Chocolate lifesaver - from cancer to dementia

I am going to be forced to go buy tons of chocolate! ~Sigh!~

A chemical found in chocolate could stave off diseases ranging from dementia to strokes, a leading scientist has claimed.
He said epicatechin, a compound which occurs naturally in cocoa beans, could prove as important to medicine as penicillin or anaesthesia
LINK

Scalloped turnips An Irish-inspired veggie dish

The Irish people subsisted for thousands of years on root crops and various sources of meat such as lamb. One of the staples of their diet was turnips. Here's one of my family's favorite ways to prepare the roots of the turnip.

1/2 lb. bacon chopped, fried, drained, and fryings reserved.
3 lbs. medium Purple Top White Globe turnips, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick.
2 to 3 medium yellow onions peeled and coarsely chopped.
2 to 3 cloves of garlic diced
1 carton sour cream

Sauté the scalloped turnips for a minute or so in a medium hot iron skillet of the bacon fryings. Season liberally with fresh ground peppercorns. Add the onions, and garlic, and stir frequently to prevent sticking to the skillet. Water or chicken broth may be added as needed. When the turnips and onions begin to brown reduce the heat, cover, and smother the veggies until tender. Add the fried bacon, stir, and allow the flavors to meld for a few minutes at a lowered heat. When al dente turn off the heat, add sour cream as desired, and serve. This is good with most any meat dish and has converted several people into turnip lovers.

Mexico's 'Half-Ton Man' Sheds Nearly 400 Pounds... Just 575 to Go

This should be an ideal motivational tool. I'll copy it and tape it to my fridge door. :P
Manuel Uribe, who once weighed half a ton, left his house Wednesday for the first time in five years.
Six people pushed Uribe's wheel-equipped iron bed out to the street, as a mariachi band played and a crowd gathered to see the man who once weighed 1,235 pounds.
"The sky is beautiful and blue and what I want is to enjoy the sun," Uribe said after taking a sip from a champagne bottle.
Unable to leave his bed for more than five years, Uribe has lost 397 pounds since he began a high-protein diet a year ago. He now weighs about 840 pounds.
To celebrate the milestone, a forklift placed Uribe's bed onto a trailer pulled by a pickup truck and the 41-year-old mechanic rode through the streets of San Nicolas de los Garza, a Monterrey suburb.
Dozens of reporters and photographers followed Uribe as he passed the town's plaza and church, waving at clusters of people eager to get a glimpse of him.
LINK

Weird News: The red, red, red, red, red hot chili peppers

This is too hot for me!
Paul Bosland recalls taking a bite of a chili pepper and feeling like he was breathing fire.
He gulped down a soda, thinking, “That chili has got to be some kind of record.”
The Guinness Book of World Records agreed, confirming recently that Bosland, a regents professor at New Mexico State University, had discovered the world’s hottest chili pepper, Bhut Jolokia, a naturally occurring hybrid native to the Assam region of northeastern India.
The name translates as ghost chili, Bosland said.
“We’re not sure why they call it that, but I think it’s because the chili is so hot, you give up the ghost when you eat it,” he said.
Bhut Jolokia comes in at 1,001,304 Scoville heat units, a measure of hotness for a chili. It’s nearly twice as hot as Red Savina, the variety it replaces as the hottest.
By comparison, a New Mexico green chili contains about 1,500 Scoville units; an average jalapeno measures at about 10,000.
LINK

Candy Addict-a candy blog

Please use caution when visiting the
Candy Addict blog. I gained two pounds just visiting there! :P

Sausage Pie

This dish is quick, easy, and delicious. It's versatile, too. The sausage and veggies can be prepared a day ahead or frozen before assembly. The choice of cheeses can be changed, of course. Spoons of tomato paste may be added, if desired.

1 large pie crust
1 pound Italian sausage
3 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup each chopped onions, peppers, and mushrooms
Preheat oven to 350°.
sautée onions, peppers, and mushrooms
Brown sausage and drain. Add slightly beaten eggs and salt. Line crust with cheddar cheese. Add sausage mixture and veggies to shell. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

Favorite junk foods? Chili's Awesome Onion Blossom

1 prepared onion
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons mccormick seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup buttermilk
Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons catsup
1/2 teaspoon mccormick seasoning salt
1/8 teaspoon red peppers
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh horseradish
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Mix all dry ingredients together.
Onion may be sliced like a blossom by cutting the top 1/4 off, the top has the stem.
Then peel and be very careful to leave the root intact.
Carefully slice from the top of the onion down but stop about 1/2" before you get to the root, taking care not to cut through the root.
Slice the rest of the onion like a pie into many servings.
When complete, soak onion in cold ice water for 1/2 hr.
so the onion's petals will start to open up and bloom.
Drain onion and dip in flour mixture and dust well.
Dip onion then in buttermilk and back in flour mixture.
Place in hot oil and fry until golden.
Oil should cover onion.
When done drain well and place on plate and cut center out of onion so the petals may easily be removed.
Dipping Sauce: Mix all together and serve in the middle of the onion blossom.
Garnish with paprika and just a dash of red pepper.

A 218 pound eight year old boy?

