Monday, March 30, 2009

Mexican Holidays and Authentic Mexican Holiday Food

by KC Kudra

Mexican food is an integral part of Mexican holidays and
celebrations, adding to the color and vibrancy of the
occasion. One holiday that most people have heard of is Day
of the Dead, which is when families gather together to
remember their loved ones who have died. Day of the Dead is
celebrated on November 1 and 2.

The traditions followed on this holiday include building
altars to honor the dead and visiting their graves with
gifts of the deceased's favorite foods and drinks.

Another well-known Mexican holiday is Cinco de Mayo. This is
a regional holiday all over Mexico, but especially in the
area of Puebla. This holiday celebrates the Mexican victory
over the French in the Battle of Puebla, which was fought in
1862.

Some people wrongly assume that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's
Independence Day but their Independence Day is actually
September 16. Independence Day is the most important
national holiday in Mexico.

Favorite Mexican Holiday Foods

Mexican cuisine is a wonderful blend of Aztec, Mayan,
Spanish, French, Caribbean and traditional Mexican cookery
and more and Mexicans are justifiably proud of their
culinary heritage. Some foods are associated with specific
Mexican holidays but with other Mexican holidays, such as
Cinco de Mayo, the family just cooks up their favorite
dishes for the occasion.

Often, the women will get together and prepare plenty of
food for their Mexican holidays. Tamales are associated with
Mexican celebrations because they take a long time to make.
This is the reason why tamales are often made just a few
times a year, in big batches. Steamed tamales often feature
at Mexican parties.

You will find Mexican wedding cakes and Mexican wedding
cookies at weddings but also at other celebrations. Rosca de
Reyes is enjoyed on January 6. This is a tasty festive
bread, which is shaped like a wreath. It is decorated with
lemon, cherries, mango and candied figs and it contains a
tiny baby Jesus doll. If you find the baby Jesus in your
slice of cake, you have to make the food for Candlemas, on
February 2.

Delicious Mexican Drinks

You might think the answer is Coronita and tequila but there
are other drinks, which are popular in Mexico. Rompope is a
good example and this thick, frothy beverage is a big like
eggnog with rum, almond, and cinnamon flavors.

Atole is a thick drink, which is often served on Mexican
holidays with breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It is flavored
with cinnamon, sweetened with brown sugar, and topped with
fruit. Atole is a very special and luxurious drink.

(http://www.mexicanfoodrecipes.org/) Traditional Mexican
food is surprisingly easy to make and you do not have to
wait until holiday time to enjoy Mexican delicacies. The
ingredients are easy to find too. Mexicans love to eat with
their families and the real gems of Mexican cookery are
something that not many people are aware of, such as the
delicious creamy Mexican drinks and their authentic tamale
recipes.

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Sunday, March 29, 2009

A Lobster Bake is a Great Way to Feed the Family

by Shannon Linnen

Now that we are again facing the cold winter months, our
minds are turning toward the food that can keep us warm when
we're home with our families at night. There are many great
traditional options to keep us warm. Many people enjoy
baking, as it fills their house with inviting aromas, and
the warmth of the oven. Many others enjoy stews and
casseroles, in order to warm from within. But there are
other meals that you can have that, while untraditional, are
still warm and inviting in the cold winter months, like a
lobster bake!

It is likely that you're wondering why a summer sounding
dish like a lobster bake would be prepared in the winter?
Part of the allure of the lobster bake is its ties to sun
and surf. While the wind and snow blow outside, you can
enjoy the smells and tastes of a warm summer day, right in
your home. And lobster is such an easy meal to prepare and
share that you can enjoy this respite from the cold with
friends and family, giving them a taste of summer as well.

It is true that in the past it would have been a lot of work
to find all of the lobster you would need for a great
midwinter lobster bake. Most grocery stores don't even carry
lobster in the winter. Those that do most likely wouldn't
have enough for all of the friends and family that you would
want to invite. And the lobsters that you would find would
be tough, old, and over priced. But now, you can easily
order fresh lobster online, saving yourself the trouble of
looking, and the expense.

What are you going to need for your lobster bake? For
starters, you will need your lobsters, of course! How large
your lobsters should be depends on the type of event that
you will be having. If you plan to have a small gathering,
where everyone is enjoying their own lobster, than a one
pound lobster per person is a great idea. If you want to
enjoy a more classic place setting, then two to three pound
lobsters shared per couple, or enjoyed as claws and tails
only, is a great solution.

When you're ready for vegetables, the lobster stock pot
makes a great place to cook them up without any additional
mess. Carrots, potatoes, and onions also taste especially
great when boiled in lobster stock. You can also easily
broil a few strip steaks to make your lobster bake into a
surf and turf feast. It gives the picky eaters something to
enjoy, and will impress all of your family and friends.

While it's cold and blustery outside, why not enjoy a little
warmth inside with a lobster bake. It's a surprising way to
treat your friends to a great meal, without a lot of fuss
and clean up. You'll stand out from the usual winter dinner
party fare, and be able to give everyone a great meal and a
great time.

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Food - Eliminate Outdoor Cooking Mistakes

by Marvin Hagen

As humans, we all make mistakes. It is human nature to do
so, and cannot be prevented apiece and every time. When it
comes to barbequing, this rule is no different. We often
make mistakes that we do not even realize until we taste our
food, or something potentially chanceful happens.

