Raw and Living Foods

It’s hard to believe that Americans are the most wealthy, yet malnourished, of all humans on the planet. Our society reports the highest incident in the world of illnesses such heart disease, chronic fatigue, ADHD, high cholesterol, allergies, joint pain, depression, gallstones, gum disease, hair loss, hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism, autism, diabetes, insomnia, cancer and other. Much of this is due to our consumption of high-fat, high-sugar, “low-life” foods filled with dangerous preservatives, dyes and chemicals that the FDA approves.

Recently I went to a friend’s house for dinner and she introduced me to living foods. I was intrigued with the fact that foods have life and energy in them, and that when any food is separated from its life source, (its “umbilical cord” to Mother Earth) it begins to die. Processing, cooking, refining, and adding chemicals, coloring or preservatives to food kills the active enzymes, and destroys oxides, chlorophyll, vitamins, essential fatty acids, fiber, and alkaline/acid minerals, thus stripping them of their healing powers. The best way to insure good health is to eat food that is as close to its growing state as possible. This allows our body to access what it needs to heal and protect itself from illness.

Not everyone is able to grow their own food, but there are healthy alternatives. You may purchase organic produce at farmer’s markets and whole food grocery stores, or participate in a co-op such as the Barefoot Farmer’s community supported agriculture group (see http://www.barefootfarmer.com/csa.html) or grow herbs, wheat grass and sprouts indoors.

I did some research on living foods, and began my new eating regime. After just a few days of consuming 75% of my diet in raw, organic, and living foods, I felt more energetic, my mind sharpened and my mood lifted. I still have a cheeseburger and fries upon occasion, but after a meal of dead or low-life food, my body quickly notifies me that it didn’t get what it needed. When I begin feeling tired, sleepy or emotionally irritated. I run back to my wheat grass and juicer!

The famous physician, Hippocrates, once said, “Let food be your medicine, let medicine be your food.” Most of us agree that what we put into our bodies is very important, but we are hooked on the convenience of fast foods in our busy lifestyles. The best way to get started changing to a living food regimen is to get a copy of Rose Lee Calabros’ book, Living in the Raw, and begin her “Three-Month Plan to a Healthier Mind, Body and Soul.” you may soon find that growing and preparing living foods is a great way to express your creativity. And the best part is you’ll have the energy and enthusiasm to enjoy the “uncooked” life style!

Yvonne Perry is a freelance writer and the owner of Write On! Creative Writing Services based in Nashville, Tennessee. She and her team of ghostwriters service clients all over the globe by offering quality writing on a variety of topics at an affordable price. If you need a brochure, web text, business document, resume, bio, article or book, visit http://www.yvonneperry.net. While there sure to subscribe to the RSS podcast feed and the free monthly newsletter about writing, networking, publishing and marketing. Read more on Yvonne’s blog at http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com.

The History of the Martini

The venerable Martini. Perhaps the most famous cocktail, and certainly the mixed drink with the most myths, stories and lore attached. It is also the one cocktail that has a following and its own brand of snobbery. You usually don’t here two people arguing over a Planters Punch.
The basic martini recipe is as simple as you can get. Traditionally, a Martini is made with gin and dry white vermouth, although, recently the Vodka Martini has become much more popular. The standard modern martini is a five parts gin or vodka to one part vermouth although few bartenders today would follow that model. The ingredients are shaken or stirred with ice, strained and served "straight up" without ice in a chilled cocktail glass, and garnished with an olive.
Martini purists are upset that vodka is now the liquor of choice when people order a martini. They insist it should be called a ‘Vodka Martini’ or if they are really picky a ‘Bradford.’
The amount of vermouth to be added is also a subject of great debate. The less vermouth, the drier the Martini. Today the most common was of mixing the vermouth is the coat the ice cubes in vermouth and then throw out the excess vermouth. Some progressive bars now use vermouth spritzers to coat the ice (thus saving a lot of vermouth).

Shaken or stirred?

According to true Martini drinker, because vermouth mixes easily and uniformly with its solvent (gin or vodka), a martini should always be mixed in a stirring glass. For purists, shaking “bruises” the gin and also chips the ice watering down the Martini.
However, thanks to novel and movie spy James Bond, who ordered his Martinis “Shaken, not stirred,” the Martini is more often shaken these days.
Shaken aficionados say, as with scotch, a little water creates a more rounded taste. They also claim the shaking action adds oxygen to the drink and sharpens the taste and distributes the vermouth more evenly.

History

The generally accepted origin of the Martini begins in San Francisco in 1862. A cocktail named after nearby the town of Martinez was served at the Occidental Hotel. People drank at the hotel before taking the evening ferry to Martinez across the bay. The original cocktail consisted of two ounces of Italian “Martini and Rosso” sweet vermouth, one ounce Old Tom sweet gin, two dashes maraschino cherry liquid, one dash bitters, shaken, and served with a twist of lemon. By the end of the 19th century the Martini, had morphed into a simpler form. Two dashes of Orange bitters were mixed with half a jigger of dry French vermouth, and half a jigger of dry English gin, stirred and served with an olive.
But it was Prohibition and the relative ease of illegal gin manufacture that led to the Martini’s rise as the predominant cocktail of the mid 20th century.
With the repeal of Prohibition, and the ready availability of quality gin, the drink became progressively dryer, with less vermouth being added.
The first reference to vodka being used in a Martini was in the 1950s but it was the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming and subsequent films that raised the profile of the vodka martini in the 1960s. In the novel Casino Royale, Bond's recipe for his “vespa martini” was three parts Gordon’s gin, one part Russian vodka, a half measure of Kina Lillet aperitif, shaken until ice-cold, served with a slice of lemon. By the second Bond novel, Live and Let Die, Bond was drinking conventional vodka Martinis.
In the seventies and eighties the martini was seen as old fashioned and was replaced by more intricate cocktails and wine spritzers. But the mid 1990s saw a resurgence in the drink and an explosion of new versions. These new specialty martinis can be made with combinations of fresh fruit juices, splashes of cream, and brightly colored liqueurs.
Instead of the traditional olive, cocktail onion, or lemon twist, new garnishes such as marinated capers, fresh herbs, coffee beans or sun-dried tomatoes are being used.
Today, the Martini in all its versions has returned to its position as the world’s preeminent cocktail.

Folklore

The Martini comes with its own folklore and many past martini drinker have their own recipes for coming up with the perfect or the driest Martini. The quest for dryness has taken on bizarre proportions.

Winston Churchill’s recipe called for pouring gin into a glass and then simply bowing in the direction of France. Alfred Hitchcock's recipe called for five parts gin and a quick glance at a bottle of vermouth. Ernest Hemingway liked to order a "Montgomery", which was a martini mixed at a gin:vermouth ratio of 15:1 the odds at which, allegedly, Field Marshall Montgomery would want before going into battle.
In the 1958 movie Teacher's Pet, Clark Gable mixes a martini by turning the bottle of vermouth upside-down and then running the moistened cork around the rim of the glass before filling it with gin

The classic seventies TV show MASH took a satirical swipe at this dryness fetish. ‘Hawkeye’ working on his still says to his fellow military doctors "I'm pursuing my lifelong quest for the perfect, the absolutely driest martini to be found in this or any other world. And I think I may have hit upon the perfect formula…You pour six jiggers of gin, and you drink it while staring at a picture of Lorenzo Schwartz, (the inventor of vermouth.)"

Kevin Marsh is the Editor of www.gaybar.com the internet's largest and most comprehensive directory of gay and gay friendly bars and nightclubs worldwide.

Crescia Bread or Italian Cheese Bread

If you don’t like locatelli cheese then don’t even bother making this bread, this bread has such a great aroma and flavor that you will eat an entire loaf by yourself, it is also perfect for gift giving and the best part is that you can freeze it weeks in advance and everyone will think that you just made it that day.
Remember all ingredients should be at room temperature.

12 eggs well beaten

9 cups unsifted flour

1 lb. grated locatelli cheese

2 ounces dry yeast

5 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 cup warm water

ฝ lb. butter melted slightly or real soft

1 teaspoon salt

Put yeast in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon sugar and the 1 cup warm water and mix well, let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.

Place your eggs in a mixing bowl and whip till well broken, add your yeast that you had already started, now add your melted butter, pepper, salt, flour, locatelli cheese, and if I missed any ingredient then put it in.

Mix on low speed until well blended then on second speed for 3 or 4 minutes, you should have a really nice dough, if it is too dry add some water, if it is too wet then add some more flour, separate dough in 1-1/4 pound pieces, shape it until it looks like a 6 inch hoagie bun and place it in well greased bread pans, let rise until double in size and bake in a 300 degree preheated oven for 45 minutes.

The smell should be in the entire neighborhood by the time you are finished.

Andrew Krause is a Chef and Pastry Chef for over 30 years, at persent I own a Gourmet Bakery called The Cheese Confectioner. You can visit my site at http://www.andies.cashhosters2.com

NOTE: You are welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the about the author info at the end), Please send a copy of your reprint to pastrie@verizon.net

Why Popcorn Pops

Pop corn can be traced back early as the 1500. In 1519, Cortes got his first sight of popcorn when he invaded Mexico and came into contact with the Aztecs. Popcorn was an important food for the Aztec Indians, who also used popcorn as decoration for ceremonial headdresses, necklaces and ornaments on statues of their gods, including Tlaloc, the god of rain and fertility.

The reason popcorn pops was explained by native Aztecs. There are spirits who live inside the kernels of popcorn. As you heat these spirits homes, they get angry. Eventually, the spirits get so angry they pop out of there homes as unhappy little puffs of steam.

Obviously, this was folk lore and we have since discovered scientifically how popcorn pops. It’s relatively simple. Popcorn kernels contain water. Inside the kernel is a soft patch of starch with around 14% moisture. The moisture is contained by kernels hard outer shell.

Without this moisture, pop corn will not pop. The best way to store popcorn is air tight containers and stored in a cool place like your cupboard or pantry.

