May your world be filled with warmth and good cheer this Holy season, and throughout the year! Wish your Christmas be filled with peace and love.
MERRY XMAS…
Posted by admin on December 24th, 2009
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Posted by admin on December 21st, 2009
Explore Christmas Food Across The World
The most awaited Christmas season has finally knocked our doors with a reason to eat, party and have unlimited fun. It also gives us a chance to explore Christmas delicacies across the world. Let us hace a look on this in alphabetical manner.
Australia: Australians love to have a Christmas lunch which is often barbequed prawns, steak and chicken with ice cream or sorbet for desert.
Brazil: Christmas meal could be chicken, turkey, ham, rice, salad, pork, fresh and dried fruits, often with beer. Poorer people will just have chicken and rice.
China: Chinese believe to have everything as a whole. Dishes that are served as whole are who;e fish, or whole chicken or duck, this is to keep away from bad connotations.
Czech Republic: In Czech republic, the Christmas tree is not lit before Christmas Eve when they have a big dinner of fish soup, salads, eggs and carp. Also, the number of people at the table must be even ensuring that each one has a partner.
France: Traditional Christmas food followed in France is a family meal with good meat and the best wine.
Germany: The favored Christmas meal of Germany is Roast Goose, accompanied by potatoes, cabbage, carrots, parsnip and pickles. The meal is usually eaten on Christmas Eve.
Hungary: A Hungarian Christmas meal is a fresh fish usually with rice or potatoes and homemade pastries as dessert.
Italy: Seven courses including antipasto, a small portion of pasta, roast meat, two salads, two sweet puddings, fruit, brandy and chocolates together make an Italian Christmas food.
Jamaica: In Jamaica, Christmas dinner usually consists of rice, pigeon peas chicken, ox tail and curried goat.
Korea: Korean Christmas doesn’t include any turkeys or hams, but plenty of Kimchi, hot peppers and bean paste.
Latvia: The special Latvian Christmas Day meal is cooked brown peas with bacon sauce, small pies, cabbage and sausage.
Mexico: In Mexico people like to have traditional food like tamales, Romeritos with mole, Bacalao (a fish dish originated in the Veracruz state and influenced by Spain cuisine) and Pozole (made with corn grains, pork, chicken and beef stew, red chiles)
Norway: The Christmas meal for coastal regions is traditionally cod, haddock and lutefisk. Inland pork chops, Christmas meatloaf and special sausages are eaten.
Poland: The traditional Christmas Eve supper consists of 12 non-meat dishes, representing the months of the year and featuring fish such as pike, herring and carp.
Russia: The traditional Russian Christmas food includes cakes, pies and meat dumplings.
South Africa: Christmas is during the hot summer season but the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings is eaten at Christmas.
United Kingdom: Christmas Pudding and Mince Pies are top grub. Mince pies, which are the first sign of Christmas in the UK and served with mulled wine, start popping up everywhere, from workplace canteens and coffee corners to the local Starbucks.
USA: Christmas lunch is often in small town and rural America goose, turkey, a variety of vegetables, squash, and pumpkin pie are traditionally eaten .
Posted by admin on December 10th, 2009
THE TRADITIONAL BOND OF CHRISTMAS AND GINGERBREAD
Baking gingerbread for Christmas is an ages-old tradition enjoyed by people around the world. Every year we make gingerbread men and a gingerbread house or Christmas tree with everybody getting in on the fun. We all enjoy the spicy flavors of gingerbread in cake, scones, and other baked goods throughout the year. Traditional gingerbread spices include cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice, and some other flavors complement them well, such as molasses, orange, chocolate, pumpkin, or cardamom.
There are a plenty of ideas to make some gingerbread in some creative ways for the holiday season.
GINGERBREAD MAN
Christmas baking wouldn’t seem complete without a batch of gingerbread men. The first gingerbread man is credited to the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who impressed important visitors with charming gingerbread portraits. The classic gingerbread men are often decorated with simple white icing piped around. The most popular gingerbread men decoration includes shirt buttons, which are traditionally represented by gum drops, icing, or raisins.
COOKIES
As the reigning king of all Christmas cookies, gingerbread can be made in a variety of ways. You can vary the spices, add chocolate, make it vegan or gluten-free, or use the spices in other types of cookies. And if you are looking for homemade holiday gifts, gingerbread cookies are a delicious addition to any cookie basket. For a different taste, try the cardamom white gingerbread or the chocolate gingerbread. For special diets you can make them gluten free and for a delicious variation, try fat free Vegan’s gluten-free gingerbread biscotti.
