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For that next picnic or family outing, consider making sandwich rolls with your bread machine. They are quick and easy and so much better than what you buy from the stores.

Take any bread machine mix. Mix according to the package directions but set your machine on the “dough” setting so that the machine will mix your bread for you, let it rise and then beep when it is time to bake.

Remove the dough from the machine and divide with a knife into eight equal pieces. Form a round or oval roll with each. Place them on a greased baking sheet with room to expand. Using the heel of your hand, flatten each roll. The elasticity in the dough will tend to make the rolls spring back. Let the dough relax for a few minutes and repeat the process. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise until doubledan hour or so depending on the mix and the room temperature.

If you care to put sesame seeds or poppy seeds on your rolls, mix one egg white with one tablespoon of water. Just before baking, brush the mixture onto the tops of the rolls and then sprinkle with seeds. The egg white will keep the seeds in place.

Bake the rolls at 375 degrees for about fifteen minutes or until done. Remove them to a wire rack to cool.

For more articles like this visit The Bakers’ Library.

© 2004 The Prepared Pantry

If you find leftovers boring, uninviting or downright “yuck,” then here are some ideas to put the “zing” back into mealtime. With a little creativity your home-cooked meal can easily become a delicious meal another night. There are a six articles in this series, today we are going to look at what you can do with ham.

DINNER - NIGHT ONE: Baked Ham

Using a basic ham (which is also more cost effective), add some zing to the flavor by glazing it with a sauce of whisked-together mango chutney, orange juice and red pepper flakes. Serve with braised artichokes and pureeed cauliflower for a dinner fit for company. If you do not like cauliflower, any winter vegetable would work. Remove the leftover ham from the bone and store in a tightly sealed contained in the refrigerator or freezer.

DINNER - NIGHT TWO: Cheesy Potatoes with Ham

Chop the leftover ham into cubes. In a glass baking dish layer sliced potatoes with the ham, milk and Cheddar cheese. Serve with a green salad. You can also use a blend, or different cheeses, such as gruyere or fontina. This dish is also great served as a leftover as the flavors just keep getting better and better.

Publishing Rights: You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author’s information and web link are included at the bottom of the article and the article is not changed, modified or altered in any way. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. Copyright 2005, Michele Webb. All Rights Reserved.

Michele Webb owns her own website and is a member of a number of organizations for women Netpreneurs and business owners. She has over 20 years experience in health care, clinical trials, management, project management and software development. She currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada USA with her two dogs.

You are invited to visit her website at: http://www.ebooksnstuff.com. Or, you can email the author at: support@ebooksnstuff.com

For some finger-food entertainment, heres a savory salmon danish with a hint of lemon and basil. A real crowd pleaser and its healthy, too!

Ingredients

Nutrition Details

Nutrition Features

• * Source of omega-3 fatty acid (0.4 g)

Preheat the oven to 450 F (230 C). Remove skin and bones, as desired. Blend the salmon with the goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, lemon zest and pepper until well combined.

Roll the puff pastry into a 12-in (30 cm) square. Cut into four squares and then cut each smaller square into four again to make sixteen in total. Brush the edges of each square with some of the beaten egg.

Cut three, 3/4-inch (2 cm) slashes crosswise, down the centre of each square. Place a spoonful of the filling in the centre of the square so that it sits over the slashes. Fold opposite sides over the filling, one slightly overlapping the other. Lightly pinch the ends shut and place, seam-side-down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush the danishes with the remaining egg and bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until puffed and golden. Makes 16 servings

Making better cookies is a lot easier if you understand the difference
between the average commercial bakery and the home kitchen. These tips
should allow you to make better cookies at home whether it be for a special party or your annual Christmas cookie baking session.

There are 4 major things that are done commercially that are overlooked by
the average home baker.

Number 1 is that the average home baker does not have a stone oven. Most commercial bakeries have stone shelves and that disperses the heat to the pan in a much more even manner. Obviously, buying a commercial oven for this alone is not feasible for most of us. (I have considered putting a commercial pizza oven in my laundry room but my better half vetoed that idea :-(. Thus I settled for going out and buying an oven stone for our regular electric oven. This serves the same purpose with no loss of space in our laundry room and at a huge savings versus the price of a commercial pizza oven (even the used one I wanted).

The second thing is the thickness and quality of the cookie sheet. The average commercial facility uses a sheet pan or half sheet pan which is probably 2 to 3 times as heavy as the ones used by the average home baker. This like the oven stone disperses the heat much better and makes it much easier for the cookies to bake evenly. I definitely recommend checking out your local restaurant supply house to get some half sheet pans which will definitely be
better than the cookie sheet available at your local supermarket or Walmart.

