"Formerly"Thomas Szasz
|
| |
Helen's Rustic Mash Potato Recipe
Rustic Mash Potato - makes enough for 4 dinner portionsTake 6 large baked potatosScrub and wash wellTake a baking tray and rub lightly with butter and then put a light dusting of cracked sea salt over the whole trayRoll the baked potatos in the tray, then ...
Safe Food Handling For The Holidays
Did you know that the turkey you thawed on the kitchen counter, instead of in the fridge, could now contain bacteria levels high enough to harm human life, even though you can't see, smell, or taste it? There's nothing better than a home cooked meal ...
Sauted Eggs with Pork (Mu Xu Rou)
Mu Xu Pork is a kind of dish served by rolling it into very thin pancakes (Mu Xu pancakes) after frying eggs, pork and other Chinese vegetables. This is a very tasty Northern dish in China and favored by most families. It tastes the best when served with ...
|
|
|
| |
"Cooking with Love in the Kitchen - Just in Time for Valentines Day"
?
by Marybeth Gregg
---------------------------------------
Remember when you made a homemade card for your first
girlfriend or boy friend and they were so happy they
couldn't stop smiling? You couldn't figure out what you did
that was so great but as you got older you began to realize
that giving is best when we give not just 'things', but when
we give of ourselves. Valentine's Day is a perfect
holiday to give to others by doing something special.
Even though you may not spend much time cooking in the
kitchen, wouldn't you like to treat your love to an easy,
delectable and romantic dinner? A special meal is not just
about food- it is about the effort and meaning that goes
into it. These ideas will make it easy for you to
create a memorable meal for Valentine's Day, or any other
time when you want to show someone your love.
Make it Easy on Yourself
o What kind of meal you want- brunch or dinner?
Write down your menu and all ingredients from your recipes
you'll need in an organized way. List the stores you need to
shop at.
o What do you want to serve?
Keep it simple – have 3 or 4 items, and not everything has
to be homemade. Cook an easy recipe. Get a great dessert -go
out and buy the most decadent chocolate cake you can find,
or find fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate from your
local candy store.
o Choose food that your partner likes, not just what you
like. This shows that you have put a lot of thought in to
this and care, which is the point, right?
o Be sure to start several days in advance. If you save
everything for the day of the celebration, you'll be
frazzled and in not much of a mood to enjoy this time
together.
Remember that this is about Love, not Technique.
o As with other activities associated with love, cooking
does not have to be totally perfect. If something does not
come out in time, or if it doesn't look exactly like the
picture in the cookbook, relax. Stay in the mood you set out
to create- being grumpy or upset defeats the purpose. Laugh
and have fun!
It's the Total Feeling – Ambiance Counts
o Setting your table is important in creating the mood you
want to set, which is romance. Use your nicest dishes,
silverware and the best, sparkling glasses or crystal you
can get.
o Choose a color scheme. You may want to use a white
tablecloth and add color with the napkins and candles, or
two beautiful place mats with matching or contrasting
colors. For example, red or soft pink on a white background,
with a small container of white flowers and lots of red
votive candles looks beautiful.
o Turn off the cell phone! Keep music soft and tender, but
not so slow that it makes you want to fall asleep.
Just Show That You Care
o Show your genuine love in what you say and do. That is
what will come across as caring. The fact that you took the
time to make this event happen, that you cooked a few
things, mostly from scratch, will help this to be a
beautiful memory for both of you!
?REMEMBER OTHERS WHO MAY BE ALONE ?
This holiday is really geared to couples – and I want to
suggest that you also included others- reach out for someone
who may be alone. An elderly neighbor, or someone who has
been recently widowed or divorced, someone who is ill and
can surely use a lift. It is amazing how a call, a
card, a little plant such as a yellow primrose , a pink or
red cyclamen, or forced-bulb lavender hyacinth or tulip,
will make everyone feel a little better! Most of these
treats are under $5.00, but think of the joy that someone
will get by this unexpected gesture of love.
AND REMEMBER THE KIDS.
Not just with candy but also with a hand-written card, a
lunch out together, making a Valentine's craft such as
construction paper and doily hearts to put in the windows,
making cupcakes and decorating with all those yummy red
candies and icing. Make some time to do this now because
they are out on their own all too quickly.
