Barbecue, BBQ & grilling, BBQ food, Breakfast, Drinks, Family, Fish, Fruit, Healthy, Healthy eating, Italian, Light meals, Main Course, Mains, Meat, Meat & fish, Nutrition, One-pan recipes, Quick & Easy, Quick fixes, Recipe Roundup, Salad, Sauces & condiments, Seasonal, Seasonal produce, Sharing, Side Dish, Snacks, Summer, Summer Drinks, Uncategorized, Vegetable sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Best Chili Recipes – 5 Tips For Cooking Great Chili!

Chili is a metaphysical thing in the world of cooking. There are major competitions all over the United States, and believe me they can get really cutthroat. People take their chili seriously! Chili is a creation that is highly personal to the person that has created the dish. Lots of folks can work a lifetime to perfect a chili recipe and that is no joke. Just ask anyone that has ever competed in a chili cook off. If you are a newbie to the world of chili and want to get out of “the canned stuff,” then welcome! Even if you are an old hat at making chili, welcome! The tips herein will do no harm and only enhance your chili experience! Lets get some tips!

Tip 1. What if your chili is too thick? What kind of chili is it? White?, Red? Beef? Chicken? If your chili is too thick do not use water to thin it out that is what everyone in the world does. Use broth instead! Water will “kill” the hard worked for flavor of your chili creation. Broth adds the liquid that you need and unlike water it also adds flavor and depth to your chili recipe! Continue reading “Best Chili Recipes – 5 Tips For Cooking Great Chili!”

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Ayurvedic Massage Therapy in India – Part One

I have come on a pilgrimage to India to find out if it is possible to cure all my ailments (excess kilos/fluctuating but generally high blood pressure/ high cholesterol and probably more) in two weeks.

I have heard about Ayurvedic medicine and the excellent results that some people have experienced, so here I am at Sagara Resort at Kovalam Beach in Kerala, awaiting my consultation with the doctor.

The resort is intriguing in as much as it is a work in progress. Apparently it all started with a couple of rooms and then the owner built a bit more and so on until here it stands today, almost finished! In fact, a huge pool has just been completed and all that remains is the tiling which it is expected will be finished during our stay. Workers (well workmen actually, since I do not believe there is such a thing as a female building labourer in the whole of India) are everywhere and are apparently working twenty four hour shifts. They run around with wound up towels on their heads into which they fit baskets of gravel to tip onto the front driveway which is under construction. Labour is cheap and machinery expensive, so it follows that this is the most economical construction method. But it is surely not easy in the hot midday sun! Continue reading “Ayurvedic Massage Therapy in India – Part One”

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Reflectons of Travel to Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific

As a four-decade Certified Travel Agent, international airline employee, researcher, writer, teacher, and photographer, travel, whether for pleasure or business purposes, has always been a significant and an integral part of my life. Some 400 trips to every portion of the globe, by means of road, rail, sea, and air, entailed destinations both mundane and exotic. This article focuses on Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific.

AUSTRALIA

The Sydney Opera House, sporting its sail-resembling roof and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, confirmed my arrival “down under” after another flight whose hour duration eclipsed two digits in number on the appropriately named Qantas Boeing 747-400 “Long Reach.”

Although a need to reduce trip costs relegated me to a smaller hotel, it was nevertheless well-located and appointed, with quaint decorations, a refrigerator, a small kitchen area, and a private bath, facilitating grocery storage for breakfast and Thai take out for dinner, eaten at its very round table.

Continue reading “Reflectons of Travel to Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific”

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Can You Drink Alcohol and Still Maintain a High Level of Athletic Performance?

Let’s face it. For most Australians, we’ve played sport from a very young age. Many of us continue to play competitive sports for our entire lives. Obviously most athletes have a peak age they reach for competition, which in males is about thirty, and in females about 33.

I myself am a professional athlete. I compete in Mixed Martial Arts, one of the most physically taxing and as most will agree, brutal sports there are. And let me tell you, there is nothing worse than trying to even complete a training session of grappling or striking after an all-night bender!

Another simple truth is that being Australian, we are very social people. And we like to drink. I cannot name any person that I know at home that will not indulge in a drink on a Friday or Saturday night with their friends over a meal, me included! But my opinions on alcohol and training are simple; alcohol will affect every aspect of your training. It affects your ability to recover, it affects your ability to think and coordinate your mind and body, it affects your liver and your digestive systems, it affects the ability of your body to metabolise fats and proteins, and for those like myself who are involved in sports where weight and weight loss are very important, it can affect your ability to lose weight. Continue reading “Can You Drink Alcohol and Still Maintain a High Level of Athletic Performance?”

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Cooking With Nutrition in Mind

I was so excited to receive my copy of From One Small Garden – Over 300 Delicious Nutritious Recipes in the mail – for several reasons. First, I know the authors. They are our neighbors and friends. So of course I really was looking forward to holding their book in my hands and showing my support of their work. They do a lot for the community here from donating gift certificates to fundraisers or produce from their gardens, cleaning litter from the streets, and so much more including performing (Dave’s a musician) for charitable events. As their neighbor I also benefit from seeing their stunning gardens; I watched them transform their property into this heavenly garden scape, and the smells wafting out of their kitchen on a regular basis is super enticing!

