Resep Kue Putri Salju

Bahan :

• 600 gr Tepung terigu
• 300 gr Kacang mete (disangrai dan ditumbuk halus)
• 200 gr Gula pasir yang agak halus / gula kastor
• 500 gr Margarin (dibekukan, lalu potong - potong)
• 300 gr Gula halus
• 1/2 sdt Vanili

Cara Membuat :

• Campurkan tepung terigu, kacang mete, gula pasir dan margarin jadi satu.
• Remas - remas adonan dengan tangan hingga tercampur rata.
• Simpan dalam lemari pendingin selama 50 menit.
• Ambil 2 sdt adonan, bulatkan dan bentuk seperti bulan sabit.
• Buat hingga adonan habis.
• Letakkan diatas loyang yang telah diolesi mentega, panggang dalam oven hingga matang.
• Angkat dan dinginkan selama 5 menit.
• Gulingkan kedalam campuran gula halus dan vanili.

Zat Kimia masih Ditemukan dalam Makanan Anak

MASALAH keracunan makanan tampaknya sudah langganan di Indonesia. Hampir setiap tahun kasus keracunan selalu ada dan angka kejadiannya pun cukup tinggi. Dan, dari seluruh kasus keracunan makanan yang ada, semua bersumber pada pengolahan makanan tidak higienis. Ironisnya makanan tidak higienis ini banyak dijual di kantin sekolah.

Masalah keamanan pangan, menurut Kepala Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan (BPOM) Sampurno, menjadi isu strategis saat ini.

"Industri rumah tangga di bidang pangan (IRTP) berjumlah lebih dari 500 ribu unit yang tersebar di seluruh Indonesia. Namun, pada saat yang sama IRTP juga mempunyai potensi kerawanan keamanan pangan terutama dalam kebersihan sarana, pemilihan bahan, proses pengolahan, dan monitoring mutu produk di peredaran," jelasnya.

Demikian juga makanan jajanan (street food) dan jajanan anak sekolah, kata Sampurno, perlu mendapat perhatian serius dan konsisten dari semua pihak.

"Terutama adanya fenomena penggunaan bahan-bahan kimia yang dilarang dalam makanan. Perlu dilakukan pembinaan yang lebih intensif kepada IRTP dan pembuat makanan jajanan terhadap pemasok bahan kimia."

Menurutnya, sumber terbesar keracunan makanan yang terjadi di Indonesia berada pada usaha jasa boga atau katering untuk karyawan maupun jajanan anak sekolah.

"Pembinaan dan pengawasan usaha jasa boga dan jajanan anak sekolah ini ada pada Dinas Kesehatan Kabupaten/Kota. Meski demikian, lanjutnya, Badan POM tetap melakukan proaktif menjalin kerja sama dengan mitra terkait.

"Berdasarkan hasil pengujian laboratorium Badan POM sebagian besar kasus keracunan makanan akibat makanan telah terkontaminasi mikroba patogen Staphyllococcus areus."

Hal ini mengindikasikan adanya masalah kebersihan dan proses memasak makanan yang tidak higienis. Sedangkan dari uji sampling jajanan sekolah dari Banda Aceh sampai Jayapura ditemukan makanan mengandung formalin dan boraks pada bakso dan mi untuk pengenyal dan pengawet serta Rhodamin B pada sirup es mambo atau pewarna merah pada es.

Penyuluhan

Sementara itu, anggota Komisi IX DPR RI Tuti Lukman Sutrisno mengemukakan belum semua sekolah mendapat penyuluhan dari Dinas Kesehatan setempat. "Sebab, saya pernah menanyakan kepada penjaga kantin sekolah, mereka belum pernah didatangi petugas kesehatan untuk mendapatkan penyuluhan tentang makanan yang aman untuk anak-anak."

Bahkan, kata Tuti, beberapa kantin sekolah yang menyediakan jajanan anak sekolah sama sekali tidak layak dan tidak aman untuk dikonsumsi anak-anak.

"Pihak sekolah pun harus ikut bertanggung jawab dalam pengadaan jajanan anak sekolah. Karena sekolah yang mengizinkan penjual itu berjualan di sekitar sekolah."

Seperti diketahui, Rhodamin B biasa digunakan untuk pewarna tekstil dan masuk ke dalam golongan pewarna yang dilarang digunakan untuk makanan. Demikian juga produk jajanan mengandung mikroba salmonela yang menyebabkan tifus.

Menurut Sampurno, penanganan makanan jajanan anak sekolah ini harus melibatkan pihak sekolah untuk melakukan pembinaan kepada para penjaja makanan yang ada di sekitar sekolah maupun kantin.

Sampurno meminta pihak sekolah harus mewaspadai donasi dan promosi makanan yang dilakukan di sekolah-sekolah. "Makanan yang didonasikan ke sekolah bila tidak diatur dan dilakukan pengawasan dengan baik dapat menimbulkan masalah dan risiko pada anak-anak sekolah."

Sehubungan dengan hal itu Badan POM telah menyampaikan pedoman pemberian pangan untuk konsumsi anak sekolah kepada gubernur di seluruh Indonesia.

Sedangkan industri makanan di dalam negeri dengan teknologi modern juga tumbuh pesat dengan dukungan basis sumber daya nasional. "Untuk bersaing di pasar ekspor, aspek mutu dan keamanan produk harus dijaga konsisten untuk selalu memenuhi standar internasional terkini."

Anggota DPR dari Komisi IX Achmad Affandy menilai bahwa pemantauan terhadap makanan yang ditambah dengan zat kimia tidak tuntas. "Dulu pernah ada pemeriksaan terhadap bahan pembuat tahu Kediri. Hasil pemeriksaan POM mengandung formalin. Pengusaha tahu Kediri jera dan tidak lagi menambahkan formalin. Akan tetapi, setelah beberapa bulan kemudian dilakukan lagi dengan alasan usahanya bisa rugi."

Menurut Sampurno, perbuatan pengusaha itu jelas merugikan masyarakat apalagi menambahkan zat kimia terlarang pada makanan yang cukup khas di kotanya.

Sampurno menjelaskan program pengawasan keamanan pangan Badan POM pada tahun mendatang difokuskan untuk menyelesaikan dan menyusun berbagai standar bekerja sama dengan Badan Standardisasi Nasional (BSN).

"Terutama menyangkut bahan tambahan pangan pengemulsi, pemantap, pengatur keasaman, pengental, antioksidan, pemutih, pematang tepung dan sebagainya."

Demikian pula berbagai peraturan pangan yang saat ini sudah dalam proses, lanjutnya, perlu diselesaikan segera. Misalnya, peraturan persyaratan penggunaan pengawet dalam produk pangan, persyaratan penggunaan pewarna, persyaratan penggunaan bahan baku, persyaratan penggunaan cemaran logam, dan batas maksimum aflatoksin dalam produk pangan.

Sering kali anak-anak tertarik dengan jajanan sekolah karena warnanya yang menarik, rasanya yang menggugah selera, dan harganya terjangkau. Makanan ringan, sirup, bakso, mi ayam dan sebagainya menjadi makanan jajanan sehari-hari di sekolah. Bahkan tak terbendung lagi berapa uang jajan dihabiskan untuk membeli makanan yang kurang memenuhi standar gizi ini.

Bahan tambahan

Menurut Ketua Patpi (Perhimpunan Ahli Teknologi Pangan Indonesia) Cabang DKI Jaya DR Ir RD Esti Widjajanti, makanan semakin enak biasanya ditambah dengan bahan tambahan makanan (BTM). "Produsen makanan rumah tangga akan berusaha menampilkan makanan semenarik mungkin baik dari penampakan, aroma, dan tekstur. Akan tetapi, acap kali faktor gizi, higienis dan keamanan pangan justru diabaikan."

Faktanya produksi pangan olahan untuk tujuan komersial penggunaan bahan tambahan kimia sebagai bahan pengawet tidak mungkin dihindari, terutama industri makanan rumah tangga.

