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Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

For cheesecake lovers, there can never be too many types of the sweet and creamy dessert to choose from. Americans love their NY style gourmet cheesecake plain with no toppings. In St. Louis, cheesecakes have an extra layer of fluffy cake on top of them. And Philadelphia cheesecakes are whipped, light and topped with berries. But what kind of cheesecakes do other countries enjoy?

The cheesecake actually originated in ancient Rome and Greece. Even before formal writing could record a recipe, cheesecakes were being baked. We know this because historians have found remains of cheesecake molds in ancient ruins back as far as 2000BC.

Today, most countries have their own version of the cheesecake. In Germany, the cake is not as sweet and, in fact, is not baked at all. It consists of quark cheese and cream. In Canada, maple syrup is the main differentiation.

French bakers use Neufchatel cheese to make a more gelatinous and sweet cake. The Italians make a pie that’s called grano which is a rice, ricotta, marscapone cheese and candied fruit chunks. Try cheese cakes from around the world as often as you can in restaurants and specialty shops. They’re a treat for the tastebuds.

Try making an Italian cheesecake and you just may fall in love with it. It’s traditionally eaten at Easter by Italians. Or, make a French cake using Neufchatel cheese from the grocery store.

Italian Ricotta Cheesecake

Cooks.com

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. butter, softened

2 tbsp. sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

FILLING:

1 1/2 lb. ricotta cheese, well drained

1/2 c. granulated sugar

3 tbsp. flour

3 eggs

1 tsp. grated orange peel

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. golden raisins

2 tbsp. finely minced candied citron

2 tbsp. chopped blanched almonds

2 tbsp. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

For Pastry: Mix all ingredients until blended, press evenly in bottom of ungreased 9-inch spring form pan. Bake in 475 degree oven for 5 minutes.

For Filling: Beat ricotta cheese, granulated sugar, flour, eggs, orange peel, vanilla and salt in large mixer bowl on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 4 minutes. Stir in raisins, citron and almonds. Pour into pastry-lined pan.

Bake in 350 degree oven until center is set and top is golden brown, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Cool. Refrigerate 12-24 hours. Remove outer rim of pan. Mix powdered sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over cheesecake. Makes 12-16 servings.

Neufchatel Cheesecake

Thriftyfun.com

Ingredients

9 whole sheets low-fat cinnamon graham crackers, finely ground

2 Tbsp. + 1 1/2 cups sugar

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

4 packages. Neufchatel cream cheese, at room temperature

1 egg + 2 egg whites

1 container reduced-fat sour cream

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla, extract

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

Canned cherry pie filling, optional

Directions

Position racks in center of lower third of oven. Place roasting pan on lower rack; fill halfway with water. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Coat spring form pan with cooking spray. Combine crumbs with 2 Tbsp. sugar; stir in butter and 1 Tbsp. water. Press into bottom of pan. At medium high speed, beat cream cheese and remaining sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and whites, then sour cream, cornstarch, vanilla and zest. Pour into crust.

Bake on center rack 1 hour or until center jiggles slightly when pan is shaken. Turn oven off. Let stand in oven with door closed 30 minutes. Run knife around edge. Cool. Refrigerate at least 8 hours. If desired, top with filling.

Want more cheesecake recipes? Try some of these:

• Fruit Smoothies No-Bake Cheesecake
• Layered Strawberry Cheesecake Bowl

A perfect sentiment for any occasion - or no occasion at all - is making someone breakfast in bed!  You don't have to be a master chef to pull this off.  Here are some tips on creating a great surprise for someone you care about.

1. Plan Ahead - Think about what things they love to eat.  Are they really into omelets filled with cheese and ham, or maybe they love fruit-topped waffles instead?  Either way, create a meal plan and make sure you have all the ingredients on hand.  Some things may be able to be prepared the day before like mixing the ingredients for an egg bake or cutting up fresh fruit.  You don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen the morning of the surprise!

2. Setting the Scene - Make sure you have a good way to serve the breakfast.  A large serving tray works best.  To make things really special use your best dishes and linen napkins.  A fresh-cut flower in a small vase is also a nice added touch.

3. Buy pre-made - If pastries are on your menu, but you don't have a lot of time to bake, you can purchase them from your favorite bakery.  Things like muffins and scones can be bought fresh and served with your breakfast.

If the idea of breakfast in bed appeals to you but your loved one lives far away, we offer breakfast baskets and muffin gifts that would just as nicely send your message of care!  Check out our selection, including those below, at All About Gifts & Gift Baskets.

What are the real differences between organic and non-organic foods?  Is it much more expensive to eat organic?  Where can I find organic foods?  These might be questions that come to mind when you are thinking about eating organic.  So here are some answers!

What is the difference between Organic and Non-Organic Foods? Nutrition is the #1 answer!  According to studies, organic food has a higher nutritional value than ordinary produce.  For example, organic foods contained 40% more antioxidants than non-organic foods.   Another difference is organic foods tend to taste better.  Because they are not treated with pesticides and other chemicals, you're able to enjoy the unaltered taste of your fruits and vegetables, as nature intended.