As popcorn kernels heat up the moisture inside builds up and expands against the hard starch shell. Eventually the hard surface gives way and the popcorn explodes. The soft heated starch burst, turning in side out.

Remember a refrigerator can most likely dry your popcorn out. If you find that your pop corn has dried out, you can rejuvenate them and still can get them to pop. Place the kernels in a jar a fill it full of water. It takes about three days but the water will re moisturize the kernel and that will cause the kernels to pop.

Richard Amburn http://www.allabout-popcorn.com

The Best Food

Everyone eats so everyone has an opinion about food. But if health is the objective, mere opinion doesn’t count nor does fad or majority rule.

Most people think the average cooked diet based upon official food pyramids is just fine. Some eat predominantly fast food. Others advocate veganism (eating only plant foods), or lacto-ova vegetarianism (plants plus milk and eggs). There are also proponents of special foods such as fresh juices, soybean products and macrobiotic cooked grains and rice.

Everyone can make arguments on behalf of their beliefs. They can cite examples of people who have escaped disease and lived long. Some argue morality and ethics, such as those who say sentient animal life should not be sacrificed for food. Others set their eating practices by the standards of holy writ that eschew certain forms of foods and sanctify others. Others just eat what tastes good and that’s logic enough for them.

Eating beliefs seem to take on an almost religious character. People feel guarded and pretty zealous about food and don’t like others meddling. But since health is intimately linked to what we take into our mouths, thinking, honest reflection and willingness to change are in order.

It is easy to be deceived because wrong food choices may not manifest their full impact until late in life. Nutrition can even pass through genetically to affect later generations. In this regard, food ideas are also like religion in that hundreds of different sects can each claim to have the truth. But none of them needs to fear disproof since adjudication will not occur until everyone is dead and gone to the afterlife.

The body is extremely adaptable and will attempt to survive on whatever it is given. If the food is incorrect there is usually no immediate harm. But the body will eventually be stressed beyond its ability to adapt, resulting in disease, degeneration and loss of vitality. Unfortunately, such consequences are so far removed in time from the eating regimen that caused them that few understand the relationship.

So be careful before subscribing to bold claims about what is or is not good to eat. The true test of any health idea lies too far out into the future. Our best hope then is to be well grounded philosophically before we slide our legs under the dinner table.

How do we develop a healthy eating philosophy and sort through all of the competing eating ideas? I am going to explain here a very simple principle that is so reasonable you need not even look for proofs. Follow along with me and see if you don't agree.

Consider the following three premises:

1. Just like a tree is genetically adapted to absorb certain nutrients from soil, and a lion is genetically adapted to thrive on prey, and a deer is genetically adapted to browse on vegetation, so too, are humans genetically adapted to certain kinds of food.

2. The majority of foods we are presently exposed to are a product of the Agricultural/Industrial Revolution and occupy a small part of the genetic history of humans. (Refer back to the 276-mile time-line in which only a few inches represent industrial-type eating practices.)

3. The natural, genetically adapted to food for humans must predate them. In other words, how could humans exist before the food they needed to survive existed? We were completely developed biologically prior to agriculture and any method of food processing. That means whatever diet archetypal humans ate was the perfect diet because that was the diet responsible for the existence and development of the incredibly complex human organism. That diet was the milieu, the environmental nutritional womb, if you will, from which we sprung.

If you consider these three premises, the logical conclusion derived from them is that the best food for humans is that food which they would be able to eat as is, as it is found in nature.

Our tissues were designed to be bathed in food nutrients derived from natural living foods, not with dyes, preservatives, synthetics, nutritiously barren starches and refined sugars and oils. Make no mistake; if we are not eating according to this principle, our bodies are in constant deficiency, imbalance and toxin exposure. The result of generations ignoring this principle is an epidemic of obesity, chronic degenerative diseases and the exhaustion of our digestive processes.

A feature of all natural food is that it is raw – alive if you will. This is consistent with the Law of Biogenesis that says life can only come from preexisting life. Life begets life. In spite of scientists’ dreams to the contrary, we have never observed life springing from non-life, nor have we ever even been able to create life from non-life in a laboratory. If we eat living foods, we enhance our own life. If we eat dead, devitalized foods we become devitalized and dead. Granted, this will not happen all at once, but as the adaptive reserves are exhausted we become just like the dead food we eat.

So a fundamental feature of our natural diet was that it was raw. Yes, even the meats, organs, eggs and insects – raw. Remember, we’re far back in time, even before the use of fire (much less the microwave, stove, oven, grill, deep fryer or extruder). Studies of the diets of past cultures and today’s still-primitive societies reveals that they ate exactly as their genes and the environment dictated.

We were not suddenly dropped from outer space onto Earth with fry pans, matches and rotisseries. We began on the forest floor, not in a line to a fast food counter. We had only our natural bodies in a natural world, exactly like every other creature. Every other organism on Earth eats raw foods exactly like they are found in nature. Do you think nature doesn’t notice our decision to change all that?

Would tofu qualify? No, because tofu is found nowhere in nature. Would oatmeal porridge qualify? No, because oatmeal porridge is found nowhere in nature. Would hamburgers, French fries, pop, breakfast cereals, granola, canned foods, candy, sports drinks, muscle building powders, vitamins and minerals, mashed potatoes, carrot cake, croissants, bagels, Jolly Ranchers, Ding Dongs, Cocoa Krispies, Good ‘n Plentys or Fig Newtons qualify? No. None of these are found as such in nature.

For those of you who are by now panicking (if not gagging) at the thought of eating raw foods, yes, there is danger of food-borne pathogens. But if you are careful and clean, the danger is far less than the danger of a lifetime eating devitalized processed foods. Raw natural foods must be safe or our ancestors would have not survived and we would not exist!

It is a choice. When faced with a choice, why not opt for the wisdom of nature? Is it not strange we are the only creatures on the planet to cook our foods? Is it a wonder, given this, that we succumb with every imaginable chronic degenerative disease virtually unknown in creatures eating the raw natural diet?

Simply think of yourself placed in nature in the total absence of modern technology. Ask yourself the question, what would I eat... and what could I eat? You could eat and digest fruits, nuts, insects, a few plants, honey, worms, grubs, eggs, milk and animal flesh. These are about the only food substances in nature humans are capable of digesting without technological (including fire) intervention. These are, in fact, the very foods that are the mainstay of nomadic primitive societies. Only when these foods become scarce do unpalatable, inedible foods such as most grains and vegetables become cooked and processed to change their palatability, neutralize toxins and increase digestibility.

So that is where we have been. But does this have anything to do with us here today in the 21st century microwave age? It has everything to do with us because it is this expansive historical context that served as the womb that shaped and defined us. It is this natural wild setting that occupies the vast majority of our history and predominates our genetics. It is the incubator within which life on planet Earth has developed.

What would have been the predominant food in the wild? Likely prey. Envision yourself placed back in time in that setting with a family to feed. You would be looking for the most calorie- and nutrient-dense foods you could find. That would not be a few wheat seeds, some grass or a root. You would let the herbivores do all the grazing and digestion with their specialized stomachs that are capable of converting essentially any plant material into edible protein and fat. Then you would eat them. I don’t like that either, but that is the way it is.

Pretty simple isn’t it? We should eat what nature provides that we can digest. Yet this is not explained in nutrition textbooks, and PhD nutritionists graduate without even grasping it. It cuts through all the theory, belief, and guesswork. It matches our natural bodies with our natural food.

Our immersion in modern cookery and food processing has misled us. Foods such as granola, tofu, cauliflower and lettuce, which are marketed as the ultimate health foods, are in fact not natural human foods at all. These products either do not exist in nature, are so scarce as to never possibly be a sustaining food, or in their raw precooked form are unpalatable and even toxic.

For example, raw soybeans contain a variety of chemicals that can stunt growth and interfere with the body's digestive enzymes. Eat enough of them and you'll die. Modern grain products are a result of agriculture and in their raw form are unpalatable, indigestible and also toxic. In nature one would never find enough kernels of rice, wheat or barley to even make up a meal, even if they were edible in their raw form. (Sprouted seeds and grains are an exception to this since they are digestible, raw and nutritious.)

Who, if they were really, really hungry – and options were available – would eat raw broccoli, cauliflower or lettuce? These foods are only now made palatable by cooking or doctoring with manufactured dressings.

Now this creates somewhat of a dilemma. Knowing what our natural diet is and consuming it are two different things. We are so acclimated to the modern diet that the notion of eating raw meat, for example, is nauseating to most. Nevertheless, as evidenced by primitive (but nutritionally advanced) peoples, raw meat and organs can be eaten with great nutritional benefit to humans, and they are totally digestible and nontoxic. Some cultures even bury raw meats and let them rot (ferment) and then consume them with gusto. These societies are robustly healthy until modern foods encroach. Then, like a dirty bathtub ring, modern degenerative diseases decimate those people at the periphery in contact with modern foods.

It would be very difficult today to achieve the ideal raw, natural diet. But if the basic principle is kept in mind it helps remind us of our origins and points us to the appropriate, genetically adapted-to foods.

This does not mean no processed or cooked foods should be eaten. It simply means that consistently doing so will stress the body's genetic capabilities and will ultimately result in less than optimal health.

Look around the grocery store (usually the outside aisles) and consider what it is that could be eaten in its natural state. Increase the proportion of those foods. Processed foods should be chosen that compromise natural principles the least and are as close to nature as possible. They should be whole foods, packaged carefully to protect nutrient value and be free of synthetics, refined oils and sugars.

For example, whole milk yogurt that has not been homogenized or pasteurized is ideal. The same thing pasteurized would be next best. The same thing pasteurized and homogenized next. Worst would be non-fat, pasteurized, homogenized, artificially flavored and sugared yogurt (which is, of course, what the majority eat because it tastes most like what they are used to – candy).

Eat the best foods you can find in variety and moderation and you will be doing the best that can be done.

