Eco-Friendly Ice Cream!

Maybe it's the heat (a sweltering 110 yesterday) or possibly it's my eternal sweet tooth but all I've thought about this week is ice cream! And while it might be challenging to take environmental-friendliness into account when staring at the frosty glass in the ice cream aisle drooling over everything from Mocha Almond Fudge to Berry Berry Goodness, try to remember that there may be a downside for the environment from the production of storage of ice cream (Bummer, I know).

Refrigeration of this most well-known treat (the average American eats about 6 gallons of ice cream a year though I'm fairly sure I'm above average in that respect) calls for the use of hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs) in the equipment. Although you'll find no airborne emissions (one doesn't see a lot of smoke emitting from freezers), these HFCs are dangerous when they leak into the environment either when maintenance occurs or when they're discarded. A 2004 study by the German Institute Oko-Recherche states that by 2050, emissions of all F-gases (of which 90% are HFCs) is expected to reach 5.2% of global greenhouse emissions. The impact of these emissions is equivalent to the carbon dioxide emissions of all the world's passenger vehicles in 2004.

Who knew ice cream shopping might be so tough?

To really feel as guilt-free as one can really feel when purchasing the not-so-healthiest treat within the aisle, veer towards Ben & Jerry's (the store if possible!). In their factory and at their stores, Ben & Jerry's use "Greenfreeze"A? technology that does not rely on HFCs to keep things cool. It is not to say that other ice cream companies and grocery stores won't follow suit soon, as the technology only became available in the United States a few years ago courtesy of Greenpeace scientists in Germany. Along with the ice cream giants, Haier, Whirlpool, Bosch and Panasonic have made use of the eco-friendly cooling option and soon McDonalds could follow suit.

Other delicious brands to attempt include:

Turtle Mountain So Delicious - A fantastic alternative for those lactose-intolerant folks still seeking a sweet summer treat. Turtle Mountain is made in Oregon using sustainably grown organic ingredients. Recently the company joined the Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association (FTSLA) to further support sustainable agriculture within the United States.

Living Harvest - We all know that hemp is a great alternative fabric (not as great as bamboo but that's for another post) but what about hemp ice cream?? Hemp is a sustainably grown resource cultivated the world over and Living Harvest uses it to make fantastic non-dairy frozen desserts including coffee biscotti and coconut lime flavors!

Luna & Larry Coconut Bliss - Achieving sustainability by using certified organic and fair trade ingredients, Luna & Larry also chose to use decadently rich and yummy coconut milk to lessen the ecological impacts of dairy farming. And whilst the company does sit on a dairy farm, that farm is an organic one that does not use artificial growth hormones and is currently working on a system that would convert methane gas into energy for local communities.

So try your hardest to keep these things in mind when shopping for a cool treat this summer!

Douglas Michaels Jr. writes educational articles for Green Earth News, the authority on everything Bamboo. For more information on Green Is Grand. Check out Green Earth Bamboo for bamboo sheets, bamboo clothing, duvet covers, towels and baby products, all made from the world's most sustainable and renewable resource on the planet.

Warm Potato Salad For Summer and Buffets

Summer is a time to start thinking about salads. There are many reasons to think of eating more salads, whether it's for health reasons, better diet or because the weather calls for them: hot, lazy days that call for no-fuss salad selections. Since cookouts take precedence over traditional oven fare in summertime, we are all looking for new additions to the buffet table.

The French eat outside all summer long and enjoy refreshing salads that can be thrown together in minutes. This fact inspires me to come up new and different salads all summer long (yes, that's like 4 months worth of salad creating!) Picnic-style food is in great demand from June through September.

Here is one of those creations. I tend to change my recipes around because I'm not one to eat the exact same salad or dish over and over. I like to use what's on hand. But in this case, I've made this salad several times as per the following recipe while entertaining guests and people love it!

Add fresh bread, rolls or biscuits to round out your meal then finish up with fresh summer fruit (with or without the whipped cream!) and you'll find that summer is a great time to be tossing up salads in the kitchen. And in the end, (and in my book) you can never have too many salad recipes. (Ever.)

Warm Potato Salad for Summer Buffet Table

Serves: 6

What I like about this salad is the brightness of the broccoli and lettuce that offsets the white from the potatoes. Using red russet or new red potatoes adds lovely contrast to the white and green. The touch of mayonnaise brings out the comfort-food feeling and is a crowd-pleaser. It is also important to use fresh broccoli and to not over steam it. I find that frozen broccoli just doesn't hold up as well in this salad.

Another few good points about this salad is that most people like potato salad and most people (yes, even kids) actually like broccoli so combining the two gets applause. Adding broccoli and some lettuce adds lightness and fiber to the salad, making it more "digestible". Add some leftover meat that you have on hand, and the meal is complete, all in one bowl. Finally, this salad can be made in advance and chilled, it can be served at room temperature or chilled.

2 lb. Potatoes, red russet or new red1 ? cups broccoli florets1-2 cups lettuce, broken into bite-size pieces2 green onions? cup olive oil1/3 cup mayonnaise2 tablespoons cumin1 tablespoon chili powder2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese2 tablespoons fresh parsley, snippedsalt and pepper to taste

optional: 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded (if serving as main course salad)

Peel and coarsely chop potatoes to desired size. Place in large pot; cover with water, bring to boil and cook 15 minutes. Potatoes should pierce easily with fork but still firm. Be careful not to over cook or potatoes will be too mushy for salad.Chop broccoli into bite-size pieces. Steam 3-5 minutes until tender-crisp.Prepare dressing ingredients by whisking together olive oil, mayonnaise, cumin, chili powder and cheese in small bowl. Set aside.Drain potatoes in colander when ready, let cool slightly before adding to serving bowl. Add broccoli, chicken and lettuce (if using); add dressing and toss. Sprinkle with parsley.

Can be served warm or room temperature.

"Anne Dessens is the founder of AnneDessens.com - your one-link to everything 'self-improvement': diet, recipes, running & walking, deep breathing, success, journaling, energy and universal laws.

To learn more about how to improve your diet today, increase your energy and live a more conscious lifestyle, please visit Anne's Recipe's at: http://www.annedessens.com/recipes.html

Sign up for Anne's newsletter for the latest up-to-date free recipes, dieting and lifestyle tips: http://www.annedessens.com/newsletter.html

Copyright: you may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links and this copyright notice remain intact."

Totally Terrific Tuna Salads

For a really quick and satisfying lunch, dinner, appetizer, or hearty snack with few ingredients, tuna salad fits the bill perfectly as it is incredibly easy to make and tastes great. It is also popular fare for picnics, parties, and informal gatherings and it makes for a rather inexpensive yet nutritious meal.

Most households have at least one can of tuna, which comes in cans packed in oil or water. Tuna packed in water instead of oil is a bit lower in calories and fat so choose this type if you are watching your diet. Also, since mayonnaise is a staple ingredient to use with tuna, choose a light or low fat variety for cutting fat and calories.

Depending on its exact ingredients, it is generally high in iron, vitamins E, B6, and B12, as well as niacin, phosphorus, and selenium. Including eggs and vegetables like celery, green peppers, and onions adds to the nutritional value of a simple tuna salad.

Instead of canned tuna you can grill fresh tuna and use it flaked with a few of your favorite spices and combined with mixed salad greens.

To make a really easy tuna salad use one can of tuna with three tablespoons of mayonnaise and about a quarter cup of chopped celery and onions combined. Mix all of the ingredients together and enjoy between two slices of bread or on a bed of fresh lettuce next to a few thick slices of tomato. Tuna salad is also delicious eaten along with crackers or spread on top of pita bread.

If you want a crunchy tuna salad, chop an apple leaving the skin on and mix it with mayonnaise, chopped celery, and flaked tuna. If you are not too fond of mayonnaise, try a zesty salad with white onions, chopped olives, and a spicy type of mustard such as Dijon mixed with the tuna.

Some other ingredients you may want to add to your tuna salad depending on your personal tastes include sweet pickle relish, hard boiled eggs, and capers. Herbs and seasonings that go well with tuna salad include basil, dill, fennel, pepper, rosemary, salt, and tarragon.

Tuna salad should keep for about a week in a sealed container in the refrigerator. If you will be taking tuna salad along with you on picnics make sure to keep it in a cooler full of ice especially on warm, sunny days.

Tuna Tortilla Salad Recipe

What You Need

1 small jalapeno, seeded, finely chopped1 small red onion, finely chopped2 cans tuna in olive oil, drained2 10 ounce cans corn, drained6 plum tomatoes, chopped3 tablespoons mayonnaiseTortilla chips

How to Make It

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped jalapenos and red onions with the drained tuna, corn, chopped tomatoes, and the mayonnaise and then mix everything together well.
Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for about a half hour before serving.
Spoon the jalapeno tuna salad on top of tortilla chips and serve.

Serves 4.

If you have a can of imitation crab meat, mayonnaise, and celery or onions you can put together a simple crab salad recipe for an easy meal. Crab salad is a great choice for lunch, dinner, and as a filling appetizer.

Why be Crabby When You can be a Salad - CrabSalads.com

Birthday Cake Ideas For Your Child's Big Day

Making cake for your child is one of the most satisfying art forms. Not only is it an enjoyable thing to plan about, but you and your guests get to eat the results of a joyful effort.

Generally, a cake book can show how familiar and easily-obtained ingredients can be used with a variety of bought trimmings to make wonderful cakes. But a chance to be creative and produce an eye-catching birthday cake can provide plenty of contrast in flavor and texture. The following cake ideas can render realistic-looking cake icing effects to make a child's birthday one of a kind.

Pastel Perfection

You'll need:

1 ready prepared deep sandwich cake2 egg whitesSqueeze of lemon juice125g powdered sugar, sifted1 teaspoon cornflourRed, green and yellow food coloring155ml heavy cream1 tablespoon milk90g or 1 cup desiccated coconutLemon curd (method below)3 piping bags fitted with star-shaped tubes

Procedure:

Begin with the meringues. Preheat oven to 240 degrees F. Using a whisk or a hand-held mixer, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until stiff. Gradually add powdered sugar until meringue stands in peaks. Using a metal spoon, fold in cornflour smoothly.

Divide meringue mixture equally between 3 bowls. Tint one bowl with pale pink from a few drops of the red coloring, one bowl pale yellow and remaining meringue pale green. Line a baking sheet with a non-stick baking paper. Do not grease the sheet. Pipe or spoon 12 mounds of meringue mixture in alternate colors onto prepared sheet. Bake for 1 ? - 2 hours until meringues are crisp and dry. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.

