Kosher Coffee

Pamela Terry

Kosher coffee can be enjoyed in Jewish household and can make a great gift for certain occasions. For coffee to be Kosher, it has to be prepared in a Kosher environment, inspected by a Rabbi or Kosher organization, and certified. You will be able to tell if coffee is certified Kosher if it has Kosher certification symbols on the label.

Purchasing Kosher Coffee

Kosher coffee can be purchased from a variety of locations. You can find it in Kosher markets, coffee shops, and in some grocery stores. You can also order coffee beans, grounds, or other coffee products online. Coffee can be purchased in individual packages, bulk packages, or compiled into gift baskets.

When creating a gift basket of Kosher coffee products, you have various choices of items that will compliment coffee. Some items that may be included in a coffee gift basket include coffee beans, a coffee tin, biscotti, pre-mixed coffee drinks, wafer rolls, stirring sticks, special flavorings, or chocolate bars. Coffee gift baskets are appropriate for most occasions. Make sure that all the products in the basket are labeled Kosher for Passover if you are giving the basket at the time of Passover.

Many people are uncertain of which items are considered Kosher in coffee shops. You can basically order any unflavored, roasted coffee, whether it is regular or decaf. You can add sugar or milk, but do not add creamer to your coffee. Creamers or additional flavorings should only be added to coffee if these products are …

The Wonders of Indian Herbs and Spices: Health Benefits of Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Pamela Terry

The history of Indian traditional foods dates back many centuries ago when the Indus Valley people cooked food with oils, ginger, salt and turmeric root powder obtained after grinding the dried root of a turmeric plant. With the advent of diverse cultural changes, Indian food harbored a niche for exquisite spices and herbs like cumin, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, and fenugreek.

How is Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) Beneficial?

According to Ayurvedic science most of these herbs and spices have distinct medicinal properties. Among which turmeric is termed as a symbol of prosperity and purity.

Scientifically named Curcuma longa, Turmeric is a flowering plant found in the ginger root plant family, and has been used in Indian Ayurvedic holistic medicine for centuries.The plant has an active compound called curcumin which is a key ingredient in curry powder.

Turmeric root extract has strong healing properties. The root extract is used to treat inflammations of the digestive system and the reproductive system, thus useful in remedies for hepatitis, flatulence and spasmodic dysmenorrhoea. Commonly called Haldi in Indian foods, turmeric exhibit therapeutic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antihepatotoxic effects. For example:

  • Curcumin has anti-oxidant properties which helps to promote a healthy inflammatory response.
  • The strong mixture of phytonutrients is present in turmeric which works to combat free radicals and other toxins in the body.
  • The powerful anti-hepatotoxic properties of turmeric work to promote and maintain a healthy liver.
  • The herb reduces the ability of the blood to form clots and helps to improve blood circulation as
…

Freezable Recipes

Pamela Terry

Written by Shirley Parker

Freezable recipes will be a high priority for the personal chef, since he or she prepares at least a week’s worth of meals at a time, leaving a home full of so many different cooking aromas. Obviously, many of the meals have to be packed in freezer-proof containers, but what of the contents? How long can they be safely frozen? Will they turn to mush after even a short freezing time? Of course, none of the meals should be reheated too long or they’ll dry out.

Everyone knows beef, chicken and pork, for example, can be frozen when brought home from the market. But what happens if instead, it has been sliced, pounded on, cooked down and mixed with sauces and other ingredients? Does it freeze well then? Freezable recipes aren’t the same thing as whole chunks of frozen meat.

For those who are not vegetarians, turkey and chicken dishes can be prepared in advance and frozen. They reheat very well and retain their flavor. The same can be said of ham. Pork sausage and ground beef in meat loaf recipes is as tasty as it gets. Fish and potato dishes can satisfy the taste buds. Vegetarian recipes that freeze well include squashes, spinach and cheese dishes, and beans, lentils or rice, breads, macaroni, certain sauces, and so forth.

