Learn How to Cook the Perfect Pasta Recipes Made Simple

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If nothing else, you must continually remember to only cook pasta just before you dish the meal. A common mistake when cooking pasta is that people leave it sitting around whilst they then think about making the rest of the dish. If the pasta is prepared well before the meal, then odds are you'll probably finish up having a cool, stringy and sticky mess.

Make sure you utilize a good and high enough pot and only fill the water level to round the 3/4 full point. Having anymore water than 3/4 of the pot will often lead to an overflow during cooking that could have your pasta end up poorly cooked and glued into the bottom of your pot. Salting the water needs to be completed carefully at a period prior to the pasta is added to the pot.

Observe The Golden Rule of Cooking Pasta

Be certain you follow the "ten, hundred, thousand" formula. This formula is ideal when cooking. 10g of salt for every 100g of Pasta for each 1L of water. The point to recollect should be to always add salt to the water when it's boiling, lowering the warmth once the salt is stirred through. By forgetting to add the salt before the pasta, you can cause the pasta to need extra cooking time. And don't worry in case you add too much salt, because a common technique is to add a potato into the cooking water. The potato acts like a sponge and soaks up much of the surplus salt. And do not despair if ever the potato doesn't soak up all the salt, because you can always rinse the pasta under hot water after it's cooked.

If however you discover you haven't put enough salt into the water, then it's better to add extra flavour through the use of sauces that support the pasta. Once the salt has been dissolved throughout the water, increase the warmth until you reach boiling point once more. If you are cooking long pasta just like spaghetti or fettuccine, having a long fork will give great results. If however, you are cooking shorter pasta, then you're better to use a wooden spoon.

Resist the temptation to break up the pasta whenever you're putting it into the pot. Instead, wait until the pasta has softened before stirring using a wooden fork
If using a lid during cooking, allow some steam to escape, stirring the pasta every three minutes or so.

There are different types of pots that are fitted with special nonstick coating and will even allow your pasta to become al dente. Still, someone should stir the pasta frequently to best achieve even cooking. Different pasta takes longer times to cook, so cooking time does rely upon individual's tastes.

To create perfect pasta, make sure you confirm the cooking time which is printed over the pasta's packaging. Failing that, you can always taste test the pasta during the cooking process. You have reached a great cooking point when the pasta is soft to touch and yet still firm in the middle. By cooking your pasta in using this method, you have created "al dente" pasta.

When it's time to drain the pasta, leave two tablespoons of cooking water within the pot with the pasta. This may allow you some breathing room to dilute sauces if need be. If you're planning on adding sauces to your pasta, then coat them lightly only after sufficiently warming the sauce.

Remember you are able to always reheat the pasta in the cooking pot after adding sauces to ensure you get a regular heat. Many people tend not to realise the pasta will still cook long after it is drained, so serving quickly is best advised.

If you intend on making pasta salad dishes, then after draining the pasta, coat it in a little olive oil. Then, allow it to cool whilst stirring regularly. Once the past has cooled, then you can add additional sauces and serve.

By using these suggestions when cooking pasta, one can create perfect al dente pasta dishes that family and friends will love.

The Perils of a White Trash Diet

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According to the latest statistics from the United States' Center for Disease Control (CDC):

66% of adults age 20 years and over are overweight (including obese)
32% of adults age 20 years and over are obese
17% of adolescents age 12-19 years are overweight
19% of children age 6-11 years are overweight

Those are really horrifying statistics. We have become an oversized bunch of people, but we lie to ourselves to try to find peace with it by saying things like: "I'm comfortable with the way I look," "I'm not as big as she is," or joke about it by saying "I'm shakin' what my Momma gave me." I have news: your Momma did NOT give you that. But she may have given you some bad eating habits.

There's no magic bullet behind weight gain, and there's a myriad of reasons for why we may suffer from it more or less than those around us. But there is some simple advice and nutritional knowledge I can give you that can help you. Since most people don't like to read loooooong articles, I'm just going to keep this as simple as I can:

1. Stop Eating White Trash!

White trash is typically refined sugar, white bread, white buns, bagels, white rice, white flour, tortillas, white potatoes, white corn, etc. But I like to expand this definition to include what foods I'd expect to find at a typical American BBQ (I call it the "White Trash BBQ"): hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, macaroni salad, fried chicken, potato chips, fries, baked beans (sugar!), corn on the cob (metabolizes down as sugar and starch!), and then - of course - the pies, cakes and muffins for dessert. And the beer and sodas to wash it all down with.

The first glaring mistake with these white trash foods is that many of them are not "food" at all. They're refined and processed, taking nutrients out in some cases (to preserve shelf life), adding synthetic nutrients back in, adding nitrates and nitrites as preservatives, sugars, corn syrup, etc. While many of us will avoid butter or real Mayonnaise in the attempt to lose weight, we still will eat these other non-food offenders all the time. At least our bodies know how to handle a "real fat" or "real food" such as butter. With adulterated food products, our body has difficulty knowing what to store and what to burn.

The second glaring mistake with the white trash foods is that most of them metabolize high on the Glycemic Index and elevate your blood sugar, thereby triggering insulin to be released in your body; in turn telling your body to store any excess as fat or to create new fat cells. This response occurs BEFORE you ever get to the gym. So next time you think you'll be burning it off at the gym later on, remember that your body is busy storing it hours earlier.

