Archive for February, 2008

If eggs are served without fatty sausage or bacon, no buttery toast, and cooked without fat, eggs are actually quite nutritious and safe. It’s easy to boil an egg, or “fry” in a non-stick pan with a cover and a spoon or so of water.

Don’t rule out the toast. And even a small amount of butter or margarine can help prevent hunger between meals. But be very careful to avoid margarine made with hydrogenated oils or “trans fatty acids”.

Don’t make deviled eggs with mayonnaise, but try low fat yogurt instead.

Omelets made with eggs and tofu, no cheese, can be tasty.

Boiled eggs, perhaps pickled in vinegar and salt water, can be a good meal or snack for warding off hunger.

Prepared intelligently, eggs are a great source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and can fight hunger better than sugary cereals or breakfast rolls.

Herbs are fun and easy to grow. When harvested they make even the simplest meal seem like a gourmet delight. By using herbs in your cooking you can easily change the flavors of your recipes in many different ways, according to which herbs you add. Fresh herbs are great in breads, stews, soups or vegetables. Every time you add a different herb you have completely changed the taste.

If you are a beginner start slowly, add just a little at a time adjusting as you go along until you have it just right. You will see in most instances that an individual herb is associated with a particular food item. Basil is paired with tomatoes, Oregano with sauces, Rosemary with lamb and Chives with butter or cream cheese. Of course, none of them are limited to these items, but you will see them paired most often with that particular food. Use your imagination and experiment, experiment, experiment!

You can make herb vinegars for salad dressings, marinades, or soups. Herb oils are very useful in cooking whenever a recipe calls for it.

Fresh herbs as garnishes dress up any dish making it look truly spectacular. Lay individual sprigs of rosemary over broiled lamb chops. Chop fresh parsley and sprinkle it over the top of your potato salad. The combinations are endless and the outcome delicious.

Ian Marber, the Food Doctor, talks about the importance of eating protein and complex carbs together while dieting.

Garlic is a traditional tonic in many cultures.

In my teens and twenties, I was very aware that one should not eat garlic or onions out of respect for other people (e.g., bosses or potential dates). However, garlic breath does not bother me nearly so much as the foul stenches caused by tobacco use, lazy dental care, lack of exercise, obesity, and / or poor bowel regularity.

I now use a lot of garlic, bought as pre-peeled cloves or dried minced chunks. I frankly like the taste. For those who think raw garlic “bites”, briefly cook in microwave, water, a small amount of oil, or mix in many foods.

Garlic oil from crushed cloves or garlic capsules can heal surface infections, cuts, herpes blisters, and other ailments.

Before you get carried away with pills, capsules, and other sources of concentrated garlic goodness, be aware that the Mayo Clinic says, “Unfortunately, garlic is most effective when you eat it raw and in large amounts.”

I remember reading that Eleanor Roosevelt ate several cloves of raw garlic every day, which she covered with honey, because she hated the taste. The garlic was not the only reason, but she did live a long active life.

Healthy eating is great for you and your family but for extra peace of mind valid life insurance and health insurance should also be considered.

If you’re like me you love the skin on the outside of duck, if it’s crispy. The texture of the meal can totally be changed with a crispy skin.

The secret is to make sure the duck is scored across the front and salted heavily.

This helps dry up the skin and makes for a super crispy skin. You will not be the only one that enjoys this Crispy Duck Recipe, but everyone else at your dinner table.

Take the duck that you’re going to use for your main dish make slits in the breast with a knife and poke with a fork. Salt the breast heavily use your discretion and taste. You can use this method for any recipe you can think of.

Just use the cooking instructions from the recipe you are using. Place the bird breast down on the baking pan and cook like that for about ¾ of the total time that the recipe says to cook it for, making sure to drain the fat from the bird, usually by sticking it with a fork under the wings and legs.

During the last ¼ of the cooking use the broil on the oven to finish cooking up the breast. This should make the skin crispy while the duck is still moist. Since this way of cooking can be used for almost any recipe for crispy duck recipe you have, it gives you more choices for the texture you want to use for your meal.

Cooking is all about mixing things up and building your own ways of cooking and recipes.

Also since you are slitting only the fatty layer of the bird you can use that to tuck away some hidden seasoning. Try tucking your favorite herbs into the slits under the skin, as the fat melts away it’ll trickle down and out of the bird but first it’ll seep into the meat.

This can add a new dimension to the meat, making it even more succulent. Taking these tips you should be able to use your imagination to come up with many more combos. With crispy duck recipes you can add extra flavors and also add a whole new texture to the dish.

Use these two together to try out new things, using the crispy skin to add texture to an otherwise smooth meal. So the next meals with duck you cook try out some of these combos, just using your taste and imagination. There are thousands of recipes in books and the internet to mix and match with.