How to Make a Simple Cobb Salad

By Cem Berkoz

Photo:  media.tumblr.com

Do not underestimate leftovers! Restaurateur Robert Cobb didn't. He took all the leftovers from his fridge at the Hollywood Brown Derby Restaurant back in 1930s, mixed them in a bowl and added dressing. That was he came up with one of America's most favorite, the Cobb salad.
Cobb salad comes in different variations but the classic one proves to be still the winner. It is kind of garden salad which main ingredients include vegetables, such as Romaine lettuce, endives, and watercress with crispy bacon, tomato, roast chicken breast, egg, avocado, Roquefort cheese, chives, and seasoned with red wine vinegar.
While most types of salad are tossed together, Cobb salad is served with all the ingredients arranged on the plate.
How To Prepare;

Below are your main ingredients and procedure for preparing your Cobb Salad.
Ingredients:
•Hard-boiled eggs 3 pcs. peeled and chopped

•Bacon Sliced

•Romaine lettuce 1 head, cut into bite-size

•Boiled chicken breast at least 4 cups, diced

•Avocados peeled and diced

•Tomatoes chopped

•Roquefort cheese 4 oz., crumbled


Dressing:

•Red Wine vinegar - 1/4 cup

•Dijon Mustard - 1/2 tsp

•Crushed garlic - 1 clove

•Worcestershire sauce - 1 tsp

•Salt - 1/4 tsp

•Olive oil - 1/3 cup

•Fresh ground black pepper - 1/2 tsp

Procedure;

1.First, fry the bacon, drain oil on a paper towel, and cut into crumbles.


2.Place romaine lettuce on a plate to serve as bed for the other recipes. Next, top the lettuce with chicken, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, avocados, and Roquefort cheese arranged in rows.

3.Prepare the dressing in a bowl. Mix the garlic, salt, pepper, mustard, Red Wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Then, put the olive oil and whisk. Pour the dressing on the salad and serve.

Health Facts;

The colorful and yummy Cobb Salad is not only a delectable dish with an interesting history. It also makes for a healthy main or side dish. For one, Cobb salad has enough proteins, the amino-acid carrying nutrient that is responsible for keeping your cells, skin, nails, and hair healthy. The Romaine lettuce is also rich in anti-oxidants such as beta-carotene, Vitamins C and K, iron, calcium, and folate, among others. Avocado is also high in B vitamins, potassium, and good fats.


Cobb salad is not actually an ideal meal for those who are on strict diet because of the high amount of calories gained through avocado, cheese, eggs, bacon and chicken.
But if you can't resist the Cobb Salad's tempting colorful, and yummy look, you can always put away half of the cheese, avocado, eggs, and bacon and leave just enough to satisfy your cravings without loading up the calories.

Click Here To Download your FREE, 77 page, step-by-step "The Beginner's Guide To Knife Skills and Kitchen Cutlery" eBook and start making your salad dressings, cooking stocks, sauces and much more now!

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Cooking Pasta Made Easy

By Dragutin Filipcic 

Photo: allwomenstalk.com

Now that we have covered some of the more time-consuming aspects of pasta, like making pasta from scratch, let's move on to more familiar territory. Have you ever noticed how big the pasta aisle at the super market is? It's because pasta is a quick meal that can be tailored to fit any tastes, no matter how sophisticated or how picky. Dry pasta can be used to make hot or cold meals. It stores well and doesn't lose its flavor. There are even some excellent jarred sauces that make preparation even quicker. The following dishes use dry pasta and some prepackaged ingredients for the sake of expediency.
Baked pasta dishes are great for a crowd or for leftovers the next day. Dinner that can also feed everyone lunch the next day? Perfect! This version of baked ziti uses store-bought pesto, but this can easily be made fresh if you prefer.
Baked Ziti
1 package Hot Italian Sausages, casings removed
4 cloves Garlic, diced
1 large White Onion, diced
1/2 of a package Pesto, the kind found in the refrigerated section works well here
1 28 ounce can Tomatoes, diced and peeled
1 package Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and drained
8 ounces Mozzarella cheese diced into cubes
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated
3 cups cooked Ziti or Penne Pasta
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 by 13 inch Pyrex pan.
Sauté sausage, garlic and onions until slightly browned. Add Pesto and diced tomatoes. Allow this mixture to simmer on low for 30 to 40 minutes.
In a bowl combine, spinach, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Add the Ziti to the spinach mixture. Combine Ziti and tomato mixture. Mix thoroughly and pour into greased pan. Cover with foil and bake Ziti mixture for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the top is slightly browned.
The spinach and sausage in this dish make it extremely tasty, and the cheese gives it a satisfying creaminess.
An Easier Pasta Dish
For an even easier dish cook the Ziti or Penne and let it cool slightly. To this add your choice of chopped olives, chopped pepperoni, cubed mozzarella and chopped roasted red peppers (these can be found jarred in the pickle section of your supermarket). Dress this with Italian dressing. Allow to sit 30 minutes before serving. This is a great dish to serve on hot days or as a side dish. It can be modified a million different ways by adding fresh produce or different kinds of cheese.
A good place to find easy pasta dishes is on the box of dry pasta itself. Depending on the type of noodle you will find hundreds of recipes this way.

You will find more on Making pasta site.

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How to Cook A Tenderloin of Venison

By Doug Stranahan  

Photo: honest-food.net

One of the great rewards of harvesting a white tail deer is the opportunity to prepare and share the tenderloin with family and friends. What a holiday treat!
Venison is a meat that requires some special attention. Because it has little or no fat venison does not cook like a beef or pork tenderloin. Care needs to be taken with the preparation and cooking time, and using the right blend of organic seasoning and spices can make all the difference. A good rule to follow for cooking venison is to "error on the side of rare".
Here are two methods that are favorites and will be sure to please.
The first is a winner that can be served as a main course or as appetizers. Follow these easy steps:
1. Cut the tenderloin into ¼ inch medallions.
2. In a plastic bag combine flour, garlic salt, pepper and a pinch of allspice.
3. Add the tenderloin medallions and shake the bag until all are coated well.
4. Melt 4 TBS of butter in a large skillet with 2 TBS of olive oil.
5. Add the tenderloin medallions to the hot oil mix and fry. It only takes a minute or two on each side. Don't over cook.
6. Serve with a dipping sauce made of equal portions of mayo and ketchup and a dash of Worcestershire.
The second cooking method uses the whole tenderloin and a hot oven.
The first step is to prepare a marinate for the tenderloin. Combine ¼ cup of Worcestershire and Soy sauce with a TBS of thyme, a bay leaf and two cloves of garlic. Place the tenderloin in a plastic bag and add the marinate. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
A couple of hours before you are ready to cook remove the tenderloin from the marinate and place it in a shallow dish. Discard the marinate.
Coat the tenderloin with crushed garlic, a generous portion of salt and pepper and olive oil. Let it set until it reaches room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a large oven-ready fry pan; cast iron is preferred, heat some oil and brown the tenderloin on all sides. Place the fry pan in the oven. A two pound tenderloin will only take about 8 - 10 minutes for the internal temperature of the meat to reach 110 degrees. At this point remove the pan from the oven. Place the tenderloin on a cutting board or platter and cover with foil. Allow it to rest for another 8 - 10 minutes. The result will produce a perfect medium rare tenderloin.
Serve this cut to your desired thickness with a finishing sauce of your choice.

