Sunday, January 30, 2011

Be Careful With The Delicious Food

Not all delicious food is good for our health, some even can produce toxin to our body. We have to try the best to avoid the errors when we are eating.

Eating fish and seafood when you are in a state of limosis: Fish and seafood have rich protein, but if you eat much with your empty stomach, these proteins will be converted into heat, which not only does no work to our body, but will increase the body burden.

Eat much cream cake: Cream cake looks beautiful, in fact, it is made with pigments and vegetable cream. The nutrition in it is high oil and high sugar, bring fatty to our body. If you want to eat cake very much, you can eat a small piece to satisfy your craving.

Boiling eggs with tea: Apart from alkaloids in tea, there are acidic substances, these compounds combining with the iron in eggs can make a stimulating effect on the stomach, and is not conducive to the digestion and absorption.

Put flavor in scrambled eggs: Egg itself contains many of the same composition of glutamate with MSG, when you are frying eggs, do not put flavor, because it not only can not increase the flavor, but also disrupts the natural taste of eggs.

Eat with fresh seafood and fruit: Seafood like fish, shrimp, algae has rich protein and calcium, if you eat that with the fruit contains tannin, it will reduce the nutritive value of protein and easily make stomach pain, resulting into vomiting and other symptoms.

Eat with fresh milk and orange: Don't eat oranges just after drinking milk, the protein in milk will firstly meet the acid and vitamin c in oranges and they will be solidified into blocks, which affects the digestion and absorption and makes abdominal distention, abdominal pain, diarrhea and other symptoms.

Drink with liquor and soft drinks: The liquor and soft drinks will be soon volatile and will produce large amounts of carbon dioxide, which will do a harmful to the organs to the stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys and others, but also do a damage to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular.

Cooking With Steam and Gin Blossoms

I've said it before, "the Food Network is the MTV of cooking." MTV used to play music, now they're entertainment about music. Food Network is entertainment about food. They don't teach anyone to cook.

Last week, I was listening to my favorite band, The Gin Blossoms on my iPod while cooking with steam when someone reminded me of my cynical quote about MTV and Food TV. "Huh"? I said as I removed one ear-bud.

I must have missed the entire comment, but it gave me a great idea. If neither Food TV nor MTV are really doing their jobs, perhaps I should just combine the two. My "Food iPod" was born along with a new recipe for Steamed Tilapia and Shrimp Pinwheels.

While the music blares in my ears, I prepare two Tilapia filets by pounding them to a consistent thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap. It's important not to tear the fish as you're pounding it because it will become the outer-layer of a rolled pinwheel. Tears in the fish mean holes in your finished product.

Once I've achieved a consistent ? inch thickness of the fish, I'll prepare some peeled and deveined shrimp by cutting them in half lengthwise. Placing a sharp boning knife at the back vein cavity and pushing through the tail, I get two half-moon shaped pieces of shrimp.

Gin Blossoms sing "Don't Change For Me" between my ears as I prepare a filling for the Tilapia pinwheels that we'll be cooking with steam. I choose goat cheese, dill, salt, and white pepper for a filling, but any soft, spread able cheese is acceptable. I pat the cheese mixture onto the pounded filets and then add the shrimp halves.

The pinwheels are created by rolling the fish into a tube using the leverage of the plastic wrap to guide and create a tight roll. Refrigerate the fish for at least two hours, unwrap and cut into ? inch slices to be added to our steamer.

I decide to add an extra layer of flavor by steaming the Tilapia and Shrimp Pinwheels in a shrimp stock. Once the flavorful liquid has reached a soft simmer and is creating steam, I place the fish log slices onto a rack suspended above the hot liquid. Close the lid to allow a convection of the steam, and remove when your thermometer reaches 160F/71C.

Cooking with steam is one of the safest, cleanest, and healthiest ways to cook. It's especially useful with delicate products like fish and vegetables that will toughen and lose nutritional value if over cooked. This is a great basic cooking method to master, whether you use Tilapia or Flounder, and listen to opera or Gin Blossoms, you can invent many healthy recipes inspired by the music and flavors in your head.

You can see the Cooking with Steam and Gin Blossoms video

4 Tips to Avoid the Pitfalls of a Grocery Budget

Sticking to a grocery budget is a very hard task. Your family members which includes yourself will have cravings for items that you have been feeding on for a long time. These items are salt sugar and fat. You can expect to see members of the family looking in cabinets for sugar and salt. You need to prepare yourself for this transition. Here are some tips that I have used to help transition the family.

My family has a very large sweet tooth. I have no discipline when it comes to sweets, therefore I do not keep them in the house. I also never shop if I am hungry. I will make myself something to eat first and then hit the grocery store. Here is my list of tips for the sweets

Sugar free pudding, these products have come a long way, I only buy good quality brand name. The flavors are fantastic and go beyond chocolate, vanilla and butterscotch. Pudding and milk never seem to be on sale at the same time. I will buy the puddings first when they are on sale and hold on to them until a milk sale happens. This is when I break out the pudding, I like to make it feel like the family is getting a big treat so I usually mix to flavors. I make one flavor and pour it into the cheap plastic wine glasses. This will be he base flavor and it is some kind of chocolate. Once the base has firmed up I will add a completely different non chocolate flavor. Whipped cream would be awesome but it is kind of expensive for my budget.Sugar free crystal drinks are better than they have ever been. If there is no pop in the house, as an alternative they will most certainly drink the sugar free stuff. Only buy one flavor at a time to control the amount they have.Pancakes and waffles. This may sound strange but pancakes and waffles are carbohydrates. The body considers this type of food to be similar to sugar since it is easily digestible. We all have cravings and this food can minimize these cravings. I add wheat germ or oatmeal to mine to slow the digestion.Pancake and waffle Syrup. I use the light syrup all the time. There is still sugar in syrup but the calories are not as high. Just be careful and keep a watchful eye as to how much they put on their food as they will be trying to satisfy their sweet tooth.

