Already an internet favorite, this soon-to-be weekly series features everyone's favorite Italian heartthrob where he shows you the essentials in cooking with passion.
Duration : 7 min 5 sec
Archive for July, 2009
July-24-09
Protein Bars: DIY Gym Food (Healthy Helpings TV Ep. 8)
Posted by admin under healthy cooking
Gym food worth eating? You better believe it – and our DIY protein bars are a quarter of the price, too!
This week host Michelle Koen shows you a simple no cook recipe that will have you saving money and craving these chocolaty morsels. They may look like crap (quite literally), but we think they are tastier than any store bought bar you?ll find.
So come see Michelle do jumping jacks in her kitchen RIGHT NOW ! Then hop over to Healthy Helpings TV for the ingredient list and full recipe.
Tags: food , cooking , diet , fitness , health , healthy , protein , workout
Duration : 10 min 11 sec
Cheetos Fettucinni
There are many cooking schools vying for your money, but it takes research to find out which ones are worth their price. The first step to making your decision is to weed out the bad apples, so to speak. Here are seven telltale signs that a cooking school isn’t fit even for apple pie.
No one has ever heard of them, or if they have, it’s not good
We’re not talking about your friends and family here. We’re talking about people in the industry, such as chefs and their employers. If no one has ever heard of the cooking school you’re asking about, the school’s name on your resume probably won’t impress anyone, either. Even worse, some schools become known for turning out inept graduates. You don’t want that reputation haunting your career.
The school isn’t accredited
Accreditation is important because it sets standards for education. When an agency accredits a school, they are certifying that the school meets a set of standards that the agency has established. Under this system, a student’s credits can be transferred between schools, because the quality of education is guaranteed. If a school is not accredited, it is probably because they aren’t up to par, and they should be strictly avoided.
The school is accredited by a questionable agency
While it’s true that you won’t know all of the possible accreditation agencies, a little bit of online research should turn up some information. If the agency is virtually unheard of in the field, or if its accreditation standards are lower than most, the school’s quality of education should be reevaluated.
The school’s standards for hiring teachers are low or nonexistent
All schools should have standards that dictate what credentials their teachers should have. Good schools usually require both an education and a work history that demonstrates their proficiency in the subject matter. For instance, an ethnic foods teacher at a good school would have a culinary degree specializing in ethnic foods as well as at least several years of experience as a chef specializing in ethnic foods. Lower hiring standards indicate that the school may not provide you with sufficient knowledge and training to launch your career.
The school’s equipment is outdated
Just as with any field that has been touched by technology, the equipment in the culinary industry is constantly improving. A cooking school’s classrooms should reflect this, by providing their students the opportunity to learn on up to date equipment.
The school does not offer job placement services
Some cooking schools offer full job placement services, such as help creating your resume, interviewing practice, local job listings, and a guarantee that you’ll find a job after graduation. Other cooking schools may offer help with resumes and interviewing skills, but no listings or guarantee of job placement. Regardless, however, any good cooking school should offer some type of job placement services.
The school’s graduates have a poor success rate
Many cooking schools like to offer statistics on the success of their graduates. For example, they might tell you that 95 percent of their students are placed in jobs after graduation. Whenever you are researching a school, be sure to ask how successful their graduates are. If they don’t know, if they stammer and get flustered when you ask, or if the statistics are just too low for your liking, it’s probably a sign that the school isn’t providing the quality of education their students need to succeed.
There are a lot of cooking schools out there. Many are good options, and some are nothing short of amazing. However, there are also some that should be avoided by anyone who is serious about pursuing a culinary career. By following this list of warning signs, you can protect yourself from wasting time and money on an education that will do more to damage your career than advance it.
Andy West
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/seven-signs-of-poor-cooking-schools-138163.html
July-22-09
Healthy Eating for Families: 20 Quick and Easy Dinnertime Tips
Posted by admin under healthy cooking
By the end of any given weekday, we have packed lunches, kissed foreheads, gone to work, driven carpool all over town, and now…now it is time to cook dinner.
