Valentine's Day Recipes

Pamper your sweetheart with your own hand-baked Valentine cookie pops or make him/ her some delicate Valentine muffins or may be a sweet Sweetheart Cake can do the magic. You can cook up little surprises for the young ones too. Get them some yummy heart-shaped cookies or a couple of Rosey Posey cupcakes and you're all set to wallow in their unadulterated excitement. You can prepare sweet candy hugs for mom and dad, or you can make some chocolatey kisses for your gramps.

The idea behind Valentine's Day recipes and these delicacies is to sweeten up the senses of all those you hold close to your heart and make them feel on top of the world. And if you sit and think, you'll actually be surprised to see as to how much you can do to the Valentine's Day menu or how many recipe ideas strike you for the day. So prepare or get the best for your loved ones this Valentine's Day and tickle their sweet tooth with the top-notch Valentine's Day recipes that are rich in the X's and O's ! Listed below is a list of not-so-common, yet-so-yummy Valentine's Day recipes for you to romance up the day !




Valentine Raspberry Chocolate Fudge Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients

1 (18 1.4 ounce) box red velvet cake mix
1 (3.9 ounce) box instant chocolate fudge pudding and pie filling mix
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup cr me de cocoa or raspberry liqueur or brandy
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 jumbo or extra-large eggs (at room temperature)
1 (12 ounce) jar seedless raspberry jam
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, Old-fashioned 7-Minute
 Icing or Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Procedure 

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, water, cr me de cocoa or raspberry liqueur or brandy and oil; add eggs and beat at medium speed of an electric mixer for 4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Fold in pecans. Spoon into two wax paper-lined greased 9-inch wide heart-shaped layer pans or one greased and floured 10-inch Bundt or tube pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (heart-shape layer pans) or 45 minutes (tube or Bundt pan) or until a cake tester inserted into the cake layers or cake comes out clean.

Let cake or cake layers cool for 10 minutes in pan(s), top side up for tube cake and upside down for Bundt cake. Turn out onto wire rack(s) to finish cooling.

For heart-shaped cake, arrange one layer on a cake serving plate. Evenly spread raspberry jam over cake layer. Top with second layer. Evenly spread top and sides with frosting of choice. For tube or Bundt, spread frosting of choice over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle decorative confectioners' red sugar over cake as desired. 

Passionate Pasta

Ingredients

6 oz fettuccini pasta

1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1 tbsp chopped shallots

3 cups fresh mushrooms (chopped and sliced)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp Cajun seasoning

1 tbsp butter

3 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tbsp cornstarch

7 oz red bell peppers (roasted)

1 tbsp drained capers

Procedure

Marinate the shrimp with olive oil and Cajun seasoning and set aside for fifteen minutes. Boil the pasta in salt water. Then drain and keep aside. Next, in a separate pot, sauté the mushrooms and shallots in butter until tender. Remove. Now add the shrimps in the remaining butter and cook for a few minutes till the shrimps turn pink. Remove from the pan and add 2/3 cup of chicken broth into the pan. Wait till the broth reduces to about 1/4 cup. In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream and corn starch before adding it to the boiling broth. Cook for about a minute till the sauce gets thick. Now add the shrimps, mushroom mixture, roasted red peppers, and the capers. Heat thoroughly and season to taste. Pour it over the pasta. That's it ! Now savor the flavor of this Passionate Pasta in all the Valentine's Day hoopla

Oyster Delight

Ingredients

2 cups of fresh and large oysters

2 tbsp chopped parsley

10 slices of bacon

A pinch of paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

Sprinkle the seasoning and parsley on the fresh oysters. Wrap the oysters in the bacon and button up with toothpicks. Place them in a shallow baking dish and bake in 450 degrees F for about ten-fifteen minutes till the bacon is crisp. This is one great Valentine's Day recipe idea that would neither take you long to make, nor would it take your guests to polish off. 

Brownie Love

 
Ingredients

4 bars of unsweetened chocolate

8 oz whipped cream

3/ 4 cup margarine

3 eggs

1 cup flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped, assorted nuts

3 cups strawberries

Procedure

Melt the chocolate and margarine together. Keep stirring till the chocolate melts completely. Add the sugar and mix well. Now add the flour, eggs and nuts and mix till it forms a smooth paste. Bake it in a pre-heated oven of 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. After it cools, refrigerate for 30 minutes. Take out and cut into heart shapes with the help of a cookie-cutter. Spread the brownies on a plate, place the strawberries on them and top with the whipped cream to make the dish look as yummy as any other of the day. Have a bellyful fun on Valentine's Day with all.