Since your body isn't getting the right nutrients from "whole" foods (unadulterated, non-processed, non-canned, non-processed), it holds onto every bit that it can.

2. Know the health-history of what animal you're eating.

Do you know if you salmon was farmed, pumped with antibiotics and fed corn-feed and given pink food coloring? Many farmed salmon are. The vast majority. Are your chickens injected with saline to plump them up or (again) fed with corn feed and caged so they can't move (so they gain weight quickly), and pumped with hormones and antibiotics? Be sure... sometimes they're raised without the antibiotics, but they're pumped with them en route to the meat processing plants.

Same with beef. It's still America's favorite meat. But the vast majority of cows are kept in pens and fed only corn feed - AGAIN with the corn. They're kept confined so they gain weight quickly. They continually feed on what is NOT a part of their natural diet. They are brought to full weight within 1 year (by making them obese) so they can be slaughtered BEFORE they die from the ulcers they receive on the corn feed diet (which, as I said, is not a part of their normal way of eating).

So we eat obese and sickened animals. It's no wonder that we are sick and obese ourselves!

The reason why this is so important also, is because of toxins and how they relate to fat cells and obesity. I was working in a Women's Fitness center recently, and EVERYONE there wanted to lose weight. But their eyes would cross if I told them they had a glaring gallbladder problem. So I know that to get people to listen, the "weight is the bait" -- and so I'm going to tell you now why you should care about the health of the animal you're eating.

Simply and succinctly put, toxins are stored in fat cells. Those two things are married. So if you can de-toxify yourself, you will have an easier time losing weight. Women - pay attention to this: we carry a higher percentage of fat in our bodies naturally. So we are even MORE susceptible to toxin storage. And again, it creates the vicious cycle of difficulty and/or inability to lose weight. Meats have a higher percentage of fat, and are therefore more important to pay attention to when considering its origins.

It is also widely believed (by myself included) that these stored toxins are largely responsible for many of the cancers in our reproductive organs.

I'm not a vegetarian myself, but I do advise people to take caution when buying their meats. This is a huge reason why we have such a sickened society. We demand cheap foods, but we are most definitely getting what we pay for. Believe me, I'm very budget conscious myself these days and I can't always buy the highest, elite quality of food. But I HAVE decided to cut down a bit on meat so that I can eat better qualities of it.

THE GOOD NEWS

As more and more people in the USA are exposed to the truth about the food supply, the vendors listen and give us what we want. We have more access to Organic foods than ever; we have Farmer's Markets, we have the internet so these things like "unhealthy farming practices" are no longer a secret for very long. We can go to our local Trader Joe's and request grass-fed beef. We can easily find "cage free/allowed-to-graze" chicken. The more people demand it, the more the economics of supply and demand will bring the prices to a more affordable range.

But awareness is key, and we must make the changes ourselves AND tell our families and friends... that way, we not only encourage each other and gain support, but we create the kind of demand for healthier foods that will help our bodies be able to metabolize better.

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In conclusion, those are 2 simple things you can do immediately for your health and the health of all your loved ones: eating foods in their natural states (more vegetables of all kinds & colors - not white trash!), and being conscious of the health of the animal who's meat you're eating.

Guarding your diet on both those fronts addresses two KEY issues behind difficulties in losing weight for just about absolutely everyone: insulin and toxins. I guarantee you that if you follow those two tips, it's worth more than all the calorie counting, food weighing and lap-band surgeries in the world.

Let's Cook Your First Tuna Noodle Casserole Dish!

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The Casserole, we all know them, we all enjoy them, what better way to use up some of your leftovers perhaps or save money along with eating healthier since you decided and control which ingredients you want in your casserole. An awesome classic, lots of us remember these from our childhood years? Mom serving tuna, bean, beef, and chicken casseroles that she made in her own kitchen with leftovers?

Making them is simple, dinner, lunch, or even for a movie snack. Learning how to prepare them can be great fun and add to your kitchen skills as well. Here is a family favorite to make yourself:

Tuna Casserole
For over fifty (50) years this has been a favorite in our family.

2 cups macaroni (elbow), al dente, firm
1 cup Velveeta Cheese, cubed (substitute for any cheese that you can cube and melts easy)
2 cans (Large) tuna, drain
1 15 ounce can peas, drain
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes (plain), including juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cornflake crumbs for topping sprinkles
While your macaroni cooks, in a large mixing bowl gently fold following ingredients together: tuna, tomatoes, salt, peas, milk, and eggs. (Note: you might wish to breakup instead of mashing the tuna). Next the cheese should be folded into the mixture.
Drain your pasta and mix into the mix you just made above. Now put it in a 2-1/2 to 3 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with the cornflakes over the top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Yield 6-8 portions.

The nice thing about casseroles is that you can have many variations to one recipe. Start with a basic recipe and add or adjust things to allow you to use up leftovers like broccoli, extra diced vegetables (onion, peppers), add different types of cheese to taste. With each new recipe you come up with you will see what you like the best and least and can discover new combinations from there.