Is it much more expensive to eat organic? If you go to your local supermarket, then you probably will pay more for organic food, as they want to make a bigger profit. Large retail chains usually make a big deal out of the fact that they offer organic foods and they think you will pay more for it. On the other hand, if you go to a local farmers market, a small grocer or a local farm shop, then you will undoubtedly find a fair price for your organic food.  The other way to get organic food at a cheaper price is to grow it yourself. Then you know it is really organic and you don't even have to pay for packaging, transportation, and other companies' profits.

Local farm shops have great ranges of organic food, but you must make sure it is organic. In the US, stores that sell organic will have a USDA stamp of approval on their goods and so should the farmers.

Want more? Check out this article on Super Foods!

*The average American (every man, woman and child) consumes 54 quarts of popcorn annually which means that the U.S. eats about 17 million quarts of popcorn each and every year. Americans consume more popcorn than the citizens of any other country in the world.
*If you wanted to create a line of popped popcorn from LA to NY city, you'd need more than 352,028,160 pieces of popcorn.
* 70% of popcorn consumed in America is consumed at home.  The other 30% of popcorn is consumed outside the home at places like baseball games, movie theaters, and in the office from corporate popcorn gifts.

*Fall and winter are the seasons when the most popcorn is consumed. This timing coincides perfectly with the annual popcorn harvest in the Midwest. In fact, October is officially National Popcorn Poppin' Month.

*Not surprisingly, the U.S. is the largest agricultural grower of popcorn in the world - mostly in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio. There are many midwest cities that claim to be the popcorn capital of the world.

*According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world's largest popcorn ball was unveiled in September 2006 in Lake Forest, Illinois. It weighed a whopping 3,423 pounds and measured 8 feet in diameter. The total circumference of the popcorn ball was 24.5 feet. It took employees of a local popcorn tin company 2 days to make the giant-sized snack.

*Popcorn is one of the healthiest snacks you can eat with only 31 calories per air-popped cup or only 55 calories per oil-popped cup. It contains no sodium and is naturally sugar free and high in fiber.

*Popcorn is a member of the maize/corn family, but it is the only one of the 6 types that pops. This is because it has a thicker hull than other types of corn. This hull allows pressure to build inside the kernel enabling it to pop.

*Want to do a fun little experiment the next time you are popping corn? Leave the lid off then just stand back and watch because popcorn is said to be able to pop up to 3 feet up in the air.

So how exactly does a small hard kernel transform into a big, fluffy delicious snack?

Each kernel of popcorn contains a small drop of water stored inside a circle of soft starch which is surrounded by the kernel's hard outer surface. Unlike most other types of grain, this hard outer surface is resistant to moisture. For the corn to be 'popcorn', it needs to contain at 13.5 to 14% moisture inside the hard outer surface.

As the kernel heats up, the water begins to expand turning it into superheated pressurized steam. The pressure builds against the hard hull until it gives way, causing the popcorn to explode. The hull rupture usually occurs at about 135 psi and a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius.

As it explodes, the soft starch inside the popcorn becomes inflated and bursts into an airy foam, turning the kernel inside out. As the foam cools, the starch and protein polymers set yielding the crispy popcorn puff that we all know and love.

Those unpopped kernels of corn that are left at the bottom of popcorn bowls are generally the result of either kernels that don't have the proper moisture content or they have a cracked outer hull which means that the expanding steam can't build enough pressure to cause the kernel to pop.

The next few weeks I'll be exploring the wonderful world of popcorn.  Who doesn't love a good bowl of these delicious, crunchy kernels?  But how did Popcorn come to be?  Who would of thought of heating the kernels up to make them pop?

The History of Popcorn

Popcorn has been grown and eaten as a snack in the United States for thousands of years.  It is believed that the popping of corn was first discovered by Native Americans who threw the corn into the fire causing it to pop. They also used popped corn to make garlands that the women wore as wedding ceremony accessories and at other celebration dances. Likely the native Americans introduced popcorn to the American colonists who actually ground it up mixing it with milk for breakfast.

Popping corn became quite popular as a recreational activity by the 1840s. In the 1870s popcorn was commonly sold at carnivals and circuses as well as in grocery stores.

With the introduction of the movies or 'talking pictures', popcorn solidified its place in America's movie theaters. Although theater owners initially refused to sell popcorn because it was too messy, many theater patrons brought the popcorn to the theater with them by purchasing it from street vendors on the way in. Of course, theater owners finally caught on and introduced the snack selling it at their own concession counters. This introduction of popcorn to movie theaters enabled the popcorn industry to keep growing even during the great depression of the 1930s. In addition, popcorn was a relatively affordable luxury even for struggling families as they could buy it for just 5 to 10 cents a bag.

Because of the sugar shortage during World War II, candy was not readily available as a snack item. Thanks to the lack of candy snacks, Americans turned to popcorn to fill their snack needs, eating 3 times as much popcorn as usual. World War II also induced a baking flour shortage which the popcorn industry capitalized on. Bread makers were forced to substitute 25% ground popcorn for their wheat flour.

After many years riding the popcorn popularity wave, the industry actually had a slump in the 1950s when TV was introduced. People stopped going to the theaters in lieu of staying home watching TV. The lack of theater goers created a huge drop in popcorn consumption. Up to that point, people didn't really eat popcorn at home. However, Americans missed their popcorn so they started popping it at home and the introduction of the microwave made home popping even easier. So the love affair has continued ever since. These days, popcorn is one of America's most popular and enduring snacks.

Check out our Popcorn Gifts and fall in love with popcorn all over again!