Onceamonthcooking How To Make Your Plan Work

Writen by Crystal Paine

As one of the oldest children in a family of nine, I know that cooking for a crowd can almost be a full-time job. Once-a-month-cooking has been a lifesaver for our family. In the beginning though, when we first heard of cooking 30 meals in one day, it sounded rather impossible. It was not until we had tried it, though, that we found it is not only possible, but it can even be quite simple and fun!

Blessings

If you are skeptical about taking on what might seem like an overwhelming task to you, let me first share some of the blessings which have resulted for our family from once-a-month-cooking.

• It has saved us many hours of trying to figure out what to have for dinner and answered the infamous question, "What's for dinner?"

• We have been more readily able to show hospitality to other families when the main dish is already made and in the freezer. (We usually plan ahead for this by doubling or tripling seven to ten of the recipes on cooking day to use as "company meals.") In like manner, it is much easier to being meals to needy families when you have casseroles in the freezer ready to be pulled out and heated at the drop of a hat. (We also plan for this by preparing many of the dishes in disposable pans.)

• It saves time (You only have to do mountains of dishes one day a month, not every day! You also don't have to start dinner at 4:30 p.m. or earlier everyday… just pull dinner out to thaw in the morning.) and money (You can usually save quite a bit by buying in bulk).

• We are brought closer together as we spend a special day as a family cooking these meals.

• This is an excellent lesson in Home Economics for your children. Mom always has the oldest girls plan the menu, grocery list, and strategy for the cooking day. She often has us do the grocery shopping, as well.

Planning

Proper planning is essential for a successful cooking day. I usually start planning at least a week in advance. First, pick which day will be your cooking day. Clear your schedule that day. You will want to focus your energies entirely on cooking.

Menu Planning: After you have chosen your cooking day, begin menu planning. Go through your cookbooks and find recipes suitable for freezing. Strive for variety. My list usually includes: one-dish dinners, meatloaf, meatballs, layered casseroles, soups, chili, hamburgers, meatless dishes, and so on. Make sure that you include a number of family favorites, in addition to any new recipes you may be trying out. You do not want to fill your freezer with meals your family won't find appetizing! When you write down your menu, make sure and write down the cookbook and page number the recipe came from. In addition, mark whether you are planning to double or triple the recipe.

Make Your Grocery List: Using your menu list, write down the quantities of ingredients needed for each recipe. I like to categorize like ingredients on five to seven different lists (meats, vegetables, cheese, pasta, spices, etc.). Take these lists and combine all like ingredients onto a final list. For example, if there are fifteen recipes calling for one pound of ground beef, you will write "15 pounds ground beef" on your final grocery list.

After you have made your final grocery list, make sure and check your cupboards to see what you might already have on hand. You probably have most of the seasonings. But be sure that if you need four teaspoons of garlic powder, you actually have that much in the jar. I have not checked thoroughly before, and it has been real headache.

I have found it most helpful to keep a separate "food preparation list" along with my grocery list which states what is to be done with the items which I need large quantities (Such as, if one the items on your list is "20 pounds of chicken breasts," note beside that item how many cups need to be cooked and diced, how many chicken breasts need to be cooked and left whole, how many need to be left frozen, etc.).

You will also want to make sure you have plenty of freezer bags and foil on hand. These will be essential on your cooking day.

Cooking Day Strategy: It is wise to develop a basic cooking day strategy of what you will do when. This does not need to be an exhaustive list, but it will save you time and effort if you have planned the basic order of what you will be cooking when. If you are going to be working together as a family on cooking, plan who is responsible for what tasks. Although everyone will need to be flexible, it will definitely save hassle to have most of the schedule worked out ahead of time.

Shopping: The day before you begin cooking, do your grocery shopping. Make sure you do not rush through this. Read your list thoroughly and check to get the best deal.

Cooking

The sooner you can start in the morning, the better. Begin by cooking the meats, grating the cheese, chopping the onions, or whatever bulk preparations your "food preparation list" says you need to do. If you have planned to make soups, you should start these early on, as they usually need to cook for longer.

Cooking the meat is one of the most time-consuming projects and you will probably find you end up browning ground beef and boiling chicken most of the day! As much as is possible, use all of the burners on your stove at the same time.

Keep soapy water in the sink at all times and take turns being on "dish duty." As soon as a dish is used, wash it. This will save you from having an enormous mess at the end of the day. You might also find it helpful to take a five-minute kitchen cleaning break every hour or so to wipe down the counters and put things away which you are no longer using.

Freezing

What do you do with the completed dishes? Here are some guidelines for freezing:

• We always designate the kitchen table as our "finished recipe" zone. We often have someone who is specifically just working on labeling things and taking them to the freezer from the kitchen table.

• Proper labeling is a key factor in making sure you know what you have in freezer. Make sure you label the containers with the recipe, the cookbook it came from, the page number, how many it serves, and any additional instructions for the dish. Also write out a list with all of the recipes you make and freeze and how many they serve on the outside of your freezer.

• Transfer soup to a big bowl and cool for about an hour. You can either place the soup in plastic freezer bags or plastic containers with lids (32 oz. cottage cheese and yogurt containers work well for this).

• Most other recipes can be transferred to plastic freezer bags. Do not fill the bags very full, as foods expand when frozen. Do not put anything which is still hot into bags. You will likely split the bag at the seams and have a gigantic mess to deal with!

• Use smaller labeled bags for cheese or anything else to be sprinkled on top once the dish is cooked. Make sure you keep these in a very accessible place in the freezer.

• If the recipe is something like lasagna which cannot be frozen in a plastic bag, freeze it in the size of pan the recipe calls for, cover with foil, and label.

I wholeheartedly encourage you to give once-a-month-cooking a try. If you are like us, you will soon wonder how you ever lived without cooking this way! You could also simplify this plan and just cook for two weeks at a time to start.

For further information, ideas, and recipes, I highly recommend you read Once-A-Month-Cooking by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg and Dinner's in the Freezer by Jill Bond.

Happy Cooking!

Crystal Paine is a 23-year-old homeschool graduate and the owner of Covenant Wedding Source, LLC (an online retail bridal business). She writes articles on a variety of topics and recently authored her first booklet for young women, The Merchant Maiden: Earning an Income Without Compromising Convictions. She lives with her husband in Topeka, KS. They are expecting their fist child in January. For more information on her business and booklet, visit her website: http://www.covenantweddingsource.com.

A Cookie Assembly Line Efficient Cookie Baking For Busy Cooks

Writen by Mimi Cummins

As a busy working mother, I'm short on time, especially during the holidays, but baking Christmas cookies is a family tradition I'm unwilling to give up. Over the years, I've come up with many ways to make the process of baking a large variety of cookies go much smoother and take less time out of my busy life. You may want to start by checking out my 6-day program for hassle-free Christmas cookie baking ( http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com/hassle-free.php ). In addition to the 6-step method, I've found an efficient way to prepare a large variety of cookie dough with minimum fuss by setting up a cookie assembly line. The best part about this process is that you can make 12 different batches of cookies and only have to wash the dishes once!

This process assumes that you have already chosen your recipes and gone grocery shopping. You will want to use your longest available expanse of countertop for this. My assembly line turns two corners as it winds around my small kitchen, but that is fine.

You may need to make some adjustments depending on your individual recipes, but for most recipes, you can set up your assembly line like so:

Flour Line:

-Large mixing bowl
-Measuring cups and spoons
-Fork for stirring
-Flour
-Baking powder and baking soda
-Salt
-Cocoa powder
-Spices
-Any other dry ingredients that are added to the flour in your recipes

Butter Line

-Another large mixing bowl (or the bowl from your stand mixer)
-A second set of measuring cups and spoons
-Electric mixer
-Wooden spoon
-Rubber spatula
-Butter, shortening, margarine and/or cream cheese
-Sugar (white and brown)
-Eggs
-Vanilla and other extracts
-Chunks such as raisins, nuts, chocolate chips
-Rolled oats
-Any other ingredients that are added to the butter and eggs in your recipes
-Plastic wrap
-Felt-tip marker

To avoid transferring flavors from one recipe to another, you will start with basic recipes that have no spices, chocolate, or other strongly flavored ingredients. Starting with your first recipe, go down the line measuring out the amount of flour, baking powder/soda and salt into one bowl. Then, combine the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla in your larger bowl as directed. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. After that, stir in any chunks.

Next, scrape down the edges of the mixing bowl so that it's fairly clean, shape the dough into a ball, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Identify the recipe by writing its name on the plastic wrap with a felt-tip marker, and refrigerate it. If it is a slice-and-bake refrigerator cookie, form it into a log instead of a ball, according to the directions in your recipe. If you plan to bake much later, you can even freeze the dough. Most cookie doughs freeze very well. Defrost at room temperature while still wrapped in plastic wrap, and unwrap only when dough is thoroughly defrosted. Otherwise condensation could add too much moisture to your dough.

When your first batch of dough is prepared, wrapped, and stored in the refrigerator or freezer, return to the beginning of your assembly line, without washing your dishes, and begin preparing the next batch of dough. When you have prepared all the recipes that contain no spices or cocoa, move on to the recipes that contain cocoa, and finally those that contain spices. This way, you will only have to do dishes once at the end of the process, and you will have several different kinds of dough waiting to be baked.

When all your dough is prepared, then you can finally put away all your ingredients, clean up the kitchen, and do your dishes. Now if you plan to finish your baking today, you'll have lots of space for rolling out your dough or setting out your cooling racks. If you plan to bake another day, you're done!

Copyright 2004 Mimi Cummins. All Rights Reserved.

Mimi Cummins is co-author of the book "Christmas Cookies Are for Giving: Recipes, Stories, and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts." This book, "enthusiastically recommended" by Midwest Book Review, is full of baking tips and hints, including nearly 50 recipes each with a full-color photo. For more information visit http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com/ or order from your favorite online bookstore.