To complete decoration, whip cream and milk together in a bowl until thick. Spread around sides of cake with a palette knife. Spread coconut on a piece of foil. With one hand on top of cake and the other underneath, carefully turn cake on its side and roll in coconut until sides are evenly covered. Reserve remaining coconut in a dry bowl. Spread top of cake smoothly with lemon curd then dust lightly with remaining coconut. Finally add a border of pastel-colored meringues.

Chocolate Cake Dream Cake

You'll need:

1 ready prepared deep sandwich cake110g (3 ? oz) strawberry jam315g (10 oz) milk chocolate13 firm strawberries with stalks, washed and dried110g (3 ? oz) plain dark chocolate12 rose leaves leaves155ml heavy cream1 tablespoon milkPiping bag with large star-shaped tube

Procedure

Melt milk chocolate. Spread about 2/3 of the melted chocolate over top and sides of cake with a palette knife. Leave until fully set. Using back of knife, mark top of the cake to form 12 equal portions or slices, but do not slice. Meanwhile, dip 12 of the strawberries into remaining milk chocolate until half-covered. Leave to set or until chocolate is firm.

Melt plain dark chocolate then brush melted chocolate over tops of leaves. Set aside to set or until chocolate is firm. Very carefully pull leaves away from chocolate. Make more chocolate leaves than you need in case of breakages. In a large bowl, whip cream with milk until thick, using a whisk or hand-held mixer. Transfer to prepared piping bag and pipe 12 swirls around edge of cake. Decorate with the half-dipped strawberries and chocolate leaves. Place the plain strawberry in the center.

Enjoy your new chocolate birthday cakes.

For your cooking and baking needs, visit Your Smart Kitchen. The online location for quality cookware, bakeware, cutlery, appliances and related kitchenware with great brands. Featuring the new product Italian Terracotta by Piral. Sign in for the Chef Wannabee Newsletter for special discounts that you can avail.

How to Make Desserts for The Memorial Day Weekend - Apple Raisin and Memorial Chess Pies

We Americans love to celebrate our holidays and our traditions often turn to food. Memorial Day is known for parades, picnics and fun. Don't let the holiday slip by without some wonderful dessert surprises for your family and/or friends this year. Try something new like Memorial Chess Pie. This old Southern Indiana pie is known as Memorial Chess Pie, in the community where I grew up, in memory of Josie who often prepared this pie for church socials and community events. Memorial Day was a day for Josie's pie. Apple Pie is considered an American tradition and is usually found at patriotic holiday celebrations. This year why not go out on a limb by turning the traditional pie into an Apple-Raisin Pie with a drizzle topping?

MEMORIAL CHESS PIE
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp corn meal
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp vanilla

Cream together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cornmeal, and flour. Add the eggs, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla, combining well. Pour the mixture into an unbaked pie shell and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake another 30 to 35 minutes until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

APPLE-RAISIN PIE
pastry for a 2-crust pie
6 med to large tart apples
1 cup seedless raisins
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out half the pastry on a floured board or surface; place pastry in a 9-inch pie pan. Gently fit pastry into pan and trim the edge.

Pare, core, and thinly slice apples; mix together with the raisins in a large bowl. Place the apples-raisin mixture into the pastry. Mix the granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt together. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the apples and raisins. Slice butter into thin slices and evenly place over the pie mixture. Roll out the remaining half of the pastry dough and gently place over the pie filling. Cut about 3 slits in the center of the pastry to allow steam to escape. Seal the pastry edges and make a scallop design or your favorite sealing design.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is lightly browned. Allow to cool.

Mix the powdered sugar and water to make a drizzle-type glaze. Drizzle over the crust.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's dessert recipes visit her blog at http://ladybugssweettreats.blogspot.com/
For her diabetic recipes and information visit her at http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com/

Southern Style Potato Salad

Sweet iced tea, honey glazed ham, and potato salad are items that make up a typical lunch or dinner served in the south during the spring and summer months. Potato salad has a long and historic past with roots that reach back to Germany. Throughout the centuries this warm salad traveled with immigrants all over before it settled in America. Upon its arrival it became hugely popular, however not by all. Like the French, the Americans chose to serve potato salad cold and with a French creamy dressing of whipped eggs, oil, and herbs.

Although there is no recorded history as to when this recipe took on its new southern look and taste, many suppose that it occurred during the early 1900s. During this time the dressing mentioned above became industrialized and widely known as mayonnaise. Among mayonnaise, there were many other additions that helped to slowly change this Germanic recipe into a charming dish that is now considered the cornerstone of all things southern.

This style of potato salad is unique because for it to be truly southern, there can only be six ingredients. Those ingredients are potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, onions, sweet pickles, mayonnaise, and yellow mustard. There are many variations to this recipe, however this recipe is considered to be what many call "the way Grandmother use to make". Cold, creamy, and absolutely delicious, southern style potato salad is typically found palatable by those living in southern United States.

When preparing this potato salad, choose the potatoes carefully. Small varieties are best, and they should be drained well. The reason for this is so that upon adding the mayonnaise it does not become soupy. Also, remember that less is always better. Once ingredients are added they cannot be removed. As for the onions, eggs, and sweet pickles, these should be roughly chopped.

As for herbs and spices, this is generally done by personal taste. Dill and parsley can be added sparingly, where as salt and pepper are a must to enhance the flavor of the potatoes. For a finishing touch, paprika is sometimes sprinkled atop the dish before it is served to give it a pop of color and spice. Southern style potato salad is a wonderful recipe that tastes old-fashioned and is packed full of memories, especially for those who played under weeping willow trees when they were little. After you have mastered a few simple recipes you can experiment and create your own variations of this delicious dish.

Potato salad is a favorite dish found in cuisines around the world. Hot or cold, mellow or tangy, creamy or chunky, it is the perfect dish for picnics, patio parties, and potlucks. Browse and select a traditional or contemporary potato salad recipe and find a delicious accompaniment to your favorite entrees.

Contemporary Christening Cakes Trends

Traditional christening cakes are still very much in fashion-however for those who want to stray from classic looks and flavours, contemporary christening cake designs are on offer. Contemporary trends don't rule out tradition, but broaden the range of possibilities for decorating a christening cake. Colours, flavours, decorations, toppers, shapes, and display options are becoming more adventurous and light-hearted.

Beyond Fruit Cake

Fruit cake was once the standard cake for weddings and christenings, a tradition still loved by many. Now some families are choosing other types of cake, such as chocolate, sponge, or even carrot cake. The emphasis is not so much on the type of cake, but more on the quality and total effect.

Colour Trends

Trends are moving beyond white, baby blue, and pink as core colours. White is still popular as the main colour, but other accents are being chosen such as mauve for girls christening cakes and brilliant turquoise for boys christening cakes.

A white base is by no means obligatory-many variations are emerging, such as a totally pink creation or a blue round on a white square. Accents can venture beyond a single colour to a rainbow of pastels or brilliant colours. Some cakes are sculpted or themed and use whatever colours best fit the chosen theme.

Create a Tower or Keep it Simple

A christening is an opportunity to have several stacked cakes with a special decoration on top. Cakes can be lined up perfectly with a large one to start, a smaller one next, and an even smaller one on top. For a more playful look, abandon symmetry and alignment. Shapes can be mixed and matched-for example a round can go with a hexagon or a square.

For a small gathering or a different look, serving one or more individual cakes is completely acceptable. Size or height alone does not mark the importance of the occasion. Rather, all the details put together create the right mood and look for a celebration.

The Cupcake Explosion

Cupcakes are still popular as an alternative to one or more large cakes. They are easy to transport, display, and serve. Beautiful, with piped icings, poured or rolled fondant icings, these desserts can be different, yet conform to a common style or theme. Flavourings can vary as well, increasing chances of pleasing almost everyone. For display, place on tiered cake plates or purchase a stand specifically designed for small desserts.

Elegant, Sweet, or Playful Christening Cake Toppers

A christening cake topper can be a large decoration at the top of a stack of cakes, a delicate figurine on a cupcake, an attention-catcher on an individual cake top, or one of several christening cake decorations. A cake tower topper can be:

a beautiful bouquet of flowers,one or more cuddly teddies,standing letters spelling baby's name,gauzy, jewelled butterflies,a lounging infant figurine,traditional booties, ora princess's castle (seen on christening cakes for girls).cupcakes can have miniature edible or inedible decorations such as a baby rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, flowers, a building block, baby rattle, or teddies. Similar motifs can be used on single cake tops. More ideas include:a toy box overflowing with toys,a toy train (seen on christening cakes for boys), anda baby sleeping under a quilted blanket in a cradle.

Simple Fondant Designs

When you hire a professional baker, consider ordering a cake with fondant icing. Long associated with intricate frills and embroidery, fondant is now being moulded in contemporary ways. Simple designs provide an elegant, yet playful effect. One style seen on special occasion cakes is multiple dots of different sizes and colours. Layered appliques of stars, circles, flowers, or hearts are also attractive. Imagine a smooth fondant surface, simple shapes, complementary colours, and a base finished off with a shiny ribbon.

Castles, Race Cars, and More

Cakes shaped like animals, fantasy characters, and objects are being seen at birthday parties, showers, and christenings. Traditional symbols, such as booties, a flowery cross, or an open bible can shape the cake. However, for a christening cake you may also choose any theme suitable for young children, such as a racing car, train locomotive, princess's castle, toy box, or puppy. The name of the child of honour can be written on the cake board or on a plaque, if an inscription is desired.

Design possibilities are infinite. Consider these other examples:

A stack of cakes decorated to look like presents, resting on a baby blanket, with booties or a rattle on the side,A baby pram with baby, in either a two or three dimensional design,A frilly baby gown cake, orA stack of alphabet blocks, with a few other toys on the side.

Choices for Contemporary Christening Cakes

Christenings are special occasions that invite cakes with vintage looks, modern flourishes, or a combination of both. Inscriptions with full or partial name, date, reference to the christening, and blessing are optional. The final look will depend on your selection of elements and the style of the cake designer. To widen your style choices, shop around to get a feel for the "look" of cakes created by different bakers.

Discover the beautiful selection of christening cakes available in your local area. Custom designed christening cakes will match your celebration and form a delicious centerpiece.