HOUSES
Once you start making gingerbread cookies, it’s a short jump over to making gingerbread houses, another treasured holiday tradition. The tradition of baking a Gingerbread house began in Germany after the Brothers Grimm published their collection of German fairy tales in the early 1800s. Among the tales was the story of Hansel and Gretel,children left to starve in the forest, who came upon a house made of bread and sugar decorations. The houses are decorated with candies and icing, in order to resemble the witch’s house found in the woods by Hansel and Gretel in Grimm’s Fairy Tale
Posted by admin on December 1st, 2009
Beat Stress With These Superfoods
Stress has become a part of our daily life while trying to balance a relationship, kids, extended family, a social life and a career. There are a number of things which can be done to lower the stress level. These include exercise, meditation, and deep breathing, but do you know that it is possible to strike out at stress by just opening your mouth. There are several foods that act as great stress-fighting superfoods and have a power to calm ragged nerves. These superfoods include:
Oranges:
We all love oranges, which are not just a delicious treat but also packed with disease fighting vitamin C. The vitamin C in a citrus product like the healthy orange will give our body a natural booster shot and helps prevent an even more stressful life event such as an illness. Oranges are also rich in a compound called citrus limonoids, which has been proven to fight a varieties of cancers including skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon.
Green Tea:
This slightly nutty tasting tea, either hot or cold, is a great health booster in many ways as it contains antioxidant properties. It is also full of theanine, which is a natural remedy for stress. Studies show that a cup of green tea boosts your body’s immune to reduce mental and physical stress.
Almonds:
Try crunching on almonds to get some stress out. Almonds are a healthy, mellowing choice because they contain tyrosine, one of the 20 amino acids that your cells use to synthesize proteins. They are also a good source of magnesium, potassium, zinc and iron. Recent studies show that when eaten in moderation they can also help with weight loss and those who ate the nuts had lower body mass indexes. If that’s not enough, almonds also promote healthy skin and prevent premature appearance of wrinkles.
Chocolate:
According to a study, eating 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate a day for two weeks reduced the levels of stress hormones in people who were reportedly highly stressed. Since chocolate contains theobromine, a myocardial stimulant, it increases heartbeat and dilates blood vessels causing a reduced blood pressure. It also contains cocoa which boosts your neurochemicals that tell your brain to produce a sense of happiness and relaxation.
Fish:
Fishes such as salmon and tuna which contain Omega-3 fatty acids can help in reducing stress. Test takers who consumed more of the healthy fats for three weeks halted a surge in stress hormones.
Posted by admin on November 24th, 2009
Enjoy A Delectable Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving, the time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude has finally arrived. Scrumptious cozy dinners, hot roasted turkeys, corn meals, and tasty dishes, that’s what thanksgiving is all about. Everyone has their ideas and plans for a relishing thanksgiving dinner. To to bring you the best of thanksgiving dinner menu, we have got the best of recipes for you to try, and make your dinner special.
APPETIZER
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients:
3 to 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, approximately 2, seeded and quartered
Unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Directions:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the quartered squash onto a half sheet pan, brush the flesh of the squash with a little butter and season with 1 tablespoon of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the white pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 30 to 35 minutes or until the flesh is soft and tender.
Scoop the flesh from the skin into a 6-quart pot. Add the broth, honey and ginger. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream and return to a low simmer. Season with the remaining salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
MAIN DISH:
Honey Brined Smoked Turkey
Ingredients
1 gallon hot water
1 pound kosher salt
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 pound honey
1 (7-pound) bag of ice
1 (15 to 20-pound) turkey, with giblets removed
Vegetable oil, for rubbing turkey
Directions
Combine the hot water and the salt in a 54-quart cooler. Stir until the salt dissolves. Stir in the vegetable broth and the honey. Add the ice and stir. Place the turkey in the brine, breast side up, and cover with cooler lid.. Brine overnight, up to 12 hours.
Remove the turkey from the brine and dry thoroughly. Rub the bird thoroughly with the vegetable oil.
Heat the grill to 400 degrees F.
Using a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil, build a smoke bomb. Place a cup of hickory wood chips in the center of the foil and gather up the edges, making a small pouch. Leave the pouch open at the top. Set this directly on the charcoal or on the metal bar over the gas flame. Set the turkey over indirect heat, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast meat, and set the alarm for 160 degrees F. Close the lid and cook for 1 hour.
After 1 hour check the bird; if the skin is golden brown, cover with aluminum foil and continue cooking. Also, after 1 hour, replace wood chips with second cup.
Once the bird reaches 160 degrees F, remove from grill, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 1 hour. Carve and serve.
SIDE DISH:
Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
3 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
16 fluid ounces (2 cups) half-and-half
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 ounces grated Parmesan
Directions
Peel and dice potatoes, making sure all are relatively the same size. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork.
Heat the half-and-half and the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and set aside.
Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain off the water. Mash and add the garlic-cream mixture, salt, and Parmesan; stir to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes so that mixture thickens and then serve.
DESSERT:
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
For Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter
For Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
For crust:
In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
For filling:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.
Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Posted by admin on November 21st, 2009
Posted by admin on November 16th, 2009
Freeze Food to Save Money
Imagine you’ve gone for grocery shopping and there you find a great sale on food items, fruits and vegetables. You add all these foods to your cart, but at home as you unpack the food, you realize you cannot use all this food before it spoils. But if you follow some smart steps to store the food correctly in freezer bags or plastic containers, you will always have a home-cooked meal that can be piping hot in minutes.