One other thing you can do is look up online, Google casserole or one pot meal, etc. and see what variations they offer. Some sites even have their own videos of the casseroles being prepared for you ease in the kitchen. Experimenting with casseroles in the kitchen can help make you a better all around cook in your home too, you get the experience of trying different foods together for one thing and being able to utilize the leftovers that may have had to be tossed.

3 Steps to Beating the Holiday Weight Gain Blues and Burn 10 Pounds of Fat Before New Year's Day

With the holidays fast approaching, we will all once again be faced with enough food to feed 20 families. The pressure is on for sure, but the questions I ask you are you ready to handle that pressure and be successful in your weight loss goals? To many times I have seen clients of mine and non-clients continually give up on their goals because they allowed themselves to give in to the sweet aroma of a succulent turkey, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, not to mention desserts like sweet potato pie, or peach cobbler and my particular favorite, oreo ice cream pie (I'm making you hungry, aren't I).

In any case, if you're serious about losing weight, and tons of unwanted fat, you are going to want to continue reading this article for my top 10 fat burning, metabolism boosting tips. By using this information and taking massive action this holiday season, you will surely discover a leaner, fitter body that will make you more attractive, improve your health, and provide you with a new lease on life.

Isn't that what you want?

To be totally honest with you, fat loss is simple. However, we are constantly tempted by friends, co-workers, and even ourselves to give in to our wants and desires, even though we feel bad about in the end because we know that once we step on the scale we're going to be five pounds heavier. So how do you make fat loss simple? By adhering to my ten rules of success to lose 10 pounds of fat or more and in less time than you think. If you use the information daily and apply constantly, there is no reason why you shouldn't lose at least 10 pounds of unwanted fat and 1-2 dress sizes before New Year's Day.

So if you want don't want blow up like a hot air balloon this holiday season, apply these tips to shape a new, leaner, sexier you.

1. Don't eat so much- This tip should be very obvious, but still needs to be addressed. 69% of Americans or overweight or obese, and it's not because we all have mutated genes or because we all just have big bones or anything that people like to use to make up excuses about being overweight.

Take more time to plan what you're going to eat on Thanksgiving and Christmas day, or any day for that matter. Try not to cover every inch of your plate with all the food you have available to you. Choose either the ham or the turkey, but never both. Choose two of your most favorite sides and make one is a starch and the other a vegetable. For example, you could have 4oz piece of ham along with whole grain stuffing and green bean casserole each being a serving the size of your fist.

Follow up with just a small piece of dessert and DO NOT GO BACK FOR SECONDS!

2. Don't starve yourself all day, only to gorge later on- I see this all the time. People will kill themselves by not eating the entire day just so they can do exactly what I told not to do in step 1.
Any time you starve yourself your body goes into fat storage mode. This is bad because when this occurs your body is not only storing fat, it is also dumping lean muscle tissue; which sends your metabolism crashing down worse than jet whose engines has gone out. If you think this is fun doing this to yourself then by all means keep at it, but don't be frustrated when you step on scale later and have buy bigger jeans because of your inability to resist eating so much.

3. Follow a MRT (metabolic resistance training) program- If you're not doing any resistance training then you are really doing yourself a disservice. Those with the best bodies have gotten them from following a well balanced resistance training program. You will do even better by following a MRT program. These programs focus on boosting your metabolism, strength, and cardiovascular health all at once. As a fitness professional and expert on fat loss I have had great success with many of clients by following the same system as opposed to traditional fitness programs. Here is an example of a program I would use at home with no equipment:

Warmup-5-10min (30 seconds on all exercises)
Run in place
Drop Squats
Walk out pushups
Supine 90 degree hip Crossovers
Shoulder Scaption

Repeat warm-up one more time after resting 1 minute

Ab Superset- 5 minutes (Perform each exercise for 30 seconds)

Side Plank w/ knee lift
Cross body Mountain Climbers

Rest 1min before repeating one more time

Strength Circuit-10min (Perform each exercise for 50 seconds, 10 seconds of rest in between exercises)

Overhead Sumo Squats
Grasshopper Pushups
Step up to lift on sturdy table or step
Rows in pushup position
Cross Country Skiers

Rest 1min and repeat 1-2 more times

Cooldown- 5 minutes

Corrective Static Stretching, (Stretch only your tightest muscles for 30 seconds each)

Calves
Quadriceps
IT Bands
Low Back

This workout should take you no more than 30 minutes to complete, but it will send your metabolism through the roof for days! Science has proven the efficiency of MRT workouts time and time again. So I would suggest you following this program if fat loss is your goal.

These simple, yet effective steps will help you start the process of achieving the body you want. If you are committed to your health and ultimately yourself you'll do more to achieve yours of being leaner, more attractive, and more confident than ever before. On the flip side, you could be heavier, less attractive, and less confident. What's your choice?

The Benefits of Using Homemade Soup Recipes

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A hot bowl of homemade soup has to be one of the most inviting meals on a cold day. Combine it with a loaf of warm fresh bread, and you have a meal that is sure to please most anyone.

Delicious healthy soup recipes are easy to follow, and will produce surprising results with a minimal amount of effort. A pot of delicious homemade chicken noodle soup is as simple as adding some store bought chicken broth, fresh vegetables, cooked chicken meat, herbs, and spices together in a pot, and simmer on the stove for a couple of hours.