Freezable Recipes on the Internet

Many newer cookbooks now identify which are the freezable recipes. This is very handy, if a new chef does not already have …

The best Chinese food on the west coast

Pamela Terry

     The menu at Lee's Wok in Newport, Oregon is extensive and most of all the best! The restaurant is right along side a motel, so if you want to stay overnight that is convenient.  The next morning, you can wake up and try something new on the assorted menu at Lee's Wok.They are open at 11AM just in time for brunch. The lunch menu includes 2 specials each day which they change everyday for a nice variety.

      If you have arrived for lunch, you will be given a pot of really hot tea,choice of hot and spicey or egg flower soups.  Crackers come with the soup. The people that work there are courteous, friendly, hard working and helpful.  Any questions about the selections, everyone seems to know the answers so just ask.  The specials are now,  as of this December 2008 posting, $4.95.  Let us take an example so I can describe to you exactly what you get for that price besides the tea and soup. This particular day they have sweet and sour chicken on the lunch special, which I just love. It comes very fast  and nice and hot. So hot I need to gently blow on the forkfull as I put it into my awaiting , salivating mouth. The portion is large with a side dish of pork fried rice. The meal is huge enough for me to take home some for later to enjoy.

      Lee's Wok is clean …

Food for Thought: The Skinny on MSG

Pamela Terry

About 30% of our population experience adverse reactions to MSG. Sometimes we don't see the symptom being MSG related because they may not show up for an hour or more after a meal while in some people, it can show up before they leave the dinner table. Most sufferers just pass it off as typical….an inconvenience they have learned to live with. Some symptoms are, migraine headache, simple headache, depression, rash, racing heart, lethargy, asthma like symptoms, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, bloating, diarrhea, general weakness, gastric distress, shortness of breath, irregular heart beat, panic attacks, mood swings, flushing, tremors, poor concentration and hyperactivity in children.

Bowel complaints and IBS are probably the most common MSG induced reactions. Many people who have had their gall bladder removed complain of gall bladder attack like symptoms after eating foods containing MSG. Taurine, a free form amino acid makes bile that breaks down large fat globules which in turn makes them easier to digest. When MSG interferes with taurine's function, fat digestion becomes difficult and we end up with digestive distress.

You may not think of obesity as an MSG symptom simply because we don't feel the effects right away. I'm not saying that everyone who is over weight should blame MSG but, we are constantly hearing how obesity has more than doubled in the past fifty years and MSG's has been in use since the 1950's. Scientists fatten rats and mice to be used for experiments by injecting them with MSG. It is …

Teddy Bear Tea at the Ritz-Carlton

Pamela Terry

If you happen to be vacationing in or near a city that has a Ritz-Carlton hotel, an all-time favorite with the kids during the holidays is the Teddy Bear Tea. A great Mommy-and-Me event, girls and moms will love getting dolled up in their best dresses for this fancy, yet funny tea.

Holiday Entertainment at the Teddy Bear Tea

At the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, Binky the Elf will delight the kids with holiday storytelling and a karaoke-style sing-along that includes Christmas classics. The moms will get a kick out of Binky’s hilarious impersonations of Sonny and Cher, Carly Simon and Justin Bieber. Another hit with the kids is a real-life Teddy Bear that greets the children at their tables. Kids can get a photo with the bear in front of the Christmas tree for a holiday keepsake. For those who forgot to bring their favorite stuffed animal to have tea with, don’t fret. The Teddy Bear Tea includes a soft, brown teddy bear for the kids to take with them.

Teddy Bear Tea Menu at the Ritz-Carlton

The celebration begins with children being served a cup of cocoa with optional marshmallows, and the moms being offered a choice of three varieties of tea served in elegant teacups. For an additional fee, there is an open bar for the adults who care to indulge in a mimosa or seasonal cocktail. The children’s menu includes things like peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese, and egg salad finger sandwiches. They also …

Reduce Anxiety

Pamela Terry

What would you do to reduce anxiety in your life? Personally, my life used to be littered with anxiety, from the time I woke up until I went to bed and even when I slept. Anxiety kept me tossing and turning at night, grinding my teeth during the day, distracted at work, and disconnected in my relationships. If you fail to address the anxiety in your life, it will eventually run your life.