[Note to webmasters: you may include a link to the book using your affiliate program (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or other) if you wish.]

Quick And Easy Holiday Party Favors Or Gifts

Writen by Suzanne Lieurance

Here's an easy way to make cute favors for a holiday party. These candy-filled cookie cutters also make charming, yet inexpensive, Christmas gifts.

You'll need some holiday cookie cutters in a variety of shapes, candy melts in different flavors and colors (available from stores that carry candy making supplies) or baking chips in several flavors (peanut butter, milk-chocolate, mint, white chocolate, etc.), colored sprinkles, colored sugar, clear cello bags, gold twist ties or colored ribbon.

First, line a large cookie sheet or jellyroll pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set the cookie cutters (face down) onto the cookie sheet, a few inches apart.

Next, melt one flavor or color of candy melt (or baking chip) according to the directions on the package, then pour the melted candy into the cookie cutter. Fill the cutter to the top and use a knife or small spoon to make sure the melted candy is distributed evenly inside the cookie cutter. Immediately sprinkle some colored sugar or candy sprinkles over the melted candy in the cookie cutter.

Repeat the process, using as many different colors and flavors of candy as you wish. When all the cookie cutters have been filled, put the cookie sheet in the refrigerator and leave it there until the candy in all of the cutters has hardened.

Remove each cutter from the cookie sheet. Scrape off any candy that might have stuck to the outside of the cutters. Package each candy- filled cutter in a clear cello bag (available at crafts stores). Close the top of each cello bag with a gold twist tie or a piece of colored ribbon.

Variations:

Instead of candy melts or baking chips, use your favorite recipe for fudge or peppermint bark and pour the mixture into the cookie cutters and let it harden.

Use different cookie cutters for different holidays and events - heart- shaped cutters for Valentine's Day, or bunny-shaped or egg-shaped cutters for Easter, for example.

Suzanne Lieurance is a freelance writer and owner of the Three Angels Gourmet Co. which produces a unique line of "heavenly gourmet mixes" for sale at: http://www.threeangelsgourmet.com

For additional food information and daily tips, visit the Three Angels Gourmet Co. blog at http://www.threeangelsgourmet.blogspot.com

The Family Meal

Writen by Shauna Hanus

The family meal has suffered in the changing family environment. Moms and Dads are both working and a large portion of homes are single parent homes. This disturbing trend may be a joy to take-out restaurants but it has detrimental effects to the family and children.

Studies have shown that childhood obesity, drug use, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking are lower in children who eat dinner with the family.

It can be hard to fit in a home cooked meal when schedules get busy. The children have busy schedules with sports and friends and parents are working longer hours. There are a few things that can be done to assist in making family meals easier to accomplish.

First pull out that old crock pot. It can be used for the old stand by such as pot roast but it can also be used for crock pot lasagna or macaroni and cheese.

Go for the take out and bring it home. Stop into your family's favorite restaurant and order dinner to go. Then when you get home remove the food from the carry out boxes and serve on your own plates. Sit down to a cooked nutritious meal that is served at the dinner table on your own plates.

Finally when the family is truly busy order a pizza, wings and dinner salad. Then bring this into the house and sit at the table to eat. This is a new twist but it is much better for the family to eat at the table than in front of the TV.

Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who specializes in creating gourmet meal plans. She has extensive experience cooking with easy to find grocery items to create delightful gourmet meals. She is also the publisher of a no cost bi-monthly gourmet newsletter. Her newsletter is always fun and informational packed with tips and trivia you can use everyday. http://www.gourmayeats.com

Olive Wood Craftsmanship And Herbes De Provence From France

Writen by James Zeller

Olive wood from Europe is recognized as the premium wood to fashion gourmet wood cooking utensils. Research from the University of Wisconsin, has proved through tests, that wood is more hygienic than any kind of molded plastic. Wooden products are safer than plastic kitchen items because bacteria like salmonella cannot survive for more than three minutes on a wood surface, yet it will remain viable on or in a plastic equivalent.

Kitchen utensils and kitchenware are made from European olive wood because of its high grade of durability. Olive wood carpentry and craftsmanship has been handed down from generation to generation, from family to family, in the Provence area of France. The Provence locale is picturesque and compelling to visit. Hilltop towns overlook the Mediterranean Sea, and bask in the warm temperate climate. Gourmet cooking from this area is famous for incorporating the organic herbs and spices grown here. Special dried herb mixes are featured in gourmet Herbes de Provence. Gourmet chefs and cooks from around the world utilize French Herbes de Provence for its pure flavor in their finest recipes. This region has become known for its gourmet cuisine, rich history, and olive wood artisans. It has become a natural for gourmet gift products to be made from olive wood, here.

The olive wood selected for their products is of the finest aged quality and is extremely robust. Each olive wood piece is processed naturally to bring out the unique grain pattern inherent to olive wood. The olive wood raw material is hand selected and skillfully crafted by wood carving professionals. Because of the nature of olive wood, over 75% of the rough material may be turned to waste, to manufacture a fine grade kitchen utensil or olive wood gourmet gift item.

Numerous shops from Paris to Nice will include olive wood gift items of extraordinary quality. Tourists find exceptional bargains that are individually made and exquisite.

One such item is an olive wood herb mill or herb grinder, which is used to grind dried herbs and salts. Each mill is hand made, and at completion, solely unique. No two pieces of olive wood material are the same, thus the wood grain and veining pattern are never similar from piece to piece. Like pepper grinding mills, an olivewood herb grinder offers the fresh ground taste and aroma of fresh herbs to any gourmet dish.

An olive wood herb mill has made many cooks happy as a thoughtful kitchen gourmet gift.

James Zeller writes for gift related websites and blogs. Here is a selection of unique gifts that he found, and a creative collection of culinary gourmet gifts.

Spicy Crab Cakes

Writen by Luke Indran

Good golly, these seafood specialty delights pack such a ferocious taste wallop that once you start popping them, you'd be hard pressed to stop! My zesty crab cake wonders make the perfect New Year's party appetisers or family gathering fillers, so by all means dig in liberally, to welcome 2006 with a bang...

SPICY CRAB CAKES

2 lg. eggs

1/2 lb. fresh lump crabmeat

1 c. ricotta cheese

1 c. (4 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapenos

3 tbsp. snipped chives

3/4 c. fine seasoned dry bread crumbs

1/4 c. salad oil

1 (7 oz.) jar roasted red peppers, drained

1/3 c. mayonnaise

In medium bowl, whisk eggs until blended. Stir in crabmeat, cheeses, chives and 1/4 cup bread crumbs. Form heaping tablespoonfuls of crab mixture into 1/4 inch thick cakes; on sheet of waxed paper, coat cakes with remaining bread crumbs. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheet with paper towels. In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.

In hot oil, fry crab cakes, a few at a time, until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes in all. As cakes cook, remove from pan, drain on prepared baking sheet and keep warm in oven. In food processor, process red peppers with mayonnaise until smooth. Serve with crab cakes. Yields 12 servings.

About The Author
Luke Indran is a professional food and recipe addict who actively balances his obsession with eating with his fanaticism for exercise and healthy living. If you're after delicious recipes that stir your senses, then head on over to Luke's mega website at http://www.recipemecca.com/ for the yummiest recipes anywhere presented in a step-by-step format anyone can follow easily!

Cooking Preserving Why And How

Writen by Michael Russell

If we wish to keep food from spoiling so that we can eat it safely at some time in the future we have to preserve it. Preserving food will help store food and protect it from spoilage.

There are many successful ways to preserve food and for some it is quite a hobby. Some people like to dry out the food, which dates back to prehistoric times. Fermenting, brining, salting and smoking are other great ways to preserve food. Another really popular method of preserving food is preserving food in vacuum-sealed glass jars and this is known as canning. This term can be confusing as there are actually no cans involved just glass jars. These jars are often referred to as Mason jars after the inventive American John Mason who pioneered their design. Unfortunately John Mason let his patent lapse and other entrepreneurs were quick to jump on the band wagon!

Canning is one of the most reliable methods of preservation of foods and it is just the process of preparing foods in airtight jars. Canning was first introduced by a Nicolas Appert in the 19th century at the request of Napoleon to find a way of preserving food for his troops. It was not long after this that Louis Pasteur proved that food spoilage is caused by microorganisms that are present in air, water and soil. Because of this discovery there were further developments in preserving methods and equipment.

Food preservation is based on simple principles. The only way to preserve food is to control the enzymes and microorganisms that naturally occur in food and causes them to spoil. This means that any container of preserved food must also be thoroughly sealed so as to prevent the reintroduction of airborne microorganisms and to counteract oxidation.

The actual processing of preserving food arrests spoilage by heating it in a sealed container. The jars need to be sterilized and heated before the food is placed in them. The food filled jars then are heated to a temperature sufficient to destroy spoilage agents. Air remaining in the food and in the space at the top the jar is driven out between the jar and the special canning jar lid during the heating process.

Once the jar and food begins to cool, the vacuum that has been created inside the jar sucks the lid inward and this is held tightly in place until the jar is opened. There will be no contamination of the food inside the jar unless the seal is broken. The food will maintain its flavor for a long time without refrigeration. Preserves can be made without the heat process but food preserved this way has to be kept in the refrigerator and used within a short period.

Preserving food only requires a few basic utensils and using the correct equipment will make preserving easier, safer and more successful. Most of the equipment most people already have in their kitchens but there are some specially designed inexpensive tools that will save time and frustration. Investing in some of these can make the canning experience a more pleasurable on.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Cooking

Cooking Tips

Writen by Ronald Yip

You open the cookbook and see a recipe title or a photo that tempts your taste buds. Then you start to read the recipe, realize the preparation is more difficult than you first thought, and put the book back on the shelf.

Sound Familiar? Well here's a simple cooking tip to help get you started:

1. Abbreviations for Measuring

Tsp. = teaspoon
Tbsp. = tablespoon, which equals 3 teaspoons
C = cup.

