hi my love,
after too many months later, today i ate a slice of pepperoni pizza :)cheesy ,oily crispy goodness...i never knew a pizza
slice can make someone as happy as a little kid during xmas morning :)))i did not care my pizza is cheap "Target" slice and i did not care share my
table with 3000lb black lady,even i did not care when she said "man!! you really enjoying your pizza.
I chewed my each bites may be over 20 times in order to get maximum taste from my gourmet lunch,my taste buds worked very hard to find out what's going on here?
I didn't know I loved so many things about simple slice of pizza and I had to wait until today.
it's 2008 december 31st i was sitting by the window inside the Target with 3000lb black lady next to me and i was the happiest man on earth while i was manducating my $2 pepperoni pizza.
just wanna share one of my finest moment with you...
xoxo
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
BOUILLABAISE
(French Provençal seafood stew)
Bouillabaisse is one of the great dishes of French Provençal cuisine. . Making it is actually fairly simple. The key is using top-notch ingredients. Ideally bouillabaisse is made with rascasse, an ugly fish found only in the Mediterranean. But feel free to make it with any combination of fish and seafood available to you. Try to use as many different types as possible, as it improves the flavor.
6-8 servings
Broth
Olive oil -- 1/4 cup
Onion, chopped -- 1
Celery, chopped -- 2 ribs
Garlic, crushed -- 4 cloves
Fish heads and bones (see variations) -- 2-3 pounds
Tomatoes, chopped -- 1 pound
Fennel bulb, or dried fennel seed (optional) --1 chopped bulb or 1 teaspoon seed
Orange peel (no white pith) -- 1 piece, about 2-3 inches long
Parsley -- 6-8 sprigs
Fresh thyme -- 2 sprigs
Bay leaf -- 1
Saffron (optional) -- 1 pinch
Salt -- 2 teaspoons
Peppercorns -- 6-8
Water -- 2 quarts
White wine (optional) -- 1 cup
Rouille
Red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded -- 1
Potato, cooked and peeled -- 1
Garlic, crushed -- 4 cloves
Hot chile pepper, minced -- 1
Fresh basil -- 2 tablespoons
Salt and pepper -- to taste
Olive oil -- 1/4 cup
To Finish
Fish and seafood (see variations) -- 5-6 pounds
French bread sliced and toasted -- 2-3 pieces per person
Method
For the Broth: Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven oil over a medium flame. Add the onions, celery and garlic and sauté slowly until the onions are wilted and translucent. Stir in all the remaining broth ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
Strain the broth, discarding the solids, and adjust its seasoning with salt and pepper. (The recipe can be prepared up to this point and the broth kept in the fridge until needed.)
For the Rouille: Place the roasted pepper, potato, garlic, chile pepper, basil, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor with a little of the broth from above. With the blender or processor running, gradually pour in the olive oil. Thin out the sauce a little with more of the broth if needed. The rouille should be thick but spreadable. Adjust seasoning and place in a sauce boat or small bowl.
To Finish: Bring the broth to a simmer again over medium heat. Add the fish and seafood in batches, starting with the firmest fish first and ending with the most delicate seafood. Simmer until all the fish and seafood is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
To serve, place the toasted bread in the bottom of each individual's bowl. Place a piece of each type of fish and seafood over the bread in each bowl and spoon the broth over all. Pass rouille at the table for each guest to stir into the bouillabaisse.
Variations
Any bouillabaisse worth its sea salt has at least three different kinds of fish and seafood, hopefully more for best flavor. While rascasse is a must in Marseille, any variety of non-oily white fish will do. Monkfish is especially tasty. For seafood, try clams, mussels, lobster, crab, langoustines, calamari, octopus or sea urchins.
If you can, buy the fish whole and have your fishmonger clean and fillet it for you. Have him save the bones and heads for you to use in the broth. Otherwise, ask him if he has heads and bones to sell. Don't use bones from any oily fish (salmon, mackerel). If all else fails, just substitute bottled clam juice for half the water.
Use 1 leek instead of the onion if you like.
Add 1 cup of peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes after straining the broth you like.
Add 1/4 cup Pernod liquor to the broth if you like.
Notes
Bouillabaisse, a Provençal word meaning "slow simmer," is special occasion food. It is a good dish to make when you are having a number of guests. In Marseille, where bouillabaisse originated as fishermen's food, the fish and seafood is traditionally strained from the broth and served on a platter, while the broth is poured into a soup terrine and ladled into bowls at the table. The rouille is spread on the toast, which garnish the soup.
Rouille can be used as a garnish for other Provençal fish dishes or simply spread on bread and eaten.
spectecular Taste of Grilled Intestines:KOKORECH
Just like a horizontal doner, but made from the intestines of suckling lambs. The enterprising dudes roll their barbeques up outside of tea-shops during football games and outside bars on Friday night.
The stack of intestines is cooked over charcoal, chopped up into mince and mixed with tomatoes and peppers and served on warm bread. There are also restaurants that sell nothing but kokorec, but I predict it's tastiest with a marinade of bus exhaust.
Mmmmm. The EU will have skewered lambs' intestines cooked on the street in their sights when Turkey's membership comes up. I think the Turks can rest easy. Their kokorec isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
yes i am a chocolate freak and i would like to try this
Got a sweet tooth and a taste for the truly exotic? Then you’ve got to try the latest chocolate innovation—it’s made from camel’s milk. As camel milk is a traditional staple in the Arabic world, the new chocolate is expected to have a potential market of some 200 million people.
The powdered camel milk is sent to the Austrian Chocolatier Hochleitner to make what is lower fat and sweeter chocolate than that derived from cow’s milk.
The chocolate is called Al Nassma which is the name of a cool desert wind.
How about omlette with your male partner's SEMEN
The perfect gift for the semen enthusiast :))) in your life, ‘Natural Harvest: A Collection of Semen Based Recipes’ is a unique cookbook that explores the culinary value of semen through delectable recipes such as White Russians with Semen, and Semen and Oysters on the half shell.
According to the book’s description, semen is nutritious, and also has a wonderful texture and amazing cooking properties, yet it is a neglected ingredient.
A very exciting new central ingredient indeed! (may be not)
tea with little rock star kick
Forget saying it with flowers, or a message in a bottle. A message in a teapot is where it is at. Tea has been increasingly in style for a while (and being Turkish, I am qualified in this area), but it has just gone up a level, just in time for Christmas. Yeah!
Check out this rock star packaging for tea, each having a very special message. As often is the case with awesome items like this, you can only get it in the US not the UK (says a sulking Cowbag.)
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
"Rosa Di Parma" an Italian Pork Tenderloin Classic
2 teaspoon(s) fresh sage, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) minced garlic
1 teaspoon(s) fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
1 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
2 pork tenderloins (1-1 1/4 pounds each), trimmed
4 Italian Parma ham (Prosciutto di Parma) , divided
1 cup(s) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
3 teaspoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Directions
1. Combine sage, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
3. You're going to double butterfly the tenderloins, so they can be flattened, stuffed and rolled. To do that, make two long horizontal cuts, one on each side, dividing the tenderloin in thirds without cutting all the way through. Working with one tenderloin at a time, lay it on a cutting board. Holding the knife blade flat, so it's parallel to the board, make a lengthwise cut into the side of the tenderloin one-third of the way down from the top, stopping short of the opposite edge so that the flaps remain attached. Rotate the tenderloin 180 degrees. Still holding the knife parallel to the cutting board, make a lengthwise cut into the side opposite the original cut, starting two-thirds of the way down from the top of the tenderloin and taking care not to cut all the way through. Open up the 2 cuts so you have a large rectangle of meat. Use the heel of your hand to gently flatten the meat to about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Cover each butterflied tenderloin with 2 of the ham slices, then spread 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano over the ham, leaving a 1-inch border. Starting with a long side, roll up each tenderloin so the stuffing is in a spiral pattern; then tie the roasts at 2-inch intervals with kitchen string.
5. Lightly brush the roasts all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil then rub with the reserved herb mixture. Heat the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large, heavy, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the roasts, bending to fit if necessary, and cook, turning often, until the outsides are browned, 3 to 5 minutes total.
6. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast, checking often, until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. To serve, remove the string and cut the pork into 1-inch-thick slices.
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) minced garlic
1 teaspoon(s) fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
1 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
2 pork tenderloins (1-1 1/4 pounds each), trimmed
4 Italian Parma ham (Prosciutto di Parma) , divided
1 cup(s) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
3 teaspoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Directions
1. Combine sage, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
3. You're going to double butterfly the tenderloins, so they can be flattened, stuffed and rolled. To do that, make two long horizontal cuts, one on each side, dividing the tenderloin in thirds without cutting all the way through. Working with one tenderloin at a time, lay it on a cutting board. Holding the knife blade flat, so it's parallel to the board, make a lengthwise cut into the side of the tenderloin one-third of the way down from the top, stopping short of the opposite edge so that the flaps remain attached. Rotate the tenderloin 180 degrees. Still holding the knife parallel to the cutting board, make a lengthwise cut into the side opposite the original cut, starting two-thirds of the way down from the top of the tenderloin and taking care not to cut all the way through. Open up the 2 cuts so you have a large rectangle of meat. Use the heel of your hand to gently flatten the meat to about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Cover each butterflied tenderloin with 2 of the ham slices, then spread 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano over the ham, leaving a 1-inch border. Starting with a long side, roll up each tenderloin so the stuffing is in a spiral pattern; then tie the roasts at 2-inch intervals with kitchen string.
5. Lightly brush the roasts all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil then rub with the reserved herb mixture. Heat the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large, heavy, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the roasts, bending to fit if necessary, and cook, turning often, until the outsides are browned, 3 to 5 minutes total.
6. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast, checking often, until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. To serve, remove the string and cut the pork into 1-inch-thick slices.
Fish oil's benefits
It might be easier to answer the question, what is fish oil not good for? As research into the health benefits of fish oil continues, and the amount of evidence grows, we might wonder if there are any limits to the ways in which fish oil can contribute to our health and wellbeing.
It is a sad fact that the quality of our diet has declined over the years. Traditionally, our diets were balanced equally between the Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. Today most of us consume far too much Omega 6 and very little Omega 3. It is this disparity that many professionals now believe is contributing to the rise in the number of cases of inflammatory diseases and cancers we see today.
Both Omega 3 and Omega 6 are classed as essential fatty acids in that the body needs them in order to survive, but cannot produce them and has to source them from our diet. Both have different roles in the body. Omega 6 promotes inflammation and growth and helps the blood to clot whereas Omega 3 does the opposite. Omega 6 is in plentiful supply, however, Omega 3 is only found in any significant quantities in oily fish. As we continue to pollute our waters, our fish are now contaminated with deadly toxins that can accumulate in the body over time and lead to even more health problems. So, we have a tragic situation where we are contaminating the very thing that we need to restore health.
The good news is that pure high quality fish oil can provide all the health benefits offered by eating fresh fish, without the risk of ingesting harmful contaminants. It is now well documented that fish oil appears to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cardiac arrest, reduce inflammation and pain associated with arthritis, possibly lower blood pressure, the level of bad cholesterol and triglycerides in the body, and can generally boost the immune system. It doesn’t stop there, it is demonstrating considerable success in the treatment of mood and mind related disorders such as Bipolar disease, schizophrenia, ADHD and depression. It can help slow down the ageing process and helps the brain to develop and function effectively. What is fish oil good for? In short, fish oil is good for keeping us in an optimal balance between omega 3 and omega 6 that is vital for good health.
It is a sad fact that the quality of our diet has declined over the years. Traditionally, our diets were balanced equally between the Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. Today most of us consume far too much Omega 6 and very little Omega 3. It is this disparity that many professionals now believe is contributing to the rise in the number of cases of inflammatory diseases and cancers we see today.
Both Omega 3 and Omega 6 are classed as essential fatty acids in that the body needs them in order to survive, but cannot produce them and has to source them from our diet. Both have different roles in the body. Omega 6 promotes inflammation and growth and helps the blood to clot whereas Omega 3 does the opposite. Omega 6 is in plentiful supply, however, Omega 3 is only found in any significant quantities in oily fish. As we continue to pollute our waters, our fish are now contaminated with deadly toxins that can accumulate in the body over time and lead to even more health problems. So, we have a tragic situation where we are contaminating the very thing that we need to restore health.
The good news is that pure high quality fish oil can provide all the health benefits offered by eating fresh fish, without the risk of ingesting harmful contaminants. It is now well documented that fish oil appears to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cardiac arrest, reduce inflammation and pain associated with arthritis, possibly lower blood pressure, the level of bad cholesterol and triglycerides in the body, and can generally boost the immune system. It doesn’t stop there, it is demonstrating considerable success in the treatment of mood and mind related disorders such as Bipolar disease, schizophrenia, ADHD and depression. It can help slow down the ageing process and helps the brain to develop and function effectively. What is fish oil good for? In short, fish oil is good for keeping us in an optimal balance between omega 3 and omega 6 that is vital for good health.
beer and mustard , thanks sierra nevada
The Sierra Nevada Stout & Stoneground variety of mustard is the boldest of the bunch with distinct vinegar and dark mustard flavors. There is a detectible beer flavor here, but you would be hard pressed to identify it particularly as stout. Since there is a bit of spice to this one, it complements mild cheeses and dark brown breads.