Spicing With Radishes - Horse, Red, Daikon and Wasabi

I am most familiar with the red radish, which I grow in my garden. If you want to introduce your children to the miracle of turning a seed into something on your dining room table (a.k.a. gardening), the red radish is your answer. It grows quickly in mediocre soil and is usually the first thing I pick from my garden each spring. Just don't let them plop one in their mouths, or they may never want to garden again.

Alas, the red radish has very little energy value, but it is high in vitamin C compared to other root vegetables. It does perk up a salad or coleslaw, not only with its peppery, pungent flavor, but also with its bright, Christmas red color. The leaves are also edible and have more nutrients than the vegetable itself. That makes it a great little filler when you are low on salad greens. Soak the leaves and radishes in ice water to make them crisp before serving. Another reason to include radishes in your salad is for its crunchy texture.

Both the red radish and the horseradish are members of the mustard family, which explains their spicy flavor. Because of this bite, a little goes a long way. They are the small and tall of radishes. The horseradish can be five feet in height, while the red radish is the height of most ground cover. The root of the horseradish is bland until you grate it, which releases its pungent mustard oil. Mix it quickly with vinegar or it will lose its bite, darken and become bitter. It is best to use roots soon after you pick them or get them from the grocery store. Horseradish leaves are also edible, unless you are a horse, in which case it is poisonous. But I digress.

Vinegar and lemon juice complement horseradish by adding a sour flavor to it. Vinegar acts as a preservative and keeps the root from loosing flavor. If your jar of prepared horseradish has darkened from its original creamy white color, it is time to replenish it. Cream or mayonnaise improves the taste of horseradish by adding sweetness. Thus, it is often found in the form of a relish, but you may buy the light yellow roots as fresh produce. Fresh is better than dried. Add ? teaspoon of salt and 2/3 of a cup of white vinegar for every 1? cups of grated horseradish root. You'll like it better than the prepared stuff.

Horseradish is often associated with seafood, roast beef and cocktail sauces. It is also great with cream cheese in dips and with hard-boiled eggs. As with many salad fixings, you don't have to cook radishes. A little known fact is that southwestern Illinois grows about 85% of the world's horseradish market.

In Japan horseradish is often dyed green and served as a substitute for the more expensive wasabi radish. Daikon is also a radish used mostly in Japan. It looks like a white carrot and is peeled like one. It is often pickled in soy sauce and sugar.

This is probably more than you ever wanted to know about radishes. All in all they are easy to grow, colorful, spicy, crunchy and full of vitamin C with edible leaves. What else do you need to know?

Copyright 2011 by Linda K. Murdock. Linda Murdock is the best-selling author of A Busy Cook's Guide to Spices, How to Introduce New Flavors to Everyday Meals. Unlike most spice books, you can turn to a food, whether meat, vegetable or starch, and find a list of spices that go well with that food. Recipes are also included. Spices and how to use them are in the front of the book. To learn more go to http://bellwetherbooks.com/

World Peace Through Making Candy At Home

The world would be a sweeter place if world leaders negotiated in a kitchen rather than in some palace stateroom, making candy instead of making chaos.

Well, maybe...

But for sure the "home" certainly is sweeter and merrier when the family gets together for candy making. So if this activity can transform Mable's kitchen into a popular, fun, and truly magical place, why not the halls of world politics?

There is something about candy making that promotes the spirit of giving. You can't make a good batch of chocolate and not want to share. And when the "making it" experience is shared with others... in somebody's kitchen... the spirit of giving, like salt-water taffy, is folded, doubled, and blended into the atmosphere. It creates a generous mindset... It makes one want to "DO" something sweet. It puts meaning and action into the adage: Homemade Candy is like love, it is best when given away! Candy making can definitely be magical for friends and family... why not for principalities?

So, that's it... for peace in the home, make candy together!

For sure world harmony might not be quite so easily achieved. But it is also true that candy making can make individual pockets of the world much warmer and sweeter! If you don't believe it, gather a bunch of the neighborhood kids, and together make candy apples... You will see real joy and peace!

Fun and Joy are the Watchwords...

In fact the operative word for making home-made candy in general What conjures up the suggestion of more fun? "Let's go into the kitchen and make a meat loaf" or "Let's go into the kitchen and make some fudge"?

Dinner is suggested by the one... Sweetness and joy and giving is suggested by the other. For sure, we need dinner, but making dinner is a common, everyday kitchen event. And it's not very personal... it's more like a job... more like the business of running a home. Yes, it certainly can be joyful, but most of the time it is just ordinary... like a meeting of Heads-of-State.

Now... "Let's make fudge" screams togetherness

The joy and the magic in creating candy comes from the fact that it is not ordinary. It is special, calling for special efforts, and yielding special and sweet results. The rarity and the focused intent on fun brings the magic. Like the anticipation of Christmas or birthdays, or any other special day, a day for candy making is an event. Not that you put on the calendar six months in advance, announcing that the family will make candy on this day... (though you certainly can). The magic is that anytime, unexpectedly, will come the declaration: "Let's make cotton candy" or "Let's make candied apples" or "Let's invent a new candy today." Magic!

The only caution is not to put "fun" over safety concerns. Often when making delectable sweets in the kitchen you will be dealing with some very hot materials, and therefore if you bring young ones into the adventure, study and apply safety first.

Rocky Sanders, also known as Rocky Sweet, has been making candy at home ever since they gave him the nickname, "Hard Rock Candyman" in his 9th grade science class. Since then, he has gained a huge amount of knowledge about candy making, and has been sharing the delights of that knowledge with the world. So he'd like to share his expertise and knowledge with you, free of charge.

For great information on Making Candy At home, visit http://www.makingcandyathome.org/.

How to Make Various Salads for Diabetics That Others Will Enjoy, Too

Just because you or someone you cook for is diabetic, that doesn't mean you have to prepare two different types of meals. Diabetics can enjoy food along with the rest of the family with few, if any, adjustments. These salad recipes are perfect examples. While healthy for the diabetic diet, they are also perfect for anyone. Most people would never know these are diabetic-friendly salads! Choose from Diabetics Watergate Salad, or an Apple-Walnut Salad. The Watergate Salad is a perfect example of how you can take your regular recipes and adjust them to the diabetic. The change in taste is so subtle that my grandchildren, who absolutely love this salad, never know if they are eating the original version or my diabetic version. When recipes pass the grandchildren taste test, I know they will work for anyone! If your grocery store doesn't carry the sugar-free frozen whipped topping, ask them to stock it or check with another store. It is made by Cool Whip and should be in every major grocery store but can be hard to find. We as diabetics need to speak up about such matters. Diabetes has reached epidemic status in the United States. Sometimes we need to remind our grocers of that fact!

DIABETICS WATERGATE SALAD
1 can (20-oz)crushed pineapple in juice, drained very well
1 box (3.4-oz) sugar-free pistachio pudding mix
1/2 cup marshmallows*
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tub (8-oz) frozen whipped sugar-free topping, thawed

In a large bowl combine the drained pineapple with the pistachio pudding mix until well combined. Stir in the thawed whipped topping and blend well. Stir in the pecans then gently fold in the marshmallows. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Note: This salad can be made day ahead and refrigerated overnight making it great for busy cooks.

*Severe diabetics who have trouble controlling their blood sugar should omit the marshmallows.

HEALTHY APPLE-WALNUT SALAD
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons canola or olive oil
1 1/2 tsp honey*
1/4 tsp salt, optional
dash of fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp crumbled blue cheese
1 head of Bibb lettuce, separate into leaves
1 red apple, thinly sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced

In a small bowl,using a wire whisk, combine the vinegar, oil, honey, salt, and black pepper. Whisk together well. Stir in the cheese.

On four salad plates evenly divide the Bibb lettuce leaves. Divide the apple slices evenly and arrange over the lettuce leaves. Drizzle the dressing over the four salads and sprinkle the toasted chopped walnuts over the top.

Nutritional information per salad: Approximately 147 calories, 8 g (2 sat.)fat, 3 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 3 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 207 mg sodium

*Those suffering from severe uncontrolled diabetes should change the amount of honey to 1 teaspoon or omit and sweeten with their favorite artificial sweetener.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's recipes and diabetic information visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com/ For her old fashion recipe collection visit her at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com/

How to Make Yummy Desserts Featuring Fruits and a Recipe for Lemon Pineapple Party Punch

Fruits are not only delicious, they are healthy and make some yummy desserts. The recipes in this article feature some of our favorite fruits. You are sure to love Low-Fat Mandarin-Lime Fruit Dip served with an assortment of fresh fruits. This is perfect for your Spring and Summer parties. Old Nellie's Cherry Dessert goes together quickly and is wonderful served with a whipped cream topping. The Kentucky Fruit Dessert is based on an old dessert we ate in Kentucky. Being from Southern Indiana, we often crossed the Ohio River and ate in Kentucky where they served some wonderful food. This recipe is different but very good. The last recipe is for a Lemon Pineapple Party Punch which features the juices from these fine fruits.

LOW-FAT MANDARIN LIME FRUIT DIP
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp grated lime peel
1/2 tsp grated orange peel
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp orange juice

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients and blend together well. Refrigerate several hour to allow the flavors to blend. Serve with an assortment of fresh fruit.

OLD NELLIE'S CHERRY DESSERT
2 cans cherry pie filling
2 sticks butter, melted
1 cup chopped walnuts
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 box white cake mix

In a 9 x 11 x 2-inch baking pan, spread the two cans of cherry pie filling. Squeeze the lemon juice over the pie filling. Sprinkle the cake mix, dry, over the pie filling. Pour melted butter over the cake mix and sprinkle the nuts over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve topped with whipped cream.

KENTUCKY FRUIT DESSERT
1 can pineapple chunks
1 can diced pears
1 jar maraschino cherries
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp flour
1 egg, beaten
4 red apples, unpeeled
1 cup white miniature marshmallows
1 cup chopped pecans

Drain the pineapple, pears, and cherries, reserving the pear and pineapple juices. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, egg, the reserved pineapple juice and 1/2 cup of the reserved pear juice. Cook the mixture over low heat until thick, stirring constantly. Allow to cool. Remove the cores from the apples and cut into large chunks. Place the apples in a bowl; add the pineapple, pears, cherries, marshmallows and pecans. Stir gently to mix. Pour the sauce over all and chill for 24 hours.