There, you have in a nutshell what has taken me decades of research, study and thinking to discover. It is simple and obvious, but that is the way of all great truths.

Dr. Wysong is a former veterinary clinician and surgeon, college instructor in human anatomy, physiology and the origin of life, inventor of numerous medical, surgical, nutritional, athletic and fitness products and devices, research director for the present company by his name and founder of the philanthropic Wysong Institute. He is author of The Creation-Evolution Controversy now in its eleventh printing, a new two volume set on philosophy for living entitled Thinking Matters: 1-Living Life... As If Thinking Matters; 2-The Big Questions...As If Thinking Matters, several books on nutrition, prevention and health for people and animals and over 18 years of monthly health newsletters. He may be contacted at Wysong@Wysong.net and a free subscription to his e-Health Letter is available at http://www.wysong.net. Also check out http://www.cerealwysong.com

Pecorino Cheese - an Italian Specialty

Tuscany is famous worldwide for its wine and olive oil, however, the people of Tuscany have lots of other food products to be proud of. One of the best things that are made Tuscany is the Pecorino cheese. The Pecorino is made of ewe's milk (pecora in Italian means sheep), and is also typical of more southern regions of Italy.

The Pecorino used to be considered a simple peasant's food, and was eaten as a snack with some bread and wine. Now it has become part of the best kitchens in Italy.

Pecorino types vary by the area of production, degree of ripeness and the way they were treated. The new Pecorino ripens for about 2-4 weeks. It is mild, and not very hard. The center of it can be creamy. The medium is sold after two months of ripening. As it ripens the taste gets sharper and the cheese is harder. Very ripe Pecorino that has matured for six months is usually used for grating over dishes, the same way Parmesan is used.

The different colors of the cheese depend on the way the crust was treated while the cheese was ripening. Some producers use tomato concentrate, so the color becomes red. This is usually a sign of cheese from the area of Siena. Others use edible charcoal to give the cheese grey - black color. If the cheese was placed in walnut leaves while ripening, it is brown.

Other areas of Italy have more ways of treating the cheese, such as burying it in trenches filled with special ashes.

The Tuscany Pecorino is protected by DOP council - something like DOC for wine. It makes sure that only cheese that comes from the right area and the right process is sold as Pecorino Toscano.

The taste of the Pecorino is strongly influenced by the diet of the sheep, so the herds are allowed to feed in large areas full of herbs that give the cheese a special flavor depending on the area.

The Pecorino cheese is produced in Tuscany from December to August. The best areas in Tuscany for Pecorino are near Siena, in the Maremma, and in Chianti near Cortona and Casentino.

So - Which Pecorino is the best? All the experts agree that the best pecorino does not come from Tuscany, but from Lazio (the area of Rome) it is called Pecorino Romano. The Pecorino Romano is a cooked cheese that matures for at least 8 months, and contains 36% fat. It has a strong salty flavor, and it is a hard cheese.

This article will not be complete without a recipe:

Leek with Pecorino and olive oil


Ingredients:
8 leeks, olive oil, 5 tbsp. grated Pecorino

Preparation:
Clean the leeks and leave only the white part. In a pan, cover the leeks with olive oil and cook on a very low heat, not allowing to boil. After about an hour remove the leeks from the pot and cool. Cut each leek lengthwise into 4 sticks. Separate the leaves, put on a plate and sprinkle with the cheese.

Rachel Deutsch is the owner of http://www.dream-vacation-in-Tuscany.com . Rachel believes that food is an important part of the traveling experience, so the Italian cooking section of the site: http://www.dream-vacation-in-tuscany.com/Italian_cooking.html keeps growing.

6 Tasty Low Fat Soup Recipes For Cholesterol Patients

Among low cholesterol recipes, soups that are low in fat happen to be very popular. Folks with high cholesterol love to have these soups as they are really tasty. These soup recipes provide a balanced and fat free food and could be of great assistance in dietary control for high cholesterol afflicted folks.

These soups to some extent also contribute to reduce level of LDL cholesterol. Some of these soups come under traditional recipes while some new soup recipes have also come on the block.

Lentil Soup

A very common of all soups among cholesterol patients is Lentil soup that could be easily prepared. Ingredients are tomatoes, onion, celery, carrot, curry powder and lentils. A balanced proportion of all these contents could be used to prepare this soup. These ingredients could be boiled together for ten minutes to be consumed. You may add chili pepper, chili powder or green chili as per your taste buds.

Cabbage Soup

Cabbage soup could also be given to cholesterol patients. This soup is prepared with cabbage, ginger, black pepper, onion, green chili, tomatoes and sherry. Its ingredients contribute to very little or negligible cholesterol content. The soup is free of saturated fat content.

Squash And Sweet Potato Soup

The other soup suited to people with high cholesterol is made with squash and sweet potato. This soup, in combination with salads that are rich in fibers are often offered to cholesterol patients. This soup must be prepared in canola oil. One pound each of squash and sweet potato could be used to prepare soup for four people. Other ingredients of this soup are chives, onion, black pepper and ginger. The soup may include chicken broth.

Bean And Spinach Soup

A cholesterol afflicted person may enjoy a bean and spinach soup. Even in this soup you can use chicken broth. This soup could also serve the purpose of lowering LDL due to presence of beans. Other ingredients of soup are carrot, celery sticks, tomatoes and dried oregano. Rotini is also added to it. Doctors often recommend this recipe to obese folks who are likely to develop cholesterol problem.

Low Fat Turkey Soup

Low fat Turkey soup is another soup serving to people with high cholesterol. Ingredients of this soup are sodium chicken broth, pasta noodles, celery stalks, carrot and black pepper. All these contents are boiled together to prepare the soup.

Black Bean Soup And Toskana Soup

Black bean soup and Toskana soup also happen to be very low in fat content and could be offered to cholesterol patients.

All these soup recipes happen to be good to your taste buds as well. You can enjoy these for the twin purpose of dietary control and LDL cholesterol reduction.

To get more information on cholesterol, cholestrol lowering diet and fat and cholesterol visit http://www.urcholesterol.com/

Easy, Frugal Breakfasts!

We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And that children that eat breakfast do better in school than those who don't.

However, we also all know that it isn't always easy to find time to prepare that all-important meal or to convince our children to eat it!

One way to create a positive attitude toward breakfast in your children is by showing them that you enjoy breakfast!

Eating breakfast as a family is a great opportunity to spend some quality time together. Spending time together, making breakfast can turn out to be a child's favorite part of the day!

By being creative and maybe just a little bit organized, you can make a variety of tasty and healthy breakfasts. Try these ideas:

for a quick and easy breakfast try a toasted bagel spread with low-fat cream cheese.

or peanut butter spread on whole-wheat toast.

how about a fruit smoothie? Toss whatever fruit you have in the blender with milk.

when you have a little time, prepare a large batch of pancakes or waffles. Freeze in a single layer, then stack in a zip-top bag. In the mornings, pop one into the toaster, then top with fruit and yogurt.

or spread peanut butter and jelly between 2 pancakes.

try some non-traditional foods, like leftover pizza--kids nearly always go for it!

kids don't want to drink their juice? Try this easy recipe for Orange Juice Smoothies.

• 1/2 cup orange juice

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• 5 or 6 ice cubes

  Mix all ingredients in blender till smooth.

Breakfast doesn't have to be ham and eggs anymore! Nor does it have to be cold cereal. By using a little creativity you can have a healthy breakfast every morning!

About The Author

Cyndi Roberts is the editor of the bi-weekly newsletter "1 Frugal Friend 2 Another", bringing you practical, money-saving tips, recipes and ideas. Visit her online at http://www.cynroberts.com to subscribe and receive the Free e-course, "Taming the Monster Grocery Bill".

editor@cynroberts.com

Make Your Own Menu

Cooking shouldn't have to be a chore. To many, cooking is a job, career and even a way of life. To some it is an art and to you it should be fun.

Making a habit of eating out raises many issues. What ingredients do they use? Are the ingredients fresh? Do they use hydrogenated fats? How big are their portions? While eating out may seem easy today, tomorrow you may wake up feeling differently (literally and metaphorically).

If eating out seems easy to you, buying a ready to eat meal (such as TV dinners) is even easier and much faster. If only fast food was healthy, as a nation we wouldn't be facing a lot of the health challenges we are now having to solve.

When you cook, you know what goes into your food. Even assuming all restaurants are clean, a lot of ingredients used by them are harmful. There are almost no food labels to be found when you go out. Trans fat, salt and high fructose corn syrup are just some of the ingredients that are used but not advertised. Of coarse they taste good but at what cost?

We can no longer use the excuse we used in the past that we don't know. Now we do know. Eating has a huge effect on our overall health. The results of eating poorly may not be seen for years but when they do come up you face all kinds of cancers, heart disease and a lower quality of life.

You should never deprive yourself of something you love. Eating out on a special occasion is OK but making a habit of constantly taking the easy way out is not.

More Information

Straight Health

Paczki! The Original Polish Donut

Paczki, is what is known as the original Polish donut, no one will ever agree on how to pronounce them, but everyone will agree that you cannot eat just one or even two.

Paczki are maid and eaten on Fat Tuesday the day before Ash Wednesday.

Paczki are round sugar coated, fruit filled Polish pastry. Originally Paczki were maid to use up the lard and eggs, which were prohibited during lent.

Today they are maid and served as a last- minute, beginning before lent knowing that you will not see any pastry during this time.

Today Paczki are becoming what a cake is to a birthday or turkey and pumpkin pie is to Thanksgiving and fruitcake is to Christmas.
People all over purchase them by the dozens to share with their friends and relatives and even co-workers, Paczki are the #1 donut sold at this time of year.

Most people of the Polish background have Paczki in their homes at this particular time of the year, at my bakery we fill them with prunes which is the original way as I learned as a child but you can use anything that you like and you don't have to be Polish to enjoy them.