The Sierra Nevada Porter & Spicy Brown, despite its name, is not all that hot. The Stout & Stoneground variety held a bit more heat than the comparatively simplistic Porter & Spicy Brown mustard. However, the richness of the mustard, as well as the simplicity, makes it very agreeable and almost populist in character with a good balance and a memorable mustard flavor.
The Sierra Nevada Pale Ale & Honey Spice is only mildly sweet with a light vinegar flavor with fruity hints of apple. The mustard is velvety smooth; almost emulsion like, with a light honey flavor. Again, it is hard to discern the exact variety of beer contained in the mustard, but there is a very likable hoppy quality to the mustard.
Sierra Nevada Mustards are available for $4 a jar and are available at Safeway
Sunday, December 21, 2008
nope... it is not a Myth...foods can make you Don Juan
ASPARAGUS
___________________________
Our love affair with this member of the Lily family dates back hundreds of years. Asparagus "stirs up lust in man and woman," wrote English herbalist Nicholas Culpepper in the 17th century. In 19th-century France, bridegrooms were served three courses of the sexy spears at their prenuptial dinner. Apparently for a good reason: asparagus is a great source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, and thiamin and folic acid. The latter is said to boost histamine production necessary for the ability to reach orgasm in both sexes.
ALMONDS
___________________________
Almonds were regarded as fertility symbols throughout antiquity. The aroma of almond supposedly arouses passion in females—or so thought the poets and scribes. Alexandre Dumas dined on almond soup every night before meeting his mistress, and Samson wooed Delilah with these tasty nuts. Almonds provide high doses of vitamin E, magnesium and even fiber too improve your general well-being.
AVOCADO
___________________________
Avocados are voluptuous and feminine shape, but they have also been associated with male sexuality. The Aztecs called the avocado tree "Ahuacuatl," or "testicle tree." The ancients thought the fruit hanging in pairs on the tree resembled the male's testicles. The Spanish, in fact, found avocados so obscenely sexy, that Catholic priests forbade them to their parishioners. The creamy fruit is especially good for pregnant women due to its high content of folic acid, as well as vitamin B6 and potassium. They are also said to boost immune function.
BANANAS
___________________________
This shapely and nutritious fruit is a complete meal, loaded with potassium, magnesium and B vitamins. It also contains chelating minerals and the bromelain enzyme, said to enhance the male libido—maybe that’s why Central Americans drink the sap of the red banana as an aphrodisiac, while Hindus regard it as a symbol of fertility. A banana left on a doorstep indicates that a marriage is about to take place. Bananas made an early appearance in the Garden of Eden; according to Islamic myth, Adam and Eve covered themselves not with fig but banana leaves.
BASIL
___________________________
This fragrant member of the mint family has an alluring aroma; so alluring, in fact, it can cure headaches. Hint, hint. All kinds of headaches! No wonder the Greeks regarded it as their royal herb. Its botanical name is derived from the Greek "to be fragrant." Basil has a warming effect on the body and promotes circulation. In some parts of Italy, basil is a love-token.
CHOCOLATE
___________________________
Why does eating chocolate make us so happy? It's a chemical thing. The "food of the gods" contains theobromine, a stimulating alkaloid similar to caffeine. Chocolate also helps the brain produce feel-good serotonin. Be sure to indulge in the dark variety—it contains incredible amounts of antioxidants, whereas milk chocolate is just that: milk and sugar with trace amounts of cocoa.
EGGS
___________________________
The egg is one of the most ancient fertility symbols. Eggs are high in B6 and B5, which help you balance hormone levels and fight stress. Raw chicken eggs eaten before sex are considered to enhance one’s libido. But we’re talking eggs of all sorts, fish or fowl. Think of the way caviar gently bursts in your mouth or the delicacy of little darling quail eggs.
FIGS
___________________________
Said to be Cleopatra's favorite food, the sweet, purple fruits are sexy in both appearance and texture. For obvious reasons, they've been a synonym in erotic literature for female sexual organs. To the ancient Greeks, they were "more precious than gold" and many cultures associated figs with fertility.
FOIE GRAS
___________________________
One of the most luxurious foods, controversial foie gras is expensive, decadent and sought the world over. Like diamonds, furs and Champagne, it is associated with fine living, and both its buttery texture and mythical status are sure to put you in a sexy mood. See what Gayot readers have to say about foie gras.
OYSTERS
___________________________
These mouthwatering mollusks are the classic aphrodisiac. And, there's research to support it: raw oysters are very high in zinc, which raises sperm and testosterone production, thus increasing libido. Like some fish, oysters contain omega-3 fatty acids, considered to increase one's overall well-being and even fight depression. They are also a source of dopamine. No wonder Casanova ate 50 raw oysters every day.
ZINC PILL
___________________________
Get 50mg Zinc Pill everyday right after your meal.You will see significant difference
10 days later.Make it cycle 20 days on 7 days off.Do not exceed more than 50mg will make your tummy hurts.Mainly use by Bodybuilders and Porn stars.
PS oysters power comes from zinc.
SELENIUM
___________________________
Is good for sperm and as around 50% of the selenium in a man is in the testes and seminal ducts, you can see how vital it is for sexual health and fertility. Getting enough selenium is vital for peak sexual performance. Oily fish (yes again is a great source of selenium) you can also get it in crab, shellfish, cashew nuts, Soya beans and Brazil Nuts.But nobody eats enough of these food in daily basis, then we need selenium suplements.200 mcg selenium intake will create wonder in your sex life.
(BTW $3.00 @ Target for 100 tablets 200 mcg)
MACA ROOT (aka HORNY GOAT WEEDS)
____________________________
This is a less common food, but is no less potent. Having only recently been introduced to the Western world you will be forgiven for not finding it in your local Tesco. I had not heard of this until very recently when it was hailed as a Natural Viagre ? . Like anyone else, this claim made me curious. According to some it is believed to improve sexual performance, the frequency with which people desire sex and can be effective in increasing sperm count! Not only that, but guys should expect an increase in testosterone, a helping hand in any fight against erective dysfunctions and impotency and it also makes you feel younger. Quality! Fear not ladies - for women, maca is reknowned for increasing sex-drive and fertility! What a stormer! No side effects what so ever.$8.00 @ CVS or RITE AID 100 tablets...
___________________________
Our love affair with this member of the Lily family dates back hundreds of years. Asparagus "stirs up lust in man and woman," wrote English herbalist Nicholas Culpepper in the 17th century. In 19th-century France, bridegrooms were served three courses of the sexy spears at their prenuptial dinner. Apparently for a good reason: asparagus is a great source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, and thiamin and folic acid. The latter is said to boost histamine production necessary for the ability to reach orgasm in both sexes.
ALMONDS
___________________________
Almonds were regarded as fertility symbols throughout antiquity. The aroma of almond supposedly arouses passion in females—or so thought the poets and scribes. Alexandre Dumas dined on almond soup every night before meeting his mistress, and Samson wooed Delilah with these tasty nuts. Almonds provide high doses of vitamin E, magnesium and even fiber too improve your general well-being.
AVOCADO
___________________________
Avocados are voluptuous and feminine shape, but they have also been associated with male sexuality. The Aztecs called the avocado tree "Ahuacuatl," or "testicle tree." The ancients thought the fruit hanging in pairs on the tree resembled the male's testicles. The Spanish, in fact, found avocados so obscenely sexy, that Catholic priests forbade them to their parishioners. The creamy fruit is especially good for pregnant women due to its high content of folic acid, as well as vitamin B6 and potassium. They are also said to boost immune function.
BANANAS
___________________________
This shapely and nutritious fruit is a complete meal, loaded with potassium, magnesium and B vitamins. It also contains chelating minerals and the bromelain enzyme, said to enhance the male libido—maybe that’s why Central Americans drink the sap of the red banana as an aphrodisiac, while Hindus regard it as a symbol of fertility. A banana left on a doorstep indicates that a marriage is about to take place. Bananas made an early appearance in the Garden of Eden; according to Islamic myth, Adam and Eve covered themselves not with fig but banana leaves.
BASIL
___________________________
This fragrant member of the mint family has an alluring aroma; so alluring, in fact, it can cure headaches. Hint, hint. All kinds of headaches! No wonder the Greeks regarded it as their royal herb. Its botanical name is derived from the Greek "to be fragrant." Basil has a warming effect on the body and promotes circulation. In some parts of Italy, basil is a love-token.
CHOCOLATE
___________________________
Why does eating chocolate make us so happy? It's a chemical thing. The "food of the gods" contains theobromine, a stimulating alkaloid similar to caffeine. Chocolate also helps the brain produce feel-good serotonin. Be sure to indulge in the dark variety—it contains incredible amounts of antioxidants, whereas milk chocolate is just that: milk and sugar with trace amounts of cocoa.
EGGS
___________________________
The egg is one of the most ancient fertility symbols. Eggs are high in B6 and B5, which help you balance hormone levels and fight stress. Raw chicken eggs eaten before sex are considered to enhance one’s libido. But we’re talking eggs of all sorts, fish or fowl. Think of the way caviar gently bursts in your mouth or the delicacy of little darling quail eggs.
FIGS
___________________________
Said to be Cleopatra's favorite food, the sweet, purple fruits are sexy in both appearance and texture. For obvious reasons, they've been a synonym in erotic literature for female sexual organs. To the ancient Greeks, they were "more precious than gold" and many cultures associated figs with fertility.
FOIE GRAS
___________________________
One of the most luxurious foods, controversial foie gras is expensive, decadent and sought the world over. Like diamonds, furs and Champagne, it is associated with fine living, and both its buttery texture and mythical status are sure to put you in a sexy mood. See what Gayot readers have to say about foie gras.
OYSTERS
___________________________
These mouthwatering mollusks are the classic aphrodisiac. And, there's research to support it: raw oysters are very high in zinc, which raises sperm and testosterone production, thus increasing libido. Like some fish, oysters contain omega-3 fatty acids, considered to increase one's overall well-being and even fight depression. They are also a source of dopamine. No wonder Casanova ate 50 raw oysters every day.
ZINC PILL
___________________________
Get 50mg Zinc Pill everyday right after your meal.You will see significant difference
10 days later.Make it cycle 20 days on 7 days off.Do not exceed more than 50mg will make your tummy hurts.Mainly use by Bodybuilders and Porn stars.
PS oysters power comes from zinc.
SELENIUM
___________________________
Is good for sperm and as around 50% of the selenium in a man is in the testes and seminal ducts, you can see how vital it is for sexual health and fertility. Getting enough selenium is vital for peak sexual performance. Oily fish (yes again is a great source of selenium) you can also get it in crab, shellfish, cashew nuts, Soya beans and Brazil Nuts.But nobody eats enough of these food in daily basis, then we need selenium suplements.200 mcg selenium intake will create wonder in your sex life.
(BTW $3.00 @ Target for 100 tablets 200 mcg)
MACA ROOT (aka HORNY GOAT WEEDS)
____________________________
This is a less common food, but is no less potent. Having only recently been introduced to the Western world you will be forgiven for not finding it in your local Tesco. I had not heard of this until very recently when it was hailed as a Natural Viagre ? . Like anyone else, this claim made me curious. According to some it is believed to improve sexual performance, the frequency with which people desire sex and can be effective in increasing sperm count! Not only that, but guys should expect an increase in testosterone, a helping hand in any fight against erective dysfunctions and impotency and it also makes you feel younger. Quality! Fear not ladies - for women, maca is reknowned for increasing sex-drive and fertility! What a stormer! No side effects what so ever.$8.00 @ CVS or RITE AID 100 tablets...
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
marTEAni
1 part absolut citron
1 table spoon lemon juice
4 part frehly brewed black tea
shake everything with ice
put tea bag in martini glass and pour your mix top of it...
yummy :)
1 table spoon lemon juice
4 part frehly brewed black tea
shake everything with ice
put tea bag in martini glass and pour your mix top of it...
yummy :)
Monday, December 8, 2008
who am I ? (my very own cook book project)
"To the ruler, the people are heaven; to the people, food is heaven."
(Ancient Chinese proverb)
P R E F A C E
WHY WE SHOULD COOK, WHY WE SHOULD EAT
The ape into human transformation began roughly 9 million years ago, after our mother: earth slowing down her shifting our climate changed dramatically, tropical areas became reasonable, jungles turn into woodland and most importantly plant life became seasonal, and our ape looking ancestors start eating different vegetables in different season, of their year-round supply of generally fruits and nuts .As a strong instinct, of course they start eating gecko, mouse, and squirrels too
Long story short pretty much history of man kind begun, also food, start to be a fire starter our succeeding growth.
When we came down of the trees to the land, we made some small alteration for our new environment, we learned to hunt, we start to use two legs instead of four, our brain gets bigger and parallel to our brain size we got more intelligent and we start to be ruler of land,
Probably around 2 million years ago our hominid ancestors, (more ape than man) had developed to Homo Erectus ,recognizable human, several anthropologists found their fossils, pick name for them (most famous ones are Peking Man and Lucy) made possible outlook with computers.
we all know right now they were exist and they are our ancestors but how did they live,
may be this is the most controversial part of this magnificent puzzle, the practical science turns into the theorycal science
Our five feet tall ape ancestor or to some extent mongoloid looking forerunner Peking man also the first early human look ape use fire, probably not controlled one, but there is no evidence how he managed to start fire,
Using controlled fire came some years possibly long years later
When we look at our olden times Fear of being hungry always was dominant over fear of being death ,hunger its not an only humanly instinct, all animals has same instinct and all of them hunts for food ,however only human establish eating habits pretty much with hunting, cooking, serving etc…
very imperfect and prehistoric weapons in our hands and we started to trace 5000 pounds beast all around tundra ,of course there was a massive amount risk involved this activity but who cares we were starving and we have to had eat, but our first encounter with food as I told before was limited with plants and fruits but when the holly moments arrived and first time we taste animal protein story changed forever.
