Posted by: foodreallyrocks on: September 6, 2008
There are so many types of chocolate models to choose from. The variety of chocolate is truly only where your mind limits you. I think it’s safe to say, society has mastered chocolate. Chocolate dates back to approximately 1100 BC when it’s earliest use was recorded. It comes from many raw and processed foods produced from seeds of the tropical cacao tree. Cultivated for at least three millennia, today Cacoa provides tremendous choice in countless makes and models of chocolate and finding your favorite could take the rest of your life! You just don’t need to declare a particular chocolate model a favorite, just enjoy them all!
Finding the best chocolate can be a rewarding experience, or so it seems. Searching and trying all sorts of different kinds can be a tough task, well maybe not that tough for some people! Although eating over two hundred different kinds of chocolate may sound like fun to some, you may just decide to slim down that list a bit.
To name a few, you can choose from
Belgian Chocolate
Milk Chocolate
Dark Chocolate
Chocolate Bars
Chocolate Fudge
Chocolate Truffels
Sugar-Free Chocolate
Organic Chocolate
Chocolate Fondue
and the list of chocolate models and types goes on!
Chocolate Candy Can Help You Study
Remember the study where a scientist named Pavlov taught a dog to connect the ringing of a bell with feeding time? It’s the ring of that bell that would signal the dog to eat, and eventually the ring alone caused the dog to salivate. Well, that was a major breakthrough in how our brains operate; even though the study was done on a dog. We too can be taught to associate certain things and these associations can be used to remember things, such as when studying for a test. Apparently you can use chocolate candy to help you get better grades on a test or just better grades in general? How? Chocolate can be used as a mental market since the smell and taste of it alone is so strong, helping you remember things you normally wouldn’t easily be able to. Every chocolate model you can ponder up can be used to bring about this result. Pick your favorite; chocolate mints, chocolate bars, chocolate covered strawberries, whatever you want!
Just the Smell of Chocolate
Use the example of your preparing for a math exam. You have to remember a certain theorem, such as the Pythagorean Theorem, but you just can’t seem to make it stick in your brain. However, you take out a piece of chocolate candy, let’s say a chocolate candy bar, and before it reaches your mouth you smell it. Although you eat the chocolate it will be the smell that can cause you to remember that theorem for later. The day of your test, your candy bar is half melted in your backpack and you happen to smell it. Let the smell of that chocolate bring you back to when you were studying that theorem. The smell of chocolate becomes the reminder you need to trigger that hard to learn theorem for your test.
The Smell & Taste of Chocolate
Of course this theory is just related to chocolate, you can do this with anything, fruit, good smelling incense, or anything else to that effect, but chocolate candy has such a strong and distinctive smell, and it’s so addictive, that it will definitely help you remember what you need to if you smell it while you’re studying and then smell it again while you’re taking a test.
In Moderation
Remember that chocolate candy, if eaten too much, can make you gain weight and it’s just not that good for you to eat too much of it. However, you can try scratch and sniff chocolate stickers too and use them to your advantage. Eaten in moderation, chocolate candy is fine, and it can help you get good grades; but you don’t want to sacrifice your weight just to get good grades by constantly eating chocolate. Plus anyone who happens to be allergic to chocolate, better use another treat for this experiment.
By Brite-Ideas
Posted by: foodreallyrocks on: September 6, 2008
Now that more and more people are starting to take notice in their health, there is an increase in profit for the bottled drinking water company. There is no doubt about it, the bottled drinking water company is making a lot of money off of something so simple such as water. But the question that is on the minds of everyone is whether or not it is really a safe drinking water bottle because of the chemicals within the plastic. Some people say there is nothing to worry about while others claim that the bottled drinking water company knows that the water is contaminated.
As of right now though, there is no hard evidence that the bottled drinking water company is aware of any true problems with drinking their water on a regular basis. But a person does have to wonder just where exactly are these companies getting their water and is it really any better then the water you would get through a filtered tap? There are a lot of products on the market for filters that attach to the faucet in the kitchen and they may do just as good if not better then the bottled drinking water company.
What You Can Do
If you want to be the judge for yourself and see if the bottled drinking water company that you are using regularly is better then the water you can get from your faucet, there are things you can do. There are kits out there on the market that can help you test not only your tap water, but also the water from the bottled drinking water company. You can take those two tests and compare to see how much better the water from the bottled drinking water company is for you and your overall health.
Then, if you get a filter attachment for your home sink and test that water, you can then test it against the water from the bottled drinking water company. In the end, you may be surprised to see which of the waters is better and safer for you to drink. You may find that you can save yourself a lot of money filtering your own water instead of paying the bottled drinking water company for water that you could have gotten yourself. Do the tests and make a decision for yourself and in the end you will be much better off health wise and pocket book wise.
