February 25th, 2007
Hot pepper sauce is not for everyone. But if you into this fascinating style of cooking, you can discover hundreds of different tastes and styles with hot pepper sauces… Spicy food is something you either love or hate.
If you’ve grown up with boring bland cooking, you probably still like boring bland cooking. But if you are like me, you know that a little bit of a kick makes the meal. That is why it is so important to select the right hot pepper sauce.
If you’re not familiar with Cajun cooking, Indian cuisine, or any of the other styles of food that rely heavily on hot pepper sauce, you’d be surprised by how much effort people put into getting just the right flavor with just the right kick. From Tabasco pepper sauce through powdered cayenne pepper and beyond, there are hundreds of thousands of flavors available. There are even whole brands that make nothing but hot pepper sauce. But my favorite thing of all is the hot pepper sauce Festival.
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Tags: sauce
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February 18th, 2007
Hot chocolate has always been the favorite hot drink when you come home out of the cold, humid weather outside. I still remember the evenings that I visited my grandmother and I was treated with a nice hot cup of coco… Imagine a cold winter evening. You’ve been at the hill sledding with your children all day or out on the slopes with your friends.
The fire is stoked, there’s some holiday music coming from the stereo, and the room is full of good cheer. The topper to this perfect evening? The person you’ve had your eye on comes and brings you a steaming mug of hot chocolate.
Hot chocolate is often connected to good memories. It makes us feel warm and cozy and safe. It plays a big part in some of our pasts. But the hot chocolate of yesterday is not necessarily the same hot beverage we drink today. Today, chocolate beverages come in a wide variety of flavors. You can find an array of gourmet selections to choose from that can add a special touch to any evening.
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February 14th, 2007
Did you have the chance as a kid to enjoy some really old-fashioned chicken dinner? Pity if you didn’t, because these chicken dinner will stay in my memory until my last days… It’s probably a strange thing to say, but when I went to my dad’s for the weekend, long before I went to live with him, one of the first things we got was a chicken dinner.
I don’t know what it was about this dinner, but it was always so good, and we could not wait until the next time we could have one. The restaurant that made them is long gone, and that is a huge shame. It was by far one of the best meals I had as a kid, and I could always count on it being the same each time I ordered it.
The chicken dinner we had came with two pieces of chicken, a bun, coleslaw (that we never ate) and a small portion of macaroni and cheese. My brother and I always asked for it the moment we came to Dad’s house, and many times he had already ordered it by the time we got there. He loved the chicken dinner as much as we did, and he waited until we were there for the weekend before he would get it for himself.
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February 8th, 2007
Southern recipes are quite different from what is considered the standard American food. For many people, especially tourists and foreigners, the first time they get some real southern meal, comes as a complete surprise. Of course you shouldn’t wonder about this if you look at the history of the southern part of the USA : French, African, Spanish, Caribbean influences…
The South is known for its hospitality when it comes to food. Different regions and cultures have their own Southern recipes, reflecting the traditions of Native Americans and ideas brought from Africa, France and the Caribbean. It all makes for a tasty melting pot of dishes. It’s not always the healthiest of cuisine but there are plenty fish and vegetable elements for people concerned with healthy living.
Many Southern households wake up to the aroma of Country Ham with Red -Eye Gravy served for breakfast. This is usually cooked along with grits, biscuits and eggs. Dinner may be chicken and rice, cooked in the Spanish way, with hot pepper sauce, paprika and saffron.
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January 14th, 2007
A good chocolate cake recipe can save your marriage. That’s what I heard once on a talk-show. I don’t know if that is a bit exaggerated, but nevertheless… having a good chocolate cake recipe is certainly a bonus for cheering up the bad days.
This weekend was the beginning of the deer hunting season. Each year my husband and his brothers and their son’s get together and go deer hunting. They meet in a small cabin on a lake that two to of the brothers own. This cabin is located next to state land that is opened to hunting.
Each year they plan the same menu. The first night they have a fish fry, the second evening they grill steaks and the third evening they have spare ribs and sauerkraut. They also have chili and soup for lunch, and for breakfast they have boiled eggs and toast.