Doug Stranahan is the owner of http://www.organicspicesrack.com and knows the importance of picking the right organic spice for the right job.

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How To Cook Properly Kitchen Tips For Everybody

By: Ryan Hudson

Photo: o5.com

How difficult is it to follow a simple recipe? That's the question that people almost always hear while being reprimanded in the kitchen. Analyzing that train of thought, it does seem pretty easy to read the instructions in a cookbook; sprinkle this, sprinkle that, a teaspoon of this and a cup of that. Ten minutes later, it no longer seems as easy as it look liked earlier. It's not that they don't know how to cook at all. They just don't know how to cook properly. Read on to find some of the most useful tips for those who are new in the kitchen. If you've been cooking for a long time, no one knows what might come up so extra tips can be useful too.

First of all, veggies have to be cooked for a short time only. The quicker vegetables are cooked, the more nutrients they retain. The peelings of fruits and vegetables also contain high amounts of nutrients and minerals, which are always good to have. However, there are cases when the dish you are cooking won't be compatible with too much veggies or half-cooked veggies. Knowing when it is the right time to serve greens is a great way to be a good cook. Don't serve your dishes when they are going to be out of place.

When unsure about serving tasteless foods, go for low fat. Low fat dishes, side dishes and desserts in fact low-fat-everything are always nice to have. Everybody will want to eat healthy food, as long as it is delicious and he has no other reason not to ignore it on the table. That's also one of your best excuses when serving food that doesn't taste very well. If you are unsure about your own cooking, you should add a few low-fat ingredients and make that the focus of your dish. It will distract your guests from the taste a little bit, but you still have to keep in mind that good food is what you are vouching for whenever you cook.

For that, here is tip number three: Follow the recipe. That's what we already talked about in the beginning of this article. The reason why following a recipe down to the very detail is difficult is because people are lazy; add to that, lazy cooks and critical guests don't sit very well. The best way to avoid any complications when cooking is to prepare everything you will need beforehand. Have all the pans, plates, knives and spoons early. Have all your ingredients ready before you even think about putting the pan over the stove.

Say "no" to sloppy cooking. A lot of cooks these days are a little inattentive to small details, but that's not a luxury that every cook can have. Just because a cook you saw on the TV was putting seasoning without looking, it doesn't mean that you should be as careless. These are just some of the most important tips when cooking. Be sure to follow them and do more research to perform better in the kitchen.

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All in all, not everybody can easily say that they know how to cook properly, but with some tips and tricks, you can be sure that it can be a case of cooking made easy!

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Facts About Vanilla Beans

By: Sarah Neil

Photo: rodellekitchen.com

Many individuals are acquainted with vanilla extract, which is produced from the vanilla bean. This bean is a product of the orchid plant. There are various types of this bean that is produced by an orchid plant and each one of them is used in different ways, capitalizing on each type of beans best qualities. Each type of bean has a different taste and smell, albeit a subtle difference its a difference nonetheless. It is your decision which particular kind of vanilla beans you require for your recipes because at the close of the day it's your personal choice that should dictate which particular bean is best according to your preferences. However, the Bourbon Madagascar Vanilla Bean is actually the most popular when it comes to uses in food.

The vanilla bean is grown by a relatively rare orchid plant and the bean is an extremely popular commodity. Recent advances in internet technology gives people all over the world the opportunity to purchase the orchids luscious fruit regardless of where the plant grows. It allows everyone to experience the unique flavor and aroma that the vanilla bean provides. In fact, the internet allows a regular in-home cook to purchase this wonderful, natural ingredient without the need to locate a physical specialty store, as many general grocery stores fail to carry authentic whole beans. It is true that you can usually find vanilla extract in your local grocery store as well as a few synthetic versions of the unique flavor, but it would be extremely unusual to find the whole bean at your local grocer. The whole thing is edible and there are thousands of recipes that call for use of the seeds as well as the pod.

The pod itself contains extraordinary flavor and can be added as a flavor enhancer in things like hot tea or coffee. And one of the advantages is it's a natural ingredient which is a desired attribute in the current day's market. On the whole, extract is the most widely and commonly used vanilla bean product. Naturally the least costly version of vanilla flavoring that is generally available in the market is an imitation of the real extract. Usually, the kind of extract that you find at the corner shop doesn't come from a vanilla bean and is instead made from synthetic substances. Authentic vanilla extract is known for its dark color and strong aroma and is ideal for cooking or baking.

Use caution when choosing to use imitation vanilla extract because the synthetic versions have less intense flavor and aroma. The taste is a little analogous to real vanilla, but there's a definite after-taste when consuming a pudding or a drink that was prepared with an imitation product, particularly when combined with a cold drink or added to no-bake recipes. Another product made using real vanilla beans is vanilla paste, though many shoppers aren't acquainted with this product. This is a concentrated sort of vanilla extract that comes from its seed and can also be used for vanilla bean recipes. But this kind of paste is generally reserved for commercial kitchens to make any dish more flavorful without adding additional liquid.

There are many sorts of vanilla beans and where they're cultivated has much to do with the way the spice performs when stirred into your recipes. The Indonesian bean can beat heat well and this is the top choice for recipes that are slow cooked. The Bourbon Madagascar variation comes from Madagascar and is fantastically suited for any kind of cooking process, even dishes that are prepared and served cold, which makes it the ideal ingredient for your cupboard.

Finally, vanilla beans can be crushed into a powder that is sometimes used in the US and EU states. It's a fusion of sugar like sucrose and dextrose together with vanilla extracts. But just like extracts, there are synthetic versions of this powder so pay close attention to the label if you purchase it. The powder works best in cold dishes and can also be sprinkled atop desserts or into hot drinks for added sweetness, similar to cinnamon. There's no question that these beans are highly versatile and have many different uses and come in many different forms. Once could even add it to recipes that dont necessarily call for vanilla for a little twist on an old favorite.

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Looking for Authentic Italian Recipes and Gourmet Italian Food? Check Olive Nation for healthy foods for you and your family. Sarah Neil enthuastic about recipes feature vanilla. Check out these fabulous Authentic Italian Reciepies & to make using your homemade vanilla. Read More: http://www.olivenation.com/

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Your Fresh Veggie Pizza, Menu, And Prices

By: rahul roy

Photo:  ledopizza.com

Imagine a fresh veggie pizza served hot. The whiff emanating along with the vapor is only heightening your appetite and you could wait no more. And the coke beside your plate has added to your appetite. Before the pizza gets cold, you start savoring. Your fresh veggie pizza, pre-sliced into wedges, helps you eat conveniently and comfortably. Though you may not follow proper pizza etiquettes while at the table or not follow it at all at home facilitated by home delivery, the slices lets you savor it fast. After all it is satisfying the taste buds that matters. But you will be surprised to find that most pizza fans follow proper etiquettes while savoring it. It is not only fresh veggie pizza but all other items in the pizza corner menu that you will love, especially if you have a great liking for this pie.