Cooking Tip:
Get a set of measuring spoons. The set will usually have 1/4 tsp., 1/3 tsp., 1/2 tsp., 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon.

Dry measure cups look like little saucepans and can be leveled off with a knife or other straight-edged tool. They come in sets like the measuring spoons. Liquid measuring cups have ounce marking lines so you can measure however many ounces you need.

Cooking Tip: Some recipes require exact measurements to turn out right so learn to measure correctly.

2. Common Ingredients

Make sure you know what you need.

Cooking Tips:
Baking powder and baking soda are not the same.

Ask the produce manager at the market about fruits and vegetables, the meat manager about cuts of meat.

When trying something new, buy ONE. You can always go back for more if it turns out well.

3. Common Terminology

Bake:
Dry heat in the oven. Set oven control to the desired temperature while you're preparing the dish to be baked. Once the light that says it's heating turns off, the oven is at the proper temperature. Then put in the food--for best results, center it in the oven.

Boil:
Heat a liquid until it bubbles. The faster the bubbles rise and the more bubbles you get, the hotter the liquid. Some recipes call for a gentle boil--barely bubbling--or a rolling boil--just short of boiling over. Watch so it doesn't boil over.

Braise:
A moist cooking method using a little liquid that barely bubbles on the top of the stove or in the oven. This is a good way to tenderize cheaper cuts of meat. The pan should be heavy and shallow with a tight-fitting lid to keep the liquid from boiling away. There's a lot that can be done for flavoring in your choice of liquid and of vegetables to cook with the meat.

Broil:
Turn the oven to its highest setting. Put the food on broiler pan--a 2 piece pan that allows the grease to drain away from the food. In an electric oven on the broil setting only the upper element heats, and you can regulate how fast the food cooks by how close to the element you place it. Watch your cooking time--it's easy to overcook food in the broiler.

Brown:
Cook until the food gets light brown. Usually used for frying or baking. Ground beef should usually be browned (use a frying pan) and have the grease drained before adding it to a casserole or meat sauce.

Fold:
A gentle mixing method that moves the spoon down to the bottom of the bowl and then sweeps up, folding what was on the bottom up over the top. This is used to mix delicate ingredients such as whipped cream or beaten egg whites. These ingredients just had air whipped into them, so you don't want to reverse that process by mixing too vigorously.

Simmer:
Heat to just the start of a boil and keep it at that point for as long as the recipe requires. The recipe will usually call for either constant stirring or stirring at certain intervals.

Now you are ready to do the shopping and prepare that recipe that you've always wanted to try!

Happy cooking...

Ronald Yip
Please visit my website at: http://www.recipeslovers.com Visit Internet's Unique Market Place for Info Products at: http://www.alphasoft.cc/links/recipes.php

Improvisational Cookies

Writen by Trinh Lieu

"Mom, can we bake cookies?"

This question would often triggered a typical conversation at our house when I was a little girl. It continued on like this.

"Sure, honey. What do you want to bake?"

"Chocolate chip cookies with big chunks of chocolate," said I.

"Alright. But we're out of eggs and I can't go to the market until Saturday. How about chocolate shortbread cookies? They're just as delicious."

"I guess." That was always my response after I dramatically let out a huge sigh. My love for homemade cookies did not put me in a position to say, "That's alright, Mom. I'll wait 'til Saturday."

In retrospect, it seemed to me that my mother never had all the key ingredients for the cookies I wanted to bake. We always had to improvise and ended up baking what she suggested.

My mother had, and still does, a resourceful collection of, what I like to call, improvisational cookie recipes. It gave us the ability to conjure cookies from whatever ingredients she had in her pantry and refrigerator.

If flour is missing, we would bake flourless chocolate chewies, or almond chocolate macaroons, or flourless peanut butter cookies.

If we were short on butter, I would inevitably be munching on applesauce cookies, or peanut butter chocolate chip cookies that had neither flour nor butter.

It was never a problem when we were out of chocolate. Eating blondies instead of brownies always satisfied my sweet tooth. Besides, we all know that cocoa can perfectly substitute for chocolate.

On rare occasions, my mother would say, "I don't feel like baking today, but we can still make cookies. Do you prefer peanut butter chocolate crunch bars or puffy rice date cookies?"

None of my mother improvisational cookie recipes has ever failed my high standard for great taste. As we ate our freshly baked homemade cookies, my mother would say, "Honey, thanks for adding the most important ingredient as always, your flexible attitude."

Copyright 2006 Trinh Lieu

Please visit http://www.cookies-in-motion.com/Easy-Cookie-Recipes.html for cookie recipes mentioned in this article.

Learning To Love Vegetables

Writen by Bethany Klug

Impossible, you might say, especially if the vegetables you ate growing up were boiled into oblivion. Or maybe yours were embalmed as canned vegetables or cryogenically frozen. Treated with such disrespect, it's easy to understand why many of us avoid vegetables, and lose out on the most life sustaining and disease preventing food available to us.

Vegetables (and fruits, too) are rich in special molecules called phytochemicals. Phyto simply means plant. Phytochemicals give plants their characteristic color, smell, taste and texture. They help the plant protect itself from disease and predators. We get the same benefit when we eat properly prepared vegetables and fruits. Food from animals, such as meat and milk, do not have this effect. The greatest benefit comes from a eating a variety of phytochemicals and is as simple as selecting vegetables and fruits of different colors. The array of colors will make your plate look more appetizing, too.

The easiest way to prepare vegetables is to eat them raw. One of my favorite simple meals is a bowl of soup with carrot sticks, celery sticks spread with pumpkin seed butter, sliced fruit and a piece of whole grain bread. Green salad is also easy. Visit your nearest organic farmers market and check out the bounty of baby greens available right now. Toss with some raw walnuts, fresh berries and balsamic vinaigrette.

Another way to prepare vegetables is to steam them. Add your vegetables to a saucepan, then add a small amount of water, ¼ the level of the vegetables at most. Bring to a boil—this will happen quickly—then reduce the heat, cover and simmer. Asparagus spears and broccoli florets take about two minutes, sliced carrots, green beans and cauliflower florets five minutes, dark leafy greens like Swiss chard and kale take 15 – 20 minutes. They are done when their color brightens and their texture is tender-crisp. Eat as is, toss with extra-virgin olive oil or lightly sprinkle with vinegar. Umeboshi plum vinegar, found in the macrobiotic section of your health food store, is especially tasty.

Roasting intensifies the sweetness and flavor of root vegetables such as carrots, onions, parsnips, beets, potatoes and celery root. Peel four cups of root vegetables and cut them into bite size chunks. Place them in a roasting pan with a few peeled garlic cloves. Stir in 1 – 2 teaspoons of grape seed oil, ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 – 2 teaspoons of your favorite dried spice until well coated. Dill is good with beets and parsnips. Rosemary goes well with the others. Cook covered in a 450 degree oven for 30 – 45 minutes until fork tender. Serve as a side dish or make an entrée salad: toss baby greens with balsamic vinaigrette, and then artfully arrange raw walnuts, fresh and dried fruit, roasted vegetables, and Fantastic Foods whole wheat couscous atop the greens. Enjoy!

Bethany Klug, DO specializes in holistic medicine at the Kansas City Holistic Centre.

She teaches whole foods nutrition and holistic living online. Visit University Of Masters for information about her courses. Please enter "DRKLUG" in the referral box when you enroll.

She authors the monthly column "The Doctor Cooks" for the Kansas City Wellness Magazine. The Doctors Cooks Weblog is now online with past articles, menus, recipes, tips and other resources. Please subscribe!

Food Safety Tips

Writen by Cristie Will

Three Main Rules for Food Safety:

• Keeping everything clean in the kitchen area
• Keeping cold foods cold
• Keeping hot foods hot

Beware of hidden dangers:

• Spoiled Food
• Food Poisoning

Spoiled food is easy to spot since it usually looks and smells bad, but food poisoning is another story. Food poisoning is a bacteria that cannot be tasted, seen, or smelled. The following points will help keep a person safe:

• Always use paper towels when working with, or cleaning up after raw meat and even vegetables. Vegetables maybe shipped from other countries and some of their safety standards are not as strict as the United States.

• Keep pets out of the kitchen while cooking, especially if they are generally outdoor animals.

• Keep kitchen linen's washed regularly since bacteria tends to hang out in sponges, towels and cloths that are used over and over. Throw out dirty or mildewed dish sponges or clean in dishwasher.

Your clean kitchen:

• Clean with soap, that says "antibacterial".
• Wash hands with "antibacterial soap".
• Always wash hands, utensils or anything that raw meat or vegetables were around.
• Cover any skin cut or opening with bandage or gloves or protective plastic of some kind.
• Any cutting boards other than wood are the safest for cutting raw foods on because they are less porous than wooden boards.
• Do not mix raw meat with cooked meat because this could transfer bacteria. For example, do not take raw hamburger out to the grill to cook and put cooked ones back on the same plate.

Hot Foods

• Bacteria will thrive at room temperature or in lukewarm food, so do not allow hot foods to be at room temperature for more than two hours; to keep hot foods hot that means keep it above 140° or higher.

• Never partially cook or heat perishable foods because during cooking, the food may not reach a temperature high enough to destroy bacteria.

• It is necessary to roast meat or poultry at 325° or above.

• When reheating leftovers; stir often until steaming hot at 165°. If there are, any doubts about leftover foods throw it away because it is not worth getting sick over.

Cold Foods

• Since bacteria can thrive at room temperature then it can grow in foods that are suppose to be cold as well, so the same rule applies don't leave out for more than 2 hours at a time.

• Always take perishables foods home and refrigerate immediately.

• Foods chill faster when space is allowed between them when stocking refrigerator and freezer. In addition, divide into smaller amounts in shallow containers helps to chill faster.