Combine that with a loaf of your favorite bread, warmed in the oven for a few minutes, and a simple dessert, and you have an inexpensive meal, that everyone is glad to come home to.

There are many other soups, such as beef vegetable soup, that can be made just as easy, simply by changing the broth, and using beef for meat instead of chicken.

Soup is a versatile meal that will please just about anyone. Kids love macaroni, and adding their favorite type to their soup is sure to please them. Adding macaroni to any healthy soup recipe is a great way to enhance the flavor of your soup, and make it go further for very little extra money.

Homemade soup also freezes well. If you make a large pot, you can freeze what is left for another simple meal, with practically no effort at all. This can be a real plus for a busy family on the go.

Delicious homemade soup can also take care of lunches for the working family. Soup can easily be put into a container for heating later at the job, or put hot into a thermos ready to eat. Combined with a sandwich, it's a comforting meal during a hard days work.

It's been suggested, but never proven that soup may actually be good for you when you are sick. I don't think anyone can deny though, that when you have a cold or the flu, nothing makes you feel better that a hot bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup.

For people that are vegetarians, there are plenty of vegetable soup recipes that will produce a delicious hot bowl of soup without using any meat.

Another advantage of adding healthy soup recipes to your regular list of meals, are the benefits of weight loss. Soup can be very good for losing weight when you control what goes into the pot. By using low sodium, low fat broth, and eliminating fatty meats, and excessive salt, you can make a delicious low calorie soup using a combination of vegetables, herbs, and spices.

Combine that with a salad, and you now have a delicious and filling low calorie meal.

Soup is a meal that offers many benefits, and making homemade soup extends these benefits by being able to control the ingredients and eliminate unnecessary chemicals, and excessive salt.

The facts are in. Soup is just a meal that makes people happy when they have some.

Fat Loss Isn't Always What it Looks Like

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When it comes to fat loss, portion control seems to be used a lot by professionals, myself included. But sometimes portion sizes aren't always what they seem.

For example, if you had a bag of chips and the same size bag of baby carrots, are you eating the same amount of calories? Well, I looked it up on the internet. 4.25 ounces of Koo Koo Roo baby carrots is 75 calories, while 4 ounces of Lay's potato chips is 600 calories. Consequently, you would have to eat a lot more carrots to equal those 600 calories of chips.

So a lot of it does come down to what you are eating, not necessarily how much you are eating. What perfectly illustrates this point is the book Picture Perfect Weight Loss by Dr. Howard Shapiro. I was turned onto this book awhile back by some other fitness professionals. I haven't read the book entirely, but I have looked at the pictures and this is what the book is about.

Dr. Shapiro shows you pictures of foods with equal caloric values and shows that you can eat a lot of healthy foods at one sitting and still not equal the caloric value of a particular junk food.

For example, he shows on one page a picture of a 2 ounce hot dog (really about 1/3 of a hot dog), 2 ounces of sausage (about 1/4 of a sausage), and 1/3 cup of macaroni salad. This equals 530 calories. On the opposite page he shows you 5 ounces of shrimp (about 8 pieces), red bell peppers, and onions, 2 portobello mushrooms, 6 asparagus spears, a potato, zucchini, corn on the cob (probably minus the butter), and 2 lbs of watermelon (about 2 - 1/4 slices). All of those foods equal up to 530 calories total.

He has many more examples of this in his book. It really starts to hit home to some people that you can eat a good amount of food AND stay within a reasonable allotment of calories, IF you make healthier choices with your foods. By looking at all those foods, the visual stimulation starts to kick it in for people.

So remember, you do have to take into consideration how much you are eating, but that can be greatly altered by what you are eating. The fattier foods will always have more calories in them then their healthier counterparts. Check out this book and see what you can learn.

About the History of Pasta - Where Does it Come From?

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The history of pasta is fascinating not only because of its interesting facts but also grace to the myths and legends surrounding them. There are legends that speak of the creation of pasta at the times of ancient Romans, ascribing them as a divine creation of Gods. But the ancient sources claim that China invented pasta and Marco Polo brought it to Italy in 1292. However, when Marco said he has "discovered" pasta in China, it was implied that he had discovered something new, when in fact he discovered that the Chinese have noodles "just the same as we had".

The origins of pasta were also attributed to Etruscan times. In fact, that is 500 years before the Chinese noodles. However, this is not enough convincing evidences. In one of the Etruscan tombs scientists have found tools, seemingly to be the ones for making pasta. But they didn't exclude the possibility that they could be used for something else. The first written evidence of pasta can be found in the Apicius's cookbook, which included some recipes of nowadays well-known lasagna, and to the XII century, pasta became important enough product to attract the attention of legislators who take care of the quality of products. Indians and Arabs ate pasta at least since 1200, and possibly earlier. The Indians called them sevika, which meant "thread", and the Arabs - rishta, which also meant "thread" in Persian. Italians, in turn, have chosen the word spaghetti, formed from the word spago - "thread".

For many years people ate pasta fresh, but as a result of the increase of trading system of maritime republics of Venice, Genoa, Pisa and Amalfi, they had to invent a product that is easily stored on the board of the ship for months at the sea. Sailors from Amalfi on one of their frequent trips to Sicily took over the art of drying pasta. As a result, the Naples area began producing its own dried pasta. Early pasta masters were supposed to be fascinating weather-prophets, as they had to decide, to produce short or long pasta, depending on humidity and wind on the day.