If you are in Italy and you are at the table of a reputed pizza outlet, waiting for the fresh veggie ordered to be served, you may not find it served the way it is served in India unless you communicate beforehand. This is because this food item is eaten in different ways in different countries. Your fresh veggie pizza or any other items from the pizza corner menu may not be pre-sliced into wedges. The toppings in the item brimming over with crunchy onions and crisp capsicum may make it difficult for you as to how to eat it. At the first glance, it might seem way too big to be for you alone, as it is whole. But yes, you will have a knife and fork to help you out in slicing it and then savoring it. Well, you may request the attendant to do the slicing for you! Pizza prices differ from nation to nation. You will certainly find a difference in the pizza prices in Italy if compared to India.

What all items can you expect to have from the pizza corner menu? If it is veg, you must have already savored items ranging from margherita, cheese and tomato, double cheese margherita, fresh veggie, cheese crust pizza, country special, farm house to peppy paneer, mexican green wave, deluxe veggie, gourmet, veg extravaganza. Then you have a long list in the non-veg category in the pizza corner menu. Pizza prices vary according to the types. Bigger the pizzas and comprehensive the toppings, more are the pizza prices.

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About the Author:
Rahul Roy is freelance foods and pizza writer and is writing review articles on dominos pizza, pizza corner menu,margherita pizzas, order online dominos, non veg mexican wrap with prices. For more details on the fresh veggie pizza you can visit dominos.co.in.

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Cake Decorating Ideas and Options

by: jakekennedy

Photo: cakeideas101.com

Cake decorating is a hobby and a delight for all seasons. What better way to keep the family happy than to bake them a sweet tasting cake for that special occasion, or maybe just to show you care.

It is important before you even begin to bake your cake that you decide what you are going to actually decorate it with. You have a variety of options.

Most cakes are commonly topped with icing or frosting of which there are a multitude, including Buttercream Icings, Caramel Icings, Peanut Butter Icings and many, many others. There is also fondant, marzipan and butter cream which are also types of icing. Other icings to consider which aren't so common are those made with a mixture of sugar and cream cheeses. The simplest icing you can make is called Glace and is basically made with water and icing sugar.

The ingredients of your icing consist of sugar, water, butter, egg whites and milk. I would imagine most homes would have a plentiful supply of these ingredients but it's always a good idea to check before you get started.

The finished cake can also be garnered with sprinkles which are little piece of candy and add a nice texture and decoration to your cake.

If you are going to turn your cake decorating into a business or even a common feature of your home life then there are tools you can use to enhance your cake decorating abilities. Two of the most used are piping bags and syringes. These are basic tools that shape the icing as it come from the bag onto the cake. Examples of tips for your piping bag or syringe are drop flower, leaf, basketweave and round.

You should also decide how many layers your cake is going to have. A wedding cake for example usually consists of multiple layers, each getting smaller as the cake reaches the top. We've all seen them! If you are baking a simple cake at home then you are going to keep it to one layer. Birthday cakes are usually a single layer also.

Layered cakes usually have some sort of filling in between each layer like cream, or custard.

Thinking of baking a cake for your kids next birthday party? These cakes should be made considering the points above but the occasion itself obviously has to be taken into consideration when choosing your toppings, covering and layering. Birthday cakes are usually made with colored frosting with some novelty toys used to put atop the cake.

Valentine cakes which wouldn't have been considered a few years ago are now becoming popular. In this case one would choose the appropriate color and topping for the occasion with those little added extras that are going to make the cake special.

Whatever the occasion, like any hobby, the more care you put into your cake decorating, the more you will ultimately get back.

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Green Salad - Tips and Tricks in Making a Salad

 By Marwa M. Aref 

Photo: 3.bp.blogspot.com

A Green Salad is a very important dish in your diet. It is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and fiber, but people do not generally include salads in their diet. This is because they do not realize the benefits which they can take from them. Lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and beets all add in your typical salad and they have great nutritional value and several health benefits.
But to make a healthy and delicious green salad plate, there are two secrets that you should know:
1-Colors; the more colors you add to the salad, the more delicious it looks. Kids also like a colorful salad.
2-Dressing; a nice dressing is what makes a perfect salad. A salad dressing is one of the most important ingredients for a delicious salad. Ready made salad dressings are great when you need to save time but if you like experimenting in the kitchen like I do, and knowing exactly what goes into your food, then making your own salad dressing is a sure bet for a fun event! Might even save a bit of money too. So I figured out the best salad dressing ingredients but of course you can add any other ingredients that you like.
But first, I will show you how to make a delicious green salad plate.
Ingredients:
For the salad:
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, cut into thin slices
• 1 red pepper, cut into thin slices
• 1 yellow pepper, cut into thin slices
• 1 cup romaine lettuce, cut into bite size
• 1 cup green salad cabbage, chopped
• 1 cup red salad cabbage, chopped
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 2 tablespoon red kidney beans
• 2 tablespoon black olives sliced
• 2 tablespoon green olives sliced
• 2 tablespoon chopped beets
• 3 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 3 tablespoon chopped dill
• Fresh crushed mint leaves
Ingredients for the dressing:
To save time, you can make a large batch and keep it in a jar in the refrigerator. All you need is:
• Extra virgin olive oil
• White vinegar (or balsamic vinegar if you like a sweet taste)
• Lemon juice
• Crushed or minced garlic
• pomegranate molasses
• Minced fresh shallots, chives or spring onion
• Fresh minced or dried crushed herbs such as mint leaves, basil, rosemary and thyme.
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper
• half teaspoon chili powder (optional)
• Mayonnaise and sour cream if you like a creamy dressing.
Preparation:
• Mix all the ingredients of the salad in a large salad bowl.
• Make the dressing by mixing all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
• Pour the dressing on the salad and toss.
• If required the salad can be chilled for half an hour before serving.
I hope you've found some of the content here useful and wish you the best of luck with your healthy lifestyle!

Discover how to cook delicious dinner recipes. For more cooking tips and new dinner ideas from Marwa M. Aref ( Mrs. Mom), please visit http://www.yumyumi.com
You are welcomed to download for FREE my e-cookbook "MY FREE RECIPES" which is a cookbook including dinner recipes from all over the world with mouth watering pictures. Home-made recipes with simple ingredients found in every kitchen. More than 100 dinner ideas from my own kitchen, recipes I have used for years and have become favorites in my home.

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The Heavenly Secret of the Indian and other Asian Food Recipes

 by robinshaw81

 

Photo: mostlyasianfood.com

The key aspect of these kinds of Ayurvedic contents is that they have turn into advantageous for the body, considering that they help enhancing the metabolism of the body. Additionally to the herbal qualities, the spices utilized in Cookware cooking recipes tend to be wealthy and boost the flavor within the food you eat. I had personally visited India (Mumbai) as soon as. We tasted distinct recipes and enjoyed the tastes and treasure. So far as I know, you will discover additional when compared to a 100 recipes all through India with unique design and taste. If you're going a visit there, you have to guarantee to try in the quite least 10 of them and you will surely want far more. Every specially cooked properly recipe has distinctive contents including grilled onions, potatoes, garlic cloves and quite a few other flavor-adding substances.

