English Corpus

Everything that is an outdoor activity, should always be considered a good thing. Fresh air, pollution free and no city environment are elements that help the mind, as well as the body. Outdoor hiking is certainly among some of the activities that should be pursued. Hiking has all the right components, walking, sightseeing and nature appreciation. During hiking, it is possible to see and enjoy woods, trees and plants that you don’t see every day, sometimes even some rare flowers could be spotted. Of course, animals can be found on their wild habitat. It’s truly a priceless scene.

There are different levels of difficulties when it comes to hiking, usually determined by the altitude, the overall environment and the length of the walk. It is always advisable to bring along maps and compasses, have a clear walking plan and have at least a general idea on the length and time needed to do it all. It is also advisable not to bring kids along when it comes to difficult paths, but if everything is kept simple, then children can truly appreciate nature, in a way that they probably never saw before. It could be indeed a great learning and family bonding experience that will last for a very, very long time.

More outdoor cooking camping and hiking tips.

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Espresso is a concentrated form of coffee that is made by forcing
hot water through finely ground coffee at a high pressure.

In order to force the water through the fine-ground coffee,
espresso machines use pressure that comes from heating water
inside a sealed vessel. Some machines a pump driven, while
others are steam driven. Pump driven machines generate more
consistent pressure at the optimal brewing temperature. Most
commercial grade machines are pump driven. A steam driven machine
is most common at the lower-end of the consumer market.

Espresso machines can be bought from around $30 up to many
thousands - and there are even variations of the espresso machine
made especially for camping trips. All machines work on the same
basic principles.

Finding the Right Espresso Machine for You

Making a quality espresso drink is an art form. Fortunately,
options are available that match your skill level - or desire for
ease of use. Some machines will do everything for you. Other
espresso machines require a high level of operator skill and
interaction. Tip your barista well!

It’s important to consider the various elements involved. You may
want supreme simplicity in a home espresso machine - insert
espresso pod, push go, wait 45 seconds and enjoy.

Or you may be in the market for a commercial grade machine which
requires a commercial grade grinder, direct plumbing and
electrical.

Why buy an espresso machine?

You might be a little shocked and surprised when you start your
espresso machine shopping adventure. These machines aren’t cheap!
Not the good ones anyway.

But, if you take out pad and pen and do the math, you will quickly
decide that a home machine - a good home machine - will pay for
itself rather quickly.

Let’s assume that you buy just one espresso drink per day at the
modest cost of $3.50 (I know most drinks run higher and many of us
cannot get by on just one per day!) That adds up to over $1277 per
year! If you have friends, roommates, family (my wife, oh my wife!),
then you can easily see the cost-effectiveness of an the commercial
grade home models.

Plus, when you get good at making drinks (and that’s a lot of fun),
you can wow friends and family. It beats a card trick most everytime.

A Word of Caution when Buying an Espresso Machine

If you’re budget minded, like I am, you might be tempted to snap up a
$60 expresso machine at Target. Hey, I love Target too. But you will
likely be disappointed by the performance of the machine. Frankly, I
think a good barista can make a decent drink on any machine - but
you’ll likely wish you saved up a bit over time and purchased a higher
quality pump-driven model.

It’s true that the pump-driven espresso makers are bigger, heavier,
and more difficult to use (until you learn to use it). But they’ll
produce a better cup of coffee. And you will be happier in the
long-run as a result.

About the Author

Espresso Machines and More offers a wide variety of quality information on
the world’s favorite beverage - coffee and espresso. Find answers to all
of your questions about espresso at http://www.espresso-machine.biz

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Digital kitchen timers come in many shapes and sizes. Timers are an indispensable tool in the kitchen. If you do any cooking or baking a timer can avert kitchen catastrophes. No one wants to work hard on a recipe only to have it be under cooked or worse burned because the timing was not right.

When looking for digital kitchen timers to fit your kitchens needs, features can be very important. To get the most from your timer you will want to purchase one that has a countdown timer. Some come with 24 count cycles. You can find very basic models that do nothing more than count down the minutes alerting you with an alarm that your dish is ready. Or if you need something that offers more robust features, with a little research you will surely be able to find one that fits your cooking needs.