Tujuan penggunaan bahan pengawet ini adalah untuk menghambat atau menghentikan aktivitas mikroba (bakteri, kapang, khamir). "Akhir tujuannya dapat meningkatkan daya simpan suatu produk olahan, meningkatkan cita rasa, warna, menstabilkan, memperbaiki tekstur, sebagai zat pengental/penstabil, antilengket, mencegah perubahan warna, memperkaya vitamin, mineral, dan sebagainya."

Menurutnya, pemberian bahan tambahan tersebut tidak merusak nilai gizi makanan itu, asalkan tidak kedaluwarsa. Biasanya kalau masa kedaluwarsanya sudah ditentukan, maka empat bulan menjelang kedaluwarsa makanan itu mengalami perubahan.

Penggunaan zat pengawet sebaiknya dengan dosis di bawah ambang batas yang telah ditentukan. Jenis zat pengawet ada dua, yaitu GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe), zat ini aman dan tidak berefek toksik, misalnya garam, gula, lada, dan asam cuka.

Sedangkan jenis lainnya yaitu ADI (Acceptable Daily Intake), jenis pengawet yang diizinkan dalam buah-buahan olahan demi menjaga kesehatan konsumen.

Menurut Esti, pewarna, pengawet, atau penguat rasa alamiah sangat sulit dilakukan di Indonesia karena harganya cukup mahal. "Apalagi dijual untuk konsumsi anak sekolah, industri rumah tangga lebih menyukai bahan kimia. Kalau zat pewarna jelas warnanya lebih ngejreng dibandingkan dengan pewarna dari Angkak. Warnanya kurang menarik dan mahal harganya."

Demikian juga dengan pemanis buatan, seperti aspartam jauh lebih disukai produsen karena hanya satu tetes saja, kata Esti, sudah cukup manis dibandingkan gula asli dari tebu.

Sedangkan penguat rasa MSG, lanjutnya, kalau di luar negeri dipakai penguat rasa dari tumbuhan. Harganya memang mahal dibandingkan MSG hasil fermentasi, seperti yang dipakai di Indonesia. "Tentu saja masyarakat harus hati-hati mengonsumsi makanan dan minuman yang masih rendah keamanannya. Jangankan jajanan sekolah, pembuatan tempe saja sekarang ini masih kurang higienis, khususnya sanitasinya. Bagaimana tempe kita bisa diekspor," kata Esti yang juga Kepala Bidang Teknologi Pangan dan Nutrisi BPPT ini.

Untuk mengantisipasi dampak keracunan dan meningkatkan keamanan pangan, rencana Badan POM ke depan, menurut Sampurno, akan membentuk Pusat Kewaspadaan dan Penanggulangan Keamanan Pangan di Indonesia (National Center Food Safety Alert and Respons). Pada 2005 nanti Badan POM akan menerapkan sistem Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) pada industri pangan dan system food star pada industri rumah tangga pangan.

"Rencana ke depan Badan POM akan melaksanakan sistem standardisasi produk pangan dan bahan berbahaya, membangun networking dengan berbagai instansi berkaitan dengan mutu dan keamanan jajanan anak sekolah."

Dan tak kalah penting, lanjut Sampurno, Badan POM perlu meningkatkan koordinasi lintas sektor tentang pengelolaan dan pengamanan bahan kimia.

HORSE MEAT

Quick, who eats horsemeat? If you don’t know the answer, read on. The information may be good for you!

French, Italians, Swiss, Japanese and Quebecois in Canada are horse meat aficionados and most of the 65,000 horses slaughtered in the country were shipped to Europe, Japan and to the province of Quebec.

The French appetite for horse meat dates from the Battle of Eylau in 1807, when the surgeon-in-chief of Napoleon’s Army, Baron Dominique-Jean Larry, advised the starving troops to eat the flesh of dead battlefield horses. The cavalry used breastplates as cooking pans. They also used whatever spices they could get their hands on. It continues today!

Horsemeat is lean, protein-rich, finely textured, bright red, firm, and more so horses are immune to BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy). Tough meat cuts must be cooked long enough to tenderise connective tissue (collagen), or marinated before cooking to ensure both flavour and tenderness.

English will not consume horsemeat. To them, horses are companions, not food, the way most of us think of dogs!

Yet Chinese and Korean eat dog meat and consider it a delicacy. One man’s protein is another man’s pet!

Today horsemeat at least in Quebec, particularly in Montreal is very popular. Butchers specializing in horsemeat are busier than ever due to the BSE fears spreading rapidly.

Horse butchers in Montreal sell minced meat, steaks, sausages, and brochettes. All claim horsemeat to be superior quality from a sanitary perspective.
In Europe, horse butchers are allowed to sell only horsemeat, as is the case in Quebec.

Americans will not touch horsemeat, and find it offensive to consume it.

MUSHROOMS - THE FRIVOLITIES OF COOKING

Mushrooms and tubers are the luxuries one might call frivolities of the kitchen. Of late ‘foodies” seem to have discovered a taste for both cultivated and wild mushrooms. They have a subtle and distinct flavour, a crisp but yielding texture, but no real food value or calories. If the right mushroom is used for the right recipe, the resulting culinary delight may be heavenly.
The range in both taste and texture between the many edible species of mushrooms is surprisingly wide. There are hundreds of mushroom varieties, but only a fraction have been successfully cultivated.
Flavourful mushrooms grow wild and have to be “hunted”. North American forests abound with wild mushrooms, but unfortunately, only few “hunt” and appreciate them. Only a few wild mushroom species are poisonous, but anyone can be trained to identify them easily.
The four most popular wild mushrooms are the cepe, chanterelle, morel and field mushrooms. Black and white truffles, shiitake mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms have been popular with gourmet chefs and amateurs for centuries.
Standard white mushrooms were first cultivated on fumigated horse manure in abandoned quarries outside Paris at the end of the 17th century. These mushrooms are the “descendants” of the creamy white field mushrooms. Brown mushrooms marketed as crimini are firmer in texture and stronger in taste.
Button mushrooms are very small and deeply flavoured; on the other hand, No. 1 mushrooms are large, watery in taste and almost mushy in texture. They must be stuffed and baked.
Cultivated white mushrooms are widely available and best when their veil, the thin skin connecting the cap and stem, is intact. Champignons contain 90 percent water and can only be canned.
Japanese and Chinese gourmets appreciate mushrooms as much as any western gourmet and are avid mushroom hunters, much like northern Europeans. The most popular Japanese mushrooms are shiitake. Grown on oak stumps, or shija, the shiitake is an excellent mushroom for cooking, and salads.
Locally grown shiitake mushrooms are now widely available and worth trying.
Europeans prefer shiitake mushrooms sautéed with steaks, whereas Chinese like them stir fried. Japanese prefer them tempura style. Shiitakes are high in alkalis neutralizing acidity in meat, and help digest heavy foods. In Japan, shiitake mushrooms are graded as: Hana donko (the best), donko, doshin, koko, kotsubo donko, and small canned pieces.
Shittakes contain 10 – 12 percent protein, 60 percent saccharoids, 4.6 percent mineral salts, vitamins B1, B2, Niacin and D2.
They taste best in boiled foods, soups, added to ground meat, for sauces, for lobster preparations or simply fried in butter.
Mushrooms are highly perishable and should be stored in cool moist places. Oyster mushrooms (pleurotus ostreatus) will have a firm texture, pleasant and buttery flavour if julienned and sautéed. Its typical scent gives stews, salt cod, roast pork loins and sausages a distinct flavour. Oyster mushrooms are grown close to Toronto in Ontario in specialized farms and are available in fine grocery stores.
One of the most prized tubers, the black truffle (tuber melanosporum) grows on the roots of the truffle oak, often at less than 30 cm below the surface. Some have white veins but most are very black. Truffles cannot be cultivated. The more seedlings of the truffle oak are planted, the more chances exist for them to yield this precious tuber. Moderately humid climates are best for this tree. The best come from the Garonne (Perigord) and in south-eastern France. Since truffles are invisible, specially trained dogs are used to find them. Sows were once used but proved to be too difficult to transport and control as they love to eat truffles. Dogs are happier with a dog cookie. The size of the truffle varies considerably and can range from 10 grams to 100 grams. Large truffles are more expensive because of their rarity.
The trees thrive on limey stony soils with a good drainage. Truffles have long been considered aphrodisiacs, but there is no scientific evidence to support this claim. Chefs use them in goose liver pates, in puff pastry, in sauces, in scrambled eggs, or serve them simply sautéed in butter and white wine.
There are also imitation truffles consisting of egg whites, truffle juice and seasonings. They should not be confused with the original product.
Black truffles are extremely expensive and sold by the gram from May to June. For the rest of the year one must be content with canned truffles, or truffles flavoured olive oil, or live with the memories from the previous season.
Spain and Germany also have truffle-bearing trees, but do not enjoy the reputation of their French counterparts. Fraudulent merchants sell soggy coloured truffle-like mushrooms for half the price with predictably poor flavour.
The white truffle (tuber magnatum) is considered by some connoisseurs to possess a superior smell and flavour than the black. It is found in Piedmont, around the town of Alba, and Monferrato in Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna around Parma, Modena and Bologna. The white truffle smells of garlic and is penetrating. It is used to flavour risottos, pastas, meats, and egg and cheese fondues.
Other less valued truffles are tuber mesentericum, tuber aestivum (red grained black truffles) and tuber borchii. Grey truffles are inferior in taste and texture.
Morels (morchella) are variously called pinecones, sponges and brains in North America. They are abundant in France and Germany. Many people hunt them in season and simply sauté them. In North America only the canned versions are available. There are fresh morels from New Brunswick in season but only for a few weeks.
Morels grow in Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York State and New England States.
All true morels, of which there are four species, are delicious and can be eaten stuffed, broiled, sautéed, or incorporated into meat, egg recipes and casseroles.
Morels freeze and dry well.
Caesar’s mushroom so called because it is considered worthy of an emperor, is undoubtedly one of the best tasting mushrooms.
It grows in Europe, Asia and Africa. It can be eaten raw in salads (marinate for four hours in lemon juice) or may be sautéed. Because this mushroom has some poisonous species, chefs shy away from using it.
Cepe, steinpilz in German and penny-bun bolete in Great Britain. Ancient Greeks and Romans considered cepes to be the best of all edible mushrooms. It is one of the prized edible mushrooms throughout its natural range in Europe, Asia and North America. Cepe is white at first and changes to develop a reddish-brown cap. The flesh is chalky white. It freezes well, can be canned, but processors prefer canning or drying for convenience in transportation. Chefs use cepes in risottos, pastas, and veal cutlets. It is in season form June to November. A hot humid summer induces growth.
The chanterelle is shaped like a funnel (2 – 12 cm in diameter) and an exquisite taste. It grows in the coniferous forests of Europe, North Africa, North America, Asia and Australia. It is best to simply sauté them in butter, or slice and bread and fry in butter.
Girolle is found in Europe, Japan, North Africa, North America, and Australia, and appears from June to October in markets. It tastes best stewed.
Although wild mushrooms are quite expensive, their culinary value is indisputable. They flavour sauces with delicate nuances elevating them from ordinary to heavenly. Mushroom hunters are happy to spend refreshing hours in the woods, and greatly appreciate their rewards.

