All it takes is a look at hard numbers to see the place popcorn holds in the nation’s wants. Upwards of 1 billion pounds of uncooked kernels were sold across the tills of domestic vendors in just one year. The Popcorn Factory is the country’s leading provider of gourmet popcorn, popcorn balls, tins of popcorn, popcorn favors and various other assortments, sending out over 1.000.000 pounds of the delicious treat yearly. All their products are even certified kosher. As they have three decades of experience, you can give them your order with confidence, whatever mix you crave. Preparations commence with American grown corn carefully chosen to produce the optimum level of flavor. Following that, corn oil is used to pop the corn and the flavors are infused right into the flesh of the popcorn. Love that fresh taste? To maintain it, immediately after preparation, the popcorn is efficiently wrapped up and sent out.
Their speciality tins go further than most, sized for 2.5 and 6 gallons and filled entirely. There’s no better way to be sure your loved ones have nibbles - or even a staff shindig. Of course, everyone expects the plain and buttered varieties, but some of the other flavors might come as a surprise.
Should these be too large, or if you happen to be considering something different, they also offer their toothsome snack foods in attractive boxes. These are sent out decorated with the theme you chose including a favorite sports team, “thank you”, Christmas, “congratulations”, and so on. If that isn’t enough, you can go one better, adding an appropriate image, a customized note, or the name of the recipient.
There are people who have a taste preference and choose to simply purchase a single large package. People with broader tastes might prefer the assortments on offer. Of course, if you require a bigger assortment, you have a solution - the tower. Comprising several containers built up atop each other and fastened together, they can be ordered as premade combinations or instead pick and mix your favorite flavors. Popcorn in practically any flavor your heart desires can be ordered from the Popcorn Factory. Order them as presents or as treats for yourself. So why not spread a little happiness? We’re absolutely confident that it will be well received.
February 26th, 2010 by admin
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A Super Bowl occasion is not the time to fuss too much with decor - food, drinks, and of course the game will take precedent for this affair. Yet, it’s still a motif occasion and what’s a theme party sans themed decor? Just keep it easy and make it festive. Other than cakes cooked to look like a football field and football-shaped cookies, the confections on most Super Bowl celebration tables never score big. Try out this different sweet strategy with winning cupcakes that I projected themed for the game and other sporty functions! They are a guaranteed win at your party!
Combine standard fan favorite super bowl recipes with these creative dishes! Stuffed peppers are doing a come back. let us face it, they are appealing to your eye as well as your palate. Try stuffing them this weekend for your football game gather with a low-fat turkey chili. We serve these all the time at our home parties and they constantly are exquisite crowd pleasers. No Super Bowl fete is good sans chicken wings! This recipe adds kick to a classic. White potatoes and garlic make this side dish the ideal accompaniment to your Super Bowl main course. Be fanciful with this versatile crowd-pleaser by adding cut-up roast chicken, turkey, bacon, ham, pepperoni, Parmesan, cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese or cooked red peppers to this dish. Supply a spin to a standard Caesar salad by using avocado and serving it garnished with Parmesan crisps.
Keep your focus on the food and team up on cocktails with your guests. When inquired, “What can I add to the party?” advise some of these items: 6-packs of sodas or beer, Individual-size water, Disposable cups, Ice. The Halftime show will be more fun if you don’t have to run out for more drinks. Make an event out of the beverages by displaying them in a fun, inflatable, football-themed cooler. For jazzy drinks, jazz up drinks in glasses with light-up football ice cubes!
Stores sold more than one billion pounds of uncooked kernels and exported more than 245.000.000 pounds in the year 2000, and as such it’s not surprising that popcorn is one of America’s preferred treats. So if you want some, order from the biggest in the market — selling a million or more pounds each year to lovers of popcorn favors. What’s more, it’s certified kosher, leaving it open for everyone. Whatever your favorite packaging or flavor, they stand ready to supply as much popcorn as you want. Just as they have since 1979. To guarantee perfection they begin by picking out the best, tastiest grain grown in the U.S.A. With corn oil, that taste’s maintained as the kernels pop, permitting other flavorings to be added. It’s packaged in eye pleasing cartons and delivered immediately. The Factory’s best known product line is easily the tins of popcorn, with the small tin carrying two and a half gallons and the large tin’s capacity being 6. So if you’ve a staff event that wants snacks laying on — or merely want to stock up enough to cater for the next few movie nights — you know what you’re looking for. Everyone expects the plain and buttered varieties, but other tastes available might come as a surprise.
