Chinese Food - Chinese Dumplings - How to Make Them
The lowly dumpling. In Western-style cooking it is a simple staple, a source of carbohydrates and a great comfort food. However, made in the Chinese way, it is an artistic creation from the kitchen. Chinese Dumplings (Jiao Zi or Gow Gee, in the Mandarin dialect) are a mixture made of dough filled with meat, chicken and/or vegetables. It is frequently dished up as part of dim sum. The correct preparation calls for plenty of time, patience and effort but the end result, when done properly, are definitely worth it. Ingredients Dough: 360 g white flour 240 - 350 ml water 1 tsp salt You will need to... Read the full story »
Celebrate With Organic Wines and Cocktails
Thanksgiving. Christmas. Hanukkah. Kwanzaa. New Years. Just reading the names of these holidays can stir up feelings of excitement, wonder and celebration. We get together with people we love and celebrate life. We eat and drink and talk about the year that was, the year that will be and our hopes for the future. And we give thanks for the many things we have been given. Celebrations like these require special food and drink. We make huge dinners and surround ourselves with trays of sweets. We also make toasts with rich, full glasses of wine and sparkling, red studded cocktails. This year, as more... Read the full story »
Electronic Mail Joke Passing Etiquette
E-mail is a great way to keep in touch with friends, family members, and coworkers. Many people love to do so by forwarding jokes to dozens, if not hundreds, of their address book contacts. Before you become the humor distributor, please, PLEASE read the below etiquette suggestions, lest your e-mails may just find their ways to peoples’ virtual trash cans. Even worse, some people may stop reading your e-mails altogether if you don’t follow these guidelines: 1. Always give your e-mails subject lines or they may never be read, and some people may begin ignoring all your e-mails entirely. Be... Read the full story »
All About the Top Three Portable Blenders
Portable blenders are now in demand, especially for those who love the great outdoors. There are lots of portable blenders being sold in the market these days. The summer time not only promises vacations by the beach or vacation for students. It is also a favorite time for barbecue parties and picnics at the park. This is also a good time for families to go to mountainside and explore nature. This is also the best time where beverages are highly demanded, especially shakes, yogurts and purees. Before, going on picnics would only leave you with bringing canned or bottled drinks. This is because... Read the full story »
Using Chocolate as a Cooking Ingredient
Using chocolate as an ingredient is a great way to add richness and bite to your cooking or baking. Chocolate is America’s favorite flavor. How can you go wrong with chocolate-flavored desserts and pastries? Cooking and baking with chocolate can be made simple, following a few general guidelines for handling chocolate. Storing Chocolate Properly Chocolate should be stored in a cool, dry place where there are relatively insignificant temperature fluctuations and in an area that is far from direct sunlight. Chocolate should be contained in its original wrapping or tightly wrapped in foil,... Read the full story »
Where To Look For The Best Chocolate Experience
The finest chocolate the world has to offer is usually not so readily available in the local supermarket. Those sold in convenience stores and groceries are the mass-produced ones we’ve all grown so accustomed to – Hershey’s, M&M’s, KitKat, Toblerone, Cadbury, and maybe a Lindt here and there. For a truly chocolate experience, you have to probe deeper and go to specialty shops. Italian, French, Belgian, Swiss, German, Japanese, and Spanish chocolates are sold in these little chocolate shops which offer overwhelmingly diverse options that can make any chocoholic go crazy... Read the full story »
In Search of the World’s Best Chocolate
Different people have different tastes when it comes to chocolate. Some may like it rich, dark and bitter, while others may prefer it creamy, velvety and milky. Whether dark or milk chocolate, there are still some chocolates considered to be the best in the world, usually by chocolatiers, chocolate experts and critics. Below are some of the chocolates held to be the standard of high-end chocolate. Chocolate from Italy The best chocolate in the world, as voted by the Academy of Chocolate in London, comes from Tuscany, Italy—Amedei’s Chauo, which got the gold medal and was said to have... Read the full story »
Stay Healthy, Eat Chocolates!
When we think chocolate, we think of mindless indulgence and guilty pleasures, not health benefits. Indeed, it is more like the antithesis of health and nutrition in our minds as we have learned since we were little kids—that eating copious amounts of chocolates can have dire consequences and therefore forbidden to some extent (you can’t eat it before a meal as well as during nighttime). But thanks to new scientific findings, it turns out that chocolates have health benefits too, particularly dark chocolate. Lowers Your Blood Pressure According to a scientific report published in the... Read the full story »
Stimulate Your Senses With Chocolates
Not only are chocolates pleasurable and sinfully delicious, they also stimulate your mind and give you a boost of energy especially when you’re on the go. Eating a chocolate a day can have wonderful benefits for your mind and your well-being, as longs as you watch your over-all calorie and sugar intake for the day. Chocolates contain various ingredients that affect your brain and body chemistry. Some people even attest to its potency as an aphrodisiac and is said to elevate the mood. Some of the main ingredients contained in chocolates that stimulate the senses include sugar, theobromine,... Read the full story »
The Allure of Gourmet Chocolate
Nothing beats the taste of a truly divine chocolate that is made with the finest and purest ingredients. For the chocolate connoisseur, only gourmet chocolate will do; chocolate that is surely no 50-cent treat but a luscious indulgence that is meant to be savored and cherished like good wine and good food. In recent years, more and more chocolatiers are putting up chocolate shops, creating hand-made chocolate and confections that contain higher cacao levels than those mass-produced chocolates you can buy at the grocery store. These master chocolate makers use natural flavors and some unusual ingredients... Read the full story »