Here are twenty quick and easy dinnertime tips that can also make for magical family memories.
1. Have lots of fresh vegetables on hand. I love putting out a plate of veggies for my kids to snack on before dinner. Anything that is still on the plate at dinnertime is simply placed alongside our other choices on the dinner table.
2. While you are at the supermarket, pick up some fresh herbs. These take no time at all to throw in to virtually any recipe, but they make all the difference in the flavor of your food. It is especially nice to have fresh basil, mint, and cilantro on hand.
3. Teach your kids about the balance of food on their plate. Discuss how many food groups are represented. To make this more fun, we ask our kids if they are eating a square meal with all four food groups. And if not, is it a triangle, (three food groups), a line (two food groups), or a dot (one food group)? Thinking of their choices in this way helps my young kids to visualize their choices and to strive for a square with each meal.
4. Hang a dry erase board on the wall or the refrigerator with the name of each family member. Beside their name, they can write the number of fruits and vegetables or make a note of the healthy choices they made that day.
5. Do not assume your kids want or need fattening spreads or sugary sweeteners to dress up their food. Two of my children actually prefer toast without butter, waffles without syrup, and salad without dressing.
6. Chop vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower in a food processor, and add it to soups, pasta sauce, chili or stews.
7. Be a good example. The more healthy foods you eat, the more likely your kids will be to eat it, too (eventually).
8. Use the slow cooker. Often, there are times during the day that are less hectic than the dinner hour. Choose a time that is less hassled and make a quick crock pot recipe. My kids love to help add ingredients to the slow cooker.
9. Make a casserole. Cooking Light magazine features some wonderful quick dinnertime or make ahead casserole recipes (also available online at CookingLight.com.) Casseroles can be a great place to sneak in even more veggies.
10. Use the electric indoor grill. I use mine to take chicken from frozen to the table in less than 20 minutes. And then I grill vegetables in 5 minutes. Everything tastes so fresh, healthy and delicious. I do not know what I ever did without mine.
11. Create a Bar. My kids love sandwich bars, pasta bars, taco bars, and potato bars. Put out the essentials and some healthy fillings and toppings, and you have a great meal where everyone is in control of what they eat.
12. Delivery! We love pizza, and many places (especially the more gourmet pizza restaurants) now feature healthy choices, featuring pizzas loaded with fresh vegetables. We order a veggie pizza and one with just cheese, just in case the kids are not in the mood for spinach on their pie.
13. There is more to take out than the traditional fatty fast food fare. Find a few restaurants that offer quick, healthy take out. There certainly is no shame in ordering food to go.
14. Involve your children in the cooking and baking process. Focus on creating positive memories before, during, and after mealtime. This can be a fun time of togetherness, so ask yourself: what would make it more enjoyable for your family members? For example, you might let your kids play their favorite music while they help you prepare dinner, make the salad or set the table.
15. Involve your children in the grocery shopping. Let them read labels with you and help you to make healthy decisions for the family.
16. Make meals a family affair. Family meals are tremendously important. Not only will you be more conscious of what kinds of foods your children are eating, but it will make a ritual out of the family mealtime, which may help to discourage unhealthy snacking before meals.
17. Drink only milk or water with dinner. Soda and other sugary beverages can fill up your kids with empty calories, leaving less room for the good stuff.
18. Demonstrate your reverence for the peaceful family dinner by initiating special rituals even for everyday occasions. Eat on the good china, or try dimming the lights and dining by candlelight.
19. During dinner, talk about the health benefits of various foods on your plate. Before they eat something, my kids will often ask, “What does this food do for my body?” And then we explain in regard to the specific food. This may require you to do some research in advance (or as a family) so that you are familiar with the vitamin and nutrient contents of your favorite meals.
20. Turn off the TV and radio and dial up the conversation. If your kids are not talking or they are bickering, distract them by asking about their favorite part of the day. Everyone gets a turn, and you get a peaceful mealtime. You might enjoy it so much that you will want to celebrate breakfast together, too.