For being a good hunter, mankind need to make good weapon for weapon development, we had to think systematically, this very small but important logic makes us complex, social and intelligent life form, again long story short because our fear of being hungry created our relatively harmonious civilization.
Any way we start hunting we learn cultivating crops but most importantly almost always we share our goods with others, sometimes religious reasons sometimes social pressure but mostly just because we realized sharing and eating together much more fun than eating alone
According to early Greek storytellers, humans be obligated the ability to cultivate crops to the generosity of a goddess. Legend has it that in a proof of kindness, they were donating part of their wheat seeds to Demeter, goddess of crops, via trusted priest.
The Antique Greek people shaped their culture by their food supply - olives, wheat and barley, the vine, fish, olive oil and all kind of typical basics of the Mediterranean diet, their food was a big part of their social life also.
Most of these elements also were very important part of their intellectual life particularly olive and olive oil. For modern human olive may be just pizza toping or our nicely made dry martinis garnish but for them it’s a part of their daily life, sign of peace, sign of wealth, their definitely harmonious civilization, even sign of their polytheist religion.
History of ancient Rome is more reachable to us than history of Greece;. Let us be honest in dining and sophisticated eating, the Romans were largely copied of the Greeks, used Greek chefs [[being a chef was very important and job during Antique period this chefs has no Blogs They were not running their own restaurant they never published cook books ,( Except Apicius :,He born about 25AD he is reputed to have written a book of recipes called ‘de re conquinaria libri decem’ (Cuisine in ten books He was celebrity in his age for his expensive taste and extravagance))
) but they were famous and they made significant amount money)]
And Greek terminology, just as we develop much from France. and Italy Many Romans managed to pay no attention to complicated Greek cooking in southern Italy for up to 500 years, and traditionalists continued to fight rearguard actions when it did become fashionable
There is some taboos in our eating habits too. All cultures go to considerable lengths to obtain preferred foods, and often ignore valuable food sources close at hand. The English do not eat horse and dog; Muslims refuse pork; Jews (that is a whole another story) have a whole litany of forbidden foods Americans despise internal organs(but in this case offal it is not a taboo for Americans) Hindus taboo beef . and so on. People will not just eat anything, whatever the circumstances. Expect Chinese they are indeed thought by their more fastidious neighbors to eat anything.
We have to eat; we like eating; eating makes us feel good; In many case more important Than sex. To make certain genetic survival the sex recommended only a few Times in a lifetime; the hunger urge must be satisfied every day. It is also a profoundly social urge. Food is almost always shared; people eat Together; mealtimes are events when the whole family or settlement sometimes whole village comes together.
All animals eat, but we are the only social animal that cooks. So cooking becomes more than a necessity, also becomes a one of the most important symbol of our humanity, what marks us from the rest of the animal kingdom. Mean time food also becomes a focus of symbolic activity about sociality and our place in the social order. what we eat becomes a most powerful symbol of Who we are,
Since everyone must eat, someone has to cook too.
The word of cooking means a vast range of methods, tools and grouping of ingredients to improvement the flavor or make the food more edible. Cooking technique known as culinary art. Cooking requires applying heat to a food usually, but not always, some cultures eat chemically transforms it ,(preserving, salting) this process changing its flavor, texture, appearance, and nutritional properties and was practiced at least since the 10th millennium BC with the introduction of pottery. But the real story of cooking began when fire and food united. This mishmash created one of the most unique aspects of our social life. Eating, cooking and gathering around the dinner table. This odd human process all started more than 150.000 years ago.
Why we are cooking? Sure that is a tough question to answer. Cooking is not just about preparing meals, but also about our communal society and sharing tasty gastronomical pleasures with others. Besides needing for nutritional reasons.(and of course the stomach is our most vital internal organ and it needs lots of yum yums),we cook to impress our self and our guest, and a small minority of us even make a considerable amount of money from this odd social process(I am not included in this minority).
I have been cooking…cooking for my self cooking for my girl friend, cooking for my friends even our two cats and one dog, long story short I have been cooking almost twelve years everyday non-stop and not make single penny (I am sure, you guys think what a waste of time) Most of my friends telling me that I am not a normal human being, because I am obsessed for food and culinary idea ,especially as a man. May be they are right, but talking food, eating food, making food; let’s say anything about food and related subjects make a extremely happy man.
I have a some simple reason why I start cooking; 12 years ago when I first time to come USA I just realized there is nobody here to cook for me sure that was an harsh reality. I should eat, but I was not crave for fast-food I have to had nicely prepared, food not crab cake or sashimi I am talking about , I just wanted to eat nice delicious comfort food and I prepare my very first dish in America ever, a western omelets ,it was really hard to see a western part inside my miserable omelets but it was an omelets anyway,., there was egg inside and taste like an omelets unfortunately it was my mom style omelets, crepe looking and dry
But I wasn’t totally clueless about cooking I had kind of home education about kitchen by my mom, since I was 12 I watched every single action by her and she thought me the fundamentals of cooking. While during my age of 14 I was able to make home made bread
Anyway of course like any other first comers my first job in USA was a restaurant job, and I start being dish washer , my relations with restaurant was just as a customer in my country which was limited to third rate kabob place and diners and I was so sure somebody in back was cleaning the dishes with hand not with sophisticated machine like American does, when I realized I have actually machine for this job and I don t have to use my beautiful hands I was an happiest man. When I reached the summer as a dishwasher happiest gone and horror came, 125 Fahrenheit and I was working just with my boxer.
Year after year I promoted as a bus boy ,waiter, bartender and manager, I came to this country for being a student in Art School and I found my self right middle of the restaurant business, but I never regret what I did I really enjoyed every single moment.
There was one missing part about my multi task job, I still had no idea about kitchen and restaurant fundamentals and I start cook for my self but this time not western omelets I try to prepare very challenging recipes out of my out dated cook books, and start sharing my dishes with my friends.
First reaction wasn’t so spectacular but later on people start making compliments to dishes (this is a really great feeling).
But nobody encouraged me to write a cook book and share my personal ideas and knowledge with others, but who cares.
Last twelve years of my self education I learned one thing that is “cooking is fun thing to do”. Of course we have some rules to obey, trust me if you obey these rules everything will be much better.
What are those rules, let look at it?
First rule there is no substitute for butter especially for baking do not attempt to change butter into olive oil or margarine Baking almost with butter, and do not forget fats are one of the most important taste bud pokers after onion and salt, another rule in this book liquid oil means is EVOO(extra virgin olive oil, thanks to Rachael ray for this catchy acronym)after olive oil grape seed oil is our second choice but when you fry something you don not need EVOO you can use light olive oil that will work too,
If you are a vegetarian please do not waste your time to read this pointless book, because I provide very limited vegetarian recipe in this book, and I still don’t understand how a human being feed yourself with just cucumber and lettuce forever, I respect them but simply I don’t understand their brain functions. Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?
Rule number three is, use kosher salt there is no scientific reason for this rule just makes you feel like a professional chef,
Don t ever forget when you squirt some lemon juice to your oyster you start to challenge to change the texture to change the taste
And your cooking experience has begun
Rules are clear, life is good, and cooking is fun
Let’s cook
(Ancient Chinese proverb)
P R E F A C E
WHY WE SHOULD COOK, WHY WE SHOULD EAT
The ape into human transformation began roughly 9 million years ago, after our mother: earth slowing down her shifting our climate changed dramatically, tropical areas became reasonable, jungles turn into woodland and most importantly plant life became seasonal, and our ape looking ancestors start eating different vegetables in different season, of their year-round supply of generally fruits and nuts .As a strong instinct, of course they start eating gecko, mouse, and squirrels too
Long story short pretty much history of man kind begun, also food, start to be a fire starter our succeeding growth.
When we came down of the trees to the land, we made some small alteration for our new environment, we learned to hunt, we start to use two legs instead of four, our brain gets bigger and parallel to our brain size we got more intelligent and we start to be ruler of land,
Probably around 2 million years ago our hominid ancestors, (more ape than man) had developed to Homo Erectus ,recognizable human, several anthropologists found their fossils, pick name for them (most famous ones are Peking Man and Lucy) made possible outlook with computers.
we all know right now they were exist and they are our ancestors but how did they live,
may be this is the most controversial part of this magnificent puzzle, the practical science turns into the theorycal science
Our five feet tall ape ancestor or to some extent mongoloid looking forerunner Peking man also the first early human look ape use fire, probably not controlled one, but there is no evidence how he managed to start fire,
Using controlled fire came some years possibly long years later
When we look at our olden times Fear of being hungry always was dominant over fear of being death ,hunger its not an only humanly instinct, all animals has same instinct and all of them hunts for food ,however only human establish eating habits pretty much with hunting, cooking, serving etc…
very imperfect and prehistoric weapons in our hands and we started to trace 5000 pounds beast all around tundra ,of course there was a massive amount risk involved this activity but who cares we were starving and we have to had eat, but our first encounter with food as I told before was limited with plants and fruits but when the holly moments arrived and first time we taste animal protein story changed forever.
For being a good hunter, mankind need to make good weapon for weapon development, we had to think systematically, this very small but important logic makes us complex, social and intelligent life form, again long story short because our fear of being hungry created our relatively harmonious civilization.
Any way we start hunting we learn cultivating crops but most importantly almost always we share our goods with others, sometimes religious reasons sometimes social pressure but mostly just because we realized sharing and eating together much more fun than eating alone
According to early Greek storytellers, humans be obligated the ability to cultivate crops to the generosity of a goddess. Legend has it that in a proof of kindness, they were donating part of their wheat seeds to Demeter, goddess of crops, via trusted priest.
The Antique Greek people shaped their culture by their food supply - olives, wheat and barley, the vine, fish, olive oil and all kind of typical basics of the Mediterranean diet, their food was a big part of their social life also.
Most of these elements also were very important part of their intellectual life particularly olive and olive oil. For modern human olive may be just pizza toping or our nicely made dry martinis garnish but for them it’s a part of their daily life, sign of peace, sign of wealth, their definitely harmonious civilization, even sign of their polytheist religion.
History of ancient Rome is more reachable to us than history of Greece;. Let us be honest in dining and sophisticated eating, the Romans were largely copied of the Greeks, used Greek chefs [[being a chef was very important and job during Antique period this chefs has no Blogs They were not running their own restaurant they never published cook books ,( Except Apicius :,He born about 25AD he is reputed to have written a book of recipes called ‘de re conquinaria libri decem’ (Cuisine in ten books He was celebrity in his age for his expensive taste and extravagance))
) but they were famous and they made significant amount money)]
And Greek terminology, just as we develop much from France. and Italy Many Romans managed to pay no attention to complicated Greek cooking in southern Italy for up to 500 years, and traditionalists continued to fight rearguard actions when it did become fashionable
There is some taboos in our eating habits too. All cultures go to considerable lengths to obtain preferred foods, and often ignore valuable food sources close at hand. The English do not eat horse and dog; Muslims refuse pork; Jews (that is a whole another story) have a whole litany of forbidden foods Americans despise internal organs(but in this case offal it is not a taboo for Americans) Hindus taboo beef . and so on. People will not just eat anything, whatever the circumstances. Expect Chinese they are indeed thought by their more fastidious neighbors to eat anything.
We have to eat; we like eating; eating makes us feel good; In many case more important Than sex. To make certain genetic survival the sex recommended only a few Times in a lifetime; the hunger urge must be satisfied every day. It is also a profoundly social urge. Food is almost always shared; people eat Together; mealtimes are events when the whole family or settlement sometimes whole village comes together.
All animals eat, but we are the only social animal that cooks. So cooking becomes more than a necessity, also becomes a one of the most important symbol of our humanity, what marks us from the rest of the animal kingdom. Mean time food also becomes a focus of symbolic activity about sociality and our place in the social order. what we eat becomes a most powerful symbol of Who we are,
Since everyone must eat, someone has to cook too.
The word of cooking means a vast range of methods, tools and grouping of ingredients to improvement the flavor or make the food more edible. Cooking technique known as culinary art. Cooking requires applying heat to a food usually, but not always, some cultures eat chemically transforms it ,(preserving, salting) this process changing its flavor, texture, appearance, and nutritional properties and was practiced at least since the 10th millennium BC with the introduction of pottery. But the real story of cooking began when fire and food united. This mishmash created one of the most unique aspects of our social life. Eating, cooking and gathering around the dinner table. This odd human process all started more than 150.000 years ago.
Why we are cooking? Sure that is a tough question to answer. Cooking is not just about preparing meals, but also about our communal society and sharing tasty gastronomical pleasures with others. Besides needing for nutritional reasons.(and of course the stomach is our most vital internal organ and it needs lots of yum yums),we cook to impress our self and our guest, and a small minority of us even make a considerable amount of money from this odd social process(I am not included in this minority).
I have been cooking…cooking for my self cooking for my girl friend, cooking for my friends even our two cats and one dog, long story short I have been cooking almost twelve years everyday non-stop and not make single penny (I am sure, you guys think what a waste of time) Most of my friends telling me that I am not a normal human being, because I am obsessed for food and culinary idea ,especially as a man. May be they are right, but talking food, eating food, making food; let’s say anything about food and related subjects make a extremely happy man.
I have a some simple reason why I start cooking; 12 years ago when I first time to come USA I just realized there is nobody here to cook for me sure that was an harsh reality. I should eat, but I was not crave for fast-food I have to had nicely prepared, food not crab cake or sashimi I am talking about , I just wanted to eat nice delicious comfort food and I prepare my very first dish in America ever, a western omelets ,it was really hard to see a western part inside my miserable omelets but it was an omelets anyway,., there was egg inside and taste like an omelets unfortunately it was my mom style omelets, crepe looking and dry
But I wasn’t totally clueless about cooking I had kind of home education about kitchen by my mom, since I was 12 I watched every single action by her and she thought me the fundamentals of cooking. While during my age of 14 I was able to make home made bread
Anyway of course like any other first comers my first job in USA was a restaurant job, and I start being dish washer , my relations with restaurant was just as a customer in my country which was limited to third rate kabob place and diners and I was so sure somebody in back was cleaning the dishes with hand not with sophisticated machine like American does, when I realized I have actually machine for this job and I don t have to use my beautiful hands I was an happiest man. When I reached the summer as a dishwasher happiest gone and horror came, 125 Fahrenheit and I was working just with my boxer.
Year after year I promoted as a bus boy ,waiter, bartender and manager, I came to this country for being a student in Art School and I found my self right middle of the restaurant business, but I never regret what I did I really enjoyed every single moment.
There was one missing part about my multi task job, I still had no idea about kitchen and restaurant fundamentals and I start cook for my self but this time not western omelets I try to prepare very challenging recipes out of my out dated cook books, and start sharing my dishes with my friends.
First reaction wasn’t so spectacular but later on people start making compliments to dishes (this is a really great feeling).
But nobody encouraged me to write a cook book and share my personal ideas and knowledge with others, but who cares.
Last twelve years of my self education I learned one thing that is “cooking is fun thing to do”. Of course we have some rules to obey, trust me if you obey these rules everything will be much better.
What are those rules, let look at it?
First rule there is no substitute for butter especially for baking do not attempt to change butter into olive oil or margarine Baking almost with butter, and do not forget fats are one of the most important taste bud pokers after onion and salt, another rule in this book liquid oil means is EVOO(extra virgin olive oil, thanks to Rachael ray for this catchy acronym)after olive oil grape seed oil is our second choice but when you fry something you don not need EVOO you can use light olive oil that will work too,
If you are a vegetarian please do not waste your time to read this pointless book, because I provide very limited vegetarian recipe in this book, and I still don’t understand how a human being feed yourself with just cucumber and lettuce forever, I respect them but simply I don’t understand their brain functions. Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?
Rule number three is, use kosher salt there is no scientific reason for this rule just makes you feel like a professional chef,
Don t ever forget when you squirt some lemon juice to your oyster you start to challenge to change the texture to change the taste
And your cooking experience has begun
Rules are clear, life is good, and cooking is fun
Let’s cook
first course
APPETIZERS or ANTIPASTO
Antipasto denotes the dishes served before (anti) the pasta (pasto) course. These are often similar to those served for gustatio. Antipasto is also more broadly defined as 'before the meal,' referring to all food served as appetizers. Alan Davidson's Oxford Companion to Food states: "Typical itmes are olives, pieces of raw or cured ham, marinated mushrooms or other vegetables, and items of seafood. As the popularity of Italian food increased in the second half of the 20th century this term acquired wide currency in English" (p.22)
"Antipasto...is an Italian term for 'hors d'oeuvres'...English actually took the word over in the sixteenth century, and partially naturalized it to ante past ( The first mess [course], or antepast as they call it, is some fine meat to urge them to have an appetite,' quoted in the Harleian Miscellany, 1590)."
---An A to Z of Food and Drink, John Ayto [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 2002 (p. 7)
whatever that s mean Appetizers,are Orphan dishes in our dinner table and they look always so sad, we love this little cute dishes but we never give then a enough attention they were more like our warming part of our dinning experience we eat them even we try each others sometimes get couple of different types and share but definitely there is no enough respect with all these process.
Why, because their are small or they are inexpensive or they are not complex enough
All this answers are correct we love them a lot because these palatable little dishes our first bites. But we will forget them quickly when the main courses have arrived and they will be fading away under the shadow of glorious entrees.
Appetizers can be traced back to antique GREECE, where the upper class were served eggs, fruits, etc. as part of a three- course meal. Here I will try to give a brief summary of the History of appetizers and our eating habits in last 2500 years.
In antique Greek, ceremony of eating always start with grapes and assorted fruits and some sort of crudités salad wasn’t a choice of appetizers, but size of our antique appetizers were way bigger then today’s standards
Like many other things in our eating habits and our appetizers changed too first they were limited as a fruit or crudités than getting more complex , even we changed the order of courses during mediaeval ages. During late 13th century appetizers mostly served after main course. According to De honesta voluptate et valetudine (1475) by Bartolomeo Platina - the first cookbook printed in a native language (which is Italian)
The two courses dinner for an ordinary household suggested in this book as you can see second course is comparable our modern appetizers
FIRS COURSE SECOND COURSE
Broiled leg of lamb with cauliflower Pigeon pâté
Stewed eels Roasted green peas
A roast pig assorted pastries
Of course concept of cook book and organized recipe mentality has been change during last 700 years, giving a recipe to reader was an easy task back then terms and techniques looks really funny for today’s reader. Like A Whole Boar On A Bed Of Parsley Marinated with salt and pepper cook for about 8 hours.
Modern cooking techniques are began with Sarah Phillips and her poetic instruction such as “rip open the belly” hack it with knife” or” smite them in pieces”.
Anyway let’s back to our main subject Appetizers
in the 19th century The debate on popular, bourgeois, and aristocratic cooking influence the structure of the meal, modifying it profoundly. Many dishes were moved to a subsequent course, while others were assigned a new role...Among the many issues related to form, the question of the antipasto was the most important. With its profusion of different foods, it was the only part of the meal that reflected the courses offered on the tables of the aristocracy.
Late 19th century early 20th Century, appetizers consisted mostly of soups, oysters on the half-shell, or canapés, served mainly at a table.
Today many restaurant especially ethnic ones provide much richer appetizer menu and most of us start skipping entrees and stick with appetizaer.Also more avand- garde way some up scale restaurants serving Amuse-Boucher (direct translating from French Mouth Amuser)If you are a very educated food enthusiast or very into the culinary world this word already part of culinary vocab, but Most of us familiar with this term from Top Chefs. however first time I heard this term in TV sitcom friends; conversation between Monica an Chandler
Chandler: What is this
Monica : It’s Amuse-Boucher
Chandler: It’s amuse-ing
Or something like that, but what is really an amuse-boucher, simplest definition of this term is , pre-appetizer served in bite sized in order to agitate our precious taste buds mostly served in spoon.
They are small and they are well presented
We call them sometimes appetizers sometime antipasto or may be Tapas, sometime, meze or mezze .long story short finally they are significant part of or eating routine.
.
Antipasto denotes the dishes served before (anti) the pasta (pasto) course. These are often similar to those served for gustatio. Antipasto is also more broadly defined as 'before the meal,' referring to all food served as appetizers. Alan Davidson's Oxford Companion to Food states: "Typical itmes are olives, pieces of raw or cured ham, marinated mushrooms or other vegetables, and items of seafood. As the popularity of Italian food increased in the second half of the 20th century this term acquired wide currency in English" (p.22)
"Antipasto...is an Italian term for 'hors d'oeuvres'...English actually took the word over in the sixteenth century, and partially naturalized it to ante past ( The first mess [course], or antepast as they call it, is some fine meat to urge them to have an appetite,' quoted in the Harleian Miscellany, 1590)."
---An A to Z of Food and Drink, John Ayto [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 2002 (p. 7)
whatever that s mean Appetizers,are Orphan dishes in our dinner table and they look always so sad, we love this little cute dishes but we never give then a enough attention they were more like our warming part of our dinning experience we eat them even we try each others sometimes get couple of different types and share but definitely there is no enough respect with all these process.
Why, because their are small or they are inexpensive or they are not complex enough
All this answers are correct we love them a lot because these palatable little dishes our first bites. But we will forget them quickly when the main courses have arrived and they will be fading away under the shadow of glorious entrees.
Appetizers can be traced back to antique GREECE, where the upper class were served eggs, fruits, etc. as part of a three- course meal. Here I will try to give a brief summary of the History of appetizers and our eating habits in last 2500 years.
In antique Greek, ceremony of eating always start with grapes and assorted fruits and some sort of crudités salad wasn’t a choice of appetizers, but size of our antique appetizers were way bigger then today’s standards
Like many other things in our eating habits and our appetizers changed too first they were limited as a fruit or crudités than getting more complex , even we changed the order of courses during mediaeval ages. During late 13th century appetizers mostly served after main course. According to De honesta voluptate et valetudine (1475) by Bartolomeo Platina - the first cookbook printed in a native language (which is Italian)
The two courses dinner for an ordinary household suggested in this book as you can see second course is comparable our modern appetizers
FIRS COURSE SECOND COURSE
Broiled leg of lamb with cauliflower Pigeon pâté
Stewed eels Roasted green peas
A roast pig assorted pastries
Of course concept of cook book and organized recipe mentality has been change during last 700 years, giving a recipe to reader was an easy task back then terms and techniques looks really funny for today’s reader. Like A Whole Boar On A Bed Of Parsley Marinated with salt and pepper cook for about 8 hours.
Modern cooking techniques are began with Sarah Phillips and her poetic instruction such as “rip open the belly” hack it with knife” or” smite them in pieces”.
Anyway let’s back to our main subject Appetizers
in the 19th century The debate on popular, bourgeois, and aristocratic cooking influence the structure of the meal, modifying it profoundly. Many dishes were moved to a subsequent course, while others were assigned a new role...Among the many issues related to form, the question of the antipasto was the most important. With its profusion of different foods, it was the only part of the meal that reflected the courses offered on the tables of the aristocracy.
Late 19th century early 20th Century, appetizers consisted mostly of soups, oysters on the half-shell, or canapés, served mainly at a table.
Today many restaurant especially ethnic ones provide much richer appetizer menu and most of us start skipping entrees and stick with appetizaer.Also more avand- garde way some up scale restaurants serving Amuse-Boucher (direct translating from French Mouth Amuser)If you are a very educated food enthusiast or very into the culinary world this word already part of culinary vocab, but Most of us familiar with this term from Top Chefs. however first time I heard this term in TV sitcom friends; conversation between Monica an Chandler
Chandler: What is this
Monica : It’s Amuse-Boucher
Chandler: It’s amuse-ing
Or something like that, but what is really an amuse-boucher, simplest definition of this term is , pre-appetizer served in bite sized in order to agitate our precious taste buds mostly served in spoon.
They are small and they are well presented
We call them sometimes appetizers sometime antipasto or may be Tapas, sometime, meze or mezze .long story short finally they are significant part of or eating routine.
.
soups
Worries go down better with soup. ~Jewish Proverb
SOUPS
Soups are One of the most widely consumed form of food in our culinary history, and probably third nightmare are childhood eating experience (first broccoli. all time winner second Brussels sprout) easy to make, fast, reliable also relatively portable, Obviously we are not carry bowl of soup and spoon while try to catch a bus or find a taxi cab under pouring rain during the rush hours.
But Captain Cook didn’t think that way in 1772 he takes stock bouillon soup on his world voyage, also during the civil war period soldiers carried their soup inside their cantina)
Today this loveable liquid food easily can find as powder form, microwaveable, canned, cold, hot etc… thousands of product just waiting to consume by food lovers especially soup lovers. Main question Is “is it really hard to make soup do we really need microwaveable or canned soup to enjoy
Make soup also easy way to prepare some palatable dishes also easily we can be innovative. Little bit of this, little bit of that as long as you are sure about your palate there is no certain rules to make nice soup
Soup is the act of boiling various ingredients in a large pot to create a nutritious, filling, and easily digested, simple to make/serve food. This made it the perfect choice for both inactive and nomadic cultures, rich and poor, healthy people and unhealthiest (this sympathetic form of our culinary world even sometimes prescribed as a medicine by certified doctors) .
Soup (and stews, pottages, porridges, gruels, etc.) evolved according to local ingredients and tastes. New England chowder, Spanish gazpacho, Russian borscht, Italian wedding, French onion, Chinese won ton… are all variations on the same theme.
Word of "soup" derives from the Old French word sope or soupe. The French word was used in England in the in the form of sop at the end of the Medieval Ages and has remained in the English language in its original form and with much its original sense. The distinction is important. When cooks in the Medieval Ages spoke of "soup," the people for whom they were cooking really understood was a dish comprising primarily a piece of bread or toast soaked in a broth or over which a broth had been poured. The bread or toast was an important, even vital, part of this dish. It was a means people could drink the liquid efficiently. The bread or toast was, in effect, an alternative to using a spoon... Probably this historical fact that created the act of eating soup not drinking
The word restaurant was first used in France in the 16th century, to describe a highly intense, inexpensive soup, sold by street vendors called restaurer that was advertised as an antidote to physical exhaustion. In 1765, a Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop specializing in restaurers. This encouraged the use of the modern word restaurant to describe the shops.