Andrew Krause is a Chef and Pastry Chef for over 30 years, at persent I own a Gourmet Bakery called The Cheese Confectioner. You can visit my site at http://www.andies.cashhosters2.com

NOTE You are welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the about the author info at the end). Please send a copy of your reprint to pastrie@verizon.net

Po-Boys The Food of the South

A po-boy consists of a piece of French bread. Typically the French bread is cut in half. On the bottom half is usually placed the main ingredient of the sandwich, usually items such as fried seafood, roast beef, or hot sausage just to name a few. On the top half is where the items which make up the term "dressed" are usually placed, i.e. tomatoes, pickles, mayonnaise and lettuce. The two halves are put together to make what is known as a po-boy.

Now, you ask, "What makes a good po-boy stand out above the rest? The first key ingredient is the bread.

French bread comes in all shapes and sizes. Typically it is presented in a straight loaf. The loaf is then cut into smaller sections to make the piece of bread the sandwich is to be made on. The hardness of the bread is an important factor when determining the best po-boy. The bread should be crispy when bitten into, but not so crunchy as to remind you of chewing rocks, however the bread should not be so soft that you have to tear a piece of it off in order to get it separated from the sandwich.

Another key ingredient is the meat of the sandwich. The two most popular po-boys found in the city are roast beef and fried shrimp. The roast beef should be tender and dripping with brown gravy. When it comes to the roast beef, the sloppier the sandwich the better. The shrimp should be fried to a golden brown and the amount should be enough to fall off the sandwich as you are eating it. The dressing should be according to your tastes. If using mayonnaise, I suggest enough on the bread to coat the bread and then a little extra. I also recommend fresh crisp shredded lettuce, ripe tomatoes, and crispy fresh pickles. Other items typically placed on the bread are butter, hot sauce, and even tartar sauce to replace mayonnaise. I also recommend trying dipping the sandwich in ketchup and accompanying this sandwich with a side of French fries.

So next time you're in the south take a look around and find a po-boy shop that claims it has the best po-boys in the south. Give it a try, keeping in mind what I stated above, and rate the shop yourself. Ask yourself, "Is the roast beef sloppy? Is the fried shrimp fried to a golden brown? Was the sandwich dressed the way I wanted it?" Then when people ask who has the best po-boy in the south you can assuredly say you have the right answer.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Food

Aspartame Interview With Dr. Hull

This aspartame interview was granted on 8/30/03 with Rebecca Kang from Singapore:

Interview

Q: How often does an average person happen to consume products with aspartame?

A; Daily in the United States. Aspartame is put into so many different products, consumers are exposed to it without awareness much of the time. Aspartame is in many products NOT labeled sugar-free, such as gums, cereals, ice creams, yogurts, and medications. I also have clients who consume up to a 12 pack of diet colas daily. And keep in mind, that children are consuming more and more aspartame laced products at earlier and earlier ages, which means they will develop health problems at earlier and earlier ages. Henceforth, the onslaught of children's disease syndromes - diabetes, ADD/ADHD, depression and behavioral disorders.

Q: What is the limit for safe aspartame consumption?

A: None. No human, nor any animal, should intake methanol at any dose at any time - ever.

Q: Aspartame is a very controversial food additive and has alleged harmful effects. However, is there any proof for that accusation?

A: Numerous research studies. Reference Sweet Poison, as I write about the independent research scientists with tangible research results of harm to the fetes and adult laboratory animals. One fact to note: independent researchers have proven over and over again the dangers of aspartame, while the research stating it is safe has been performed by research scientists on 'corporate payrolls.' This is not objective research but has the power of money behind it. Independent researchers don't have the financial backing, so they are pushed out of the spotlight and kept silent.

Q: Would you agree that the public in general is poorly informed about aspartame? If so, what are the possible reasons?

A: Absolutely correct. The reason is money and greed. The pharmaceutical companies own most of the products aspartame is found in, and they also own the advertising entities, and the drugs prescribed for the health symptoms caused by aspartame. Therefore, the same companies who are causing the problem profit from the drugs to mask the symptoms. They control the whole game, and have financial interest in the government agencies responsible for public safety.

Q: We recently did a survey on the awareness of Singaporeans towards Aspartame. Results clearly show that a majority of Singaporeans have no idea what aspartame is. And also a considerable portion would not bother to find out what it is, despite hints that it could be suspicious.

A: Apathy is a danger in modern societies. Too little time, too much pressure at work, and too many conveniences with too little physical effort to get them. People are becoming lazy. The younger generations are becoming lazy, too. If we all would learn from history and from our elders and remember to get back to the basics of living as they once did, the diseases and mental instability caused by the toxins within our environments and our foods would be less today. Money and 'things' have become too important. Our health and mental stability are suffering because of it.

Q: As a nutritionist, would you agree that most Singaporeans have little idea about what they eat? If so, what would you advice us to do to increase this awareness in Singapore?

A: We must slow down, get back to the basics of life, and not be sheep lead to the slaughter when it comes to modernized foods and convenience products. Convenience and technology is wonderful, but not to the degree that we can be so easily manipulated and so easily lead down this road of imbalance.

Q: Would you, at all, advise Singaporeans on a need to find out the safety of their food? Or would you trust that to the health authorities?

A: I would not trust the authorities of any country who agree to barter with corporations dealing financial gains at the expense of the pubic. I once trusted our leaders to be fair and truthful, but cannot and do not any more. As I wrote in Sweet Poison, the FDA is not the bad guy in America, and for the most part, governments as a whole are not at fault. It is a chosen few individuals within the government agencies who impose personal reward at the expense of millions of consumers.

If it weren't for the Internet, none of this information would be public today. Neither you nor I would be sharing this information right now. But as a professor, researcher and educator, I will always believe that it is imperative that all people know both sides of any issue. Truth is freedom. To manipulate the truth is a crime. Make sure your political leaders are not willing to 'make a deal' with the larger corporations who profit at the expense of the masses. And also make sure the truth behind aspartame, and any issue, is allowed to be spoken publicly. In America, the wealthy manufacturers pay-off or threaten those who choose to air this information publicly. I have much proof on this.

Q: If there is any other information you wish to add, feel free to include it in the reply for the interview. We might have overlooked some important points.

A: Please go back and reread Sweet Poison, as so much is said within those pages. This issue is real, and not meant to harm anyone (but the pocketbooks of those who gain millions). This information is meant to teach individuals of all cultures the hidden facts and dangers of a manipulated and very toxic food chemical saturating the world's food supply. Money has bought aspartame its position of power - not quality of goods. People are getting very sick and weak from aspartame. That is true and very real.

Good luck in your quest for perfection, truth, and understanding. Our food supply is a web of confusion in modern times. Money, greed and power are at the root of too many modern foods. Politics interferes with human survival and health. Sad, but true. What do we do? Get back to the basics of eating and drinking so to feed our bodies and our minds what nature intended. Slow down, take time to meditate and get to know yourself. Be happy with who you are and don't strive for more than you need. To open the door to future health, we must find the keys from the past. There lie the answers of simplicity and health.

There is so much to say on this issue. The roots run deeply into the self, politics, governments, and greed. All you can do is be the best individual you can be, stay unattached to dependencies and quick fixes. Look at the motives of those who push these 'drugs' on society and decide for yourself why this benefits you above profit. If you can see no goodness or purity in a product, put it back on the shelf.

And most importantly, teach the children how to get back to the basics of life.....

Wishing you and Singaporeans well. Keep spreading the word about aspartame and always stay open-minded.

Read more about aspartame and aspartame symptoms visit the link below: http://www.sweetpoison.com/

About The Author

Dr. Hull is a Licensed Certified Nutritionist, certified fitness professional, and author of the best selling book, Sweet Poison. She currently holds a Doctorate in Nutrition, a Master's Degree in Environmental Science, is an international geographer and geologist, a former university professor, firefighter and Hazardous Waste Specialist and Emergency Responder.

Dr. Hull writes a monthly newsletter covering a wide range of important health topics including Government Safety Alerts, Q and A's, and more! To sign up for her newsletter or to view past articles visit the link below:

http://www.sweetpoison.com/newsletter/

Sugar Substitutes - What You Need To Know

A sugar substitute, or artificial sweetener, is a food additive which duplicates the effect of sugar or corn syrup in taste, but offers less food energy (calories). The latest dietary habits have introduced certain sweet, non-caloric substances, whose use has spread in the last few years. These sugar substitutes are considered as ideal by many people in order to control diverse metabolic disorders originated or aggravated by the ingestion of sugar, such as diabetes, obesity and arteriosclerosis. Moreover, the advantages of these substances are enormous, since they can replace sugar and quick re-absorption polysaccharides, making food more tempting without the extra calories of sugar.

The reason why the food and beverage industry is increasingly replacing sugar, or corn syrup, with artificial sweeteners in a range of products traditionally containing sugar, is actually rather simple. Although the profit margins on artificial sweeteners are extremely low for manufacturers, they still cost the food industry just a fraction of the cost of sugar and corn syrup-which once was introduced by the industry as a low-cost alternative to sugar. In the UK, for example, it is now almost impossible to find any non-cola soft drinks in supermarkets which are not sweetened with artificial sweeteners, and a variety of side foods, like ketchups, mustards and mayonnaise are artificially sweetened.

Although as early as 1969, many stories have been heard in relation to the dangers associated with sugar substitutes for the human health-particularly carcinogenic reactions-their continued use and different researches show that they are not harmful if they are consumed in the recommended doses. In fact, only in the U.S. between 2000 and 2005, a total of 3,920 products containing artificial sweeteners were launched. But the problem began in the 60's when in certain experiments with rats the excessive dose that was issued to them daily generated neoplastic disease in their bladder of some of the second-generation rats. Even though this was an experiment and the dose issues to the rats was completely disproportionate, it was 10,000 times higher than the dose an average person would take in a year's time, the scientific community and many of the sugar substitute consumers have been alarmed.