• It is a good idea to buy a refrigerator thermometer to make sure your refrigerator is cooling at 35° to 40°. In addition, use a freezer thermometer to check that your freezer is staying at 0° or colder. If the power goes out do not open the doors. Food will be good for up to four hours and maybe a little longer depending on the circumstances.

• You should not thaw foods at room temperature, but if you do cook immediately at the correct temperatures. The same thing applies if you thaw foods in the microwave.

Check out these tips and more at http://www.cristiescookin.com.

Cooking lessons for Cristie began at 8 years old with the best teacher in the world -- her Mom! Later, she cooked for the restaurant the family owned, and her love of the "trade" has grown ever since. Cristie's creative cooking has continued for over 40 years. Her creations can soon be on your kitchen table. While learning to cook she was always aware of the dangers of not following directions and she learned many more tips from their family resturant. These tips and many more can be found at http://www.cristiescookin.com.

How To Cook A Steak To Perfection

Writen by Anne Clarke

Most people have a preference of whether or not they like their steaks rare, medium, well done, or anywhere in between. Yet, somehow, it seems that cooking a steak to fit these preferences is oftentimes difficult. But with some simple training and a bit of skill, it most certainly can be done. Cooking a steak does not have to be difficult, especially if you follow these few rules:

· Take into consideration the thickness of a steak. You must realize that cooking a steak is not an issue of just time. Whereas cooking one steak for 4 minutes might make it medium, cooking a steak that is slightly thicker may turn out rare or medium rare when cooked for the same amount of time.

· Also consider the pan temperature.

· The cook time is also very important.

· You must find a good balance between the three abovementioned things to get the results you desire.

· Other things to consider when cooking a steak is the tenderness and size of the cut. The presence of a bone can also change the cooking time as can the method of cooking (barbecuing, sautéing, etc.).

· If you have a sirloin or rump steak of 1.5 cm thick, then here are a few guidelines to follow when cooking it:

1. Well done, cook it for up to 6 minutes

2. Medium, cook it for about 4 minutes

3. Rare, cook it for just a couple of minutes.

Hold up for a minute… are you still confused as to what exactly "rare" is versus "well done?" Here is a guide on cooking a steak based off of what the steak should look like (of course, never cut open a steak to see if it is done! It looks tacky, and it causes the steak to dry out).

· Well done – the steak will be hot, and it will have very little moisture. The color will be a dark grayish. The steak will be firm when touched. There will be no hint of pink left.

· Medium well – the steak will also be hot, gray, and it will have a juicy center.

· Medium – a medium steak is light gray, warm, and it will have a juicy center. When touched the steak will offer some resistance. Pink juices will bead up on the surface of the seared side when the steak is turned.

· Medium rare – the steak will be light pink in color, warm, with a juicy center.

· Rare – the color will be pink, the temperature will be warm, and the center will be bloody and red! The steak will still feel soft when touched.

Know about the two different types of heat used when cooking a steak:

· Dry heat – this type of heat does not use liquid and it is used to cook some of the most tender cuts. Examples of cooking with dry heat are broiling, roasting, sautéing, pan-broiling, and rotisserie cooking.

· Moist heat – moist heat, on the other hand, uses steam or liquid. Moist heat cooking methods are soup-making, stewing, braising, and pressure cooking.

You must determine whether or not your steak is cooked based on touch, sight, and the clock. The firmer the meat, the more cooked it is. The lighter the color (from dark purple-red to pink), the more cooked the steak is.

Cooking a steak does not have to be hard, but it can take practice. If you do not get it right the first time, try it again! Be sure to have fun when cooking a steak!

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on steaks and cooking, please visit Filet Mignon.

Herbs And Spices The Essence Of Flavor

Writen by Michael Sheridan

In any number of cookbooks and recipes you will find advice on which herbs go with what. I'm not going to take that route.

While there certainly are marriages that are tried and tested, such as tomatoes and basil or lamb and rosemary, the reality is that the use of herbs is every bit as much a matter of personal taste as any other aspect of cooking.

Consequently, what I want you to do is to sample as many herbs as you can and try to marry up the flavors with the foods you are familiar with. That's not as difficult as it sounds. Just close your eyes and think about it.

You will find, after a while, that you will instinctively know which flavoring to use, when to use it and how much of it you need.

Do this with both fresh and dried herbs. Crush a little between finger and thumb and smell it. This is much more important than your sense of taste.

Something magical will happen. You will come to realize that fresh herbs are not better than dried ones, they simply impart a different flavor. There are two major exceptions to this.

One is mint, which has a strange musty flavor when dried, and the other is chives, which are so delicate that the flavor rarely survives cooking. Using dried chives is therefore pretty pointless.

One other point to watch out for is that some dried herbs can remained inedible even after thorough cooking. Rosemary is a very good example of this and needs to be filtered out of any liquids in which it has been used as a flavoring.

In any case, fresh or dried, it is better to chop up herbs such as this before using them.

Using herbs in cooking

Many herbs, such as basil and coriander (sometimes called Chinese parsley and cilantro in the USA) are terrific simply torn up in salads. Note that I said torn up and not cut; only cut herbs if you intend to cook them.

It's important to recognize that some herbs lose flavor with extended cooking, even in their dried state. Fortunately it's fairly easy to spot which those are.

Tough leaved herbs such as bay can be safely added at the start of cooking time and will maintain their flavor. In fact, they may need to be in the food for as long as possible in order for their flavor to fully develop.

Herbs with light and delicate leaves, however, will lose their flavor very quickly once in contact with heat. To use basil in a soup, for example, you needed to add it, not to the hot liquid as you might expect, but rather to the warm plate you intend to serve the soup in. Then pour the soup on top of it.

Alternatively, simply sprinkle it on top of the soup and leave it there. It will make an attractive decoration and impart a wonderful aroma as you take the soup to the table.

What's that? You want to use a tureen and server the soup at the table? No problem. Sprinkle the herb in its raw state on top of the soup anyway. The effect, when you remove the lid, will be the same. Just stir it in as you serve.

The spices of life

Most people, including most professional chefs, use spices that have already been prepared.

That is to say they have been ground up, ready to use. The main exception to this is probably black pepper, which you should always grind yourself. Not difficult. You can buy a pepper grinder just about anywhere and the peppercorns are available in any supermarket.

Of course you can, if you wish, go to the trouble of buying a pestle and mortar, tracking down the raw spices and then grind them yourself.

If you do this, you will be richly rewarded with deep and penetrating flavors. You may also find that you get tired of doing it very quickly. However I would highly recommend it for a special occasion, or a wet weekend in Bargo.

Generally speaking, though, the shop bought variety are fine, providing you don't keep them hanging around in a cupboard for too long. They will lose their flavor.

As with herbs, it's very important that you learn the taste and smell of each individual spice and, uniquely, its pungency. This last item is one that is frequently overlooked, even by experienced cooks.

Just about everybody is aware that chili needs to be used carefully for obvious reasons. But for some reason they do not pay the same attention to turmeric – which is quite delicate – and, say, star anise which can strangle an incautious palate at a hundred paces.

Both give themselves away, however, if you simply take the lid off the jar and sniff them.

Mixing spice

Generally speaking, it is a rare thing to add more than a couple of spices to the same dish. The obvious exceptions to this are Asian and Indian dishes, where the carefully blended mix of flavors will be both traditional and subtle.

You have a choice with these. You either follow a recipe, or you use one of the many excellent pre-prepared pastes that are now available. I tend towards the latter choice, although I do still mix my own spices from time to time.

You should do the same. It's fun and you learn a great deal about which spices mix well and which are best kept as an individual flavoring.

However you choose to cook with spice, treat it with respect and always add it a little at a time, tasting as you go.

Remember also, that the flavor will change with the length of cooking time. It may deepen, or it may lessen in its effect. Only experience will teach you what each individual spice does and how quickly it does it.

One excellent way to test the effect of adding spice, is to cook your rice with something like cardamom seeds. These come in little pods that needed to be cracked open and the seeds extracted.

Do this by placing them on a stable surface, place the flat of a cleaver blade over them and apply a bit of pressure. They will open easily. Use about two pods for one dish of rice.

You could also add some turmeric to the same rice dish. This will turn it yellow and also add a subtle flavor which complements the pungency of the cardamom. Call it saffron rice if you like, very few people will be able to tell the difference.

Rice is a good way to test any number of flavorings. Personally I find it a bit boring on its own, and I frequently add something to it to jazz it up a little. Experiment. You will be pleasantly surprised at what a difference a new flavor can make.

You will also be pleasantly surprised at your growing reputation.

Michael Sheridan was formerly head chef of the Pierre Victoire restaurant in London's West End, specializing in French cuisine. An Australian, he is a published author on cooking matters. The article shown here is one of a series available completely free from The Cool Cook's Recipe Club at http://thecoolcook.com

Water Bath Canning Vs Pressure Canning

Writen by Jonathan Heusman

When choosing how to pickle or what pickle recipes you would like to try, there are a number of things you want to keep in mind. One of those things is which canning method you would like to use. Home canning is a very simple process that can be done in two ways: pressure canning, or water-bath canning. Pressure canning is a process that requires a pressure canner, which can be often times, be expensive. You may however be able to find a cheap one with a little bit of hunting through garage sales or flea markets. Water-bath canning, on the other hand, can be done using only a couple of simple tools. We will assume that you will be using a water-bath canning method. The following article will explain this particular method.

Firstly, of course you will need a water-bath canner. You must make sure it is deep enough to hold enough water to submerge your canning jars by at least 1 inch. You will also need your canning jars, screw-on bands, and canning lids. It is the much-less-expensive, tried-and-true way of canning. It is a way of preserving hundreds of foods, including salsa, jam, jelly, pickled fruits and vegetables, as well as relish for hundreds of years. It is a great canning method for beginners, or avid canners.

A water-bath canner is basically a large pot with a rack that will hold up to seven mason quart jars or up to sixteen pint jars. By using a large stock pot and being creative with wire, one could improvise a rack to create their own water bath canner. As long as the jars avoid direct heat from the burner and are completely submersed in the water, a number of crafty setups could be used. If you would like to save the trouble of rigging your own, they can be readily purchased at many locations or online.