Is it child abuse? When the mom is shown on television feeding him french fry sandwiches I say yes! That child will be lucky if he lives to be thirty.

The T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. Project

The T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. Project These pages are a must see for anyone interested in scientific experiments.

Cream of Garlic Soup Mmm!

Remember to buy some mints. :)

This has become one of the signature dishes at Chef Susan Spicer's wonderful French Quarter restaurant Bayona. As far as I know, it's never been off the menu. It's been a hot seller both at the restaurant and at Chef Spicer's Spice, Inc. Good reason, too ... it's fabulous.

2 pounds onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cups garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1.5 quarts chicken stock
1 bouquet garni (parsley stems, thyme sprigs and bay leaf, tied together)
2 cups stale French bread, torn into 1/2" pieces
1 cup half and half (or 1/2 cup whole milk with 1/2 cup heavy cream)
In a 4-quart, heavy-bottomed pot, sauté the onions and garlic in the butter and oil. Stir frequently over low to medium heat until the onions are a deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bouquet garni and bring to a boil. Stir in the bread cubes and simmer for 10 minutes, until the bread is soft. Remove the bouquet garni and purée the soup in a blender, carefully! Remember that hot liquids can splash up in a blender; you can use one of those hand-held blenders and purée it right in the pot if you like. Strain the soup through a medium strainer, reheat and whisk in more chicken broth if the soup is too thick for your taste. Add the half and half, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
YIELD: 8 servings
LINK

Pop Rocks and Coke

I was never tempted to try this,but it does seem adventurous. :)

How about a ripe avocado for breakfast?

I know people who won't eat avocados because they are green inside. I don't care, I love the flavor. I don't have any tomatos and onion or I'd mix up some guacamole. I'm eating this one right out of the peeling. Nothing else is required, though a few shrimp or a spoon of crabmeat would be nice. :)

"High in monosaturates, the oil content of avocados is second only to olives among fruits, and sometimes greater. Clinical feeding studies in humans have shown that avocado oil can reduce blood cholesterol."
LINK

I love Papadeaux's Crawfish Bisque!

Here's a recipe I adore. I always double the amount of crawfish, and I put about half of the meat through a blender to thicken and flavor the bisque. I also use much more of the bell pepper than called for, and I substitute roasted red bell peppers for their mellower flavor and color. Erm, I'll admit to adding more paprika than the recipe calls for, too.
I'm heavy handed with all the ingredients. This is a dynamite recipe, and works well with shrimp substituted, or added to the crawfish. I'm sure it would be exquisite using lobster.
Papadeaux's Crawfish Bisque
Ingredients:
3 lb. Crawfish
2 oz Olive Oil
1 tsp. Paprika
1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
2 qt. water
1/2 C. each, chopped: onion & green bell pepper
1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
3 C. Whipping Cream
1/2 C. Chopped Tomato
2 oz Brandy (4 Tbsp.) ~Cough!~ I use more. ~Cough!~

Preparation:
1. Boil crawfish in a large pot of water. Drain & cool until crawfish can be handled easily, remove tail & save shells. Refrigerate tail meat.

2. Heat oil in large sauce pan or Dutch oven. Add crawfish shells, paprika & cayenne. Sauté 5 minutes. Add water & bring to boil. Reduce heat & simmer 30 minutes.

3. Strain liquid into another pan. Crush shells to remove remaining liquid & add that liquid. Discard shells.

4. Return to heat and add onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, cream & tomato. Simmer 1 hour, stirring frequently. Add brandy and crawfish tail meat. Simmer 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Servings: 8

Favorite Ethnic Food of All Time?

My favorite kind of ethnic food? That would have to be Sicilian or I would be in big trouble. Bada bing, ba da boom. Yes, Sicilian is different from Italian. You have Sicilian, Tuscan, Roman, Ligurian, and Neapolitan cucina, as well as basic diferences between the north and the south.
They are as uniquely different as are Tex-Mex and Mexican, or Mexican and South American, which are my next favorite cuisines. Unless I'm hungry for Cajun or Creole, of course. Mmm, I can't ignore Japanese or Chinese either, or India's Tandoori chicken and curry. Let's face it, I adore all ethnic foods!

eclectic

adj.
Selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles: an eclectic taste in music; an eclectic approach to managing the economy.
Made up of or combining elements from a variety of sources: "a popular bar patronized by an eclectic collection of artists, writers, secretaries and aging soldiers on reserve duty" (Curtis Wilkie).
n. One that follows an eclectic method.
[Greek eklektikos, selective, from eklektos, selected, from eklegein, to select : ek-, out; see ecto- + legein, to gather; see leg- in Indo-European roots.]

e·clec'ti·cal·ly adv.
1683, from Fr. eclectique, from Gk. eklektikos "selective," lit. "picking out," from eklektos "selected," from eklegein "pick out, select," from ek "out" + legein "gather, choose" (see lecture). Originally a group of ancient philosophers who selected doctrines from every system; broader sense is first recorded 1814.

Snackimals

This site has animals photoshopped to appear as edibles...Snackimal crackers in my soup...

depression

depression is a bitch and she won't even hunt

A clumsy cat.

Clever Cat Hunting For Birds - video powered by Metacafe

Technorati Profile