TABASCO

A condiment that is a spicy hot sauce made from Tabasco peppers, vinegar, and salt. The hot peppers are picked by hand as soon as they ripen to the perfect shade of bright red. The same day the peppers are picked, they are mashed, mixed with a small amount of Avery Island salt, placed in white oak wooden barrels, and allowed to ferment and then age for up to three years. When deemed ready by a member of the McIlhenny family, the approved, fully aged mash is then blended with all natural, high grain vinegar. Numerous stirrings and about four weeks later, the pepper skins and seeds are strained out. The finished sauce is then bottled.
Avery Island is not really an island – it is a huge dome of rock salt, three miles long and two and a half miles wide. At it's highest point it is only 152 feet above sea level. It is located seven miles south of New Iberia, surrounded by wet marsh and the Bayou Peiti Anse. It’s one of five along the Louisiana Gulf Coast, formed when an ancient seabed evaporated, depositing pure salt, which rose up in large chunks and pushed the ground into a hill.

Long before its namesake Avery family settled there in the 1830s, American Indians discovered that Avery Island’s verdant flora covered a precious natural resource—a massive salt dome. There the Indians boiled the Island’s briny spring water to extract salt, which they traded to other tribes as far away as central Texas, Arkansas, and Ohio.

19^th Century

1850s – Edmund McIlhenny (1815-1890), a New Orleans banker, was given a gift by a soldier returning to New Orleans from Mexico of some dried peppers that were acquired in Mexico during the United States-Mexican War (1846-1848. The soldier told him to try them in his food. He used one or two and like it, so he saved the seeds from the remaining peppers and planted them. He grew them in his wife’s garden at Avery Island. McIlhenny did not raise them commercially for another twenty years.

1863 – In April of 1863, during the Civil War (1861-1865), Edmund McIlhenny fled with his wife when the Union Army entered the city. They took refuge on Avery Island in rural Iberia Parish, where her family owned a salt-mining business.

Because of the salt on the island, the Union forces invaded the island and captured the mines in 1863. The McIlhennys fled to Texas and didn’t return until the end of the war. The area that would became Iberia Parish was hotly contested by Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War. Their battle lines moved back and forth through the area, and Union troops twice looted the town. They also seized the Weeks family mansion, now called "Shadows-on-the-Teche," and used it as a command post — but not before it, too, was looted. As a Union officer noted, "the boys were allowed to go through it, sack, pillage and destroy every article within its walls."

When the McIlhenny family came back, they found their plantation ruined and their mansion plundered. One possession remained, a crop of capsicum hot peppers.

1868 – Determined to turn the peppers into income, he devised a spicy sauce using vinegar, Avery Island salt, and chopped capsicum peppers. McIlhenny packaged his aged sauce in 350 used cologne bottles and sent them as samples to likely wholesalers. He passed some of his sauce onto General Hazard, who was the federal administrator in the region. The general knew a good thing when he tasted it. His brother happened to be the larges wholesale grocer in the United States. General Hazard sent some of the hot sauce to his brother in New York, and told him it was made from a new kind of chili pepper. On the strength of the purchase orders that followed, Edmund McIlhenny began a commercial operation in 1868.

At first he wanted to call this new sauce Petite Anse Sauce (after the island), but when family members baked at the commercial use of the family’s island name, he opted for his second choice “Tabasco.” Some historians say it’s a Central American Indian word that means “land where the soil is hot and humid.” This certainly describes the climate of Avery Island. Other historians have put forth that it actually means “place of coral or oyster shell.”

1870 - McIlhenny secured a patent Pepper Sauce. In 1872, he opened an office in London to handle the European market. Bottles with metal tops replaced the corked bottles sealed with green wax as the increasing demand for Tabasco sauce caused changes in the packaging.

1893 – Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Club produced a play called “Burlesque Opera of Tabasco” with the approval of Edmund McIlhenny’s son, John Avery McIlhenny. He bought the rights to the production and had it staged in New York City.

1895 – Lord Horatio Herbert Kitcherner’s (1850-1916), British Field Marshal and statesman, troops brought Tabasco pepper sauce on their invasion of Khartoum in the Sudan.

20^th Century

1906 - In 1898, another Louisiana entrepreneur (and former McIlhenny employee) named B. F. Trappey began growing tabasco chiles from Avery Island seed. He founded the company B. F. Trappey and Sons and began producing his own sauce, which was also called "Tabasco." The McIlhenny family eventually responded to this challenge and a several decades-long feud by receiving a trademark for their Tabasco® brand in 1906.

1920s – In 1921, an American bartender in Paris, Fernand "Pete" Petiot, mixed up some vodka and tomato juice. According to legend, Petiot said, “It was suggested we call the drink 'Bloody Mary' because it reminded him of the Bucket of Blood Club in Chicago, and a girl there named Mary." In 1934, Petiot brought the drink to the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel in New York. It was in New York that he added pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, lemon, lime and horseradish. Petiot pushed his tomato-based drink as a hangover cure. Born the Bucket of Blood, the drink was later called Red Snapper and Morning Glory before finally being christened Bloody Mary, supposedly after American entertainer George Jessel accidentally spilled one of the crimson beverages over a young woman named Mary.