The way a water-bath canner functions is that it increases the temperature of your canning jar to a temperature hot enough to kill yeast, bacteria, and molds that are found in food. The heat also creates air bubbles that push the air inside the jar out as the contents inside the jar heat and expand. When the jar cools down to room temperature, the air pressure creates a seal that prevents air and other organisms from entering the jar, preventing the food from spoiling, thus the reason for canning's existence.

It is essential that the jars are free of nicks or cracks and that the rim is flat. They should also be newly washed, either by hand or dishwasher, so they are sterile and free of any micro-organisms. The process begins by filling the canning jar with the desired ingredients. Make sure to wipe the rim clean with a laundered towel so as to create an ideal seal. Place the lid on the rim, making sure to center it so that the rubber is on the entire rim and then screw on the band. The band does not need to be screwed on tightly; over-tightened bands do not allow the gasses to escape the jars. Then you will place the jars into the water-bath on the rack. Make sure the water is covering all of the jars by at least one inch and then bring the water to a boil. When finished, turn off heat and let sit for a full five minutes before removing jars from the canner. Be sure to let the canning jars cool, so as not to burn yourself.

As the canning jars cool off, the tops should pop closed as they seal, meaning that; after sealing the tops will not depress by pressing down on with your finger. If the jars are not sealed, the center of the lid will pop up and down when pressed. Either throw these jars away or eat the contents within a week. If the lids did not seal, do not use them again as they will not seal if used again.

Once the jars are cooled they may be stored. It is best if they are stored in a cool dark place like a basement or pantry. Contents will be ready to eat according to the recipe. Make sure that before eating, the contents are inspected for signs of spoilage: mold, gas, cloudiness, odors, or drainage. If spoilage has occurred, do not eat the contents of the can as it may cause serious sickness.

Here is a simple pickling recipe for you to try out!

Delicious Pickles:

Wash cucumbers, pack into sterilized canning jars.

Solution (sufficient for 3 gallons of pickles in glass jars):

1 gallon vinegar

1 cup salt

½ pound (16 tablespoons) dry mustard, make sure to fully mix the dry mustard in with vinegar so that there are no clumps. A good way to do this is to take a little vinegar and make a paste type of substance with the dry mustard, then mix this into the vinegar.

Pour mixture over cucumbers in your sterilized jars and seal at once (Using the method of your choice.). Store pickles without removing screw bands.

I hope that this helps you to choose your method of pickling, and make sure to head on over to my homepage for many more pickling tips and recipes. Also visit the forums to share info with other picklers.

Copyright 2006 Jonathan Heusman Learn much more on how to pickle, pickle recipes, pickle tips, and everything else having to do with pickling at http://www.howtopickle.com Check out the free newsletter to receive our Free Pickling Recipe of the month, and share your joy of pickling with others at our pickling forum!

Different Types Of Barbecue Grills

Writen by Emma Snow

Summer is here and the steaks are ready to grill, the only problem is that you don't know exactly what type of barbeque grill to buy. There are many questions that need to be asked when buying a grill. Things such as cost, ease of use, other uses besides grilling, flavor and portability should be considered. The most important item in this list depends on what you want. This article looks in detail at the different categories and makes a judgment on which grills would be best in that category, charcoal, propane, natural gas or smokers.

Cost

If cost is the main factor, the grill to go for is charcoal. They start at $15.00 for a small, basic unit and only $30.00 for a standard 22" kettle grill. Propane grills are the next lowest in price, starting at around $100.00 for a basic unit. A small smoker starts at around $130.00. Since natural gas grills are supposed to be hooked to a home's gas line, they tend to be larger units, and more expensive starting around $300.00. They now have dual fuel grills as well that use natural gas most of the time but can also use propane; these are the most expensive with an asking price of $450.00 up.

Ease of Use

The easiest grill to use is probably the natural gas grill. It is hooked to your homes natural gas line and therefore doesn't require you to buy large propane tanks on a regular basis. Getting a grill that has a battery powered or electric starter makes things even easier. Propane is probably the next easiest to use since there are no charcoal briquettes or wood chips to worry about. While it seems that a larger grill is a better grill, remember that larger also means a larger area to clean.

Additional Features

Natural gas or propane grills can offer additional cook spaces that a charcoal or smoker unit cannot. If you plan to cook full meals on your grill, gas burners and a warming tray come in handy. A rotisserie option may also be important to you depending on what you want to grill.

Flavor

If flavor is the most important item on your list, a smoker or a charcoal grill should be your first priority. Smokers are meant to slow cook over time and impart a smoky flavor to meats. You can choose the type of wood to smoke that will give you the flavor you are looking for. The only problem with a smoker is when you want a quick pork chop or hamburger, it isn't so quick. Consider a gas grill for quicker cook meals and a smoker when you really want to impress the neighbors. Charcoal is the next best in the flavor department with no gas undertone. Gas grills can also impart a good grilled flavor, and now many gas grills have a smoker option on them.

Portability

When portability is the most imporant requirement, propane is the way to go. Charcoal grills run a close second. Small propane tanks make it easy to take your grill camping or to a tailgate party and you aren't left wondering where to put the smoldering coals. Charcoal can work and there are several small portable units available; just make sure you have a plan for what to do with the used briquettes.

Copyright 2006 Emma Snow

Emma Snow is contributing author and publisher to http://www.bbq-shop.net an online resource that provides you with information, articles of interest related to barbecues.

Cooking Tips For Having A Stressfree Cooking Experience

Writen by Brandi Clark

Cooking a scrumptious meal can be gratifying for both the person cooking and those who are eating the well prepared meal. But whether a newbie at cooking or experienced there are several factors to consider so that you have a most pleasant cooking experience.

Plan in Advance - If you have a busy schedule that involves taking the kids to baseball practice or making sure your hubby has clothes to wear to work then try to write menus for a week's meal at a time. Shop for the main dish about once a week and fruits and vegetables twice a week. Before you begin cooking have all of the necessary ingredients and utensils laid out. Something else you may want to consider is cooking several main dishes, and baking a few cakes at one time and then freezing them for future use.

Combine Your Jobs - While your cake or cookies are baking take this time to wash the dishes. You will be so happy when your cake is done and your are too! Utilize leftovers. Cook meals that can be served more than once. For instance, roast beef can later be used to make roast beef sandwiches.

Keep Your Spirit Refreshed - While cooking can be fun and rewarding it at times can be extremely stressful. With kids hollering, the television blaring and the husband reading the newspaper sometimes frustration sets in when you know that you've got a full hour of cooking ahead of you and that doesn't include the cleaning! It's important that you as the cook have a hobby that you can turn to so that you can put your focus on something you enjoy.

This may seem to simple to have any effect but it works. As soon as you have a spare moment, sit down, close your eyes and relax. You will be surprised how the tension is eased.

Cooking can be fun when one is prepared. To see a selection of independent ingredients come together to produce a fine meal for family and friends can be very rewarding. Being organized and stress-free only enhances this rewarding experience.

Brandi Clark is the owner of Looking At Cooking. Click Here To Visit Looking At Cooking and discover more tips and ideas for cooking. Also sign up to receive free recipes and check out special gifts for that special Chef!

Japanese Cooking

Writen by Jonathon Hardcastle

Do you love Japanese food? The funny thing about Japanese food is that you either love it or you hate it. There is no in-between. And chances are, if you hate it, you probably haven't really tasted Japanese food yet or haven't given yourself a chance to sample it enough. Japanese food is hard to appreciate after only one bite. And sometimes, the idea that you are tasting raw food just won't escape your mind that you are already predisposed to hating Japanese food even before you actually taste it.

Personally, I love Japanese food. There really is no other cuisine like it in the world in terms of its unique taste and presentation. Who would believe that something so raw could be so delicious? For those of you who have not yet discovered the pleasures of Japanese food, allow me to present the following primer.

The standard Japanese meal always involves a bowl of white rice as well as soup and side dishes such as pickles, vegetables, meat and fish. Japanese food is classified by the number of viands or "okazu" that are served with the rice, soup and side dishes. A meal with one okazu is called ichiju-issai and a prime example of this is the traditional Japanese breakfast which consists of miso soup, rice, grilled fish and one pickled vegetable.

The regular Japanese meal usually involves three okazu to go along with the soup, rice and pickles. Traditionally, each of these three okazu are cooked in a different way from the others. They can either be served raw or grilled, simmered, steamed or deep fried.

Another hallmark of Japanese food is seafood, which is the most popular and most widely consumed food in Japan. The most popular dishes include all types of fish as well as shellfish, squid and octopus. Crab is another favorite delicacy and so are whale and seaweed. Despite the fact that Japanese are not heavy meat eaters, you will hardly find any vegetarians among them either probably owing to their deep fashion for seafood. Beef and chicken are also popular among the Japanese.

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

Balsamic Vinegar A Vinaigrette Or A Marinade

Writen by James Zeller

Many folks are looking for healthy alternatives to flavor their cooking prepared at home. With a health conscious diet, the labels of prepared foods and seasonings are getting scrutinized closely. We already know the importance of staying away from trans fats, high-carb and high calorie ingredients. The FDA is even getting into the mix of things with recent directives on what food manufacturers can specify as "low-cal" and "low-carb" on product labels. They promise a definition of sorts for these health related food ingredient terms.

Sometimes a healthy alternative is as simple as looking into the Old Country Cookbook.

If you are willing to put aside your Shopping Club size of "Original Ranch" creamy dressing, consider a healthy recommendation. For fresh garden salads you do not need to sacrifice gourmet taste and flavor. The same goes for preparing meats such as chicken and beef. A novel solution is preparing your own balsamic flavoring for both culinary uses. A home made balsamic vinaigrette for green salads can also double as a fine balsamic marinade for meats.