The KitchenCalc Pro Master Chef’s Edition is probably the most innovative kitchen timer on the market today. This little gem offers much more than timing features. It accurately can scale recipes up or down, scales for number of servings or portions. The KitchenCalc converts cooking volume units such as teaspoon, tablespoon, fluid ounces and much more. It does quick math with cooking units. You are able to use the timer while using the calculator. At $34.95 it is a great addition to your kitchen tools.

If you don’t need something that offers as much as the KitchenCalc you might want to look at the Triple Timer. With this timer you can time three dishes at once. This is a big help when cooking a meal that has multiple dishes that need timing at the same time. If having simplicity is important to you, egg timers are a good choice.

With today’s choices you can have precision timing and have perfectly done meals every time.

Tracye Gano is an accomplished freelance writer and designer for kitchens 4u

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There are a number of mango varieties grown in Barbados. Most popular are the Julie, Ceylon and the large Imperial mango. At Food Affairs, we are fortunate in that we only use fresh mangoes from our orchard in our recipes, including this one for Mango Bread, a delicious treat to share any time.

MANGO BREAD (makes 2 loaves)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

3 eggs, well beaten

1/4 cup Canola oil

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups fresh mango puree

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup fresh grated coconut

Preheat the oven to 35F. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon into a small bowl. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil and sugar. Combine with the dry ingredients and blend well.

Fold in the mango, raisins, nuts and coconut. Pour into the loaf pans and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. (To test if bread is done, insert toothpick in the centre of the loaf. When it comes out clean, the bread is done.)

Let the loaves cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then unmold and let cool completely on wire racks.

Billy O’Dell, with his wife Carolyn, is the owner of BarbadosBarbados, online concierge to Barbados, and of Food Affairs, a popular Bajan caterin firm.

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If you not only like food, but you like preparing it, you might want to consider a career in the culinary arts field. What are your goals? Do you intend to become the lead chef at an extravagant restaurant? Or perhaps you want to enhance your cooking skills for your family’s sake? Like all people, educational cooking facilities and culinary institutes have expectations as well. Although the specific requirements and structure of coursework may not be identical from one school to another, the same basic objectives underlie all culinary arts programs.

Most all schools focus their culinary arts objectives toward allowing you to obtain an entry-level position upon completion. It is necessary for everyone in the culinary arts profession to have this basic training.

More recently, culinary arts has become a more popular profession. There has been a great increase in the number of people taking formal courses in the culinary arts in the hope of improving their career prospects. You will be tested through exams and interviews to see if you really have what it takes to enter a culinary institute. The objective of these culinary arts tests is to be able to intensively train the students who are most capable and driven to reach their goals.

Programs comprise internships to allow students to take advantage of working at the reputable restaurants. The school promotes experience and exposure in real life settings to teach students the important skills they need.

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On top of the numerous and amazing uses of baking soda, my favourite will have to be in dessert baking.

Baking soda is not to be confused with baking powder. So if a cake recipe calls for baking powder, make sure you don’t mistake this with baking soda.

So what is the difference? Here are some quick notes that you should understand to ensure your success in dessert making and home baking.

* What is Baking Soda?

Also called Bicarbonate of Soda (NaHCO3), baking soda is pure ‘Sodium Bicarbonate’.

How does it work?

It reacts when it comes in contact with liquid acids in recipes and produces gasses, carbon dioxide. You will notice that any recipes with baking soda will also have a liquid acid ingredient, such as lemon juice, honey, buttermilk, brown sugar, fruits, etc.

It is this ‘fizzy’ chemical reaction with liquid acids that creates the necessary rising in your dessert recipes.

The chemical reaction of baking soda happens instantly the liquid acid ingredients are added to it, therefore you need to make sure that you bake your cakes or desserts almost instantly and do not allow batter to sit and “flop”.

Baking soda is used in fizzy soda drinks, so you can remember this to for how the bubbles quickly dissipate and disappear. Trick is to have all your ingredients measured and prepared before mixing and getting your batters into the oven straight after mixing.

Test for Usage:
Mix about 1 teaspoon of baking soda with about 4 teaspoons of vinegar. It should bubble like fizzy drinks.

* What is Baking Powder?

Baking powder is a dry acid and is actually a combination of baking soda with other key ingredients.

How does it work?

