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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Carbohydrates are not bad for you, all you need to do is make
sure you are eating the RIGHT carbohydrates and you will feel
better, reduce the risk of disease and lose weight.
It’s all a question of eating the RIGHT carbohydrates; let’s see
the difference and the importance of carbohydrates for normal
body functions.
Carbohydrates are not all bad just as all fats and some proteins
are healthier than others.
Carbohydrates what they do
Carbohydrates are the primary fuel source for many of the body’s
vital organs, including the brain, central nervous system,
kidneys and heart.
If the body doesn’t receive sufficient carbohydrate, it breaks
down muscle and other tissue to produce glucose.
This causes a build-up of waste products called ‘ketones’. This
is, known as ‘ketosis’ and is common in people who are starving,
suffering from anorexia nervosa or who have insulin-dependent
diabetes.
Ketones makes the blood acidic, in severe cases Ketosis can be
fatal, particularly for pregnant women, unborn babies, and for
people who have diabetes.
Finally, the heart may not be able to function to its full
ability as ketone bodies are its main source of fuel.
So, not eating carbohydrates is bad for you. Now let’s look at
another myth that not eating carbohydrates can help you lose
weight.
Carbohydrates and weight control
Weight gain is caused by consuming too many calories, whether
they are from carbohydrate, protein or fat.
A diet high in good carbohydrates such fruits and vegetables,
wholegrains and moderate in fat and calories, will result in the
greatest chance of weight loss.
A diet containing good carbohydrates will also assist in
combating hunger pangs as they are slowly realized to the body.
Simple and complex carbohydrates
Both are broken down into glucose, or blood sugar, which is then
metabolized by the body for energy.
Glucose not immediately used is stored in the muscles as
glycogen, but if your body has an excess of glycogen, it is
converted into fat.
Simple carbohydrates are bad
Foods made from sugar (white, brown, powdered and raw) honey etc
are simple carbohydrates that provide few nutrients just extra
calories.
The process of refining whole grain into fine flour removes
fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
Eating these simple refined carbs raises blood sugar levels,
which causes the pancreas to release insulin. This then lowers
blood sugar again, which triggers hunger pangs.
A diet high in refined carbohydrates can cause weight gain, as
it makes you hungry quickly and this can mean overeating.
Eating refined carbs also forces your pancreas to work harder to
produce insulin to deal with high blood sugar levels. This can
lead to insulin resistance and then diabetes.
Extra insulin can also damage the heart as it increases
triglyceride levels i.e the amount of fat circulating in your
blood and lowers your HDL (good cholesterol) and this raises the
risk of blood clotting
Complex carbohydrates are good
Complex carbohydrates on the other hand are loaded with
nutrients and are slow to digest and combat hunger pangs, by
making you feel full for longer.
Whole grains, fruit and vegetables are great carbohydrate
sources and also excellent sources of many other vitamins and
minerals, as are many dairy products.
A Simple rule to follow when eating carbohydrates
When eating carbohydrates eat them “from the earth” with no
refining or processing.
These include whole grains, vegetables; fruits and beans. Eat
naturally and you will be getting good carbohydrates, fight off
illnesses, feel full and provide your body with the fuel that
will stop you feeling tired, nauseous and hungry.
Keep in mind that calories count in weight control.
It is the total number of calories you consume that matters in
weight control, NOT where the calories come from i.e whether
there calories come from fat or carbohydrate.
Carbohydrates should be the major source of energy for your body
and as it’s simple to spot good carbohydrates, so make sure you
get plenty of them!
You can eat them feel better, reduce the risk of illness and
lose weight.
Don’t be tempted by the myth that carbs are bad their not their
essential part of healthy eating.
More sensible diet tips and advice
If you want more information on all forms of healthy eating
diets and supplements visit: