Cooking For a Crowd

The Worse Mistakes People Make with Food by Andrian Nale

2007-07-18T03:55:00.001-07:00

There are a number of common food mistakes that costs dearly in money, health, and time. What are the major mistakes made? What changes do you need to make? Here are some food mistakes to avoid. 1. Last minute meal planning or no planning at all. The results: not knowing what ingredients to have and/or not having the right ingredients. 2. Bad planning for shopping; not knowing what's on sale, what's in season, what you are out of, etc. Result? One buys what isn't needed and spends too much on what is needed. 3. Convenience spending/cooking. Examples are; TV dinners, chicken already cut up, items in ready-to-use/serving sizes, etc.. This buying habit costs lots of money. Whole chicken at 49 cents a pound is much less than skinned breast at $3.89 a pound. 4. Unplanned trips for missing ingredients. Buying an item at the last minute means paying full price and buying other items not needed just because you are there. 5. Buying "wants" not "needs". This habit causes incomplete meals or snacks as meals. Also, it results in not having healthy food for meals. 6. Improper storage equals wasted food. A good habit to get into is to properly store food the moment you get home. Make it a family event. I call it "divide and conquer". Each family member can place items in their proper place even if they can't cut the chicken for freezing, or fix the carrots, celery, or whatever for serving sizes to be stored in the frig. 7. Trying too hard can result in giving up. Changing the way you cook or buy can be exciting and frustrating, especially if one attempts to do too much at one time. If you want to try stir frying, don't try to do pressure cooking at the same time. Frustration causes some to quit. 8. Surprise! Company's here! Unexpected company can put the budget in a sling. What recipes can be fixed ahead of time and cooked at the last moment? What foods feed a crowd that can be stored year around? 9. Bad diet/bad eating habits. For whatever reason people often just fall into bad eating habits. Unhealthy foods costs more. Eating too much of certain foods costs more. One way to spend less and feel better is to take a good look at your buying habits. Decide what needs changed first. Prioritize. Even if you are good at sticking to plans everyone is in the habit of doing things certain ways. As you become hurried or stressed you may fall back into old habits. Precautions avoid unnecessary spending in food buying and preparation. Spending less money on food and eating better is possible for almost everyone. Few are doing all they can. But don't get all caught up with insignificant details. Life is too short. Decide what will work for you, and don't stress about it. You need to reserve energy for more important things. Avoiding common mistakes can save time, food and money.

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Author writes articles on different topics. To know more, visit: exposed acne solution, www.grocerystoresavings.com

Cultural food - Special Confinement food for after delivery care. by Soh Kok Min

2007-07-18T03:54:00.000-07:00

Among the Asian, many ethnic groups have their own after birth dietary care. This is based on the belief that the health of the mother is significantly weakened during the childbearing period and the labour process where lots of blood is lost.

For the Ethnic Chinese, the first 30 days after child birth is called the 'confinement period'. It is also the most crucial 'window period' where the mother's body is able to absorb the required nutrients in it's maximum capacity. During the confinement period, the new mother is to stay at home and avoid going out so as to minimise the exposure to wind (adverse weather condition) and crowd.

A live-in confinement lady is usually employed to do the cooking and caring of the mother and the new born.

There are variations in the type of food and the cooking among the different dialect groups (or different provinces in China). However, the main ingredients used are essentially the same.

In Chinese Confinement food, the main ingredients and herbs used are Ginger, wine and black vinegar.

Ginger is thought to possess warm and heaty properties which is needed to 'drive away the winds' in the body. The pores of the skins are believed to have opened up and the joints loosen to prepare for labour and remain in a loose state for a short period after delivery. This is when the 'winds' from the climate will enter the body if one is exposed to a windy environment. The ginger would counter the coolness and the wind effect on the body.

Black vinegar is used to cleanse the womb of residual blood clot. It is commonly cooked with Ginger and Pig trotters and simmer for several hours until the trotters are tender and tasty. This dish is cooked in large pot and eaten over several days.

Wine especially tonic wine is helpful in warming and nourishing the body. It is also believed to help in the blood production and circulatory process. Therefore, food or soup are cooked with lot of wine and ginger for this reason.

Confinement mothers are also encouraged to drink tonic wine. If she is breastfeeding, timing of wine consumption will have to be carefully planned out.

Another common dish for breastfeeding mum is fish soup cooked with ginger and raw papaya. It is extremely effective in inducing milk production by the milk glands.

The Chinese believe that failure to eat these food during the confinement period will result in the woman aging faster, experience joint pain and other health problem in later part of their lives.