_______________________________________
RECIPES FOR LOVE..
If you want to impress someone with your culinary delights,
I have some easy and enticing recipes -
An easy-to-make appetizer called "It's a Date"
A delectable "Oh, Baby, Here's my Heart (of Palm) Salad"
And a scrumptious and simple seafood or chicken entrée in parchment
called "A Package of Love-I'm all Wrapped Up for You."
You won't believe how easy and delicious these recipes
are!
Write to me at Marybeth@cook-with-confidence.com and I will
send
you these recipes at no cost!
_______________________________________
Valentine's Day is just one holiday in February, which we
think of as such a slow and dreary time of year.
In my next article, I will share some thoughts with you for
Chinese New Year, which begins on February 9th.
This article will have lots of great ideas and recipes for
this wonderful celebration, and some discussion about a very
important issue, which is American Heart Month as it
especially relates to women's heart health and nutrition.
Contact me with any thoughts or questions at:
Marybeth@cook-with-confidence.com
About the Author
Marybeth Gregg has been cooking, entertaining and giving cooking advice for almost 20 years. She is well-known for her wonderful cuisine, great parties and started her successful cooking school several years ago. She has been featured in several newspapers, and is currently working on publishing a cookbook and a series of video tapes and dvd's of cooking lessons.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Enthusiastic Chef John revels in Wampanoag cooking - Cape Cod Today
A sk Robin Marcellino how she came to fall in love with her husband, Chef John Marcellino , and she responds, "It was a type of energy he exudes. It's just very interesting and a lot of fun. He's so upbeat and energetic." Upbeat energy defines Chef ...
Bringing the slow cooker into the 21st century - Napa Valley Register
If you’ve been slow to warm up to slow cookers, it probably wasn’t the incredible convenience that turned you off. The abundance of recipes relying on processed cheese and canned cream-of-whatever soup, on the other hand ... But what if your slow ...
Unattended cooking oil cause of blaze - NZCity
The Fire Service has established what caused a blaze which claimed the lives of four children in a South Auckland home. Four people remain in hospital with burns from the inferno, which took hold of the brick and tile home in Mangere just before 1am ...
Taking bull by horns - Sun-Journal
FARMINGTON - After years of working in the restaurant business, Peter Benoit plans to "do it his way" when he and wife, Barbara, open their new restaurant, Peter's Seafood and Steak, next week on Fairbanks Road. "It's the middle of winter, the ...
Beijing realizes safe drinking water goal for rural residents - People's Daily Online
Tap water, that has been available to urban residents, is now available to all of the residents of the 260 households of Shangzhongyuan Village, Hanchunhe Town, Fangshan District of Beijing. A villager Guo Xiuhong said that, "Now we just need to turn ...
Delhi HC stays GAIL officers going on strike - Express India
Kashmir comment Obama's first foreign policy... John Travolta to be quizzed over dead son’s ... Pak song sites may be used to hack Indian we... 'US pilot refuses to fly with Sikhs onboard' KP, coach fallout, blame it on Warne: Gooch Health ...
Delhi High Court stays GAIL officers going on strike - Times of India
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has restrained executives of state-run gas utility GAIL (India) Ltd from going on indefinite strike from tomorrow for higher wages. "We had approached the Delhi High Court, which stayed the strike by GAIL officers ...
Environmental pitbull Erin Brockovich is looking into Fennville's ... - Grand Rapids Press
MANLIUS TOWNSHIP -- Frustrated over groundwater contamination at her Fennville-area home, Kari Craton fired off an e-mail about the problem to environmental crusader Erin Brockovich. AP Photo Erin Brockovich It was a way to vent some steam after a ...
Variety's on the menu at Bar Bao - New York Daily News
Owner Jeff Kadish recently opened Bar Bao. When I was just an eater and not a writer, I used to dine at a number of Bao restaurants - Bao Noodles , Bao 111, and also Mai House, where Bao was in the kitchen. It was like a chain of Bao restaurants, a ...
City Beat - Free Lance-Star
Erin Reilly was raised in Boonsboro, Md., where she began weight lifting in high school. She took up cooking in a German restaurant at age 13. After high school, she went to the CIA. That would be the Culinary Institute of America, one of the nation ...
|