SOUPS
Soups are One of the most widely consumed form of food in our culinary history, and probably third nightmare are childhood eating experience (first broccoli. all time winner second Brussels sprout) easy to make, fast, reliable also relatively portable, Obviously we are not carry bowl of soup and spoon while try to catch a bus or find a taxi cab under pouring rain during the rush hours.
But Captain Cook didn’t think that way in 1772 he takes stock bouillon soup on his world voyage, also during the civil war period soldiers carried their soup inside their cantina)
Today this loveable liquid food easily can find as powder form, microwaveable, canned, cold, hot etc… thousands of product just waiting to consume by food lovers especially soup lovers. Main question Is “is it really hard to make soup do we really need microwaveable or canned soup to enjoy
Make soup also easy way to prepare some palatable dishes also easily we can be innovative. Little bit of this, little bit of that as long as you are sure about your palate there is no certain rules to make nice soup
Soup is the act of boiling various ingredients in a large pot to create a nutritious, filling, and easily digested, simple to make/serve food. This made it the perfect choice for both inactive and nomadic cultures, rich and poor, healthy people and unhealthiest (this sympathetic form of our culinary world even sometimes prescribed as a medicine by certified doctors) .
Soup (and stews, pottages, porridges, gruels, etc.) evolved according to local ingredients and tastes. New England chowder, Spanish gazpacho, Russian borscht, Italian wedding, French onion, Chinese won ton… are all variations on the same theme.
Word of "soup" derives from the Old French word sope or soupe. The French word was used in England in the in the form of sop at the end of the Medieval Ages and has remained in the English language in its original form and with much its original sense. The distinction is important. When cooks in the Medieval Ages spoke of "soup," the people for whom they were cooking really understood was a dish comprising primarily a piece of bread or toast soaked in a broth or over which a broth had been poured. The bread or toast was an important, even vital, part of this dish. It was a means people could drink the liquid efficiently. The bread or toast was, in effect, an alternative to using a spoon... Probably this historical fact that created the act of eating soup not drinking
The word restaurant was first used in France in the 16th century, to describe a highly intense, inexpensive soup, sold by street vendors called restaurer that was advertised as an antidote to physical exhaustion. In 1765, a Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop specializing in restaurers. This encouraged the use of the modern word restaurant to describe the shops.
desserts
DESSERTS
First encounter with sweet for man kind definitely starts with honey. The history of honey is very loaded. This ancient material has been used for food, drinks medicine, gifts for the gods, cosmetics, cooking, food preservation, cosmetics, art, etc.). "The oldest written reference to the use of honey is to be Egyptian, around 5500BC. At that time Lower Egypt was called Bee Land...
Honey was a valuable commodity used widely in exchange, But during 1200bc man kind made his most important approach and start using sugar as a sweet substance and sweet history of dessert had begun.
The word of dessert comes from the Old French “desservir”, meaning is to clear the table. The Oxford English Dictionary (2nd edition) confirms this information:
"Dessert... [A. F. dessert (Etienne 1539) 'removal of the dishes, dessert', f. desservir to remove what has been served, to clear (the table)...
Desserts are lovely, unforgettable little dishes also in many case most erotic part of our modern day eating habits, this lovely sexy mostly chocolaty and fruity last course typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food but sometimes of a strongly-flavored one, such as some cheese and fruit pairing. As I mentioned in previous paragraph historically our first natural sweetener is honey and addition with fruits is our first desserts particularly fig walnut and honey combination for me still one of the best dessert.
Before the rise of the middle class during the 19th-century, and the automation of the sugar industry, sweets were a benefit of the lords and ladies, or an extraordinary holiday luxury for middle class. In the 17th century, desserts had become more elaborate and were decorated with flowers. They included marzipan, nougat, pyramids of fruit, dry and liquid preserves, biscuits..., creams, sugar sweets...sweet almonds in sugar and orange-flower water, green walnuts, pistachios, and marrons glaces. At the end of the century, ice creams made their appearance, and at the same time patisserie became extremely popular, with different basic mixtures, such as puff pastry, sponge, choux pastry and meringue. In the 20th century, dessert in France evolved to include cheese and fresh fruit as well as sweet dishes.
As sugar became cheaper and more available, the progress and popularity of desserts spread consequently. But when cocoa was introduced to Europe by the Spaniards (god bless them they made one the biggest favor to mankind) during mid 1600s theory of dessert making and consuming changed forever.
Until early 20th century In the United States term of dessert often used to include pies, puddings, and other sweet dishes. But as an ingredients and drink, cocoa became very trendy in USA little later than other countries after the Boston Tea Party when tea was being boycotted Hot cocoa became very in style. Since then milk and cocoa are one of the most significant ingredients our modern dessert menu after sugar.
First encounter with sweet for man kind definitely starts with honey. The history of honey is very loaded. This ancient material has been used for food, drinks medicine, gifts for the gods, cosmetics, cooking, food preservation, cosmetics, art, etc.). "The oldest written reference to the use of honey is to be Egyptian, around 5500BC. At that time Lower Egypt was called Bee Land...
Honey was a valuable commodity used widely in exchange, But during 1200bc man kind made his most important approach and start using sugar as a sweet substance and sweet history of dessert had begun.
The word of dessert comes from the Old French “desservir”, meaning is to clear the table. The Oxford English Dictionary (2nd edition) confirms this information:
"Dessert... [A. F. dessert (Etienne 1539) 'removal of the dishes, dessert', f. desservir to remove what has been served, to clear (the table)...
Desserts are lovely, unforgettable little dishes also in many case most erotic part of our modern day eating habits, this lovely sexy mostly chocolaty and fruity last course typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food but sometimes of a strongly-flavored one, such as some cheese and fruit pairing. As I mentioned in previous paragraph historically our first natural sweetener is honey and addition with fruits is our first desserts particularly fig walnut and honey combination for me still one of the best dessert.
Before the rise of the middle class during the 19th-century, and the automation of the sugar industry, sweets were a benefit of the lords and ladies, or an extraordinary holiday luxury for middle class. In the 17th century, desserts had become more elaborate and were decorated with flowers. They included marzipan, nougat, pyramids of fruit, dry and liquid preserves, biscuits..., creams, sugar sweets...sweet almonds in sugar and orange-flower water, green walnuts, pistachios, and marrons glaces. At the end of the century, ice creams made their appearance, and at the same time patisserie became extremely popular, with different basic mixtures, such as puff pastry, sponge, choux pastry and meringue. In the 20th century, dessert in France evolved to include cheese and fresh fruit as well as sweet dishes.
As sugar became cheaper and more available, the progress and popularity of desserts spread consequently. But when cocoa was introduced to Europe by the Spaniards (god bless them they made one the biggest favor to mankind) during mid 1600s theory of dessert making and consuming changed forever.
Until early 20th century In the United States term of dessert often used to include pies, puddings, and other sweet dishes. But as an ingredients and drink, cocoa became very trendy in USA little later than other countries after the Boston Tea Party when tea was being boycotted Hot cocoa became very in style. Since then milk and cocoa are one of the most significant ingredients our modern dessert menu after sugar.
principles of baking
BAKING
We all try to bake at least once and we all know actually baking is one of the most difficult part of culinary world, when we close our oven door usually we have no idea what will be happen next 45 minutes or so, but we all agreed same opinion; baking is fun , especially playing with dough. But none of us give enough pay attention to the fascinating history of baking
Archaeological evidences suggest that the early Egyptians first made bread in2600-2100 b.c it is believed that they learned the skill from the Babylonians, the royal bakeries of Ramses featured bread and some kind of pastries, some of them were shaped in the form of animals and use for sacrifices
Other early records show that in Homers Iliad’s honey flans and totes were available in Antique Greek too.
East Roman Empire founded the first bakery chefs alliance In Constantinople around 4th century AD.
Flatbreads are the oldest breads of all. Quickly cooked, very delicious, and basically handy, and incredibly versatile. Originating in places where fuel was scarce, flat breads are traditionally baked in portable clay ovens called tandoors rtaste and size evolved according to place and taste.(Turkish one puffy.armenian one large size and paper thin,middle eastern one small and double layer)
Let see what’s Alan Davidson’s think about history of early bread .The Israeli and western name for the Arab bread called khubz adi (ordinary bread) or names meaning Arab, Egyptian, Syrian bread or kumaj (a Turkish loanword properly meaning a bread cooked in ashes) (In addition to Mr Davidson Kumaj or kumas also means ordinary fabric in Turkish language), baked in a brick bread oven. It is slightly leavened wheat bread, flat, either round or oval, and variable in size...The name had a ordinary origin with pizza...In the early centuries of our time, the traditional Greek word for thin flat bread or cake, plakous, had become the name of a thicker cake. The new word that came into use for flat bread was pitta, literally pitch, doubtless because pine pitch naturally forms flat layers which many languages compare to cakes or breads...The word spread to Southern Italy as the name of a thin bread. In Northern Italian dialects pitta became pizza, now known primarily as the bearer of savoury toppings but essentially still a flat bread...Early Arab cookery texts do not refer to khubz, since it was bought from specialists, not made in the home. However, it is safe to assume that its history extends far into antiquity, since flatbreads in general, whether leavened or not, are among the most ancient breads, needing no oven or even utensil for their baking."
---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p. 611)
Middle eastern pita, Indian naan and Armenian lavash are three popular examples.(Armeninan lavash probably the oldest one) New World tortillas are similar products, until here, we made one point very clear ,baking start with flatbreads but what about our baguette or round shape bread (aka.french or Vienna bread)
"A baguette is a long thin loaf of French bread of the type more commonly known in English as 'French stick', or more vaguely still, as 'French loaf'. The term has become increasingly familiar in English since the last quarter of 20th century. It means literally 'littlerod', and is a very small. Word derived ultimately from Latin 'baculum', 'stick staff'."
So how it started There is a ridicoulos rumor that Napoleon ordered his bakers to make long, thin breads so they could be carried in soldier's pants. According to the food historians this is not true: . In fact, it was introduced during the 1920s after a new law banned bakers from working before 4am. They did not have enough time to bake a fresh Boule for breakfast, so they created the baguette.
boule
[BOOL]
French for "ball," referring as a culinary term to a round loaf of white bread. Also called miche ,
However There is some unclear thing going on here, if they did not have enough time for make Boule how come they managed enough time for make Baguette(Weird)
Before the beginning of bulk-producing of tinware English household bread was either baked in clay pans glazed on the inside only, or the loaves were hand-moulded (boule) and fed into the oven on wooden peels in the ancient manner, as was our bakery bread. In the seventeenth century, deep tin and, more rarely, round iron cake pans were used for yeast cakes, and there were clay dishes for pies,
(Qu’ils manget de la brioche) "Let them eat cake!"
historical records tell us the composition of brioche has evolved over time. The brioche referenced by Marie Antoinette in her famous "Let them eat cake" phrase was probably not the same light, flaky roll we enjoy today.
. Some historians believe that the famous pastry Brioche originated in Brie, and Alexandre Dumas claimed that the dough was originally kneaded with the dough was originally kneaded with cheese from Brie
There is also one more strong idea ,that brioche is derived from the verb "brier," and old Norman form of the verb broyuer meaning "to pound" (this is found in pain brie, a specialty of Normandy). This explanation is all the more likely since the brioches from Gournay and Gisors in Normandy have always been highly regarded."
---Larousse Gastronomique, Jenifer Harvey Lang [Crown:New York] 1988 (p. 147)
European traditions of pastry-making are often traced back to the short crust period crumbling dough’s that were in use all the way through the Mediterranean in antique times. These recipes were popularized in Western Europe when Crusaders returning home.
However, the Romans, Greeks and Phoenicians all had filo-style pastries on their culinary background. There is besides strong evidence that the ancient Egyptians produced pastry-like confections. These recipes were adopted and personalized over time in a variety of European countries, resulting in the innumerable of pastry traditions known to the region, from Portuguese "pastéis de nata"(A rich egg custard poured into individual pastry-lined muffin cups and baked.) in the west to Russian "pirozhky"(These are small or large baked or fried pies filled with meat, fish, vegetables or berries) in the east..
Several culinary historians believe French pastry chef Antonin Carème (1784-1833) to have been the first grand master of pastry making in modern times.
But of course I am not going to give vast example of baking in this book, together we will bake some relatively easy baked goods.(and of course we need lots of butter)
We all try to bake at least once and we all know actually baking is one of the most difficult part of culinary world, when we close our oven door usually we have no idea what will be happen next 45 minutes or so, but we all agreed same opinion; baking is fun , especially playing with dough. But none of us give enough pay attention to the fascinating history of baking
Archaeological evidences suggest that the early Egyptians first made bread in2600-2100 b.c it is believed that they learned the skill from the Babylonians, the royal bakeries of Ramses featured bread and some kind of pastries, some of them were shaped in the form of animals and use for sacrifices
Other early records show that in Homers Iliad’s honey flans and totes were available in Antique Greek too.
East Roman Empire founded the first bakery chefs alliance In Constantinople around 4th century AD.