LEMON-PINEAPPLE PARTY PUNCH
2 pkg (4-serving size) lemon gelatin
2 cups boiling hot water
1 can (46-oz) pineapple juice
1 small can frozen lemonade concentrate
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1 bottle (2-liter) ginger ale, chilled

Mix the dry gelatin with 2 cups hot water and stir until completely dissolved. Add pineapple juice and lemonade concentrate to the gelatin mixture. Pour the mixture into a gallon jug and fill 3/4 full with tap water. Stir in the sugar and almond extract. Place in the refrigerator to chill. Add the ginger ale just before serving. Serve in a punch bowl with fresh lemon slices floating on top as garnish, if desired.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's dessert recipes visit her blog at http://ladybugssweettreats.blogspot.com/ For her diabetic dessert recipes visit her at http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com/

Sumptuous Meals With Sunflower Kernels And Seeds

Sunflower seeds and kernels are a popular snack and both can be a nutritious addition to your diet. The sunflower is a large flower native to North America and its seeds have been relied upon for many centuries by Native Americans as a vital source of nutrition.

Sunflower kernels are low in calories, sodium, and fat but high in protein making them a recommended meat substitute and also ideal for adding both bulk and flavor to foods.

Sunflowers are a beautiful and fascinating annual plant growing several feet in the air with showy, yellow heads comprised of numerous flowers resembling large petals. Because of their bright color, sunflowers are quite attractive to bees which pollinate them moving from flower to flower.

At maturity, about three months after the seedling appears, the heads of sunflowers droop downward due to the weight of the seeds but before that they seem to follow the sun, hence their name. Interestingly enough, sunflowers "move" to follow the sunlight in a process called nutation, a heliotropic movement that causes the stem of the flower to move the head toward the sun.

The largest of sunflower seeds grow up to an inch long and are usually sold with the shell still on. The medium sized seeds are shelled for their inner kernel, and the smallest of all seeds are used for bird and pet foods. Sunflower kernels are the result after the outer shell has been removed mechanically leaving the inner "meat" intact. The kernel can then be eaten raw or roasted as a snack or for a tasty addition to many recipes especially salads.

There are many ways to enjoy sunflower kernels. Sprinkle some on yogurt for texture and flavor or use them as an ice cream topping. Sunflower kernels can be added to baked goods including bagels, breads, cakes, crackers, and muffins or use them for topping hot cereals.

You can easily make granola bars or a trail mix with sunflower kernels, popcorn, nuts, raisins, or the ingredients of your choice. For an equally healthy treat, stir fry sunflower kernels along with your favorite vegetables or use them for topping a variety of pasta dishes. Toss sunflower kernels with salad greens and all sorts of vegetables for a sumptuous and filling salad using all types of dressings.

Best Ever Broccoli Salad Recipe

What You Need

4 cup broccoli florets1/2 cup carrots, shredded1/2 cup golden raisins1/2 cup sunflower kernels1/2 cup cooked bacon, chopped1/2 cup purple onion, diced1 cup mayonnaise2 tablespoons red wine vinegar1/2 cup sugar

How to Make It

In a large mixing bowl, combine the broccoli with the shredded carrots, golden raisins, sunflower kernels, chopped bacon, and the diced onion and mix well.

In a smaller bowl, combine the mayonnaise with the red wine vinegar and sugar and mix well.

Pour the dressing over the broccoli salad and toss to coat well. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Serves 4.

A flank steak marinade is perfect for tenderizing this tough but flavorful cut of meat which you can also cut into strips before marinating to fully allow the flavor to permeate the meat. A great steak marinade uses just the right amount of acidic ingredients such as vinegar, lime or lemon juice, or wine to tenderize the meat and bring about its natural flavors.

Easy Steak Marinades Help Make a Truly Mouthwatering Meal - EasySteakMarinades.net

Grilled Peaches With Ginger Coconut Caramel

by IsaChandra

Serves 6 to 8

Grilled peaches…everyone is doing it! And why not, who doesn’t love a summer dessert that doesn’t involve turning the oven on?

When you grill a peach, or any fruit really, you want the exact right amount of caramelization. Too much and there’s bitterness, too little and it’s just kind of like eating a warm peach. Many recipes call for rubbing the peaches with sugar before grilling, but I think that can lead to grill misfires (pun not really intended, I just got lucky.) I like the method in this recipe because the peach is simply sprinkled with a little lemon juice and oil. Not adding sugar lessens the danger of over-caramelization, an epidemic that studies show affects 4 out of 5 peaches at every barbeque. Instead I rely on the caramel for sweetness, so let’s move on to that since it’s really the reason you’re here.

Ginger coconut caramel sauce! This sweet, fragrant, smooth and syrupy sauce is what elevates these grilled peaches to unforgettable. And even if you don’t have a candy thermometer, or if you’ve never made caramel before, this recipe is pretty easy and forgiving. Try to stop yourself from licking the spoon, just try it! No but seriously, I burned my tongue because I couldn’t wait, so you remember to let it cool a bit first! An added bonus is that you’ll probably have a little extra to drizzle over ice cream throughout the week.

I’d say that vegan vanilla ice cream is a total must here. I love good old So Delicious soy-based vanilla, but I think that a coconut based one would be a great choice, too.

Also, use plain white sugar here. The health-food sugars just don’t seem to work as well in caramels, I’m not sure why. So use beet sugar if you’re concerned about non-vegan filtration processes.

For the caramel:
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon cornstarch plus 1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated on a microplane
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the peaches:
6 to 8 ripe peaches
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons canola oil

And vanilla ice cream to serve

First make the caramel:

In a 2-quart pot, mix together sugar, water and maple syrup. Place over medium heat, and stir with a wisk until the sugar has dissolved.

Once dissolved, you don’t have to stir as much, but definitely keep a close eye so that it doesn’t burn, but do stir occasionally. It should be bubbly at the edges and start to turn a few shades darker. If it seems to be bubbling wildly, then lower the heat a bit.

Let cook this way for 15 minutes or so. In the meantime, mix the cornstarch with the tablespoon of water and slowly add the coconut milk, mixing with a fork to thoroughly incorporate the cornstarch.

Once the caramel turns a deep honey brown, slowly stream in the coconut milk, whisking constantly, then mix in the coconut oil, ginger and salt.

Cook for another 7 minutes or so, so that the cornstarch thickens the caramel a bit. Let cool a bit, but serve warm.

Prepare the Peaches:

Preheat the grill to medium-high. Remember to lightly grease it first so that the peaches don’t stick.

It’s easiest to slice the peaches width-wise (another way to think about it, is around the waist,) not stem to bottom. The pit will come out easier. Once sliced, hold each end of the peach and twist until it releases. Remove the pit, place peaches in a big bowl, and coat in oil and lemon juice. Use your hands to gently rub them and make sure they’re coated.

Grill each peach face down for about 7 minutes. Use a thin metal spatula to lift them from the grill. They should be tender and have awesome grill marks. Flip and grill for another 2 minutes or so, just to soften a bit more.

Serve immediately, with ice cream and drizzled with caramel.

Cake and Cupcake Decorating - Basic Tips and Supplies for Beginners to Get Started

With all of the cake and cupcake shows on television now, more and more people are starting to learn how to decorate cakes and cupcakes. It can be intimidating for a first timer to walk into a cake decorating or craft store to buy tools. Where do you start? What do you buy first? That's where I can help you.

Cakes

To start baking cakes, purchase standard sized 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pans that are two inches high. They should be good quality for long term usage. I suggest purchasing 3 or 4 because there will be times when you need to make a three-layer cake and other times when you need to make two different flavor cakes at the same time.

Kitchen supplies needed for cake decorating include parchment paper to use as a liner for your cake pans and to use as disposable decorating bags. If you choose to use the disposable decorating bags, remember to purchase the couplers so that you can easily change the tips while decorating. A sharp knife allows you to trim the dome cleanly off your baked cake without tearing it. A spatula and small turntable allow you to ice your cakes like the professionals.

Cupcakes

To start baking cupcakes, purchase a standard sized cupcake pan and a miniature sized cupcake pan. Miniature sized cupcake pans are the perfect size for little kids and cuts down on the amount of cupcake wasted. The standard sized cupcake pans are perfect for adults. Invest in cookie scoops as well to make it easier for you to control portion size and ensure even baking.

Cupcake supplies are inexpensive. Small and regular sized paper liners are easy to find as well as sugar crystals and sanding sugar used to sprinkle over your frosting. To add a shimmery effect on your cakes and cupcakes, use white edible glitter.

Buttercream Decorating

Basic buttercream cake decorating tools to start with include tips 3 (writing), 12 (large round tip), 21 (star tip), 104 (petal), and 352 (leaf tip). There are other tips on the market but these are the ones you will use the most.

You can create beautiful designs using these tips. Tip 12 can be used to create swirls or a continuous large ball shaped border. Tip 21 can be used to create top and bottom border designs as well as a complete side border of zig zags. Tip 104 makes ruffles, roses, rosebuds, drapes and bows. Tip 352 makes an extremely easy leaf and continuous wave design.

Fondant Decorating

Fondant is the medium used to create designer looking cakes. It is actually easy to work with if you remember two things. First, after removing the fondant from its packaging, lightly coat your hands with shortening and knead the fondant smooth. You can then roll out to a 1/4-inch thickness on a non-stick mat. Second, if your fondant is too hard to knead, place it in the microwave at 5-10 second intervals on 50 percent power to soften it. Proceed to roll it out and use it to cover your cakes and cupcakes. For 8-inch round cakes, I roll out a 16" round circle using a 16-inch round cake board as a template. For 9-inch round cakes, I roll out an 18-inch circle using an 18-inch round cake board as a template. There are fondant tools - special mats, smoothers and other supplies to help you during the fondant covering process. I have found success using two fondant smoothers.

Cupcakes can be covered with 1-inch or 2-inch round disks of fondant that can be decorated with punch cutters. Punch cutters are used to cut out pieces of fondant and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. To start off you should purchase a set of daisy cutters, blossom cutters, and a standard sized leaf cutter. Wilton has a set of designer pattern presses that you should also check out. They can be used on both cakes and cupcakes and make beautiful designs. Just practice using them before actually decorating your cake so that you know how much pressure to use to get a perfect design.

With these tips and techniques, you will be off to a great start as a cake and cupcake decorator. Most of all, remember to have fun.

Debra J. Mosely is the author of The Cake & Cookie Closet: All Dolled Up in Sugar. She's out to teach the world how to "dream in sugar." Tell your family and friends about her. http://www.thecakeandcookiecloset.com/

Salad Toppers - The Top Healthy Toppings For Your Salad

If you are trying to eat healthy, salads are a wonderful option for you to enjoy. The problem is that many people make their salads a calorie trap by using the wrong salad toppers. However, you will find that there are plenty of healthy toppings out there that you can enjoy. Here are several top salad toppers that you can use for a healthy salad.

