Today's Cooking

When your stomach starts to grumble, do you reach for a take-out menu or roll down to the nearest fast food joint to get yourself a meal? During a hectic day with your kids do you throw some microwave-fresh chicken nuggets at them and pray that they will:

1.eat more than the throw on the floor and
2.eat long enough to give you some peace and quiet?
Are you struggling to control your weight or maintain your energy levels? If these or similar conditions apply to you then you need to discover the benefits of cooking!

At first glance it may seem counterintuitive to think that cooking could simplify and enhance your life. Who has the time, right? Or maybe you do not think that you can cook good enough to produce something edible. You would be surprised to learn that there are many benefits to preparing food for yourself and others:

Health Benefits:
When you eat out you have almost no control over what you consume. Somebody else is dictating your portion sizes, food quality, and believe me when I tell you that they are more concerned with the bottom-line than your waistline. Most restaurants purchase the cheapest food available to maximize their profits.

Cheaper foods are those with a longer shelf life (high in preservatives, hydrogenated oils, and trans-fats), higher in fat (fatty cuts of meat are cheaper), and lacking in essential nutrients. When you shop for the ingredients for your food you have to final word when it comes to quality and content. People who prepare their own meals tend to have healthier diets because they eat more vegetables and fruits. In addition, they tend to purchase higher quality ingredients than you would find at a restaurant.

Financial Benefits:

When you cook your own food your body is not the only thing that gets healthier. Your bank account gets better too. Preparing your own meals allows you to avoid paying for the labor to prepare your food. For instance, did you know that you could get twice as much filet mignon if you buy it at the grocery store or butcher and cook it yourself? It is true! If you go to a nice restaurant, this delicious steak will cost between $25-80. If you go to your neighborhood supermart, you can get two quality filets for around $20.....

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At your grocer you can also buy foods in bulk, reducing the cost. If you are in a time crunch you can pre-prepare food on the weekend and freeze meals to re-heat later. Pay yourself to cook your meals and get your food just how you like it!

Another way that you can save money preparing your own meals is to use fresh ingredients from your garden. Tomatoes, green beans, peas, lettuce, onions, cucumbers, and many other vegetables are easy to grow and prepare. You can get plenty of seeds for just pennies over a dollar.

Time Benefits:

What kind of time benefits could you possibly get from cooking? Does it not take more time to boil water and melt butter and chop and mix and saute? Yes, but when I say time benefits, I am talking about quality time.

One of my favorite things to do with my daughters (ages 2 and 5) is to prepare a meal. We have fun chopping vegetables, mixing batters and counting out ingredients. They feel so important helping out with the cooking and it teaches them to work and acquire some skills in the kitchen for themselves.

Cooking with your children is a great opportunity to teach them about their health and safety with things like knives and the hot stove. It also teaches them to help keep the kitchen clean and safe from bacteria. One of the other benefits is that they are more likely to eat foods that they helped prepare.

Even if you do not have children you can still benefit from the time spent preparing a meal. It allows you a break from the grind of life. You can express your creativity and style in the kitchen. For some people it is a great stress relief to spend time cooking. Trust me, chopping carrots or tenderizing a steak with tenderizing hammer can feel pretty good when you have had a hard day. Besides that, cooking a stew will make you feel better than sitting and stewing over your problems. You may be really impressed with some of the things that are coming out of your very own oven.....

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Social Benefits:

I have yet to find a cookie recipe that just makes one cookie or a cake recipe that just makes one slice. It can be fun to share your creations with others. Bring a slice of pie to a friend and brighten their day. Cooking can be a romantic date when you prepare a meal together and share it by candle light or even in front of the television.

My wife swaps cooking nights with a neighbor. She will cook enough for both families two nights a week and another two nights our neighbor cooks for us. As a result we have become great friends with this family, my wife gets two nights off from cooking per week and it is fun to experience another cooking style. We have a lot of fun brainstorming new and interesting things to cook and we rarely have repeats.

