Food And DrinkCategory Archives

Real, good, and delicious foods are always loved by many. If you were to ask what your favorite food is, for sure you will answer the food you are craving for. But what makes you want the food and ask for more? Does it really taste good? Yes of course, it tastes good as long as it is done with love. Moms also show their love through the dish they cook and the cakes they bake.

Is there such a term as comfort foods? Home style comfort foods are simply the food that is prepared at home which gives a sense of well-being. This food is basically with high sugar or carbohydrates. It has an appeal which you can’t resist. It has the characteristics to relieve negative psychological affects and to increase positive emotions or feelings.

Home style comfort foods may include vegetable chicken soup, mashed potatoes with bacon and onions, crispy fried chicken with gravy, and gelatin. There are many comfort foods out there and the previous mentioned foods are some of the frequently cooked dish at home. The vegetable chicken soup suits best when having a snow day. From its wonderful smell to its fantastic taste, vegetable chicken soup is one of the wonderful comfort food especially on cold days. Continue reading »

Whenever we talk about catering, the first thing that comes into people’s thoughts is food. But catering is not only about food. It includes every detail of the party. From the food provided up to the single detail of the party decoration, they are all parts of a catering service. There are in fact many reasons why parties and social gatherings are held occasionally. Intimate and private parties are celebrated during Christmas, New Year, graduation and birthdays. But of course, there are individuals that choose to make these parties open to their friends, co-workers and acquaintances. When this happens, catering services are now desired. Certainly, you could not just do the preparations alone and with the help of a professional caterer, you’ll have a great time at your party.

Catering services are thought to be some of the most successful business opportunities these days because the services are really sought after. Whether for business functions or personal reasons, catering is definitely crucial in making everybody at the event pleased and happy.

The service you can get will make your life easy if you are planning a party for your family or for business. All you will have to do is pay for the service and the catering company will do their best to make sure your party becomes a success. A catering provider will do all the jobs of arranging the menu, arranging the tables, choosing the theme, offering drinks as well as cocktails and arranging the tables, food vessels and napkins. If you will try to do it all by yourself, it would undoubtedly demand more than a week to properly coordinate a party. But if you leave the job of doing it all to the catering service providers, you’ll be able to just sit back, relax and wait for the party date to come. Continue reading »

The Jerusalem artichoke is not related to the Globe Artichoke or to the cardoon. It is a tuber and looks a little like ginger root, while tasting a little like a water chestnut, although it is much starchier. It has its origins in North America and was used by the Native Americans, so was adopted by the early pilgrims, who looked upon their new home as the “New Jerusalem” which may explain how it got its name. However another explanation is that it got its name from girasol the Italian for ‘sun-turner’ which is how it probably got the name ‘sunchoke’ by which It is known in the US. Its botanical name is Helianthus tuberosus, which means the sun plant tuber.

The Jerusalem artichoke was taken to France in 1605 by the explorer Champlain and by the middle of the 17th century it was widely used there both for animal and human food. You can cook Jerusalem artichokes in the same ways as a potato, boiling, steaming, roasting and baking them. I love them in spicy casseroles with either meat or chicken.

One of the drawbacks of eating them is that they contain inulin a kind of fructose which the body can’t break down, it has to rely on the intestinal bacteria to do this. However, you would have to eat a huge quantity of them before you felt any discomfort, and they can lead to flatulence. The way I prepare them though seems to reduce this side-effect- or at least I haven’t noticed it. Continue reading »

No one can deny the wonderful nature of authentic Mexican recipes. They actually do not only have wonderful flavors but also incorporate an impressive combination of the various flavors from numerous countries. These flavors have been influenced by China, India, Spain, Portugal as well as other countries. In addition, the styles and flavors borrow heavily from the traditional Mexican flavors. This is exactly what makes the Mexican recipes some of the most amazing in the world today.

Before the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico, meat used to be relatively scarce. Mexicans mainly used corn and beans as the key nutritional staples. To add more flavors, strong tasting spices and chilies would be incorporated. Mexican recipes have always incorporated seafood especially for those people living along the coastline. Native Mexicans also added wheat, garlic, onions, chicken and cheese in their dishes. These were introduced by the Spanish.

Actually, Mexican recipes on the bigger part incorporate cheese. In fact, most of the Tex Mex meals feature cheese. Continue reading »

I think you have to be a country where spices actually grow before you learn how to use them properly. Living in Pakistan has opened up a whole new culinary experience for me and one of the things I have learned is how to use spices properly.

Most recipes don’t say exactly when to put spices into a dish, and I have discovered that some need to be fried first not just thrown in while a dish is cooking. For example, ground turmeric, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and red chilli powder should be fried first, for a minute, and then you should add the onions, garlic and grated root ginger if you are using these things. You need to stir these continuously though so that the spices don’t burn.

Cinnamon and anise can be thrown into the pan when liquid is in it and so can a vanilla pod when you are making a sweet dish. Saffron threads can be soaked before putting them in a dish and these need only be added twenty minutes before the cooking time is up. Garam masala should also be added towards the end of cooking time and twenty minutes before is good. Fresh coriander leaves which are often used in spicy dishes should be added at the very end of cooking and just stirred into the dish after it has been removed from the heat for the best flavour. Continue reading »