There are so many Christmas cookie recipes around but often so little time to bake during the busy holiday season.
The solution? A great tasting basic cookie recipe that quickly and easily turns into such a variety of easy to make Christmas treats, friends and family will think you poured over all your favorite Christmas cookie recipes.
Let’s start with the basics.
Basic Cookie Dough Recipe Continue reading “Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes – One Recipe with Many Variations”
Vegetarianism changes the way you look at and think about food. It is a natural and holistic journey that must be undertaken for the good health of your body. A well balanced vegetarian diet i.e. one low in fat and high in fibre is enough to keep most complicated medical problems at bay like coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and even certain forms of cancer.
Vegetarians tend to consume more quantities of polyunsaturated fats which are healthy when compared to saturated fats present in all meat products. A typical vegetarian meal is one which includes a balanced proportion of grains, cereals, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, dairy and soy products. Since there is so much variety, you get all the nutrients that your body requires from this type of a meal.
We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and having a vegetarian breakfast means double the health benefits. So replace the scrambled eggs, fried bacon and sausages with fruits, cereals and soya. It is always best to take a combination breakfast i.e. one which includes a portion of fruit, cereal and dairy products instead of just one item. Continue reading “Vegetarian Diet – The Promise to Good Health”
Many Indian recipes were developed according to the laws and principles of nature, or dharma. These principles state that we are basically what we eat, as different foods affect our bodies in different ways. We eat to live, not live to eat, and there is both a right way and a wrong way to go about it.
Northern Indian cuisine
Northern Indian cuisine is typically from the Punjab region of the country, otherwise known as the land of five rivers. The region has very fertile soil and ample means for irrigation. As a result, it is very rich in agriculture and is known as the “bread basket of India”. Punjab was partitioned into two provinces in 1947 when Pakistan was carved out of India. Hence the western portion is now an eastern province of Pakistan. Hence, the cuisine has quite the diversity when it comes to the way food is prepared. Sometimes the spices in each dish vary from one region to another, depending on migration and family tradition. Continue reading “Indian Vegetarian Food Is Known for Being Healthy, Flavourful and Delicious”
Home brewing is certainly nothing new – it’s actually a throwback to the roots of brewing, when families made their own brews because there were few alternatives. That changed in the US with the rise of big breweries, but the modern resurgence in brewing at home truly is something new, or rather, something old happening for new reasons. Why is home brewing gaining so much steam? Here are some interesting reasons cited by actual home brewers.
Really Social in an Age of False Connections
Most of us are stuffed to the gills with “social” activities. We check Facebook, “like” our friends’ posts, share things that matter to us, tweet with buddies on Twitter and grow our business networks on LinkedIn. We’re so overloaded with “social” that it’s becoming difficult to remember what it was like to actually engage in social activities. Interestingly, home brewing is extremely social and allows you to connect (or reconnect) with people old and new to your life. Continue reading “Home Brewing Skyrockets – A Look at the Benefits for Newbies”
If there is one easy way to get a well-rounded meal that is also made from raw and living foods it is in the form of a salad. Though common views of salads tend to see them as consisting entirely of vegetables, the reality is that you can make a remarkably healthy and completely nutritious meal in your salad bowl and it can include fruit, nuts, herbs, and more.
How is that possible? After all, how can a salad give you plenty of protein or fatty acid? How can it bring adequate carbohydrates and fats? The body needs all of these things throughout the course of a day, and it might seem that a “typical” salad would be unable to deliver. This, however, is an inaccurate view of the many dishes that can be called “salad”.