The ingredients are few, the prep time is very short, and the method is relatively simple. But what a difference in flavor and seasoning! The health benefits are also most welcome to any diet. Aged Balsamic vinegar is becoming popular among many cooking celebrities and experts, and it is agreed it is not just for an occasional drizzle over salads. Try it as a marinade as well.

Lastly, once you taste the joys of Balsamico, you will want to share it with your family and friends. A quality bottle of Balsamic Vinegar has now become in vogue as a gift substitute for that obligatory bottle of wine you used to feel compelled to give.

Balsamic Dijon Marinade or Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1/2 cup aged balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin Spanish olive oil
2 Tablespoons. finely chopped fresh basil
1 Tablespoon. Dijon-style mustard
2 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon brown cane sugar

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Place meat in sealable plastic bag. Pour marinade mixture over meat and turn to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes to 2 hours for tender cuts, or up to 24 hours for less tender. Turn at least once while marinating.
Dispose of marinade after use.

Prep time: about 5 minutes

Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette or Marinade

This vinaigrette has a tangy flavor and works well over mixed greens, fresh sliced tomato, onion and cucumber salads. It can also be drizzled sparingly over steamed vegetables. You can use traditional aged balsamic vinegar, but with this white balsamic recipe, the appearance of the vinaigrette will not be dark and should be a slightly sweeter balsamic vinaigrette. Makes 1 cup.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Spanish extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar (aged traditional balsamic if desired)
1 garlic clove, peeled and pressed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon ground mustard powder
1 pinch sea salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Method:
In a small bowl, combine together olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, garlic, and mustard powder, whisk evenly. Season to your own personal taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper. You can add fresh minced herbs if desired.

Prep time: about 5 minutes

You can see more free balsamic recipes at www.cruets.com

James Zeller writes for gourmet gift related websites and blogs. Here is a selection of oil and vinegar recipes that he found, and a creative collection of culinary gourmet gifts.

Uses For Dip Mix

Writen by Nicole Dean

It seems that everyone uses dip mix but me. I've managed to accumulate quite the collection of dip mixes. (Ranch, jalapeno, Mexican, etc.) What can I do with these other than make DIP?
Signed,
Drowning in Dip

Dear Drowning in Dip,
I hear you! I find myself in the same situation. But, I ended up with my pantry over-flowing in dip and finally found some solutions. I hope they help you, too.

All you need to use your dip mix is sour cream, mayonnaise or cream cheese. From there, the possibilities are endless.

Tuna to the Rescue: If you enjoy tuna sandwiches, but get tired of the boring standard of tuna and mayonnaise, then make some 'fancy' mayonnaise. A few hours before you want your tuna sandwich, mix some mayonnaise and dip packet together. Let it sit. Then, when you want to enjoy your tuna sandwich, simple mix the 'fancy mayonnaise' with your tuna – and you've got a winner.

Turkey Wrappers: Have cream cheese sitting around? Mix it with some dip and microwave for a few seconds. Then, get out a tortilla wrapper, pile some of the cream cheese and turkey slices on the wrapper and microwave for another few seconds. The cream cheese should be all smooshy and the wrapper will roll up nicely. Add fresh veggies or just enjoy as is.

Potato – A cheap, healthy meal: Mix a packet of dip mix with a container of sour cream (to taste). Let it sit for at least one hour. Microwave or bake your potato as you normally would. Then, top with cheese, veggies, leftovers, meat, beans, etc – and a dollop of your flavored sour cream. Voila!

Pasta Salad – Any noodle salad that pairs mayonnaise with noodles can be enhanced with dip mix. It's much cheaper than buying deli salads and it's very simple. All you need are noodles, mayonnaise, dip mix, veggies and meat. Try it. You'll love it!

So, use up those dusty dip packets and you just might find yourself becoming a fan of those little dip packets in your pantry.

Nicole Dean is a freelance writer and owner of http://www.WhatCanIMakeWithIt.com - a resource for using the ingredients in your pantry. Need help with day to day cooking? Grab a free cookbook at http://www.freequickrecipes.com/free-online-cookbooks.php

Burn Through In Stainless Steel Burners

Writen by Will Kessel

I grill.

I mean, I grill – often. I grill about 3 or 4 days a week, every week of the year, every year. Living 100 yards from Lake Erie, this is no small feat: it gets cold in Cleveland in the winter, and we get our fair share of snow – most of which is lake effect, sometimes measured in feet rather than inches.

I have often found myself outside after dark on a late December evening, in 20-degree weather with an icy wind blowing in off the lake, snow half-way up my shins, basting a roast on the rotisserie.

Naturally, my wife thinks I am nuts. She also thinks I am a great cook, which is neither here nor there. But, I digress…

A couple of months ago, I noticed that the grill was heating unevenly. The left side was noticeably hotter than the right. The flame was higher on the left, and I had more problems with flare-up on that side. Meanwhile, the right side was not cooking very well at all. The grill is a 3-year-old Fiesta that my wife bought at K-Mart shortly before we met. It sports a stainless steel sheet metal burner which is adequate for occasional use. I suspected that the burner was burned through since I use the grill much more than the manufacturer intended; I wanted to replace it much earlier than this, but since we were buying a house, I placed the project on the back burner, so to speak.

The house threw us a couple of major curve balls, the worst of which was a total replacement of our kitchen. At the time, we were waiting on our new counter tops: we did not have a working kitchen; the microwave and the grill were our only working kitchen appliances. Nice time for the grill to fail, huh?

One night during the remodel, I wanted to grill some chicken. I fired up the grill, and noticed that the flame on the left side of the grill reached the cooking grate, and the flame on the right was barely noticeable. Our chicken browned noticeably toward the left side, and barely cooked on the right. The photos on our site show the old burner.

I muddled my way through the meal, deciding to take action. The next day I ordered a new burner/venturi set over the Internet. Since spiders love our new house, I splurged on spider guards. The only tools I needed for the job were a pair of pliers and a screwdriver. I assembled the burner/venturi assembly, connected the ignitor to the burner, and went out to the grill. I disconnected the securing pins for the burner underneath the grill and the old burner lifted out easily. The new burner settled gently into place, and I connected the ignitor and installed the spider screens. I tested the ignitor, and, satisfied that it worked properly, fired up the grill. Even blue flame, about one and a half inches high, with yellow tips. Perfect. Nice, even heat again. Project completed, and in about a half-hour.

So why did this happen? Why did my burner rot from the inside out? The answer is simple physics. When your burner burns gas, the flame outside the burner creates a vacuum inside the burner. An open valve allows gas under high pressure to flow from its source into the burner, where the pressure is lower, and then continue out to the outside to be burned.

So how does this cause burn-through? Remember the flame that is sucking the gas out of the burner? Now shut that gas off. What happens? The gas is still burning. When there is no more fuel, the vacuum inside the burner actually sucks whatever is right outside the burner, resulting in an audible "pop" when the flame goes out.

Here it is in a nutshell: you've been cooking food, right? You've been using spices, sauces and rubs -- and the food itself has its own juices. These are in the air surrounding the food and the burners, mostly as partially-burned carbon particles. These carbon particles get sucked into the burner when the flame is extinguished. These particles remain in the burner until the next time you fire up the grill. When you fire up the grill, these particles create chaos in the flow of the gas. The pressure of the gas will hold these particles against the sides of the burner. Reaching ignition temperature, they eventually burn through the metal from the inside out. Now you know why I had to replace my burner – and why you'll have to do the same if you purchase a grill with a sheet metal burner.

My story points out another issue: what type of burner will your new grill have? This is a major decision that many overlook when they purchase a high-end grill. Most grills, even well-known $3,000 to $5,000 units, have the same stainless steel sheet metal burners that I just replaced, and many have a thickness in the 20- to 24-gauge range! Let's face it: buying a $3,000 grill is like buying a Mercedes or a Lexus; you shouldn't have to replace the engine in a 3-year-old Lexus!

If you purchase a grill with a stainless steel sheet metal (or cast iron/cast iron composite) burner, you will replace the burners at some point. The more often you grill, the more often you will replace the burner. The more expensive the grill, the more difficult the replacement.

"What?" you say! Stainless steel will rust? Well, yes, it *will* rust. It just takes a lot longer. The idea that stainless steel will neither stain or rust is a myth. The "stainless" in the term "stainless steel" refers to the fact that there are no impurities in the metal itself, and that nickel has been introduced into the alloy to produce a more acceptable finish. A lower grade of stainless steel with a lower nickel content will attract a magnet, also contrary to popular myth.

What, then, is the alternative to a stainless steel sheet metal burner? Cast iron? Well, yes, but many grill manufacturers also use cast brass or cast stainless steel, which will not rust or burn through. Lynx and Fire Magic are two such grills, and they're even warranted against rust and burn-through. A less-expensive alternative with cast brass burners would be the Coleman 6000, retailing for under $1,000 (photo right).

This is not to disparage stainless steel sheet metal burners: Napoleon uses 16-gauge stainless steel in their burners, much thicker than just about any other brand, and they tend to last longer than other manufacturer's burners. They are still prone to rot and burn-through, however: it just takes a little longer, that's all.

So, if you're shopping for a new grill, check the burner construction first.

Will Kessel is a contributing author for Gas Grills Now. Gas Grills Now has been in business since 1981 with an internet presence since 1997. Contact our sales staff toll free at 877-669-4669, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Finding The Right Culinary School For You

Writen by G. Stephen Jones

Have you ever thought about the possibility of going to culinary school to become a professional chef or start a new career in hospitality management? Maybe you want to go to school just to be a better cook at home? The good news is there are a lot of great schools and colleges in every state to help you accomplish your goals.

Based upon the number of cooking schools opening each year, there must be a lot of folks interested in getting into the culinary world. I recently read an article in our local newspaper about the growth in local culinary schools, and the numbers surprised me. It appears that supermarkets, gourmet stores, local restaurants, colleges, ex-chefs, and just about anyone else who has the room and expertise is putting on an apron and opening a school.