1929 - In 1929, Trappey's expanded to two plants, one in Lafayette and one in New Iberia. That same year, the McIlhenny family won a trademark infringement suit against the Trappeys. From that time on, only the McIlhenny sauce could be called "Tabasco," and competitors were reduced to merely including tabasco chiles in their list of ingredients. The two companies had competed with identically named sauces for thirty-one years.

1932 – When the British government began an isolationist “Buy British” campaign, Parliament banned the purchases of Tabasco Pepper Sauce, popular in England since 1868 and available in the House of Commons dining rooms. The result protest from members of Parliament was dubbed “The Tabasco Tempest,” and inevitably Tabasco pepper sauce returned to parliamentary tables. It is said, that to this day, Queen Elizabeth uses Tabasco pepper sauce on her lobster cocktail.

21^st Century

2002 - Archaeologists digging at the site of a black-owned saloon in the historic Old West mining town of Virginia City unearthed a 130-year-old bottle of Tabasco brand hot sauce. The bottle, the oldest style of Tabasco bottle known to exist, was reconstructed from 21 shards of glass excavated from beneath the site of the Boston Saloon, which was owned by an African-American from Massachusetts and catered to blacks and whites from 1864-75, was among the first eateries to introduce the now-popular spicy sauce. “The Tabasco bottle is particularly intriguing because of what it implies about African-American cuisine and the development of the West,” said Kelly Dixon, the administrator of the Comstock Archaeology Center who is supervising the dig in Virginia City about 20 miles southeast of Reno.

Did You Know?

Each 2-ounce bottle of Tabasco Sauce contains at least 720 drops?

The U.S. Territory of Guam is the world's largest per capita consumer of Tabasco sauce, according to the McIlhenny Company. Some people say that Guamanians acquire a passion for hot sauce in the cradle, when mothers lace their babies' bottles with Tabasco. True or not, that story started because those Pacific islanders consume the equivalent of almost two 2-ounce bottles of Tabasco sauce per person each year, a feat unmatched in any other country on Earth.

During the Vietnam War, the McIlhenny company sent thousands of copies of the Charley Ration Cookbook, filled with recipes for spicing up C-rations with Tabasco pepper sauce, wrapped around two-ounce bottles of Tabasco pepper sauce in waterproof canisters?

SECRETS OF GREAT BREADS

Often we field questions about making great bread. Great bread is a matter of using the right ingredients and the right techniques—there’s no single secret that will make perfect bread. But really great bread is readily attainable. We’ve compiled our list of what goes into great bread.

1. The right flour.
2. An understanding of yeast.
3. A good dough conditioner.
4. A baker’s thermometer

Now this isn’t everything that goes into great bread but the baker that is armed with these four tools are likely to be baking great bread.

Recently we stated that if there is a secret ingredient that bakers use it’s the flour. So we put the right flour on the top of our list.

To understand how important flour is, you need to understand just a little about gluten. Gluten strands are formed from the proteins naturally occurring in wheat flour. It's what gives bread its chewy texture. If you use a flour with a higher percentage of protein, you will have more gluten. Most commercial bread bakers are going to use flours with 10 to 14% protein--bread flour.

Commercial bakers have access to dozens of different flours. If you want really good bread, buy a good quality bread flour--even if you have to make a deal with a local baker.

If you buy your flour at the grocery store be aware that all flours are not equal. For bread you want a bread flour. Name brands are likely to do a better job of holding to a specification and will provide more consistent results. You can get an idea of the protein content from the nutrition label. Divide the grams of protein by the grams in the serving size to get the approximate percentage of protein in the flour (subject to rounding error). For home baking, you want at least ten percent and preferably higher.
Yeast is a living organism. The gases expelled by the growing yeast are what leavens the bread. The skilled baker recognizes that with the dough, he or she is culturing a living organism and that the yeast must be growing in the right culture to create the gases to make light airy bread. The right culture is primarily a function of moisture, temperature, and pH or the acidity level.
This brings us to our dough conditioner. Dough conditioner alters the pH of the dough (among other things) so that it enhances the growth of the yeast and it makes the dough more extensible. All else being equal, dough conditioner can make a good bread great. You can buy dough conditioner (or dough enhancer as it is sometimes called) in some grocery stores or you can order it online at www.preparedpantry.com

And finally, a thermometer has been called the baker’s secret weapon. We would not think of making bread without one. We use it to measure water temperature. (When we use our bread machines, we measure the water temperature to exactly 80 degrees—not one degree off. When we make bread in our stand-type mixer or by hand, we use water between 100 degrees and 110 degrees.) We nearly always measure the temperature of the bread when it comes from the oven. And you can use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the dough to make sure that you have the right temperature for your yeast to thrive in. An insta-read thermometer is best.

Blue Cheeses (Bleu Cheeses)

Blue Cheese History and Facts (also spelled ‘bleu cheese’)

Blue cheese is a general classification of cow's milk and/or goat's milk cheeses with a blue or blue-green mold. The blue mold in these cheeses is due to mold spores from Penicillium roqueforti or Penicillium glaucum, etc. Today most blue cheeses (bleu cheese) are either injected with the mold, as with Roquefort, or the mold is mixed right in with the curds, as it is with Gorgonzola, to insure even distribution of the mold. Most of these cheeses must still be aged in the original caves where they were developed to bear the name.
Most Blue cheeses are made from whole cow's milk, but there are also made with ewe's or goat's milk. These complex blue veined cheeses are generally ranked as some of the best cheeses in the world. They are strong flavored, and have a unique 'tang' that distinguishes these cheeses. Some of the best are Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola and Danablu.

Lanark Blue is a Scottish blue cheese made from ewe's milk. It has blue green veins, a strong salty flavor, with a creamy white inside.

Some Blue Cheese History
Most of these cheeses were originally produced in caves in their respective areas, where the mold was naturally present. This combined with the unique nutrients that the mold grew on in the caves affected the flavor, texture and blue-green color of the mold in each of these cheeses. In the beginning, this was most likely discovered by accident when cheeses were stored in the caves, and they developed mold. Then someone decided to taste the cheese that others might have thought to be ruined, and realized how exquisite the taste had become.
Some blue cheeses, such as Danablue, were developed later as less expensive alternatives to the higher priced Roquefort cheese from France.

The process for making America's ‘Maytag Blue Cheese’ was developed by the Iowa State U. in 1941 (it is a process for making blue cheese with pasteurized milk.) Production was begun by Fred Maytag II (of dishwasher fame) when he heard about the new process. Maytag blue is also aged in specially designed caves.