Baking powders are called a “double acting” leavening agent because if its difference to the baking soda. Baking powder not only reacts in your recipe mixture (same as with the baking soda), but it also reacts again once you place it in the oven to cook. The difference to baking soda is that baking powder has slower acting agents in the mix which only reacts with heat, or, at baking.

Baking powder is advantageous for more complex recipes that requires longer preparation time as you don’t have to rush it into the oven.

Test for Usage:
Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to 1/2 cup hot water. It should bubble and fizz.

Never add more or cut the amount of baking soda or powder asked for in dessert recipes.

Adding too much…
Too much making soda or powder in your batter mixture can make your baking result taste bitter or react too much that causes it to flop and fail.

Adding too little…
Not adding enough baking soda or powder will cause your baking to end up tough and have a dry texture.

Also obey baking recipe temperatures as stated. The gas produced by these leavening agents, carbon dioxide, will expand quicker with altitude.

Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder…

- “Single Acting” vs. “Double Acting”
- Must work swiftly vs. Can take your time
- Long shelf life (indefinite if stored in an air-tight container) vs. Shorter limited shelf life up to one year
- Use as is vs. Need to be pre-mixed (if not bought)

To make your own baking powder, sift and mix together,
- 2 parts of Cream of Tartar, to
- 1 part baking soda and
- 1 part cornstarch.

Or, for 1 teaspoon of commercial baking powder substitute, it is:
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda,
- 1/4 teaspoon of cornstarch, and
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar.

With these basic knowledge of the difference between baking soda to baking powder and how they should be used, you can be rest-assured that your cakes or baked goods will rise.

Just remember to follow the recipe and how these baking agents work, and you can achieve great tasting home-baked treats like a professional!

~* Janlia Chong has held onto her title as Baking Sensation because of her near endless knowledge of baking and packaging treats. Her ability to impress is one of her biggest traits. What’s her trick? Simple, she takes something that sounds difficult and makes it easy and fun. Follow Janlia’s advice and you’ll be busy baking treats for the entire family. Visit http://www.BakingHugs.com *~

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Lunch is an important meal for low carbers. But who has the time to cook?

Instead of cooking lunch, one good solution is to cook more food the night before when you are cooking dinner. If you are having ribs or chicken for dinner, make a little extra so you can have it for lunch the next day. It doesn’t take any extra time and with convenience of a microwave your lunch will be ready in no time. In fact, ribs and chicken can also be just as tasty cold.

Another good idea is to do most of the cooking on days when you have more time. You can take one day and prepare some foods that will provide good lunches for you all week.

Chicken

Buy a whole chicken, clean it and boil. You can use it to make chicken salad to stuff into a bell pepper or tomato. You can also slice the chicken to make deli style lunch meat. Wrap it up in a piece of romaine lettuce with some mayonnaise. Yummy.

If you want to get a little more fancy you can wrap some ham around some Swiss cheese, then wrap the chicken slices around the ham and heat it in a microwave. It’s a great low carb cordon bleu. You’ll feel like you’re dining with royalty.

You can also buy packages of chicken legs and wings and fry them up with no breading. The skin gets crunchy and tasty. These make great grab and go snacks and lunches.

Ham

Boil a ham and slice it. This will be good for making ham and cheese roll-ups. You can also dice up some of the ham for omelette’s in the morning or ham salad that you can heap on pork rinds.

Beef

By a large roast beef and cook it in the oven. Slice it up deli style. Wrap this meat around cheese for a quick and easy lunch.

For a real treat top these roast beef slices with some previously sautéed peppers, onions and mushrooms then top it with Swiss cheese. Heat that in a microwave until the cheese melts. Your tummy will be so happy when you dine on these tasty low carb Philly cheese steaks.

You can get a corned beef and boil it. You can have corned beef and cabbage one night for dinner and slice up the rest deli style for great lunches the rest of the week. Top the slices with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and some low carb Thousand Island dressing and you have a great low carb Reuben sandwich. (Diet ketchup mixed into some mayonnaise with some low carb dill relish makes a good low carb Thousand Island dressing).

Fish and Seafood

Get cans or convenient pouches of tuna. Add a little mayonnaise to the tuna with some low carb dill relish and stuff that in a half of a bell pepper or a half of a tomato. Split the top of the tomato into quarters so it falls open and easily holds the tuna. Try it with salmon, too.