So what are you waiting for? It is time for you to start cooking. Find a style that you like. Get a book, take a class, call your mom, or ask a friend about how you can get started. Look up all of those weird looking vegetables from the produce aisle at the store and learn how to cook them into a delicious meal. When you do, you will find yourself healthier, wealthier and fuller, and I am not just talking about your belly.

By the way, you can whip up restaurant recipes in your own kitchen from http://www.pickupcooking. Anyone can learn how to cook, even if you have not cooked before. For more cooking ideas, go to http://www.pickupcooking/cooking/.

Olive is a common name of a Mediterranean evergreen tree having fragrant white flowers, usually lance-shaped leathery leaves, and edible drupes. The Botanical name of olive is Oleaceae. Olives are classified in the Division Magnoliophyta - Class Magnoliopsida - Order Scrophulariales - Family Oleaceae. Oleaceae is a family of trees that grow in warm temperate climates and of the Old World tropics, especially Asia and the East Indies.

Olives or Olive trees were believed to be grown on the island of Crete in 3500 BC. Semitic peoples were growing olives as early as 3000 BC. Olives were also cultivated by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Greek mythology says that the olive was Athena's gift to mankind, and Athens was named in her honor for this gift.

Now, olive trees are grown in areas of Italy, Australia, New Zealand, S Africa, Mexico, California- Eastern Michigan Region and Maritime parts of USA, Lebanon, and Northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea. Olive family (Oleaceae) comprises about 900 species in 24 genera of woody plants and trees.

The fruit of the olive trees is also called "olive." Olives are small ovoid edible fruits. Full grown, but unripe olives picked for eating purposes. Green unripe olives are often pitted and stuffed with pimientos or anchovies. However ripe olives, usually turn purplish black, are richer in oil. The bitter quality of green and ripe olives is removed by treating them with lye; this removes oleuropein, a naturally bitter carbohydrate from olives. Olives are then packed in brine and can be eaten. Fresh olives are required to go thru this before they can be eaten. The wood of olive trees is hard and close-grained. Olive wood is often used cabinetwork and furniture.

Olives are an important food and source of oil. Olive trees are mainly grown primarily for olives (fruits), olive oil. Olive oil is valued both for its distinctive taste, fragrance, and dietary benefits. My own favourite olives though come from Sicily in Italy, grown with the incredibly furtile volcanic soil on the Etna. The olives are extra bit tasty and juicy.

Several studies have revealed a number of health benefits of eating olives and olive oil. Olive leaves are used in several medicinal teas. Olive leaves have been reported beneficial in strengthening the immune system, increasing energy, having an internal cleansing action in body, acting as an anti-viral, vermifungal, anti-bacterial antioxidant, and lowering blood pressure, fats, and

The richness and diversity of Chinese cooking offers a culinary journey into one of the most heritage-centered methods of food preparation in the world. The various lo mein, stir fry, egg noodle, beef, chicken, shrimp, pork, and vegetable dishes provide a regional and historic exploration of China's legacy that spans many centuries. Today, the typical Chinese dish combines two or more carbohydrates or starch-related foods (noodles or rice) with vegetables, meat, or fish.

Nowadays, Chinese cuisine is becoming an increasingly embraced method of cooking due to the healthy dose of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that many recipes deliver. Over the years, Chinese cooking has become deeply associated with staying fit, trim, and healthy through the many different low-fat and low-calorie recipes one may choose to explore.

Even the primary method of Chinese food preparation encourages healthy eating, as the wok - a cooking vessel with a round bottom - is used to stir fry, steam, deep fry, braise, and stew foods. The shape of the wok allows enhanced cooking of the food while at the same time, requiring less cooking oil and fats during the process. Additional advantages include an increase in safety and convenience, faster cooking times, and healthier food as a result of the curved concave construction of the wok.

Throughout history, Chinese cooking has evolved with the introduction of many different foreign food items. Prehistoric times brought about sheep, goats, and wheat from western Asia, while central Asia is responsible for many of the fruits and vegetables that shaped Chinese cooking during the Han and the T'ang Dynasties. During the Ming Dynasty, sweet potatoes and peanuts were utilized, as coastal traders made an impact on Chinese cooking styles.