Apart from Indian meals, you can find other greatest Difficult anodized cookware recipes renowned and located all across the world. You might obtain quite a few Indian cuisines inside the United States relating to America along with other countries at the same time. These delicacies owners make it a point to satisfy the needs of their shoppers just by appointing particular American indian and Chinese culinary authorities for cooking purposes. It will most likely be a surprise for you to know that these Asian recipes are quite straightforward and occasion efficient to cook. You simply need to have a good hand or even practice with your cooking region tools and food. The other ideal Cookware recipes include Oriental noodles and several a variety of other food items. In the event you eat considerably extra of non-veg, the Chinese recipes would surely blow your mind. These tested recipes are not pretty quick to cook until and unless you know what to use and when to utilize. Consequently, these sort of recipes call for well-trained together with experienced cooks for superior flavor and aroma.

Furthermore, I was tempted for the American indian Curries. They're the best in the entire globe. They are extremely habit forming and healthy also. Properly, even when you just weren't planning to stop by India or any other Asian country, it could be my pleasure to ask you to pay a pay a visit to to any Indian or maybe Asian cuisine next-door. It will likely be a definite taste refreshing experience. However, I would also add that usually you may not uncover the Indian or Asian dishes having the similar flavor as in their hometown. This is the key variation, why I typically recommend men and women to go to these kinds of countries. By performing this you obtain the original and the purest type of spices together with taste bud stimulating cuisines.

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Soups - Ham and Split Pea Soup

 By Lynne Evans 

Photo: 2.bp.blogspot.com

There are many ways of preparing this soup and you can use split green peas or yellow ones, depending which you prefer, or which you have in your store cupboard. Personally I prefer the green ones and use the yellow ones to make fava, which is a dip rather like hummus. You can leave the soup chunky or puree it until it is thick and smooth; it is entirely up to you. I like to add cumin seeds and coriander seeds which have been dry-fried to bring out their flavour and a dried red chili, but you don't have to use these things. If you do want a spicier soup than usual, use a teaspoon of coriander seeds and 2 of cumin seeds, dry-fry them for a minute or two until they release their aroma and add them to the soup when you add the water. The dried crumbled red chili pepper can also be added at this time. This recipe is for the traditional green split pea soup with ham. I hope you like it!
Ingredients
750 gr of ham hock or knuckle, washed and rinsed
500 gr green split peas, cleaned to remove any dirt or grit
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, trimmed and halved
4 medium carrots, cleaned and thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, halved
2 large sprigs of thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
8 sprigs of parsley either curly or flat-leaved
2 bay leaves, torn but still intact
10 black peppercorns
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
4-6 allspice berries (optional)
sprigs of parsley to decorate each bowl if desired
Method
Put the ham hock or knuckle and peas in a large pan and cover with 2½ liters of water A and bring to the boil. Remove any scum which comes to the surface.
You can either fry the onion, garlic, and carrots gently in olive oil, or simply add them to the pan after the scum has been removed along with the herbs and spices.
Partially cover the pan and cook, simmering, for an hour and a half.
Check that the peas are cooked and if necessary cook for half and hour more with the lid on firmly.
When the soup ingredients are cooked, remove the ham hock and allow it to cool before removing the skin and then flake the meat from the bone with a fork. Return this to the pan and mix well, then blend the soup in batches until it is smooth.
Reheat the soup and serve in warm bowls and decorate with parsley sprigs if using.
Bon appetit!

http://www.herbs-treatandtaste.blogspot.com If you liked this recipe, why not find more on this site, along with information about food, herbs and spices which keep you healthy?

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Obtaining the Tastiest Chicken Wings Recipes

 by daryllamb1025

 

Photo: kissthecookrecipes.com

Chicken meat certainly is the most frequent variety of meat used internationally. It could possibly be processed over a thousand various ways, which is the reason chicken wings meals are in such sizzling demand, and the key reason why they are some of the perfect choices to offer for virtually any sort of occasion or event with friends and relatives.

They are just plain perfect for tailgate celebrations, birthday parties, or maybe even an informal night with your best friends. Fried, grilled, and perhaps baked chicken wings are almost always excellent choices, although barbecue recipes for chicken wings will be the ideal solution whenever you are putting together an open-air gathering, considering that all your relatives and associates will be able to congregate around the barbeque to ensure you don't have to wind up being trapped in the house all on your own even while the socializing takes place out-of-doors.

Delicious chicken wings could very well be eaten for snacks or the main course, based on the method they are cooked. Whenever chicken wings will be used for the main course, you might need to locate recipes for chicken wings which will feature a sauce. Even so, wings may also be savored without requiring a lot of sauce any time they are intended to be hors d'oeuvers. However, the major factor to remember is that the best chicken wings almost always start off by having a terrific recipe.

One can find lots of relatively easy chicken wings recipes that are extremely easy to adhere to and fully understand. Based on the particular recipe, you will first and foremost have to coat the wings with a little vegetable oil and also your favorite spice blend or marinade. Afterward, place the wings in an air-tight plastic compartment inside of the refrigerator.

It is advisable to marinate all the chicken wings for several hours or overnight well before barbequing. This provides the wings loads of time to absorb the different ingredients from the chicken wing marinade. Just after providing them with plenty of time to soak the flavors, you should make sure your bar-b-que is very hot previous to putting the wings on it, and thereafter put each of them onto the bbq to begin the grilling process.

Since wings tend to be somewhat smallish, they will likely cook all the way through after only a handful of minutes on the barbeque. As a rule each individual side requires only 5-6 minutes, so make sure to keep an eye on them in order to steer clear of burning. Virtually any good chicken wing recipes should make you alerted to of this.

In cases where a number of the larger chicken wings take more time to cook through, you are able to switch some of them to some cooler section on the grill to finish the barbecuing even more naturally. As soon as they are done barbecuing, let the chicken cool for about eight minutes away from the cooking area. For anyone who is not certain when the chicken is actually adequately cooked all the way through or perhaps not, try cutting through the largest piece; the chicken need to be completely white inside when cooked adequately without having indications of pinkish left. Even so, in the event that you will find a small pinkish coloring just near the bones caused by the smoke, that is certainly okay.

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Get a good deal more information and facts with regards to the best Powerful Chicken Wings Recipes Tricks and Tips, and marinades. If you're like most individuals, hot and spicy wings are on top of your listing of wonderful foods. Get hold of amazing Secrets for Locating the Optimal Chicken Wings R

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Reasons to give Gourmet Food a Try

 by Martin Boshoff

 

Photo: katsgourmetfoods.com

Why are so many people interested in gourmet food? Have you ever really given this a second thought? While some are unsure of what gourmet food has to offer, others know that this is a great choice.

The main reason to give gourmet food a try is simple: it tastes better. When you buy this type of food, from cheese to chocolate and everything in between, you are guaranteed to enjoy the taste. This alone is something that is a big deal to a lot of people.

Did you know that gourmet food can be quite affordable? So many people believe that this will cost them a lot of money. However, they find out soon enough that this is not the case. Once you realize that you can buy gourmet food for cheap there is a much better chance that you will actually doing so.

Finally, there is one detail you may be forgetting about: you have the ability to buy gourmet food online. This makes it much easier to find what you are looking for, to place an order, and to fill your stomach soon enough. Generally speaking, this is much easier than going to a local store and searching for what you need. Why not shop from the comfort of your own home?

Now that you know why you should give gourmet food a try it is time to get started. Who knows, you may find out soon enough that this is the only type of food that you actually want to eat.