I write from personal experience. Anxiety and stress became so prevalent in my life, that I had a hard time focusing on anything else. In fact, I wasn't even sure what the source of my anxiety was. So, I did what a number of young, financially successful professionals do, I drank a ton of booze and used that as my anxiety management program.

How Can I Reduce Anxiety?

I have touched upon a number of different stress relief tips, placing more emphasis on certain ideas rather than others. My frame of reference is pretty large, having explored a number of different things throughout my life to curtail my anxiety. Most of them worked and all of them helped me find my way.

Meditation and exercise proved to be the two best things for me and continue to serve as pillars of my daily life. I study the martial arts which frequently employs the use of meditation before and after class as a means of fostering concentration and relaxation. Integrate these activities into your life, make them habits, …

Great Cigar Deals Are Available With Various Sites

Pamela Terry

People all over the world have a number of taste and intention. While most of the people prefer over to the modern songs, some people always go for the vintage and old songs. It does not mean that they are out of the trend; they are actually in a new trend that needs to be followed by others. The case of cigar is also the same. When asked some people about the cigars, what they say is that it is a big roll of tobacco being wrapped in the form of a pipe and some useless people have a habit of consuming them at all times. But the reality is quite different where there are a number of people fond of taking cigars and that they are very proud to say to all that they are the smokers of cigars. This is so since there are a number of benefits, according to people when they are started to consume the cigars. Even though the market for the cigarette has been extensive all over the world, there are still a number of people going for some of the exclusive brands that are present in the cigars and that they always prefer to be over their brand to make sure that they can able to get what they want in a perfect manner and also to make sure that they never stop their habit of consuming their favorite cigars. Like the plain old cigarettes that are available in a number of places …

Uspca

Pamela Terry

Written by Shirley Parker

USPCA is one of the solidly established personal chef networks. It was founded in 1991 by David and Susan MacKay and has grown to the point where more than 5,500 personal chef businesses incorporate the MacKay's approach to running those businesses. The MacKays' own personal chef business had been founded in 1987 in San Diego, California. Not all innovative ideas come out of California but many do, and creating a support system for personal chefs was one of the best.

USPCA (or the United States Personal Chef Association) publishes Personal Chef magazine in collaboration with the Canadian Personal Chef Association and the Australian Personal Chef Association. Members contribute articles, photographs, recipes, hints, and more, and attend conferences from an increasing number of places around the globe. A sample online issue is available on the website.

If a personal chef is operating a business far from peers, the opportunity to meet with others at a USPCA conference creates friendships, opens up great new ideas, and helps with knotty problems. There's nothing like talking late into the night, then crawling out of bed at dawn, so as not to miss special presentations the next day. If another person can register for the conference with you, they can attend other educational sessions that might conflict with a "have-to." And there's usually lots of literature to bring back home.

Other Benefits of USPCA Membership

Access to a solid liability insurance policy brings peace of mind for those rare occasions when …

Effective Health Promotion in Birds Housed in Aviaries

Pamela Terry

Evidently, there are certain things that must be done to ensure that your pet birds remain healthy and among which include ensuring that they receive ample nutrition and providing them a healthy environment. When it comes to the latter, maintaining aviaries always clean should be done as the physical and mental health of birds are hugely dependent on their environment. On the other hand circumstances promoting illness and the development of disease-causing pathogens include warmth, moisture, decomposing organic matter, congested and worn out or destabilized livestock, darkness and undisturbed gaps and chinks. Each effort must be made to set right these circumstances by implementing appropriate hygienic measures.

It goes to show that you as a pet bird owner has a huge part in promoting health to the birds and thus prevent untimely death of your treasured pets. Apparently, birds are known to be most susceptible to diseases in their early stage of life prior to their feathering. Newly hatch birds are much more prone to disease than mature ones due to underdeveloped immune system. Thus, it is important to regularly clean their aviaries most especially in such stages of their lives.

Without a doubt, the occurrence and transmission of pathogens that eventually cause disease formation in birds will be effectively prevented by maintaining aviaries clean. There are various means of pathogen transmission namely the direct, airborne and by carrier transmission. The direct means of transmission would need physical contact with an infected bird or with its body excretions. Meanwhile, airborne …