13. Birthday Party Ideas

13. birthday party ideas, why? Since Thirteen is a big problem. This is a milestone for children become teenagers. And 'the beginning of a new era in their lives. Here are some fun ideas for a 13th birthday party.

How about a sleepover party? The girls love to sleep on host parties, whether they are 8 or 13. So if you try to plan a party for your daughter, this is a good idea. movies late at night, manicure and pedicure, maybe a fashion show, these are all good ideasfor fun sleepover.

be a guest book or calendar with fun for all the guests. colored paper, glue jewels, stickers, glitter and other embellishments scrapbook is perfect for this type of craft party. Since they are in the hands sleepover party, why not call it dream journals.

Sleepover ideas are simple food menu. The pizza is perfect and many snacks. That each of the girls their own cups.

A pool party is another great ideaa 13th Birthday. There are fun pool games you can play Marco Polo, Jacuzzi, pool volleyball or polo. Yard games are also fun, so check out what games you have in hiding last year of dandruff. Bocci ball or kibble is to play for fun if anyone from the pool. Board games and cards will also come in handy then.

Of course you can always combine a pool party with some Hawaiian birthday ideas ... You know, a luau. Get your grass skirts and performanceready. Learning to have the Hula Hula-Hoop contest, or play the limbo ... how low can you go.

Swim Party is a food party menu easy. Turn on the grill and make hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken. Add some 'potato and macaroni salad and some corn, and your plans for the evening meal is complete. Then you need a dessert. How about the perfect summer fruit, watermelon. Order an ice cream cake for your child's birthday party and complete.

How abouta mystery dinner for her 13th Birthday Party Ideas? Everybody loves a mystery. Plan your own or get one online website of the party. You can use any of your guests to play a role in your secret script. Play detective, test equipment, grill the suspects, to allow your guests to find out who dun. Have the butler serve the meal and let you all believe that he was, after all, is not always the butler?

One of the young love is music. Why not host karaoke night when the 13th Birthday ideas? Getthe karaoke machine and decorate with American Idol party supplies. Use of your favorite idol posters of all candidates and a number of candidates. Choose some children in the courts and see who will win your contest American Idol.

The Twilight Saga youth of all ages a new and exciting theme party. The order of ranking Saga Eclipse. The third movie of Twilight will be released soon and will be a great party idea. It's perfect for the 13th Birthday Party Ideas for the new teenageis a fan of Twilight.

13-year-olds enjoy any of these ideas fun birthday party. Choose the one that you think fits the child and their own ideas to add me to the best 13th birthday party ever!

Lao Thai seafood salad

The Thai Lao Seafood salad plate is often known as' Yum Talay. Under this Court not to overcook the fish that leads to a tough and rubbery structure. The best way to learn how to make Thai Lao Seafood salad is below you see the videos listed on the site.

Recipe for Thai / Lao Seafood Salad:

1 cup fresh or frozen squid or cuttlefish

1 cup fresh or frozen shrimp

1 cup fresh or frozen mussels

¼ cupchopped bell pepper

¼ cup chopped green onions

¼ cup chopped coriander

¼ cup chopped mint

1 red pepper chopped

3 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon

If fish frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then drain and rinse with clean water several times to remove any residue. If using fresh fish, thoroughly remove even in cold water and drain any remaining. Bring water to boil in a large pot.Diving octopus or squid in boiling water for up to a minute. Diving for up to two minutes for shrimp and clams up to three minutes. Let the cooked seafood and combine them into a large bowl. Allow seafood to cool to room temperature. The rest of the ingredients in the bowl of seafood salad and mix well. Garnish with mint.

Fruit Salad - A Vacuum Sealable Recipe

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Fresh fruit salad is a nutritional supplement for healthy snacks the whole family can enjoy. But most people do not realize that can be prepared in advance and in a vacuum to lock in freshness. Vacuum seals to keep the air out at the beginning, food for their full potential.

Any kind of fruit salad can be an introduction to one with a different selection each season. What is the best of all is that it is easy to do and saves time. Busy people,especially those with families and children to appreciate every minute saved in advance to prepare dessert.