Save Space in the Freezer
- To make the most of freezer space, freeze food flat in freezer bags, then stack the bags horizontally or vertically in the freezer. Freeze fruits and vegetables in freezer bags on a cookie sheet to keep them from sticking together.
- Get the air out of the freezer bag to not only save room in the freezer but also to keep food from developing freezer burn. It is recommended to remove the maximum amount of air from the freezer bag by closing the top of the bag almost all the way, inserting a drinking straw and sucking the air out of the freezer bag.
- Use a freezer thermometer and keep the freezer at 0 degrees. Leave some space around frozen food packages so air can circulate to keep the freezer running efficiently.
- Remember to mark freezer bags with what the contents are and the date frozen before you place food in the bags. Then keep a list of what you have stored in your freezer.
Storing Meat, Poultry and Fish
These can be stored by wrapping in freezer paper or plastic wrap and then putting into a freezer bag. If you are freezing meat, poultry and fish in store packaging, wrap the package with plastic wrap before placing into freezer bags, because the store packaging tends to develop very small holes between the store and your freezer.
Freezing Bakery Items
Breads, cookies and cakes all freeze well. Be sure to use a freezer bag or air tight container that keeps to prevent bakery items from tasting dry and stale when thawed.
Freezing Milk and Cheese
To freeze milk, just place the unopened container directly in the freezer. The plastic carton will expand as the milk freezes, so be sure to leave plenty of space around the milk jug. While freezing cheese, cut it into smaller portions so you don’t have to thaw the entire block when you want a piece. Store each portion in plastic wrap and then put all the portions in a freezer bag.
By learning these easy and wise steps to store food and other necessities, you can save food and bucks for uncertain times and keep your family safe in crisis.
Posted by admin on November 11th, 2009
Fight Flu With These Immunity Booster Foods
With Swine and other kinds of flu spreading worldwide, we need to protect ourselves and our loved ones by taking protective measures such as taking a flu shot, using hand sanitizers, wearing gloves, and opening less public doors. Well apart from adopting these protective measures, it is the time to ramp up our body’s immune system to fight these growing menace.
Here in our first blog post, we thought of bringing up in your notice, some immune booster foods that should be in your flu season diet in order to increase your immunity level to fight flu.
Green Tea: The list of green tea’s health benefits also includes fighting the flu. Green tea is high in anti-viral activity against influenza. Green teas contain higher levels of the flavonoids (substances that are responsible for plants’ colors, as well as many of their health benefits) which are thought to be responsible for tea’s antiviral properties.
Chicken Soup: A steaming bowl of chicken soup is known to be the cure for every ailment, from the common cold to a nasty scrape on the knee. To get the anti-inflammatory and other health benefits of it, doctors suggests making chicken soup with vegetables at home.
Foods with Vitamin D: A sufficient amount of vitamin D offers protection against flu such as swine flu as it produces antimicrobial substances in the body. Milk, malted drink mixes, fortified cereals, roasted sockeye salmon and other good seafood etc. all provide vitamin D.
Yogurt: Probiotics the friendly bacteria found in yogurt and some other foods helps in boost the body’s immunity and reducing cold and flu symptoms. You can get probiotic bacteria naturally by eating yogurt with active cultures and fermented foods such as miso, tempeh, and kefir.
Spicy Peppers: Spicy peppers are also a great source of vitamin C and have antiviral properties and stimulate antibody production. They have the power to reduce the incidence of pneumonia. Eating foods rich in chilli is a great kick start to your immune system as well as your taste buds.
Foods Rich in Beta Carotene: Beta carotene is an organic compound which is known as an immune system enhancer. It produces natural infection fighting cells that help and protect your body from invaders. Sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, mangoes, papaya and squash are foods high in beta carotene and should be included in the diet.
In addition to above mentioned foods, make sure you eat plenty of whole grains, fruit, vegetables and low-fat protein to keep your immune system strong. Think of nutritious foods as part of your diet, and you’ll be ready to do fight whenever illness strikes.
Posted by admin on November 5th, 2009
Introducing Foodandtalk: A Blog All About Food
Welcome to Foodandtalk, a blog dedicated only to food. At Foodandtalk, we intend to bring you information, ideas and random thoughts about food and relevant topics . We are very excited about this new space occupied by our blog in this cyberplanet, that explores the culinary landscape. The purpose of our blog is to begin a discussion about food & drinks, sustainable food issues, food art, links to great looking food sites & blogs, restaurant reviews and current events and above all interaction with people who love to read and write about their culinary ideas, experiences and adventures.
We hope that this blog will help us to get into a two way communication as we invite you to post reviews, participate in contests, and be a part of our community. So, come and be a part of this epicurean journey to enjoy some food related talks.
Stay tuned while we get content and goodies loaded up! Bon Appetite!