Topping #1 - Tomatoes

One of the healthy salad toppers you will want to add to your salad is tomatoes. Tomatoes are wonderful for you and you can use fresh or even canned tomatoes on the top of your salad. The great thing about tomatoes that they include lycopene, which is a very powerful antioxidant. It is linked to reducing certain cancers like breast and colon cancers.

Topping #2 - Various Beans

Another of the healthy salad toppers is various types of beans, such as black beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans. These are heart healthy toppings that add protein, complex carbs, and even iron to your healthy salad.

Topping #3 - Seeds

You will find that different types of seeds make great salad toppers as well. Some of the best seeds to add to your salad include pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. These seeds include a lot of fiber, vitamin E, and various B vitamins. You can eat these toasted or raw on your salads for a nice crunch.

Topping #4 - Canned Fish

Canned fish can actually be a great healthy topping option that you may want to use on your salads too. This includes tuna and salmon. Fish includes omega-3s, which can help to lower your risk of developing heart disease. While it is nice to grill the fish for a salad, simply going with canned options are an easy way to top off your fish. This is a simple way that you can add healthy protein to every salad.

Topping #5 - Dried Cranberries

If you enjoy the sweet option, dried cranberries are a wonderful option. They are full of great antioxidants, they include high amounts of vitamin C, and they are very low in calories as well. This fruit is tangy and tart and they taste wonderful with pecans or walnuts. Here is a look at a great recipe that includes cranberries.

Cranberry Chicken Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups of romaine lettuce chopped1 cup of baby spinach1 cup of shredded or chopped chicken? cup of dried cranberries? cup of walnutsRaspberry vinaigrette dressing to taste

Preparation:

Cook chicken and cool. Shred or chop into smaller pieces. Chop romaine lettuce. Add to a salad bowl. Add in the baby spinach. Add the chicken and then toss. Top with walnuts and dried cranberries. Add the raspberry vinaigrette dressing to your own taste.

Serves 2 people.

Salads are a wonderful way to enjoy a healthy diet and they also go great with steak dinners as well. Find more great salad recipes and steak marinade recipe options that will make a wonderful dinner. Enjoy a flank steak marinade or other tasty marinades for a tasty steak.

Easy Steak Marinades Help Make a Truly Mouthwatering Meal - EasySteakMarinades.net

Making a Salad Fit for Caesar

You want confirmation? Hail Caesar. There are as many versions of the salad bearing his name as there are neighborhood steakhouses and suburban Olive Gardens. Caesars come with croutons and without and can come weighted down with grilled chicken, grilled steak, fried chicken, fried shrimp, roasted salmon, grilled portobellos, Grecian lamb and chickpeas, either fried or stewed. They come sometimes with bacon, with goat cheese, with yogurt. Your mother makes better, with anchovies. Or she does not, without.

What all these salads share: romaine, coated thick with emulsified oil that is bright with garlic and acidity, nutty with cheese and has some kind of salt-fish pong in it to bind the whole.

Buffs will tell you that Caesar Cardini invented this dish, whipping it up tableside at his restaurant in Tijuana in 1924, to serve Hollywood boozers come south to escape Prohibition and get something to eat. There was the requisite garlic and oil in his dressing, lemon and Worcestershire sauce, grated Parmesan and a coddled egg broken over the romaine at the end to slick the greens and coat the croutons. Anchovies did not make the cut. Though of course they were there, all the same, in the fine print on the bottle of Worcestershire sauce, a tiny ingredient that rose soon enough from the chorus to take on a starring role.

A recipe that most would recognize as a Caesar salad appears in the 1952 classic “Trader Vic’s Kitchen Kibitzer,” under the name “La Caseta Green Salad.” Victor Jules Bergeron, whose Trader Vic’s restaurants were a fixture of the Tiki-crazed 1950s and 1960s, attributed its creation to a “cleanly dressed Mexican lad, Jose,” down in “the famed Tia Juana.” As a dinner salad at La Caseta, Trader Vic wrote, Jose tossed the glistening, cheese-flecked greens “with a dozen or so anchovies and a liberal helping of croutons.”

As Julia Child told The Times in 2001, three years before her death, in a conversation about Caesar salad: “You know what happens to those recipes. People put in what they want after a while.” A Caesar is what you make of it.

So why not add smoked herring, the bacon of the sea? Hugue Dufour, who with his wife, Sarah Obraitis, runs the excellent M. Wells diner in Long Island City, steeps the fish in red-wine vinegar, both to mellow its saltiness and to calm the astringency of the vinegar, then whips the result together with more-traditional Caesar ingredients to create a loose mayonnaise. Tossed with torn romaine and fat brioche croutons glistening with butter and woodsy with thyme, then covered in a blizzard of finely grated Parmesan, this makes for an artful and pungent take on the old standard, whatever your old standard may be. It is head-shakingly delicious to boot.

Some notes on preparation. The thyme-flecked brioche is a fancy touch and a wonderful one, but if you want to ditch it in favor of the more traditional version, no one save an M. Wells maniac would disapprove.

More important: not all smoked herring is the same. Some of the tinned versions, available in many supermarkets near the canned tuna and red salmon, are watery and bland, especially in comparison with the whole kippered article you can sometimes find in delis and appetizing stores, in British-themed markets and always online. Taste what you get before you make the dish, and adjust the amount of fish you use accordingly. It is doubtful you will want to use less. Adding more may provide the smoky-sweet excellence you seek.

The same is true of the anchovies, if making a classic Caesar — which to my taste and opinion should be closer to Jose’s version than to Cardini’s, despite the name. You can, of course, omit the furry little critters entirely.

Finally, in whatever version of the salad, you will want to attend closely to the texture of the dressing. Its most important quality, whatever your ingredients, is one of smooth, thick creaminess: an emulsification of oil and acid liquids, with some of the appearance of dripping velvet. The egg yolk helps in this regard. If it does not, the mustard will. In a pinch, jammed up and scared because the guests are about to arrive, you could add a spoonful of mayonnaise to thicken things up. There is no shame in this. You render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s.

Smoked-Herring Caesar Salad

3 tablespoons smoked herring, finely chopped

A scant 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1/3 cup Parmesan, grated (and more for finishing)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 egg yolk, or 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups brioche, cut into 1-inch cubes, approximately 3 thick slices

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt

2 heads romaine lettuce, roughly cut, well rinsed and dried.

Chocolate Cupcake Recipe for Children's Party

If you are planning to host a children's party, you need to think about food and fun. You can plan games and activities so that your party guests will enjoy the party. By preparing for some simple games like balloon games or activities like dancing and singing, you won't have to invite a clown to entertain the children. For food, you can prepare chocolate cupcakes since they are easy to make.

As one cupcake is meant to be served to only one person, it will be easy for you to estimate the cost. You can simply count the number of children invited and their companions like their mothers or fathers. Cupcakes are served in paper cupcake liners, so there's no need for additional eating wares such as plates and spoons. Therefore, you don't have to worry about some children dropping eating utensils while they are eating. Besides, cupcakes can be easily arranged in one table, thus giving the children more space to do their activities.

Cupcakes are easy to prepare and children will enjoy eating them. Chocolate cupcakes are popular among children. To make a dozen cupcakes, you need the following ingredients: 5 eggs, 150 grams of sugar, ? teaspoon of cake emulsifier, 140 grams of flour, 25 grams of cocoa powder, 100 grams of margarine, 200 ml of fresh milk, 100 grams of cooking chocolate and chocolate paste.

First, pre-heat oven to 175°C. Place paper cupcake liners in a muffin or cupcake pan, and keep aside. Fold eggs, then add sugar, emulsifier, flour and cocoa powder. Mix for seven minutes until fluffy. Add margarine, and mix well. Pour the batter into the paper liners and then bake for 20 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Remove the cupcakes from oven and let them cool for a while at room temperature.

For the frosting, mix cold fresh milk with chocolate paste. Put the frosting into a piping bag and decorate the top of the cupcakes. You can decorate the cakes with tiny flowers, balls, butterflies, or other attractive shapes children will like. Shave the cooking chocolate and sprinkle them on top of the frosting. Put cupcakes in refrigerator until they are ready to be served.

You can prepare this cupcakes earlier so that you will have more time to do other preparations. Since cupcakes are easy to make, you can also make some more as treats for your guests to take home. Even a small children's party can be memorable for parents and especially children.

How to Select an Extra Special Birthday Cake

The birthday cake is paraded into the room, lighted up with candles, and serenaded with the strains of "Happy Birthday to You". This moment is a party highlight, the signature event of many a birthday. If you are organizing a birthday party, selecting the cake will be one of the most important tasks on your list. Gathering ideas and knowing about current trends will be a good place to start, whether you are going to hire a custom designer or purchase one over-the-counter.

Unique Birthday Cake Designs

The standard flowered birthday cake, inscribed with "Happy Birthday Jack!" or "Happy 60th Gwen" will always be acceptable, especially if it is made with attractive colors and favorite flavors. However decorators can offer more personal and imaginative designs. Four formats are often seen these days. Consider one of these for your next celebration:

A theme tableau created out of icing and non-edible figurines-for example, for a hockey fan, the surface depicts a hockey rink, complete with hockey players and hockey net.A cake made in a molded pan shaped like a flower, heart, Mickey Mouse head, or other popular shape.A three-dimensional sculpture-for example, the cake is a train; or a princess, made with a Barbie doll in an ornately decorated cake gown.Multi-cakes tiered vertically or in a lopsided whimsical way-for example, a stack of multi-colored, fondant-wrapped gift boxes, with colorful ribbons and other decorations.

Kids Birthday Cakes

Planning a child's party and wanting to serve a thrilling cake that she or he remembers for years to come? Order a design that reflects hobbies, favorite toys, pets, fantasy figures, or cartoon characters. Here are some ideas:

A puppy shape;A jungle scene with jungle vegetation and animals, such as monkeys, giraffes, and tigers;A tableau based on a favorite TV show, such as Sesame Street, featuring figurines for Bert, Ernie, and the Cookie Monster. Birthday cake toppers can double up as party favors. With a Sesame Street design, each child can take home a Sesame Street figurine;A crown decorated with jewels;A football or ballet slippers to reflect the child's interests.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless. The only "problem" is that your child may never again be satisfied with an ''ordinary'' cake after having had a theme design.