By 1770 in English, appeared the word "macaroni". In England the word "macaroni" meant the perfection and elegance. The phrase "that's macaroni" meant something particularly good. Also in the XVIII century, Catherine de Medici introduced the pasta in France, and almost then it began to gain its popularity worldwide. In XIX century, there was settled the very first company that produced spaghetti "Il Pastifico Buitoni", founded in 1827 by a woman Giulia Buitoni. This company still exists today and it's one of the largest pasta producers in the world.

Nowadays, the process of pasta production is very advanced. When electricity was discovered in 1900th, life became much easier for the pasta industry. There were invented machines for mixing the dough and electric pasta makers, due to which the whole process of making pasta was transformed to fully automated one.

Why Broccoli Salad is a Great Choice

Broccoli is a versatile vegetable. It is ideal in stir fries and you can also steam it, boil it, grill it, or roast it. Have you ever made a broccoli salad? Broccoli is just as tasty raw as it is cooked.

Perhaps you have tasted the popular Ruby Tuesday broccoli salad, in which broccoli is combined with cheese, bacon, mayonnaise and other flavorful ingredients. This is a healthy yet delicious dish and it is one of the best loved Ruby Tuesday recipes.

Health Benefits of Broccoli

Serve a broccoli salad as a side dish with any meat or fish or even as part of a buffet if you are having a party. You will love the flavor of it and also the nutritional value. Broccoli is a very healthy vegetable, as you probably already know, and is high in vitamin C, to aid the body's iron absorption, help with the symptoms of a cold, and prevent cataracts from developing.

Broccoli also contains folic acid, which is important for pregnant women, calcium to prevent osteoporosis and potassium to keep blood pressure at normal levels. It is also high in fiber.

Famous Broccoli Salad Recipes

There are copycat recipes available for pretty much any meal you can think of, so whether you are partial to KFC, fond of famous French onion soup or craving another famous dish, the odds are that you can find it online. You might like to do an internet search for broccoli salad or a recipe search by ingredient to find the perfect salad recipe.

Bear in mind though that not all copycat recipes are equal and some will not give you a good result at all so compare copycat recipes and read reviews of the dish, if they are available, to give you a better idea. Making copycat recipes can be a bit hit and miss sometimes but when do you find a great one, either print it out or bookmark it so you can find it again.

Also, you do not have to stick rigidly to a recipe that you find online if you want to tweak it a little. You can spice a recipe up, substitute one ingredient for another or tweak it to make it unique. Use existing recipes as a basis to develop your own recipes.

Some recipes are perfect just as they are though. It is difficult to improve on the famous Ruby Tuesday broccoli salad, for example!

Other Ways to Make a Broccoli Salad

You can combine broccoli with other vegetables such as zucchini, carrot, and cauliflower to make a raw vegetable salad. Add some mayonnaise and either mustard, ketchup or curry powder to give the salad a delicious flavor. The texture of the raw vegetables might seem unusual to you if you are used to eating cooked vegetables but raw broccoli or gently steamed broccoli is really good. Try it and see!

You might like to make a broccoli and macaroni salad or a broccoli and rice salad. Broccoli is delicious, nutritious, and versatile, making it a great choice for salad recipes as well as lots of other dishes.

Warm Winter Pasta Soups

There's nothing like a hot bowl of homemade soup in the winter months. You can add some homemade egg pasta to enhance and add that extra touch of flavor to any type of soup. It doesn't matter what your basic ingredient might be, like chicken, beef or stew meat, or even vegetables. Here's a simple recipe that can make any homemade soup taste better and be more filling.

The key ingredient is homemade pasta that is fashioned like noodles, a little roasting of the main soup meat or vegetables, and not overcooking.

Lets start with the pasta first since it does take a little time to make and dry. I all this version of past my soup pasta since I change the basic ingredients a little to make it similar to egg noodles. This type of pasta works great with soups. Here's the basic recipe:

· 2&1/4 Cups of unbleached flour (wheat would be more healthy)

· 4 large eggs

· Pinch of salt and pepper

· Water (3 to 4 tablespoons)

Normally I like to use oil instead of water for any pasta but since we want the flavor of the eggs to be predominate, we'll stick to water in this case. When making a normal pasta dish I also like to include some type of natural flavor like spinach or other vegetables to give the pasta a little kick in flavor. But for soups I keep it simple and want the egg flavor.

You can use a food a processor or make this by hand. If you use a food processor, a plastic dough blade would be best but a metal chopping blade can work just as well. Combine the dry ingredients in your food processor bowl and pulse a few times to mix. Whip the three eggs to blend the whites and yolks. Then use the food processor at low speed and slowly add the eggs in and continue until the dough becomes a ball and works away from the edge of the bowl.

Now you need to start kneading the dough until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Make sure you sprinkle powder on the work surface and the dough to keep it from sticking and don't tally since we used water instead of oil and it has a tendency to dry out quicker. This usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes. This is also a great time to let the kids or others help since it's not hard and anyone can do it.

Once the dough has reached the consistency you want, cover and let it sit for about an hour. I'm not sure what magic occurs during this time but when I skip it the pasta is not the same. This little break also gives you some time to prepare the meat or vegetables to be used in the soup.