The most delicious fruit salad has a variety of textures, flavors and colors. The following recipe is a perfect blend of ingredients, ideal for vacuum sealer:

Requirements:

Watermelon

Oranges

Apples

Pineapple

Melon or cantaloupe

Grapes

Cups berries, any variety

The fruits can be changedaccording to taste and / or health problems. General tend to be mushy bananas, when mixed with other fruits, but can only be added before eating, to avoid this problem. Apples turn immediately after the cut, but dipping in lemon juice to prevent this from happening often brown. They can also be mixed with other fruits.

Each fruit cut into chunks and mix well. Some fans prepare fruit salad juice stains, a delicious complementtempting snack. To create a glaze, add the juice of a lemon or orange with 1 / 3 cup of corn syrup. Mix well and salad. When it's time to vacuum seal food in hand, are a treat for them.

Fruit salad is a healthy snack that offers a lot of nutrients. Watermelon is a great source of vitamin A and potassium, orange pack a good dose of vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium, apples and berries are the most full of fiber and melonPotassium, and offers twice the amount required daily of vitamin A. In addition to the primary attributes, bowl of fruit salad you can set different types of vitamins and a foliate, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, iron, etc.

For practical reasons it is better to seal salad separated into individual portions before vacuum. Small portions done easily when you travel for work, school, or as a quick snack at home.fruit salad can be frozen and thawed density of vacuum, if necessary. Now you know how to make a delicious fruit salad and how to do this year.

Southern Comfort Food Living - A tasty trip down Memory Lane

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What's the first thing that comes to mind when someone asks me what is your favorite comfort food? Mine is macaroni and cheese is just a bit 'crunchy.

I love to eat, so when the book Southern Comfort Food Living across my desk I had to check. After skimming the index, I read the preface, which is almost as good as the recipes!

Most of the 150 recipes comfort food accompanied by a full-page color photos. Illustrations or photographs are particularly useful for cooks like me who are curious about the final presentation.

The book covers: classic comfort food, breakfast anytime, fresh from the garden, and beyond casseroles, soups and stews, cakes and parties and special occasions.

My favorite comfort food, macaroni and cheese, is the first recipe in classic comfort food.> Macaroni and cheese gets a new meaning to cook pasta in three cheeses. This recipe is burgers, followed by more of my favorites, including Gonzales Meat Loaf, buttermilk garlic mashed potatoes, lemon garlic chicken with fried beans, the perfect French fries, Chicken Pot Pie, Classic BBQ Ribs, chicken steak Fried pork chops, cabbage and apples, and Mama's Fried Chicken.

Farmers Market Scramble, pimento cheese, biscuits, hash'N' Brown casserole, Milk Honey Butter Pancakes, cinnamon-raisin bread, wafers and Benedetto Caramel-Nut Pull-Apart Bread are just some of the recipes found in breakfast at any time.

Includes garden fresh mouth-watering recipes such as homemade apple sauce, corn pudding, Fried Okra Crunch, Summer Squash Casserole and Fried Green Tomatoes.

You'll be the hit of the party, when you come up with one of the dishes in casseroles andbeyond. My favorite chicken and rice casserole, scalloped potatoes with ham, mashed potatoes belong to the saucy Sleeves, taco casserole, twice baked. A new approach to comfort food to go!

SOP and stewed contains two versions of chicken soup. Chicken-and-Wild Rice Soup Chicken Noodle Soup Recipes for soup, "baked" potato, bean soup blacks, 30 - Minute Easy Brunswick Stew and Chili are also among the soups and stewscharacterized.

Memories are the old-fashioned peanut butter cookies, oatmeal cookies Giant, Double-Chocolate Brownies, Mississippi Mud, Million-Dollar Pound Cake, Banana Pound Cake and Peanut Butter Pie did. These are just a selection of delicious cake recipes.

Thin Ham holiday, birthday cake, Root Bear beans, popcorn balls, roast turkey and gravy, cornbread dressing, pumpkin pie chess Peanut Butter Fudge, Mrs. Floyd Divinity, Pecan and WalterPie and you have a recipe for almost all holidays and special occasions.

You will find this book at the local public library, but you might want to spend $ 29.95 and purchase in local bookstores. I think it's well worth the investment.

286 pages

Oxmoor House

ISBN 9780848732660

Meatloaf and Mac And Cheese

It's been a day that started out with the best of intentions. A day meant for cleaning, organizing, catching up on all those unfinished projects but instead you sat down, just for a minute, to watch a little TV and relax for a moment before getting started. Unfortunately for you and your to do list you stumble across a Planet of the Apes movie marathon. You can kiss the day good bye. Not only are you not going to get any of the chores done, you will not even bother to get out of your pajamas.

