A Kitchen Rooster Brings You Luck

Throughout different cultures the rooster has been a symbol of many things one of the most predominant is luck. Having some form of Rooster in your kitchen is said to bring you luck and could just make you feel good. Here is a little more information about Roosters and Rooster folklore.

First a little bit about real Roosters. They do not lay eggs and are not needed for egg production, but are required if you want baby chicks. They are protective of the flock and will defend the family from predators. They can be tamed, and become devoted pets if handled and worked with often.

They can crow at anytime including night time. Crowing marks territory, so the fewer roosters the less crowing. One rooster per flock is all that’s needed. In fact a hen house with more than one rooster is just asking for trouble. You can keep a rooster subordinate if he is smaller than the biggest hen. Which, means she runs the show. Continue reading “A Kitchen Rooster Brings You Luck”

How To Say Hat In Spanish, The Correct Way

Is the Spanish lesson you will learn how to say the word hat in Spanish. I will also want to tell you about a common mistake that English speakers make when speaking Spanish. But first I will begin with how you really say the English word “hat” in Spanish.

One thing that used to really confuse me is what do you call a garment that covers the head in Spanish. The Spanish books would have one to believe that any garment that is used to cover the head is called a “sombrero.” But depending on the type of garment that is used to cover the head, I have heard Spanish speakers use 3 different words:

1. Sombrero – hat with a brim but without a visor.

By the way, “sombrero” can also refer to the type of big that is worn by the “vaqueros” (cowboys) from Mexico, who are better known as “los charros” (the Mexican cowboys).

Continue reading “How To Say Hat In Spanish, The Correct Way”

Sipping and Soaking – The Art of Bathing With Essential Oils and Pairing Them With Wine

I’ve always enjoyed soaking in the tub and enjoying the emotional and physical benefits of bath scrubs and salts. On occasion I have also enjoyed pairing this ‘love-me’ activity with a glass of chilled wine. It is the perfect hot and steamy date with moi!

The offsetting of the hot, soothing water against my body with the cool wine sliding along my palate is sensuous and relaxing. It’s important to harmonize the aromas of the bath scrubs or salts with those found in the wine. Otherwise one’s mind senses the disconnectedness. This halts the ability to focus and relax. The juicy aromatics of the scrub or salts paired with the wine’s aromas may appear as snobbery at its finest, but it is actually a potent medicinal, emotional and spiritual activity and partnership.

Sipping a glass of wine while bathing has many health benefits. Wine, in general, when consumed in moderation (defined by the American Heart Association as one to two four-ounce glasses a day) has proven through studies to promote longevity, all the while lowering the risks of heart attacks, heart disease, strokes, type 2 Diabetes, gallstones, cataracts, colon cancer and mental decline. The alcohol in wine has anti-bacterial power as well and can help prevent against the common cold. Continue reading “Sipping and Soaking – The Art of Bathing With Essential Oils and Pairing Them With Wine”

Woodcarver in Oaxaca Transitions to Mezcal and Agave

San Martin Tilcajete is one of three villages in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca known for carving and painting fanciful figures popularly known as alebrijes; mythical dragons and other animals, pieces with cultural or religious imagery, and more. Typically the men carve the figures out of a soft wood, copal, and the women paint. But Efrain Fuentes Santiago and family are atypical. Since the second decade of this century, a great deal of Efrain’s work has been carving images of agave, the succulent used to distill mezcal, into hardwood. Rather than finishing them by painting, he leaves the wood natural. And most recently he has been fashioning different scenes representative of a series of stages in the production of mezcal.

The 1980s witnessed the rapid growth of the alebrije industry. Over time, virtually every family in San Martin Tilcajete began earning most if not all of its living carving and painting, for the tourist industry. The Fuentes Santiago family was no different. By the turn of the century while alebrije production increased, so did distillation of mezcal. And every year since about 2010, production of the agave distillate has risen meteorically. Along with the phenomenon has arrived mezcal tourism. That is, visitors to Oaxaca coming to the state capital of Oaxaca de Juárez trekking to nearby villages in and around the central valleys where the agave is primarily distilled. They come to learn about mezcal production, to start their own brands for export, to buy from their favorite distillers, and to film documentaries and photograph for exhibits.

Continue reading “Woodcarver in Oaxaca Transitions to Mezcal and Agave”

Five Great Guatemalan Desserts

Every country has its own sweets and desserts. Sometimes they are known mainly only in their country of origin, and sometimes they become quite popular through exposure in ethnic restaurants. Some Guatemalan desserts are similar in nature to ones in other countries, as with their Borracho cake. Many cultures have cakes that are soaked with a sugar syrup and alcohol. Other Guatemalan desserts are far more unusual.

The cake mentioned above, the Borracho is a light sponge cake that is literally drenched in sugar syrup laced with a typical Guatemalan rum made from their sugar cane crops. This cake is found in pastry shops around Guatemala City, and is generally sold by the slice. Slices are set into a larger muffin paper to contain the syrup dripping out. The cake is topped with a cornstarch pudding made with milk, and then decorated with raisins. In my early life I had never heard of this kind of cake, and it quickly became a favorite. The sugar syrup is cooked with a true cinnamon stick so the syrup is cinnamon flavored. The cake is simple to make as any sponge cake will do, and any simple cornstarch pudding works for the topping. Continue reading “Five Great Guatemalan Desserts”

Genesis Of Satan From Jinn Race: Satan’s Spell Continued In Humans

God’s purpose of creation is implicit by the things which God has made. In order to gravitate toward Truths behind our existence, human enquiry demands attention into “profundity of God’s Words” that surpasses the narrow limits of human knowledge. God guides humanity with the ‘root ideas’ – so that pertinent spirits of human enquiry may proceed in the direction of Truth.