But regardless of the ongoing controversy over the supposed health risks of artificial sweeteners, doctors support that "nothing is completely harmless to people, but everything depends on the quantity and the sensitivity of the subject, as well as on the time period of the dose." Thus, consumers should be informed that in the sugar market, an extremely powerful industry around the globe, economic interests are at play. Even if the results of the scientific studies are real or false, sweet food producers are always after their substitute competitors and as statistics have shown a number of health issues caused by tobacco, alcohol or sugar consumption, were attributed to market competition. Similar was the reason why the introduction of Aspartame in the U.S. was delayed for several years even though this sugar substitute is completely innocuous, since it consists of only two strictly natural amino acids.

Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Nutrition, World of Food, and Food Facts.

Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Chopped Salad with Gorgonzola Cheese

Many restaurants, as least where I live, have added chopped salad to their menus. I don't know why chopped salad has suddenly become popular, but may be due to the fact that it goes with everything - beef, pork, chicken, and fish. Chopped salad can be a first course or a main course.

A few weeks ago I had chopped salad at a well-known Italian restaurant and it was fabulous. Could I make it at home? I bought the ingredients, chopped the vegetables, and refrigerated them. Then I made the dressing. Just before dinner I combined the ingredients in a large salad bowl, added the Gorgonzola cheese, and tossed the salad.

Here's my recipe and, if I say so myself, it's as good as the restaurant salad. To cut down on calories I dressed the salad lightly. If you want more double the salad dressing recipe. You may bring this salad to a picnic as long as you keep the ingredients cold. For an even heartier salad add some grilled chicken or steak. This salad tastes like a BLT sandwich without the bread. Make a lot because your family will gobble it up!

BACON, LETTUCE AND TOMATO CHOPPED SALAD WITH GORGONZOLA CHEESE

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup cooked pasta (tiny tube pasta or tiny shells)

1 2.8 ounce package of precooked real bacon pieces

1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded and chopped

1 small bunch of green onions and tops, chopped

1/3 cup (or more) of Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (You may also use Roquefort.)

2 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped

DRESSING:

2 tablespoons extra light olive oil

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Prepare salad ingredients, put them in separate plastic bags, and refrigerate. Make salad dressing and set aside. A few minutes before serving, combine the ingredients in a salad bowl, add the Gorgonzola cheese, the salad dressing, and toss gently. Makes 6 generous servings.

http://www.harriethodgson.com
http://www.healthwriter.blogspot.com

Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 27 years and is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Before she became a health writer Hodgson was a food writer for the former "Rochester Magazine" in her hometown of Rochester, MN. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from http://www.amazon.com A five-star review of the book is posted on Amazon. You will find another review on the American Hospice Foundation website under the "School Corner" heading.

Add A Gourmet Taste With Cilantro

Cilantro is a common ingredient in salsa and Mexican dishes but did you know it dates as far back as the ancient Egyptians? Coriander seeds which stem from the same plant as cilantro have been found in Egyptian tombs and writings involving coriander can be seen in Sanskrit which dates from around 1500 BC.

Cilantro is a versatile herb that is is commonly used in salsas, dips, dressings and sauces. This aromatic, citrus flavored herb is a member of the carrot family and can be used dried or fresh. The seeds from this herb are harvested and dried and are known as coriander. The green stems and leaves are the herb known as cilantro.

Cilantro is sometimes sold in the grocery store as something else and if you can’t find it in your supermarket try looking for Mexican parsley. Since cilantro is commonly used in Mexico and Mexican cooking, it is often called Mexican parsley but it is good in other types of cooking as well and you can even find Chinese recipes calling for Chinese parsley which is the same as cilantro.

When looking for cilantro in your supermarket look for nice fresh bunches much like bunches of parsley. In fact, you will probably find it right next to the parsley in the produce section. Don’t purchase the parsley by mistake though because it is not the same thing! You can easily tell the difference between cilantro and parsley by inspecting at the leaves and smelling the herb. The leaves of cilantro are wider than parsley and cilantros scent is very aromatic.

Cooking with fresh cilantro is a great way to make gourmet foods and the longer you keep your bunch of cilantro fresh the better! When you bring cilantro home from the supermarket put the bunch in a glass of water like a bouquet with only the stems submerged. Loosely cover the green leaves with a plastic bag which will help keep your cilantro fresh.

When cooking with cilantro, remember, it is best when you crush the tender leaves with a mortar and pestle. This helps to release the full bodied flavor. Always add the cilantro towards the end of cooking. The delicate nature of cilantro does not hold up to heat so waiting until the very end will insure the best taste from the versatile and aromatic herb.

Lee Dobbins writes for Online Gourmet Foods where you can learn more about gourmet eating.

Meat - A Very Old Food Source!

In this article, I will talk a little about one of the oldest food source in the world - meat! Meat has been eaten by mankind for centuries, but today more and more people are becoming vegetarians. Meat is still a very important food source as it mostly consist of proteins - nearly 80% of any sort of meat is pure protein. Any function in the body needs protein - people simple cannot live without it!

Almost 28% of the protein people ingest today comes from meat products. Meat is also one of the best sources of vitamin A, D and several B-vitamins as well as the minerals zinc, selenium and iron. Meat speeds up the metabolism which makes it easier to lose fat and if you eat meat, you will feel full for longer than if you eat carbohydrates. That is why meat is a very important food source in a fat loss program!

Another good argument for eating meat/protein is that it will stabilise blood sugar which means that the craving for sugar will be kept down to a minimum! Almost all the food we pull up from the ground has all the nutrition we need - but vegetables contain far less protein and some of those have not nutritional value to the body and therefore will not be absorbed. Vegetarian food sources are also missing a very important vitamin - B12 - because only meat, milk, cheese and eggs contains that vitamin!

Protein consist of twenty amino acids, and for your body to function optimally, it needs all those twenty amino acids every single day! Every single movement in your body depends on protein - from a simple eye blink to complex hormone production and water balance! The body itself can make a few amino acids but the rest has to come from the food we eat every day - these are what we call "the essential amino acids". A full protein - which mean a protein that consists of all the twenty amino acids, is a complex protein, and will be absorbed 100% by the body! Always go for the lean meat like chicken, turkey and lean steak and always cut away the fat surrounding any piece of meat, as animal fat is very bad for the body. As a matter of fact, all fat from animals is bad and all fat from almost any vegetable source is good - but that's another story and more on that issue in another article!

The bottom line is: Do not avoid meat - lean meat is very healthy - always has been and always will be - period!

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Food

Alaskan Wild Salmon

For years health experts have been promoting the benefits of eating fish. The oils in fish have been known to help fight cancer, and other dangerous diseases. The omega 3’s that fish contain can also help the body stay healthy. Fish also provides valuable sources of vitamins, and minerals that are rarely found in meat, and vegetables. Salmon is one of the healthiest fishes to eat, and coincidently one of the most popular fishes consumed by the public today.

Wild salmon is known to be much better for your body then farm raised salmon. Wild salmon can be found in a number of places, but the most robust wild salmon come from Alaska. Think about it, if it’s good enough for the bears, shouldn’t it be good enough for you?

Wild Alaskan salmon can be used for many dishes, in a number of cuts, and filets. The most popular salmon dishes are paired with lemon, capers, and broccoli. Grilled salmon on a bed of fresh romaine lettuce is a great dish that many people enjoy often. There are salmon based pastas that people call their favorite dishes of all time. And of course there is the smoked salmon, which is the perfect addition to a cracker and some sharp cheddar cheese.

Baby salmon, otherwise known as lox, is a popular dish for breakfast lovers. The lox and cream cheese bagel is one of the most popular breakfast delights at many a New York deli. The baby salmon often comes from Alaska or Canada.

No matter how you enjoy your salmon dishes, it’s important that you do enjoy salmon. The exotic fish flavor of this pink centered masterpiece is a delight for all that give it a try. If you feel in doubt about the great benefits of salmon, and the robust taste, just look at a picture of the wild bears eating it, they seem to enjoy the taste.

Apples of Love

If the Spanish conquistadors had known what they were onto when they brought tomatoes to the old world in the sixteenth century, they wouldn't have spent the rest of their careers searching for gold, because they had already found it. If any of them had any prescience at all, they would have simply opened a canning facility somewhere in the vicinity of Mount Vesuvius, and begun mining the gold that became known as pomod๒ri 'golden apples'.

By the time southern Italians began manufacturing pasta asciuta 'semolina pasta' in the late eighteenth century, inovative chefs had already invented dozens of preparations for tomatoes (also referred to p๓mi d'amore 'apples of love'). So when tomato sauce was introduced to pasta, it was indeed love at first sight. Pasta alla marinara was love at first sight for me, anyway.

But due to restrictions imposed by Mother Nature, we here in America can enjoy fresh, vine-ripened plum tomatoes for only about three months of the year. The rest of the time, we depend on the canned variety.

Of those tomatoes that find their way into cans, foodies and gourmets acknowledge those that come from the region of San Marzano to be the finest. There's a lot of talk about the volcanic soil of Calabria; the intensity of the sun in the region; even the name God works its way into the conversation from time to time. Nevertheless, the Italian government has taken the region seriously enough to give the local growers a D.O.C. (Denominazione d'Originata Controllata, or Government Certification).

But there's a knock-off artist lurking around every Cypress tree, and it wasn't too long before canned tomatoes labeled tipo di San Marzano, 'San Marzano-style' began appearing at Italian delis. The latest craze in the tomato game, is taking the seeds from San Marzano tomatoes, and growing them elsewhere in the world. I'm aware of a California grower who's doing well by marketing his tomatoes as having been grown from "San Marzano tomato seeds."

It is encouraging, though, that for the past several years, American growers have begun competing favorably against their Calabrian bretheren. Muir Glen, in Petaluma, CA., for example, grows wonderful organic tomatoes that are readily available at your local grocery super-store.

But there's a problem that crops up with canned tomatoes, especially if they come in unlined cans: they taste "canned." Tomatoes, being acid as they are, often interact with the metal, and absorb some of the metallic taste.