The third item I use when baking cookies is parchment paper. It is much easier to remove the cookies from the paper, your tray doesn’t get all cruddy and need to be cleaned between batches and you will have much less burning on the edges.

The fourth thing the average home baker misses is portion control. I
have a variety of ice cream type scoops that I use for portion control. This allows each cookie to be the same size and allows them to all bake consistently. When I used a spoon I always ended up with a variety of sizes no matter how careful I was and the cooking was never quite even.

Hope these tips allow you to make better cookies in your house. I know
using these tips has improved mine.

About the Author

Michael Paetzold is the owner of I Love Desserts (http://i-love-desserts.com) your source for all things about desserts.

There are practical and decorative considerations to keep in mind when choosing a wine rack or storage system, not to mention a variety of options available.

When touring wine country, many people find themselves buying a bottle or two of a delicious wine they have discovered at one or more of the wineries. Some like to buy a souvenir bottle at each winery they visit. This can be a smart move, as many wineries deduct their tasting fee from a purchase. Others may wish to take advantage of a special deal offered only at the winery and take home a full case. Also, many wines are made available only at the winery, especially those of limited release.

Whether you are a fledgling wine collector or merely someone who likes to keep a few bottles around the house for special occasions, entertaining, or nightly consumption, at least one rack will be needed to protect the bottles and free up space. Even the serious connoisseur lucky enough to have a wine cellar could use a wine rack in the dining room or den for easy access to those wines that are ready to drink. Also, you may want to have one mainly for displaying some of your splendid collection to your guests.

Most people don’t have a custom wine cellar; yet find their collection of wine bottles is growing. They need to establish a simple storage solution by deciding which type of racks will fit their needs. Is it mainly for storage, display or easy access? Keep in mind that your wine collection may grow over the years.

If you are interested in wine racks primarily for storage purposes, you can buy small ones to stack in a closet, place in a cupboard or put on a bookshelf. There are also decorative floor and wall units. On the other hand, if you are looking to buy a wine rack to accent your home decor or to display your favorite wines, there are many styles available. These include hanging units, stand-alone units and ones that are incorporated into pieces of furniture, which have other features such as a minibar or wine glass rack.

A good wine rack should be sturdily built. Another factor to consider when deciding on a system is if it comes unassembled, make sure the instructions are easy enough to understand and that the unit itself is simple to put together. If you like burgundy and/or champagne, choose a model with openings large enough to accommodate these bottles.

PROTECTING THE WINE

Wine needs to be kept on its side to keep the cork from drying out. While not so important for wines you plan to drink soon, it is a serious consideration when you wish to age certain wines to their full maturity and peak drinking time. The rack should be kept in a place away from direct sunlight as well as from any heating source, such as a stove, radiator or heating vent. Also, it should be kept away form vibration, as from a dishwasher, clothes washer, dryer or window with exceptionally loud street traffic.

Extreme heat makes the wine mature too fast so it can deteriorate before it reaches its peak. Wine kept in the refrigerator too long can go flat and lose its flavor because of the cold temperature and vibration of the motor. The temperature of the room where wine is kept should ideally be kept below 70 degrees Fahrenheit and between 70-95% humidity, with very little variation over short periods of time. Air conditioning alone is not too good because excessively dry air can cause wine to evaporate or leech out around the cork, ruining the wine due to oxidation.

TYPES OF WINE RACKS

Wine racks come in a variety of shapes, styles and materials. Wood is the most popular material. The wood types are easy to assemble, are very durable and can be modular or stackable. Wood wine storage systems can come in pine (the most common), spruce, oak, fir, cedar, redwood and mahogany. These last two hold up very well against decay and mildew due to extreme humidity.

Metal wine racks allow for unique shapes and contemporary designs. If buying a steel model, make sure it is painted with a chip resistant paint. Powder coatings come in different colors and are quiet strong. For a sturdy wine rack, wire should be of a heavy gauge and the weld joints very strong. Stainless steel is more expensive than steel wire, but it resists corrosion better and doesn’t need the paint coating.

Other materials used include chrome, Lucite, acrylic, wrought iron and polished brass.

Single racks that hold just one bottle make great gifts. Hanging racks are great for freeing up space. Standing wine racks with tabletops are handy for serving. Some have drawers for holding wine accessories, with the bottles stored below. Some even have glass shelves above or a hanging rack for wine glasses.

Wine cabinets that you plug in come in various types and sizes. They are nice because they are self-contained and temperature controlled. Some look like a fine piece of furniture, which you can coordinate, with the rest of your room. Cooling units may need to be professionally installed. Expensive and elaborate options include the wall wine rack system, which is built in and customized.