So try these Valentine's Day recipes this February 14 along with your heart-shaped cakes. you'll have the perfect fill if you go for the oysters on Valentine's Day along with the Passionate Pasta ! Try the absolutely delicious brownies for dessert and wrap up a wonderful Valentine's Day dinner. But you can always keep adding to your menu and come up with more innovative Valentine's Day recipes. The day is all yours to enjoy with love, luck and laughter.

Article Source: Ezine Article

Top 10 Best Milkshake Recipes

Is there any drink more fun and refreshing than an ice cold milkshake? I don't think so. Milkshakes are a part of American food culture and have spread all over the world. Here's my list of the best milkshake recipe you can find anywhere.

Classic Vanilla Milkshake Made with vanilla ice cream and vanilla extract. The original plain milkshake is still a crowd pleasing favorite. Adding a maraschino cherry on top makes it a little more special.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Milkshake Made with chocolate or vanilla ice cream (depends on how intense you want the chocolate flavor), milk and chocolate syrup. This is always the second most favorite milkshake flavor. It's so easy to make and delicious to drink!

I Love Strawberries Milkshake Made with strawberry ice cream, milk, fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Yum! Makes me ravenous for one just thinking about it.

Purple Cow Milkshake Made with grape juice, banana and milk. Purple cows are cool (and very rare). This milkshake is a real treat for kids and kids at heart.

Chunky Monkey Milkshake Made with vanilla ice cream, chocolate chips, banana and instant coffee. This milkshake may cause you to spontaneously get up and do the chunky monkey dance.

Cherry Vanilla Milkshake Made with vanilla ice cream, maraschino cherries, milk and chocolate syrup. A chocolate covered cherry in your glass.

Shamrock Milkshake Made with vanilla ice cream, low fat milk, mint extract and green food coloring. Pretty simple milkshake that you can enjoy at home, even though a certain well-known burger place doesn't make them any more.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshake Made with creamy peanut butter, milk and chocolate syrup. A nice alternative to a peanut butter sandwich.

Caramel Latte Milkshake Made with coffee ice cream, milk and caramel syrup. Just as good or better than any drink at your local coffee or donut shop, plus, you can make this at home anytime you're in the mood to treat yourself with something extra special.

Whoppers Malt Milkshake Made with vanilla ice cream, chocolate malt syrup and whipped topping. This is the easiest way to make a milkshake that has that old fashioned malt taste.

Article Source: article snatch

6 Helpful Tips on Finding the Right Method for Cooking Your Food

Sometimes you see a new recipe you would like to try but the cooking method is something you either haven't tried or seen before. Here are 6 of the most common methods of getting the best from the food you prepare for your family to share.

[1] Stewing: This the most economical method of cooking cheaper and tougher cuts of meats. This method consists in cooking the food a long time in sufficient water or broth to cover it, at a temperature slightly below the boiling point. Don't forget to add your spices and/or vegetables to enhance the meat's flavors.

[2] Braising: In this method of cooking, you add vegetable oil or bacon grease by placing 3-5 slices of bacon in the bottom of the pot then adding a layer of mixed root vegetables, [carrots, onions, celery, etc.]. The meat being cooked is placed on the bed of vegetables. Add salt, pepper and [broth or water], enough liquid to cover the vegetables and touch the bottom of the meat, then covered and cooked until tender at a low temperature. The last half hour of cooking, the cover is removed, so that the meat may brown and the excess moisture can evaporate.

[3] Water or liquid boiling: Placing your food in a liquid bath, then heat to the boiling point. Remember slowly boiling has the same effect as boiling rapidly, and will do just the same amount of work. Therefore, do not be wasting fuel by keeping the water at a rapid boil. Once the temperature has been reached, turn the heat down and place a lid on the pot to keep an even soft boil.

[4] Sautéing: This is practically the same as pan-broiling, except that the fat is allowed to remain in the skillet. The food is cooked in a small amount of fat, browning the food on one side and then turning and browning on the other side until it is cooked all the way through. The secret to cooking in this manner is to keep the food moving until it's done.