Add some mayonnaise and a little chopped celery to canned shrimp or crab (check the carb counts - for some reason the leading brands seem to think we want sugar in our seafood). Take the seed out of a half of an avocado and stuff the shrimp or crab salad into the remaining whole. Delicious!

Even Faster Alternatives

Use processed foods minimally. They have chemicals that you don’t need. Don’t let the deli counter fool you. Most of those are processed, too and many contain sugars that add to the carb count. It’s best to boil or roast your own meats and fowl.

But if you are in a real big hurry, an occasional visit to the deli won’t hurt. You can purchase deli meats and wrap them around cheese slices for a very satisfying lunch without having to cook.

Even less desirable are the cans of meats and packages of lunch meats and cold cuts. These are handy when you know you are not going to be where you can get to any other low carb food. You can keep a couple cans of Vienna sausages in your car or at your desk for those situations.

Summary

The ideas presented here can be done in a few hours total and provide great lunches and even quick dinners all week long. On the day when you do the main cooking, you will also want to chop any veggies you might need for the week and clean some lettuce so it’s ready to go. Take your lunch to work in one of those lunch bags that keep things cold. It’s even easier if you are at home. Just reach in the fridge and start munching - low carb style.

That reminds me, it’s almost lunch time!

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Cooking

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Popcorn is loved by young and old today. Popcorn itself dates
back many centuries. It is believe by many historians that
popcorn first came from Mexico. The oldest ears of corn have
been found to come from a Bat Cave in west central Mexico around
the year of 1948. It was here that Cachise Indians dating back
to 2,500 B.C. are thought to have grown and eaten popcorn.
History shows a funeral urn also found in Mexico from 300 A.D.
that shows a picture of a maize god. The picture depicts this
god holding some form of popcorn headdress. Popcorn kernels have
also been found off the east coast of Peru as well.

The surprising fact about popcorn is that it was introduced to
the Europeans by many Native American tribes. These English
colonists were introduced to popcorn at the first Thanksgiving
feast. The natives presented the popcorn as a gift of goodwill
to the English settlers. Another interesting fact is that after
the Europeans were introduced to popcorn we see the creation of
breakfast cereal as they had the idea to mix the popcorn with
milk and sugar.

Today there are a number of ways to pop popcorn. However, one of
the earliest ways to make popcorn was to toast it over an open
fire until it began to pop. The American Indians would pierce
the center of the cob with something sharp then they would
spread some form of oil over the cob and lay it almost in the
fire. This would cause the kernel to pop attached to the ear.

Today there are other ways of making popcorn. There is the older
method of using a popcorn popper where the loose kernels are
poured into an electric device that heats the kernels and pops
them. Butter can be melted on top of the machine and then can be
poured over the popcorn. The most common way of making popcorn
today however is through the use of a microwave. Most popcorn
companies are producing microwave popcorn. The popcorn itself is
in a bag and placed in the microwave, as it is heated the
kernels pop inside the bag. After about two to three minutes you
have a bag full of great tasting popcorn.

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Wine gifts are considered as one of the best gifts for men. They come in a variety of tastes, vintages, colors, wrappings, baskets, labels, corkscrews, stoppers, etc. Many types of wines are available in the market and a variety of vintage wines are sent as gifts. Sending a wine gift is considered elegant and reflects upon the thoughtfulness of the sender of the gift. Wine gifts have become a symbol of elite gifting and hence are on the rise.

Generally four types of vintage wines are considered best for gifting for anniversaries, birthdays, diamond weddings, retirements and other special occasions. They are Madeira, Armagnac, Sauterne and Port. Madeira is a fortified wine. It has a long history, it was used to toast the American Declaration of Independence. It does not go bad with changes in temperature and can be stored up to 200 years. Armagnac is in essence a brandy and is made from distilled white wine in Bordeaux, France. Sauterne is a type of sweet wine distilled in an area near Bordeaux named Sauterne. Sauterne can be stored up to 100 years. The alcoholic content of this wine is less compared to other wines. It is sweeter than other wines due to its sugar content. Port wine is a fortified wine made in many different styles. They are stored in oak casks up to 100 years. It may be noted that the wines are stored for a long time in special containers in special conditions for them to improve or cure and once the bottle is opened it is to be consumed within a day or up to a week depending upon the type of wine. There are wines other than the ones mentioned above like champagnes, red table wines, malt scotch whiskies and “celebrity wines” which are also gifted.

