Hot Tomale!

Archive for March, 2008

If you have never been to the beautiful, pristine beaches of Mexico, you are truly missing one of life’s little pleasures. Warm sand through your bare toes as you walk the evening beach listening as the waves playfully tickle the moistened sand is a memory that will last a lifetime. Mexican vacation rentals have proven to be a popular way for many people from around the world to appreciate, if only for a short time, the beauty that we call Mexico.

Perhaps your enjoyment comes from snorkeling in the warmer Gulf waters, go horseback riding into a groomed trail through the rainforest, or you can even explore long forgotten caves once riddled with pirate’s treasure. Even the botanical gardens will impress you with the copious numbers of species and genres of native fauna.

Mexican vacation rentals get you one step closer to heaven.

What does a rental mean to you? Imagine waking in the morning to a cook preparing your family breakfast as the children are frolicking through the wading pool in the back supervised by the nanny. Imagine taking your spouse to beautiful destinations after waking up to the sound of the ocean at your backdoor. The possibilities are limitless, and in Mexico, you will find you are appreciated.

With nearly 28 states, more than 50 languages and hundreds on ethnic groups located in different parts, India surely can be named country with most diverse cultures. Every state has its own history, traditions, culture and of course food. Every state have its own style of cooking, every home differs in way of preparing a certain dish making taste of Indian cuisine even more diverse. Surely, we are here to talk about Indian food, incredibly famous through out the world.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Indian food? Hot, spicy, oily, rich on fat, difficult and time-consuming to cook, etc…

Indian food, though hugely popular all around the globe, is highly misunderstood and has plenty of hidden facts that world needs to know about. Most of Indian kitchens have their own secret recipes, ingredients or way of preparing certain recipes which makes the dish complete unique in itself. Only that unifies Indian cuisine is spices that bring them their characteristic fragrance and flavor.

It won’t be long before school’s out and the summer holidays are approaching. My kids are already packing the RV, we’re not even going for another two weeks but I can’t dampen their spirits.

I’ve still got a good few days left of work so I can’t afford to let myself go yet but just as I see the excitement in the kids’ eyes I know that I’ll be the same once I get the portable grill out of the garage.

I love to camp in Europe not just because of the freedom to go anywhere but also because of the myriad of interesting people that I meet on the way. Walk around the campsite anytime after 1.00pm and you’ll start to see the smoke rising as the families gather for a lunchtime cookout. Provided I prefix my introduction with a polite “Bon Appetite” or “Buen Provecho” I can usually get to have a recce, see what’s cooking and how they’re doing it and the best bit of course is when the complement is returned and they come over to see what I’m cooking.

For everyone who has ever stared at a package of chicken at four o’clock in the afternoon trying to figure out what to do with it for dinner, there is another option besides dousing it in bottled bbq sauce or lugging out the same old cookbooks. The option that is becoming increasingly popular with cooks everywhere is to turn to online recipes. By spending just a few minutes on sites like www.online-recipes.org, a cook can quickly find a way to make that chicken appealing.
As a matter of fact Nielsen’s NetRatings, determined that the most popular food related activity online is searching for recipes. Of all the people who shop online, at least 60% of them also use recipe sites to find online recipes. The trend is moving from cookbooks to online recipes. Many people have a computer nearby or in their kitchen and using it to find recipes is smart and convenient.
There are several benefits of using websites dedicated to online recipes for day to day cooking:
• There are thousands of recipes to choose from instead of just the few in a cookbook
• The recipes are often submitted to the sites by everyday cooks who use the recipes often, therefore its easy to find family friendly recipes – very important for the family cook staring at the chicken at four o’clock in the afternoon
• The recipes are free
• Many sites allow ratings and comments on the recipes that are submitted. Those who have tried the recipes can make comments and suggestions that are helpful when choosing a recipe
• Some sites for online recipes allow the user to search by ingredients – so if along with that chicken there are fresh mushrooms and scallions in the refrigerator also, a recipe can be found using all ingredients
• Some sites allow the number of servings a recipe produces to be adjusted and then the ingredients are automatically changed accordingly, something no cookbook could ever do
• In addition to recipes, sites for online recipes usually have cooking tips, food definitions (need to know what paella is?) cooking method explanations (how do you blanch a green bean?) and helpful information for amateur cooks
• Searching by categories such as Mexican, Kid Friendly, Diabetic, etc. is a feature many online sites have – searching in a category can save a lot of time
• Some sites have a shopping list feature – the ingredients for a recipe or several recipes can be listed and printed out to take to the store
In addition to getting day to day recipes from online recipe sites, these sites are very helpful when planning a special occasion meal. With the holidays quickly approaching, choosing to plan a meal using recipes found online can save a lot of time. www.online-recipes.org can help with this task. By searching for recipes for turkey, sweet potatoes, kugel, latkes, lasagna, fish, side dishes and more, an entire holiday meal of recipes can be found in a short period of time. A word of caution – new recipes should be tried once before serving them to guests. Nobody likes a dry kugel.
In addition to helping cooks find new recipes, these sites also allow home cooks to share their recipes with the world. There is a growing trend for cooks to put their recipes online, sharing generations old or new recipes with others. Many people who have been looking for a recipe just like their great-grandmother’s lost applesauce cake recipe now have a resource to find it or one that is at least very similar.