ARAK, RAKI, OUZO, SAMBUCA AND PASTIS

ALL ARE TYPICALLY MEDITERRANEAN DISTILLATES

Around the Mediterranean from Lebanon in the east to Spain in the west practically all countries produce a version of anise flavoured distillates under a range of names: the Arabs call it arak, Turks raki, Greeks ouzo, Italians sambucca, French pastis and Spaniards anisado.
While Muslims are not supposed to consume alcoholic beverages according to one of the tenets of their religion, historians and researchers widely attribute the discovery of distillation to Arab alchemists in the 13th century. In fact, the word alcohol is derived from Arabic al-cool, and alembic still from al-embic.
Although there are theories that Chinese had discovered the secrets of distillation well before Arab alchemists, nothing has been unearthed to even remotely corroborate such claims.
Mary the Jewess and Hypatia of Alexandria, an important learning centre well into the 12th century had invented a contraption to separate liquids by heating but they never thought of exploiting the difference of boiling points of water (100 C) at sea level and alcohol (78.3 C).
It is thought that the Roman Emperor Diocletian’s order to burn all alchemists books in 296 A D contributed to the delay of the discovery of distillation principles by western scientists.
Regardless of historical facts and twists of events arak was and remains one of the most famous and widely consumed distillates in the world, but oddly enough not in the English speaking countries of the world. Maybe arak consumption requires the right environment and food. There is something to be said about drinking in the right environment, a pastis in one of Marseille’s quayside cafes tastes much better than the same drink in Toronto.
Of all the Arabic, speaking countries Lebanon reputedly produces the best arak and the very best of them sells for more than Scotch whisky in that country.
For Lebanese arak means a clear flavourful distillate to be diluted with sufficient water and consume alongside food.
The Bekaa Valley south east of Beirut, considered the pearl of the Mediterranean before the almost 20 year of armed conflict ruined it, is well known for its arak, but the best of all comes from artisan distillers with very small operations or restaurant owners who also distil their own.
In the valley, there is at least one restaurant owner who buys obeidah grapes (supposedly the mother grape of Chardonnay) presses them and ferments the juice naturally. After the fermentation, the weakly alcoholic liquid is left to settle and then filtered to remove the crudest suspended matter. Subsequently the liquid is distilled in copper stills produced by skilled Arab masters.
During the first and subsequent runs the fore shots and faints are carefully separated, collected and redistilled to minimize methyl alcohol content.
In fact, it is the separation of alcohol and water that Arab alchemists discovered and then refined it by redistillation of the aforementioned parts for purity.
After the first distillation at 70 percent ABV, the distillate is diluted to 53 percent ABV and redistilled in the presence of unwashed, uncrushed anise from the village of Hinel on the Mount Hermon close to the Syrian border. Still the second run is separated, and redistilled twice more to obtain the ebst arak imaginable.
If you want to experience this, arguably best arak, you must travel to Kesrouan in southeastern Lebanon and ask Maronites to direct you to the restaurant. Only 100 bottles per year are produced for consumption in her restaurant.
Ksara, Fakhra and El Massaya are commercial brands of fine Lebanese araks but cannot compete with the both depth and sophistication of flavour and fine texture of the artisinal arak.
The best way to enjoy arak is to pour it into a tall glass with a few ice cubs one part of arak and dilute it by pouring five parts of water. At this instant, it will turn milky white and will have been diluted to approximately 10 percent ABV. Arak requires Middle eastern food, (Small servings of feta cheese, rice and pine nut stuffed vine leaves, marinated olives, spicy, thinly slices sausages, cracked wheat balls stuffed with raw, chopped lamb, fried mussels, fried cubed lamb liver sprinkled with chopped parsley, red mullet roe blended with mie de pain, olive oil, lemon juice, fried smelts, poached sliced cold lamb’ brains with vinaigrette dressing, roast leg of lamb with vegetables, soy beans cooked in olive oil and tomatoes, plenty of flat bread), and good company.
In effect, Middle Eastern food is designed for communal eating and never satisfying in a restaurant for a party of two.
Turkish raki, Greek ouzo resemble arak but are lighter in flavour. Italian Sambuca is a liqueur meant to be a digestive and pastis contains anis, many herbs and a little sugar making it quite different from its Arabic counterparts.

Alcohol in the Diabetics Diet

If you have diabetes and you decide that you want to have an occasional alcoholic drink, it is important that you talk with your doctor first to determine if it is safe for you to do so. Alcohol in mixed drinks, wine, or beer can affect blood sugar levels differently, depending on whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, the medications that you are taking, the level of your diabetes control, etc.

But, what about cooking with alcohol? This seems to be of concern to some of you as we occasionally call for alcohol in our cooking -- it's an excellent way to add flavor to foods. Most, but not all of the alcohol disappears, or evaporates, leaving few calories.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has published the following information concerning the alcohol content in cooked foods. You may find the results interesting and helpful in your cooking of other recipes which include alcohol.

Preparation Procedure: Alcohol added to boiling liquid and removed from heat
Percent alcohol retained: 85 percent alcohol

Preparation Procedure: Alcohol flamed
Percent alcohol retained: 75 percent

Preparation Procedure: No heat, stored overnight
Percent alcohol retained: 70 percent

Preparation Procedure: Baked, 25 minutes, alcohol not stirred into mixture
Percent alcohol retained: 45 percent

Preparation Procedure: Baked/simmered, alcohol stirred into mixture:
15 minutes 40 percent
30 minutes 35 percent
1 hour 25 percent
1.5hours 20 percent
2 hours 10 percent
2.5 hours 5 percent

Perhaps your doctor said "Nope, no alcohol at all". Well, okay we can deal with this! There are substitutions you can make in recipes calling for wine, beer, etc. Here are some suggestions:

• In savory dishes for each cup (240 ml) of wine in the recipe, substitute 7/8 cup (210 ml) of fat-free low-sodium chicken, beef, vegetable broth, apple juice, white grape juice, or tomato juice, with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice or vinegar.
• In desserts, substitute fruit juice for the wine, adding a dash of balsamic vinegar to the juice.
• For orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier, use an equivalent amount of frozen orange juice concentrate plus some grated orange zest.
• For coffee liqueur, use double-strength espresso or instant coffee made with 4 to 6 times the amount of coffee normally used.
• For brandy or rum, try a small amount of brandy or rum extract, or pure vanilla extract.

Hunan Beef

Ingredients:

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 tbsps. cooking oil
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 4 small dried red chilies
• 1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp. water

Marinade

• 2 tbsps. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 tbsp. Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 3/4 lb. flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain

Sauce:

• 3 tbsps. Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. chili garlic sauce
• 1 tsp. sesame oil

Directions:

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add beef and stir to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl.
3. Place broccoli in a large pot with 1 inch of boiling water. Boil until tender and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes; drain.
4. Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides. Add garlic and chilies and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add beef and stir fry until no longer pink, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
5. Add broccoli and sauce to wok; bring to a boil. Add cornstarch mixutre and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens. Serve with rice.

Spring Rolls

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 8 spring roll skins
• 2 oz. thinly sliced pork, cut into thin strips

Mixture A:

• 1 tsp Chinese rice wine or sherry
• 1 tsp coy sauce and cornstarch
• A few grain of pepper

• 2 dried large Chinese mushrooms, soaked in water and drained. Cut into strips.
• 2 ½ oz. boiled bamboo shoots, cut into strips
• 2 cabbage leaves, cut into strips
• ½ tsp salt
• Flour-and-water paste
• Oil for deep frying plus 3 tbsp more oil

Directions:

1. Combine the pork and Mixture A. Let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a wok, and stir-fry the pork briefly. Remove.
3. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil and add the salt. Stir fry the vegetables, then mix in the pork. Turn off the heat and let the filling cool thoroughly.
4. Place some of the filling a little above the center of each spring roll skin. Fold the upper edge over the filling, turn in the 2 sides, and roll it down to the bottom. Brush the bottom edge with the flour-and-water paste to seal it thoroughly.
5. Heat the deep-frying oil over moderate heat. Deep-fry the spring rolls until golden. Turn them frequently.
6. Serve immediately with table seasonings.

Crock Pot Meat Loaf

American inspired crock pot meat loaf.

This recipe is sure to become a favorite with your family. But we will keep the secret of how easy it really is, between us.

Crock pot recipes are easy and this is no exception. Mix the meatloaf ingredients together and put in the crock pot, pour over the sauce and get on with your day. Come back in the evening and dinner is done.

We put this recipe on yesterday morning and then went out for the day. Well, when we came home later in the afternoon, the aroma was sensational. My sister came over and now she wants the recipe too.