Wine gifts are generally given in a wine basket along with lobsters or other sea foods depending upon the taste of the recipient. Wines also have a proper serving temperature which vary according to the type of wine and is written on the bottle. Wine gifts are wrapped in attractive wrappings and sometimes designer cork lifters and wine stoppers are also gifted. An assortment of wine related gifts are available in the market like crystal ice buckets, ice tongs, crystal glasses, wine racks, wine cabinets, wine furniture, wine decanters, wine totes, wine bags etc.

With the advent of internet wine gifts can be purchased online and are delivered on required date to the recipient. Sending gifts by road works out much cheaper than sending by air, hence booking in advance is more cost effective. When the recipient’s wine taste is not known, presenting a wine gift certificate is better as the recipient will choose from an array of wines according to his liking on the company’s website. There are many websites and companies providing gift certificates and door delivery. The wine gifts are available in a wide range of costs ranging from under 35$ to over 100$. Some companies customize the label on the wine as per order. Wine gift deliveries are not made to hospital patients and there are laws in different states on wine gift delivery.

Tyson J Stevenson writes on a wide variety of “every day” subjects, always with valuable news & reviews. Expect to see his name often. A related resource is Wine Gifts or visit HubbuH

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Must we re-think the weekly menu and grocery list 52 times a year! What if we create a basic monthly menu and general shopping list which can be used over and over? Of course, this is flexible, and new items can be added to your menu while the ones you’re tired of can be deleted, but the idea is to MAKE a menu plan, PRINT IT OUT and take it with you when you MUST make an emergency trip to the grocery store.

Hopefully, this will prevent the problem of “I got a full basket of groceries and NOTHING to eat!” Most of these are simple meals that don’t need a lot of fuss to get to the table.

My 5-week plan has 5 dinner meals each week. This allows for one leftover night and one night out.

You can make the meals as simple or complicated as you want. For example, many grocery stores offer baked chicken in the deli. You may choose to purchase this instead of baking it yourself at home. You may choose canned green beans and instant mashed potatoes or you may have the time to make the baked chicken yourself, fresh green beans and homemade mashed potatoes.

You decide what works for you!

Week One:
- Hamburgers, lettuce, tomato, cheese, oven fried potatoes
- Baked Chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy
- Macaroni and Cheese, Spinach
- Pea Soup and ham, garlic bread
- Shrimp and rice, broccoli

Week Two:
- Tuna noodle casserole, corn, chicken soup, cheese, noodles, mayo
- Polish sausage, pan-fried potatoes, red cabbage
- Veal stew, potatoes, carrots, beef bouillon
- Tacos, cheese, taco seasoning, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, ground beef
- Chicken Chinese meal, snow peas, rice, chicken breast, carrots

Week Three:

- Chicken breast, rice, spinach, mushrooms
- Spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread, salad
- Pork chops, Au gratin potatoes, sauerkraut or red cabbage
- Beef Stew, potatoes, and carrots
- Lasagna, salad

Week Four:

- Hot dogs, baked beans, sauerkraut
- Steak, rice, salad
- Omelets and pan-fried potatoes
- Meatloaf, potatoes, carrots
- Soup and sandwich (egg or tuna salad), chicken noodle soup

Week Five:

- Homemade Pizza, salad
- Vegetable dinner, steamed squash, corn on cob, carrots, green beans, hot rolls
- Cabbage rolls, soft bread steaks, salad
- Chicken noodle casserole, carrots or vegetable in season
- Shrimp, red beans and rice, steamed broccoli

Focus on the weekly specials of fruit and vegetables in season; changing as needed.

Staples: flour, sugar, cereal, orange juice, soup, mayo, condiments, salt and pepper, paper products, cleaning products, personal products.

by Leslie Sausage
heart4home.net

Leslie Sausage lives with her husband in rural Texas. She is the mom of four grown children, a freelance writer and an elementary school teacher! She is the author of several eBooks. For creative, practical and fun ideas please visit her web site at http://www.heart4home.net

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