Coffee: a Stimulating and Aromatic Drug

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Lets talk about coffee today. I'll admit I drink a fair amount of coffee each day but now that I've learned more about it perhaps I'll back off a little bit on my daily consumption. You might also consider it after reading the following information.

Coffee is a highly aromatic stimulant beverage prepared from roasted and ground coffee beans. Coffee beans are the seeds of the Coffea arabica or the coffea robusta plants.
Coffee is a true drug due to its caffeine content. It meets the criteria set by the World Health Organization for drug addiction:
A. It creates addiction or dependency;
B. It produces tolerance (the dose must be increased to achieve the same effect);
C. Its elimination results in abstinence syndrome;
D. Its regular use is harmful to health.

Coffee drinking raises cholesterol levels. However, this effect is eliminated when it is brewed using a paper filter. The substance that raises cholesterol is not caffeine, but rather an aromatic substance in the coffee that remains in the paper filter.

Well kids, that's your lesson for today. I hope you'll consider drinking just a little less coffee each day. I have and it feels great... well, now that the headaches have gone away that were brought on by the short withdrawal period I had when I began to drink less.

Why not try a nice fresh glass of water? It couldn't hurt, right?

Steve and Kim

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The Secret to Perfect Pasta

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Here's the secret to perfect pasta. It's quick, simple and you'll love to use it everytime you prepare your favorite pasta dish.

1. Place an appropriate, uncovered kettle on the stove with one liter (about 4 cups) of water for each 100 g (about 4 ounces) of pasta.
2. Heat the water to a boil. Add the pasta in small amounts at a time so the water does not stop boiling. Add about 6 g (about 1 teaqspoon) of salt for each liter of water. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking.
3. Fresh pasta requires only 3-4 minutes of cooking.
4. Dry pasta should be removed from the heat when it is al dente; in other words, well cooked but firm consistency.
5. Drain in a colander without rinsing with cold water.
6. After draining, add a little oil to keep the pasta from sticking.

There you have it. The secret to perfect pasta. It works every time.

Enjoy and happy eating.

Steve and Kim

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Look Out Gourmet Popcorn

Those "gourmet" popcorn ads always claim that one of their other advantages is that they get "all" the kernels to pop. Well, here's a little secret that'll get your less expensive brand to pop more kernels, too.

Keep the kernels cold in your refrigerator until just before you are ready to throw them into the hot oil. You eliminate almost all the unpopped kernels.

Take that "gourmet" popcorn!

Steve

Pumpkin Custard For The New Year 2010

Here's a quick and simple recipe for you to try as 2009 draws to a close. It is Pumpkin Custard and really really good!

INGREDIENTS:

1 15-ounce can of Libby's Pumpkin
1 Cup evaporated milk (low fat)
1/2 teaspoon of salt (sea salt is best for you)
1/2 cup of Sugar( you can use Splenda if you'd prefer to have all of the Aspertame poison in your system) 1/4 cup.
1 teaspoon of cinnamon seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of ginger seasoning
1/4 teaspoon of cloves
2 egg whites.

PREPARATION:

Mix the above ingredients together and spoon into muffin tin holders. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

HAPPY NEW YEAR From
Steve and Kim

White Chicken Chili

Here comes the cold weather. What will you do, what will you do? Personally I find that cooking takes my mind off of the cold weather outside and helps me get rid of some of the stress that is always involved in fighting the weather. So, with that in mind, I'm going to give you one of my favorite winter-time recipes, White Chicken Chili.

INGREDIENTS:
4 Chicken breasts, cooked and cubed.
1 48-ounce jar of Great Northern Beans (some stores sell low sodium beans.)
1 15-ounce can of low sodium chicken broth.
1 16 ounce jar of medium salsa.
2 teaspoons of cumin.
1 teaspoon of chili powder.
2-3 cups of lite Mozzarella cheese.

PREPARATION:
Mix all of the ingredients except the cheese, simmer several hours on low in your favorite crockpot. Prior to serving, stir in the cheese until it melts.

Now sit back and enjoy the winter as it should be... nice and warm.
Let us know what you think. We always enjoy hearing from our readers.

Steve and Kim.

Here's another one of my favorite dishes for you to try.

Heather’s Homemade Chili

1 c Chunky Salsa
¼ c diced green chiles (optional!)
1 can kidney beans (washed/drained)
1 can black beans (washed/drained)
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 lb Lean Ground Beef (93/7)
½ c each, chopped – yellow onion, green pepper, red pepper (celery and/or carrots optional)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Chili powder, salt, pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté all vegetables until tender. Add ground beef, chili powder, salt, and pepper.

In a large pot, combine meat and vegetables, and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for 25-30 minutes. Add additional seasonings to taste (optional – cumin, oregano, roasted red pepper flakes).

Serve topped with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese, and/or with a side of freshly baked cornbread. Enjoy!

What recipe do you associate with Fall? How do you take your chili?

ONLY COOK ONCE A MONTH YOU SAY?

If you're a busy person like most everyone is, you're going to love this tactic for cooking only once a month. True that one day will be a busy one but you'll love the results you get from it.

Take a good look at this plan and see what you think.

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MEXICAN SWEET CORN

You're going to love this even if you avoid sweet corn due to the mess of eating it. I tried it out two days ago and loved it. I'm sure you will also.

INGREDIENTS:

Several ears of fresh sweet corn.
Mayonase
Salt
Pepper
Parmasian Cheese, grated.

PREPARATION:

Clean the ears of corn. Take a spatula and smother the corn with mayonase. Sprinkle on a big portion of the cheese, salt, pepper and anything else you think would taste good to you.

Wrap the corn in aluminum foil. Place the corn in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees. Allow to cook for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Happy eating.
Steve and Kim.