My Sicilian grandmother (and I'm sure her peers as well) solved this problem by adding grated carrot to her marinara sauce. I've seen some validation of this technique in recipes from Mario Batali, and recently, from Pino Luongo in his cookbook, "Simply Tuscan." In fact, Mr. Luongo goes so far as to include a stalk of celery too.

Here in Connecticut, we're probably two and a half months away from picking the first plum tomato. But wouldn't it be great to go to a farmer's market, and see that someone there is selling plum tomatoes grown from San Marzano seeds.

And here is the most requested recipe from the archives of my first Web site, www.northend.com; my grandmother's tomato sauce. (reprinted from my first cookbook, La Cucina dei Poveri). Buon appetito.

Salsa di Pomodoro

My Grandmother's Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

4 Cloves garlic, peeled, and thinly sliced

2 28 oz. Cans peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)

1 Small carrot, finely shredded

1/2 tsp. Red pepper flakes

2 Tbs. Fresh oregano, finely chopped

2 Tbs. Fresh basil, finely chopped

1/4 Cup Flat leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Heat a large saut้ pan over medium heat, then add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic, and saut้, shaking the pan for about one minute, until the garlic begins to give up its aroma.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the tomatoes. Return the pan to the heat and begin to break the tomatoes with either the back of a fork, or a wooden spoon. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer the tomatoes to evaporate some of the liquid, then add the carrot, the red pepper flakes and the oregano.

Simmer gently for about twenty minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the clear liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated. Add the parsley and season with salt and pepper.

Makes approximately 1 1/2 Quarts

Skip Lombardi is the author of two cookbooks: "La Cucina dei Poveri: Recipes from my Sicilian Grandparents," and "Almost Italian: Recipes from America's Little Italys." He has been a Broadway musician, high-school math teacher, software engineer, and a fledgeling blogger. But he has never let any of those pursuits interfere with his passion for cooking and eating. Visit his Web site to learn more about his cookbooks. http://www.skiplombardi.com or mailto:info@skiplombardi.com

Indian Food Forum

Indian food is a real passion of mine. There's an Indian food restaraunt nearby that I like to frequent to get my fill when my friend and I feel like going out to eat. There's so many complex flavors in India cooking that you can never grow tired and bored of this type of food. It's no wonder that so many people are raving about Indian food these days when there's just no other food like it. There's cocunut milk, curry powders, spices, and chutneys that tantalize the most critical taste buds out there. I love to try something new everytime I go out and this is not hard considering that there are over 100 things on the menu at my favorite Indian restaraunt.

If you've ever tried to cook Indian food yourself, you realize how difficult of an art it is. Just making Nann bread or ghee can be a huge challenge and can result in something less than tasteful. India chefs can command a very generous salarly for their hard work crafting the many delicacies that Indian food has to offer. Most dishes start out with ghee and curry powder which is somewhat simple, but where it goes from there is where it gets difficult and really takes a master chef and cooking team. Many restaraunts insist on hiring at least one native Indian to ensure that everything stays authentic and true to the land.

Joann Brooks is an Indian food enthusiast and freelance writer. If you have something to say about Indian food or you want to learn more about India food, drop by her website and chat it up at http://indianfoodforum.com

In the Mood With Food

Love foods, also known as aphrodisiacs, have been around for centuries. The word aphrodisiac comes from the Greek goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. Love foods are foods that get you in the mood.



Now, although there is no conclusive evidence that any food is an aphrodisiac, many of us love diehards continue to argue that there is such a thing. Regardless, what the final verdict is ... it’s amazing what one can do with the power of imagination.



Here are just a few love foods which you may want to try out and if you already have, perhaps next time you’ll experience them in a different light.



Caution: These foods may improve your love life!



CELERY - Celery contains the hormone, androsterone, a hormone that is naturally produced in males, and apparently stimulates arousal in women.

ONION - Thousands of years ago in France, newlyweds were served bowls of onion soup on their wedding day to restore their sexual energy.

RADISH - The radish was a divine aphrodisiac used by Egyptian pharaohs … thought to stimulate the palate.

ASPARAGUS - Asparagus is the zodiac love food for Capricorns. In the 19th century, bridegrooms would often eat up to three servings of asparagus because of its aphrodisiacal powers.

BANANA - Aside from its phallic shape, a banana is lush and creamy. The fruit also contains an enzyme called bromelain which is said to enhance male performance.

GRAPES- Grapes are the love food for the zodiac sign Sagittarius. Whenever I see grapes, it conjures up the picture of Cleopatra stretched out on her day bed being fed by Marc Antony and other lovers.

ORANGE - Oranges are the love food for Aquarians.

PEAR - Pears are the love food for those born under the sign of Gemini.

HONEY - Honey has been connected with love, sex, and sexuality since the days of the Bible. It is said that Attila the Hun drank himself to death with honey on his honeymoon.

VANILLA - Vanilla is considered to have aphrodisiacal powers. It is often found in beauty products, perfumes, and oils because of its aromatic properties.

CHILI PEPPERS & BLACK PEPPER - Spicy foods are often associated with aphrodisiacal qualities because they stimulate our nerve endings, causing our heart rate to increase and body to sweat … similar to the feelings we experience before and during lovemaking.

GARLIC - Garlic was used as an aphrodisiac by the Egyptians, Romans, Chinese, and Japanese. The fact is garlic makes food tastier, increases our appetite, and leaves us with an overall good feeling.

PINE NUTS, ALMONDS, PUMPKIN SEEDS - Pumpkin seeds and other nuts are the love food for the zodiac sign Libra. The pine nut has been used for centuries to make love potions and is often referred to as the kernel of love. One love potion remedy included drinking a glass of honey with 20 almonds and 100 pine nuts. Something one would supposedly see on an episode of the reality TV show Survivor.

CHOCOLATE - Did you know that Casanova adored chocolate?



To many, chocolate has a sensuous taste. Chocolate is the love chemical. Besides containing a stimulant phenylethylamine, I’ve read that it also contains an ingredient that is similar to that of an extremely mild sedative, hence relaxing and lowering one’s inhibitions.



Here's an interesting story. Legend has it that Montezuma, the Aztec ruler, drank 50 cups of chocolate each day in order to satisfy his harem of 600 women. And they say we women love chocolate!



Food, an aphrodisiac? You don’t have to convince me. But if you’re still not convinced, why not take a moment and reflect on what H.L. Mencken has to say about love:

"Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence."



So, what's going to be on your menu tonight?

Leona Hamel is a Romance Agent, speaker, coach and author of The ABC’s of Tease and Please - A Romance Handbook, as well as a contributing author to A First Serving of Milk and Cookies for Success. Passionate about human connection, Leona works with men and women who want to explore their romantic creativity and experience more passion, fun and success in their life. Visit http://www.romanceunlimited.com for new articles, tips and trivia each month. Don't forget to sign up for LouLou's Love Lesson!

Inexpensive Party Food

Parties are fun but they can be expensive. You have many options to keep the costs down, but the easiest thing you can do is watch how much you are spending on food. If you have hosted parties in the past you know that food can be one of the most expensive aspects of the event. You don’t have to hire an expensive caterer to have a good time. A little imagination and effort can make a low budget party a memorable occasion.

Finger food such as small sandwiches, potato chips, dips, fruit and vegetable trays are fairly inexpensive. This is a great option for informal parties.

A great alternative to a professional caterer is to have each of your guests do the catering for you. A potluck allows your guests to become amateur caterers. It also makes sure that each guest has something they like because it is unlikely that someone would bring something they don’t like. To help your guest and to avoid redundancy, include a suggestion as to what kind of food you would like your guests to bring such as a salad, dessert, and soft drinks.

Pizza is an all time party food. Young and old love pizza, and there is a wide selection of toppings that should satisfy all your guests.

Don’t serve alcohol if you want to save money. Alcohol free parties are safer, and less out of control. You won’t have to worry about designated drivers, or taking peoples’ keys once they had one too many drinks. In addition, you don’t have to worry about people staying over night.

You can have memorable party without spending a bunch of money. When you shop for food use coupons and look for sales. Always give yourself plenty of time to shop, so you can bargain hunt.

About The Author

George Meszaros with http://www.partyfantastic.com.

Sugar - Bad Or Good Carbohydrate

Do we need sugar at all? No, not pure sugar - known as refined sugar. Sugar only contains empty calories, calories without any nutritional value. But the body indeed needs carbohydrate, which is also sugar but in a more complex form. Potatoes, rice, bread and pasta are all pure carbohydrate but with a big nutritional value! The body breaks down carbohydrates into simple sugar and then uses it for energy.

Does sugar make you fat? Yes, but only if you eat more than your body can handle - too much sugar will be stored as fat in the fat cells all over the body.

Are we already eating too much sugar? Yes, way too much! There is too much "hidden" sugar in food we eat each day - over 80% of the sugar we eat is hidden in "every day foods". Lets just take ketchup as an example. Ketchup contains far more sugar than most chocolate does! People eat in general around 100 grams of sugar every day - or 41 kilos a year!! That's two times more than we should!

What's the different between the sugar in fruit and refined sugar? Sugar in fruit will be absorbed more slowly by the body than refined sugar and will keep insulin and blood sugar stabile - refined sugar will make insulin and blood sugar rise very quickly!

Can sugar be dangerous then? Yes, because sugar is a mild form of poison - eating too much of it will affect the body in a negative way! Let me try to explain how:

- Sugar will disturb the natural bacteria flora in the stomach, which in turn can lead to candida!

- Just 100 grams of refined sugar can suppress the immune system significantly!

- Sugar slows down the absorption of calcium and magnesium!

- Refined sugar disturbs the balance of normal insulin production and a normal blood sugar level!

- It will change the metabolism so salt and water will be retained which will further lead to high blood pressure!

- Sugar affects the blood concentration of serotonin and beta-endorfin - a natural hormone in the body, which affects moods. That's why some people crave sugar - those people get "high" on sugar and are addicted to the daily "sugar-rush".

