March 19, 2010

Love My Mills

Filed under: Cooking — admin @ 5:19 pm

If you’re used to cooking with pre-ground pepper, you will be stunned at how different the freshly ground kind tastes. It’s simply better tasting and spicier than any pre-ground pepper. This is also the case with fresh ground Salt Crystals. While milling your own Salt Crystals doesn’t have the same dramatic effect as it does on pepper, the use of your own salt mill enables you to enhance your cooking by making crystals of Sea salt smaller. Sea salt is much more rich than the traditional table salt that comes in small granules.

Do not put too much pepper in your grinders. This is especially true if you don’t use pepper that frequently, keep the mill only partially filled. Most people don’t know that pepper can go bad. Old, stale pepper just won’t taste as fresh if it’s been housed inside a grinder for months at a time. Store the pepper you aren’t using in an air-tight container, make sure it’s in a cool place away from the light. Add them to your mill only when necessary. When it comes to salt, however, you can feel free to fill your grinder to its capacity. You don’t have to worry about salt going stale if left in the grinder for too long. Don’t try to clean your salt mills in water, especially if they are made of wood. A squirt of window cleanser and a small brush can be utilized to clean the surface of the mill. Don’t use a dishwasher to clean your salt and pepper mills. Every good salt or pepper mill will have a way to adjust the size of the grind. By turning the screw (located on top of your grinder), you can adjust the grind accordingly. You can always adjust to a coarser grind, but if you want finer salt or pepper, you will have to empty the mill first. Black and white pepper are small and easy to grind.

However, green and pink ones are a bit bigger. This variety of pepper can actually clog up the mill. Don’t try to grind a mill filled with nothing but green and pink peppercorn. Instead, mix these pepper in with standard black or white pepper. It’s common to find pepper and salt grinders sold together in a set.

This is a good option because the mill will match. If you don’t think you’ll be needing a full salt grinder more manufacturers do make pepper mills that feature a salt shaker on them. These designs can be quite accessible and allow you to store both spices in one container.

February 25, 2010

Cheryl & Company – Cheer up Your Loved Ones with Gourmet Cookies

Filed under: Cooking — admin @ 1:16 am

Cheryl and Co can warm the hearts of those dear to you with tasty cookies. They offer a vast selection of cookies and brownies and you can send these to anywhere in the country. Every one of their marvelous boxes, baskets, and brilliantly colored tins is exquisitely packaged and is shipped straight to your loved one’s address. It is a comforting and convenient means to cheer up your friends, family members, loved ones, customers, and business contacts.

Cheryl and Company began making delicious cookies in the early eighties when they opened the doors of their very first shop in Columbus, OH. Not even a decade after starting the company they had greatly expanded their product range. They soon began promoting their goods via catalogs and retail outlets and a corporate gift section to improve the service offered to businesses. The bakery took full advantage of the internet to facilitate easy ordering and nowadays are a member of the 1800Flowers.com group.

Outstanding quality comes first with this baked goods provider. The bakery guarantee their bakery goods are always sent in tip-top shape and ready to be eaten.

Everything is made from only natural ingredients. The range includes conventional tasty treats such as macadamia nut and oatmeal raisin, and some more unusual flavor combos, such as cinnamon pumpkin.

Alternatively, why don’t you pick a few brownies or even gourmet chocolates? You can purchase towers, boxes, or tins stuffed with pre-selected types of bakery goods. When you have a little more time, you can pick out a gift box and cram it with the flavors you think the recipient will like. The brownies are available in a huge range of flavors, and even include bite-sized sampler selections. Select an elegantly presented gift to thank a client or business contact. A playful or seasonal hamper is a fantastic idea to let family know they are missed. There are also cookies designed only at Xmas, Halloween, and most other high days and holidays to ensure you can send the perfect gift speedily and without any fuss.

Cheryl and Company has become such a booming cookie provider and it is all down to its commitment to excellence, service and such a great selection of offerings.

To learn more, we recommend you review our comprehensive resource for cookies facts…

February 5, 2010

My Handy Popcorn 101

Filed under: Baker's Dozen, Cooking, Nutrition Tips — admin @ 12:05 am

Try and imagine, for a moment, what one billion pounds of uncooked kernels would look like — and if you consider that that’s a single year’s domestic non-wholesale sales alone, suddenly it becomes clear exactly how many of your family love their popcorn. So if you want some, order from the market leader — delivering upwards of a million pounds each year to you and people like you of popcorn balls.