If the large tins are too much, or if you’re searching for something else, the Popcorn Factory also sells their appetizing treats in attractive boxes. These are sent out decorated to feature the celebration of your choice like a favorite sports team, “congratulations”, Hanukkah, “thank you”, etc. The Factory offers additional personalization options — a meaningful picture, the recipient’s name, or a witty missive.
If you know precisely what you’re after, you might ask for a healthy amount. You could instead order an assortment package or even a sampler.
And if you need to buy more than a small serving of several flavors, then towers are the smartest way to go. Consisting of several containers built up atop the others and tied together, you may order them as premade combinations or you can choose to fill them with your favorite flavors.
They offer a variety of different snacks in virtually any flavor you’re likely to want. Order them as treats for yourself or as gifts. You won’t find a better way to make someone happy anywhere in America.
January 26th, 2010 by admin
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Do you ever want to send people the sort of tasty cookies your grannie baked when you were young? Cheryl & Co can do just that. This company offers a great range of gourmet baked goods and you can send these to anyplace in the United States. Each and every one of their gorgeous gift boxes, hampers, and tins is exquisitely packaged and is then sent fresh directly to the recipient’s address. It is a comforting and convenient means to make the special individuals in your life smile. The story of Cheryl & Co began back in nineteen eighty one in Columbus, Ohio. Just seven years later they had already dramatically enlarged their product range. Soon the company was marketing its goods in retail outlets, and then opened a department especially for medium to large business customers. The bakery made use of web technology to better serve the public and these days are a member of the 1800Flowers.com family. The quality of their products and ingredients is the company’s first priority. The company put a lot of effort into making sure their cookies arrive in excellent condition and ready to be consumed. Everything is baked using only natural ingredients. The range includes traditional goodies such as triple chocolate and raisin, and some more extraordinary flavor combos, such as honey apple pecan.
Just as fine as their scrumptious baked goods are the beautiful boxes they arrive in. When speed is an issue, lots of ready made gift boxes are featured on the internet. Or else, you can go for an arrangement and cram it with the delicacies that appeal most. When you go to the brownie shop on the net you will discover the spectrum encompasses iced, fruit and low sugar varieties. Order an elegantly presented gift to say thank you a loyal client or co-worker. Or you can tell a loved one you miss them and are thinking of them by picking out tasty goodies in a more light hearted basket. Of course, when it comes to holidays and special occasions, they offer especially designed cookies with an appropriate theme.
It does not matter if you’d like to send an Easter present to a friend out of state, to show your appreciation or just a token to cheer up someone dear to you, Cheryl & Co have something that will brighten up their day.
January 19th, 2010 by admin
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With the help of software, tempering has become as easy as loading chocolates into a bowl; defining settings; and pushing a couple of buttons. The automated magic of these new-fangled equipment ensure that chocolatiers produce consistent-quality chocolates all the time without the labor of monitoring temperatures and keeping them constant; and heating, cooling, and re-heating chocolate to its tempered state.
There is though a sizeable market of consumers that are increasingly choosing handcrafted confectioneries so that the art of tabliering, the artisan’s craft, continues to thrive.
A legacy of French gourmets, tabliering is a method of tempering that uses the coolness of a marble slab to bring down the heat in molten chocolate (called mush). Artisanal chocolatiers however take time to ensure that all the things and ingredients used in tabliering is absolutely dry. This is because chocolate is prone to seizing, or turning into a rigid mass, once water gets into it. Seizing also happens when chocolate is subjected to high temperatures too quickly. The end result is a useless lump that’s not fit for dipping and molding.
In tabliering, one pound of chocolatecut into bits with a ridged knifeis melted in a double boiler over medium heat. The chocolate should turn into mush at about 108-115F and then poured onto a mixing bowl. At this point, the mush should be fluid and has no lumps when poured. Make sure that when you do pour, the base of the pan is free of moisture.
With one third set aside, work on two-thirds of the mush and cool it down to 80-82F. Once it has reached this temperature, slowly work in the remaining third until the whole mass has attained uniform warmth. Remember though that while you’re working on the first two-thirds of the mush, the other third should be maintained at a constant 100F or else the chocolate will solidify.
Reheat the entire mush to these temperature readings: 88-90F (dark chocolates), 86-88F (semi-sweet), and 82-84F (white). The chocolate will be properly tempered if the chocolate forms a lustrous, firm coat around the spatula five minutes after the latter is enrobed with the mush.