A day like this is perfect for a dinner like this one. The earthy mushroom aroma of the meatloaf and the warm nutty scent of the Mac n' Cheese filling your kitchen will make you seem like a hero, like you've worked on it all day. You'll be able to get this started just as you've finished your Escape From The Planet of The Apes and be done and ready to serve in time to catch the grand finale of the Battle for the Planet of the Apes. And some of that procrastination guilt will be alleviated by the praise and thanks you'll receive upon serving this moist, savory meatloaf along side this gooey Mac n' Cheese with its golden crunchy crust.

Meat loaf

Ingredients

8 oz ground pork
8 oz ground beef
2 large eggs
1 cup of Italian style bread crumbs
½ cup red wine, Madeira or port work best
1 tsp veal or beef demi glace (available at any gourmet grocer)
1 tsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups mushrooms sliced

Spices
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley

1. Preheat oven 375 degrees
2. In a large bowl mix together by hand meat, spices, eggs, and breadcrumbs until a sticky texture is reached.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until they lose most of their liquid and are reduced by half in size.
4. Add red wine. Simmer until alcohol smell is gone and sauce begins to thicken.
5. Add demi, stirring until evenly dissolved.
6. Add a pad of butter to finish sauce. Turn off heat and stir, evenly blending butter giving the sauce a shiny finish.
7. Place meatloaf mixture in a glass bread loaf pan. Pour mushroom sauce over top.
8. Cook for 60 minutes

Mac n' Cheese

8 oz uncooked rigatoni pasta
8 oz half and half
1 egg yolk
1 table spoon bread crumbs
¼ tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper TT
8 oz Shredded Swiss cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Cook pasta until al dente. Strain pasta and rinse with cool water to prevent from cooking further. Toss with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

3. Coat a casserole dish with butter to give mac and cheese a golden crust

4. Place a layer of pasta in baking pan.

5. Add a layer of cheese.

6. Continue with alternating layers of pasta and cheese to the top of the baking pan ending with a layer of cheese.

7. Evenly sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top.

8. Bring half and half to a simmer in a small sauce pot.

9. Slowly whisk hot half and half into eggs just a little at a time as not to cook the eggs.

10. Pour this mixture over mac and cheese. This will hold everything together creating a casserole when baked.

11. Place mac and cheese on bottom rack of the oven to achieve a golden crunchy crust. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden.

If for some reason this doesn't all get finished tonight it can be stored easily in the refrigerator. Slice up the rest of the meat loaf and wrap each piece individually. This way it can be enjoyed as a sandwich later. It is just as good cold as it is warmed up. The mac n cheese is almost better the next day nuked in the microwave by itself or with a meatloaf sandwich.

Family Style Dining - All You Can Eat at Wright's Farm Restaurant in Harrisville, Rhode Island

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The traditional family style dinner where folks gather around a large table, dining on course after course with unlimited servings is a popular pursuit for native Rhode Islanders and out-of-towners who wing it to our poultry palaces. Chicken family style, an all you can eat meal comprised of salad doused with Italian dressing, rolls, pasta (shells, ziti, or penne), and roasted potatoes or fries with those legs, breasts, or thighs, is one big Italian Job pulled inside the confines of the smallest state in the Union. Several restaurants which offer this unique tradition of dining share common attributes: their once humble abode expanded to a huge banquet facility capable of accommodating more than 1,000 patrons at one sitting; banquet rooms with elegant names resemble barrack mess halls flanked by walls bordered with floral wallpaper and painted in shades of sage green, mauve, or burgundy.

When families get together to celebrate milestones like birthdays and weddings, a family style, all you can eat chicken dinner is the preferred sit down. Those worth flocking to include: Lancellotta's Banquet Restaurant, 1113 Charles St.,North Providence; Lombardi's 1025 Club, 1025 Plainfield St., Johnston; Twelve Acres, 5 Douglas Pike, Smithfield; The Bocce Club st louis ave woonsocket West Valley Inn, 4 Blossom St., West Warwick. The restaurant most seem to cluck about, flying the coop far and wide to patronize is Wright's Farm Restaurant, 84 Inman Rd., Harrisville.

