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Archive for June, 2007

When it comes to the best in dishes for our family or friends, we often rely on what we know. Perhaps, that famous dish of enchiladas grandma used to make is tried and true, but what are you missing out on if you do not leave the safety of your boundaries and experiment? There are so many options when it comes to meal planning, you will find that it is easy to come up with something new and refreshing. For me, I chose to try some authentic Mexican rice dishes for my family.

Many people do not know the deliciousness or beauty provided by authentic Mexican rice dishes. These dishes can be as flavorful as you decide to make them, but they can also be simply gorgeous with a variety of colors to appease more than just your taste buds. These are ingredients that please the whole family!

When you choose to make a variety of rice, you are choosing versatility. There are side dishes as well as main courses. There are even desserts! With so much versatility, one would wonder why this is not a staple in more households. Imagine having a fulfilling meal where authentic Mexican rice dishes just happen to be the main course. What is it you are getting with each bite?

Considered as one of the most diversified and sumptuous food, Moroccan cuisine offers a delightful experience. There primary reason contributed to the diverse Moroccan food is it’s interaction with the outside world for centuries. Food in Morocco has blended different cuisines from different cultures like Moorish, Arab, Middle Eastern, Berber, Jewish, Iberian and Mediterranean African.

Over different historical eras and centuries the Moroccan cuisine was refined by the highly capable cooks of the royal kitchens in Meknes, Fez, Marrakech, Tetouan and Rabat. This refined cuisine laid the base for the modern Moroccan cuisine.

History of Moroccan Cuisine

Morocco has been at the crossroad of different civilizations, which has greatly influenced Moroccan food Today you will even find some of the best Moroccan recipes over the internet but the truth is that nothing tastes like the Moroccan spices.

It is said that the history of Morocco can be seen reflected in their cuisine. People and tribes from different parts of the world has come to Morocco and settled here, which has led to creation of a blended cuisine that has many different flavors. There was a time when political refugees came all the way from Baghdad, Iraq during the Middle Ages to settle in Morocco. They brought their local recipes, which have since become a part of the traditional Moroccan cuisine. One of the signature characteristics of this type of blended recipe is where fruit is cooked with meat like apricots with chicken.

Italian cuisine is as varied as the regions of Italy. Although Italy was officially unified in 1861, the food reflects the cultural variety of the country’s regions with culinary influences from Greece, Roman, Gallic, Germany, Turkish, Hebrew, Slavic, Arab, Chinese and other civilizations. In this sense, there really is no one Italian cuisine because each area boasts of its own specialties. Not only is the food of Italy highly regionalized, but a high priority is also placed on the use of fresh available produce.

Although traditional Italian dishes vary by region, they also do not follow strictly to a North/South pattern either. The north tends to use more butter, creams, polenta, mascarpone, grana padano and Parmigiano cheeses, risotto, lasagna and fresh egg pasta, while the south is more tomato and olive oil based cooking, along with mozzarella, caciocavallo and peconrino cheeses, and dried pasta. Coastal and central regions often use tortellini, ravioli and prosciutto in their cooking. Even pizza varies across the country. In Rome the crusts are thin and cracker-like, while Neapolitan and Sicilian pizzas have a thicker crust.

Many people who have a passion for food hesitate before enrolling in a culinary arts degree program. Unfortunately, many people assume that cooking school only leads towards a job as a restaurant chef. However, the prospect for culinary grads is much greater than that. Graduates with good skill levels and good portfolios can get a number of exciting jobs, including:

Catering jobs: If you have a flair for business, and you like the idea of working for yourself, catering is a very lucrative and exciting field. As a caterer, you will be able to participate in weddings and other special occasions. You will be able to prepare, set, and arrange menus yourself. You’ll have plenty of control, since clients will be coming to you and asking for your advice about what to prepare. A degree in culinary arts can help you establish credibility and also help you develop the skills that you need to succeed as a caterer.