Adult Birthday Cakes

Adults enjoy imaginative cakes as well. While children often will be happy with chocolate, vanilla, or marble flavors, adults will be attracted to variations such as:

Mocha,Lemon,Carrot,Red velvet,Strawberry, orStrawberry shortcake.

Fillings can also have different flavors, such as cherry, chocolate mousse, traditional butter cream, raspberry gel, cream cheese icing, and lemon. Some people are particular about flavors so you will want to be sure that the selected ones will be appreciated by the guest of honor.

Many adults will be quite happy if you don't display their age. An advantage of tableaus and sculptures is that numbers don't need to be displayed. On the other hand, it is possible and sometimes desirable to record a special year such as 30, 50, or 65. The special number can be part of the trim garland instead of on top of the cake.

Adults enjoy sculptures and cake top pictures. For example, birthday cake decorations for adults could be:

A farm scene with fields, sky, and toppers for farmer and farm equipment;A cake shaped like a music symbol such as a guitar, treble clef, or drum set; or a stage tableau with a figurine of a favorite music star; orA hobby theme reflecting a favorite sport or pastime, such as an animal sculpture for a pet lover or a tool box for a handy person.

How to Find More Birthday Cake Ideas

To research further in your quest to develop the best birthday cake design, you can:

Look for pictures posted on the internet by professional and amateur bakers,Browse current magazines and books,Visit a few bakery counters to view cakes on display,Take pictures and ideas to a meeting with a designer who will create a custom cake.

Browse, research, and then make a decision-with a delicious cake and original decorations, your thoughtful effort will be appreciated by all.

Discover the beautiful selection of birthday cakes available in your local area. Custom designed birthday cakes will match your celebration and recipient, forming a delicious centerpiece.

How To Make A Greek Appetizer Salad Recipe To Impress Everyone You Know

With the warmer weather moving on in, many people will be doing some party planning whether they are planning to entertain a small intimate group or a very large crowd. If you are searching for a delicious appetizer, you can learn how to make a Greek appetizer salad recipe to impress everyone you know, whether in a large group setting or a small intimate family setting. It may sound intimidating, but this is an easy to make recipe and you may already have everything you need to prepare it for family, friends, or party guests.

Recipe for Greek Appetizer Salad

What You Need
1 can drained green beans 8 ounce3 small sliced zucchini1 small separated cauliflower? cup olive oil? cup lemon juice1 teaspoon salt? teaspoon sugar? teaspoon oregano1 minced garlic clove1 small sliced onionRipe olivesLettuce leavesCherry tomato halves

How to Make It

Rinse and drain the water from all the fresh vegetables and then cut, slice or mince the vegetables accordingly into separate bowls. You will need to slice the zucchini and the onion into thin slices and thin rings. Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves. Cut off any undesirable parts of the cauliflower and then separate the cauliflower into small bite size pieces. Set the vegetables aside until needed.

Drained the liquid off the can of green beans and then add the beans to a large saucepan over a medium high heat with about 1 inch of salted water. Bring to the salt water to a boil and then add the can of green beans. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to the lowest temperature setting. Cook the beans for about 5 minutes, or until the green beans are tender.

Add the sliced zucchini and separated cauliflower and return the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and then cover with a lid. Cook the vegetables for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Drain the liquid off the vegetables while discarding the liquid. After draining the vegetables place them in a shallow serving dish.

Using a small mixing bowl you will add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, sugar, oregano and minced garlic clove. Mix well to blend the flavors and then pour this salad dressing mixture over the cooked vegetables in the serving tray. Cover with the lid, aluminum foil or clear plastic food wrap. Place the dish in the refrigerator to chill overnight, or for at least 2 or 3 hours. Remember to spoon some of the dressing marinade over the cooked vegetables occasionally so that all the vegetables are coated and absorbing the marinade.

After marinating the vegetables for the desired amount of time you will place a lettuce leaf into a serving bowl and then spoon the cooked vegetables into the middle of the lettuce. Garnish with the thinly sliced onion rings and then top with the ripe olives and cherry tomatoes before serving.

If you are planning a large or small get together you might like to make some easy party appetizers. Then again, you might enjoy making and serving a delicious cold appetizer recipe. The good news is we have lots of great tasting ideas to share with you. Visit our website today to find them.

EasyAppetizerRecipes.net - You Make the Appetizers, We Help You Make Them Delicious

Make The Most Of Salads - Making Healthy Choices

Whether you are eating out and hitting up the salad bar or you are trying to create your own salads for a nice dinner party, you want to make sure that you only go with healthy choices. Even though you are eating a salad, it does not mean that it is healthy for you. It is important to learn which options are the best when it comes to salad bars. This way you get the best nutrient punch while enjoy a crisp and delicious salad.

Go with the Darker Greens

To make the most of a salad, start out by going with the darker greens. The dark leafy greens, such as romaine or spinach are going to be packed with great nutrients. Just one cup is going to offer you vitamin K and vitamin A, which are important to a healthy diet. They also provide plenty of fiber, folate, and even vitamin C. You will not get these benefits from the lighter greens that often end up in salads.

Add Veggies in Plenty of Colors

Make your salad as colorful as possible by adding veggies in all different colors. Choose veggies that are bright and attractive. This can include green peppers, red peppers, red tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, beets, and more. These veggies are packed with great nutrients as well, making the most of the salad that you are going to eat.

Lean Proteins

Instead of going with high fat proteins, choose lean proteins for your salad. One great way to get plenty of protein is to add in kidney beans and chickpeas. A half cup of beans will provide plenty of fiber and a lot of protein too. Both tuna and grilled chicken make great protein additions to a salad. Even lean cuts of grilled steak can make a wonderful protein addition to your salad. Other ways to add protein include adding hard cooked eggs, some cottage cheese, or just a bit of low fat cheeses. Avoid ham or anything that is oil or mayonnaise based.

Have Fun with Some Crunch

It is always nice to have some crunch in a good salad. You can get more crunch by adding in sunflower seeds, walnuts, or even some sesame seeds. These are better options than Asian noodles or croutons. Jazz up a salad with a bit of Parmesan cheese as well, which adds a nice tang to the salad you are creating.

Don't Forget to Garnish

As you are creating salads, do not forget to garnish your salad as well. One option is to add a sweet garnish by adding in some fresh fruit. Avoid going with fruits that are canned in a thick, sugar filled syrup. Grapes, watermelon, fresh berries, peaches, or even oranges make great garnishes to add a hint of sweet.

Be Careful with Dressings

Last, you do not want to ruin your entire salad by choosing the wrong dressing. Avoid the high fat, creamy dressings unless they are specifically low fat options. The best options are to make your own dressings or to simply add some vinegar and olive oil with a bit of pepper to your salad.

Salads are a healthy choice as long as you carefully choose the ingredients. Consider serving as a nice side with lean steaks. Look for a flank steak marinade recipe you like or find another great steak marinade to use for a nice dinner of steak and salad.

Easy Steak Marinades Help Make a Truly Mouthwatering Meal - EasySteakMarinades.net

The History of the Potato and Its Many Varieties

Domesticated several thousands of years ago, potatoes are native to the southern areas of Peru. This South American country is located on the western coast of the continent, and is home to over 5,000 varieties of potatoes. Also known as a tuber, this starchy food was once considered to be eaten solely by Incan gods. For this reason, the potato was an integral part of the Incan Empire's diet. The rest of the world did not become aware of this Peruvian delicacy until the Spanish arrived and conquered the Incan Indians.

The potato was introduced to Europe in the late 1500s, but it was not initially embraced. Once European farmers learned how to propagate the potato, it soon became a very important part of their cuisine. Although the potato was largely responsible for the European population boom in the 19th century, no one could have imagined that it would also be the reason for a country's famine and near destruction. Due to the limited varieties, potatoes became vulnerable to disease. In 1845, late blight, a plant disease, attacked crops across Ireland. Quickly spreading, late blight killed crops and was blamed for the Great Potato Famine.

Fast forward to today, and potatoes are one of the largest crops produced in the world. With thousands of varieties still growing in the Andes of Peru and all over the world, the potato is still an essential food eaten in many households. Over the past decade China has become known as the largest potato growing country. More than 300 million tons of potatoes are harvested worldwide each year, and almost one-third of them come from Asia.

With the average of 70 pounds eaten annually by the global citizen, potatoes are unlikely to fade from the culinary spotlight. Potatoes are full of nutrients like Vitamin B1, B6, C, and minerals like potassium and magnesium. Compared to other tubers and root vegetables, potatoes actually have substantial protein content. Depending on how the potato is prepared, it can be a healthy carbohydrate choice.

Potatoes are popular around the globe for their versatility, flavor, nutrition and cost. Most supermarkets offer several varieties of potatoes that are perfect for preparing appetizers, salads, soups, side dishes, and main courses. There are tens of thousands of recipes available for using potatoes and an infinite number of ways to prepare them. Potatoes are and will continue to be a prominent staple food for many, no matter where they live.

Potato salad is a favorite dish found in cuisines around the world. Hot or cold, mellow or tangy, creamy or chunky, it is the perfect dish for picnics, patio parties, and potlucks. Browse and select a traditional or contemporary potato salad recipe and find a delicious accompaniment to your favorite entrees.

Scrumptious Salads With Halloumi Cheese

Halloumi cheese was first created back during the times of the middle ages in Cyprus from the unpasteurized milk of goats and sheep. The cheese was then wrapped in mint leaves as a preservative which also added to its unique flavor.

Today, most commercial varieties of the cheese is made from cows' milk as it is less expensive and you can find ordinary halloumi and a version with tiny bits of fresh mint leaves inside. Authentic halloumi cheese is made in small batches in individual molds and the curds are heated and placed in brine which creatures a firm texture. A sprinkling of mint is also added to the half moon shaped batches of cheese.

Authentic halloumi cheese is excellent for grilling as it does not melt the way other cheeses would but simply hardens more instead. Some other cheeses ideal for grilling and eating plain or adding to salads include the Mexican queso blanco and the Indian paneer.

High in protein but low in fat, halloumi cheese is rich with calcium and offers a rather distinctive taste. Serve grilled halloumi as an appetizer or along with honey and fresh fruits as a deliciously sweet dessert.

Halloumi cheese will keep for quite a while in the refrigerator or freezer if it is wrapped tightly and not allowed to dry out.