Gene Wright, the main supplier of chickens for The Bocce Club, began outdoor dinner events for the Knights of Columbus and other organizations out of a garage on his farm in Harrisville in the early 1950s. He'd cut feed barrels in half lengthwise and used them as makeshift chicken barbecues. In 1954, Wright took a customer's suggestion and opened up a restaurant-Wright's Farm Restaurant.

Purchased by the Frank T. Galleshaw, Jr. family in 1972, Wright's Farm Restaurant has steadily expanded operations to six dining rooms and has become a landmark in northern Rhode Island. Sprawled on a pastoral setting, the place still has farm appeal, while its manicured lawn encourages an after dinner stroll. A large gift shop and toy store with a vast array of items is a browser's delight while waiting to be seated inside one of its six dining rooms.

As lovely as these accommodations may be, it's what gets carried out of the kitchen that wows all the birds of a feather who flock to Wright's Farm Restaurant on a Thursday and Friday 4 pm-9pm, Saturday 12 pm-9:30 pm, or Sunday 12 pm-8 pm. The Galleshaw family motto by which their family serves other families is "quality, quantity, and consistency" at $11 per adult, $6.95 for children 4-10 years, and children 3 and under go free. Only cash or check payments are accepted. So, let the dinner begin with rolls made fresh daily in their own bakery, along with salad tossed with Wright's Farm Classic Italian Dressing. Loosen your belt for shell macaroni with tomato sauce made from their own recipe, and make room for the main entrée. I can attest their chicken is succulent and tender, while the fries are the freshest I've tasted. Two kitchens, 75 ovens, and a wait staff of more than 160, assure a constant flow of food delivered with promptness.

Wright's Farm Restaurant salad dressing, pasta and barbecue sauces, frozen chicken pies, fudge, and other Wright products can be found in grocery stores and supermarkets throughout Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, as well as their gift shop. Wright's Farm Restaurant is a well-orchestrated Italian Job, quite capable of delivering a tasty and sumptuous all you can eat, family style chicken dinner to native Rhode Islanders and out-of-towners who gladly wing it to the boonies of Harrisville for a hearty meal.

Potato Salad Recipes Without Mayonnaise - Three Tips For Making Potato Salad Without Mayonnaise

Many people are looking for potato salad recipes without mayonnaise. There are many reasons for people to do that, including wanting to try a new type of potato salad, wanting a potato salad recipe without mayonnaise and many more.

If you are looking for potato salad recipes without mayonnaise, here are lots of great ideas for you, that will help you make your potato salad extremely delicious and flavorful. Read this article for our top three tips for making your potato salad extremely tasty and delicious.

1. Use Delicious Flavors In Your Salad.

There is no mayo in your salad dressing anymore, and this means that you must bring in other delicious flavors to your salad in order to make it tasty.

There are lots of great flavors that you can add to your salad. Some flavors you can use include mustard, a strong vinegar (such as red wine vinegar), herbs (such as parsley, cilantro, dill), cheese (such as blue cheese or feta) and many more. Don't use all of these flavors at once, but by combining a few of them with your potatoes you will create an extremely delicious salad.

2. Fry The Onions For Your Salad Dressing Instead Of Using Raw Onions.

One of the ingredients that seem to always be present in a salad with mayonnaise, are usually raw onions, chopped or grated or sliced. When you are not using mayonnaise in the salad dressing, you will want to fry the onions. The reason for frying the onions is that they add even more flavor to your salad.

When you fry onion, you make the onions much more flavorful and much less spicy. And fried onions are great for salads! Plus, when you fry onions for your dressing, it makes the salad dressing that much more delicious.

3. Use Fresh Herbs, Such As Parsley, Cilantro, Dill And More For The Salad.

Another great way to make your salad very delicious is by using tasty fresh herbs in it. Fresh herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, dill and lots others add great herb flavor. Another reason to use fresh herbs in the salad is to make it look great - herbs add a great green color to it.

So don't forget the herbs when you are making a tasty salad - they will make it very delicious, even without mayonnaise.

Soup, Soup, Glorious Soup

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It isn't many foods that have poems written about them. And remember the story of Esau who, coming in tired and hungry, was willing to give up his birthright for a bowl of pottage - lentil soup. I t must have been good soup! From the time man discovered that he could bake clay hard in the fire he began to make clay pots - and what do you cook in such a pot? - Soup of course.

The earliest pots have the markings of woven sticks on the outside so presumably they first of all lined baskets with clay - but somehow soup in a basket never took off.