What are you waiting for? Get this meat loaf

American Meat Loaf Recipe
Ingredients
Meat Loaf
2¼lb (1 kg)	ground beef (mince meat)
1 onion	finely diced
½ can (210ml - 7 fl oz)	tomato soup - other half used in sauce
1 tbls	worcestershire sauce
2 tbls	brown sugar
1 cup	bread crumbs
½ tsp	salt
¼ tsp	pepper
1	egg lightly beaten
Sauce
½ can (210ml - 7 fl oz)	tomato soup - other half used in meat loaf
1 tbls	worcestershire sauce
½ cup	water
2 tsp	mustard (paste not powder)
2 tbls	brown sugar Method 1. Make two long strips of aluminium foil, long enough to sit in the crock pot and overhang at sides. Place them in the crock pot so that they form a cross on the bottom of the pot. When the meat loaf is cooked you will use this to remove it from the crock – so make sure the ends are long enough to gather on top of the loaf. 2. Place all meat loaf ingredients in a very large mixing bowl. 3. Mix with hands (yes – will need to get those hands dirty for this one) until well combined. 4. Shape with hands into a large round meatloaf about ½ an inch smaller than your crock pot. 5. Place loaf into crock pot, on top of the aluminium foil strips. 6. Mix all sauce ingredients together. 7. Pour over top of meat loaf. 8. Cover and cook for 8-9 hours on Low OR 4-6 hours on High. 9. Remove from crock pot using aluminium strips as handles. Cut into slices and enjoy with roast vegetables or steamed vegetables and mashed potato. Notes Serves 4-6 Absolutely delicious Also fantastic served cold the next day

Crock Pot Boneless Chicken Recipe

This boneless chicken crock pot dinner is a family pleaser - it was at our house.

The mixture of apricot and ginger works extremely well together.

I find chicken to be an easy meal - but I don't always find chicken overly appetizing. Maybe due to childhood memories of not so good chicken meals my mum might have cooked. However, I would definitely eat this Ginger Apricot Chicken again.

Delicious to the last mouth full.

Apricot Ginger Chicken
Ingredients
1¼ lb (500g)	chicken fillets, cubed
3 tbsp	all-purpose (plain) flour
1 tsp	ginger powder
1	carrot, sliced
1	zucchini (courgette), sliced
1	small pepper (capsicum), sliced
6	cauliflower florets
14fl oz (400 ml)	apricot nectar (juice)
1 tsp	crushed ginger
Method
1	Put the flour and ginger powder in a plastic bag and add the chicken. Toss around until coated.
3	Put the chicken and vegetables in the crock pot.
4	Mix the other ingredients together and pour over the chicken.
5	Cook on low for 8-9 hours.
Notes
Use your favorite vegetables.
Serve with rice or cous cous.

Apple Recipes

The goodness of an apple has been extolled in many a fairy tale and doctor’s diary. This iron and mineral rich goodie, can be eaten in a number of ways and they are all delicious. Adults and children love apple flavored delicacies.

Apple-Cinnamon Bread is a marvelous turn out – easy to make and perfect for any social or family gathering. To make a single loaf or about twelve servings or portions of the Apple-Cinnamon Bread, you would need 3 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 and a half cup of whole wheat flour. In addition to this you need to keep ready 3/4 cup of granola, 2 tablespoons of sugar 1/4 ounce of yeast, salt to taste, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder, 1/2 cup water, milk and applesauce and finally, 2 tablespoons of butter or table margarine.

To begin with, in a mixing bowl knead together the all-purpose flour (keep some aside for the dough texture), whole wheat flour, granola, sugar, yeast, salt, cinnamon powder, with pre heated water, milk, applesauce and butter. Stir in the remaining flour and knead till the dough is soft. Set it aside for 10 minutes. Roll the dough to a rectangle and starting from the shorter end, start rolling the dough up tightly; then pinch the seams and ends and seal. Place the dough, seam side down, in a greased pan and let it stand for another 45 minutes, till it rises. It needs to bake for half an hour at 375 degrees F and thereafter, let the pride show in your eyes.

In the case of the Apple Custard Tart, to make around eight servings, you need just ten minutes of your precious time! Yes, ten minutes, and the fruit tart is stunningly yours to receive acclaim for. You need 1 folded and refrigerated unbaked pie crust, which is easily accessible at any super market, 1 and a half cup of sour cream, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, 1/4 cup apple juice concentrate, 1 egg, 1 and a half teaspoon of vanilla essence, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon powder, 2 medium sized apples, 1 tablespoon of butter or table margarine and apple-cinnamon glaze. The apples should be skinned and finely sliced.

Preheat the oven to 375º. Roll the pie crust outward, into a circle of about 12 inches in diameter and place it in the tart pan. This crust should be baked until light, golden brown, for about 15 minutes. In the mixer, beat the sour cream, juice concentrate, egg, vanilla and cinnamon powder, until smooth and pour this mixture into the pre-baked pie crust. Bake again, for about 25 minutes, till the center appears set and then set aside to cool. Cook the apples in butter and once they are tender and crisp, arrange them on the pie. You could then enhance the appearance of the delicacy further by spraying the surface, with the apple-cinnamon glaze. You could prepare your own glaze by combining and cooking 1/3 cup apple juice concentrate and 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder, till the mixture is thickened.

Apple Pizza is another apple delicacy that children just adore. To make a serving for four, you need to keep ready 2 tsp. of minced garlic, 2 tbsp. of olive oil, 1 and a half inch of prepared pizza crust, 2 cups of coarsely chopped, fresh spinach leaves, 1 and a half cup of thinly sliced red, sweet apples, 1 cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese, 1 cup of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese and 1 tsp. of oregano. You need to pre-heat the oven to 450° F.

The garlic needs to be stirred well with the olive oil, over medium heat. Allow this garlic olive oil rich mixture to cool. Then, brush this rich olive oil blend onto the pizza crust and sprinkle the chopped spinach leaves evenly onto the crust. Next, the apple slices go on and over them the mozzarella, cream and parmesan cheese. Ensure that the cheese is evenly spread on the pizza crust. Dust on the oregano and bake the pizza for approximately 12-15 minutes. Remove only when the cheese boils and crust is a nice mature brown. The Apple Pizza is an instant hit with the children and a very nourishing snack too.

Best Fat Burning Foods

Are you eating foods that burn fat or stores fat? Accelerate your metabolism and consume some of the best fat burning foods for weight loss.

These superior fat burning foods are recommended by Tom Venuto and have some of the best nutrition value while keeping you fuller to cut down on the calories you normally consume.

Make sure that you get a variety of foods into your diet as these should only be a foundation of healthy eating foods. So here are the leading ten healthiest fat burning foods you can eat for weight loss.

1) Oatmeal

If you had to eat one and only one type of complex carbohydrate to burn fat than oatmeal should become your #1 choice for losing weight. Oatmeal is practically the only complex carbohydrate source bodybuilders and fitness professionals eat when they are burning fat for their competition.

Even though it is a starchy carbohydrate, oatmeal has an excellent balance of carbs, proteins, and fats in it as a half of cup has 3 grams of fats, 27 grams of carbs, and 5 grams of protein. With the combinations of macro nutrients, oatmeal is a healthy choice for its low glycemic rate for slow digestion.

2) Yams (or sweet potatoes)

The second best choice for eating healthy with starchy carbohydrates is yams and sweet potatoes. They are all-natural, low in calories, and with a high nutrient value, it has them being an excellent selection for a fat burning food.

With a low glycemic index having it keeping you fuller longer and digestion slower explains why fitness professionals recommend it for losing weight.

3) 100% Whole Wheat and Whole Grain Products

As it is recommended in all the food pyramids, breads and grains should be a huge part in eating healthy but the rule is they must be 100% whole grain and whole wheat. If you consume white bread then kiss your fat burning goals goodbye as white bread is one of the worst things you can put in your body.

When your goal is weight loss and burning fat keep the focus on breads and grains to a minimum while also only consuming only 100% whole grain and whole wheat.

4) Green Vegetables

Fibrous carbs are the #1 choice for burning fat with carbohydrates. Just think of green vegetables as having very little calories with a huge amount of nutritionist value. If you want to lose weight than focus on eating green vegetables with lean protein and your body will turn into a fat burning machine.

5) Fresh Fruit

Whole and fresh fruits are filled with vitamins that will keep you healthy, energized and burning fat all day long. Most fruits are low in calories, carbs, and high in fiber that makes them a fantastic choice for developing a lean and toned body.

6) Skin Milk and Nonfat Dairy Products

Dairy products are great for weight loss when they are nonfat or skin as others can be every dense in fat and calories. Dairy products have a combination of proteins and carbohydrates that makes them an excellent choice for implementing them into your weight loss eating program.