That aside, I took a real unbiased look at the book. First thing that struck me was the beautiful cover design! But then I saw just how large this book is – 275 pages. I love the large font size – no more squinting in the kitchen trying to find my place in the recipe! Continue reading “Cooking With Nutrition in Mind”

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Disney Baltic Cruise

I would like to explain what my family and I did each day as we enjoyed our family vacation aboard the Disney Magic;

Day 1; We arrived at the port in Copenhagen, Denmark around 1:00pm, though you can board as early as 11am. We gave ourselves 3 hours to board (the ship sets sail at 4pm) so that we could explore Copenhagen before we left on our vacation. This day included us exploring the boat and signing up for kids clubs. One of the amazing things about Disney, is their kids clubs. They have rooms for different aged kids to go hang out in, participate in activities and make new friends. This gives parents a chance to have some time alone and know their children are safe and having fun. After exploring the boat, everyone came together at Deck 9 to set sail and have fun during “Mickey’s Sailing Away Party.” During this, everyone waves to the passengers staying in Copenhagen & dances along with Mickey & his friends on stage. Once this is over, we headed to the 6:30pm theater show. Depending on the dinner time you request (6:00pm or 8:30pm) you will either watch the theater show at 6:30pm or 8:30pm, the opposite time that your eating dinner. I absolutely love the shows. Disney does an amazing job coming up with themes and special acts to entertain their audience. Continue reading “Disney Baltic Cruise”

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Pongal: A Tamil Festival of Showing Gratitude to Cattle and Sun

Introduction: Pongal

Pongal is a harvest festival in Tamil Nadu, the south most state of India. It is also known as “Thai Pongal”. The word ‘Thai’ is one of the months name in Tamil language. In general, people across the state reap crops cultivated in their own lands in January of every year. Then they celebrate the Pongal to convey their gratitude to the Sun and Cattle those who helped for cultivation. There is a famous quote in Tamil Language called “thai piranthaal vazhi pirakkum” which means “all the good things will start to happen once the month Thai (January) begins / Every problem will be resolved in a good way.”

Four-Day festival

Thai Pongal is a four-day festival. Namely Bogi, Thai Pongal, Perumpongal/Mattu Pongal and Karinaal.

First Day: Bogi – people celebrate bogi by burning old clothes and dresses Continue reading “Pongal: A Tamil Festival of Showing Gratitude to Cattle and Sun”

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Quirky Delicacies of South East Asia

Frog’s legs in France, huhu grubs in New Zealand, every country has its own version of a wild food. South East Asia is no exception, with an extraordinary number of exciting dishes that lure huge numbers of tourists every year – and send just as many running for the hills.

Whatever your take on exotic foods, South East Asia has a fascinating array of choices, from toasted tarantulas to snake heart shots.

Join me on an insider’s peek into the quirky delicacies of South East Asia, and what this culinary adventure destination has to offer.

Tarantula Kebabs in Cambodia

Crispy, crunchy legs, delicate white flesh – you could be forgiven for expecting lobster, not tarantula. This Khmer street food has rapidly gained popularity with the extreme eaters in the tourist circuit, despite having been eaten in Cambodia for a long time. It is thought they date back to the Khmer Rouge ruling when food became scarce, and locals took to frying up any source of protein that they could get their hands on.

Continue reading “Quirky Delicacies of South East Asia”

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Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Restaurant in Bonita Springs, Florida

Hidden away in the posh Promenade shopping center in Bonita Springs is Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion restaurant. For over eight years Roy’s restaurant has been one of the premier destinations for special event dining in Southwest Florida. Birthdays. Engagements. Anniversaries. Graduations. Promotions. Whether you’re welcoming someone home, sending someone off, celebrating your last day of a Florida vacation, or just want an all-around exceptional meal…Roy’s in Bonita Springs has cultivated an enduring legacy as the ultimate place to enjoy vibrant food and celebrate special moments.

I decided to pay a visit to see if they were still rightfully honoring their longstanding traditions of carefully honed hospitality and cutting edge cuisine. Continue reading “Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Restaurant in Bonita Springs, Florida”

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The Moral Necessity of Veganism

Please join me in imagining a planet where the following happens – billions of cats and dogs are raised in unpleasant conditions, killed and then eaten by humans. Now, imagine that these dogs and cats feel as much pain, if not more, than humans, that the planet’s scientists have shown how eating them is harmful to humans and that the process of growing and killing them is destroying the planet’s ecosystem. Please take a moment to reflect on this.

Now, I’m sure the picture I have painted will have not sat right with most of you. You may have been struck by the cruelty, the waste, or by the breath taking arrogance displayed. You may have felt a sense of outrage, pity or disgust. You may have wondered how such a state of affairs was allowed to be, let alone continue.

Continue reading “The Moral Necessity of Veganism”