Posted by: foodreallyrocks on: September 4, 2008
Absinthe is a strong liquor which is generally between 45 and 75% ABV (alcohol by volume), about twice as strong as other types of alcoholic beverages such as whisky and vodka.
Otherwise known as “The Green Fairy” or “La Fee Verte”, Absinthe was the drink associated with La Belle Epoque and Bohemian Paris. It was given to French soldiers in the 1840s to treat malaria and they brought the drink home with them. Absinthe bars opened all over Paris and special Absinthe hours or “L’heure verte” took place daily. By the middle of the 19th century Pernod, distillers of Absinthe, were making over 30,000 liters of Absinthe every day for the French people to buy!
About Absinthe History
Legend says that Dr Pierre Ordinaire created Absinthe in the Swiss town of Couvet in the 18th century as an elixir or tonic for his patients. The Absinthe recipe eventually got into the hands of Henri-Louis Pernod who first distilled Absinthe in Couvet and then later in Pontarlier, France under the name of Pernod Fils.
Pernod used a wine base and various herbs including common wormwood (artemisia absinthium), aniseed, fennel, lemon balm, hyssop, angelica, dittany, star anise, nutmeg and juniper.
Famous drinkers of the Green Fairy were Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Degas, Gauguin, Verlaine and Baudelaire.
Absinthe became more popular than wine, In France, and the prohibition movement campaigned to get Absinthe banned because:-
– Thujone, in wormwood, was thought to be similar to THC in cannabis and thought to be psychoactive.
– Absinthe was linked with the loose morals of the artists, writers and courtesans of Montmartre.
– Absinthe was thought to have psychedelic effects, to cause hallucinations, convulsions and to drive people insane.
It was even claimed that an Absinthe drinker murdered his whole family – just the excuse that the prohibition movement were looking for to persuade the government to ban Absinthe. The buying, selling and consumption of Absinthe in France was made illegal in France in 1915 and in many other countries around this time.
Many studies have shown that Absinthe, including vintage Absinthe, only contains very small amounts of thujone and is perfectly safe to drink. Absinthe has been legalized in many countries since the 1990s and here has been an Absinthe revival in many countries, including the USA who have only recently allowed a few brands to go on sale.
About Absinthe Essences
To enjoy Absinthe, you can either order bottles of Absinthe online or you can make your own Absinthe using essences from AbsintheKit.com. These essences are used by the Absinthe industry and are made using traditional herbal ingredients such as wormwood, aniseed and fennel. Simply mix with either Everclear or vodka to make your very own Absinthe. There are four different types of essence available.
About Absinthe Preparation
The correct way to prepare Absinthe is to follow the ritual:-
– Pour 25-50ml Absinthe into an Absinthe glass.
– Rest a slotted Absinthe spoon on the top of the glass.
– Place a sugar cube on the spoon.
– Drip iced water over the sugar using an Absinthe fountain or pour slowly from a carafe.
– Watch the Absinthe louche.
– Drink your wonderful Absinthe drink.
I hope you have now learned all about Absinthe, the mysterious drink with a very interesting past and a great taste.
Posted by: foodreallyrocks on: September 4, 2008
You mat not be familiar with Quinoa but it has been enjoyed by the peoples of South America for thousands of years. South America is still the main source for growing quinoa although farmers in other countries with a suitable climate are also growing it. It seems to be widely available over the counter in most food shops now. If not you can always buy it online.
What is quinoa?
Although it is most definitely a seed quinoa is usually included with grains for cooking purposes. Spinach and chard are in the same plant group. The leaves can be eaten, not just the seeds. Beause the quinoa leaves do not stay fresh for long you can only get them where the quinoa is grown. The original seed type is the most important type of quinoa because it holds all the nutritional benefits with it.
What is Quinoa Like?
Quinoa seeds are quite small and have a hard shell to them. There are different varieties but the most common one is the creamy white type. Red and black quinoa is much rarer. They come in dry packs of 500g or 1kg ready for you to cook. You can replace any favourite rice dish you have with quinoa very easily. You will find that it adds its own character to any recipe you use it with.
How do you cook Quinoa?
The simplest way of preparing quinoa is to cook it on the hob in boiling water. You need 1 measure of quinoa to 2 measures of water. All the water will be absorbed by the Quinoa. Sometimes the slightly bitter saponin coating has not been removed. If you find this is the case you must pre-rinse it before you go and cook it. Nearly all the quinoa you cn buy now has been rinsed before packing but its better to be sure.
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Once you have cooked the quinoa you can add it as a base for meat dishes instead of rice. You can put it in many other types of recipes. It takes on the flavour of the foods you cook it with and adds it own little bite to the taste.