Depending on the region, rice is one of the most significant components in Chinese cooking, especially in southern parts of China. In the northern regions, wheat-based noodles play an important role in preparing a Chinese meal. Most Chinese cooks follow tradition and prepare their vegetables and meat into bite-sized pieces for easy consumption and use of their primary eating utensil - chopsticks. Today, wooden chopsticks are being replaced by bamboo or plastic options in an effort to conserve trees. In the past, elaborate silver and ivory selections were known to decorate the Chinese dining room table.

Chinese cooking includes a wide-range of intriguing and delicious recipes, such as green onion pancakes (fried), orange beef, plum sauce, Chinese barbecue, and spicy peanut sauces. The Chinese have also found many different ways to serve dumplings, which uses dough as its primary ingredient. Chinese dumplings can be steamed (jiaozi), boiled (shuijiao), fried (guotie), or placed in soup (xio long bao). Noodles are also quite popular, and are included in many hot and cold dishes, fried, or added to soup.

To create the many recipes associated with Chinese cooking, an array of commonly used ingredients, spices, and herbs becomes necessary. An exploration of Chinese cooking may reveal new ways to incorporate soybeans, mung beans, Chinese cabbage, mushrooms, oranges, red peppers, carrots, ginger, garlic, spring onions, soy sauce, and cinnamon into everyday, healthy meals.

500 Healthy Chinese Recipes Cookbook!

Cooking is fun and a great way to bring family together. To learn more about cooking please visit us at http://www.yourcookingnow.com/chinese/ Do you have some great cooking tips and recipes you would love to share, please visit our blog at http://yourcookingnow.com/blog/

Frijoles refritos, refried beans, are used in a wide number of Mexican dishes. Beef, chicken and pork dishes are everywhere in Mexican cuisine. They provide protein and great taste.

But there are an equal number of much lighter dishes that have never seen a bean. Ostiones (oysters), ceviche (raw fish marinated in citrus fruits) and many other types of seafood are traditional Mexican servings.

Cheeses are as popular in Mexico's dishes as it is in French cooking. And the cheeses of Mexico are not just derivatives from their distant European rivals.

Chiapas may resemble feta, but it is a pure example of Mexican expertise in cheese. Criollo may look and taste similar to Muenster, but no German snuck into the country to produce this outstanding native product.

Desserts, as they are anywhere else, are highly popular south of the border.

Flan (a kind of caramel custard) is the classic example, but there are many others. Just as one example, take ensaimadas. A sweet bread made from egg, milk and sugar that resembles French pastry, it has a distinctive flavor all its own.

Mexican Food - Mexican Food for the Health Conscious

Mexican food has the reputation for being high fat and high calorie. Some of that reputation may be deserved. A single beef and cheese chimichanga is about 445 calories and is high in sodium and fat. Even a small taco is around 400 calories and can be high in fat, especially when laden with sour cream.

But there are many Mexican dish choices, and methods of preparation, that will provide lots of taste yet still rank high on the health meter. Mexican food covers a very wide array and there are many choices that are low carb or low fat or low in calories, often all three.

As in every culture, Mexican cuisine is prepared not just with traditional native ingredients but with the tools to shape and cook them. Those tools have developed over centuries of experience and combined today with modern technology to give the chef the best of both worlds.

One of the most basic and widely used is the comal - the humble iron skillet. Hardy and versatile a good comal will last generations. It will provide a high heat retention material to prepare tortillas, fish and many other traditional Mexican foods. Comals come in an astounding variety of shapes and sizes, too.

But before it can get to the pan an ingredient has to be put into the right form. One superbly useful pair of tools for doing just that are the molcajete and the tejolote. These are the traditional mortar and pestle used to grind ingredients. Whether used to grind corn for masa by hand or powderize a dried chile pepper, they're indispensable to any kitchen that prepares fresh Mexican cuisine.

More to come.