Grilled Shrimp, Cheese, and Watermelon Salad Recipe

What You Need

1 pound extra large shrimp, cleaned2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided2 lemons, juiced, dividedSalt and ground black pepper to taste1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped, divided1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped, divided4 wooden skewers soaked in water for 1/2 hour1 cup canned chickpeas8 ounces halloumi cheese, sliced thick4 large 1 inch thick watermelon slices12 ounces salad greens16 Kalamata olives, pitted

How to Make It

In a large bowl, combine the cleaned shrimp with half of the olive oil, the juice from 1 lemon, salt and black pepper to taste, and half of the oregano and half of the mint. Mix well and allow it to marinate for a half hour.

While the shrimp is marinating, soak the wooden skewers in water for the same amount of time.
Preheat the grill to medium high heat.

Skewer the shrimp onto the 4 skewers and grill for about 2 minutes per side or until cooked through.

Line a pan with foil and place the chickpeas inside then grill for 5 to 7 minutes.

With a pastry brush, brush the rest of the olive oil onto the slices of halloumi cheese and watermelon. Grill the cheese and the watermelon for 2 minutes per side.

Cut the grilled watermelon into cubes and set aside.

Distribute the mixed greens amongst 4 plates and sprinkle the remaining seasonings on top with additional salt and black pepper if desired. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil on the salads and top each with the grilled chickpeas followed by the watermelon, cheese, and Kalamata olives.

Place a shrimp skewer on each plate then squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon on top of each plate.

Serve the grilled shrimp, cheese, and watermelon salad immediately.

Serves 4.

Make your favorite crab salad recipe and serve along with pasta for a filling meal. Use fresh seasonings like black pepper, celery salt, and red pepper flakes to add flavor and interest to any ordinary crab meat salad.

Why be Crabby When You can be a Salad - CrabSalads.com

5 Decorated Cupcake Ideas for Girls

Cupcakes are really flexible and you don't need a special occasion to make them. Recently, I've been more inspired than usual so I decided to try quite a few decorated cupcake ideas. I must say, they turned out pretty great! They're perfect for mums who want to surprise her kids with extra-specials treats in an ordinary day. You can make the cupcakes themselves in advance and the decorations can be put in place a couple of hours before you serve them.

Here are few decorated cupcake ideas you may want to try for yourself:

Fruit - Fresh fruit have been used to decorate cakes before, but you can also do the same to cupcakes. Pick your child's favorite fruit. Berries and even mangoes are a great choice, but whatever's in season will also work. To balance the taste, prepare your buttercream icing with cream cheese; smooth out a thick dollop with a spatula on top of the cupcake. Simply position your fruit choices on top of the icing so that it won't fall off.

Gummy Drops - You don't have to make everything from scratch when you are decorating your cupcakes. If you don't want to use too much icing but would still like to make it pop, you can use gummy drops instead. There's an assortment of designs and flavors to choose from. Don't forget to put a thin layer of buttercream icing at the bottom to hold them in place.

Glamorous Stars - Little girls need to feel like stars sometimes, and a star-designed personal cupcake may just do the job. Bake her favorite flavor using a foil liner. With a 1M decorating bag tip, pipe an icing swirl on top using buttercream icing in her favorite color. Sprinkle it with dark silver stars and 2mm cachous.

Cookie Flowers - Flowers are very basic among decorated cupcake ideas, but you may not want to use sugar flowers. Women and girls alike would enjoy a flower made from cookies. Just roll out a premade cookie dough and cut flower petals using a flower-shaped cookie cutter. After you've baked it well, outline and fill the top of the cookies using a thinned color flow icing. This would take hours to dry so you should make this a day in advance. Brush the surface with some pearl dust to make it shine.

Fairy Cakes - One of the things every mum should know is how to make fairy cupcakes for her girls. When making your cupcake base, be sure to fill only half of your baking mold with the batter. After it has thoroughly cooled off, ice the top with a fondant-style glaze. Before it could dry, put a small icing crown at the center. You can also put miniature edible flowers if you want.

These are only five of the many decorated cupcake ideas you can apply. There are many other ways to decorate a cupcake from simple icing sugar sprinkles to the most exotic intricate fondant models. A quick search through the internet will give you a heap more ideas. Good luck and have fun making your cupcakes!

Michelle Bloom is a writer for Cupcake City an Australian online e-store that sells a variety of cupcake products such as cupcake carriers and lovely cupcake liners, cupcake decorations and cupcake stands.

Tasty Cookie Recipes: Coconut Macaroons and Blissfully Good Cookies

Make up a batch of fresh homemade cookies for your family cookie jar. If you have children at home, one of the fun things to do with them is to bake cookies. And kids love eating something they helped to make. The recipes below are easy and tasty. There's sure to be at least one your family would love. Personally, I love macaroons and this recipe is delicious. However, I do have a granddaughter and a son who hate coconut so we need a variety. Perhaps it is that way in your family too. These are not your everyday cookie recipes but isn't it time to venture out a little and try something new?

YUM-YUM COCONUT MACAROONS
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
2 2/3 cups shredded coconut
2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 300 degrees.

Spray two large cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed of electric mixer until foamy. Beat in the sugar slowly, one tablespoon at a time, and continue beating until egg whites are stiff and glossy. Fold in the shredded coconut and the vanilla extract.

Drop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets by teaspoonfuls approximately 1-inch apart. Bake until the macaroons are golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: approximately 65-70 macaroons

BLISSFULLY GOOD COOKIES
8 squares semisweet baking chocolate
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks
2 cups chopped pecans

In a medium mixing bowl, melt the chocolate squares in the microwave on high for a couple of minutes. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Using a wooden or large heavy-duty plastic spoon, stir in the brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until well blended. Mix the baking powder into the flour; stir into the chocolate mixture. Stir in the chocolate chunks and chopped pecans. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes or until puffed up and they feel set to the touch. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet then cool completely on wire racks.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen large cookies.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's dessert recipes visit her blog at http://ladybugssweettreats.blogspot.com/
For her diabetic dessert recipes visit her at http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com/

How to Get More Healthy Walnuts Into Your Diet? Delicious Salad Recipes With Walnuts

Walnuts are small nutritional gems and doctors and nutritionists say we don't eat enough of them. Many times people stay away from them because of the fat content. The problem is, they provide the healthy fats that our bodies need to function properly. A cup of raw walnuts contains 18 grams of fat. However, that number contains no trans (bad) fats and only 2 grams of saturated fat. So 16 of those grams are healthy fats. The amount of saturated fat you would get in a serving of either of these salads wouldn't even be enough to count and these nuts have no cholesterol.

Walnuts are equal in carbohydrates and protein and very low in sugar with less than a gram of sugar per cup, making them perfect for diabetics. They also provide iron, calcium, vitamins C and E in small amounts. Everyone should include walnuts in their diet and adding them to salads is a good way to do that. This article has recipes for a Chicken, Peach, and Walnut Salad as well as well as an Apple Walnut Salad. If you aren't fond enough of walnuts to eat them raw, this is a great way to get them into your diet. For this article, I have included the nutritional information.

CHICKEN, PEACH, AND WALNUT SALAD
This recipe works for diabetics because of the carb to protein ratio and the 3 grams of fiber per serving. Remember there is basically no nutritional value in iceberg lettuce so it is best not to use it as a substitute for the mixed spring greens.

2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken breast
2 fresh peaches (medium sized), peeled and chopped coarse
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup mayonnaise (fat-free preferred)
1 tsp curry powder
8 cups packaged spring salad greens

In a medium mixing bowl combine the chicken, peaches, raisins, walnuts, mayonnaise, and curry powder. Gently toss to combine ingredients until coated.

Place salad greens on salad plates and top with the chicken mixture.

Yield: 4 servings

HEALTHY APPLE WALNUT SALAD

1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons canola or olive oil
1 1/2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt, optional
dash of fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp crumbled blue cheese
1 head of Bibb lettuce, separate into leaves
1 red apple, thinly sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced

In a small bowl,using a wire whisk, combine the vinegar, oil, honey, salt, and black pepper. Whisk together well. Stir in the cheese.

On four salad plates evenly divide the Bibb lettuce leaves. Divide the apple slices evenly and arrange over the lettuce leaves. Drizzle the dressing over the four salads and sprinkle the toasted chopped walnuts over the top.

Nutritional information per salad: Approximately 147 calories, 8 g (2 sat.)fat, 3 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 3 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 207 mg sodium

Per serving with 1/2 cup chicken mixture and 2 cups salad greens: 277 calories, 19 g carbs, 26 g protein, 3 g fiber, 12 g (1 g sat)fat, 57 mg cholesterol, 295 mg sodium Note: This analysis figured using fat-free mayonnaise!

Diabetic exchanges: 3 lean meats, 1 1/2 fat, 1 starch

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's recipes visit her blog at http://grandmasquickfixrecipes.blogspot.com/
For her diabetic information and recipes visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com/

Chicken Salad Recipes: Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad

Do you enjoy the refreshing sweet and tangy flavor of eating mandarin oranges? Have you ever had them in a salad made with grilled chicken and fresh vegetables? If not, you may be missing out on a real treat, because mandarin oranges are not just for desserts and cake decorations. They taste great when you mix them up in a mouthwatering salad with dressing as well.

Mandarin oranges are a citrus fruit that is kin to the family of oranges. They may go by different names. For instance, a Satsuma, Clementine, or tangerine may be a mandarin orange. They grow in tropical and sub-tropical climates. They are conveniently easy to peel while using your fingers. However, most often you may see mandarin oranges to use in various types of recipes come in a can.

Mandarin orange essential oils are useful for flavoring such products as bakery goods, ice cream, hard candy, gelatins, and chewing gum formulas. However, the orange segments are often found for decorating cakes, fruit salads and other desserts as well as in puddings and gelatins. You can use them to make this delicious mandarin oranges salad with grilled chicken and a sweet tangy raspberry yogurt dressing recipe.

So, anytime you are ready to start planning to bring out the grill to make grilled chicken you might want to consider making this salad to serve along with all the other great tasting foods and beverages you will be preparing for family and friends.

Recipe for Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad

What You Need

? cup olive oil? cup tarragon vinegar1 cup plain yogurt1 cup raspberry jam1 cup Thousand Island dressing4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves2 heads green bibbed lettuce2 heads red bibbed lettuce2 heads iceberg lettuce2 large cans mandarin orange segments4 sliced carrots? cup chopped pecans or walnuts

How to Make It

Add the olive oil and tarragon vinegar into a large size zip lock food bag and shake well. Set aside until needed.

Combine the plain yogurt, raspberry jam, and Thousand Island dressing in a large mixing bowl and mix until well blended. Chill this dressing mixture in the refrigerator until needed.