Flatbreads are the oldest breads of all. Quickly cooked, very delicious, and basically handy, and incredibly versatile. Originating in places where fuel was scarce, flat breads are traditionally baked in portable clay ovens called tandoors rtaste and size evolved according to place and taste.(Turkish one puffy.armenian one large size and paper thin,middle eastern one small and double layer)
Let see what’s Alan Davidson’s think about history of early bread .The Israeli and western name for the Arab bread called khubz adi (ordinary bread) or names meaning Arab, Egyptian, Syrian bread or kumaj (a Turkish loanword properly meaning a bread cooked in ashes) (In addition to Mr Davidson Kumaj or kumas also means ordinary fabric in Turkish language), baked in a brick bread oven. It is slightly leavened wheat bread, flat, either round or oval, and variable in size...The name had a ordinary origin with pizza...In the early centuries of our time, the traditional Greek word for thin flat bread or cake, plakous, had become the name of a thicker cake. The new word that came into use for flat bread was pitta, literally pitch, doubtless because pine pitch naturally forms flat layers which many languages compare to cakes or breads...The word spread to Southern Italy as the name of a thin bread. In Northern Italian dialects pitta became pizza, now known primarily as the bearer of savoury toppings but essentially still a flat bread...Early Arab cookery texts do not refer to khubz, since it was bought from specialists, not made in the home. However, it is safe to assume that its history extends far into antiquity, since flatbreads in general, whether leavened or not, are among the most ancient breads, needing no oven or even utensil for their baking."
---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (p. 611)
Middle eastern pita, Indian naan and Armenian lavash are three popular examples.(Armeninan lavash probably the oldest one) New World tortillas are similar products, until here, we made one point very clear ,baking start with flatbreads but what about our baguette or round shape bread (aka.french or Vienna bread)
"A baguette is a long thin loaf of French bread of the type more commonly known in English as 'French stick', or more vaguely still, as 'French loaf'. The term has become increasingly familiar in English since the last quarter of 20th century. It means literally 'littlerod', and is a very small. Word derived ultimately from Latin 'baculum', 'stick staff'."
So how it started There is a ridicoulos rumor that Napoleon ordered his bakers to make long, thin breads so they could be carried in soldier's pants. According to the food historians this is not true: . In fact, it was introduced during the 1920s after a new law banned bakers from working before 4am. They did not have enough time to bake a fresh Boule for breakfast, so they created the baguette.
boule
[BOOL]
French for "ball," referring as a culinary term to a round loaf of white bread. Also called miche ,
However There is some unclear thing going on here, if they did not have enough time for make Boule how come they managed enough time for make Baguette(Weird)
Before the beginning of bulk-producing of tinware English household bread was either baked in clay pans glazed on the inside only, or the loaves were hand-moulded (boule) and fed into the oven on wooden peels in the ancient manner, as was our bakery bread. In the seventeenth century, deep tin and, more rarely, round iron cake pans were used for yeast cakes, and there were clay dishes for pies,
(Qu’ils manget de la brioche) "Let them eat cake!"
historical records tell us the composition of brioche has evolved over time. The brioche referenced by Marie Antoinette in her famous "Let them eat cake" phrase was probably not the same light, flaky roll we enjoy today.
. Some historians believe that the famous pastry Brioche originated in Brie, and Alexandre Dumas claimed that the dough was originally kneaded with the dough was originally kneaded with cheese from Brie
There is also one more strong idea ,that brioche is derived from the verb "brier," and old Norman form of the verb broyuer meaning "to pound" (this is found in pain brie, a specialty of Normandy). This explanation is all the more likely since the brioches from Gournay and Gisors in Normandy have always been highly regarded."
---Larousse Gastronomique, Jenifer Harvey Lang [Crown:New York] 1988 (p. 147)
European traditions of pastry-making are often traced back to the short crust period crumbling dough’s that were in use all the way through the Mediterranean in antique times. These recipes were popularized in Western Europe when Crusaders returning home.
However, the Romans, Greeks and Phoenicians all had filo-style pastries on their culinary background. There is besides strong evidence that the ancient Egyptians produced pastry-like confections. These recipes were adopted and personalized over time in a variety of European countries, resulting in the innumerable of pastry traditions known to the region, from Portuguese "pastéis de nata"(A rich egg custard poured into individual pastry-lined muffin cups and baked.) in the west to Russian "pirozhky"(These are small or large baked or fried pies filled with meat, fish, vegetables or berries) in the east..
Several culinary historians believe French pastry chef Antonin Carème (1784-1833) to have been the first grand master of pastry making in modern times.
But of course I am not going to give vast example of baking in this book, together we will bake some relatively easy baked goods.(and of course we need lots of butter)
good knives and very yummy prices
If you need a knife or knife sets with great price you should look at this web site
www.knivesinfinity.com
red lentil soup
1 Cup Red Lentils,
1.5 Cups Chopped Onoins,
4 tablespoons butter
6 cups chicken or meat stock,
1-2 egg yollks,
1 Cup milk,
Salt,
mint flakes
red peper
Red lentils do not require soaking, they cook fast.
Wash and drain the lentils and keep them on the side until the other ingredients are ready to be used all together.
Saute the onoins in half of the butter until golden brown. Add the stock and bring it to a boil, add the lentils and simmer on slow heat until they are very soft.
Put the lentils in a strainer and seperate the skin.
Melt the remaining butter in a pan, add red peper and stirring for 3 minutes
Simmer the soup on very low heat for 3 minutes while whisking the eggyolk with milk and later adding the mixture with salt to the soup.
Keep the heat going, but not boiling the soup.
The soup tickens as it stands, if you like a less thicker soup you could always add water or stock later on.
pour some butter peper mix and mint flakes on top and serve.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Best things about WINTER
Bedsocks! Nice warm, fluffy, cosy bedsocks...
Christmas and all its festivities, although this is a whole seperate list!
Snuggling up with Michelle in front of a video all cosily while the snow lashes down outside
Snow! Whoohoo! Doesnt happen often, but there's something magical about a good proper snowfall (slushy messes need not apply)
Crisp air and breathing out 'dragon breath' because its so cold.
The first flowers of the year, snowdrops etc. Nice.
Comforting soups and stews- winter warmer comfort food.
Coming in from the cold to a toasty warm house
Nice long, warm baths, into pyjamas and straight underneath a thick, fluffy duvet... ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Getting snowed in and not being able to make it into work
Hot chocolate infront of the fire place all warm and toastie after hot baths.
Being able to disguise flabby body parts in snuggly long jumpers and thick clothes !
no mosquitos
no humidity
great time to start the gym
Sex is much better
Christmas and all its festivities, although this is a whole seperate list!
Snuggling up with Michelle in front of a video all cosily while the snow lashes down outside
Snow! Whoohoo! Doesnt happen often, but there's something magical about a good proper snowfall (slushy messes need not apply)
Crisp air and breathing out 'dragon breath' because its so cold.
The first flowers of the year, snowdrops etc. Nice.
Comforting soups and stews- winter warmer comfort food.
Coming in from the cold to a toasty warm house
Nice long, warm baths, into pyjamas and straight underneath a thick, fluffy duvet... ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Getting snowed in and not being able to make it into work
Hot chocolate infront of the fire place all warm and toastie after hot baths.
Being able to disguise flabby body parts in snuggly long jumpers and thick clothes !
no mosquitos
no humidity
great time to start the gym
Sex is much better
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
hermes and new touch to the cowgirls
"Classy Cowgirl" may sound like an oxymoron, but Hermes managed to make use of the term legit in the Spring 2009 ready-to-wear fashion show.
Listen up Jessica not every cowgirl lines are good...
searching for worst song is finally over... yaaaaay
after too many years of deep thinking finally i made my desicion and came up with a solid result...
"Jump in my car" is THE worst song ever for all time...
only question remaining is WHY ?
"Jump in my car" is THE worst song ever for all time...
only question remaining is WHY ?
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wisdom is finally open @ Capitol Hill
very nice martini bar ... not snoby not trashy very well balanced...
location 14th and Penn ave SE right on POTOMAC AVE metro station.
a must visit...
www.dcwisdom.com
location 14th and Penn ave SE right on POTOMAC AVE metro station.
a must visit...
www.dcwisdom.com
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
chocolate strudel with orange kick
1/3 cup walnut crumb
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbs orange extract
6 sheets filo dough (about 12 by 18 in.)
1/4 cup (1/8 lb.) butter melted
Powdered sugar (optional)
Preparation
1. In a bowl, gently mix chocolate chips, sugar,orange extract
2. Lay 1 filo sheet flat (cover remaining filo with plastic wrap to prevent drying) and brush lightly with butter. Cover with another filo sheet and brush lightly with more butter. Repeat to stack remaining filo.
3. Spread chocolate filling in a 3-inch-wide band along 1 long edge of the dough, 2 inches in from edge and the ends. Fold long edge, then the ends of dough over filling. Gently roll the filled side of dough forward to form a compact cylinder, ending seam side down.
4. Gently transfer the strudel roll, seam down, to a buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheet. Brush top of roll with remaining melted butter.
5. Bake on the center rack in a 375° regular or convection oven until golden brown, 15 to 25 minutes. Using 2 wide spatulas, transfer strudel to a platter. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar, if desired. Cut into 1 1/2-inch-wide slices and serve warm.
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbs orange extract
6 sheets filo dough (about 12 by 18 in.)
1/4 cup (1/8 lb.) butter melted
Powdered sugar (optional)
Preparation
1. In a bowl, gently mix chocolate chips, sugar,orange extract
2. Lay 1 filo sheet flat (cover remaining filo with plastic wrap to prevent drying) and brush lightly with butter. Cover with another filo sheet and brush lightly with more butter. Repeat to stack remaining filo.
3. Spread chocolate filling in a 3-inch-wide band along 1 long edge of the dough, 2 inches in from edge and the ends. Fold long edge, then the ends of dough over filling. Gently roll the filled side of dough forward to form a compact cylinder, ending seam side down.
4. Gently transfer the strudel roll, seam down, to a buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheet. Brush top of roll with remaining melted butter.
5. Bake on the center rack in a 375° regular or convection oven until golden brown, 15 to 25 minutes. Using 2 wide spatulas, transfer strudel to a platter. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar, if desired. Cut into 1 1/2-inch-wide slices and serve warm.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Chili/cayenne infused chocolate truffels
Ingredients:
2/3 cup heavy cream
12 ounces best-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped or grated
Zest from one orange
One cinnamon stick
1/3 cup best-quality cocoa powder
1 tsp chili pepper
Preparation:
1. Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Place the orange rind and the cinnamon stick with the cream in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, simmer until the cream just starts to boil. Remove from heat.
3. At this point you need to strain the zest and cinnamon from the cream and pour it over the chocolate. You can either hold a strainer at the lip of the saucepan and pour the cream directly over the chocolate, or if you don’t have a handheld strainer, you can place a colander in a bowl, pour the cream in the colander, and then remove the colander and pour the cream from the bowl into the chocolate.
4. Allow the hot cream and chocolate to stand for a minute, then whisk the mixture steadily but not too vigorously--you want it to be well-combined but without air bubbles. Whisk until the mixture is entirely smooth. This is your ganache.
5. Cover the ganache with cling wrap, placing the cling wrap directly on top of the ganache so that it is not exposed to air. Allow the ganache to set at room temperature for at least 4 hours, and preferably overnight. The ganache should not be refrigerated, because it might harden too rapidly and the texture will be spoiled. An overnight rest is preferable, because it allows the flavors of the orange and cinnamon cream and the chocolate to mingle and fully ripen.
6. When your ganache is firm enough to shape, scoop teaspoonfuls of ganache and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Repeat until you have formed as many truffles as you desire. Place the truffles in the refrigerator to harden for at least an hour.
7. Combine the cocoa powder and the cayenne in a shallow bowl or pie tin. Once the truffles are firm, coat your hand in cocoa powder and roll a truffle between your hands to get it round. Roll the truffle in the cocoa-chili mixture and place back on the baking sheet.
8. Once all the truffles are done, they can be stored in a single layer in an airtight container for up to a week. They are best served at room temperature when their flavor and texture is the best. Don’t let them get too warm.
2/3 cup heavy cream
12 ounces best-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped or grated
Zest from one orange
One cinnamon stick
1/3 cup best-quality cocoa powder
1 tsp chili pepper
Preparation:
1. Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Place the orange rind and the cinnamon stick with the cream in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, simmer until the cream just starts to boil. Remove from heat.
3. At this point you need to strain the zest and cinnamon from the cream and pour it over the chocolate. You can either hold a strainer at the lip of the saucepan and pour the cream directly over the chocolate, or if you don’t have a handheld strainer, you can place a colander in a bowl, pour the cream in the colander, and then remove the colander and pour the cream from the bowl into the chocolate.
4. Allow the hot cream and chocolate to stand for a minute, then whisk the mixture steadily but not too vigorously--you want it to be well-combined but without air bubbles. Whisk until the mixture is entirely smooth. This is your ganache.
5. Cover the ganache with cling wrap, placing the cling wrap directly on top of the ganache so that it is not exposed to air. Allow the ganache to set at room temperature for at least 4 hours, and preferably overnight. The ganache should not be refrigerated, because it might harden too rapidly and the texture will be spoiled. An overnight rest is preferable, because it allows the flavors of the orange and cinnamon cream and the chocolate to mingle and fully ripen.
6. When your ganache is firm enough to shape, scoop teaspoonfuls of ganache and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Repeat until you have formed as many truffles as you desire. Place the truffles in the refrigerator to harden for at least an hour.