A wine rack filled with bottles collected on wine tasting trips is sort of like a photo album, holding memories of your wine country experience and just waiting to be opened and enjoyed anew.

Laura Eggers lived in Sonoma County and the San Francisco Bay area for many years, exploring the pleasures of wine country whenever she could. Now based in Southern California, she is enjoying new discoveries in the Santa Barbara wine touring region. Her website http://www.experience-wine-country.com offers visitors a an overview of several California and Oregon wine regions, with information on wine tasting rooms open to the public.

With English Tea being a very familiar term, English coffee may seem as contrary a term as Arctic bananas; however, England’s impact on the coffee trade and the world of business is undeniable. The history of English coffee began in 1650 at Oxford University when a Lebanese immigrant opened the first coffeehouse on campus.

Initially, coffee was seen as novelty and a snake oil, if you will, as the proprietor touted many incredible medical claims. His English coffee was said to aid in digestion, cure headaches, coughs, dropsy, gout, scurvy and even prevent miscarriages. About the only claim that was accurate was that English coffee prevented drowsiness.

By 1700, however, coffee had become a very popular beverage and there were more than two thousand coffeehouses in London. Coffeehouses occupied more retail space and paid more rent than any other trade. They came to be known as Penny Universities, because for the price of a cup of coffee, one penny, a person could sit for hours and engage in stimulating conversation with educated people.

Each coffeehouse specialized in a different clientele. In one, physicians could be consulted. Other’s catered to lawyers, actors, army officers, or clergy. English coffee became the beverage of business and one coffeehouse in particular grew into one of the worlds largest and most well known companies. Edward Lloyd’s coffeehouse catered primarily to seafarers and merchants and he regularly prepared “ships’ lists” for underwriters who met there to offer insurance to the ship captains. And so began Lloyd’s of London, the famous insurance company.

Prior to the popularity of English coffee, beer, or ale, was the morning beverage of choice among the working class. The pubs and taverns were filled early in the morning with workers who stopped in for a few pints of camaraderie before heading off to the factories and shops around London.

One English writer wrote in 1624, “They flock to the taverns to dizzy their brains and a productionless society is the result.” Fifty years later another writer credited English coffee with stimulating the economy as he wrote, “Coffee drinking hath caused a greater sobriety than has ever been seen in the business of London.”

By the late 18th century the buzz of English coffee subsided and tea became the preferred British drink, due much in part to the outcry of women, who were excluded from the all-male society of the coffeehouse and complained loudly. A group of angry coffeehouse widows filed a petition with the English government to ban coffee on the grounds that their men were never at home and their duties as husband and father were being neglected. English coffee was not banned but the outcry did have repercussions on the coffeehouse business and men returned to the taverns instead.

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

Randy has more articles on coffee such as Colombian Coffee, Are Coffee Enemas the Real Thing? and Arabica Coffee.

By Monique N. Gilbert, B.Sc.

http://www.MoniqueNGilbert.com

The key to better health is learning the difference between healthy and unhealthy nutrients. The choices we make greatly affect our health. Making a few simple healthy and nutritious changes in our dietary choices can have a profound and positive impact on our health, well-being, energy levels and life span. For instance . . .

• Healthy proteins provide the amino acids our bodies require to build and repair lean body mass (like muscles, skin, hair and nails), and are low in saturated fat, cholesterol and chemicals. Good sources include wild salmon, beans, legumes, soy products (tofu, tempeh, TVP), seeds (sunflower, pumpkin), nuts (walnuts, almonds, peanuts) and nut-butters (peanut, almond, cashew, etc.).

• Unhealthy proteins are loaded with saturated fat, cholesterol, hormones, or antibiotics (like beef, lamb, beacon and sausage). While they give your body the needed amino acids, they also clog arteries and compromise your immune system.

• Healthy fats are unsaturated fats (mono and poly), omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. Good sources of these fats include extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, ground flax seeds and walnuts. They help your body absorb fat-soluble antioxidant micronutrients like vitamins A, E, D, and K, and lycopene.

• Unhealthy fats are saturated fats and trans fatty acids (trans fats), like butter and margarine. These fats contribute to heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, hypertension and obesity.

• Healthy carbohydrates are high in fiber and are considered complex carbohydrates. Good sources include rolled oats, brown rice, whole wheat, broccoli, squash, green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, beans and whole fruit. These help lower cholesterol, aide digestion, regulate blood sugar and insulin levels, and reduce caloric intake.

• Unhealthy carbohydrates are high in sugar and are called simple carbohydrates, like candy, white bread, sodas, ice cream, cake and cookies. These spike blood sugar and insulin levels, and increase caloric intake (they are considered empty calories).

