Most Liked Food Blogs (316)

According to new research on foods supposed to be for vegans, one third of these products was found to contain animal by products, such as milk and eggs. Apparently it is very difficult to find vegan foods that are 100% without some form of animal by product.

This is not a complaint blog. It's an observation and a question. I live near Pittsburgh, PA. On the 4th of July my son went to the store to pick up a few dinner items. I rarely have a craving for hotdogs, but that's what I wanted to make for our Independence day dinner. As my son was in town I asked him to pick up a few things, including hot dog relish which is like a finely diced sweet pickle with mustard. No hot dog relish to be found. In fact he'd never heard of it. As I said we rarely dine on hotdogs. They had regular sweet relish. That's it. I thought surely he must have failed to look properly. After the holiday I went to the store and no hot dog relish to be found. Apparently it's not a thing in the Pittsburgh area. Days later I still can't get over it. Yes, absolutely there are far greater (and real) problems in the world than the fact that people where I live fail to recognize the awesomeness of hot dog relish. To be honest, I usually prefer to drown my dogs with yellow mustard and diced raw onions.

Anywhoo...that got me thinking. In the hotdog-eating world, what is the standard of excellence of toppings? Anyone who mentions ketchup gets ignored.

I try to get to the Asian Market in Miami twice a month as they have products not found in the local markets. Tofu, for example comes in larger bricks and less expensive than anything in my neighborhood.
It was on sales and we got a few packages. If you have read my previous comments, I dislike Tofu. It has to be cooked with other foods or I will avoid it entirely.
Since we had so much, one package was stored in the freezer and when it was time to use it, thawed and drained. Also, it's a good idea to actually rinse it before cooking.
Here's what I have found. After freezing, the Tofu becomes spongy. When it's cooked with other foods, it readily absorbs the flavor of the other foods.
Sunday, it was Tofu with steak and mushrooms. If I didn't already know, I wouldn't have guessed it was Tofu and the flavor and texture changed. No more thinking Plaster of Paris was added to the recipe!

I haven’t had home made rice pudding since I was a child, but that’s about to change. I have got one in the oven as I write. My excitement is growing as tangibly as the skin that is forming on the surface of my pudding. I just wish I had a pair of short trousers to wear when I eat it; that would really add the authentic touch to my trip back in time to those carefree childhood days.

They say that real men don’t eat rice pudding. Well I say be damned with being a real man, and give me the pudding.

I’ll report back later, providing I am not served other deserts in the meantime.

Harina P.A.N. The abbreviation stands for Producto Alimenticio Nacional, which translates in English into: National Food Product. It is the first brand of boiled maize flour in Venezuela. The brand itself became a synecdoche, as even with other large competitors in the market, it is used as a noun to indicate any similar maize flour.

Harina PAN is used to make the maize flour dough also known as "masa de arepa" or "masarepa", which is used to make Venezuelan dishes such as arepas, hallacas, empanadas, and bollos pelones. Harina PAN is found in varieties made from white and yellow corn. It contains no additives and is considered suitable for those with restricted diets.

For decades, Harina PAN has been an essential ingredient for Venezuelans, and more recently in Colombian cooking, with websites dedicated to locating the nearest distributor in several countries in the world. Pre-made arepa flour is specially prepared for making arepas and other maize dough-based dishes, such as Venezuelan hallacas, bollos, and empanadas. The most popular brand names of corn flour are Harina PAN in Venezuela, and Areparina in Colombia. Pre-made arepa flour is usually made from white corn, but there are yellow corn varieties available. To Venezuelans, it forms a part of their national identity, making up a large portion of their diet.



Venezuela... My country... My home... My love... I love you, Venezuela!...

So here I am preparing my chlorophyll alkaline soup for the week, when I get to the fennel. It's time to wash, chop, & juice.

I wasn't thinking anything in particular as I snipped the tendrils off. However, just as I was about to cut into the actual bulb, the shape of it struck me as odd.

It reminds me of the little Hand of Fatima charms that I have. So I had to snap a quickie pic, before butchering it.

Puja = Pet Puja ..

There is an old yet evergreen saying in our Indian Tradition ...

Puja (Worship) = Pet (Tummy ) Puja

Means , in every Festival of Worship , the important part is to Worship of Taste !!

Here are few glimpses of our Clebration of Worship !!

........

A sustained muscle spasm is called a muscle cramp. Leg muscles, especially the quadriceps (thigh), hamstrings (back of thigh), and gastrocnemius (calves), are most likely to cramp, but any skeletal muscle in the body can cramp. A "charley horse" is another name for a muscle cramp.



"In the 1890s, an old horse named Charley was used in the old Chicago White Sox ballpark to pull a roller across the infield. He was old and his muscles would get so stiff he could hardly walk. Players and spectators who caught a cramp thought of the old horse and started calling the condition a charley horse.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) occurs when a blood clot forms in one of the deep veins of your body, usually in your legs, but sometimes in your arm. The signs and symptoms of a DVT include: Swelling, usually in one leg (or arm) Leg pain or tenderness often described as a cramp or Charley horse.
WHAT FOODS CAN CAUSE MUSCLE CRAMPS?
Refined carbs like white bread are devoid of nutrients.
Excessive red meat consumption is bad due to nitrates.
Fast food is full of trans fats.
Foods with refined sugar such as packaged muffins are full of artificial ingredients.
Salty foods can wreak havoc on the body.


Will be continued...in the
Comment section..

Or at least go visit every year during fall, just to get my hands on them yummy ginkgo biloba that can be found all over NYC in abundance.

I spent Thanksgiving with my son in NYC. My first trip to NYC and for him, the second. We arrived on Tuesday and the first thing that struck me as we got out from the subway station and walked to our hotel that was just two blocks away, the streets were lined with beautiful ginkgo biloba trees or commonly known as Maidenhair trees here in North America. Their light-green leaves turned gloriously golden in fall.





They are everywhere in the streets of New York!



Strawberry Fields should be called Ginkgo Fields instead





I decided to watch the Rockettes on my last night in NYC. On my way walking back to the hotel ( which took me less than 20 minutes), I stopped by the side of a church to collect the fallen ginkgo fruits by the pavement, produced by female ginkgo trees.











To the uninitiated, the pulp of the ginkgo fruit has been compared from rancid butter to dog excrement!



It was cold and windy but it didn’t deter me from taking my gloves off and with my bad knees, bend ing over to collect them, one by one., with my bare hand. I spent about an hour and reluctantly pulled myself away and resumed my walk back to the hotel. Upon reaching the hotel, I discovered there were more fruits to be collected in front of the hotel and the nuts from those fruits were really “plumpy” and that made plumpy MiMi very happy!

I put them in my carry-on bag and was keeping my fingers crossed that the double layers of plastic bags will contain the putrid smell and was hoping no leakage or whatsoever. I certainly do not want the smell to permeate through the whole aircraft cabin





Was washing them in the kitchen when Art suddenly walked in and started screaming, “What in the hell is THAT smell?!?!! Puke? Dead animal?!?

He went on, “What are you going to do with them?!?”
I answered, “Why, I eat them of course! I’ve been eating them all my life!” Feeling annoyed and went on to explain to him the health benefits of consuming ginkgo biloba. He was not impressed at all and made me promised I will get rid of the smell by tomorrow morning.

I lit several scented candles and spray the whole house with air freshener hoping to be ridden of the vile and foul smell before Art wakes up.

Well, I’m too tired to think of other hacks and going to sleep now, thinking of the yummy dessert I’d be making with these nuts

Pak gor yee mai fu chuk, my late maternal grandma used to make them every now and then. Can be consumed either hot or cold.