7. Combine the cocoa powder and the cayenne in a shallow bowl or pie tin. Once the truffles are firm, coat your hand in cocoa powder and roll a truffle between your hands to get it round. Roll the truffle in the cocoa-chili mixture and place back on the baking sheet.
8. Once all the truffles are done, they can be stored in a single layer in an airtight container for up to a week. They are best served at room temperature when their flavor and texture is the best. Don’t let them get too warm.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
you might be a 80's kid if...
- You had a crush on one of the New Kids on the Block members.
- You wanted to be on StarSearch. (Come on, we all did)
- You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off. Or even when he had those freaky eyes in "Thriller" at the end of the video.
- You wore a banana clip or one of those slap on wrist bands at some point during your youth.
- You wore french rolls on the botom of your splatter painted jeans.
- You had slouch socks, and puff painted your own shirt at least once.
- You owned a doll with 'Xavier Roberts' signed on it's butt.
- You knew what Willis was "talkin' 'bout."
- You know the profound meaning of "Wax on, Wax off."
- You can name at least half of the members of the elite "Brat Pack."
- You can remeber watching full house and saved by the bell for endless hours.
- You have seen at least 10 episodes of Fraggle Rock.
- You know that another name for a keyboard is a "Synthesizer."
- You hold a special place in your heart for "Back to the Future."
- You know where to go if you "wanna go where everybody knows your name."
- You thought Molly Ringwald was REALLY cool. (Was there an 80's movie she WASN'T in?)
- You know what "Sike" means.
- You fell victim to 80's fashion: big hair, crimped, combed over to the side, and you wore spandex pants
- You wanted to be a Goonie ("Goonies never say die.")
- You've heard of Garbage Pail Kids.
- You knew "The Artist" when he was humbly called "Prince."
- You actually saw Ted Danson as the MacDaddy he played "Sam" to be.
- You ever wore flourescent -neon if you will clothing...(or nailpolish)
- You could breakdance, or wished you could.
- You know who Max Headroom is.
- You remember when ATARI2 was a state of the art video game system. (Remember Pong)
- You know all the words to "ice ice baby".
- You remember M.C hammer.
- You can still sing the rap to "fresh Prince of BelAir".
- You own any cassettes.
- You were led to believe that in the year 2000 we'd all be living on the moon.
- You remember and/or own any of the CareBear Glass collection from Pizza Hut.
- Poltergeist freaked you out.
- You carried your lunch to school in a Gremlins or an ET lunchbox.
- You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the ONLY female smurf.
- You wanted to communicate with some being named Cinergy, or you wanted green hair like that lead singer of the Misfits.
- You know what a Doozer is.
- You wore biker shorts underneath a short skirt and felt stylish.
- You ever had a Swatch Watch.
- You actually spent countless hours trying to perfect the
care-bear stare.
- You had a crush on one of the Coreys (Haim or Feldman).
- You remember when Saturday Night Live was funny.
- You had WonderWoman or Superman underoos.
- You wanted to be The Hulk for Halloween.
- You Believed that "By the power of Greyskull, you HAD the power!"
- You thought that Transformers were more than meets the eye.
- You know what a "Whammee" is. ("No Whammy, no whammy, stop!!")
- Partying "like it's 1999" seemed SO far away.
You ever had to turn your wrist over to look at your watch
- You wanted to go to Kokomo, or maybe Aruba, Jamaca....
- You ever mismatched your clothes in a vain attempt to emulate "Punky Brewster"
- You ever wore "Jellies"
- You remember when a singer having only one big hit was normal
- You remember when it stopped being fashionable to pull your socks up to your knees
- Your mother ever warned you about eating Pop Rocks and drink Coke together
- You know how to tease your bangs straight up
- You can remember what all the fuss over "Scottie dogs" was about
- Mr. Hooper's death on Sesame Street profoundly affected you
- You remember the battle between Macho Man, Hulk Hogan, and Andre the Giant
- Two words: Lite Bright
- You know how to make "Friendship bracelets"
- You used to roller skate everywhere like "Tootie"
- When you see the show "Charmed" you have a hard time seeing Alyssa Milano as anyone else but "Sam"
- You ever laid awake at night in a vain attempt to..."9, 10, never sleep again..."
- You know why you should never feed them after midnight
You used to wear booties (the socks with that funky ball in the back)
- You owned plastic bracelets of all colors
- You had to take part in a slam book
- You wore shorts on top of your sweats in PE class
- You "FEATHERED" your hair
- Owned a jacket like the red one Michael Jackson wore in Thriller
You wore Converse
- You wrote WHAM (or anything else) on your shoes
- You thought growing "a tail" was cool
- Your ponytail was on the side of your head and you thought you were "hip"
- You can still remember how to do M C Hammer's dance
You thought guys with big hair & hawaiian print shirts were cute
- You know who shot JR on Dallas
- You remember when happy meals came in boxes
- You used to watch Webster
- You wanted to be a part of Barbie and the Rockers
- You knew what good toons were before anime
You walked like an Egyptian
- You had to have a Culture Club hat
- You had sunglasses with neon colored sides
- You ever ate C-3PO breakfast cereal
- You remember when ABC showed Schoolhouse Rock shorts in between the cartoons
You remember when all of the "retro" songs commercials were top 40 hits
- You remember when Britney Spears, Christina Aguleria & Justin Timberlake were all members of the Mickey Mouse club, not pop artists
- Your 2 favorite movies are St. Elmo's FIre & The Breakfast Club
- You remember Joan Jett's "I Love Rock N Rock" before Wayne's World 2
- You wore Electric Youth or Tribe perfume
- You remember when magazines had ads for cigarettes.
- You remember when it was "no duh" and not just "duh".
- You wanted to be on StarSearch. (Come on, we all did)
- You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off. Or even when he had those freaky eyes in "Thriller" at the end of the video.
- You wore a banana clip or one of those slap on wrist bands at some point during your youth.
- You wore french rolls on the botom of your splatter painted jeans.
- You had slouch socks, and puff painted your own shirt at least once.
- You owned a doll with 'Xavier Roberts' signed on it's butt.
- You knew what Willis was "talkin' 'bout."
- You know the profound meaning of "Wax on, Wax off."
- You can name at least half of the members of the elite "Brat Pack."
- You can remeber watching full house and saved by the bell for endless hours.
- You have seen at least 10 episodes of Fraggle Rock.
- You know that another name for a keyboard is a "Synthesizer."
- You hold a special place in your heart for "Back to the Future."
- You know where to go if you "wanna go where everybody knows your name."
- You thought Molly Ringwald was REALLY cool. (Was there an 80's movie she WASN'T in?)
- You know what "Sike" means.
- You fell victim to 80's fashion: big hair, crimped, combed over to the side, and you wore spandex pants
- You wanted to be a Goonie ("Goonies never say die.")
- You've heard of Garbage Pail Kids.
- You knew "The Artist" when he was humbly called "Prince."
- You actually saw Ted Danson as the MacDaddy he played "Sam" to be.
- You ever wore flourescent -neon if you will clothing...(or nailpolish)
- You could breakdance, or wished you could.
- You know who Max Headroom is.
- You remember when ATARI2 was a state of the art video game system. (Remember Pong)
- You know all the words to "ice ice baby".
- You remember M.C hammer.
- You can still sing the rap to "fresh Prince of BelAir".
- You own any cassettes.
- You were led to believe that in the year 2000 we'd all be living on the moon.
- You remember and/or own any of the CareBear Glass collection from Pizza Hut.
- Poltergeist freaked you out.
- You carried your lunch to school in a Gremlins or an ET lunchbox.
- You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the ONLY female smurf.
- You wanted to communicate with some being named Cinergy, or you wanted green hair like that lead singer of the Misfits.
- You know what a Doozer is.
- You wore biker shorts underneath a short skirt and felt stylish.
- You ever had a Swatch Watch.
- You actually spent countless hours trying to perfect the
care-bear stare.
- You had a crush on one of the Coreys (Haim or Feldman).
- You remember when Saturday Night Live was funny.
- You had WonderWoman or Superman underoos.
- You wanted to be The Hulk for Halloween.
- You Believed that "By the power of Greyskull, you HAD the power!"
- You thought that Transformers were more than meets the eye.
- You know what a "Whammee" is. ("No Whammy, no whammy, stop!!")
- Partying "like it's 1999" seemed SO far away.
You ever had to turn your wrist over to look at your watch
- You wanted to go to Kokomo, or maybe Aruba, Jamaca....
- You ever mismatched your clothes in a vain attempt to emulate "Punky Brewster"
- You ever wore "Jellies"
- You remember when a singer having only one big hit was normal
- You remember when it stopped being fashionable to pull your socks up to your knees
- Your mother ever warned you about eating Pop Rocks and drink Coke together
- You know how to tease your bangs straight up
- You can remember what all the fuss over "Scottie dogs" was about
- Mr. Hooper's death on Sesame Street profoundly affected you
- You remember the battle between Macho Man, Hulk Hogan, and Andre the Giant
- Two words: Lite Bright
- You know how to make "Friendship bracelets"
- You used to roller skate everywhere like "Tootie"
- When you see the show "Charmed" you have a hard time seeing Alyssa Milano as anyone else but "Sam"
- You ever laid awake at night in a vain attempt to..."9, 10, never sleep again..."
- You know why you should never feed them after midnight
You used to wear booties (the socks with that funky ball in the back)
- You owned plastic bracelets of all colors
- You had to take part in a slam book
- You wore shorts on top of your sweats in PE class
- You "FEATHERED" your hair
- Owned a jacket like the red one Michael Jackson wore in Thriller
You wore Converse
- You wrote WHAM (or anything else) on your shoes
- You thought growing "a tail" was cool
- Your ponytail was on the side of your head and you thought you were "hip"
- You can still remember how to do M C Hammer's dance
You thought guys with big hair & hawaiian print shirts were cute
- You know who shot JR on Dallas
- You remember when happy meals came in boxes
- You used to watch Webster
- You wanted to be a part of Barbie and the Rockers
- You knew what good toons were before anime
You walked like an Egyptian
- You had to have a Culture Club hat
- You had sunglasses with neon colored sides
- You ever ate C-3PO breakfast cereal
- You remember when ABC showed Schoolhouse Rock shorts in between the cartoons
You remember when all of the "retro" songs commercials were top 40 hits
- You remember when Britney Spears, Christina Aguleria & Justin Timberlake were all members of the Mickey Mouse club, not pop artists
- Your 2 favorite movies are St. Elmo's FIre & The Breakfast Club
- You remember Joan Jett's "I Love Rock N Rock" before Wayne's World 2
- You wore Electric Youth or Tribe perfume
- You remember when magazines had ads for cigarettes.
- You remember when it was "no duh" and not just "duh".
flourless walnut and chocolate chip cake
You need:
10 oz walnuts halves
1/2 cup chocolate chip
4 egg whites, whipped + 2 raw egg whites
2 2/3 oz confectioner’s sugar
3.5 oz butter, very soft
1.5 oz fine cane sugar
1 pinch of salt
Steps:
Using a food processor, chop the walnuts coarsely (medium rather than fine) with the confectioner’s sugar .
In a bowl, place the soft butter, add the nuts and the raw egg whites, and mix with a whip.
Beat 4 egg whites and before they are too firm, add the cane sugar and mix. Fold the whites delicately into the previous preparation with chocolate chips.
Place pieces of parchment paper at the bottom of ramekins and grease them. Sprinkle with sugar and fill the ramekins with the batter (the cakes will rise slightly). Level the top of the batter with the blade of a knife and place the molds in the preheated oven at 350 F for 20 mns (the recipe indicates 10 mns, but I thought it was not long enough.) Wait for 5 mns before unmolding the cakes. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and eat lukewarm, it is even better.
10 oz walnuts halves
1/2 cup chocolate chip
4 egg whites, whipped + 2 raw egg whites
2 2/3 oz confectioner’s sugar
3.5 oz butter, very soft
1.5 oz fine cane sugar
1 pinch of salt
Steps:
Using a food processor, chop the walnuts coarsely (medium rather than fine) with the confectioner’s sugar .
In a bowl, place the soft butter, add the nuts and the raw egg whites, and mix with a whip.
Beat 4 egg whites and before they are too firm, add the cane sugar and mix. Fold the whites delicately into the previous preparation with chocolate chips.
Place pieces of parchment paper at the bottom of ramekins and grease them. Sprinkle with sugar and fill the ramekins with the batter (the cakes will rise slightly). Level the top of the batter with the blade of a knife and place the molds in the preheated oven at 350 F for 20 mns (the recipe indicates 10 mns, but I thought it was not long enough.) Wait for 5 mns before unmolding the cakes. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and eat lukewarm, it is even better.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
and i really don't like these places
desert and cake : cake love
coffee shop : peregrine (capitol hill)
tyrst
restaurant : the heights (columbia heights)
: pasta mia
farmers market : georgetown farmers market
wine bar : cork wine bar (14th st)
bar : all the bars @ 18th st NW
coffee shop : peregrine (capitol hill)
tyrst
restaurant : the heights (columbia heights)
: pasta mia
farmers market : georgetown farmers market
wine bar : cork wine bar (14th st)
bar : all the bars @ 18th st NW
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
my favorite restaurants in DC
Yes, I am cooking and I am eating and drinking and reading cook books like reading a novel...I like food and food-related conversations, it’s kind of the main thing in my life; I never get bored of it. In addition to enjoying fine dining, I am also eating fast food or junk food too. Listed in the paragraph below are my favorite places to wine and dine in the Washington DC area…
Fine Dining
Neyla, located in Georgetown, is great for Mediterranean food and a lively ambiance. In addition to all the different mezzes, Neyla’s veal porcini is killer.