Another reason to cut back on sugar intake is if the food has a sugar content that is too high, it will replace the nutritional value of the food with those empty calories and a lot of important vitamins and minerals will be missing! So the bottom line is try to avoid too much refined sugar - if you want that sweet taste, then go for some of the sweet fruit out there. Just try to eat a banana, mandarin or an apricot, and your sugar craving will be gone for many hours!

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Food

Kimchi - A Zesty Korean Staple

Kimchi is part of the international family of pickled vegetables. It is similar to the sauerkraut of Germany, the paocai of China, the tsukemono of japan, the achar of India, and the pickles of other regions. In all its variations, kimchi provides Koreans with essential vitamins as well as a distintive flavor, which invariably draws a strong reaction from the first-time taster. Detractors protest that their nostrils and taste buds are overwhelmed by the garlic and the hot red pepper.

Yet aficionados find the assault on their senses sheer delight, and they keep coming back for more. As people seek to lend more spice to their meals, kimchi is becoming known worldwide. Servicemen from the west, immigrant workers, and thousands who came for the Seoul Olympics in 1988 got to taste it. kimchi is rich in vitamins and minerals and its fame has grown with the spreading demand for more healthful foods. Note that kimchi is a side dish. It is meant to be eaten as a compliment to other foods, particularly rice. The neutral flavor of rice and the zesty and salty flavors of kimchi compliment each other. But how is kimchi prepared?

Try making this recipe yourself and I'am sure it will become a staple in your home... First to make Spicy Korean Kimchi the following basic ingredients and and seasonings will be needed....1 pound chinese cabbage, 2 tablespoons salt, 4 cups cold water, 2 cups very hot water. The seasonings will be, 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallions, 2 teaspoons finely chopped dried red pepper, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 tablespoon salt.... Now, heres how to prepare the ingredients and add the seasonings:

First, separate the cabbage leaves, and sprinkle them with salt. Pour in cold water, and allow the mixture to stand in a cool place for eight hours or overnight. Rinse the cabbage well and squeeze out excess liquid. Pour very hot water over the seasonings and mix well. Combine with cabbage leaves. Put the combination in a large glass bowl. You may have to cut the leaves in half to make them fit. Cover with plastic wrap, and leave in a cool place for about two days. Drain the leaves, and cut them into bite-size pieces. Pack into a glass jar until ready to serve. Makes 1 pound. Remember, store in the refrigerator after use. Most likely you will find kimchi agreeable to your palate. when this happens, "Mat-itkae duseyo!"- thats korean for "enjoy your food!"

www.newallrecipes.com

Kids' Favorite Foods

If you're a parent, you know that getting your finicky kid to eat is like trying to push a bolder up a mountain of molasses. It isn't easy. A kid's menu, at best consists of about five or six things that he or she will eat. So what's a parent to do? Well, at a recent survey taken in a small US town, about 100 kids gave the answer to their five favorite foods, not counting desserts. While this survey no way dictates that all kids will answer the same, this should give you a pretty decent idea of what you're kid will eat if you're having problems getting food in his or her mouth. So without further ado, our top five kids' goods.

Coming in at number 5 was no surprise. Spaghetti and Meatballs was the overall number 5 choice. Kids seemed to like this more out of the can than home made, however. And no fancy sauces like Marinara. Just plain out tomato or meat sauce was all they needed. Plus, no grated cheese on top. And not too many meatballs. Just 3 or 4 would be enough. Serving your kid a plate of spaghetti and meatballs would be more than enough to put a smile on his or her face.

In the number 4 slot was another food that was no surprise. Hamburger on a bun was a sure winner. Again, nothing fancy as far as condiments. No onions was big on the list of yucks. Kids absolutely hate onions and don't want them anywhere near their hamburger. Just some ketchup is all they require. And the buns have to be hamburger buns. No regular hard rolls and certainly NO seeds. Also, no whole wheat buns or rolls.

The third most popular meal on the menu was the hot dog. It was interesting to see that the hot dog was more popular than the hamburger, but not by much. As for how they liked their hot dog, that varied quite a bit. Some kids liked them just with mustard. Others preferred mustard and sauerkraut. And then there was that group of kids who enjoyed their hot dogs with ketchup. Nobody seemed to like relish or anything fancy on their hot dog and NO cheese dogs. That was another big yuck.

Just missing the number top spot and coming in at number 2 was fried chicken. Parents, don't bother making this at home. Overwhelmingly, kids voted on Colonel Sanders Kentucky Fried Chicken and white meat only. And don't forget the biscuit that comes with it. They said without the biscuit it isn't as good. Makes you wonder if they loved the biscuit more than the chicken. Oh and the extra crispy gets a big thumbs up.

Finally, coming in at number 1 was macaroni and cheese. Again, don't try making this at home. This has to be, almost unanimously, Kraft Mac And Cheese. And of course no mac and cheese dish is complete without pouring ketchup all over it. By the time they are done with the ketchup you can just about see the mac and cheese.

And there you have it. The top 5 favorite foods of children. So if you're having trouble getting your kid to eat, you might want to start with these. If you need other favorites outside the top 5, at number 6 was pizza and at number 7 was peanut butter and jelly. Rounding out the top 10 was bologna at 8, salami and cheese at 9 and grilled cheese at 10.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Food

Choosing the Freshest Vegetables

Here we are edging into summertime and Farmers’ Markets abound! Each time I go to my local Farmer’s Market, I find the most colorful displays of vegetables and a bounty of great homemade breads and other baked goods from local vendors. Even though you may not live in or near an agricultural community, here is some basic information to let you know that your vegetables are at their freshest? Even at the grocery store, this handy little guide will help you find the vegetables that are at the peak of their season to guarantee crispness.

Summertime, is absolutely THE time for fresh vegetables. However, some vegetables are at their peak during early summer rather than when the season begins changing into early autumn. Some excellent vegetables to choose in the early summer include green beans, celery, peppers (red, yellow and green) and asparagus. All of these vegetables have a rather short maturation period which enables them to peak at the beginning of summer and the mother plant begins to grow ineffective as the weather grows dryer and hotter. This is also the peak time to choose bright yellow summer squash which is a smaller variety of your ordinary squash.

Vegetables that have a short maturation period and a long performance period (which means they bear fruit continuously for a longer time) are also prevalent this time of year and into early autumn. These vegetables consist of broccoli, cucumbers (short or long), and tomatoes. Lettuce, spinach and sweet corn are also very good choices for this time of year since they grow rapidly and most farmers keep a continuous crop of these throughout the summer periods. Early autumn brings about a bountiful harvest of squash, pumpkins and zucchini.

Since all of these vegetables are at their peak performance period, they can also be purchased cheaply. Especially at Farmer’s Markets since they don’t have to go through rigorous FDA testing standards and packaging. Each of these vegetables can be frozen either by scalding methods or freezing directly so that you can enjoy fresh vegetables all year long without paying high costs in the winter when the crops are gone.

Be sure to stop by your local Farmer’s Market! Not only will you be getting the best vegetables your local area has to offer but you will also be supporting your local farmers!

Jamaican Rum Punch Recipe

Rum is considered to be the world’s oldest distilled spirit and is made throughout the Caribbean. On Jamaica, Appleton Rum Estate has been distilling rum from sugar can for over 200 years and is the island’s most popular drink. With a very sweet flavor rum is often used to make refreshing fruit punches and coconut cocktails. The drinks below are found anywhere in Jamaica and are a cooling treat to complement any meal and the island’s year round summer temperatures.

Jamaican Rum Punch

Ingredients:

* 1 bottle Jamaican gold rum

* 1 bottle dark caruba rum

* 1 bottle Jamaican overproof rum

* ฝ gallon orange juice

* ฝ gallon pineapple juice

* 1 cup lime juice

* splash of grenadine for color

* splash of angostura bitters

Directions:

Shake all ingredients together in large airtight container or stir vigorously in large punch bowl. Serve over ice and garnish with orange slice, cherry and mint leaves, or pineapple slice and cinnamon stick.

Another refreshing drink in the heat is

Ginger Beer

Ginger is a favorite flavor in Jamaica and is considered a healthy ingredient in this cooling drink. Ginger beer can be boiled and stored in glass jars or bottles for a long time or simple steeped in warm water and used within days.
Ingredients:

* 9oz. Fresh ginger root

* 4 qt. Water

* sugar to taste

* 1 tsp. ground cloves

* 1 tsp. lime juice

Directions:

Grate the ginger into a saucepan and add water, cloves and juice. Stir well and bring to a boil. Boil for half an hour and sweeten to taste. Strain and bottle after cooling. Serve as hot tea or cold over ice.

Enjoy your taste of Jamaica!

For further tips and ideas for cooking great and traditional food from Jamaica, visit Jamaican Recipes

This article was submitted by Jen Carter, owner of the World Recipes website.

How to Plan a Cocktail Party

Planning any party can be a daunting task but figuring out how to plan a cocktail party can be a real challenge. Sure, it has the same elements as other parties - plenty of appetizers, good friends and good food and drink but the key ingredient is the variety of drinks you serve.

A cocktail party can be a great way to get together with a diverse array of friends and colleagues. Since cocktail parties are typically only for a few hours, you won’t have to worry about spending extended time with these folks - just enough for a couple of drinks.

In order to have a successful cocktail party, there is a bit of planning involved. Here’s some tips:

1. Go over the guest list carefully. You want to invite an interesting mix of people that will enjoy mingling over cocktails and appetizers. A diverse group will make for interesting conversation. Make sure you invite a few of your more outgoing friends to get things rolling.

2. Get as much of your food and decoration shopping done ahead of time as you can. Plan your menu out ahead of time and buy the necessary ingredients so you will have them on hand that day and not have to run out 10 minutes before guests arrive. What kind of drinks will you be serving? Make sure you have the mixers and alcohol for any type of cocktail your guests might want.