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MyReviewsNow provides top quality reviews of the best electronics, pet products, appliances and services by comparing professional product reviews.
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Organic Spices - Key Ingredient for Grilling Corn and Tomatoes

 by Spice Man

 

Photo: www-tc.pbs.org

Summer time and grilling season are almost interchangeable terms. What makes it so special is that all the things we enjoy about this time of year kind of come together at the same time. Fresh vegetables and fresh herbs and spices from the garden are readily available and the fun of cooking on the grill provides a wonderful opportunity to add some extra flair to our dinner time menu.

Here are a few ideas for using organic spices and preparing some great summer time food for your family and friends.

Sweet Corn is a summer time favorite. However you plan to cook sweet corn, one well known tip is to keep your corn in the husk to retain the rich flavor and husk it only when it's time to cook. Grilling sweet corn is an easy way to prepare it, so leave the husk on and soak the corn in water for an hour before you put it on the grill. The corn cooks best on medium high heat and takes about ten to fifteen minutes to cook. Mean while, melt a stick of butter in a coffee can, half full of water, and add some fresh, finely chopped cilantro and organic basil to melted butter. When ready to serve, remove the corn from the grill and pull the husk back. Dip the corn into the coffee can mixture and remove. End result, you get a well coated, delicious ear of fresh corn, with a great taste.

Fresh Tomatoes are certainly another great grilling time favorite. Although there is nothing that can beat a freshly sliced tomato, with just the right touches of organic pepper and salt, you may want to try this grill pleaser. Slice the tomato about one half inch thick. Season with organic salt and pepper and add some chopped fresh basil leaf and place on the grill. Turn after a few minutes, from one side to the other. For an added treat, top each slice with a thin slice of mozzarella cheese after you turn it the first time. With or without the cheese it is a wonderful way to enjoy fresh grown tomatoes.

Add these two to your favorite grilled meat or fish and you are certain to please. If fresh organic spices and herbs are not available you can use the dried variety. Just remember that when using dried organic spices to use lesser amounts, as they tend to be more robust.

Enjoy your summer time grilling season.

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Doug Stranahan is the owner of http://www.organicspicesrack.com and knows the importance of picking the right organic spice for the right job.

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Chicken Fajitas Marinade

 By William H Lowe 

Photo: s3.hubimg.com

Good chicken fajitas marinade can be hard to come by on the supermarket shelves, so I always make my own. Making your own marinade is extremely easy and gives you control over the spices and ingredients you eat. My two fundamental rules for producing a good chicken fajitas marinade are: 1) always use fresh ingredients, and 2) the longer you marinate the better.
Give this recipe a try and I guarantee you'll never want to buy a chicken fajitas marinade again. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts 1/4 cup roasted tomato taco sauce 3 tablespoons tequila 3 tablespoons lime juice 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 12 flour or corn tortillas Accompaniments: salsa, guacamole, shredded lettuce, sour cream, diced tomatoes
Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Trim fat. In a large glass bowl, marinate chicken breasts in taco sauce, lime juice, tequila, jalapenos, garlic, oregano, pepper, salt, and cumin for 2 hours at room temperature or 12 hours in the refrigerator.
Set the chicken on a hot oiled grill 4-6 inches from heat. Grill, turning and basting with marinade several times, until chicken is white but still moist, 8 to 10 minutes. Let rest for 3 to 5 minutes before slicing into strips.
Heat tortillas. Divide chicken into 12 and place in center of each tortilla. Top with salsa, guacamole, shredded lettuce, sour cream and tomatoes. Roll up and eat.
Yield: 12 fajitas
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 15 min Difficulty: Easy
There you have it. A great recipe for chicken fajitas marinade that you can concoct with ease. Don't get sucked in to buying store marinade when you can make this for less money and with better flavor. I used to buy chicken fajitas marinade at the store until my grand mother bestowed this delicious recipe upon me. Not only is it a healthier alternative to what you get at the store, but it just plain tastes better. I'd venture to say that after perfecting this marinade, you will never want to purchase another marinade from the store again. Who knows what is being put in our processed foods, and to be honest, I like to stay away from store bought any chance I have. Please let me know know if this recipe is as good for you as it has been for me.

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Bulalo - Filipino Beef Soup

 by: Jamie Omugtong

Photo: media.zenfs.com

When you go to different parts of the Philippines, you’ll see variations of foods and recipes that you haven’t seen before. Many provinces have their own proud recipe, their unique trademark when it comes to food. One province that I know is Batangas. Famous as the cattle raising region of the Philippines, Batangeños found their own unique way of cooking their specialty – Bulalo. Bulalo or beef bone marrow soup in English, has win hearts of many Filipinos over the years, and has been a Filipino soup favourite. The hotter this soup is the better. So now, let’s discover how this soup is cooked. A unique Philippine food cooked the Filipino way!

Estimated preparation time is 10 minutes, cooking time is two hours and 30 minutes. Here are the ingredients:

• 2 kg beef bone marrow, have your butcher chop it into small pieces

• 1 kg boneless beef shank or stewing beef

• 1 onion, peeled and sliced

• 3 liters water

• 2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

• 2-3 saba (plantain) bananas, each cut into two pieces

• 1 whole medium cabbage, quartered

• 3-4 tablespoons fish sauce (patis)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Now, that you have all the ingredients ready, let’s start cooking. First, blanch bone marrow and boneless beef shank or stewing beef in hot boiling water for a while and rinse in cold running tap water to get rid of scum and blood. Next, place bone marrow and onion in a stockpot, pour in the 3 liters of water and bring to the boil. Then, lower heat and simmer for about 40 minutes. Add the boneless beef shank or stewing beef and return to the boil. When it boils, lower heat and simmer until beef is tender, about 1 to 1½ hours. A good tip to do when tenderizing beef is to use jackfruit leaves, it helps on tenderizing the beef faster. Now, add the potatoes and bananas. Let it simmer until potatoes and bananas are tender, this may take about 10 to 15 minutes. Afterwards, add the cabbage and stir in fish sauce, salt and pepper to taste. And finally, cook the whole mixture until cabbage is tender-crisp, this would be about 2 minutes. Serve with rice. And that’s it!

Beef, the primary ingredient of bulalo, is a good source of minerals, such as zinc, selenium, phosphorus and iron, and B vitamins. See, bulalo is not just a good soup; it’s a healthy soup as well.

Cooking this beef recipe might take time, because of the beef. The beef should be tender enough for you to chew; it’s hard to eat beef when it’s not tender enough (remember that!). Another good thing to add in this recipe is to use bouillon cubes, there are many commercial products who sell this cubes in beef flavour. This would add taste to your bulalo.

Preparing dishes for your family is always fun, because you know that what you are cooking is safe, delicious, and healthy. So, why not try this Filipino recipe, Bulalo, for your next dish? It’s not just delicious, but also good for the health. Happy eating!

I'm a student and I love cooking!

About The Author
I'm a student and I love cooking!

