Sunday, November 21, 2010

This weeks menu

Coriander Crusted Steak

Grams Spaghetti

Triple Mushroom Tart

Green Apples, Celery, Walnut Salad with lemon Vinaigrette

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Chicken Pot Pie

Cranberry Pear Tossed Salad

Corn/sweet potato muffins

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Turkey Tetrazzini

Waldorf Salad

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Chicken Marsala Crock Pot

Brown Rice

Hot Buttered Corn

Cranberry Pear Tossed Salad

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Potato Topped Vegetable Bowl

Seared Asian Steak

Dilled Cucumbers

Healthy food


It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... All before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners...

God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!

God's Pharmacy! Amazing!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods. Modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them.

Figs are full ofseedsandhang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Black Friday

I was reading an article on how to prepare for Black Friday. I thought that was hysterical! Probably because in recent years, I've stayed away. I just don't know what I want to shop for. But back to the article. It talked about making your list and setting you alarm clock and one of the last paragraphs was about FOOD! Substenance! And the crowds and the shoving and the energy you spend on staying focused!
Here is a quote from the article:


Black Friday Countdown: How to Prepare for the Big Day


Pack snacks. You're going to get hungry at some point (Eating a good breakfast will help, but not indefinitely.), and you're not going to want to stop for lunch. High-protein snacks that don't need refrigeration and can fit in your purse or pocket are your best bet for Black Friday. Trail mix is a good choice, as is fruit and energy bars. Black Friday is one day you want to eat on the go.

If you're a coffee achiever, you know what to do. But remember what goes in must also come out. Do you want to interrupt the Black Friday shopping frenzy for a bathroom break?

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Deep Fried Turkey


While Deep Fried Turkey is one of Illinois' worst disasters when it comes to Thanksgiving fires, it continues to gain in popularity.
The reason why Illinois has one of the highest incidents is because people don't take the right steps to prevent explosions and other related disasters. They Loooove that deep fried thing but just don't do it right.
Read through these steps and heed the advice! There are several ways to prevent a Thanksgiving, deep fried turkey accident!

Get a real turkey fryer.

Don't try and use a stock pot. Don't use something that the turkey barely fits in. Don't use a hot plate. Don't put your pot on a grill. Three gallons of hot oil is nothing to fool around with, so start with the right equipment. The Bayou Classic is easy to set up, inexpensive, and sturdy.

Safety first. Make sure that your frying area is not near any structure or trees. Cook over stone, dirt, sand, or some other non-flammable surface. Keep children and pets away at all times. I use a large dog fence to cordon off the frying area. Have grease fire extinguishers handy, and above all, be careful!

Use a small bird. Using a large bird will only exacerbate the uneven cooking problem. Additionally, you run the risk of burning the skin before the center cooks through. A 10 to 12 pound bird is ideal, and should fee 8 to 10 people.

Use peanut oil. Peanut oil is one of the most highly saturated vegetable-derived oils and as such, produces crisper results. It also has a very high smoke point, which means that it's got a longer life, allowing you to reuse it multiple times before you've got to discard it.

Defrost the bird! Frozen turkey + hot oil = disaster.DISASTER!

Brine, inject, or season as desired. A brine or injections is not necessary for a juicy bird (I prefer mine without), but it's good extra insurance from overcooking can add flavor to your bird if you're into that. Either way, pat your turkey dry before frying it.

Measure your oil before you heat it. Nothing it worse than lowering a turkey into the fryer only to realize that you haven't added enough oil and the top of its sticking out. Ok, perhaps lowering it and having the oil overflow is worse. To avoid either of these problems, place your turkey into the cold fryer and add oil until the turkey is just covered. Remove your turkey, and heat the oil up to 350°F. You are now ready to cook, and have the exact right amount of oil.

Turn off the flame. If there's one safety tape to take home, let it be this one. By shutting off the flame under your pot before lowering your turkey, you can absolutely prevent your pot of oil from catching on fire—an all-too-common mishap. Shut it off, then relight it using a long match or long-tipped lighter after the turkey is safely in the pot.

Lower the bird slowly. It should take at least a minute to get your turkey into its hot oil bath (Thank the maker, this oil bath is going to feel so good!) Any faster, and you seriously risk boil overs.

Use a thermometer, not a timer. A timer is good for general guidelines, but a thermometer is the only way to guarantee that your bird is cooked to the right degree. Start checking the bird about 25 minutes into cooking. You want the coolest part of the breast to register 145°F before extracting it. Your oil temperature should be maintained at between 325 and 350°F while frying.

Let it rest.

This is absolutely essential. Cut it open immediately, and your exterior will be dry and your center undercooked. Allowing it to rest allows the temperature to equilibrate and for the juices to redistribute to make sure that every bite is relatively even in terms of moisture.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Menu for the week


I really hope I don't mess things up~ I'm fortunate to have another 'private' catering gig where I provide meals for 4 nights. I was asked to do 5 but said, let's wait and see how this is going to work.
So, here are my 2 menus for the coming week:
Crockpot Fried Rice with Chicken
Warm Curried Fruit
Tossed Salad

Beef and Sweet Potato Turnovers
Lime Jello with Pineapple
tossed Salad

Pork Roast and Dumplings
Tossed Salad

Kung Pao Chicken
Asian Slaw
Tossed Salad
Soup for the week: Apple, Squash, Cheddar
( very little breads and no desserts! Should make this job easier!
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Chicken Almondine with Rice
Warm Fruit Compote
Tossed Salad
Molasses Raisin Bars


Balsamic Pork and Dumplings
Waldorf Salad
Tossed Salad

Chicken Kiev
Hot Buttered Corn
Dilled Rice


Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Menu for the week


Baked Ziti
Sauteed Apples
Raisin Pecan Bread
Tossed Salad
Peach Strudel

Chicken Pistachio
Baked Potato
Tossed Salad
Roasted Carrots
Carrot Cake

Roast Beef
Oven Roasted Potatoes
Tossed Salad

The first menu was a hit thanks to my friend Carrie. We compared our recipes one day and she said her kids loved the ziti when it was made with pork. She's right! And I also added sausage to my ziti.