Stick with lean and nonfat products to keep the calories low and the nutrition value high making them a healthier choice for burning fat and eating healthy.

7) Chicken and Turkey Breast

Chicken and turkey I believe are the number one selection for protein in ones diet. By removing the skin and eating the white meat keeps it consisting of mostly protein for filling you up and eating less at the same time. Whatever way you cook them stay away from frying as that can turn an extremely healthy food into a dieter’s nightmare.

8) Eggs Whites

4 to 6 grams of protein, zero carbs, and zero fats makes egg whites a dieter’s life that much easier. Eggs whites are super-high quality protein but when eating the yoke becomes a habit, say hello to higher cholesterol levels and about 50 more calories that will just go to fat. Keep egg whites a healthy option for you by only eating the white part and putting the yokes in the trash.

9) Fish

Eating a variety of proteins is one of the things complained about the most as many bodybuilders and fitness professionals stick to only eggs, tune, and chicken. By implementing different kinds of fish you are giving yourself a variety of sources of protein to burn fat and lean out your body.

Also add in seafood like shrimp, crab, lobster, mussels, etc. as these all are great sources of protein that are low in fat.

10) Lean Red Meats

Finding good sources of lean red meats can become a struggle but they have many benefits like being high in protein, B-12. iron and creatine. By keeping our portion sizes small and choosing the leaner red meats it can also be a great food source for burning fat and weight loss.

These 10 fat burning foods are not the only foods good for healthy nutrition and weight loss but should help you start a foundation on what foods are good for eating healthy.

Have a great day and God bless!

Baby Shower Foods, Recipes And Ideas

Gearing up for that next baby shower and need some baby shower foods, recipes and ideas?

There are baby shower foods, recipes and ideas galore and you will have no trouble coming up with a wonderful shower.

Think about the time of year you will be hosting the baby shower. You may decide to plan the baby shower foods, recipes and ideas around the season. If the weather will be nice you may want to have the shower on a deck, patio or in a gazebo. The recipes you use and the foods you serve may be of a lighter fare than those you would choose for the winter.

The baby shower foods, recipes and ideas need not be difficult. If time is a consideration and you want to throw a baby shower that is nice but fairly easy to put together you can order a cake or decorated cookies, purchase some cute napkins, plates and cups and you will be ready to go.

For a baby shower that will take a little more time you can plan a more extensive menu and maybe serve a brunch or light lunch. Consider a brunch casserole, muffins and a fruit plate. Other baby shower foods, recipes and ideas for this type of shower could include handmade table favors and place cards.

If you want to go all out for the baby shower foods, recipes and ideas think about a salad and dessert bar or a table laden with all kinds of appetizers. Add a few scrumptious desserts, a gorgeous tablecloth and baby-themed centerpiece and you will have an amazing baby shower.

Baby shower foods, recipes and ideas can be simple or you can take them to the extreme.

Baby Care: Introducing Solid Foods

Introducing solid foods to your baby should be both healthy and tasty. What better way to is there to present baby food, than the organic, fresh, tasty and homemade way?

The next time you stroll down the baby food aisle, gaze for a moment at the meticulously stacked jars of baby food. What could be easier, flavors galore with quick, easy open tops. Ready to serve in an instant! But would you eat it?

Making your own baby food is easy and delicious. It is healthier and doesn’t take much time to prepare. First, start with organic vegetables, if at all possible. Get yourself a steamer and begin cooking.

Clean your vegetables thoroughly. Most baby’s love homemade carrots and sweet potatoes the best. You can also use squash, peaches or apples, whatever looks good for the season. All of these can be steamed together to make things quicker. Put some water in the bottom of your pot, put in the steamer and add cut up veggies and fruit. Steam the food until it is soft and let cool.

There is no need to season or add salt to steamed food as fruit and vegetables are naturally seasoned. Pick out any seeds or fibrous strings that could choke your baby.

Separate the steamed food and put each separately in a food processor, adding a little bottled or filtered water when needed to soften food. As your little one grows, you can leave larger bits of food in the mix. But for your baby, keep it smooth and creamy. Rinse the processor after each batch you make.

You can buy little jars or containers to use or even use ice cube trays to store your food. Freeze the steamed food in little portions so you won’t waste any during feedings. These can be thawed overnight in the refrigerator or warmed in hot water. Always mix well and stick your clean finger in the food to look for hot spots. It is not a good idea to microwave the steamed food, as it can overheat and burn your baby.

When feeding your baby, never put the spoon in a jar full of food. The saliva on the spoon will break down the food and you will have to throw out the rest.

Keep your food in the freezer by date, with the newer batches going behind the old. The food can be frozen for three months. Once you see how rich in color these steamed foods are, you will never want to go back to jarred, store-bought baby food.

Atkins Diet of Low Carb Protein Foods: Myths Debunked

If you desperately want to lose weight and are looking for a quick way to get results in time for your wedding or high school reunion, then the Atkins diet may be right for you. However many people shirk away from...

If you desperately want to lose weight and are looking for a quick way to get results in time for your wedding or high school reunion, then the Atkins diet may be right for you. However many people shirk away from the Atkins diet low carb protein foods because they fear they will miss the pasta, bread and dessert they love so much.

Here are some myths demystified about the Atkins diet low carb protein foods

Low Carb Not No Carb

Contrary to popular opinion, the Atkins diet low carb high protein foods plan does not eliminate carbs completely from your diet. It doesn’t mean that you can never touch a bagel again. The first two weeks called induction are the strictest but even in that you are allowed to have 20 net grams of carbs a day. This is calculated by finding the carb count on the nutritional label and subtracting the dietary fiber.

It is not a whole lot of carbohydrates but it is necessary in order to jump stat the process of ketosis. Ketosis takes place when your body starts burning calories from fat as it doesn’t have many carbs to encounter. You can tell easily and accurately if you are in ketosis by purchasing Ketostix over the counter at a pharmacy. By urinating on a strip and checking to see if it turns purple, means that you are on the right track and are burning fat.

However, be warned that ketosis is not recommend for diabetics or pregnant women. Always check with your doctor before starting any weight loss regimen.

Not for Ever

Even if the induction phase of 14 days sounds tough to you, remember in the next three phases, the amount of carbs you can have does increase. The only thing you have to watch out for is that as soon as your weight starts increasing, go back a phase or two until you are stable again. This is because very person’s body reacts differently to different foods. Some people may do fine on Atkins with diet drinks; others bloat with the artificial sweeteners and therefore keeping a journal of what you at the week you lost the most weight can help.

Plenty of Variety

Being on the Atkins diet of low carb high protein foods means you can still have a lot of variety in your meals. This diet is actually deemed perfect for food lovers. You can still indulge in lean meats, poultry, nut butters, salad greens and other such foods. By following the Atkins diet low carb protein food plan, you need not feel too deprived or run out of options any time soon. There are always ways around it. For instance, if cereal is a big thing for you at breakfast, find creative ways to make eggs and hard cheese and soon you may find you don’t miss the huge bowl of cereal after all.

However in order to keep healthy, it is highly recommended that you take a multivitamin, have plenty of water and extra fiber if needed.

Are the foods you are eating keeping you in pain?

Chronic Inflammation in your body can lead to serious diseases. What you eat makes all the difference. Try an Anti-Inflammatory Diet: It Could Be the Answer to Eliminating Your Pain.

Try An Anti-Inflammatory Diet: It Could Be The Answer To Eliminating Your Pain

When I say “Inflammation”, thoughts of painful joints, muscles, swelling and loss of mobility probably comes to mind. But did you know that recent research shows that chronic inflammation in your body can lead to serious disease such as diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, and Alzheimer's disease, to name just a few?

The amount of inflammation in our body varies and is dependent on may circumstances like activity level, amount of sleep or stress in our lives and even the foods we eat. Now what you have to realize is that these factors are all accumulative and as the levels increase the risk for disease increases.

Now early in life these levels can be so low that you would not even know that you have any inflammation in your body and that is because our bodies do a fair job at controlling the inflammation at least for a while, and than one day you wake up and you are in your 40’s and something is just not write and than the fear sets in and you think to your self what did I do, what did I do wrong or

What can I do right now to help my self?