Available in all your favorite flavors and a variety of presentations, the Factory are ready to supply you with as much popcorn as you need. Just as they have for thirty years. You require the finest, most flavorful fixings to make delicious popcorn, so they trawl through home grown kernels to find the very best. With the finest corn oil, that taste’s maintained as the kernels pop, meaning you can add other flavorings easily. It’s packaged in attractive boxes and delivered straight to the customer. Their most sought after line is their popcorn tins, with the small tin holding two and a half gallons and the large tin’s capacity being six. These are large enough to last you and your friends for several movies or feed a group of company employees. You can buy them in buttered and plain not to mention many different flavors like white chocolate raspberry.

If these are outside your comfort zone, or if you happen to be thinking about some other package, the popcorn Factory also offers their toothsome treats in attractive tins. As with the majority of gift ideas, you can have these decorated to reflect the reason they’re being given. Not enough? You can actually go further, adding an appropriate image, a personal note, or the recipient’s name. Plenty of shoppers love a particular flavor and simply ask for one large batch. As an alternative, assortments offer a smaller amount of different kinds so new customers have a chance to try everything.

However, should you want a bigger variety, there’s another option — the tower. Easily created from a stack of containers tied together, you can choose premade combos or create a custom stack.

And there it is; so many flavors, so many choices. With their presentation, too, they make fantastic presents. So why not spread a little happiness? We greatly recommend it.

January 31, 2010

Cream Whippers, the Mystery to Your Coffee Chef-d’oeuvre

Filed under: Cooking, Shopping Tips + More — admin @ 7:54 am

Have you ever inquired why coffee has today grown so popular these days? When you contemplate about it, it is merely coffee. Still, what’s fixing them very desired to people? You might not recognise it but certain components have been contributed to it to make them delicious and more fulfilling. Some even call them fancy coffee!


Making coffee is an artform and it takes experimentation and rehearsal. In the procedure of making your own coffee recipe, going through faults is not startling. We have here 2 fancy coffee formulas. You would be astonished to know the ingredients contributed!


Cafe Borgia


The main components for this Italian drink are grated orange skins, warm chocolate and whipped cream. This formula needs to fuse 2 cups of warm chocolate and 2 cups of strong Italian coffee. Keeping the same chocolate-coffee proportion is necessary at all times. After fusing, pour it in a patsy and then add the orange peels and cream.


Irish Coffee


A cup of Irish Coffee brightens the conditions and charms us only an Irish style would. Get a cup of strong coffee and mix it with the quantity of sugar you want and a shot of Irish whisky. After, we should add or place the cream on top.


Taking a better look, you will see that cream is involved for both formulas. However, whipping cream manually requires time. To produce these delightful beverages, Cream Whippers should be used. They are fashioned to aid us produce whipped cream promptly and much fuller.


While being a coffee master would certainly need some time, Cream Whippers will aid you vastly. Fixing the whipped cream would no longer be worried on. You can now stress on the blending of ingredients and their corresponding measures to make your masterpiece. In addition, Cream Whippers make it possible for us to perform it at home.

January 14, 2010

Hampers for Chocolate Lovers at Fannie May

Filed under: Baker's Dozen, Cooking — admin @ 2:43 pm

Besides the fact that Fannie May is a household name throughout the USA recently, the business had simple origins. The story began in Chicago, Illinois in the early twenties. Since then this innovative business has developed from a single shop into a booming organization furnishing the US with fabulous chocolates. Fannie May’s ability to blend cocoa, sugar and other quality ingredients in just the right way made them so popular they grew to about 48 branches in just 15 years. During wartime rationing, the business was temporarily closed, because they refused to dilute the quality of their candies. Fortunately, many of the recipes it used back in the early days are still in production and being sold now.

Naturally all the chocolates are attractively presented. Remember to ask for a decorative presentation box or tin when the chocolate is for a special occasion, it will add a special touch. Have a box or tin delivered for anniversaries or special events, or ask for a huge basket filled with goodies for a friend, loved one, or business contact. If you wish to buy particular sorts that’s easily done, nevertheless a large assortment of carefully designed gifts are available as well. Fannie May now own branches not only in the United States but in various other nations worldwide. This makes it easy for you to send these much-loved treats anywhere in America and worldwide without ever having to leave the comfort of your home. There are a few chocolates that are not recommended for transportation during the summer, but Fannie May has the business network to deliver the vast majority of gifts all over the world.