Many of these schools are there for absolute beginners who just want to learn how to boil water and get around in the kitchen without hurting themselves. These classes tend to be more fun where you watch a professional chef prepare a meal and then you get to share it with the rest of the class. It's a good way to meet some interesting people, learn a few culinary tricks, and taste some delicious food.

And then there are schools for home cooks who have some experience but want to build upon their skills and learn some new techniques. These schools tend to have classrooms with individual stations where the students learn by doing. Often these classes will specialize in one particular technique or cooking style.

But what about the individuals who wants to make cooking their career and go back to school for a degree in culinary education? They may want to learn about hospitality management to master the skills needed to run a resort, restaurant, or theme park. Or they may want to become professional chefs and cook in some of the best restaurants in the country.

Lucky for them, there are now more than 500 vocational, college, and university programs scattered around the country with more schools opening each year that offer first-rate educational degrees in this field. The bigger question is: how do you choose the best culinary school for you?

Here are a few steps to help you narrow down the field and simplify your decision:

Step 1 - Figure out what you want to do after you graduate.

Do you want to start a catering company, make pastries and fancy desserts, or how about manage a restaurant? Once you have an idea of what it is that you would like to specialize in, you can limit your search to only those schools that offer the necessary classes.

If you have no idea what you would like to do in the culinary field, be sure to go to a school that offers a number of choices in every field of the industry- sort of like taking a liberal arts' approach.

Step 2 - Determine what's most important to you in a school. Some topics you may want to think about before choosing a school are:

Location
Entry requirements
Length of program and class schedule
Costs and financial aid
Class size and student-to-faculty ratio
Classroom facilities
Class schedules
The school's faculty and reputation
Degrees and accreditations
Externship opportunities
Location and housing
Schools contacts, job placement, and/or internships

Step 3 - Create a list of schools to contact for more information.

You can start with your local yellow pages but if you don't find a school close enough, or one that strikes your fancy, try doing a search on the Internet. Just type in "cooking schools in [your state]", or "culinary schools [your state]", and you will find hundreds of leads to schools worldwide. Type in culinary schools with a city and it will narrow down the field even more.

There is also a listing of top schools listed by state at The Reluctant Gourmet web site. Go to http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/cooking_schools.htm and click on the state of your choice and pick a city of interest.

Once you find a few schools that look promising, read a little about them to see what they have to offer. Most sites will provide a short form that you can fill out for more information. Once you fill out the form and send it back to the school, someone will call you within a day or two to answer your questions, provide you with additional information, and offer to send you some brochures and an application.

Be sure to have a list of questions you want answered when you speak with a school's representative. You might also ask for a list of current students and graduates to contact for their assessment of the school.

This is also a good time to ask about scholarships and what the school has to offer. If financing is going to be an issue, it's better to find out alternatives now rather than wait until you have been accepted. Remember, the school representatives are there to help and most, I've found, don't push too hard--although it is their job to sell you on the school.

Step 4 - Narrow down the field.

Once you look over what the schools have to offer and have spoken with the representatives, start eliminating those that just don't fit in with your needs. Maybe a school is too far, too costly, or just doesn't offer the courses you are interested in taking.

Step 5 - Visit the schools that fit best.

In my opinion, this is one of the most important steps you can do to make sure that you are going to be happy at any cooking school. You want to see the actual classrooms you will be attending, see some of the teachers and students in action, and get a feel for the surroundings to make sure you will fit in.

I once made the mistake of taking a new job on Wall Street with a competitor without ever seeing the offices I'd be working in. Sure the money was better and I thought I would make faster advancement, but when I arrived for my first day of work, I couldn't believe the conditions they wanted me to work in. The office space was old, dirty, and outdated compared to where I was working. I was horrified and only lasted about four months!

So, make sure that the school in which you are thinking of investing your time and money is as good, if not better, than the brochure they send to you.

Step 6 - Apply to your top picks.

After you make your visits, narrow down the field to your top choices and prepare the applications you were sent. Be sure to be neat and complete, and provide the schools with everything they ask you for. If you have any questions about the application, pick up the phone right away and get answers. You don't want to be sending in incomplete forms.

Step 7 - Choose your school.

Once notified by the schools of your acceptance, you can decide which school works best for you. Because you did your homework and followed the steps above, this final choice should be easy.

Be sure to inform the school of your choice that you will be attending, and find out what steps are required to get you enrolled and what you will need to start school.

Although this article was written for those of you interested in going to culinary school, you can follow these same procedures when choosing any continuing education degree. If you think about it, it's just like getting everything prepped and ready to go (mise en place) before starting to prepare a meal.

Copyright © 2005 G. Stephen Jones, The Reluctant Gourmet

G. Stephen Jones created the Reluctant Gourmet back in 1997 as a hobby to assist other novice cooks who may find the art of cooking a little daunting. As an ex-Wall Street broker and Stay-at-Home Dad, he tries to explore cooking from a different perspective.

Visit http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/ for more tips, techniques, recipes and a great listing of culinary schools

Webmasters - Please feel free to add this article to your site. Just remember to ensure the links remain live and static back to http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/

Dry Rub For That Magic Touch In Your Barbecue

Writen by Chris McCarthy

Dry rub is a culmination of a variety of spices that can tickle your taste buds. It is not only used for seasoning your poultry or beef, but also added to invite those unconventional yet delightful flavors to vegetables, salads and casseroles. Moreover, how on earth can one avoid the spiced up sandwiches, thanks to dry rub.

Rubs are either used in their dry form or mixed up with some sort of liquid preferably oil. And if dry rub is mixed with oil it might as well be referred as wet rub or paste. Wet rub or paste for that matter brings that heavenly flavor for grilled or roasted meat. The oil simply helps the spices to stick to the respective meat furthering the roasting process.

A mixture of rubs with mustard and horseradish and the subsequent paste can be used to coat briskets prior to their long slow smoking. No wonder dry rub is an absolute 'must' especially in barbecues. If you are arranging for a bar-b-q then make sure that you have rubs because that's how the cuisine will become more delectable.

If you have tasted dry rub for once, you would no longer cater to chilies or pepper for that matter. It is not only hot but the hottest of all in the tinsel town of hot sauces. There are no boundaries, no limits as regards the usage of rubs. Be it the rub for marinating meat or for fish or other delicate items, you just name it. It may sound unorthodox but the fact of the matter is that rubs mixed with mustard or mayonnaise can make a sandwich doubly sumptuous. Again it goes without saying that they add an extra touch of flavor in salad dressing.

Presumably adding some rub to your sour cream or yogurt would mean a culinary shock but in reality it works wonders. Sprinkling hot rubs on baked potatoes, rice, french fries, popcorn not only makes them tastier but also shows that it doesn't get any easier than this.

Speaking of rubs, ones that come to mind are Corky's Dry BBQ Rub and the Jack Daniel's BBQ Rub. The former sets any bar-b-q perk right up & is ideal for ranch salad dressing. The secret to its taste lies in its ingredients like paprika, salt, spices and garlic. While the latter is both an incredible marinade for pork, beef, chicken, seafood and also an excellent seasoning for vegetables, soups and stews. Surprisingly we find natural hickory smoke flavor, flavoring and Jac Daniel's Black Label Whiskey amongst the ingredients other than the conventional combination of salt, sugar, spices, paprika, monosodium glutamate, onion powder and garlic powder.

Rubs are the ultimate culinary destination with its magical flavors that can transform ordinary taste to extraordinary. If you wish to pamper your appetite then you must indulge into rubs, it's just a sprinkle away. So what are you waiting for? Run to your nearest store or login to the online stores to grab your rubs today!

Chris McCarthy is the owner of InsaneChicken's Hot Sauce Catalog. InsaneChicken also has a wide vareity of Hot Sauces, BBQ Sauce and Rubs. Visit them at http://www.InsaneChicken.com

The Secret To Cooking For A Crowd

Writen by Deb Boynton

Having a large family growing up, I learned to cook in a big way. With 5 brothers and 3 sisters plus Mom and Dad, I started out cooking for eleven people by the time I was twelve and most of the time without a recipe. Mom needed help and taught her daughters to cook at an early age. I'll never forget the first time I fried chicken all by myself. My brothers ridiculed my over-done chicken mercilessly.

I'll never forget the first meal I cooked away from home. My sister and I moved out together, just the two of us, and, after settling in, prepared our first meal for just us. We cooked like we were taught: 5 pounds of potatoes for mashed potatoes, 2 whole chickens for fried chicken, 2 quarts of green beans. To this day, we still laugh about all that food we had left over.

So needless to say, cooking for a large gathering is no problem for me. I take on the task of hosting my husband's family for Thanksgiving and while most people worry about having a dry turkey, my biggest dread is cleaning the house.

So what is the secret to cooking large? Like cooking any size meal, the secret is in the planning. You will need extra and larger everything. Take your recipes and list all the ingredients you need to buy. Plan your menu, inventory your serving dishes, pots and pans, plates, forks, knives, spoons, drinking glasses at least a week in advance. Buy everything you need ahead of time, right down to butter for bread and ice for drinks.

Once you have your menu and inventory planned, jot down a time schedule. Have the house cleaned and seating arrangements completed the day before so you can focus on the meal, otherwise you'll be pulling your hair out trying to get everything done on time. The easiest thing to cook is a one-dish meal, like pot roast or lasagna with few side dishes.