Rinse and drain the green bibbed lettuce, red bibbed lettuce, and iceberg lettuce. Leave whole leaves or cut and shred the lettuce for the salad. Toss into a large serving bowl. Place in the refrigerator to chill until needed.

Place the chicken strips into the bag of marinade. Seal and shake. Place in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 3 to 4 hours to marinade before grilling. After marinating the meat cook it over hot coals on the grill until done.

Cut the grilled chicken breast halves into 1 ? to 2 inch wide strips. Arrange the grilled chicken strips, mandarin orange segments and sliced carrots on top of the lettuce in the serving bowl. Spoon the raspberry yogurt dressing over the top of the entire salad and then top with chopped pecans or walnuts.

Do you enjoy making different types of chicken salad recipes? Perhaps you have a hankering for a delicious serving of chicken cordon bleu. If you do, be sure to visit us on our website today, we have so many more great tasting ideas to share with you.

BonelessChickenRecipe.com - Chicken so delightfully moist, you can almost smell it through your monitor.

How to Choose Eye-Catching Cake Toppers

Whether you're an avid baker or a connoisseur of fine baking, you'll know that the right cake topper makes the cake. Cake toppers are available in a wide range of designs to suit every occasion and taste. When planning an important wedding or birthday, consider the following tips for choosing perfect toppers.

Match the Style or Tone of the Celebration

The style of a celebration depends on who is invited and the preferences of the guests of honor. Cake toppers for wedding cakes, for example, may be formal-- or the couple may prefer a contemporary, even humorous style. Birthdays are usually fun and festive, but for the cake, some people choose a classic, elegant look, with ribbons, fresh flowers, and fine porcelain.

For traditional marriages, vintage wedding cake toppers are an option. Did you know that a wedding cake topper from the 1930's or even 20's can be purchased online? A classic cake might be crowned with fresh flowers, porcelain intertwined hearts, an elegant monogram, or kissing doves. A contemporary original art piece, made by a skilled crafts person, creates beauty and elegance. A metal or acrylic shape displaying the names of bride and groom; or engraved with words such as "Love" or "Bliss", create a romantic tone.

For a lighthearted celebration, look for funny wedding cake toppers, such as figurines of a married couple having fun on the beach in Hawaii, hiking in the mountains, riding a motorcycle, horseback riding, or golfing. Other options depict the "war" between the sexes-there are figurines that show a bride lassoing the groom, a bride holding the belt of a kneeling groom, and bride dragging the groom by the leg.

Birthday cake toppers also reflect different styles. For elegance or simplicity, aim for one single topper that is either attractive or informative. An attractive birthday cake topper might be a bouquet of flowers, a silk butterfly, or a satin bow. An informative topper might be the birthday year, the person's name, a framed photo, or a birthday greeting. A topper made of a good quality metal, glass, or acrylic, with a touch of color or jewels can be quite elegant.

For a fun or more personalized birthday cake, consider toppers that create a story. The cake may display a special interest or hobby or show characters from a favorite cartoon or movie. A theme cake is colorful, detailed, and an entertaining conversation piece.

Get to Know the Guests of Honor

Knowing something about the wedding couple, birthday "girl", or birthday "boy" can be quite helpful when selecting cake toppers. Beyond color and material preferences, it helps to know hobbies, interests, favorite animals, and favorite flowers, etc. when the cake is being personalized.

You may already know enough about the honored person(s). If not, interview a few family members or friends to discover the right theme. There is probably no sport, hobby, or taste that cannot be depicted with cake toppers, for example, picture a golf green with golfers, a scary scene with bats and vampires, or Pokemon figures in action on a birthday cake. A wedding cake may display many personal motifs or a single crowning figurine showing a couple engaging in an activity they enjoy.

Know Your Budget

As nice as it is to splurge for a special occasion, most of us have a budget. Fortunately, selections are available for every budget. For a wedding, consider rental as an alternative to purchasing. Look for edible and inedible toppers at bulk food stores, baking shops, and crafts stores. Browse the internet for catalogue items and custom order selections.

Order on Time

Shopping in advance is the best way to ensure that you come up with an exciting idea and get what you want. When ordering a custom made item for a wedding, keep peak wedding seasons in mind and order many months in advance. Internet shopping will yield many figurines that are unavailable in local shops, but remember to allow sufficient time for shipping.

Use Toppers as Party Souvenirs

Toppers on wedding cakes are often treasured for years as family heirlooms. When used on wedding cupcakes, toppers double as decorations and as party favors for each guest. A single monogram or figurine on a birthday cake can be an additional birthday gift; and multiple figurines on a birthday cake or on cupcakes can be souvenirs for party guests.

Consult with Others

Some people enjoy the surprise factor and choose to keep cake decorations a secret until the special day. This works for birthdays, as they come up every year. A wedding, on the other hand, occurs much less frequently--so getting one or more second opinions may not be a bad idea. Before purchasing or placing an order, get the input of one or more important people involved with the celebration. This last step will ensure that you have done all that is possible to select a fabulous cake topper.

Discover the amazing selection of cake toppers available in your local area. Custom designed cake toppers will bring your celebration cake to life and form part of your delicious centerpiece.

Grow Your Own Greens for a Tasty Salad

If you enjoy eating salad on a regular basis, why keeping purchasing various greens from the store? Many salad greens are actually very easy to grow at home, in a small greenhouse, on your back porch, or even in your windowsill. Start by planting it during the fall and grow in some containers that provide about 9-12 inches of soil depth. Remember, lettuce thrives under cooler weather. If you are going to grow your greens, you will find that there are several different options to choose from. Here are a few that you may want to add to your own salad kit so you can enjoy tasty dishes all year long.

Leaf Lettuce

First, leaf lettuce is one of the greens you will definitely want to try growing. It comes in many different varieties and it is very easy to grow as well. Instead of getting a head of lettuce, you will get bunches of leaves instead. You will find that there are many textures and colors that are available as well. When you are ready to harvest, make sure that you cut leaves about an inch from the soil. Do this and you will probably get another crop of this lettuce. Some of the options to try include Early Curled Simpson, Prize Head, Black Seeded Simpson, and Oak Leaf.

Romaine

Yet another option to consider growing for a nice salad is romaine lettuce, which is also known as Cos. You will get clusters of large leaves that are very crunchy. These greens are known for being crisp and full of flavor. It will take about 70 days or a bit longer to mature. Paris White Cos is a wonderful option to try planting yourself.

Butterhead Lettuce

Another of the greens that will definitely help you build a tasty salad is known as butterhead lettuce. The small open heads are tender and their center is very creamy, which is where it gets its name. While it takes a bit longer to mature, the mild flavor is amazing if you want a bit of variety when creating nice salad dishes. A few types to try include Tom Thumb, White Boston, Little Gem, and Buttercrunch.

Mixed Greens Salad Recipe

To use up the greens that you have made on your own, here is a wonderful recipe to make for a nice side salad. Find a tasty light dressing to add to the greens and enjoy eating something you have grown yourself.

What You'll Need:
2 cups of spinach1 cup of romaine lettuce, torn into small pieces1 cup of butterhead lettuces, torn into pieces1 radish, thinly sliced1 tomato, diced? cup red onion, chopped? cucumber, thinly sliced? cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded? cup of sunflower seeds

How to Make It:

In a bowl, mix together all the greens. Add vegetables. Toss the salad. Sprinkle with cheese and sunflower seeds. Serve into 6 bowls. Top with dressing of choice.

One you have your own greens, why not enjoy a nice dinner of steak in salad. Spend some time looking for the best steak marinade. Try a nice flank steak marinade or other marinades to infuse flavor and compliment your meal.

Easy Steak Marinades Help Make a Truly Mouthwatering Meal - EasySteakMarinades.net

The Best Vanilla Ice Cream

Summertime is one of my favorite times of the year to go out and find the best Vanilla Ice Cream. I love all flavors of ice cream, but a scoop of true pure vanilla is the ultimate sophisticated dessert. Vanilla ice cream is available everywhere, so how do you decide which one is right for you?

I started my quest for the best by strolling down the frozen food aisle in my local grocery store. The cartons claimed "creamiest", "old fashion", "slow churn", "natural", "fat free" and much more. I have no idea what most of those statements mean. I do know that low fat ice cream sounds to good to be true so I skipped right over it. I would rather eat a little less of the good stuff then load up on inferior ice cream.

In order to determine what all those claims meant on the cartons, I turned them over to the list of ingredients. Typically, ice cream is made from: milk, cream, sugar, eggs and flavoring (like vanilla, chocolate or fruit). I was amazed to see a list of ingredients on the side. Most commercial brands had high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavorings and a whole list of chemicals most individuals can not pronounce or know what they mean. I decided to give up on the grocery store and head to the local parlors.

Luckily, I live in a populated area that has many local and chain outlets. The chain outlets offer several variations ranging from frozen custard, frozen yogurt, soft serve and hard ice cream. Most of these are mass produced and no different from the grocery store offerings.

I did enjoy sampling several different varieties from the local parlors but even those ranged in quality. The smaller parlors served locally made ice cream made with all natural ingredients and milk from cows not given the bovine growth hormone (rBGH). These stores did provide the best store bought product available. Unfortunately, they did carry a hefty price for a scoop.

So my next choice was to see if I could make a healthy, rich creamy vanilla ice cream at home. I knew I only needed a few ingredients so it couldn't be that hard. I found the most important part of the process was having good quality ingredients and the right tools.

To get the best vanilla flavor, I opted for whole vanilla beans and fresh milk and cream from a local dairy. When they dairy found out what I was up to, they gave me great advice and I toured their facility. It was quite a process and started wondering if I could handle all the steps needed to produce the ultimate vanilla ice cream that I dream about daily.

My next step was to find a good quality ice cream maker. I did find an old fashion maker at a local antique store. I was quite intrigued by it but knew it would be a lot of work and time to churn it by hand. I decided an electric machine would serve my purpose and I found the right machine at my favorite on- line cooking store, Chef Depot.

When I received my new machine I was so excited to get started. I carefully measured all the ingredients and scrapped the vanilla beans out of the pod and mixed them in thoroughly. The whole house filled with the aroma from the beans. I was so anxious to taste my creation; I couldn't even wait until after dinner.

I was truly surprised how creamy and delicious it was and that I made it. I decided I needed to make a larger batch next time and share it at my next family gathering. Vanilla ice cream is one of the true pleasures in life!