Even those people with particular needs aren’t an issue for this company. Fannie May’s make chocolate with no added sugar and other treats too. Should you need large quantities of individual gift boxes or wedding favors, Fannie May have a selection to choose from. You only need to give them a call and tell them precisely what you would like.

It’s easy to see why Fannies May’s chocolates are such a booming company. Indeed, the most difficult part is selecting from the huge array of gift baskets on the internet site. With every sweet treat imaginable from mints to caramels readily available, you are guaranteed to find exactly that perfect gift you are looking for.

December 28, 2009

Manual versus automated tempering: when to use which

Filed under: Being Creative, Biz Ops, Cooking — admin @ 11:49 am

Chocolates, with its irresistible creaminess, shine and snap, will never go out of fashion but you may not know that these aren’t original to chocolates but are acquired through that process called chocolate tempering. Heating, cooling and reheating are the three stages involved in tempering and you can succeed in these steps only if you maintain the specific temperatures throughout.

Tempering becomes complex when you consider that success comes only if you maintain accurate temperatures, a fact that chocolatiers acknowledge, because of several things:

  • Maintaining accurate temperatures during tempering becomes necessary because the six types of crystals that form from the fatty acids of cocoa butter multiply at six different but specific temperatures.
  • It’s only the type V crystals that you’ll need because only these make the chocolates crisp and shiny. These type V crystals are formed at a particular temperature which you should maintain very carefully and meticulously for each chocolate type.
  • If you fail to do so, the remaining five types of crystals will start dominating and multiplying, which will be detrimental to your objective of acquiring only the type Vs. You shouldn’t allow temperatures to remain undirected and uncontrolled.
  • You can choose either tabliering or seeding to manually temper chocolate but in both cases, maintaining is the major aspect of tempering that you’ll need to focus on; otherwise, you’ll find yourself repeating the process of tempering till you get satisfactory results.
  • You should also take suitable safeguards against moisture and also use a good thermometer for monitoring and maintaining specific temperatures correctly.

Bulk manufacture of chocolates can be done only with the help of a tempering machine so that you can obtain consistently uniform quality in all the batches of chocolates you make. For maintaining the accurate temperatures during heating, cooling and reheating, a microprocessor is provided on the tempering machine so you won’t have to deal with this hassle during tempering. The time and energy saved by using a tempering machine can be devoted to work out clever innovations for improving your chocolates and to arm yourself well to face competition.

You should learn tempering by hand, though it can be a tricky process, because certain challenging situations may demand it (like a power outage perhaps). But producing consistently good chocolates and taking care of bulk deliveries on time can be achieved only if you have a tempering machine.

November 7, 2009

Thanksgiving Ideas for Dinner, Decorations and Bills of Fare

Filed under: Cooking, Lifestyle Resources, Online Games — admin @ 7:15 am

Passing time with kin is an important part of the Thanksgiving holiday. When you’re not fixing a good meal or sitting around the table, why not do games youngsters and grownups can savour together? From Thanksgiving skits that family members can perform to a Turkey Day touch football to merriment with goodies, there are a number of actions that will keep everyone delighted and involved with the celebrations. With all of the themes we have, there is surely to be a game or activity for everyone to savor and like family activity evening with a Thanksgiving curve, these actions we share with you promote interaction and bonding. Besides being a great way to celebrate the purpose of the occasion, a few of these games may even help work off some of the turkey, stuffing and pie everyone will consume at the dinner banquet. Read on for directions, tips and instructions to indulge in some Thanksgiving merriment.

Many childhood games make good turkey day activities for the entire household. Here are some Thanksgiving ideas on how to turn some of the traditional favourites into marvelous activities for the holiday.
Instead of Hot Potato, do Hot Pumpkin. Utilize a small pumpkin to pass around in a round.
Rather Than Pin the Tail on the Donkey, do Pin the Feather on the Turkey. Download a turkey image, trim a plume figure from paper and utilize tape to stick it on.
Instead of Kick the Can, play Free the Fowl.
Rather Than conventional Bingo, play Candy Corn Bingo. Publish out game boards for family members, and use candy corn as markers.
Rather Than Simon Says, play Tom (Turkey) Says. Incorporate instructions such as, “Gobble like a turkey.”
Instead of Pass the Parcel, do Pass the Thankerchief. State something you are thankful for when you have the hanky.