Every generation and every people group have some form of soup or stew - it is served hot, cold, thick, thin, creamy, clear, vegetarian, meaty, spicy - something for everyone. It isn't as fashionable at dinner parties these days - starters tend to be more complicated and dinner parties an excuse to show off. But soup will go on as long as people come home hungry and it is time for a revival

Sweet and Creamy

For 4 you will need

25 grams ( 1 oz)

I clove of garlic, crushed

225 grams sweet potato

1 largish parsnip

1 level teaspoon of paprika

1 level teaspoon of chilli flakes or ½ deseeded chilli, finely sliced

750 mls ( 26 fl oz) vegetable stock

2 teaspoons of mustard of your choice - mine would be honey mustard

1 tablespoon of grated strong cheese - Parmesan, Cheddar, Stilton

125 ml ( ¼ pint ) double cream or low fat yoghurt

Salt and pepper

Dice the sweet potato and the parsnip. Melt the butter and fry the garlic, parsnip and sweet potato. Add the spices, chilli and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in the mustard and cheese. Blend in food processor. Reheat in pan, but do not boil. Season to taste. When serving add a spoon of cream or yoghurt.

Variation - you could replace the parsnip with carrots or squash.

Chicken Soup - one version is known as New York Penicillin so good is the effect of eating soups like this.

For 4 you need

75 grams ( 3 oz) of pearl barley or red lentils

4 medium potatoes, cooked for 10 minutes and diced

2 carrots, diced

1 onion, diced

2 chicken breasts - I prefer to leave them in quite big chunks, but you may prefer to cut them into smaller pieces.

845 mls (1 1/1 pints ) chicken stock

If you are using lentils boil them up in clean water first and then rinse and drain. This makes them less gassy. In a large pan cook the carrots, onion, stock, and pearl barley or lentils. Simmer at least 20 minutes. Add the potatoes and heat through. Whether or not you need to add more seasoning depends upon the stock used. Add the potatoes and cook for a further 20 minutes until the barley is cooked through.

Variations

Replace the onion with a finely sliced leek. If you drain off some of the stock you can add some diced ham and a pastry lid and you have a delicious chicken and ham pie.

Salad Soup

Yes I know it sounds weird, but it tastes good. The use of lettuce in soup goes back all the way to ancient Rome.

For 4 you will need

25 g ( 1 oz) butter

I medium potato, diced

I onion, diced

520 mls ( 18fl oz) vegetable stock

75 grams (3 oz) peas - frozen are fine

2 handfuls of lettuce leaves

3 green onions ( scallions) sliced finely

4 radishes cut up small or sliced very finely

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons of double cream ( or you could save the top of the milk for a day or two.)

1 teaspoon of chopped herbs - parsley, mixed herbs, oregano, chervil as you like

Cook the potato and onion in melted butter. Add the stock and peas. Boil and then simmer for about 25 minutes. Shred lettuce finely and add. Cook for 5 minutes and then blend. Add the chopped green onions and radishes. Season as needed. Add the herbs. When serving add a spoonful of cream to top each bowl.

Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe - Buffalo Chicken Casserole

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A tantalizing mix of chicken, rice, blue cheese dressing and buffalo wing sauce.

1/2 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice

1 cup water

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

1 cup celery, thinly sliced

1 (14.5 oz.) can stewed tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce

1/4 cup blue cheese dressing

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook rice in water for 20 minutes as directed on package.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken and celery. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes; stirring frequently until the chicken is no longer pink. Remove from heat.

Open the can of tomatoes and cut up the tomatoes while still in the can. Stir the tomatoes and wing sauce into the chicken mixture.

Spoon the cooked rice into the baking dish. Spread the chicken mixture over the rice - do not stir.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until hot in the center. Drizzle blue cheese dressing over the top.

=> Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe: Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole

Just put five simple ingredients together and walla! You've got a tasty meal.

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces

2 cups milk

2 cups uncooked white rice

2 (10.75 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup

1 teaspoon seasoning salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a bowl, combine the milk, rice, soup and the seasoning salt; mix well. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Add the chicken.

Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 90 minutes or until the rice is completely done; stir every 30 minutes while cooking.

Uncover baking dish and bake for another 15 minutes to let rice turn brown.

=> Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe: Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

An unbeatable flavor combination with chicken, rice and cheese.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups cooked white rice

1 (10.75 oz.) can cream of chicken soup

1 (10.75 oz.) can cheese soup

2 cups frozen broccoli florets

1 cup onion, chopped

2 cups Cheddar cheese

4 slices soft bread cubes

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in a microwave safe dish. Cover dish and microwave for 5 to 6 minutes. Turn chicken over and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Let cool.

In a 9x13-inch baking dish, combine the chicken, rice, broccoli, onions, and the soup; mix well. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top, then bread cubes.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Bread on top should be crunchy.

Reunions - Food That's All in the Family

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Family reunion. Those words seem simple, but they are often loaded with emotional content, memories -- and stress. The stress of figuring out when and where everyone can get together, the stress of figuring out everything from housing arrangements to entertainment plans, and the challenge of how to feed the gathering herd with all their unique personalities and tastes. Your family may be different, but our extended family is full of relatives that get along and those that don't. In the end, the whole thing becomes an endurance trial focused around one thing -- the food.

Family reunion food is the ultimate comfort food if you grew up in the Upper Midwest. It's not fancy or specific to any ethnic heritage. Some recipes have been handed down through so many generations that reunion food has entered the realm of racial memory (the race, of course, being anyone who grew up south of the Canadian border within three hundred miles of lakes Michigan and Superior).

For the sake of those who are new to the region (remember that anyone who's been here less than 25 years is considered a newbie, so you know who you are), I compiled a primer to help you out, because sooner or later, you will be facing a table full of this stuff along with the inevitable hamburgers, hot dogs, and carbon-encrusted grilled chicken.

JELL-O[r] salad

JELL-O[r] is a food only America could invent. In 1845, industrialist Peter Cooper obtained the first patent for a gelatin dessert, later named JELL-O[r]. It never went anywhere until the rights to sell it were purchased by a patent medicine salesman named Frank Woodward. The rest is jiggley history. Americans can never leave anything alone and started experimenting with ways to make JELL-O[r] more interesting. Folks combined flavors, layered JELL-O[r] into parfaits, fluffed it, cubed it, added fruits and/or vegetables, whipped cream, mayonnaise, and God alone knows what else and called the result "salads" for lack of a better title. As a result, Aunt Mildred now brings at least two JELL-O[r] salads to every reunion made, of course, from treasured family recipes. If you were born overseas and don't have family JELL-O[r] recipes that have been passed from generation to generation, visit [http://www.JELLO.com]. There are 250 travel-friendly recipes and over 500 family party recipes just waiting for you.

Macaroni salad

We're not talking pasta salads here. Pasta salads are for people who drive fancy European cars, talk about the subtle, unassuming, yet complex bouquet of their latest wine purchase, and own Afghan Hounds or Labradoodles named Pooky. No, we're talkin' elbow macaroni with mayonnaise and additives like peas, canned tuna, or cheese. If you heat these up, they become a hot dish. At a reunion they are to be served cold -- in Tupperware[r]. Most macaroni salad recipes are family heirlooms or come out of those cookbooks put together by church ladies. You can also go to http://www.mayo.com where the friendly folks at Hellman's offer four macaroni salads including Traditional Macaroni Salad and the more exotic Neptune Pasta Salad.

Cole slaw

Cole slaw is usually one of the best things to eat at a reunion because it's so hard to mess up. Combine cabbage, carrots, and slaw dressing (sometimes homemade, but often bottled) and mix. Folks with fancy airs might add raisins, caraway seeds, or a little red cabbage for color. The only thing that's hard to get right is quantity. For some reason, cole slaw always expands to fill the available space and beyond until the only container that will hold it all is a wheelbarrow. Our favorite bottled cole slaw dressing is Marzetti's. If you are looking for those fancy versions, there are a number of tasty recipes at http://www.marzetti.com.

Pork and beans

Some folks might try to tell you they're baked beans but we all know those beans came straight out of a can. The telltale sign is always that little cube of pork fat that makes it legal to call it pork and beans and not just beans. Some people try to dress them up, but breeding will tell. For reunion food purists, the only way pork and beans should be served is lukewarm.

BUSH'S Baked Beans (www.bushbeans.com) has a wide variety of flavors and there's even a recipe on their website for Sweet Baked Beans Pasta Salad that includes elbow macaroni and chunks of cheese. How much more basic can you get?

