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

Tips: Indecent Expectations

Tips are earned.

I should actually just stop there; drop the proverbial mic and walk off, but all of us enjoy clarity, so let’s continue on, shall we?
Tips were never intended to create an entitlement nor give the expectation of the existence of any absolute “Minimum.” When I go out to eat, you start at 0% and work your way up. For excellent service, I’ll leave a $20 tip for a $15 bill. You earn a great tip from me when you go above and beyond the normal:

When you engage me beyond “what’s your order,” like crack a good joke and compliment my wife.

When the refills hit the table at or before my glass gets empty;

When you have intelligent things to say about the menu without me having to ask.

When you steer me away from an item that’s not up to par.

When you do something unexpected that makes my experience better. Continue reading “Tips: Indecent Expectations”

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

Some of the Best Cooking Books That Need to Be in Your Kitchen

Having just graduated from university, cooking books have a firm place on my kitchen shelf. From disastrous attempts at making barely edible dishes, my time as a student has exposed me to many cooking books. Here are the top ten of the best cooking books that are invaluable to any wannabe Masterchefs out there.

Ready… Steady… Cook!

10. Delia’s Complete Cookery Course by Delia Smith

This mammoth cookery book whips in at number 10. Delia Smith is very much the David Beckham of the cooking world – an institution. Her Complete Cookery Course does exactly what it says on the tin. It provides wannabe chefs with a full, comprehensive guide to creating the best dishes. With fundamental must know recipes like apple pie and yorkshire puddings, Delia shows she is one of the masters. With mouth-watering pictures acting as a rough guide this book is a god send for beginner chefs. No doubt a staple on your mother’s shelf, this book is perfect as a starting point in the basics of pastry making, cake baking and roast making. A genuine triumph in the cookery book world. Continue reading “Some of the Best Cooking Books That Need to Be in Your Kitchen”

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

Botswana Food

Botswana offers a wide selection for the palate. The food found in the country is a combination of exotic dishes found only in Botswana and dishes that are commonly found in the entire region. This has added a certain level of uniqueness to Botswana food that travelers to this country can experience.

Staples Continue reading “Botswana Food”

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

El Charro in San Juan, Puerto Rico — Mexican Food With Pleasure

Being new to the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico, we quickly needed places to eat that would remind me of home. One of our favorite cuisines is Mexican, so we asked a friend if she new of any good Mexican restaurants in the area. She took us to her favorite, and it immediately became our favorite, too.

El Charro, in the Puerta de Tierra neighborhood of San Juan, sits quietly at the end of a busy yet narrow street in a working-class part of town. Parking is only available on the street, but there always seems to be plenty of it. Inside, the restaurant is fairly small upstairs, with six tables and a small counter area. There is additional seating downstairs, though, where they also hold concerts and special parties. The decor is simple but fun. Bright colors are splashed on walls where odd artifacts of Mexican heritage hang, including the required sombrero. The tables are a woven, almost wicker-like design, probably hand-made. Continue reading “El Charro in San Juan, Puerto Rico — Mexican Food With Pleasure”

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

Cooking Time of Common Foods Using the George Foreman Grill

The George Foreman Grill is a revolutionary grilling machine that was introduced in the market in 1994. It was named after George Foreman, a famous world-class boxing champion who fought the legendary Muhammad Ali, among others.

Many are thankful for the conception of the George Foreman Grill mainly because it changed and improved the way people cook their food. There has been a lot of good reviews about this product not only because of the flavor retention it promotes but because the cooking time for most common foods are really cut short. Continue reading “Cooking Time of Common Foods Using the George Foreman Grill”

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

How a Raw Vegan Diet Slows and Even Reverses Aging!

The raw vegan diet is a powerful one. It is the diet the human body was designed for and thrives on. Just think about it, all the other animals in the wild eat raw foods. Have you ever seen a lion or tiger with heart disease or cancer? Or how about a chimpanzee or Gorilla with grey hair or a belly? No, they are all beautiful, energetic and youthful until the day they die.

Most people don’t know what an amazing machine their body is because they feed it toxins and junk foods all day, which are killing them slowly instead of helping them thrive. When you eat a raw vegan diet, you will first detox; but once you get through that, and along the way, you will experience many amazing benefits. This article discusses how a raw vegan diet slows aging and even reverses it! Continue reading “How a Raw Vegan Diet Slows and Even Reverses Aging!”

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

Koi Fish and Lion Tattoos

Koi Fish Tattoos – A sneak peek

So you have made an all important decision of getting a tattoo done on you. Once you have made this decision the next step is to decide on the design of tattoo that you want to get made. The range and variety of tattoo designs are endless and can be limited only by your imagination and creativity.

Koi fish tattoos are one of the most popular and most preferred of tattoo designs. Continue reading “Koi Fish and Lion Tattoos”

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

Where Did All The Farmers Go?

Several times a year, I hear someone complain about the development of farm land in our area. These complainers consider it a crime that so much of our farm land has been converted to housing, business, shopping, etc. They seem to consider the farmers and developers to be criminals.

If you want to know why so many farmers have sold out to developers, allowed the land to grow houses instead of crops and left the farm life that their families enjoyed for generations – read on. Do you know why more and more farms are growing houses, stores and filling stations instead of cows, corn and potatoes? Do you know where the farmers went? Well, my father and I are farmers that left the farm. Most of our neighbors have too. Most of us still live in the area; we just don’t farm any more. Continue reading “Where Did All The Farmers Go?”

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

Meal Prep For Busy People

Over the years I have mentioned to various people a recipe I use to make a very healthy, homemade vegetable soup. I’m big on preparing food in advance so that it is always available.

Recently, I was asked some specific questions so I thought I would write down everything regarding ingredients and preparation.

A 6 quart crockpot is needed.
The ingredients are mainly obtained at my local Trader Joe’s and are all organic.
Ingredients: Continue reading “Meal Prep For Busy People”

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

Yoga, Nutrition, Organic Food, Health & Wellbeing Have All in Recent Years Become Very Much Stylish

As Gsy Life gave me the theme for this month; I am sat in Planet Organic on Tottenham Court Road, amidst a flurry of people rushing to bag their supplements, gluten free crisps & organic veg, it is rammed wall to wall with funky Yoga Mat’s or bulging gym bags slung over shoulders. Queues are bustling and tills are bulging and there is a real buzz in the air. People are not only embracing the new trend of wellbeing, they actually seem genuinely excited to be taking care of themselves.

And yes, I feel stylish just being here! I’ve got the ‘gear’ on and have just ordered my healthy and nutritious salad, whilst taking a lunch break from training at a well-known London Yoga Studio, and yes it feels good to sit back and watch all this unwind in front of my eyes. I have spent much of my yoga career in and out of various global studios in all corners of the world, and, ironically a leading yoga teacher based in L.A. recently expressed to me how much she loved that London ‘was finally catching on!’ Continue reading “Yoga, Nutrition, Organic Food, Health & Wellbeing Have All in Recent Years Become Very Much Stylish”