As a prime example, consider something like a “quinoa salad”. There are dozens and dozens of variations on this theme, but the thing that is most important is that quinoa. An ancient (and mightily delicious) grain, packs a lot of nutritional “punch”. It is loaded with fiber and protein, contains tons of nutrients, and partners beautifully with vegetables, fruits, nuts, and any sort of dressing. It can be cooked until very tender or left with a bit of bite (al dente) to ensure texture in your salad. This will also allow the grain to absorb juices, enzymes, and flavors from raw veggies, dressings, or fruits tossed into the mix. Continue reading “The Most Nutritious Meal We Could Have”
In the process of setting up a kitchen the shopping list is endless. A lot of course depends on the eating habits of the family, whether they prefer eating out or like cooking at home for more nourishing, wholesome and economical meals. The shopping list inevitably includes crockery, cutlery, cooking pans and serving bowls, large kitchen appliances and gadgets like the cooking range or gas hob, refrigerator, dishwasher and so on. These are rated as essentials. Next in line comes the range of small kitchen appliances which includes some indispensable appliances and many which serve specific functions and may not be used every day or every week. Budget constraints also make it necessary that we buy some now and some later since the expense list is too long. How then does one decide which small kitchen appliance to buy first?
Deciding on the Most Important Small Kitchen Appliances Continue reading “The Priority List For Buying Small Kitchen Appliances”
If you’re a fan of the classic Italian dish Veal Saltimbocca (or Chicken Saltimbocca), this recipe may seem a little familiar. Saltimbocca typically calls for thin pieces of meat rolled or stuffed with bacon or prosciutto, along with slices of cheese and fresh herbs, most often sage.
In this slightly askew version, I rub chicken breasts with dried sage and wrap them in thin slices of prosciutto before pan-searing them.
Instead of using cheese slices, I made a creamy mascarpone cheese sauce, blended with fresh lemon juice and zest. It melts over the chicken breasts for a deliciously silky finish. Continue reading “Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken With Lemony Mascarpone Sauce”
Barbecuing is not what it used to be. When growing up the only time that my family would start up the grill or smoker was in the summer and on the weekends. Today, people barbecue every night and all year round. Barbecue sauces have come along way since then as well. There used to be only a couple of choices at your local market. But now with the invention of “super” markets the amount barbecue sauces you can buy locally has grown significantly. For those gourmet barbecue sauces the web is probably the only place you will find these unique sauces. If you don’t live in the Alabama area the only place you will find traditional White BBQ Sauce like Big Bob Gibson’s is on the web or of course you can try to make it yourself.
In Alabama Barbecue traditional Sauce uses Mayonnaise as its base rather than tomato sauce, vinegar, or any of the other more typical barbecue sauce bases. It is clearly a region favorite. Bob Gibson of Decatur, Alabama is credited with the invention the white sauce back in 1925. Friends and family were first treated to this secret-recipe sauce on chicken and pork at weekend barbecues where boards were nailed to trees for tables. Today, this famous mayonnaise-based condiment is traditionally employed to baste chicken, seafood and pork. Continue reading “White Barbecue Sauce – Gourmet BBQ Sauce at Its Best”
Banana is a fruit commonly found in most households. Yet – we never realize the diverse benefits and uses that this fruit has. Apart from being a fantastic source of potassium, banana peels are packed with nutrients and vitamins. It holds so much more than just nutrition. It aids us in so many beneficial uses within our daily lives. Next time you eat a banana – preserve it!
Listed below are a range of fantastic and convenient uses:
1. Bruises
Having an unsightly bruise can be embarrassing. Simply rub the inside of a banana peel over the bruise. This will help diminish the appearance.
2. Depression Continue reading “23 Amazing Uses for Banana Peels”
I’ve been asked on several occasions to help wrap lumpia for various clubs, organizations, and parties. I decided to try to make these “lumpia wrapping parties” a little more effective. The main problem when wrapping lumpia is the time spent gossiping and less time wrapping. So even after 3 hours and 10 people the total number of wrapped lumpia is under 100.
The other problem is food contamination with the number of hands. Germs scare me and if you ever see me in the kitchen I’m washing my hands after I touch anything.
In order to increase wrapping speed and decrease contamination came up with the idea to use an pastry bag to squeeze the meat onto the lumpia wrapper. (I feel like this is the same way mass production companies do it for their lumpia, if not, maybe I’ll sell my idea). Continue reading “Mass Production Lumpia Shanghai Recipe”