Jamie Jefferson
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/healthy-eating-for-families-20-quick-and-easy-dinnertime-tips-65501.html
Cooking for kids and getting kids in the kitchen needn’t be a pain. In this episode, host Michelle Koenshows you 2 sweet and 1 savory recipe your kids can get their hands into, explore new flavors and customize to suit their own tastes.
This is great for kids, but you don’t have to be a kid to appreciate these simple dishes, a marinade inspired by indonesian cooking with peanuts and sweet sauce and a second marinade straight out of the Mediterranean. For desert Michelle whips you away to the tropics with tasty banana, coconut and pineapple flavors.
Duration : 15 min 15 sec
A typical french market July-21-09
In traditional Italian cooking, what are the most commonly used ingredients?
Posted by admin under Italian cooking
Italy has a wide variety of ingredients used in cooking and you will find that it is VERY provincial. North, South and coastal cities/towns all use local ingredients as their "most common". Hundreds (if not thousands) of books have been published on the subject. Here is a previous thread that will shed some light on your question. Cheers.
Growing an organic herb garden is a delightful project. The fragrant plants not only look and smell good; they are also good for flavoring foods.
Indoor organic herb gardens have the advantage of being year-round, giving a continuous supply of fresh herbs. An indoor organic herb garden can be as small as a few pots on a window sill or as large as a greenhouse filled with containers of aromatic organic herbs.
Herb Choices
There are many ways to decide which herbs to include in your organic herb garden. Here are some ideas.
1. Italian Herb Garden: Plant rosemary, oregano, basil, fennel, and chives. Terra cotta containers will make your indoor organic herb garden look authentically old world.
2. French Herb Garden: Begin with lemon basil, marjoram, and parsley, and add other herbs you like to use in french cookcooking.
3. Fragrant Herb Garden: Choose angelica, bergamot, catmint, chamomile, thyme, lavender, lemon balm, mint, and sage. This organic herb garden is a natural air freshener.
4. Tea Herb Garden: If you enjoy herbal teas, your organic herb garden might focus on appropriate herbs for your tea: catnip, chamomile, lavender, lemon grass, mint, and peppermint.
You may not want to theme your indoor organic herb garden, but simply grow a few herbs that appeal to you.
Containers
Many herbs are well-suited to container gardening, but you will want to choose containers according to the herbs you intend to grow.
1. Those tiny herb peat pots sold in discount stores give the wrong idea. Your indoor organic herb garden will not last long with such small thinking.
2. Begin with containers a bit larger than those in which the live nursery plants were purchased. This will give your plants room to start growing.
3. Once your herbs are stabilized and growing well, transplant them into larger containers.
4. Basil, mint, oregano, and sage are examples of herbs that can be grown in pots of about 8 to 10 inches.
5. If you want a large crop of herbs that is constantly being replenished in your organic herb garden, use 3 to 5 gallon containers. This will assure you of having plenty of rosemary, basil, etc. when you want it.
Container Soil
Indoor organic herb gardens call for building organic soil. Your soil should have a pH of about 7, since herbs prefer a more alkaline soil. If yours is too acid, add some calcified seaweed. Be sure you use only organic fertilizers to build your soil.
Indoor Lighting
An indoor organic herb garden will need lighting, especially if your room is not sunny. Lighting is especially important for year-round indoor gardens.
Different plants have different light requirements, some preferring bright sun and others preferring shade. Most herbs prefer full sun, but there are exceptions, so learn what each of your herbs needs.
Incandescent lights, even though called “grow lights”, are a poor choice for your indoor organic herb garden. Fluorescent lights are better, and have the advantage of being inexpensive, easily available, and easy to set up. The best choice for lighting your indoor organic herb garden is high intensity discharge lighting, often called HID lights. These are even more affordable and efficient.
Useful and Beautiful
An indoor organic herb garden can be both useful and beautiful. Herbs are generally eager to please, and require little maintenance. Simply give them the right food, water, and sunlight, and they will reward you abundantly.
Anna Hart
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/indoor-organic-herb-garden-120399.html
Click now Fast Quotes..
-
Meta