Eating nutrient-dense foods that are high in antioxidants, phytochemicals and fiber help the body function optimally, promote overall well-being and improve digestion. These nutrients also help fight and prevent heart disease, cancer and diabetes, strengthens the immune system, slows the aging process, increases energy and improves cognitive performance.

Additionally, as we age our appetite lessens, making it even more critical to choose foods wisely. When every bit counts, picking foods with the highest nutritional profile is more important than ever.

An easy way to make your nutritional choices is to look for foods that are bright in color, for they usually contain more beneficial vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. For example, red and pink grapefruit have the heart-healthy cancer-fighting antioxidant phytochemical called lycopene while white grapefruit does not. Here are seven more simple ways to start eating healthier.

1. Switch from iceberg lettuce to romaine lettuce. Romaine lettuce has more vitamins and minerals like vitamins A and C, thiamine, riboflavin, calcium and potassium. It also has more fiber than iceberg lettuce.

2. Eat brown rice instead of white rice. Brown rice naturally has more fiber and riboflavin, and less sugars than white rice. It is digested slower and is more filling.

3. Switch from white bread to whole-wheat or whole-grain bread. Whole-wheat and whole-grain breads have more fiber, iron and potassium. Slice per slice, they are more filling and satisfying than white bread.

4. Drink iced teas (black, green and herbal) instead of sodas. Black, green and herbal teas provide antioxidants and phytochemicals that enhance your health. Unlike sodas, you can control the sugar content when brewing your own iced teas.

5. Choose whole-grain or whole-wheat cereals with bran instead of sugar-coated cereals. Whole-grain cereals and whole-wheat cereals with bran naturally have more protein, fiber, calcium, iron, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin than sugar frosted cereals. Besides having less sugar, they are metabolized slower and are more filling. So you have more energy during the day and you will not get hungry right away.

6. Switch from cows milk to fortified soymilk. Soymilk contains no cholesterol or hormones, and is extremely low in saturated fat. It also provides isoflavones and other beneficial phytochemicals that promote good health. Fortified soymilks also contain easy to absorb calcium, vitamins D and B6, and some even add extra antioxidants (like vitamins A, C, and E), folate and omega-3.

7. For dessert, have frozen fruit sorbet instead of ice cream. Frozen fruit sorbet is fat and cholesterol free and has more fiber. It is also loaded with antioxidant vitamins A and C, and contains beneficial phytochemicals.

To get you started, try Monique N. Gilbert’s deliciously nutritious homemade sorbet recipe. It is cholesterol-free, and high in antioxidants and fiber.

Strawberry Orange Sorbet

1-1/2 cups frozen strawberries

1/3 cup orange juice

1/3 cup fortified soymilk

2 tablespoons canned pumpkin

1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (optional)

Blend in a food processor or blender for 1-2 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Place in the freezer until ready to serve.

Makes about 2 servings

Copyright © Monique N. Gilbert. All rights reserved.

Monique N. Gilbert, B.Sc. is a Health, Nutrition, Weight-Loss & Lifestyle Coach; Certified Personal Trainer/Fitness Counselor; Recipe Developer; Freelance Writer and Author of Virtues of Soy: A Practical Health Guide and Cookbook. She has offered guidance in natural health, nutrition, fitness, weight-loss and stress management since 1989. You can contact Monique at http://www.MoniqueNGilbert.com

About the author:

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Monique N. Gilbert, B.Sc. has received international recognition for helping people get healthy, manage stress, lose weight and keep it off. Through her coaching program and writings, Monique motivates and teaches how to improve your well-being, vitality and longevity with balanced nutrition, physical activity and healthy living. For more information, visit her website - http://www.MoniqueNGilbert.com/

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Wine is an alcoholic drink made of fermented grapes. Drinks similar to wine can also be made of many other fruits or flowers but they need some name to differentiate them from grape wine (like honey wine).

Wine derives from the the Old English word win, that comes from the Proto-Germanic winam which came from the Latin word vinum, which can either mean “wine” or “vine”.

Some say that the Republic of Georgia is the birthplace of modern-day wine. Wine may probably have been made in the valleys of Georgia for over 7,000 years. According to a Georgian legend, wine was first fabricated between 7000 and 5000 BC, when a Caucasian man found out that grape juice became joyful juice when buried during the winter in a compartment in a shallow hole.

Other early known proof of a fermented drink similar to wine is from a Chinese village called Jiahu dating from 6000 to 7000 BC. The wine, discovered in 16 buried jars, had millet, rice, beeswax (from honey) and either hawthorn fruit or wild grape in it. A 3,000 year old bronze jar has also been unearthed, still containing a similar liquid wine.