Some mistakes just mean that the food you cook is not going
to taste very good, while others could potentially mean a
trip to the hospital, or a visit from your claims
representative on your home insurance policy.

You must properly prepare the meat you are cooking, before
cooking it. You should never attempt to cook meat on a grill
when it is still frozen, or even partially frozen.

Once meat is cooked, never put it back in on the same plate
you had it on when it was raw. This could cause the spread
of many unwanted illnesses. Cooking with charcoal lighter
fluid can be good or bad. The lighter fluid will cause the
food you are cooking to taste different then with other
types of grills.

Never poke you meat while it is cooking. Poking holes in
meat will cause the juice inside to leak out into the bottom
of the grill. Not only will this make your food dry and
unappealing in the end, but it also could potentially ruin
your barbeque grill.

Once the meat is on the grill, try not to open the lid to
many times. Each time you open the lid, you change the
temperature in the grill. The constant change in temperature
and the air flow will cause your meat to dry up quickly.
Remember that the higher the heat is not always the better.
While it is ok to quickly cook food, turning the heat up
will just cause the meat to dry up and potentially burn.

While using tin foil or aluminum foil will make cleaning
easier, it will cause your food to have more of a fried
taste then a grilled taste. Never, under any circumstance,
should you leave a grill alone when it is in use. Grilling
does have fire involved, and accidents can happen. Fire
spreads quickly, so being aware of your grill could mean the
difference between a small fire that is quickly
extinguished, and a visit from the fire department.

Never place a hot grill against a wall, even if the fire is
already completely out. A hot grill can heat up an exterior
wall to the point of combustion. Also, do not put the grill
cover back on until you are sure that the grill is
completely cool. You grill should be cleaned after each and
every use, no exceptions. While no one likes cleaning the
grill, it is essential for the life and safety of your
grill.

Make sure that your grill is completely cold before cleaning
it. Spraying oil and cleaning agents on a hot surface could
cause it to ignite. Be careful, because the grill may seem
cool, but may still be hot in certain areas. You do not want
to sustain a burn.

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Saturday, March 28, 2009

Everybody can learn how to cook


by Ella Simmons

Today's housewives are increasingly prone to buy ready-made
meals which can help them be more productive. Enjoyable as
oatmeal recipes are, I always feel robbed in such cases.

Cooking with vegetable oil is suitable to vegan cuisine in
general. Many cooks believe that it is easier to prepare
veggie meals and recipes. You need to have the vegan cuisine
know how. That's the reality.

Olive oil benefits kind of took my breath away. Cooking tips
shoes there is a blueprint for homemade pizza recipes. If
you are taking vegan cuisine seriously you could consider to
experiment new ways of offering diversity to your family.
Let's consider the most important things you need to learn
when it comes to it.

TBy learning only a few simple steps you can prove you can
cook better.

Check that you have acquired all tools and spices you need
to use in most of the meals. Buy a cook book, and improve
your creativity and style in the kitchen.

You shouldn't repeat the same meal for more than 2
consecutive times. In case you do so, the recipes you overdo
will lose their savor and you'll be seen as a lousy cook.

These are some feasible ideas everybody can consider. The
desire to be a vegetarian does not have to send you to
cooking schools. When going vegetarian you need to pay
attention to diversification of menus.

Anybody who's a good cook can photograph their creations and
upload them on a site for other people to take advantage.
All great recipes websites started from this kind of passion
and knowledge.

A good cooking tip is to rotate the spices you use in your
meals. The same food with different spices will have a
totally different taste. The preference for certain flavors
is individual and cannot be disputed.

It's highly beneficial that at regular intervals of time to
indulge yourself and take your family to dine out at least
once a month.

Ella's recipe of marinated meatballs has won an award in a
local cooking contest. She describes it in her cooking tips
blog.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Intriguing Facts About Rice


by James Frankie

One of the popular questions that many people have in mind
when it comes to rice is whether it is healthy for one's
health. Since rice is one of the starchy foods, people tend
to think that it is fattening but nothing can be further
from the truth. However, if you add margarine, oil or even
cheese into the rice, the overall calories will increase.
Since rice is a one of the grain products that is high in
vitamins, carbohydrates and minerals, you can be rest
assured that they are good for you.

Rice is normally eaten in Asia where it is the famous staple
food that low in saturated fat. Paddy rice is usually
available in most grocery stores as a long black grain. Rice
is considered to be the focus of the meal in Asian cuisine
while the Westerns tend to think of it as a side dish.

Rice is best cooked when simmered. Unless you don't have a
proper rice cooker, you can always cook your rice in a pot
or an oven. You will also find that wholly unpolished rice
is going to be more expensive than the mill-husked rice. You
can clearly see the difference between paddy rice and wild
rice when you cook them.

When you remove the outer inedible husk from a rice grain,
you will get the brown rice. Brown rice has a light tan
coating which is very nutritious and high in fiber and it is
quite chewy and taste like nut. The fiber in brown rice is
very useful for controlling the blood sugar level so anyone
with diabetes problem should treat brown rice as a staple.

Did you know that the fiber found in brown rice can actually
reduce your risk of having colon cancer because it can help
bind the cancer causing chemicals, thus keeping them away
from the cells lining the colon? It normally takes about 45
minutes to cook brown rice but with the quick-fix brown
rice, you can cook brown rice in as little as 10 minutes.

Learn how you can start cooking great meals with rice with
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chicken and rice.