Well, the first step is to get your C-Reactive Protein levels tested, you will need to ask you Doctor and may even demand to have the test done, all it takes is a blood sample and than have your levels evaluated by your Doctor and even by a registered dietitian to help you formulate a plan of care because our diets can play a large part in achieving optimal health.

If you have pain from inflammation you may choose to take the traditional “medical” path for inflammation such as, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s), steroids and even joint replacement surgery in severe cases. The good news is that there are more natural ways to fight inflammation, and they do not have the undesirable side effects caused by most typical medical treatments.

What You Eat Makes All the Difference

The food we eat is a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to controlling inflammation. The average American diet consists of high fat, high sugar, loads of red meat and a frightening amount of processed foods. These are all likely to increase inflammation, not to mention contributing to obesity, yet another high-inflammatory culprit. By switching to an Anti-Inflammatory Diet plan made up of healthy, whole foods, you can actually decrease inflammation and in turn ease the pain and discomfort associated with it.

The first step is to avoid processed foods, foods high in sugar and junk food whenever possible. Instead choose fresh, whole foods including anti-inflammatory varieties like lean proteins, fruits and vegetables. But choose carefully, in fact even some vegetables and pre-packaged “health” foods can work against you. Use this quick list of the best and worst foods in controlling inflammation:

Anti-inflammatory foods:

Atlantic Salmon- (wild)
Fresh whole fruits, vegetables
Bright multi-colored vegetables
Green tea
Water
Olive oil
Lean poultry
Nuts, legumes and seeds
Dark green leafy vegetables
Old fashioned oatmeal
Spices, especially Turmeric and Ginger

Pro-inflammatory foods:

Sugar, from any source
Processed foods
French Fries
Fast Foods
White bread
Pasta
Ice Cream
Cheddar Cheeses
Snack Foods
Oils such as vegetable and corn
Soda, caffeine and alcohol

In addition to these dietary changes it is also recommended that you:

- Maintain a healthy weight - There is no question that “Heating Healthy” is not easy now days, either at home or at a restaurant. But you must at least start to do these three things. Decrease your sugars, Decrease your hydrogenated oils and increase your daily intake of fiber to 35 grams, that is a ton of fiber but just try, you may hit it, you may not, the point is try to.

- Get better sleep – 7 to 9 hour is mandatory for optimal health and the one thing that most people do not know it that quality sleep is the key to controlling systemic inflammation.

- Relax more often to lower stress levels – Find time for yourself, morning, noon and night and focus on your breathing and clear the clutter in your mind, learn to stay focused on the most important tasks in your life.

- Exercise on a regular basis – Everyone always asks me what it is the best exercise to do and all I can say is “Do something you like to do, granted you can tolerate it, shoot for 15 to 20 minutes 3 times a week.

- Demand to have you CRP levels tested – This simple blood test is the best indicator of the level of systemic inflammation in your body, It is recommended that you have the levels evaluated by an certified health care provider to take the most appropriate action for you and your condition.

So if you are in pain and you are going to make a conscious choose to help your self get better than…

3 Food Based Theme Wedding Favors

Wedding party favors are an integral part of planning for your wedding day because it makes your guests feel special on this day as you show them your appreciation. This article discuss 3 food based theme wedding favors that you can consider.

Theme #1: Chocolate theme wedding favors

Should you have white chocolate or dark chocolate wedding favors? Maybe a combination of both milk and dark chocolate almond would be a good idea? Or maybe choose a combination of white chocolate and dark chocolate in one wedding favor.

The best idea is to have one flavor of chocolate for the wedding favors. The more flavors you have, the more costly the favors will become. You will probably already have a chocolate fountain, so you can than choose a different flavor of chocolate for the fountain Next you must decide on the design and style of the chocolate wedding favor.

You could choose chocolate cookies on a stick, covered chocolate hearts, chocolate m&m's, chocolate mints, plain chocolate bars or get very extravagant and have little chocolate swans or chocolate basket wedding favors. Actually, the possibilities are endless when it comes to choosing the design and style of your chocolate wedding favor.

But what is absolutely necessary to complete your chocolate wedding favors is the personalization on them. You must have the bride and groom's name and date of the wedding on the item, a sweet saying or at least a thank you on the chocolate wedding favor. These are very tasteful when written in an alternating chocolate on the wedding favor itself. However, this type of personalization can be more costly than a packaging on the outside which says "thank you for joining us on our special day." Either way you choose, a chocolate wedding favor is a hit at anyone's wedding.

Theme #2: Cookie theme wedding favor

Cookie theme wedding favour is the second option available for a bridal couple to look for their guests. Most couples want something that represents their wedding day and at the same, used as a nice token of their appreciation for the love and support of their wedding guests. Opting custom wedding cookie favors is a good choice for the wedding couple. The cookies can add nice décor to the wedding reception and the delicious treat well be appreciated by the wedding guests.

Custom wedding cookie favors is a geometric cookie such as a rectangle, diamond, or heart shape to be frosted and decorated with the monogram or bridal couples' names is a very popular choice among couples. The cookie can be frosted with the colors of the wedding and can have other decorations such as hearts and bells or the cookie can be stylishly designed with the monogram.

The cookies are often come from a butter cookie recipe but can be modified into various flavorings. Each cookie is wrapped in plastic wrappings and tied with a decorative ribbon. This tasty treat will be a nice finish to the wedding day.

Wedding cake cookies are another nice design for wedding cookie favors. The cake cookie can be frosted to look like the wedding cake. It will give the guest the chance to take a piece of the wedding cake home with them. These cookies are wonderful for the wedding favors and also will be good to freeze for the first anniversary celebration along with the wedding cake top. It will help to bring back nice memories of the wedding day when the cookies are brought out a year later.

Another nice cookie design for wedding cookie favors are tuxedo and bridal gown cookies. These cookies are cut in the shape of a wedding tuxedo or a bridal dress and are decorated respectively. This is an adorable design that will be well liked by all the guests. A good addition to these cookies would be to put a tux and gown together and have a label with the couple's new married name of Mr. and Mrs. to imply their wedding union.

Fortune cookies will be a great choice for wedding cookie favors. These cookies can be decorated with toppings of frosting and wrapped with the rest of the cookies. The fortunes in the cookies can be suitable fortunes for a wedding reception and will bring a lot of fun and conversation to the party. Whether the couple opts the fortune cookie or another design wedding cookie favors, it will be a great treat for everyone.

Theme #3: Edible theme wedding favor

Wedding favors are a pleasant way of giving a small thank you to wedding guests and providing a small memento of the special occasion. One great idea is choosing an edible wedding favors. Edible wedding favors gives you the chance to provide the traditional wedding favor and also giving a little treat to end the day. It is also a fun way to express something from the couple or a cute way to say something about their feelings for one another.

Homemade candy and mints for wedding favors are widely reminiscent and this traditional idea is still a great edible wedding favor idea to date. Several companies come out with specially designed or customised candies and mints suited for edible wedding favors.

Bite sized candy or mints are available in cute pocket size tins with the bride and grooms name and wedding date on the tin. This idea can be practical as once the treat is eaten, the tin can be used for storing other small items. A cheap but fun idea is to have conversational hearts as the candy favor. These fun candies have cute wedding statements that are entertaining for the guests to read and share with each other.

Other candy and mint edible wedding favors can include small boxes of truffles, monogrammed petit fours, personalized life savers, or personalized chocolate candy bars. A wide variety of unique candy and mint ideas are available for wedding favors and it suitable for a wedding couple that has a certain kind of candy that they specially flavour. It also served as a way to incorporate that treat into an edible wedding favor.

Some companies offer edible wedding favors in the form of coffee or tea. Special concoctions of coffee or a favorite tea can be packaged in special wedding logo that tells the bridal couple's came and the wedding date. For a unique blend, the option of having a special cappuccino or hot chocolate blend can be incorporated into the wedding theme. These edible wedding favors will definite bring smiles to all the wedding guests.