Ancient pottery jars discovered in Iran indicate that grape wine was made as far back as 5,500 BC. It is the oldest wine ever found and it is in the museum of Pennsylvania. This discovery is particularly significant, as Iran was not usually a grape-growing area, the main crops were mostly grains and beer was the favorite drink back then. As ancient Babylon was located on the Silk Road from China to the Mediterranean, wine was most likely used as a commodity for trade.

In Ancient Egypt, wine was important in ceremonial life. Although wild grapes were never grown there, a highly valued winemaking industry was established in the Nile Delta. The industry was probably the trade result between Egypt and Canaan during the Early Bronze Age, beginning from at least the Third Dynasty (2650 - 2575 BC), the start of the Old Kingdom period (2650 - 2152 BC). Winemaking pictures on tomb walls, and the lists of offerings that came along with them, included wine that was definitely produced in the vineyards of the delta. By the end of the Old Kingdom, five wines produced in the Delta, made part of a “menu,” for the afterlife. The culture of wine in Europe came from the Greeks who spread the art of grape-growing and winemaking in Ancient Greece and Roman times.

Today, the regions that most produce wine worldwide are Europe, South America, California and New Zealand. The largest wine export nations are Italy, France, Spain, Australia, Chile, USA, Germany, South Africa, Portugal, Moldova, Hungary, Croatia and Argentina.

Wine history is very important for finding out why Europe has become such a wine capital. The worldwide influences on the area, the local climate, the soil, the grape species and the taste for the beverage made this drink become one of the most valuable foodstuffs in the world. A person who understands wine, understands the land, and therefore understands class and the arts.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Wine
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The Szechuan style of cuisine arose from a culturally distinct area in the central western of part of China, a province known as Sichuan. This area of China came into its own culturally towards the end of the Shang Dynasty, during the 15th century. However, it was also the climate of the area that helped to shape the culinary traditions that were to arise from Sichuan province and make their way into the realm of international cuisine.

The province from which the cuisine that the world knows as Szechuan evolved is often hot and humid, and this contributed to this necessity of preparing foods in ways that differ significantly from other regions of China. Szechuan cuisine is primarily known for its hot and spicy dishes, though naturally there is more to Szechuan food than spice and sauces rich and strong in flavor.

A general overview of culinary history and trends reveals that, for the most part, areas that tended to spice heavily were areas in which the fresh food supply was not as reliable as in places that traditionally used a lighter hand in their use of spices. The climate of Sichuan is conducive to faster food spoilage. This, particularly in the past, made necessary food preservation techniques that themselves left behind a strong flavor, such as salting, pickling, drying, and smoking. Thus, spices served to mask the flavors of less than fresh foods and those that have been preserved by methods that affect their natural flavors. In addition to masking certain flavors, the use of hot spices, such as chili peppers, tends to be more common to hot climates, as the sweat that they can produce is thought to cool the body.

Much of the spicing of regional Chinese cooking is based upon bringing together five fundamental taste sensations - sweet, sour, pungent, salty and bitter. The balance of these particular elements in any one dish or regional cuisine can vary, according to need and desire, especially as influenced by climate, culture and food availability.

In Szechuan cuisine, there are a variety of ingredients and spices used to create these basic taste sensations. These include a variety of chili peppers, peppercorns over various types, Sichuan peppers, which are in reality a type of fruit, not pepper, and produce a numbing effect in addition to their warm flavor. Sichuan peppers, also called flower pepper and mountain pepper, are a traditional part of the Chinese five spice powder, or at least of those that are modeled upon the most authentic versions of the spice combinations common to regional Chinese cooking.

Other ingredients used commonly in Szechuan cuisine to create the five fundamental taste sensations include different types of sugars, such as beet root sugar and cane sugar, as well as local fruits for sweetness. The sour comes from pickled vegetables and different varieties of vinegar. A special bitter melon is added to many dishes to offer the touch of bitterness that complements other flavors. Other spices and flavors include dried orange peel, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and bean paste. Salt is important to Szechuan cuisine, and the area produces uniquely flavored salts that help to distinguish authentic Szechuan cuisine from the other regional cuisines from China.

Szechuan cuisine is marked by its rich traditional flavors, which stem from a culture of hundreds of years and are in part shaped by the natural forces of climate. Authentic Szechuan cuisine offers a unique dining experience made up of adventurous and creative taste sensations.

Kirsten Hawkins is a food and nutrition expert specializing the Mexican, Chinese, and Italian food. Visit www.food-and-nutrition.com/ for more information on cooking delicious and healthy meals.