Chocolate is very susceptible to temperature shifts and if this occurs, the chocolate will distemper; in which case you’ll need to temper again. The lesson here is to watch your material’s keeping temperature while you’re having fun dipping and molding to avoid such a hassle. To lengthen the time your chocolate is kept in its tempered state, lay the bowl of mush over a heating pad or a bain-marie. Take care though that moisture doesn’t seep into it.
Whoever is truly into grills and fire pits, there is no doubt that prefers charcoal grill cooking above anything else;it is common knowledge indeed that any food properly cooked on charcoal tastes better and simply improves the overall eating experience. It is a true pleasure to eat a steak or a burger on the grill and the thought that is possible to do it at the comfort of your patio, with your friends and family, is a great thing. Of course there are different ways to cook the meal, but electrical and gas grill, do not come close to what charcoal does.
It is funny that however charcoal cooking is probably the oldest among all the grilled methods available today it is still the best, so perhaps ancient people were correct. Jokes aside, charcoal cooking simply keeps a taste that is unique and preserves a natural flavor that can be really priceless. Many years will still come before charcoal cooking will be considered obsolete and probably that day will never come, as companies are putting newer grills on the market, strictly powered by old good charcoal, improving the look and style, but keeping the basic concepts that worked for centuries.
Tomatoes and sweet onion with Roquefort dressing is a
traditional Italian salad that easily lends itself well to
Italian meals such as Osso Bucco and to lighter meals such as
salad and Minestrone soup. Popular Italian restaurants such as
Olive Garden serve similar meals of soup and salad.
You can find this simple salad served in New York at some to the
finer Italian restaurants as well as on the tables of many
Italian families around the world. The Roquefort cheese gives a
strong distinctive flavor that pleases even the pickiest of
salad eaters. The beauty of this Italian salad is that it is so
versatile that it can be served with just about any meal.
Ripe tomatoes
Sweet onions
Basic Italian Dressing
Green scallions
Roquefort cheese
Dried oregano
Salt
Pepper
Slice ripe red tomatoes and sweet onions very thin. Place four
tomato slices on each plate. Over the top of the tomatoes lay
the onion slices. Drizzle over the top Basic Italian Dressing.
Place the two green scallions along the edge of the plate.
Crumble the Roquefort cheese over the top and sprinkle with
dried oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Basic Italian Dressing
6 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, mashed
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
Place all salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk
together with a wire whisk until well blended.
May 28th, 2008 by admin
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Are you an old pro when it comes to making delicious desserts? Do your guests rave about your cakes and pies? The next time you have company over for dessert, why not try something different. Chocolate fondue has been in and out of fashion since the seventies and most people have tried it at least once. But if you want to try something new and exciting There are many different dessert fondues out there to satisfy just about anyone with a sweet tooth.
Recently dark chocolate has been in the news being declared as a new heart healthy food. Dark chocolate retains more flavonoids that other varieties of chocolate such as milk chocolate, white chocolate, cocoa or chocolate syrup. New research has also determined that eating a diet high in flavonoids helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Obviously this doesn’t mean that you should run to the store to buy some candy bars. But it does mean that when eaten in moderation, dark chocolate can be a healthy choice as a dessert.
And whether is good for you or not, who can resist a fondue pot of hot melted chocolate just waiting for your to dip something into it. What better way to enjoy strawberries, bananas and other ripe fruits. But don’t stop there. Be sure to try dunking some salty treats into the chocolate such as pretzels and potato chips. Mixing sweet and salty foods creates a unique flavor that you are sure to enjoy.
So not only is chocolate delicious, but it is now considered a heart healthy food as well. Those are some excellent reasons to add a few chocolate fondue recipes to your recipe book. Why not try one of these chocolate fondue recipes tonight?