3. Figure out if you will cook or you need a caterer. A cocktail party doesn’t really need anything fancy in the way of food - some cheese and crackers will suffice, but if you want some great hors dourves you might want to look into hiring a caterer. You can have one come to the house and serve and clean up, or you can buy appetizers and pop them in the oven yourself. You can even order gourmet appetizers online and get great eats delivered right to your home.

4. Do you need a bartender? Unless you want to be standing behind the bar all night mixing drinks then you might want to think about hiring a bartender. Or assign one of your friends that like to do that sort of thing, it’s a great way to meet and talk to everyone at the party!

5. Decorate ahead of time. Save yourself some stress on the day of the party by decorating the day before. This can be a big job and doing it ahead of time will allow for you to run out to the store without impacting your guest arrival schedule if you have forgotten something. When decorating your room, make sure the furniture is pushed aside so guests don’t trip on it. Here’s some of the things you can do ahead of time so that you can enjoy your party more:

- Set out all the floral arrangements and centerpieces

- Have your cocktail glasses shined and ready

- Choose the music you want to listen to and load it into your CD player

- Double check your beverage and appetizer list and make sure you have what you need.

Your cocktail party can be a fun time even for you, the host, if you are organized and plan ahead. Remember to make lots of lists so you won’t forget something at the last minute. Most importantly, relax and have fun!

Lee Dobbins writes for Online Gourmet Foods where you can learn more about great appetizers you can serve at your cocktail party.

Vegetable Soup a la Athens

My husband and I have had a long and happy marriage. This year, to celebrate our 49 years together, we decided to go on a cruise. The Holland America cruise started in Venice, Italy and ended in Athens, Greece. While the food on board ship was spectacular, we also enjoyed eating at small restaurants in various ports of call.

One of my most memorable meals was in an Athens bistro locaked in the old section of the city, an area packed with small shops and restaurants. I ordered a simple meal of vegetable soup, bread, and white wine. The tomato-based soup had few ingredients: celery, carrots, zucchini, fresh tomatoes, and pasta. Interestingly, there were no onions in the soup.

I was amazed at the flavor of the soup, a flavor that exemplified the Mediterranean diet and conjured up images of Greek islands. Unlike American soups, which often have chunks of vegetables and meat in them, the vegetables were finely chopped. They had not been chopped in a food processor. A patient chef or Greek grandmother had chopped the vegetables by hand.

Athens has an ample supply of fresh, ripe, juicy tomatoes. Not so, in the Midwest, where fall and winter tomatoes tend to be pale and mealy. So I started with a can of low salt tomato soup. I chopped the vegetables finely and added enough water to cook them and the pasta. Because I eat a low-salt diet I did not salt the soup, but you may salt it to taste. My soup tasted just like the Athens bistro soup. You may feel like you are in Athens when you make this recipe.

VEGETABLE SOUP A LA ATHENS

INGREDIENTS

1 10 3/4-ounce can of low salt tomato soup

6 to 7 soup cans of water

2 cloves of garlic, minced (more if you are a garlic lover)

2 ribs of celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 zucchini, finely chopped

1 large beefsteak tomato (or 3 Roma tomatoes), finely chopped

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta) or acini de pepe (peppercorns for soup) or stellini (little stars for soup)

METHOD

Combine all ingredients, except pasta, in a large soup kettle. Cook soup, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the pasta and cook for another 10 minutes. Add more water if the soup is too thick and correct the seasoning. Serve with crusty bread or saltines and an Athens tour book. Makes 8-10 servings.

Copyright 2006 by Harriet Hodgson

http://www.harriethodgson.com

http://www.healthwriter.blogspot.com

Harriet Hodgson has been a freelance nonfiction writer for 28 years. She is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Before she became a health writer Hodgson was a food writer for the former "Rochester Magazine" in her home town of Rochester, MN. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD is available from http://www.amazon.com. A five-star review of the book is posted on Amazon. Another review is posted on the American Hospice Foundation Website under the "School Corner" heading.

Need A Romantic Picnic Idea

Ah, spring, when a young man's thoughts turn to romance, and visions of things like moonlit strolls, quiet walks in the woods and picnics in a secluded spot look even more alluring. With today's fast-food culture, though, a romantic picnic idea can be hard to come by. Let's see if we can't help you out a little bit there, Romeo (or Juliet).

First off, you'll want to make sure you've got the right sort of munchies. I'm not talking about the main dish, here, I'm talking about those tasty nibbles you'll hopefully be feeding each other while looking deep into each other's eyes, or some such scenario.

Depending on your partner's tastes, you've got a wide range to choose from. Fresh fruit is always a good choice, with whole strawberries dipped in sweet whipped cream (very transportable), grapes or slices of melon being decadent choices. For the carnivores, delicious deli meats and cheeses rolled in tortillas or crepes make low-mess choices. Bits of choice cheeses are another idea, just make sure you know your date's preferences.,

When it comes to a main dish, simplicity is your watchword. You don't want to have to interrupt the flow of a lovely meal to put together something intricate or, worse, to clean up after something messy. Stick to sandwiches, cold salads or wraps. Wraps are a great choice, because they give you a chance to combine so many different flavors in one handy container. You can assemble a complementary assortment of your sweetie's favorite flavors.

For dessert, your options are almost limitless. Base your choices on your partner's favorites. From petit fours to chocolate-dipped strawberries, there is an abundance of transportable sweets that will sate the sweet tooth and give you a chance to do some more of that all-important feeding each other activity we talked about earlier. A little something drippy, like chocolate or caramel, isn't necessarily a bad thing here, for reasons I'll leave to your own mind to figure out.

These are just a few starters. Your best romantic picnic idea will come from your own mind, since you know your partner best!

Andrew Krause is a Chef and Pastry Chef for over 30 years, at persent I own a Gourmet Bakery called The Cheese Confectioner. You can visit my site at http://www.andies.cashhosters2.com

NOTE: You are welcome to reprint this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the about the author info at the end).

How to Cook Quinoa, the Incan Superfood

If you haven’t tried quinoa yet, you owe it to yourself and your family to cook and serve some tonight.

This cereal-like food was eaten for thousands of years by the Incas of South America, who worshipped it as sacred. And no wonder. It is one of the most nutritional foods in the world, higher in essential amino acids than wheat. Yet unlike wheat, quinoa is gluten free.

Although some natives of the Andes region where it originated also eat its leaves, most people eat quinoa in its seed or “grain” form. Happily, it’s easy to prepare and cook in this form.

Quinoa is showing up on more supermarket shelves in the United States, Canada and Europe, but—depending on where you live—you might have to seek it out in a specialty or organic grocery store. Try to find a package containing seeds that have had their waxy outer coatings removed through rinsing or some other process.

If you buy quinoa with its coating still on, you must rinse it vigorously in a strainer, then soak it for several hours in water, then rinse it again. If you leave behind any of the coating, which is full of a bitter substance called saponin, your quinoa will taste terrible.

Fortunately, most commercially marketed quinoa sold in North America and Europe today has been pre-processed to remove the coating.

The easiest way to prepare quinoa is to cook it much as you would rice. Just put a cup of the de-coated grain in a saucepan and pour two cups of water over it. Bring the pan to a boil, cover, and turn down the heat to a low simmer. Let it cook for about 15 minutes, then remove from heat.

Your cooked quinoa should be light and fluffy, much like cooked rice; in fact, you can use it in almost any dish where you would normally use rice. Add your favorite vegetables, meats or seasonings and enjoy. My south Louisiana heritage is showing here, but I have to say that my own favorite way to make quinoa is in a jambalaya with shrimp and sausage.

If you would like to try baking with it, look for quinoa flour form in the store. You will probably need to combine it with something else such as sorghum flour or tapioca starch to get a good baking mix. Some cooks recommend a mix of 2 parts quinoa flour, 2 parts sorghum flour and 1 part tapioca starch.

Is there a gluten allergy sufferer in your life? Try making some special treats using such a quinoa-based mix and see how easy it is to bring baked joy back to the table.

Sarah Sandori is the food and entertaining columnist for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Have you ever wanted to be able to exactly duplicate a favorite dish from a favorite restaurant? Check out Sarah's article where she reveals her secret source for the most mouth-watering restaurant recipes in America: http://www.solid-gold.info/most-wanted-recipes.html

Pasta

Pasta has to be Italy's greatest contribution to world cuisine. Most people usually associate pasta with noodles, but pasta actually refers to a wide assortment of flour and grain concoctions that come in a variety of shapes. Macaroni is one such pasta that is not in noodle form. The word pasta comes from the Italian word for paste or dough.

Pasta also refers to dishes that have pasta as the main ingredient and which are usually spruced up with sauce or a type of seasoning.

There are two ways to cook pasta- by extrusion and by lamination. Extrusion mashes the ingredients through a die, which is a plate with holes. Lamination calls for the dough to be kneaded and folded, later rolled to achieve a thick mixture before it is cut with the use of slitters. Fresh pasta is easy to cook and is ready quickly but it spoils easily as well since its content is mostly water. Dry pasta lasts longer because it has only around 10% moisture.

There are now Italian pastas as well as American pastas. The Italian pasta, which has a yellow color and a chewy texture, comes from durum wheat semolina. American pastas are made from farina and semolina, with a texture and flavor that are inferior to Italian pastas and are used mostly in casseroles. There are also Asian noodles, which are thinner than pasta and come from wheat flour.

The most popular pastas are certainly the noodle-type pastas such as spaghetti and vemicelli. Macaroni is the most popular short tube pasta, followed by penne. Fettucine and linguine are pasta that are shaped like ribbons. There is also pasta made from tiny grains such as couscous and orzo as well as pasta made from large sheets like lasagna. Ravioli, tortellini and manicotti are an entirely different pasta group, as they are hollow pasta that is filled with stuffing.

Here's a little known fact about pasta. Did you know that it was Thomas Jefferson who first brought macaroni to America? Upon returning to the US in 1789 after a stint as the ambassador to France, Jefferson brought with him a macaroni machine, which was the first such recorded contraption in the United States.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Cooking, Home Improvement, and Outdoors