One of the tricks I learned early was to take the meat or vegetables and roast or sear the outside before adding to the soup mixture. You can do this in a hot skillet, grill, or with oven broiler. I'll coat the vegetables or meat with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking and help caramelize the outside. You can also let the meat or vegetables marinate in oil and vingegar for a few hours for extra flavor if you want.

You should also use an appropriate broth, like chicken or beef to provide the basic stock of the soup. You can make you own with chicken or turkey necks, feet, or beef bones. This does add to the prep time but can give you a much better flavor that the bottled or canned broths from the store. If you do buy the broth, make sure you check the ingredients to see that no nasty chemicals have been added to enhance the shelf life or expand the flavor.

Now it's time to take the dough and make the actual noodles for our soup. We usually do this by hand but you can buy a small hank crank pasta machine for about $15 dollars that can speed up the process. When I'm in a hurry and preparing everything myself, I usually use the pasta machine and make fettucini style noodles. But when I have the time and helpers, I do it by hand.

The first thing you do is brake the dough into workable sizes, maybe the size of a lemon or line. You roll out each piece to about 1/8 of an inch thick, and then roll up like a paper towel package. Make sure you use plenty of flour to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling surface and itself. Then slice off about 1/8 inch wide strips. You unroll each strip and place it on a dry rack or somewhere it will dry easily from all sides.

The drying cycle is optional although I prefer the noodles to be hard before I cook them. Some don't and I haven't really seen too much difference in taste. But if you dry them you can store any extra noodles for later use (next day or two) or freeze them for longer storage.

During the drying stage I pour the stock into the cooking pan and then add the vegetables or, and, the meat. I let it come to a quick boil and then turn down to simmer. I then add the noodles and continue to simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the texture of the noodles. This is where some people let the soup over cook. You don't want it to be a porridge (unless that's the plan) so don't over cook.

I guarantee this type of soup will be a big hit on any cold winter day. And if the kids are house bound.due to the weather, this is a great way to keep them busy for a while. We usually stretch it out when we need something for the kids to do but you can really make this from start to finish in a few hours. And after you do it once, most of the time you're just waiting for the pasta to dry, rest, or the soup is simmering.

You could make this type of soup any time of year but it really is great for the winter months. Changing the ingredients gives some variety and you can experiment with different flavors. It's a fun family project, low cost, and provides a healthy meal.

3 Stove-Top Beef Dinners For Hot Summer Days

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On those hot summer days where the outside temperatures are 80+ degrees, the last thing I want to do is use my kitchen oven. One way you can still serve hot cooked dinners to your family is by using stove-top recipes.

All of these recipes take less than 45 minutes from start to finish. The first two utilize lean ground beef and the third one uses beef strips. You could serve the main dish with a healthy fresh garden salad to make a full meal.

Beef Stroganoff
2 lbs. lean ground beef
2/3 cup water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons flour
cooked pasta noodles

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef, drain grease. Stir in the water and soups. Reduce heat to low. In a small bowl combine sour cream and flour until blended, add to meat. Cook on low stirring often until sauce thickens. Serve over cooked pasta noodles.

Optional: If you don't have any pasta on hand, you can serve it with cooked rice.

Hamburger and Chili Macaroni
1 lb. lean ground beef
6 oz. can tomato paste
3 1/4 cups hot water
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onions; drain grease. Stir in the tomato paste, water and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Stir in macaroni, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Pepper Steak with Rice
2 green peppers, cut into strips
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/2 stick of butter
1 lb. round beef steak
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch of salt and pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
cooked rice

Trim fat and cut round steak into thin strips. In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add garlic, salt and pepper. Add beef strips and brown on all sides. Turn heat to medium-high, add sugar and soy sauce, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add green peppers and tomatoes. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Mix cornstarch with water and add to skillet. Simmer for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over cooked rice.

Diet For Reflux - What Can You Eat?

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For people who are experiencing heartburn, finding the best remedy would be very beneficial and this includes finding out the diet for reflux. This is important, as there are food items that can trigger or worsen your condition. A little knowledge on what you should eat and what you should not eat can go a long way if you really take time to deter away from those food items that will not do you any good.

So what is the perfect diet for reflux? Is there really a type of food plan that one should follow just like those food dieting schemes? Well, there is no perfect scheme actually but some food items can lower your risk of triggering a heartburn attack.

For vegetables: green beans, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, baked potato, and peas are recommended if one is trying to prevent heartburn from happening. Banana and apple (whether juice, dried or fresh) are perfect fruit mates of the vegetables mentioned. Fat-free sour cream, low fat soy cheese and even feta or goat cheese can also be consumed on a limited volume.

For meat, a wide selection from egg whites, chicken breast without skin, steak, and extra lean ground beef can be chosen for your meal. If you are more of a vegetarian, the use of fat-free or low-fat dressing is highly encouraged. Again, too much oil or fat can actually trigger heartburn from happening.