Dark Chocolate Fondue
12 ounces Premium Dark Chocolate (chopped)
3/4 cup Whipping Cream
2 teaspoons Kahlua or other coffee liqueur (optional)
Over low flame, heat whipping cream until warm (DO NOT BOIL)
Slowly add the chopped dark chocolate while stirring
Stir until the mixture becomes smooth
Stir in liqueur
To Dip:
Strawberries, Bananas, Sliced Apple, Cubes of Pound Cake, Cubes of Angel Food Cake, Pretzel Sticks, Chunks of Pineapple, Marshmallows, Potato Chips
Mint Chocolate Fondue
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons Peppermint Liqueur
8 ounces Semisweet Chocolate
Warm the heavy cream over medium low heat
Add liqueur
Grate the chocolate or break into small pieces and slowly add to mixture while stirring
Stir until the chocolate is melted
To Dip:
Candied Fruit, Pears, Peach Slices, Cubes of Pound Cake, Cubes of Angel Food Cake
Anthony Tripodi is the webmaster of GoFondue.com. For more Fondue Recipes please visit http://www.gofondue.com
April 30th, 2008 by admin
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The history of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee begins half a world away in France in 1723 when King Louis XV sent three coffee plants to the French colony of Martinique, some 1200 miles to the SW of Jamaica.
Five years later in 1728 the governor of Jamaica, Sir Nicholas Lawes, received one coffee plant as a gift from the Governor of Martinique. The plant took root with vigor and only nine years later, in 1737, coffee exportation began with an initial shipment of 83,000 lbs. The Jamaican coffee industry was born.
Coffee plants thrive in the naturally potash, nitrogen and phosphoric acid rich soil of Jamaica. Coffee trees prefer high altitudes and are perfectly suited for the mountain slopes that are otherwise unsuitable for the other agricultural endeavors such as sugar cane, banana, cocoa and citrus, none of which, interestingly, are native to the island yet vital to the economy of Jamaica.
Coffee is grown in all parts of the island and at all elevations, however, the finest coffee is the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee which comes from an area on the eastern side of the island, just north of Kingston in the Blue Mountains known, appropriately enough, as the Blue Mountain Region.
Coffee grown outside the Blue Mountain Region is referred to as Jamaican High Mountain, which is comparable in body and balance but tends to be a bit more acidic to the refined tastes of the connoisseur. Lower grown Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is referred to as Blue Mountain Valley coffee, which is medium bodied, delicate to bland in flavor and rather rich in acid.
Many coffee brands from Jamaica coffee claim their product is Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee but in fact may be a Jamaican High Mountain or even a Blue Mountain Valley variety and is only milled within the boundaries of the Blue Mountain Region.
True Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is full-bodied, moderately acidy and richly complex, though occasionally marred by a slight mustiness, which is characteristic of many Caribbean coffees.
The Jamaican market has had its share of setbacks from worker shortages around the turn of the 20th century to the complete shut down of production for two years due to hurricane devastation in 1988.
Early in the exportation of coffee from Jamaica, Canada was the largest consumer with over 60% of all coffee exports bound for this country. In 1943 the Canadian government declared the quality of Jamaican coffee unacceptable and stopped all importation.
In 1944 the Jamaican government established the Central Coffee Clearing House, where all coffee bound for export was cleaned, inspected and graded, in an attempt to raise the standard of their coffee.
In 1950 the Jamaican coffee growers established their own governing body, the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board, to improve and maintain the quality and reputation of Jamaican coffee.
The JCIB successfully accomplished its goal through setting and enforcing standards for growing, harvesting, processing and marketing of its product. Today, Jamaican coffee is known for its high-quality. Annual production of Jamaican coffee stands around 6,600,000 lbs. of which about 85% is exported to Japan.
The remaining 15% is distributed mostly between the U.S. and the U.K. gourmet specialty markets where it can fetch up to US$40/lb.
Food is a substance that holds cultures together. Common foods unify and define countries and regions. However, a food that one group considers a delicacy,
another group may find offensive. The French have long been called “frogs” because of their taste for the amphibians. The English once were sneered upon
as “beefsteak” because of their trend-setting use of cattle, and in the Philippines at least one tribe is nicknamed “dogeaters.”
The name Dogeaters has not been confined to the Philippines, however.
The summer 1988 Seoul Olympics focused the world’s attention on South Korea. One aspect of Korean cuisine the government preferred not to have spotlighted
was the use of dog meat. A dog stew, called Poshintang, is commonly available in restaurants in Seoul and the rest of the country. As an ingredient, dog
is not as ubiquitous as beef is in the U.S.; it is considered to be something of a delicacy. Traditionally, it has been a seasonal favorite, most popular
in the summer. Dogmeat is also purported to be effective as a male stimulant, increasing sexual stamina, even though there is no scientific literature
to support this claim.