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If you look closely you can see a “tail” that is just the quinoa germ. This has a very pleasant crunch to it when you eat it. This is why I think people say it tastes a bit nutty. I’m not sure I agree but quinoa does taste good.
You can microwave quinoa and put it in casseroles as a thickening agent. To expand the usefulness of this superfood companies are now producing quinoa flour and flakes. You do have to go careful with the quinoa flour because it is not a straight substitue for wheat flour.
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What is special about Quinoa?
Quinoa is almost unparalled in the world of seeds and grains. One of the big things is that quinoa is gluten free which is great when so many people have wheat allergies. Vegans and vegetarians eat it to give them the amino acids that quinoa contains. Because it realeases the carbs slowly over time it is know to benefit a number of food related health problems.
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Posted by: foodreallyrocks on: September 4, 2008
Take a tip from the experts: use BBQ wood chips to spice up your grilling. If you are an avid griller then you already know the reason for using barbecue wood chips. However, lots of people don’t have a clue why this product is so popular.
Wood chips are used in your grill in addition to charcoal or gas. If you are not using a wood fire to cook your food, then the only way you are going to get a true smoke flavor is by adding wood to your fire.
BBQ wood chips take your grilling to a whole new level. Whether you use a charcoal, gas or electric grill, wood chips will give you authentic barbecue flavor. There are special smoker boxes that can be placed in your gas and charcoal grills to add that special wood smoke flavor. Read the instructions for your particular grill before you try doing this.
When you use wood chips, take care to keep them burning quite slowly. The resulting heavy smoke will spoil your food with an acrid taste. By soaking wood chips in water for about 15 minutes you can slow down the combustion and lengthen the time in which the smoke is created. Before you use them, though, let the wood chips “drip dry” for a few minutes before you add them to your fire. You want the wood moist, not dripping wet.
When using a small smoker in your grill you don’t necessarily have to soak your BBQ wood chips first. Although soaked wood chips burn longer, if you are cooking a steak you might not need them to burn for that long.
Wood smoking chips or BBQ wood chips are available in a wide variety of flavors. They go from mesquite and hickory all the way to cabernet. The stores that sell BBQ wood chips will have flavor guides to help you wade your way through the new age of wood chips.
In general, if your meat is lighter, you’ll need a milder wood chip flavor. But it also doesn’t hurt to experiment and try mesquite with chicken, just begin with fewer wood chips then you would normally use.
With its more delicate aroma, alder wood chips best accompany lighter meats like fish and poultry. The flavorful fruitwoods go best with veal, poultry and pork. Fruit woods include apple and cherry.
Maple and hickory BBQ wood chips have a strong flavor and are best used with beef, pork and poultry. Beef, duck and lamb go well with the strong mesquite wood chips, and oak, another strong flavor, is good with beef and ham.
But remember that barbecuing is all about the meat. If you don’t have a good piece of meat, there is no wood chip in existence that will make your meat taste any better. Make sure you have a good cut that is fresh and well prepared.
Don’t settle for just a plain old grilled steak or bland chicken breast cooked on bare coals – cook like a pro and enjoy the vibrant aromas and flavors that come from cooking with BBQ wood chips.
Posted by: foodreallyrocks on: September 3, 2008
How to cook quinoa in a microwave
The standard way to cook quinoa is to cook in in boiling water.There is nothing difficult about preparing quinoa in a microwavbe as long as you follow these instructions. I have prepared these instructions using a 700 watt oven. You will need to adjust yor cooking times to suit your equipment.
Step one
Measure out one cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water. You can use any size of cup as long as you add double the amount of water.
Step two
Rinse the quinoa under cold water for half a minute to remove any impurities.
Step three
Put the water and the quinoa into a microwaveable dish and cover. The next step is to place it in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes approximately. Remove it from your microwave and allow to rest for 1 minute. Gently mix the mixture up a bit and then return it to the micro oven for a second cooking period of 3 minutes. When it is finished just put it to one side to rest and finish the cooking process. then you can move on to serve it.
Depending on the type of quinoa the water may not fully be absorbed by the quinoa in which case you will need to drain it of the excess before carrying on with your preparation.
you can now tuck into the freshly cooked quinoa. The only difference I have observed in cooking quinoa in a microwave as opposed to cooking it the standard way is that is expands very slightly more and is a bit softer to the touch. The well known flavour is still evident and quinoa cooked this way can be used in exactly the same way as quinoa cooked in the normal way.
You will find that quinoa is a great substitute for potatoes and rice and can be served up as a side dish to almost any main meal. Just serve it on the plate instead. Quinoa is better in some situations than others and in particlular it works well with stir fry dishes and salads. This is where it really comes into its own and prooves to be a versatile addition to your kithcen larder,
Posted by: foodreallyrocks on: September 3, 2008
Even though I hate to admit it and my waistline really shows is, I do love food.