If you also want to completely free yourself from any possible occurrence of heartburn, it is best to avoid the following food items:

meat - sirloin, nuggets, buffalo wings, ground beef
fruit - lemon, orange juice, tomato, cranberry juice, extract of grapefruit
dairy - favorite sweets including ice cream, shakes with milk content, cottage cheese and even sour cream
vegetables - raw onion, fries, mashed potatoes
beverages - liquor with alcohol content should be eliminated along with caffeine-containing liquid such as coffee and tea
grains - pasta such as spaghetti, cheese and macaroni
sweets/junk foods - doughnuts, potato chips, high fat butter cookies, brownies, corn chips and chocolates
It is also important to turn your back on salad dressings that are high in fat. Moreover, preferring low-carbohydrate food items to those with high carb-content would be very helpful in suppressing heartburn. So remember this diet for reflux, eat right with the right amount.

Simple Elegant Pasta Primavera

I love a combination of spring veggies like leeks, baby peas, and asparagus with a bit of sun-dried and fresh tomatoes. What if you want to add broccoli or zucchini? You know my one rule, think outside the recipe and use whatever sounds good to you. You can only add more nutrition by adding more veggies so go for it.

I've used Gluten Free pasta here because I find the regular stuff makes me bloated.
I find no difference in the texture if cooked al dente and the flavor is the same also.

Serves 6

Ingredients

12 oz (dry) Gluten free or regular pasta

1 leek, white and pale green parts only ( 2cups sliced)

1 or 2 cloves of fresh garlic

2 cups petite peas frozen or sweet peas freshZ

3 cups of fresh asparagus, bias cut, 1" pieces

2 cups of cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half

1 cup of thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes*

*you can use either the ones that come in oil or not

¼ ½ cup of good, flavorful olive oil

½ cup of vegetable or chicken stock

¼ cup of fresh basil chiffonade (thin slices)

½ cup of toasted pine nuts-optional

Method

1. None of these veggies need par cooking as the cuts are small and they will all cook very quickly.

2. Leeks: cut it in half lengthwise then into ¼" slices. Wash well in cold water, make sure you get rid of all the sand. Either spin it dry or dry on paper towels.

3. Put the pasta water on to boil, salt it til it tastes like the sea, and assemble all the other ingredients.

4. When the water boils, put the pasta in. This particular pasta takes 9 mins.

5. 5 minutes before the pasta is finished heat a large sauté pan and place 2 Tbls of your olive oil in the pan.

6. When the oil is fragrant add the garlic and swirl it for about 30 seconds.

7. Add the leek, asparagus and sundried tomatoes and peas if they are fresh. Saute for about two minutes then add the fresh tomatoes and peas if using frozen.

8. Pour in the stock to deglaze the pan and help cook the veggies.

9. Continue to sauté, season with salt and pepper, add the basil and toss.

10. Drain the pasta, pour the pasta into the sauté pan or pour the pasta back into the pot and add the veggies. Add basil, add the remaining oil, taste for seasoning.

11. Serve family style in a large shallow bowl or individually. Sprinkle with pine nuts and offer parmesan cheese.

Chef's note: I use a fruity extra virgin olive oil for the drizzle at the end.

A light fruity wine will work with the vegetables here. Why not try a Pinot Gris from Oregon or California's Coastal region.

Planning a Family Reunion - Food, Food, Food!

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Planning a family reunion involves putting a lot of details together into one complete package. It takes time to do it right, but the rewards are worth it. Planning what kinds of food will be available to attendees is a big part of the job of any reunion coordinator. Many families choose to have covered dish events, so the food responsibility doesn't fall on just one person. Other families have their events catered. One theme that is fairly common throughout family reunions is to serve food that is traditional in that particular family, or to use the old recipes of family members from the past. This makes the event more meaningful and memorable to all who attend.

If you're catering and want to use traditional family recipes at your reunion, you'll need to hand these recipes (or copies of them) over to the caterer. Otherwise, assigning single dishes to different attendees is a good idea. For example, if you all shared the same great-grandmother, making a buffet table full of her old recipes will enable you each to feel a special connection to your family's progenitor, while helping put the reunion together.

There are some kinds of food that seem to be present at family reunions, no matter what family is holding the event. Any kind of dessert based on Jello is popular. So are cold salads, such as the potato and macaroni varieties. Carrot salad is also a big player on the reunion scene. Someone inevitably brings a casserole of some kind, usually made with potato chips or saltine cracker crumbs. There are pies of all sorts, as well as hamburgers, hot dogs, and cold sodas. Ambitious family members may make seltzer-infused fruit punches, as well. More formal events might feature a turkey or ham as the centerpiece of the event.

The important thing to remember when planning a family reunion is to delegate the food. Most reunions have a minimum of 25 people present, so to expect anyone to cook a dozen or more dishes for that many people is unrealistic. By delegating, or catering, the event, everyone has a better time, and most importantly, everyone eats!

Food Lesson 101 - Your BBQ Survival Guide

How to Side-Step Diet Sabotage: Healthy Recipe Make-overs Made Easy

The Problem

Have you ever noticed every year it is the same thing over and over again. First, the big New Year's resolution is made to "get in better shape," to start eating better, change your lifestyle for good this year. Then a short time later the goal is abandoned. Then, "bathing suit season" rebirths fitness loyalty only to be attacked by backyard barbecues. We reach football season looking more like a linebacker and some how we loose are tight end.

