Cake

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a cake as ""a mixture of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, etc., baked in the oven"". How grossly understated, for the definition simply fails to capture the essence of a cake. The cake, quite literally "takes the cake" when it comes to the choice of a dessert or a teatime snack. This is because it makes for a hassle-free preparation. The ingredients are readily available, and you just need to mix them well and put it in an oven for baking. A cake is great...

The Well-Stocked Pantry - A Cook's Secret Weapon

Doing any job is easier when you have the right tools on hand. One of a cook's best tools -- and secret weapons -- is having a well-stocked pantry.Cooking is much simpler if you know that you've already got what you need on hand, and aren't going to have to run to the corner market every time you want to fix a meal.Having a well-stocked pantry is also the secret weapon of every "Hostess with the Mostest" especially when unexpected guests drop by.You'll be able to make every guest feel special...

Choosing the Freshest Vegetables

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

Meats

Writing this review of meats on father's day is probably fitting, as most fathers are meat and potatoes men. Let's face it, what red blooded man doesn't like a thick juicy steak with mashed potatoes for dinner? Try to serve him some fish and chips and he'll probably have a fit. Well, there's more kinds of meat than just steak. We'll cover a few of them here and what you can do with them.Yes, it's true. There is nothing like a good piece of steak. But a steak is not just a steak. ...

Popcorn Machine Parts

If you are someone that repairs and work on popcorn machines, then you need to know where to find popcorn machine parts. Having the necessary parts to fix just about any popcorn machine that comes your way might be crucial to your business. Word of mouth is great for this type of business, and you will want your customers to tell their friends who to take their popcorn machines to for repairs. Many movie theater owners know each other, and you might even find that one single person will...

Chicken Fried Steak

For those who happen to enjoy an unusual cross of flavors and styles, chicken fried steak is something to be experienced. A cross between the classic taste of steak and the simple joys of fried chicken, this increasingly popular method of cooking steak is a wonderfully memorable mix of different flavors. Casual, yet dignified, it is a meal that distinguishes itself with its flexibility and accessible nature. Which makes chicken fried steak the type of meal that can fit a variety of occasions. Cooking...

Local or Organic? A False Choice

A couple of years ago, I visited an organic vegetable farm in southeast Minnesota, not far from the Mississippi River. Nestled in a valley that sloped down from rolling pasture and cropland sat Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables, a 40-acre farm. Featherstone was part of a local food web in the upper Midwest, selling at a farmers' market, through a CSA (community supported agriculture) and to co-op stores in the Twin Cities. But the partners, Jack Hedin and Rhys Williams, who began in 1995,...

Romantic Miami Restaurants

Cacao, located in Coral Gables, has made its mark among the other chic Coral Gables restaurants. The simple yet warm d

Flour Enrichment - What, When, Why

Two main goals in milling wheat flour are: Separating as much endosperm as possible from bran and germ in wheat berriesTurning separating endosperm into fine flour Unfortunately, this process also inadvertently removes many natural and valuable vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers.Lacking these essential nutrients in daily diets makes people very susceptible to diseases such as beriberi and pellagra. Many birth defects are also linked to nutrient deficiency.In response to this problem,...

Things to Consider When Choosing Barbecue Meat

Everybody loves a good barbecue. But once in while, we get that itch when we just want everything to be absolutely perfect - from the bbq marinade to the the barbecue meat to the paper plates and cups. Speaking of barbecue meat, there are some things you should consider when choosing meat to help bring out the perfect flavor of the barbecue.In general, the most common barbecue meat choices are beef, pork and poultry, with each type of meat having something different to offer to the palate....

Jelly Beans - It Wouldn't Be Easter Without Them

When I was growing up in the 60's and 70's, jelly beans showed up once a year. I was always certain of finding jelly beans in my Easter basket. And as far as I knew, there were only two kinds of jelly beans - ones made by Brach's that were always in my Easter basket, and some off-brand that my Aunt had at her house and that I hated. Like many people my favorite color of jelly bean was red, or cherry flavored, and it still is. My second favorite flavor when I was little was the black or...

What's in Season in South Africa?

South Africans live from season to season, eating what the earth gives them. A variation in latitude and height above sea level as well as the effect of ocean currents causes a great variety of climatic conditions throughout the country. There are three main rainfall-regions, divided into a winter rainfall in the south western part of the country including the Western Cape, rain all year round along the southern coastal belt and a summer rainfall in the rest of the country.Rainfall varies...

Mansanto Terminator Seeds and Its Critics

There are many critics of Monsanto Corporation and its genetically modified seeds. Yet in review we see that Monsanto's Terminator Seeds prevent corrupting the native naturally evolved seeds. This protects the modified seeds from messing up the native crops.So the Farmer's who condemn Monsanto do not need to buy them. They are free to do things their old way. If however that old way cannot compete in the market place by volume or demand due to lower yields or quality of crop or are less...

Bakery

A bakery is a place that practically everyone has visited at one time or another. It is the place where we can get delicious cakes, pastries, cookies, bread, biscuits and even sandwiches! We can buy cakes for first-year birthdays, graduation parties and weddings. However, if you are one who counts calories, it is better to avoid frequently visiting the bakery!There are basically two types of bakeries: wholesale bakeries and retail bakeries. The wholesale bakery is the place where there...

Make Your Own Brine and Enjoy Healthy Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds contain large amounts of healthy fat acids and can be enjoyed fresh or used in bread and dishes. They are very popular in candy in deserts and many sunflower lovers make their own brine to spice up the taste of the sunflower seed. Creating your own brine is easy if you follow the simple steps outlined below. The first humans that enjoyed tasty sunflower seeds were the Native Americans. They even used them to cook and bake cakes; sunflower seeds were grounded into a nutritious...