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Surprise Your Guests With Special July Fourth Recipes by Julia Hayes

2007-07-18T03:51:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July being the nation's birthday, is one of the most significant days for us to celebrate and express our most valued sentiments regarding freedom. We send fourth of July ecards, we enjoy the wondrous fireworks, we rock with music and what not? But the most noticeable fact about the July fourth is that, we have associated the holiday with exceptionally delicious dishes.

Each year July fourth comes in with air filled with the scent of festivity with a wide spectrum of entertaining events and tempting smell of burgers, barbecues, cakes and yummy desserts, making us lick our lips. Special food and drinks are really inseparable part of July fourth, without which the celebration would have simply lost its meaning. You can make fourth of July celebration this year an ever memorable chapter with some simple attempts to prepare some mouth watering recipes.

Bring A Crowd To Your Table With Amazing Fourth of July Recipes

The more you decorate your table with red, white and blue, the higher praises you can get from your beloveds on this fourth of July. Here are some very simple yet wonderful tips for making our nation's birthday more delicious. You can try out these fourth of July recipes to strike your family and friends with overwhelming delight.

July fourth Pork Barbecue

Ingredients

garlic powder
chili powder
30 ounce of barbecue sauce
1 pork roast approximately 8 pounds

How To Prepare
All you would require is a crock pot as it maintains a temperature that is relatively moderate. Keep the pork roast in the crock pot to season it with garlic and chili powder sprinkled over both both parts of the roast. Cover the pot and get it cooked on high for about three hours. Check it if it has started getting softer. If it is getting tender, take it out and pour off the liquid and add the barbecue sauce. Get it cooked for next couple of hours. Now you can easily shred the stuff to serve on the buns.

With this quantity you can serve at least 10 to 12 members. It is beyond all doubts that each one of them will remember the taste for ever. Be sure that your friends will ask you the secret behind this fourth of July recipe

July Fourth Minted Lamb Grill

Ingredients

6 tbs honey
6 tsp oil
3 tsp white wine vinegar
3 tbs Schwartz lamb seasoning
24 lamb cutlets

How To Prepare
With a flick of your finger you can again delight your guests and family members with this easy-to-make fourth of July recipe.

Take a bowl and combine the oil, Lamb Seasoning, vinegar and honey all together. Grill the lamb for 12 minutes, until it gets tender. You need to turn the cutlets frequently and brush with the mixture throughout cooking.

This quantity will yield at least 10 to 12 servings and each of your guests love this fourth of July recipe.

July Fourth Sweet-n-Sour Ribs Barbecue

Ingredients

1 1/2 c Water
2 1/2 c ketchup
1/2 cup fresh honey
8 ts Lemon Juice
3 1/2 tb Worcestershire Sauce
1 ts Pepper
1 ts Salt
2 sm Onion, chopped
10 lb back ribs

How To Make
Combine the water, ketchup, honey, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt, and chopped onion and cook the mixture for about 10 to 12 minutes stirring it occasionally. Then make a charcoal grill and cook the ribs over the moderately hot coals, turning it constantly and go on brushing the ribs with worcestershire sauce on each turn. Carry on the process until it is properly cooked.

With this quantity you can serve at least 10 to 12 members.

July Fourth Mango Mahi Mahi

Ingredients

4 ½ lbs Florida Mahi Mahi fillets
3 /4 cup of olive oil
1 ½ cup chopped basil
1 ½ cup Florida mango juice.

How To Make
This is again a very simple yet delicious preparation that can create a crowd at your table on July fourth this year. Cut the fish according to number of members and place them in a bowl. Combine the olive oil, mango juice and basil and stir it well to form a good mixture. Gently pour the mixture over the slices of Mahi Mahi, cover it and keep it undisturbed for an hour.

By this time get the grill surface thoroughly prepared by putting oil coats. Also make a charcoal grill and when the coal is ready and the flame is no more there, cover it with gray ash. Now place fish slices on hot grill about half a foot from the hot coals and let each of the slices be grilled for at least 6 minutes on each side. When it is over serve the recipe with green salad.

This quantity will yield at least 10 to 12 servings and be prepared for getting lots of praises on this this fourth of July recipe.

These recipes are really easy to make and delicious. With all these special fourth of July recipes you can get a shower of praises this year - no doubt about it. Apart from sending emails and sharing your emotions to your loved ones, make the day more special with these special recipes.

This fourth of July recipe article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author's name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.

About the Author
Julia Hayes is a freelance writer with a passion for ecards and getting connected with people through blogs and social networks. She writes blogs on Fourth of July Wishes and Ecards.

http://fourthofjulywishes.blogspot.com

http://www.123greetings.com/events/fourth_of_july/