Even before the Olympics, there was concern that foreign visitors to Seoul might be offended by restaurants offering dog meat. The Ministry of Health and
Welfare ordered measures to prevent such a conflict. In 1986, a ban was placed on the sale of dog meat as an “unseemly” food. The practical result was
that most restaurants in city limits replaced signs offering dog meat with smaller, less conspicuous versions, or they renamed the dish to “health stew.”
This did not prevent criticism. “How can a nation that will cheerfully eat its best friend be relied upon to host a small dinner party, let alone the Olympic
Games?”
In spite of this kind of pressure, dog meat sales continue. There are plans to open two dog slaughterhouses on Chejun Island, 450 km south of Seoul.
One
entrepreneur has opened a chain of dog meat restaurants. China Trading, the company behind the new restaurant chain, estimates there are now about 20,000
dog meat restaurnats throughout the country. It says one restaurant can rack up sales of 10 million won (about US$6020) a day during peak dog eating season
from April to July.
In the U.S., the estimated number of animals euthanized ranges from 6-150 million per year. If half of the number is composed of dogs, that leaves a lot
of potential meat to be exported. Legally, the only barrier would be the Animal Welfare Act, a federal law that covers any “live or dead dog, cat, nonhuman
primate, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, or any other warm-blooded animal which is being used, or is intended for use for research, teaching, testing, experimentation
or exhibition purposes. The USDA interprets the act to exclude birds, rats, and mice bred for research, and horses and other farm animals, such as livestock
and poultry, used or intended for use as food or fiber.” It is conceivable that dogs raised as livestock would be excluded as well, once it is established
that they are being raised as food.
Another rule governing the trade of livestock is the “Twenty- Eight Hour Law” which simply outlines minimum guidelines for the care of animals as they are
transported to market. There are certain feed, space, and water requirements if the transit time exceeds a twenty-eight hour period. If the dogs were slaughtered
in the U.S., that would eliminate concerns about these regulations. Shipping meat instead of live animals also avoids the problems associated with the
quarantine of live animals.
Even though the dog meat market does not seem to be growing at a fast rate, it is conceivable that American exporters could make inroads in a niche market.
The breed of dog that is farm- raised in Korea and China is a large dog similar in appearance to the German Shepherd. It is difficult to say whether the
variety of breeds in the U.S. would be considered suitable choices for the dog meat market abroad. Market research would need to be done.
Initially, it appears that there may be enough demand to support dog meat export, however, the impediments must be overcome. The voice of the American citizen
is one factor that should not be underestimated. Grass roots lobbying has great potential to raise public awareness against export efforts. Boycotts of
company family products has the potential to eliminate economic gains realized from coordinated dog exports.
Because the concept of sending dogs overseas to be eaten may be distasteful, it is helpful to examine the current status of unwanted dogs to gauge our attitudes
towards the situation.
The SF SPCA claims to be the only public animal shelter with a no-kill policy. They euthanize an animal only if it is suffering from an incurable illness.
The policy of other shelters is to “put down” animals if no one claims them after a certain period, which differs in each jurisdiction.
The result is millions of pounds of flesh to be dealt with. Some of it enters landfills where it eventually decomposes. A small amount of dogs are buried
in pet cemeteries. The rest are “recycled.”
Rendering plants process the carcasses for use in dog food and as feed for other animals. “In addition, some 40 billion pounds of year of slaughterhouse
wastes like blood, bone, and viscera, as well as the remains of millions of euthanized cats and dogs passed along by veterinarians and animal shelters,
are rendered annually into livestock feed - in the process turning cattle and hogs, which are natural herbivores, into unwitting carnivores.” (U.S. News
& World Report, Sept. 1, 1997 p.23)
A good model for export of dog meat is provided by the horsemeat industry. “In the last ten years, more than 3 million American horses have been slaughtered
in the U.S. for human consumption abroad.” (http://www.equus.org)
In 1994, 105,000 horses were slaughtered in the U.S. Another 35,000 were shipped live to Canada for slaughter, and another 30,000 were shipped live to Mexico
for slaughter (http://www.igha.org) for a total of $66 million. Dividing sales by the number of animals slaughtered for the last ten years shows that each animal produced about $400 in income.
Considering that a horse typically weighs 8 times more than a 30-pound dog, there is a certain economy of scale that is advantageous when dealing with
the larger animal.
Another interesting feature of the horsemeat export industry is its use of Canada and Mexico as export outlets. This strategy is used possibly because the
slaughter process is less expensive in Mexico and Canada. These countries may also have more beneficial agreements with trading partners than the U.S.
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March 22nd, 2008 by admin
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