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Sustainable Fish Pie

 By Lianne Walker 

Photo: farm2.static.flickr.com/

When you come home on a cold winter's night, what better comforting dish than Sustainable Fish Pie, warming and nourishing? Although it is called a pie, there is no pastry involved; just an unctuous topping of creamy, mashed potato the top of which should crisp up slightly in the oven.
Serves 4-6 people
Shopping list:
1kg firm, sustainable fish fillets (it can be a mixture of smoked and unsmoked fish for added flavour)
1.5kg of floury potatoes
350ml of full cream milk
A few good knobs of butter
2 tablespoons of sifted white flour
150g grated cheese (a mixture of strong cheddar and Parmesan works well)
A handful of fennel leaves or dill (or a mixture of both) finely chopped
1 small onion (finely diced)
A good slug of dry, white wine
1 bay leaf
A small grating of nutmeg.
Method:
1. First of all, peel and boil the potatoes until cooked through. Drain immediately and leave to cool a little. While the potatoes are cooking, melt a little butter in a large frying pan and when it starts of sizzle, add the onion and fennel/dill and fry gently until the onion is translucent. Turn up the heat and add the white wine. Let it evaporate for a couple of minutes, then add the milk to the pan.
2. When the milk is hot (be careful not to boil it or it will 'split') add the fish fillets. Wait until the milk has reheated, then turn off the heat and cover the pan. Leave for around 5 minutes until the fish is almost cooked through, before draining the fish, and reserving the liquid.
3. Melt a good knob of butter in a saucepan and the flour. Mix well, before adding the reserved fishy milk (saving a little back for the mash). Add the bay leaf, grated nutmeg and gently warm through, stirring well. When the sauce has thickened add around 2/3 of the grated cheese. The sauce should be thick, smooth and glossy.
4. Mash the potatoes with a little melted butter and as much of the remaining fishy milk that you need. Season it well. The mash should be thick, rich and smooth.
5. Place the fish in an oval oven proof dish, pour over the cheesy sauce (removing the bay leaf) and mix it carefully together so all of the fish is well coated. Add the mash, either by gently spreading over the fish mixture, or spoon in dollops, like islands in the fishy sea.
6. Place in a pre-heated, moderate oven (around 200 degrees C /Gas mark 6) for around 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling up and the mash is lightly browned and crisp on the top.
7. Leave to cool a little before serving with some steamed seasonal greens and a chilled glass of white wine.

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How To Make a Moist Roast Turkey

 By Nick Cavataio 

Photo: http://recipeland.com

If you fear roasting turkey for Thanksgiving because it always seems to be to DRY. Then do not FEAR moist turkey is here. There are several marinades you could use and that is fine, but for now I would like to suggest a couple of my favorite brine recipes. There is very little preparation and in return, lots of juicy, flavorful, very moist roast turkey.
Check out the instructions and I think you will agree it does not get much simpler than this. Saltwater brines actually helps the turkey hold its juices. Impress your family and friends this year with mouthwatering moist roast turkey. Tuck these tips away to be passed down for generations. Like I mentioned these are my favorites, but please feel free to adjust the herbs and seasoning to your liking.
Chef Nicks Saltwater Brine Roast Turkey - Method one
Brine
Turkey of your choice
1 gallon water
¾ cup sea salt
Seasonings & herbs
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh ground pepper
¼ cup granulated garlic
¼ cup poultry seasoning
1 cup fresh rosemary
1 cup fresh basil
1 cup fresh tarragon
1 cup fresh thyme
Instructions:
Mix water and salt, and all seasonings and herbs.
Soak turkey overnight, pat dry with paper towel.
Roast according to directions.
Chef Nicks Saltwater Brine Roast Turkey - Method Two
Ingredients:
1 (16-18 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
2 ½ cups sea salt
¾ cup melted butter
2 large onions, peeled and quartered
6 carrots, peeled and chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
4 turnips peeled and quartered
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cups dry white wine
Instructions:
Rinse turkey, rub inside and out with the sea salt. Place the bird in a large stockpot, cover with cold water. Place in the refrigerator, soak overnight. Preheat oven 350 degrees. Rinse turkey and discard brine. Brush turkey with ½ the melted butter. Place the bird breast side down in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff the turkey with half of each veggies, thyme and bay leaves. Place the remaining veggies, thyme and bay leaf around the bottom of the roasting pan, and cover with the white wine. Roast uncovered 3 ½ - 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the internal temperature o the thigh reaches 180 degrees. Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time, and brush with remaining butter. Allow the bird to stand about 30 minutes before carving.

And now I would like to invite you to claim your FREE instant access to 15 Quick, Easy, Healthy Recipes when you visit http//www.conqueringhealthierrecipes.com.

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Recipes for Pasta Dishes That Diabetics Can Enjoy, Too

 By Linda Carol Wilson 

Photo: diabetesfoodrecipes.com

One of most difficult things about receiving a diagnosis of diabetes is the concern of what to eat. Food is not just a necessary substance for life, it is something we enjoy. And that diabetic diagnosis can leave one confused about what foods they can still enjoy. Once a diabetic starts their treatment plan and gets their blood sugar level under control, they can still enjoy pasta. As with all foods, the diabetic must eat pasta in moderation, use a sugar-free sauce, add some protein to the meal, and leave off or severely limit their indulgence in the tasty breads that often accompany pasta. So bottom line, even though you have been diagnosed as a diabetic, you can still enjoy pasta. The recipes in this article, are not diabetic recipes, but they are diabetic-friendly and can be an occasional part of the diabetics diet.
BAKED THREE-CHEESE BEEFY ZITI
1 pkg (12-oz) uncooked whole-grain ziti pasta
1 lb lean ground beef
3 cups sugar-free or low-sugar marinara or pasta sauce
1 pkg (8-oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 tbsp pesto sauce
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to pkg directions; drain.
While pasta cooks, brown the ground beef in a nonstick skillet and drain well.
In a large mixing bowl combine the cooked pasta with the browned beef. Add the 2 cups of the marinara sauce, half the mozzarella cheese, half the Parmesan cheese, the ricotta cheese, pesto sauce and red pepper. Stir until well blended.
Spray a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon the ziti-beef mixture into the baking dish. Spoon the last cup of marinara sauce over the casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining halves of the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
Bake the casserole at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until the cheeses are melted and the casserole is bubbly. Serve with additional grated Parmesan cheese.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
LEMON AND PARSLEY LINGUINE
1/2 lb whole-wheat linguine
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp finely grated lemon peel
2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but firm, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the liquid.
Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, approximately 1 minute. Add the lemon peel and cook about a half a minute. Remove from the heat.
Add the well drained linguine to the garlic skillet. Return to the heat and mix in the parsley. Add the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Toss until heated through. Add more of the reserved liquid, if needed.
Yield: 4 servings
Note: I suggest a small low-fat meat for protein with this pasta.
Enjoy!