Don't get me wrong we have to attend our get-togethers and stay social thats very important to balance and happiness in life and it's no fun to say no to all of our social events. Non-fitness and healthy oriented people don't understand how "one day will make a difference," but I know you do.

Not only does becoming a food snob bring ridicule, but it certainly won't help make any new friends and it's not any fun. If this is your thinking that is not always true. You can still stay healthy and fit and be even happier in life if you choose.

The Solution

Instead of snubbing burgers and side dishes, why not bring some of your own? You don'y have to announce your dishes health superiority either (nobody likes that person). So bring things unannounced and enjoy!

Bringing seasoned burgers stuffed with veggies and mushrooms will make heads turn and taste buds dance. Skip the cheese and use half a bun. These little prepared strategies will save you hundreds of calories.

Chips and dip are always tempting, but they are packed with unforgiving "hip wideners!" Try skipping the dipping and load up on the veggie tray. Mix a tablespoon of gaucamole with spicy salsa to use for your dip. The gaucomole is full of nutrients and healthy fats, just be sure not to over do it. A tablespoon and ladle are very different. This is where your will power and portion control are key!

Side dishes are a toughie for sure. There are very few good things to say about macaroni and potato salad. Try to make a healthy coleslaw dish loaded with mostly cabbage versus globs of mayo. If anyone asks why you didn't grab grandma's famous fat-back pork and beans, you can tell them while you're running out of the room and will hit it later if you aren't too full, which you will be I promise.

Stay Away from Roadblocks

Don't hang out in the kitchen or at the food table the whole time when your done excuse yourself! If you do, you will not be happy with the end result that is where mindless eating occurs. You won't even realize you are picking at the cheese tray. Instead, suggest heading outside or sitting in the living room.

Once you side-step the temptation of fatty foods, be sure not to fall in the pit of alchohol's empty calories. It is easy to turn "I'll just have one," into "I"ll just have one more."

If it is a 'beer only' crowd and water is not an option, grab a light beer, but don't keep it in your hand. Keep it on the table to pace yourself so you only consume one. And, if anyone asks where your beer is you have an answer.

Another option is volunteer to be the designated driver. This way you can keep the calories off your hips, get everyone home safely, and have a win-win system in place so you won't feel guilty and have long-term success. Good luck and enjoy your Backyard barbecues! Have a healthy and happy day!

How to Spice Up Your Cooking

Cooking with herbs and spices make all the difference in the world to the end product, your meal. But if you've never learned how to use the mountain of spices available, sometimes you need a little guidance. Never fear, the Dinner Diva is here! Do yourself a favor and copy this list and stick it to your fridge.

The Dinner Diva Spice Primer is guaranteed to get you cooking in no time!

1. Bay Leaf - Used in stews, soup and great with pot roast. Go easy. Bay leaves are strong, especially California bay leaves, which are the kind most grocery stores stock. I use 1/2 a leaf in my stews.

2. Basil - Ah, the taste of summer. Who can resist fresh basil and tomatoes from the garden tossed with olive oil and garlic on a plate full of pasta? Dried, it's wonderful in soups, pasta dishes and chicken.

3. Dill - It's not just for pickles. Try some dill sprinkled on fish, chicken or even in a light cream soup.

4. Garlic - Nectar of the gods, well, bulb of the gods anyway. Garlic has a way of making the most ordinary food gourmet. Try sprinkling garlic powder (not garlic salt) into a prepared box of white cheddar macaroni and cheese. Surprise! It's pretty good. Fresh though, is best. Squeeze it from a garlic press into almost anything. Don't use with chocolate though.

5. Ginger - Sprinkle it in your stir-fry, try it on baked chicken breasts with a little soy sauce and garlic. For fun, get it fresh (it's that alien-looking root mass in the produce department) and freeze it. It will keep almost indefinitely when frozen. To use, hack off a piece, peel it and grate into your recipe.

6. Nutmeg - I love nutmeg. If you can find nutmeg nuts and the itty, bitty grater that comes with it, buy it. Once you've had freshly grated nutmeg, the powdered stuff in the jar is beneath you. Obviously an ingredient in baking, it's also good grated on sauteed squash, green beans, and carrots.

7. Oregano - A staple in Italian cooking, it's also good in stews and salad dressings.

8. Rosemary - This beautiful plant grows wild in my garden and provides an intoxicating aroma to meats, stews and root veggies. Try some crumbled in your carrots for a change of pace.

9. Tarragon - An almost licorice flavor, this delicate herb takes front and center in vinaigrettes, as a delicious sprinkle on the top of baked or poached poultry and fish.

10. Thyme - Make time for thyme! It's strong and adds a hint of character to an otherwise pretty standard dish. Use it with chicken, soups and beef.

Even though I'm not numbering these last two, I need to give a shoutout to plain old salt and pepper. But not just the stuff in the blue cylinder with the little girl on the label or the familiar pepper sitting in the red and white can; I'm talking about sea salt and freshly ground pepper. You can buy both ready to go with their own grinders anywhere. Once you've used this kind of salt and pepper, you'll never go back to the old stuff. It's that much better.

And while this is an abbreviated list of spices, it's a good start. I've skipped a lot of them because they are used so infrequently or just take up room on the lazy susan. Feel free to add or subtract ones you know you won't use or you know you need!

Enjoy!