· Main dish, Pot Roast w/carrots and potatoes
o cook in roaster, 3-hour oven time, serve on platter
· Side vegetable, steamed broccoli
o cook in 3 qt. steamer, 20 min stove top time, serve in blue bowl
· Bread, buy brown and serve rolls (or make from scratch ahead of time)
o oven time 15 minutes, last thing to cook, serve in basket, buy new towel

After detailing each dish, make a timetable. Example, for a 6:00 dinner:
2:00 Start pot roast; have in oven by 2:30
4:00 Peel potatoes, slice carrots; add to pot roast by 4:30
4:30 Set tables
5:15 prepare broccoli, start to cook by 5:35
5:35 Prepare rolls for cooking, in oven by 5:45
5:45 Transfer pot roast to platter
5:55 Transfer broccoli to bowl
6:00 Bread's done, transfer to basket and cover with towel
Sit down to delicious meal and enjoy. And for your test, I now present the world's best pot roast recipe. It's my own, passed to me from my Mom.

Pots you'll need:
oven going roasting pan
10-inch skillet

1 or 2 Chuck roasts (2-3 lbs ea.)
1 large or 2 med. onions, sliced
6 carrots (or more as needed)
6 potatoes (or more as needed)
1 can onion soup +1/2 can water*
Can mushroom soup (or golden mushroom)
1/4 tp.salt or Murray's Seasoning Salt
1-2 cup mushrooms (optional)
*2 cans for 2 roasts, or substitute
1-2 pkg. onion soup mix, per directions.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. In large oven roasting pan, add onion soup and water.
2. Slice onion and add 1/2 to bottom of roaster. Set aside.
3. Heat skillet on high on top of stove. When hot, sear roast on all sides until brown on the outside.
4. Place seared roast(s) on top of onion/onion soup in roaster.
5. Sprinkle with salt.
6. Cover with remaining onion slices and can of mushroom soup, undiluted (optional)
7. Cover with alum foil, sealing tightly and put in oven.
8. Set timer to cook for 1 hour for 1 roast, 2 hours for 2 roasts.
9. Peel potatoes and cut into quarters.
10. Slice carrots.
11. When timer goes off, add potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. Cover and cook for 1 more hour.

Done when vegetables are tender. Time may have to be adjusted depending on how many vegetables there are. I have filled the pan to the brim and had to cook an additional 1/2-hour.

You can eat this roast with a fork it is so tender. You can substitute a sirloin roast, but chuck works best in my opinion.

Ummm-Ummm Good Comfort food! And so pretty on the plate. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

PS. Use those leftovers: This is not a recipe, per say. It's a throw-it-all-in-a-pan type thing. Get some beef stroganoff soup mix and dry egg noodles. Cook the soup, cook the noodles and combine in large skillet. Chop up left over pot roast, vegetables and all, and add to skillet along with left over juice. Heat thoroughly and enjoy!

Debbie Boynton has been cooking and sharing recipes for many years. She shares more information on this topic at: http://www.infodepot.biz/recipes-and-cooking

You may use this article freely on your website as long as this resource box is included and this article remains unchanged! Copyright © 2005 Debbie L Boynton

Create Some Pretty Pats Of Butter

Writen by Suzanne Lieurance

Pretty pats of butter can add interest to your dining table or buffet. You can make them easily, in a wide variety of shapes. Here's all you do:

Soften several sticks of butter. Use a knife to spread the softened butter evenly into a candy mold (flip the mold over once you have some butter in it, to make sure the butter is filling the mold completely; the butter tends to leave "gaps" of empty space, even when you feel like you're filling the mold solidly). Freeze the filled mold until the butter is firm.

When firm, pop the butter pats out of the mold. Line a large pan or baking dish with waxed paper. Layer the butter pats in the pan, with a piece of waxed paper between each layer to keep the pats from sticking together. Refrigerate the molded pats until you're ready to serve them. At serving time, place some crushed ice in a bowl and place the pats on top of the ice to keep them cold.

A heart-shaped candy mold is perfect for butter that will be used at a wedding reception or rehearsal dinner. Candy molds come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Just choose one that is right for your special occasion.

For pretty herb butters, add some of your favorite chopped herb(s) to the butter before putting it in the mold.

Suzanne Lieurance is a freelance writer and owner of the Three Angels Gourmet Co. which offers a unique line of "heavenly gourmet mixes" for sale at http://www.threeangelsgourmet.com and through gift shops, Christian bookstores, gourmet food stores, and gift basket companies across the country.

For daily food tips and other fun food information, visit the Three Angels Gourmet Co. blog at http://www.threeangelsgourmet.blogspot.com

Tips For Making Homemade Bread

Writen by Jamie Snodgrass

There is nothing like homemade bread. Whether banana, pumpkin, white or whole wheat, the smell of a fresh, hot loaf can't be beat.

There are many reasons why you would want to make your own bread. If you have good pumpkin bread recipes or banana bread recipes, you can make a nice dessert or have a quick snack for the kids on hand at all times. Baking your own white or wheat bread can help you save money on your grocery bill. Eating whole wheat bread will keep you healthier and may even help you lose weight.

You may want to consider supplying your family with homemade wheat bread all the time. The health benefits are many, especially if you are going to use fresh ground wheat. Eating a slice of bread made with fresh ground wheat is like taking a shot of vitamins.

What Is Wheat And Why Would You Want To Use It?

Wheat is the world's most important grain crop and ranks first among the grains for its nutritional value. When used in its entirety, wheat is an excellent source of fiber and many critical B-vitamins.WheatB-vitamins. Wheat germ is one of the richest sources of vitamin E if used when freshly milled, before oxidation takes place.

The richest source of Vitamin E is found in the germ of the wheat kernel. Milled wheat loses its Vitamin E very quickly due to oxidization. This is the reason why the bread we buy really has nothing of value for us. It has been stripped of the vitamins provided in the wheat. Within about 72 hours of milling, 90% of over 30 nutrients are gone.

Families usually enjoy better health once they start baking bread with fresh ground wheat including significant improvements in sinus conditions, runny noses and colds. There have also been reports of reduced cholesterol counts, warts disappearing, acne clearing and a host of other wonderful benefits. Of course there are the obvious benefits of adding more fiber to your diet, but remember to drink a lot of water when you increase fiber.

Author is marketer for sites such as :

Homemade Bread

Acne Resources

How To Cut A Cake

Writen by Shauna Hanus

Have you ever wondered how to cut a cake? I have had a lot of practice. When I turned 16 and requested a Spider Man sheet cake I busily honed my cake cutting skills by making concentric rectangles and then served up the master piece. My family all refused to eat stating lack of presentation skills. Since that time my skills have, thankfully, been refined. Here are tips to cutting a round layer cake.

First select a knife you are comfortable holding. A long slender knife works best. Begin the first cut about two inches from the edge. Cut along the entire edge of the cake keeping the knife in about two inches. Your cake will now have an outer ring two inches wide.

Next cut the outer ring into two inch wide slices. This outer ring is perfect for those who enjoy a lot of frosting. To serve use a cake spatula and easily lift each slice from the outer ring of cake.

Follow these same steps with the center of the cake. This technique will give you uniformed attractively displayed slices every time.

By serving the outer ring to those who enjoy the frosting this leaves the moist inner cake to those with less of a sweet tooth. http://www.gourmayeats.com

Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who specializes in creating gourmet meal plans. She has extensive experience cooking with easy to find grocery items to create delightful gourmet meals. She is also the publisher of a no cost bi-monthly gourmet newsletter. Her newsletter is always fun and informational packed with tips and trivia you can use everyday. http://www.gourmayeats.com

Ten Proven Tips To Buy The Best Meat Available

Writen by Hans Dekker

Ten Proven Tips to buy the Best Meat Available

As you look through the meat section at your local grocery store you are probably like so many others asking yourself if the steaks you have chosen is really good meat. Here are some tips on how to make sure you buy good meat.

The quality grade does not necessarily mean that you will be getting good meat. Some cuts of meat are just naturally more tender than others. You should look for cuts from the less used muscles along the back such as the rib and loin sections. The shoulder, flank and leg cuts will be tougher. How to make sure you buy good meat

As you look through the meat section at your local grocery store you are probably like so many others asking yourself if the steaks you have chosen is really good meat. Here are some tips on how to make sure you buy good meat.

1. The quality grade does not necessarily mean that you will be getting good meat. Some cuts of meat are just naturally more tender than others. You should look for cuts from the less used muscles along the back such as the rib and loin sections. The shoulder, flank and leg cuts will be tougher.
2. The USDA beef quality grade is like this prime, choice, select, standard, commercial, utility, cutter and canner. The best beef that you can find is of course prime, but this is very hard to find and does come with a large price tag. Most of the beef that you find at your local grocery will be choice, select or standard. Standard is usually sold as un-graded or as "brand name" meat
3. Roast and steaks should be firm. Do not purchase soft or squishy feeling roast or steaks no matter the type of meat.
4. Check the sale by date and no buy after that date. You should buy the meat either before or on the day that is the "sell by date".
5. Check the packaging for any type of damage. The meat should be cold and wrapped securely.
6. The package should not contain any moisture. This could mean that the temperature of the meat has been above 40 degrees and that will cause the taste of your meat to be less quality.
7. Look for beef that is bright red in color and has thin creamy white fat evenly distributed throughout the roast or steak. On the other hand, veal should not be bright red; it should be almost white in color or lightly pink.
8. Before you buy any meat find out if it has been injected with flavorings. You do not want to purchase any meat that has been injected with flavorings, this can cause your meat to break down and become mushy.
9. Do your own tenderizing. Do not buy meat that has been tenderized by the butcher. He uses piercing products that allows the natural flavor and juices to escape from your meat and this will be produce a tough and un-flavorful meal. Try to purchase dry aged if at all possible. This type of meat will probably only be found at a butcher shop. Dry aging is a process where the meat is taken from the bag that it arrives in to the butcher and is hung in a cooler for a certain amount of time to dry out. This will make the cost go up, but the aging adds more flavor and also tenderizes the meat. If you buy your steak from the local grocery, the steak has been cut, wrapped in plastic and has aged on the way to the store.
10. When in doubt, talk with your butcher. He can answer all your questions regarding the different types of meat, cuts and may even have some great recipes for you to try.

Hans is author of Steaks, Seafood and Barbeque Recipes at http://www.steaks-guide.com