Written by David our expert of the day.

Mexican appetizers are natural flavored, colorful, and fresh, It is always based on seasonal produce. Once you taste one Mexican dish, you will want to keep tasting and trying more recipes as it is really tasty and delicious. If you plan to have a party, then Mexican appetizers can be a good choice.

One reason for which these recipes are so popular is that they are very easy to make and go from kitchen to dinner table in no time at all. Mexican themed party or fiesta goes very well with just any occasion; regardless of it is get together for neighbors or you are celebrating some important occasion.

Most popular Mexican appetizer is quesadillas. In simple way, quesadillas are pan grilled, Mexican tortilla sandwiches. As simple as they are to prepare, the combination of ingredients is limited only to imagination; you can experiment with different cheese and can have various chopped vegetables for filling. For making good quesadilla you need good quality tortilla. For making a quesadillas you will need four tortillas, fillings like pico de gallo, which is a traditional Mexican salsa made up of tomatoes, onion and cilantro. Then guacamole, chopped tomatoes, jalapenos, chopped fresh herbs, guacamole, and sour cream. Place tortilla on cutting board, sprinkle with combination of filling top with second tortilla. Cook over lower heat until cheese melted remove quesadillas from pan once both sides are golden brown. Cut them into pieces and garnish with guacamole and sour cream. You can have some variations with black beans, shrimps and corn.

Because of my young children, I have leaned towards healthy cooking choices. In addition, my husband who always eats out due to his frequent business meetings, desperately needs to lose weight. Being a Chinese and growing up with a mum who likes to cook, I have been educated in more ways than one on the various ways to whip up a dish. The following are some helpful tips that are practiced from my own kitchen.
The major thing to keep in mind when cooking is what hurts the foods and takes the nutrients out of them. You can eat a complete meal and end up not having adequate nutrients in any of the foods because of how you cooked. The major types of cooking that will burn away the vitamins include frying, boiling, saute methods and microwave. It is important to consider these methods before deciding on how you will cook your food.
One of the better methods used in preserving the nutrients in food is steaming. Steaming will actually preserve the vitamins and minerals that are in it. Because you don’t have to add any oils or fats, it can also help you with taking away things that you don’t need. A medium sized fish takes only 10 minutes of steaming time. It can be really that fast.
Boiling is also another healthy cooking method. However, do not overboil vegetables as this will kill all the nutrients and enzymes in them. If you need cooked vegetables, boil the water first. In boiling water, put your vegetables in for about 3 minutes. For some taste, you can always make a sauce to pour over the boiled vegetables.
Another thing that you should consider when cooking is what you are putting into the foods while they are on the stove. For example, adding extra salt can lead to a change in your blood pressure over time that isn’t necessarily healthy. In relation to this, you should stay away form flavors and ingredients that have high sodium or fat as part of the recipe. Use the healthier sea salt if you really need to.
All of the foods that you eat should be balanced with raw fruits and vegetables. Having these on hand will help in adding to nutritious value in your diet. Adding a salad or different fruits is always important to your meals.
Healthy cooking does not necessarily translate to bland food. Sure the food may not be as tasty due to the less salt and the cooking method used. But there are ways to getting round them like using natural ingredients; such as, garlic, onions or herbal leaves for flavoring. Take the steam fish for example.
Add in stir-fried chopped garlic, ginger and spring onions for extra punch! As a meal planner, your job lies in seeking these healthy recipes out.
Cooking for better health has its rewards in better nutrition and healthier food for the body. If you and your family are working on implementing a healthier lifestyle, then it means adopting these cooking tips and making healthier eating choices. Everyone stands to benefit in being nourished, feeling energized and looking well.

Written by Evelyn Lim our expert of the day.