La Fourchette, in Adams Morgan, offers rustic French food that will make you feel like you are eating in Montemarte. You have to try their escargote.
Zaytinya, in Chinatown, gives customers affordable Turkish/Greek food in a crowded and hip package. Skip the main entrees and try a lot of different “tapas” or mezze.
I suggest the braised lamb with eggplant.
If you’re in Capitol Hill, you should try Locanda and Sonoma. Locanda has an amazing lamb burger, as well as great panninis;
Sonoma offers a lounge-like atmosphere where you can sip California wines (as well as others from around the world) and nibble on cheese and anti-pasta platters.
Casual Dining
The best burger in DC can be found Tunnicliff’s, right across the street from Capitol Hill’s Eastern Market. And right inside Eastern Market, you can find the best crab cake sandwich in the city.
Matchbox, in Chinatown (and soon to be in Capitol Hill as well), offers one of the best pizzas I have ever had in the world. So, yes—it is one of the best pizzas in DC as well.
Mextex, in Adams Morgan offers-- by far-- the best Mexican food in DC (at least according to my girlfriend who is from California and constantly complains about the lack of good Mexican food in the city)
Desert
As a desert lover, I have to mention Leopold—which is in Caddy’s Alley in Georgetown. They have the most delicious pastries and a wide variety of finger foods.The dessert display is enough to make a grown man cry ...
Honorable Mentions
French/Belgian: Le Paradoue (very expensive), Montemarte, Café Belga (great for brunch)
Mediterranean: Café Divan, Café 8 (recommend the Iskender Kabob)
American: DC Coast, the Diner
Pizza: 2 Amys
Fine Dining
Neyla, located in Georgetown, is great for Mediterranean food and a lively ambiance. In addition to all the different mezzes, Neyla’s veal porcini is killer.
La Fourchette, in Adams Morgan, offers rustic French food that will make you feel like you are eating in Montemarte. You have to try their escargote.
Zaytinya, in Chinatown, gives customers affordable Turkish/Greek food in a crowded and hip package. Skip the main entrees and try a lot of different “tapas” or mezze.
I suggest the braised lamb with eggplant.
If you’re in Capitol Hill, you should try Locanda and Sonoma. Locanda has an amazing lamb burger, as well as great panninis;
Sonoma offers a lounge-like atmosphere where you can sip California wines (as well as others from around the world) and nibble on cheese and anti-pasta platters.
Casual Dining
The best burger in DC can be found Tunnicliff’s, right across the street from Capitol Hill’s Eastern Market. And right inside Eastern Market, you can find the best crab cake sandwich in the city.
Matchbox, in Chinatown (and soon to be in Capitol Hill as well), offers one of the best pizzas I have ever had in the world. So, yes—it is one of the best pizzas in DC as well.
Mextex, in Adams Morgan offers-- by far-- the best Mexican food in DC (at least according to my girlfriend who is from California and constantly complains about the lack of good Mexican food in the city)
Desert
As a desert lover, I have to mention Leopold—which is in Caddy’s Alley in Georgetown. They have the most delicious pastries and a wide variety of finger foods.The dessert display is enough to make a grown man cry ...
Honorable Mentions
French/Belgian: Le Paradoue (very expensive), Montemarte, Café Belga (great for brunch)
Mediterranean: Café Divan, Café 8 (recommend the Iskender Kabob)
American: DC Coast, the Diner
Pizza: 2 Amys
Monday, October 20, 2008
THINGS ARE REALLY GREAT TOGETHER
1 FETA CHEESE AND MELON
2 FETA CHEESE AND WATERMELON
3 COKE AND ORANGE FANTA MIX (HALF AND HALF)
4 TAHINI AND STRAWBERRY JAM MIX (HALF AND HALF)
5 VANILLA ICE CREAM AND BACON CHIPS
6 I LIKE DUNKING MY TOASTED BAGEL TO MY HOT BLACK TEA
7 FRIED EGGPLANT WITH YOGURT
8 WALNUT AND BLACK OLIVES PASTE
2 FETA CHEESE AND WATERMELON
3 COKE AND ORANGE FANTA MIX (HALF AND HALF)
4 TAHINI AND STRAWBERRY JAM MIX (HALF AND HALF)
5 VANILLA ICE CREAM AND BACON CHIPS
6 I LIKE DUNKING MY TOASTED BAGEL TO MY HOT BLACK TEA
7 FRIED EGGPLANT WITH YOGURT
8 WALNUT AND BLACK OLIVES PASTE
my top ten food
1 PORK PULL
2 MIDDLE EASTERN STYLE MEAT BALLS
3 CHARCUTERIE
4 MAC AND CHEESE
5 GOAT CHEESE STRUDDEL
6 BOSTON CREAM PIE
7 FRESH TOASTED BREAD,BUTTER AND CHEESES
8 STEAMED MUSSELS WITH BUTTER AND WINE SAUCE
9 LAMB CHOPS
10 EGGPLANT SALAD AND PITA CHIPS
2 MIDDLE EASTERN STYLE MEAT BALLS
3 CHARCUTERIE
4 MAC AND CHEESE
5 GOAT CHEESE STRUDDEL
6 BOSTON CREAM PIE
7 FRESH TOASTED BREAD,BUTTER AND CHEESES
8 STEAMED MUSSELS WITH BUTTER AND WINE SAUCE
9 LAMB CHOPS
10 EGGPLANT SALAD AND PITA CHIPS
freid mussels with garlic and walnut sauce
you need
30 mussels
1 cup flour
2 cup frying oil (canola)
4 eggs yolk
1 can beer
1 tbs salt
for sauce
1 cup crushed walnut
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup bread crumb
3 cloves smushed garlic
prep
put salt and flour to one big bowl
put 1 can beer to other bowl
put egg yolks to other bowl and beat well
place the mussels to the wooden skewers
first dip them to beer then to egg then flour
fried them until golden brown
sauce prep
put everything (everything in sauce section)
to a food processor mix well
dip your mussels to this dip and eat it...
great with Ale
PS (very imporatant: use your deepest pan , and cover the pan with a lid while frying ,do not burn your self)
Grand Marnier and vodka injected frozen grapes
Ok Fisrt of all this recipe is really time consumer but result is splendid.
you need at least 2 hours to make and you can finish to eat in about 3 minutes.
you need
2 cups of green grapes seedless
2 cups of red grapes seedles
2 cups of vodka (better vodka better taste)
1 cup melted dark chocolate
1 cup coconut powder
1 cup sweet cocoa powder
and 2 hours of working
1 shot Grand marnier
prep
take all the grapes piece by piece and peel the skins (i know not a fun job)
put them in a deep bowl and cover with vodka and GM
place inside your freezer about 2 hours
go drink some vodka (time will be faster)
1 1/2 hours later melt you chocolate (you know how you gonna do it. right?)
your chocolate is ready
get 2 soup bowls
one with cocoa inside one with coconut powder
go get your grapes and and put palm full of grapes into the meltted chocolate
last step is
cover your grapes with cocoa and coconut (i mean some with cocoa some with coconut)
place them to freezer for about 3 hours
eat them all
be drunk
be happy
PS
other great idea Actually I made it and turned out great.
I injected vodka to the baby melon when it s still on the soil
alcohol fermenting inside the melon while melon grows in about 20 days
taste great
peace
you need at least 2 hours to make and you can finish to eat in about 3 minutes.
you need
2 cups of green grapes seedless
2 cups of red grapes seedles
2 cups of vodka (better vodka better taste)
1 cup melted dark chocolate
1 cup coconut powder
1 cup sweet cocoa powder
and 2 hours of working
1 shot Grand marnier
prep
take all the grapes piece by piece and peel the skins (i know not a fun job)
put them in a deep bowl and cover with vodka and GM
place inside your freezer about 2 hours
go drink some vodka (time will be faster)
1 1/2 hours later melt you chocolate (you know how you gonna do it. right?)
your chocolate is ready
get 2 soup bowls
one with cocoa inside one with coconut powder
go get your grapes and and put palm full of grapes into the meltted chocolate
last step is
cover your grapes with cocoa and coconut (i mean some with cocoa some with coconut)
place them to freezer for about 3 hours
eat them all
be drunk
be happy
PS
other great idea Actually I made it and turned out great.
I injected vodka to the baby melon when it s still on the soil
alcohol fermenting inside the melon while melon grows in about 20 days
taste great
peace
Chocolate wine sauce steak
You need:
For two portions:
2 x 16 ounce steaks
2 big potatoes
16 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch of parsley
Two garlic cloves, crushed
Eight sprigs of thyme
1/2 stick butter
1 cup red wine
One chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp melted dark chocolate
prep
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Place the steak in a bowl with half the olive oil, the garlic, pepper and thyme.
Melt the butter with other half of olive oil and add the onions, cooking until they're transparent. Add the wine and chilli; simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.
Steam the potatoes...
While the potatoes are cooking, melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl in a pan of simmering water.
Add the chocolate to the wine and chilli mix.
take the steaks out of your oven and
Grill them for three to four minutes on each side. Remove from heat, allow to rest for a few minutes, then slice into thick strips pour some chocolate/wine sauce and serve.
Crazy tasty
For two portions:
2 x 16 ounce steaks
2 big potatoes
16 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch of parsley
Two garlic cloves, crushed
Eight sprigs of thyme
1/2 stick butter
1 cup red wine
One chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp melted dark chocolate
prep
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Place the steak in a bowl with half the olive oil, the garlic, pepper and thyme.
Melt the butter with other half of olive oil and add the onions, cooking until they're transparent. Add the wine and chilli; simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.
Steam the potatoes...
While the potatoes are cooking, melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl in a pan of simmering water.
Add the chocolate to the wine and chilli mix.
take the steaks out of your oven and
Grill them for three to four minutes on each side. Remove from heat, allow to rest for a few minutes, then slice into thick strips pour some chocolate/wine sauce and serve.
Crazy tasty
fried dough with cheese and peperoni
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 cups all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cheese sherded(any kind of cheese will work it depends on your personal choice)
1 cup peperoni (cut into very small pieces)
3 cups vegetable oil
Preparation:
In a measuring cup, add yeast and sugar to warm water. Stir until dissolved. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Add yeast water and stir with oiled wooden
spoon (dough is not going to stick to your spoon) until a dough-like consistency.
Cover and place in warm area and allow to rise for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled.
take a 1" diameter dough and make it a ball. with your index finger make a big hole in the middle of the ball and fill it with cheese and peperoni mix ,then close the dough... like closing a dumpling.
fried until goden brown (will fry very very quick)
there you go :)
make a cup of black tea for your self and enjoy it...
PS Black tea and fried dough are BFF
feta cheese pastry
you need
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup warm milk
2 tsp yeast (powder)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/2 stick butter (room temp)
5 cups flour
1 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup parsley (finely chopped)
prep
1 : seperate egg yolks and whites for dough
we will use egg whites but kee the yolks for egg wash
2 : put milk ,flour ,salt ,sugar butter, milk in a mixin
bowl.
3 : mix yeast and 3 tbs hot water
4 : add yeast to the dough mix
5 :combine evrtyhing well (txture should be like your ear
lobs txture)
6 : cover your dough with towel and leave it for about
1 hour
7 :take the walnut size dough and make it ball
8 : flatten inside your palm
9 : mix feta cheese and parsley in a seperate cup
10 : fill this flat dough with cheese mixture
and close
about 40 pastries you can make with this recipe
wash your pastries with eeg yolk
leave it 10 more minutes (do not cover)
pre heated oven 375F 20-25 minutes
(before baking you can put some sesame seed on top
too
Sunday, October 19, 2008
PEACH JAM
you need
4 cups hard peaches,(peeled.seeds discarded and cut 1/2"
chunks
3 1/3 cup sugar
2 cups water
1/2 lemon rind
1 lemon juice
Prep
Place the peaches,sugar and water in a large cooking pan.
cover the lid and leave overnight(do not put in fridge)
Following morning cokk until the sugar totally disolves
over medium heat.
take the peaches out with a wooden spoon and place on a plate.
lower the heat and cook the syrup for about 25-30 minutes
untilthe syrup becomes very thick.
Add the peaches ,lemon rind and lemon juice,stir.
Cook about 7-8 minutes(do not stir too much,we do not want to see
crushed peaches,right?)
Take the pot from the stowe top and remove lemon rind.
por peach jam in to a clean,dry and hot jar while still hot.
(JAR has to be hot , if you dont want to cover yoursef with jam)
then close lid.
that's it
taste lab ?
Customized Taste Lab Restaurants - 'Geschmackslabor' in Germany (GALLERY)
(TREND HUNTER) The term ‘Flavour Lab’ brings with it images of test tubes and Bunsen burners, but in German, ‘Flavour Lab’ is translated to ‘Geschmackslabor’. For the ultimate in custom dining experiences, ‘Geschmackslabor’,… [More]edible paper chips
no taste
just artificial flavour
taste like paper actually
nothing inside
no calories
no sodium
no preservatives
no fat
absolutly nothing
if you wanna buy this ,you pay $3 for big nothing
I bet this product will be selling like hot cakes as soon as models hear about it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)