different foods. Yams are tubers which come from tropical climates and are shipped to the United States. According to "Nutrition Concepts and Controversies," "The orange-fleshed sweet potato called 'yam' in the United States is one of the richest beta-carotene sources known." Not only do they taste good, they are good for you. Baking yams in their whole form takes about an hour, but for cooks in a hurry, simple steps reduce baking time.

Preparation

Scrub the yams, remove any "eyes" and pierce the skins with a fork if you plan to bake them whole. Otherwise, scrub them and slice according to your recipe.

The Quickest Baking Method

The quickest way to cook yams is to pierce the skins with a fork, pop them into a microwave oven and bake for a few minutes until the yam easily "gives" when you squeeze it. The length of cooking time depends on the power of the microwave oven and the size of the yam, but is usually between five and eight minutes for each yam. When it is done, slit it open, add cinnamon sugar and butter or other toppings, and place back into the microwave for a few seconds, remove, then enjoy.

Try eating yams with skin intact, without the addition of high calorie sugars and fats.

Fast Oven Baking

Natural Lifestyle.com shares a quick baking recipe from Organic Living Magazine for yams that takes about 40 minutes. Slices of yams are covered with a liquid made of brown rice syrup, mellow white miso and apple juice. After covering and baking in a 400-degree oven for 10 minutes, the temperature is then reduced to 350 degrees for another 20 minutes until yams are fork-tender.

More Fast-Baking Ideas

A recipe from Chef2Chef.com suggests parboiling 3 lbs. of whole yams for 20 minutes, cool until you can handle them, then pare and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Alternate layers in a buttered baking dish with 4 lbs. of sliced tart Granny Smith apples topped with 2 tbsp. each butter and brown sugar. Bake covered for 20 minutes, remove the cover and continue for another 20 minutes until yams are thoroughly cooked. Spices may be added as desired. Toasted pecans sprinkled on top after baking add a crunchy garnish to the dish.

Tags: minutes until, another minutes, another minutes until, Bake Yams, into microwave, microwave oven

Healthy Peanut Butter Foods

Natural peanut butter comes from peanuts.

Peanut butter is made from ground peanuts to form a type of paste that is often used for sandwiches. Peanut butter is a healthy food because it consists of protein, fiber and heart-healthy fats. Peanuts have lots of nutrients that are known to help decrease the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Some peanut butters have extra additives, such as trans fatty acids and sugars that make the peanut butter less healthy than others. A natural peanut butter, which only consists of ground peanuts, is the healthier option because there are no other additives that are added to the peanut butter.

Snacks

Peanut butter can be used in a variety of recipes and can make a great snack. You can mix peanut butter with popcorn for a quick snack. You can also create a custom snack mix with peanut butter, pretzels and breakfast cereals of your choice. Add a spoonful of peanut butter to a smoothie for a little variety. All these ingredients are low in fat and sodium and are full of flavor.

Breads/Muffins

You can add peanut butter to any type of bread or muffin to increase the flavor as well as create a healthy peanut butter food. Add peanut butter to a traditional banana bread to create a different bread that the family will be sure to love. You can also make a peanut butter and jelly muffin with jelly in the middle of the muffin for a surprise. Mix a little peanut butter in your pancake mix or waffle mix before you cook it to add a extra-healthy benefit to your breakfast.

Sauces

Take two tablespoons of peanut butter and heat it up in the microwave for about 30 seconds to create a savory sauce. Add your favorite spices to the sauce to add extra flavor. Garlic, ginger, cinnamon, basil and oregano are all great options to add to the sauce. You can use the sauce on any vegetable or pasta for a new taste and meal. Not only do these sauces taste good, but they add extra nutrients to any meal because of the nutritional benefits of peanut butter.

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