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Tags: chocolate
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January 11th, 2007
The romance of a cup of coffee is undeniable, from its first exotic origins in Ethiopia to the shiny dark coffee bean to the rich aroma it releases into the air when ground. Yet the coffee goes through many steps between the plantation and your coffee-maker. The entire process is structured to an engineering science as complex as wine making to ensure high quality and good taste. Each coffee bean you buy has its own background that gives it a unique taste and aroma.
The taste of each bean and how acidic it is, as well as how harsh and pungent it is, are all manipulated by how it’s roasted. Each company producing coffee beans has a set of standards that it adheres to, making different brands unique from one another. In their laboratories scientists look at the size of the bean, how dry it is, the quality of the essential oils, and how much caffeine it contains. Common quality control requirements call for looking at overall characteristics as well as the various steps in readying the coffee for market.
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January 7th, 2007
It’s time for another article about the cake decorating business! If you’re looking for a home business idea that has nothing to do with internet or computers, but just with grandma’s cooking, maybe cake decorating is something for you? I once toyed with the idea of owning my own cake decorating business, but nothing ever came out of it.
I guess it was just something that flitted in and out of my mind on occasion, but I never ended up doing anything about it. I think the biggest problem was that I don’t know anything about decorating cakes. I love to do it, but I am far from good at it. Perhaps it was the thought of going back to school for the third time that stopped my idea from going much further.
I still love to decorate cakes, and I love to look at them. There is a cake decorating business in my hometown, and I love to go in there and just look at the cakes. I don’t want to eat them; I just think they are very cool. The people that own the cake decorating business became used to the sight of me peeking in the windows, even though I don’t really go by there any more.
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January 2nd, 2007
Chocolate brownie recipes can be easily found on the internet. Just google “chocolate brownie recipes” and you will find a ton of the most delicious recipes online… If you love chocolate, you probably already know that there are about a million different ways you can eat it, and that there are thousands of recipes out there for different chocolate items.
Perhaps one of the most popular foods for chocoholics might be the chocolate brownie. They are moist and sweet, and always have just the right amount of chocolate to make you swoon just a little bit. If you make a good brownie, it is likely to be remembered by your family and friends for a long time to come. When you find a good brownie, you will want to have it every time you crave chocolate.
Not every chocolate brownie is the same. Some are better than others, and as far as I am concerned, there is nothing as good as a homemade chocolate brownie. You can buy all the ones from the store that you want, but nothing will ever compare to homemade.
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Tags: chocolate
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December 24th, 2006
African food is conquering America! More and more of my friends and colleagues are starting to get interested in African cuisine. You see African restaurants popping up in the streets. What’s going on and what is so specific about African food? As Kwanzaa approaches, African cuisine deserves some kudos on the cuisine scene. African food is a rich melange of dishes, with regional takes on seasonings and preparation methods.
Traditional foods combined in exotic ways reflect both native and foreign influences, accumulated and integrated over hundreds of years. If you haven’t explored the world of African cuisine, you’re in for a treat. A taste of this regionally diverse and rich cuisine may be just around the corner, in a family restaurant near you. If you’re not so lucky, there are a number of fabulous cookbooks available.
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December 24th, 2006
When you think of Mexican desserts, you might think of tacos, burritos, salsa and chips. Maybe you think of a cold beer, margarita, or iced tea. But, do you think about what you will have for dessert that is alsom Mexican? Yes indeed there are plenty of great Mexican dessert recipes out there. One of the most popular Mexican desserts is the empanada. You just mix butter, cream cheese, and flour to form a ball of dough. Refrigerating the dough overnight and you shape it into round short cylinders. Then add a spoonful of fruit in the center of each one. You bake them for fifteen minutes and when they are finished baking, roll them in cinnamon sugar.
Flan is one the classic Mexican desserts that is served in most Mexican restaurants. Not everyone tends to like it, but when prepared masterfully, it can be gourmet delicious. One small thing before making flan is that you need ramekins to bake the flans in. So do purchase some before you getting started. You need to cook some sugar in a saucepan until it is caramelized, and then pour it into each ramekin. Mix together several eggs, sugar, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Pour the custard mix into the ramekin. Bake it in a water bath in another oven safe dish until an inserted knife comes out clean. It takes about forty-five minutes to the table. Flan can be enjoyed it warm or chilled.
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