Human living oscillates between recurrent cycles of Prophetic Truth and its Pagan denial since remote antiquity of religion’s history. From successive Revelations of God (Judeo-Christianity to Islam) believers conceive that: God is the supraliminal Light from where the creations proceed. He dispenses due measure of freedom to the devil of Darkness (Satan) to aware mankind about the opposites of ‘real’ (that shall exist) and ‘unreal’ (shall not exist). In other words: ‘real; stands for the guiding Light of God (His messages) comes through His chosen Prophets of humanity; and ‘unreal’ for the spells of Satan that resist this Light by investing ‘falsehoods’ to compete for the appearance of Truth’. As a result, human minds have been cluttered in ancient times by Polytheistic notions of pagan god-hoods and thereafter various conceptual schemes of Monism, Pantheism, Smartism, Gnosticism, Agnosticism and Atheism etc in modern times. Since God allowed worldly freedom for a period – it was possible for human fancies to take the liberty of plotting and planning against God’s Message (Qur’an, 15:42). The ‘adversaries’ of God discard the specific ‘Idea of God’ (Who reveals His Will) and invent vague Continue reading “Genesis Of Satan From Jinn Race: Satan’s Spell Continued In Humans”

How to Grill the Perfect Beer Bratwurst

Grilled Beer Bratwurst

Everyone has their own secret perfect bratwurst recipe. Not being from Wisconsin, I can’t tell you if this recipe is perfect or not. What I can tell you is this recipe has produced for me some very delicious bratwurst. I have heard people say the Secret to great bratwurst is to simmer them in beer first (Really? Gee no kidding?), or cook them slow or make sure the fire is the right temp.

In my experience, the secret is simply patience. How long to grill bratwurst depends on how you grill them. You can throw them straight on the grill which will take about 25-30 minutes or boil the brats in beer, wine or water for about 20 minutes. After boiling, then they are grilled for 4-6 minutes. Boiling them first (also called par-poaching) in beer first improves the flavor so dramatically its almost a sin just to throw them straight on the grill. Regardless, brats take a little while to cook thoroughly. If you rush, you could easily end up with a bratwurst that is burnt on the outside and not so done on the inside. Continue reading “How to Grill the Perfect Beer Bratwurst”

Some Basic Vocabulary For Brewing Beer

Now that I’ve brewed my first lager, I’m venturing into the land of all-grain brewing. There is a lot a vocabulary between the grain and the beer that I have gotten confused a number of times. I thought that it would be advantageous for me to put my ducks and a row and figure out the transformation of grain and words to beer. Then I figured I’d write about it so here we go. Please correct me if I get anything incorrect.

All grain brewing is brewing from scratch. To brew from scratch with as little as possible you need water, malt, and hops. Obviously we know what water is, good ol’ H20. Malt is the grain (barley or what-have you) used to produce beer. And hops is the plant (Fun Fact: close on the plant family tree to marijuana) used to balance the sweetness of malt with bitter. There are many different variety of hops, grains, and different flavors of water, which is not going to be covered here. This is about the basics. Continue reading “Some Basic Vocabulary For Brewing Beer”

Health Benefits of Oregano Oil, the King of Essential Oils

Oregano is a member of the mint family. The whole herb extract has over 30 active compounds; the most active compounds being carvacrol and thymol. I consider Oregano Oil to be the king of essential oils because of its many beneficial healing properties.

Oregano oil is a potent and effective antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic and even an antioxidant.

It can help heal your body in numerous ways.

A team of British and Indian researchers discovered that oil of oregano is such a potent antibacterial that it is more effective at killing MRSA than 18 other antibiotics(1)

Respiratory:

Oil of Oregano helps heal viral and bacterial infections such as colds, sinusitis, bronchitis and even staphylococcal pneumonia. Continue reading “Health Benefits of Oregano Oil, the King of Essential Oils”

Well Known for Addiction Relief, The Hitt Wellness Center in Tijuana

“The future of medicine will be boosting the body’s own healing powers. We are already there.” Jane Hitt

The clinic is the outgrowth of a World Health Organization grant given to its founder, the late researcher Dr. William Hitt and renowned Mexican Psychiatrist Dr. Velazquez Suarez. The grant allowed Dr. Hitt to continue his pioneering and innovative work into the development of an all natural treatment to detoxify, cleanse and stop cravings in the brain of those persons addicted to drugs and alcohol.

The clinic has garnered much acclaim and has been featured on numerous television and radio shows in Mexico, the USA, and around the world. News of its successes has aired on every continent. As a result of this reputation the clinic receives patients from all over the world.

The clinic has helped people with all kinds of addictions from alcohol and cigarettes, to the more serious such as heroin and crystal meth. I asked Mrs. Hitt about recidivism and she told me they have almost none. Continue reading “Well Known for Addiction Relief, The Hitt Wellness Center in Tijuana”