For more of Linda's recipes and diabetic information visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com
For her old fashion recipe collection visit her at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com

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Easy Cheese Un-Burger Recipe

 By Jessica Gerald 

Photo: quarecipes.com

Here is a twist on the traditional cheeseburger. I don't know why, but making meat patties for hamburgers or cheeseburgers is a task I just don't like to do. So I have devised a simpler way to make them that tastes just as good.
Basically what I do is to take the amount of ground beef or turkey that I would use to make burgers and brown it, as if I was going to make sloppy Joes. Here is the recipe.
Ingredients
2 pounds of ground beef or turkey
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
Optional ingredients are barbecue sauce or ketchup, mustard, pepper
Water
Directions
I have found that one envelope of dry soup mix for every two pounds of ground meat is a pretty good ratio. The soup mix is fairly salty, so I usually don't add any extra salt.
Brown the ground meat in a skillet over medium to medium-low heat, stirring and mixing frequently. When meat is completely browned and cooked through, sprinkle the soup mix over it and stir in well. Add just enough water to moisten the soup mix and keep the meat from burning or getting too dry. You don't want it to be watery or runny like a sloppy Joe would be.
Turn the heat to low and simmer for five to ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
What I like to do is add just a little bit of barbecue sauce to the meat mixture as it simmers on low. You may want to add ketchup instead, a little drop of mustard and some pepper. Or you may just prefer to have the ground meat and the soup mix without any extras.
I let it simmer uncovered until most of the liquid is cooked out and it is nicely browned, being careful not to let it cook dry or get burned.
Serve on hamburger buns with a slice of cheese on top. Add your favorite extras, such as sliced tomatoes, pickles, or onions.
Another variation is to sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the meat in the skillet at the end of the cooking. Let it melt into the top of the meat and then serve onto the buns.
This recipe is also good if you are having a get-together with friends, or simply need to keep dinner warm for a while. Transfer it to the crockpot, set on low, and people can serve themselves when they want to.

Visit Easy Dinner Recipes for more recipes, cooking tips, and recipe e-books. http://www.easydinnerrecipes.org

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Four Famous Beijing Dishes

 By Thom Sanders 

Photo: beijingtour.com

Beijing, a city famed world wide for its great mix of culture and history. That's not all this fantastic destination has to offer though; if you take a trip out on any of the great Beijing tours you'll discover some of the delicious food treats available in the city too. This article takes a look at a few of the most famous Beijing dishes.
Starting with one of the lesser know dishes, we have the tasty Chinese Hot Pot. This delicate dish is cooked for just 15 seconds, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's uncaring fast food. The short cooking time allows the dish to retain more if its delicate flavours and to lock in more vitamins. The hot pot does live up to its name in more than one way too, as the dish is usually spiced with chilies.
Next up we have a slightly more homely taste, with the brilliant Chinese Dumplings. These sweet meaty treats are made up of a mix of vegetables, Chinese spices and meats; all of which varies depending on the chef. The dish is most often associated with the Chinese New Year festivals because of the traditions to eat a dumpling at midnight on new year's eve and again for breakfast on new year day. If you ask any of the locals their favourite foods, chances are the dumplings would rate highly on their lists.
Time for another more uncommon meal in the west, Peking Court Cuisine. As the name would suggest, this meal consists of dishes more traditionally eaten at the imperial court. Most of the ancient dynasties had their own imperial kitchens and from these came a whole range of great dishes. The Court Cuisine of today is heavily based on recipes from the Qing imperial kitchens.
Our final and undoubtedly most famous Chinese dish is the Peking Roast Duck. This dish has a reputation of being one of the most delicious foods that Beijing has to offer. With its sweet, rich, meat and tasty sauce it's a taste experience to be savored. Many people who visit the region agree that it's one of the 'must experience' events while on a Beijing holiday, with the other being a climb of the Great Wall.
This is just a small taste of all the great foods you can enjoy while in this great region and if you head out on one of the wider China tours then theirs even more to be discovered.

Wendy Wu Tours offers a range of unforgettable Beijing tours on their own or as part of larger China tours.

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A Quick Guide on the Cuisines of Singapore

By Marco Fuso  

Photo: journeyetc.com

Few cuisines in the world can claim to be as cosmopolitan as the culinary traditions of Singapore and although a small country; Singapore offers you an incredible variety of colourful and multicultural dishes.
Whether you are looking for a good restaurant, market or food centre, Singapore has it all.
You can see a reflection of the country's cultural diversity in the array of local cuisines on the menu across Singapore. You can find, in food centres and local restaurants, Malay food, Indian vegetarian thali, a range of naans and briyanis. Cantonese dim sum, Hainanese chicken rice, Peking duck, Fujian Hokkien mee (fried noodles) and popiah (spring rolls). The abundant hawker centres are also the most popular destinations for people in search of variety in tastes available at low prices.While there are a number of cuisines available in Singapore, some of them are particularly associated with this culinary destination.
Here is your quick guide to the flavours of Singapore before you decide you're definitely going to jump in and start your holiday:
Chinese Cuisine
One of the main players in the country's gastronomic array is the Chinese cuisine. You can enjoy the delicious dim sum, roasted meats and double-boiled soups brought by the Cantonese immigrants, the spicy dishes from Szechuan and the flavourful chicken rice with its roots from the Hainan province. Hearty meat dishes and appetising noodles are a part of Hokkien meals while Teochew dishes include lighter items such as steamed seafood, comforting porridge and clear soups.
Indian Cuisine
If you're a fan of Indian food, you'll be spoilt for choice! Fancy vegetarian thosai, seafood dishes and fiery curries enriched with coconut milk or why not try tandoori offerings and fluffy naan breads. You can also get a taste of popular local Indian-Muslim dishes such as roti pratas, murtabak - (prata stuffed with minced meat, eggs and onions) and nasi biryani, a saffron rice dish with spicy chicken or mutton. You can also taste the popular local Indian-Muslim dishes such as roti pratas, murtabak - (prata stuffed with minced meat, eggs and onions) and nasi briyani, a saffron rice dish with spicy chicken or mutton.
Malay Cuisine
Next on the culinary menu is the Malay cuisine in Singapore which will give you a chance to savour an array of spices. You'll find the cuisine spicy without being unbearably hot, thanks to its generous use of coconut milk and local spices. Peanut sauce occupies a pride of place in dishes like gado gado, an Indonesian salad of lettuce, bean sprouts and fried bean curd and satay - skewers of meat grilled over charcoal served with raw onions and cucumber. Try the nasi lemak for its flavourful coconut steamed rice, or nasi padang, where you can select from a wide range of dishes on display.
Peranakan Cuisine
Dishes such as the Peranakan or Nonya food offer a blend of Chinese, Malay and Indonesian flavours, combining aromatic herbs and spices such as lemongrass, chillies, tamarind paste, shrimp paste and coconut milk to create a rich cuisine of braised dishes, stews and curries. You'll have to try the ayam buah keluak, a chicken dish mixed with earthy-tasting buah keluak nuts and the laksa, a famous Nonya dish made with rice vermicelli and coconut milk and garnished with seafood or chicken.
Singapore also offers you a wide range of international cuisines - from Thai, Korean, and Vietnamese to Mongolian food. Whether you're in the mood for Japanese, a hearty Italian meal, or a casual French bistro experience, you'll find it all. So, no wonder that going out for food is one of the most popular pastimes in Singapore. Food is a constant subject of conversation among locals who like to comment on the dishes they have eaten and the restaurants they visited. Among the ethnic Chinese in Singapore, it is also common to ask a colleague or friend whom you bumped into casually in the streets or in the corridor `Have you eaten yet?' regardless of the time of the day.
Singapore is a foodies paradise and for us at vacation and cuisine Southeast Asia's food capital.