October 3, 2009

Holiday Decor and More for Celebrations

Filed under: Cooking, Lifestyle Resources, Online Games — admin @ 1:53 am

It’s the season for merriment, excitement and a tiny secret with kin and friends. Remaining connected can be fabulous, festive and cheap with a Secret Santa Party and Present Exchange. One of the more favorite Christmas activities, Secret Santa (also known as Kris Kringle in some groups) is a fun and fabulous means for a crew of acquaintances, family members or co-workers to exchange presents. It’s even easier when you utilize a website to assist you plan the gift exchange.

Invite your acquaintances to the fete with a gingerbread man! Prepare your own batch of biscuits or buy some gingerbread men from a bakeshop. Fasten a decoration round the gingerbread man’s neck and attach a card with all the Christmas party ideas. Cite a storybook idiom for your invitation like, “Run, Run, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me I’m the gingerbread man!” Send the biscuit in a flat box, so he doesn’t crumble on his journey through the mail service.

Party favours are like frosting on the cake and at this beverage celebration, they should reference the fashionable style. Send guests home with one of these precious gifts that is color-coordinated to the fete, naturally. An extraordinary ornament in hot pink or green contributes a pop of color to guests’ own holiday decorations. Whether it gets utilized again or not, a personalized beverage glass is a multi-colored reminder of stylish beverages. Guests can look back at these mementos and think of the fantastic celebration you hosted.

September 11, 2009

Creative Advice for Holding a Celebration at Your Place

Filed under: Cooking, Lifestyle Resources, Online Games — admin @ 3:55 pm

Scary ghosts and gory decorations are fun for some, but can be ghastly for tiny children on Halloween. A neighborly pumpkin theme celebration is an impeccable way for little kids to put on their sweet Halloween costumes and relish a happy holiday celebration.

Go for great, effortless and not too creepy with your Halloween decorations. Goofy pumpkins, ridiculous spiders and wacky witches work well for all years. Peculiar skeletons and dark hooded beasts can freak out tykes no matter what their age.

Adopt these points for your Halloween party ideas:

* Hang a kid-friendly Halloween scene-setter for a lot of ambiance with little effort.

* Let game set-ups double as decor.

* Employ the snack bar and dining table to finish your party decorations.

* Do Not function candles at a child’s party. Rather try battery-operated flicker lights to set up a Halloween climate.

Keep game playing simple. Some children will be so keyed up about trick-or-treating that they’ll want to let off some steam, while others might have had a daytime of school and enough of the regulations.
Spooks, ghouls and things that go bump in the night – all trademarks of a stunning Halloween. But instead of parting ways after the trick or treating ends, host a haunted Halloween celebration for your best acquaintances. Ghost tales, a terrific candy bar and fun for ghouls will make this a party invitees will not soon forget.

Supplement everyone’s trick or treating loot with an awesome haunted goody table that includes ghost pops, a gory red cocoa fountain and joyful Halloween cupcakes.

May 23, 2008

Lazy Shortbread

Filed under: Cooking — admin @ 2:11 am

How many times have you been asked to provide a contribution to a church fete or fundraising event – and then filed this request somewhere “Safe”! I guess it’s happened to most of us from time to time. It’s always good to have a reliable “Get out of Jail” recipe which you can turn to; one which gives consistent results and which tastes great too. This is one of my favorites, is traditionally Scottish, and it always goes down a treat. But best of all, it takes less than an hour to make, a further hour or so to cool down and stack in a tin, ready to take to your event!

The Ingredients

9 oz plain flour,
9 oz self-raising flour,
9 oz cornflour (cornstarch),
9 oz castor sugar,
2 250gm packs butter

The Method

Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl.

Melt butter gently in a saucepan. It is best if it’s fairly hot as the butter cools down quickly when you put it into the dry ingredients.
(Be careful at this stage; “chip pan fires” can happen with hot butter!)

Pour melted butter into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. I use a big serving spoon at first to incorporate the melted butter, but in a short time the mixture is cool enough to handle and the dough is better if you knead it for a couple of minutes to give an even consistency.

Lightly oil two baking trays (approximately 16″ x 10″) Divide the mixture into two and spread evenly. I use a spatula to give a nice flat surface to the shortbread and to make sure it goes right into the corners of the trays. Prick the shortbread with a fork at intervals – create a pattern, if you like. Place the baking trays into a moderate oven (I use a fan oven which I heat to 150C) and bake until golden brown.

Take out of the oven and cut into portions while still hot, dust with castor sugar and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before storing the pieces of shortbread in an airtight container.

Margaret MacGillivray lives and works in Scotland. She and her husband run a Gift and Coffee Shop in Helensburgh, Argyll.

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