If you can learn to make pancakes and waffles the rest of these tips are very easy. The reduction of sugar and salt will help improve the healthiness of your family.

Edible Fruit Baskets - What You Must Know Before Buying Them

A beautifully decorated house makes everybody feel vibrant and excited. Every day is bright and interesting; friends, family and co-workers appreciate and appraise the splendor. And what would accentuate the beauty of your home is one of the multicolored edible fruit baskets. These chromatic baskets are a perfect addition to your d?cor and will certainly wow all your guests.

The best part is that all fruit selected and put together keeping in mind absolute freshness and delicious taste. These baskets are made so creatively that you will be awed at the imaginative designs made out of fruit. These fruits are handpicked to ensure best quality and extreme freshness.

The artistic baskets add an extra zest to your home and that makes everyone around feel more special. These colorful baskets make a perfect gift as well. Sweet, delicious and healthy; you can select from an extensive variety and these innovative edible fruit gift baskets that are just right for your friends, colleagues and loved ones.

The tasty fruits include chocolate strawberries, delicious dipped apples, white and dark chocolate dipping that not only add color to these beautifully handcrafted baskets but also make the goodies extremely scrumptious. The fruits are beautifully carved to look like flowers and these baskets look like a flower bouquet which adds to its eccentric design. These edible fruit flower baskets come in many colors, shapes and sizes.

Shopping for these fruit baskets is extremely convenient online. There are many online stores which specialize in making beautiful fruit baskets. You can pick your favorite fruits to make a pretty combination or make them exclusive to one color. These innovative fruit delights gift baskets will surely make your loved ones feel extra special. Add chocolate, nuts and candies to your dipping to make those strawberries in your fruit baskets even more colorful.

You can browse through the web for many ideas and arrangements. Customize them according to your choice. These edible fruit baskets are very healthy and the sweetness of the fruits adds to the wishes and sentiments of your gifts. These baskets are great for every occasion. Be it a birthday, New Year, Christmas, mothers' day or fathers' day, you can make them feel important and cared for.

The fruit experts online can also advice you and suggest their recommendations that suit best for the particular occasion. So go ahead and place your order on any of the online stores and shower your fresh fruit wishes for your loved ones.

A Hill Country Evolution

The Texas Hill country has a reputation. Not only are we known as the bad boys of barbecue, we have set tongues wagging (and knees quaking) in Napa with our blossoming wine country. While other places follow the trends, the Hill Country sets them, emerging as innovators whether it's in music, food, architecture or culture. So it's no surprise that the Hill Country is already in the thick of yet another brew-haha - the craft beer scene.

Visit the beer aisle and you at first might be pleased by the large selection, from both basic canned pilsners to cleverly labeled seasonal ales. You may be surprised to learn, however, that despite an appearance of abundant variety, most beer is actually produced by a tiny handful of major corporations. Anheuser-Busch, for instance, controls over half of all beer sales in America. Thankfully, just as consumers are increasingly concerned about the pitfalls of mass-produced products, concurrently they're becoming aware that the beer they've consumed for too long has little in common with the centuries-old true craft of brewing. It's no surprise, therefore, that with a community known for its dedication to quality and support of local artisans, the Hill Country is already home to a number of thriving and emerging craft breweries.

Real Ale Brewing, in Blanco, TX, has been brewing hand-crafted ales since 1996. What began as three ale-styles brewed in a basement has grown into a state-of-the-art brewery capable of producing 30,000 barrels a year of a variety of ales and lagers. Widely available at both restaurants and stores, Firemans #4 Ale is one of Real Ale's most well-known brews, while their popular Rio Blanco Pale Ale garnered a Gold Medal at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival. Real Ale also brews a number of seasonally-appropriate beers, such as the warming Sisyphus Barleywine for winter, and the summertime-crisp Lost Gold IPA.

Celebrating its grand opening on Jan. 29, Jester King Brewery is the latest of the new breweries on Hill Country Texas land. Hoping to eventually also host tours and events, the paint is barely dry at the recently built brewery, but the beer has already begun flowing. Most recently, they celebrated their first bottling day, filling about 1,600 bottles of their Black Metal Imperial Stout. One of the qualities which sets Jester King apart from other breweries is its dedication to cultivating for their beer a naturally-occurring Hill Country yeast strain, imparting everything that is best about the land -- making this beer literally home-grown.

Opening soon in Johnson City, TX is the eagerly anticipated Pecan Street Brewing. Unlike a brewery, this business will function as a brewpub, making and selling its own brew out of a restored restaurant. Conceived and developed by a father and son team, the pair plan to open their brewpub with a lighter menu of brews such as blondes, pale ales and ambers, expanding to seasonal offerings as the business grows.

One of the affects of a growing craft beer scene is not just emerging independent breweries but an explosion in area home-brewing hobbyists. On top of easy access to the well-known Austin Home Brew Supply store for ingredients and supplies, home brewing is popular enough in the area to support multiple hobby clubs, such as the Hill Country Homebrew Club, the Hill Country Beer Club, and the Zealots, which in addition to providing support and sponsoring events for members, hosts the annual Homebrew Inquisition, a local beer competition for home brewers.