Born into an Italian family Marco was bound to have a passion for food, hence it was only a matter of time until he came up with his brainchild vacationandcuisine.com. Growing up in Germany and combined with living in multicultural London he wanted to combine his passion and experience for marketing with his love for travel and food.
Marco's aim with vacationandcuisine.com is to give visitors a good website to turn to have a look for great destinations with great food. For more information on vacationandcuisine.com or to read more article please visit:
Website
http://www.vacationandcuisine.com
Blog:
http://www.vacationandcuisine.wordpress.com/

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Asian Foods You Must Try

 By Larry Lim T Y 

Photo: http://i2.asntown.ne

Are Asian foods healthier and less caloric than Western foods? It depends. Certainly, a bowl of dashi garnished with cubes of tofu and chopped scallions isn't very caloric, but a similar bowl of chicken soup isn't either. But here are some Asian foods you must try before the bucket is kicked.
Sushi and Sashimi
Yes, some people are a bit revolted by the idea of eating raw fish, but these two Japanese dishes are oh so good, especially when the vinegared rice is prepared just right and the fish is so fresh that it's still in rigor mortis. Fish and seafood used for sushi include salmon, tuna, though not the overfished bluefin, eel, flounder, octopus, shrimp, abalone and salmon roe. If the dieter really can't bear raw fish, they can have sushi made with avocado, sweetened egg, or cucumber.
Dashi
Dashi is a broth made with a sheet of kombu seaweed and dried bonito flakes, bonito being a fish. It has a delicate taste and aroma and is the basis for many Japanese soups. It is wonderful to drink with nothing in it on cold winter nights.
Tempura
The calorie count with this dish might be fairly high because it involves dipping food in batter and deep frying it. The great thing about tempura is that it can be made out of anything, including chunks of seafood, sliced Japanese eggplant, carrots, tofu, green squash, slices of lotus root and green onions. It should be drained and eaten while it's hot, for cold or left over tempura has lost much of its appeal.
Hot and Sour Soup
This delicious soup is made from tree fungus, dried tiger lilies, dried shiitake mushrooms and tofu in beef stock. All of the ingredients can be found easily in an Asian market and they're inexpensive. The dieter shouldn't worry about the tree fungus. It's also called cloud ears and is a black mushroom that's grown on logs. It's dried and when it's rehydrated it seems to grow ten times its size, then it's sliced and added to the soup. The soup only needs one or two to suffice.
Peking Dust
This dessert is a bit fussy to make, but it's heavenly. It uses raw chestnuts, sugar, a pinch of salt, heavy cream, one orange and glaceéd walnuts. The chestnuts are pureed, then garnished with the orange and walnuts and slathered with whipped cream in a mold.
Lamb Korma
This is an Indian dish where chunks of lamb are cooked in a creamy curry sauce and served with rice, chutney, raita or onion sambal. Made with coriander, cumin, cardamom seeds, ginger, cloves, red pepper and garlic, it smells as good as it tastes.
Wontons Stuffed with Pork, Cabbage, Scallions and Ginger
Though a lot of people may have bought wontons at their take-out place, there's nothing like making some at home. They're not that hard to make, and practice makes perfect.
Onigiri
These are rice balls and are very popular in Japanese picnic boxes. The ingredients include fresh salmon fillet, one sheet of dried nori, which is also used for wrapping sushi, bonito flakes and umeboshi, pickled and salted plums. Onigiri are a bit labor intensive to make, but, again, worth it.
Miso Soup with Oysters and Bean Curd
Miso is soy bean paste and this dashi-based soup uses red and white miso, fried bean curd, regular bean curd, about 16 oysters, Japanese parsley, fresh ginger root and sansho powder. It's very, very delicious indeed.

Larry Lim writes reviews on Japanese restaurants in Singapore and recommends Online Restaurant Reservations for your instant guide on any restaurant located in Singapore.

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Low Salt - Making Healthy Sausages

 By Adam Marianski 

Photo: http://i.dailymail.co.uk

Making Healthy Sausages - Lowering Salt
Removing animal fat and decreasing calories makes a healthier sausage for most people, but the large amounts of salt still create a problem for many. The amount of salt added to all commercial products (not just sausages) is huge and will in time increase blood pressure in even healthy individuals.
Salt increases blood pressure, that is a fact. Some people are more tolerant to salt, but about 20% of the population will become salt sensitive, especially later in life.
We do not develop high blood pressure by eating sausages, but by consuming ready to eat products which we warm up at home. Just look at the amount of salt canned soup, canned vegetables, or canned fish contains. Salt is added to everything, meat products and sausages, canned fish, peanut butter, canned vegetables, nuts, soups, milk, cheese, butter, vegetable spreads - the list is endless.
The amount of salt those items contain is simply scary. Salt is added in such a high amount to prevent the growth of bacteria and to prolong the shelf life of the product. We have no control over manufactured products, but we can prepare our own meals ourselves. By cooking at home we can add only as much salt as is needed for good flavor. This amount will be well below what is added by commercial producers.
Choosing salt substitutes. The number one step is to pick up a salt substitute which will be used and become familiar with it. Let's assume that a sausage will contain 1% of salt and that calls for adding 10 g of salt to 1 kg (1000 g) of meat. Mix 10 g of salt substitute (about 1½ teaspoon) with 1 kg of meat, make a tiny hamburger, cook it and see how you like it. Let your palate be the judge. Contrary to a popular belief, the sausages do not contain as much salt as we normally like to think. A typical range is from 1.5% to 2% salt in relation to the weight of the sausage mass. An average figure will be around 1.8%. Keep in mind that fermented sausages must not be made with lower levels of salt as at the beginning of the process, salt is the only barrier that protects the meat against the growth of bacteria.
Read the label carefully to see how much regular salt (sodium chloride) a particular salt substitute contains and you will know exactly how much salt your sausage contains. There are different brands of salt substitutes in supermarkets and online so do your research.
Here comes to our rescue another salt, KCl, known as potassium chloride. You can see that does not contain Na (sodium), the part that is responsible for increasing blood pressure. When used alone, it has a salty bitter flavor, so the preferred choice is to mix it with a common salt. A good combination is to mix one part of KCl with one part NaCl. What we get is the new salt: NaCl + KCl, which contains only 50% of Na (sodium) of the common table salt. Our biggest salt producer Morton makes such a salt called "Lite Salt" which is available in every supermarket. Morton produces another salt under the name "Salt Substitute" which contains 0 sodium (Na). You may call it the salt without salt as it has salty/bitter flavor, yet it does not contain any sodium. Salt substitutes vary in their composition, but their main ingredient is always potassium chloride. A salt substitute does not taste exactly like sodium chloride, but it is close enough, and it contains less or none of the sodium that some people are trying to avoid.
If you decide to go on a low sodium diet and start decreasing the amount of salt you consume, after about three weeks you may reach a point when your food tastes enjoyable, though you use less salt than before. When smoking large amounts of meat that will be kept for a week or longer, remember that it will keep on drying out (losing moisture), even when kept in a refrigerator. Salt will, however, remain inside and your sausage will now taste saltier though its diameter will be smaller. In such a case you may use less salt than originally planned for as the saltiness and meat flavor will be more pronounced in time. And if you find your sausage not salty enough use a salt shaker, that is what they are made for.
Adam Marianski has written six books on meat smoking and making sausages. His latest book Making Healthy Sausages has been recently published. Detailed information on making sausages and many recipes can be found at http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-recipes

Adam Marianski has written six books on meat smoking and making sausages. His latest book Making Healthy Sausages has been recently published by Bookmagic LLC.

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