[5] Frying: While this term is sometimes used in pan frying, it usually consists of cooking by means of immersion in deep, hot fat. When frying meats or fish it is best to let them come to room temperature before cooking, then wipe, to remove as much moisture as possible before placing them in the hot fat. As soon as the food has finished cooking, it should be carefully removed from the fat and drained on a paper towel or brown paper.

[6] Broiling or grilling: You will want to first sear the meat surface all over as quickly as possible, to retain the rich juices, then turning 1-2 times until the food is cooked to the doneness of your choice. Pan-broiling, is cooking the food article in a greased, hissing-hot, cast-iron skillet or other heavy bottomed pan, turning 1 to 2 times to achieve an even browning or strips on the meat. When you start to turn the meat and you feel a resistance, stop, the meat will release from the pan when it has been completely seared. Pulling at the meat will only rip it open and you will loose the juices that make it moist and tender.

Choose the right method to cook the food you have chosen for your family and you are on your way to a delightful evening of food and fun with your family.

Source: Ezine Articles

The Most Popular Types of Tea

There are many kinds of tea. The most common are black, green, white, pu-erh (red) and oolung (blue) tea. These are the basic information you should know about each of them.

Black

It is well-known tea - undergone a process of full fermentation. The brew may have a dark intensive color, but more often is vivid reddish. Black teas come from the many Indian, Chinese and African plantations. The most aromatic tea comes from the Darjeeling district in northern India. Known and appreciated are also teas from Assam and Ceylon. Black tea can be sold in the form of leaves, broken leaves, powder and dust. Manufacturers often enrich leaves with fruit pieces, nuts, chocolate, vanilla, caramel or rum. These colorful mixtures have lovely smell and great taste.

Green

Green tea comes from the same plant as black. The only difference is that the green tea has not been undergone a process of fermentation. Freshly harvested leaves are subjected to evaporation, drying and curling. In many regions, high-quality green tea is produced with a classic ancient method of doing all the things manually. The taste of green tea is more bitter than black and the brew has a lighter, lemon yellow color. It is highly appreciated thanks to numerous health properties. Infusion of green tea is rich in vitamins C, E, B, minerals and tannins. Increasingly popular are becoming flavored green teas with addition of flowers or fruits.

White

Tea produced on a small-scale mainly in China. White tea harvest takes place in early spring when the plant wakes up from hibernation. During the production process it is subjected only to a wilting and drying. Chinese teas are considered as a delicacy among teas. The white teas tend to be enriched with fruit flavors.
 
Pu-erh

Red tea of Chinese emperors from the province of Yunnan is famous for its health properties. It reduces body fat, regulates cholesterol level and supports digestion, hence known primarily as a "slimming tea". Gives a dark brown, "dense" infusion of earthy flavor.
 
Oolung

Oolong tea, known also as blue is a half-fermented tea being produced in China and Taiwan (Formosa). The Formosa ones are fermented a little longer, hence their brew is a bit darker than the Chinese.

Source: Ezine Articles

The Best Recipes To Cook With Pasta

If you're looking for some great recipes which are quick and easy to make to expand your home based cookery skills then you can't go far wrong with pasta recipes. There are a great variety of dish recipes including low calorie and low in fat recipes to make at home.

A great recipe with pasta to get started with is tagliarini (This is egg noodles cut in to long slender pieces) with courgettes, prawns, mint and chilli. Tagliarini is slightly narrower than tagliatelli and a great pasta.
Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan and add some prawns frying until they have browned. Next mix in some celery, onion, garlic and mint and continue frying until the prawns have gone a slightly darker brown colour. Cook for a further three minutes after adding some cherry tomatoes.

•    Mix in a dash of lemon juice and add some chopped courgettes cooking for another five   minutes.
•    Pour over half a cup of white wine and bring to the boil heating for a further 2 or 3 minutes.
•    Cook your tagliarini according to the instructions on the packet. It should be 'al dente' (firm but not hard) and this takes around 2 minutes in boiling water depending whether you use fresh pasta dried pasta.
•    Add the pasta to your prawn mixture and then mix in some vegetable stock and butter followed by a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
•    Blend well together over a gentle heat until ready to eat and well mixed.
•    Season with salt and pepper (freshly ground is best) and serve!

Recipes with pasta are also great for the fridge and you can easily re heat pasta the next day. Pasta dishes can be speeded up if you are in a rush by using salted water to boil your pasta with and steaming your vegetables over the boiling pasta pan - if you have a steamer!