Research and development careers: You don’t have to work in the service industry if you have attended cooking school. Food manufacturers, government agencies, market researchers, and other businesses require food testers, researchers, recipe developers, and much more. If you like the idea of working with food, but don’t necessarily like preparing meals or working very late hours in hot kitchens, this may be an option for you.

Chinese food holds a popular place among the entire population of the world. You can find a Chinese restaurant in every major city and in many smaller areas of the world as well. Why is Chinese food so popular? Is Chinese food healthy? What is the history of Chinese food?

The History of Chinese Food

The history of Chinese food1 is an interesting one. Unlike many cultures the Chinese believe that the preparation of food is an art and not simply a craft. The art of cooking Chinese food can include dishes and food preparation techniques which are difficult to develop and may require the expertise of a chef with lots of experience. One such technique is noodle pulling (scroll down to the bottom of the page to learn more about this technique). Noodle pulling requires skill and lots of practice and results in a delicious noodle dish. This article will refer to noodle pulling later on, but for now, let’s go back to the history of Chinese food.

As far as value and family friendliness are concerned, you can’t beat ground beef at dinner time. Most Americans have grown up eating ground beef, or hamburger as it’s also referred to. In fact, what summer would be complete without a juicy hamburger cooked on the back yard grill?

Although health consciousness, along with industry and fast food beef scares in recent years have caused many folks to shy away from consuming ground beef, there are ways to prepare ground beef that are both safe and good for you too.

Lean ground beef is low in fat and high in protein, iron and B12, so there are healthy reasons to consider cooking with ground beef again. Choose the 93% lean ground beef in your grocery store and your recipes will be just as healthy for your family as any other lean beef dish. Not to mention the fact that ground beef is affordable and can be stretched to feed more people. Another ground beef tip that will help reduce fat if you choose to buy the less lean variety is to drain the fat and then rinse away any remaining grease or fat after cooking. As for cooking safety, ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

Fried rice is a common staple in American Chinese cuisine, especially in the westernized form sold at fast-food stands. The most common form is basic fried rice, often with some mixture of eggs, scallions, and vegetables, with chopped meat (usually pork or chicken, sometimes beef or shrimp) added at the customer’s discretion. Even kids will love this quick and easy fried rice.

There are dozens of varieties of fried rice, each with their own specific list of ingredients. Fried rice is a popular component of Chinese cuisine and other forms of Asian cuisine. . Fried Rice or Vegetable Fried Rice is a popular north Indian dish. Its main ingredients are rice and vegetables like carrot, beans and Capsicum .It is quite a healthy dish. It is widely preferred by youngsters in the modern world and used to eat in all age of peoples.

This Indomunch fried rice dish combines the nutty flavor of fried rice with the fresh taste of bell peppers, baby peas, and other vegetables. This fried rice dish is actually a lot simpler than most of us perceive it to be. Fried rice is cooked on a high flame, and the trick is to cut the vegetables small, so that they do not remain raw inside. It requires vigorous stirring though

If you went to China to ring in the new year, you’d be overwhelmed by a frenzy of family, festivities, food and fireworks! On Jan. 22, as the Chinese say goodbye to the Year of the Ram, you can bring a little bit of China into your home by celebrating the beginning of the Year of the Monkey. A vivacious, inquisitive creature, the monkey indicates that the new year will be full of passion, liveliness and prosperity!

Chinese New Year festivities are just as dynamic and spirited as the monkey and are a traditional part of ancient Chinese culture. Bring Chinese New Year joy into the lives of your friends and family with time-honored cooking, colorful decorations and activities for everyone.

Get colorful!

Red and gold are traditional symbols of luck and prosperity. Red also frightens away evil spirits and keeps them from creeping into the new year. Nian is the new year monster known in China for terrorizing children around the new moon and is easily frightened by loud music and bright colors. The Chinese use dancing, firecrackers and red costuming to ring in the new year, and keep out Nian.