Source: Ezine Articles

Food As Gifts

At any occasion, one can always get away with giving food as a gift. The only big obstacle about this gift is making the difficult choice about which food to give.

What you need to keep in mind is that there are a lot of foods that will make good gifts. So, you just need to decide according to a few considerations as enumerated below.

The first consideration that you will have is your budget. If you can afford to give gifts that are considered exotic or unique, it can be a good idea to do so. But, it doesn't really have to be expensive just to be special. You may consider giving a favorite food. This will even be more special if you can cook it yourself and add a personal touch.

The types of foods will be taken account as they will depend on the food preferences of the person who will receive the gift. You can give a main dish made from a specific type of product. For those who have sweet tooth, desserts and other sweet items can be good ideas.

The occasion can also be a consideration. During the Christmas holidays, the most common gifts will be those that are related to the season. But, frankly speaking, they can be too dated. Refrain from giving fruit cakes as they can be the most common food given during these times. For a change, you can consider giving healthy foods as what we mostly practice, Christmas is the time for guilt foods. During Valentines, as another example, sweets will be the most common. You may do away with these but the food that you will give may be unrelated to the season. So, to still get away with giving sweet food products, give them your own personal touch.

If the person has a health issue, you may want to take note of that. Your gift may only be put to waste if the one you are giving it to will not be able to eat, or even just taste it. If you are not sure about what healthy option to give, you may do a little research on what will be considered safe foods. If you can't, try a generally healthy alternative. These will usually include fruits and vegetables. Meat products may also be considered. Keep it near hypoallergenic foods as well.

For those who are still tied up with the food they will give, you can try and give a basket of different sorts of foods. This way, you are sure that you will be able to give at least one item that can be useful to the recipient of your gift.

Of course, aside from purely food gifts, you can consider giving utensils and kitchenware. This is especially for moms or simply for those individuals who love to cook. Appliances will also be well appreciated.

To make sure that your gift is extra special, wrap them up in something great as well. Include a nice looking ribbon to finalize the package.

Source: Ezine Article

What Are the Types of Sea Food? - I

When you are on beach there are lots of things to do, but what to eat. If you are omnivorous than sea food could be relished. There are so many type of sea food this articles highlights all types of sea food.

When you think of Blue Ocean's creatures there are so many name to be counted but fish comes first. There are so many small-large, colorful fish are used as sea food.

Anchovy - anchovy are a family of small, common, salt-water forage fish, found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans Anchovy are classified as on oily fish. Anchovies are small, green fish with blue reflections due to silver longitudinal stripe that runs from the base of the caudal fin. Anchovies are also eaten by humans. When preserved by being gutted and salted in brine matured, then packed in oil or salt, they acquire a characteristic strong flavor.

Basa - The Basa fish is a type of cat fish. These fish are important food fish with an international market. They are often labeled in north America as Basa fish or bocourti. In the UK the species is known mainly as river cobbler with basa also being used on occasion. In Europe these fish are commonly marketed as pangassius or panga. The body of a basa fish is stout and heavy. The rounded head is broader than it is long, the blunt snout having a white band on its muzzle.

Bass- is a name shared by many different species of popular game fish The term encompasses both fresh water and marine specious. All belong to the large order perciformes. or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning perch.

The black cod or smallscaled cod, is a marine cod icefish. The juveniles are silvery in appearance with a pronounced. This is also called sablefish, butterfish, blue cod, candlefish etc.

The Bombay duck or bummalo- despite its name its not a duck is a lizard fish It is native to the waters between Mumbai and kutch in the Arabian sea. Small number are also found in the Bay of Bangal. The great number is also cought in chine sea. The fish is often dried and salted before it is consumed. It is eaten as fried in buter, curry and pickle.

Brill - Brill is a specious of the flate fish. It can be found in North Atlantic, Baltic sea Mediterranean, primarily in deeper offshore waters. The brill have slender bodies, brown with lighter and darker coloured flecks covering its body, excluding the tailfin; the underside of the fish is usually cream coloured or pinkish white. Like other flatfish the brill has the ability to match its colour to the surroundings.


Source: Ezine Articles

6 Rules: How to Eat Right on the Job

Other than getting a good night’s sleep, there’s probably no other thing that impacts your productivity and mood at work more than what you eat. Yet you probably give little thought to what you consume before and during work, defaulting instead to what’s convenient, cheap, and tasty. And when you do think twice about what you eat, it’s usually in the context of a diet that’s focused on losing weight rather than improving your cognitive functioning and energy levels. Fortunately, there are a few basic food rules that go a long way towards achieving these latter goals. Here are the best of them.

Things you will need:

•    A new food attitude: Carbs are not the enemy. Neither is fat. Eliminating certain food groups may help your waistline, but it will hurt your brain functioning.
•    A stash of snacks: To keep your brain well fueled, you can’t let yourself get too hungry. Have a ready supply of trail mix, peanut-butter crackers, or Snickers bars at work. The combination of carbs and protein in these snacks will stabilize your blood sugar, fill you up, and keep you energized.
•    Some willpower: Big meals actually reduce the supply of energy to your brain and leave you feeling sleepy for hours. Eat half of what you order, and take the rest home.

1. Balance What You Eat, Whenever You Eat

In 1956, the United States Department of Agriculture produced its “Basic Four” guide promoting the daily consumption of foods from four main groups — meat, dairy, grains, and vegetables. But today, nutritionists talk about a different set of food groups —proteins, carbohydrates (which produce glucose), fats, and fiber — and a different way to combine them. Instead of having a few helpings from each group every day, they recommend having something from each of the four groups every time you sit down to eat. And, yes, that includes carbs, which certain popular diets restrict. Why? Because the combination of carbs and protein (and to a lesser extent, fats and fiber) regulates your glucose levels and keeps your mood and mental ability on an even keel.

2. Neglect Carbs at Your Own Peril

The research here is clear: Cutting carbs may shrink your waistline, but doing so will shrink your brainpower, too. “The popular low-carb and no-carb diets have the strongest potential for negative impact on thinking and cognition,” says Tufts psychology professor Holly A. Taylor. In a 2008 study Taylor conducted, dieters who lowered their blood-sugar levels by cutting carbohydrates from their meals immediately performed worse on memory-based tasks than those who simply reduced total calories by the same amount. When they started eating carbs again, their memory skills quickly rebounded.

3. Pack in the Protein

Proteins such as meat, fish, dairy, eggs, beans, and nuts slow the absorption of glucose so your brain gets a long and steady flow of fuel, rather than the brief blast you get from eating carbs and sugary foods (fats and fiber also help with this). And protein also brings its own set of brain boosters to the party. The amino acids found in meats, poultry, fish, and eggs help produce the neurotransmitters — serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine — that keep us focused, energetic, and upbeat.

Studies also suggest that certain minerals typically found in high-protein foods also enhance memory. A 2005 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that adding zinc — found in meat, seafood, eggs, and milk — to the diets of middle-school kids improved their memories and attention spans. After receiving 20 milligrams of zinc a day, five days a week, for 10 to 12 weeks, their reaction time decreased by 12 percent, their word recognition rose 9 percent, and their ability to sustain attention on a task increased 6 percent.

4. Eat Smaller Amounts, and Eat More Frequently

If you want to keep up your energy and performance levels, the last thing you need is a three-course lunch (or a three-egg cheese omelet for breakfast). The same thing goes for big dinners if you’re working late. Too much food — even if it’s well balanced — is going to make you drowsy because it introduces too much glucose for your body to handle at one time. When that happens, your liver reacts by storing the glucose, and your brain actually gets less fuel than it needs. “If you eat too much, you’re going to get sleepy, and there’s really no way to recover from that,” says Talbott. “Five to six small meals tend to make people perform much better than three squares.”

5. Fat Is Beautiful ... for Your Brain

You probably know that omega-3 fatty acids are good for your heart. But they’re great brain food, too. The fats found in salmon, walnuts, and kiwi improve learning and memory and help fight against mental disorders like depression, schizophrenia, and dementia, according to a 2008 report from the Brain Research Institute at UCLA. The fats support the synapses in the brain where much of our cognitive functioning occurs.

6. How to Keep Things in Proportion

In addition to controlling your carb intake, portion and proportion play a big role in regulating glucose. Talbott recommends a highly sophisticated tool for measuring food amounts — your hand. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner, he says the portions are the same: “Your fist is the size of the carbs; your palm is the size of the protein. Make an OK sign with your thumb and index finger, and that’s how much fat you should have. Open your hand as wide as it can go; that’s the amount of fruits and vegetables. That’s going to be a well-balanced mix.”

Source: Yahoo Shine