Dessert bars

Apparently there is too much pressure to get ready for a family reunion to bake cookies or cakes so the Dessert du Jour is invariably several varieties of dessert bars. Dessert bars are divided into three types: brownie, pudding, and cookie and can range in consistency from chewing on toasted particle board to sticky with the cohesive force of Gorilla Glue[r]. Getting some of them out of the pan requires an air hammer. Here's a piece of advice. The cuter the name, the worse they'll be. Try to avoid eating "Suzy's Goody Gumdrop Apricot Extravaganza Bars." Dessert bars travel well and are simple to make as the 925 bar recipes and 243 brownie recipes at http://www.AllRecipes.com prove.

The last thing I'll mention is what makes the rest tolerable. It's not technically food but I'm willing to stretch the point. It lets you tolerate Uncle Phil's jokes that you've heard at every reunion since you were allowed to join adult conversations. It gets you past all the "the last time I saw you, you were this tall" events (including the cheek pinch). I am, of course, talking about reunion beer. It's the cheapest beer that can be found, but after a while you don't care. It all gets better. Somebody pass me "Grandma's Disappearing Magic Marshmallow Carmel Fudgey Brownies."

Soul Food Seasoning Tips

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Soul food recipes and other southern cuisine menus have the reputation of having some of the tastiest seasoning in the world of eating. In fact, many would debate the seasonings make the meal more than any other factor besides the cooking technique. Any way you choose to look at it, if you want to call it soul food you have to season with the precision of a concert violinist. Spices have a history of value. Yes, wars have erupted, kings have lusted after it nations have quickly paid ransoms for it. Yes, people have valued seasonings and spices as much or more than gold, jewels or money for thousands of years.

Nothing ruins a meal more than a flavorless slice of meat, bland tasting vegetables or a dry tasting piece of pie or cake. Most people take seasonings for granted until they don't have it or can't taste it in the food they eat. In fact, failing to season food properly has ruined an untold number of marriages and love relationships. On the other hand untold numbers of marriages and love relationships have blossomed because of good food seasoning techniques. That's proof of how serious knowing how to properly season food are.

Of course the next best thing to have the right seasonings and spices to enhance the flavor of your food is knowing how to season. Here's proven tips, ideas and suggestions for improving your food seasoning skills.

1. When seasoning gumbo, broths or other hot liquids, make sure they're at the same temperature you'll serve them to help keep the taste consistent.

2. Cold foods such as macaroni, potato or egg salad will need slightly more seasoning than hot food. The hotter the food the more our taste buds pick up flavors.

3. To intensify flavors, season chicken, fish, beef and pork before you cook them.

4. Season sauces, soups and gumbos after cooking to get a more accurate and consistent taste.

5. To avoid over seasoning apply a small amount taste, add and taste until the correct taste is achieved.

The Top 10 Soul Food Seasoning and Spices according to our research.

Sugar
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Hot Sauce
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Onion Powder
Sage
Thyme

Knowing how to cook means knowing how to season your soul food properly. Like any activity the more you practice the better you'll get at doing it. So continue to practice and experiment with different seasoning and flavors, you may discover your own unique style or even your own soul food recipe. Happy seasoning.

Add Spice to Your Supper With Italian Pasta

Pasta is the most flexible Italian fare. While it is extremely popular here in the U.S., believe it or not it is far more popular in Italy. Pasta is mainly made from flour. However, various types of grain can also make pasta. In order to make pasta flour is combined with water and often also prepared with eggs. When the mixture is done, it is kneaded and shaped into a whole variety of shapes. The vast amount of pasta that is cooked is first boiled before served, however pasta can be baked, but before doing so it is usually boiled.

Pasta is very affordable and can be very filling. It is a starch, and while most Americans are familiar with the dried pasta that is in long thin rods- spaghetti, it can also come fresh and in practically any shape including shells, tubes, spiral, very thick noodles, etc.
Italians refer to all pastas as macaroni, however, here in America we usually refer to macaroni as small shell type shapes of pasta.

Pasta with Tomato Meat Sauce

-16 ounces of pasta (spaghetti)

-1 16 ounce jar of tomato sauce

-1-1 ½ pounds of hamburger meat

-1 onion

-Olive oil

-Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot boil water to ¾ full and add a teaspoon of olive oil and some salt. Once the water boils add in the pasta and stir for a minute or two to ensure that it doesn't stick to the bottom. In a frying pan, add some oil and then add some hamburger meat along with a chopped onion. Cook the hamburger meat until medium or well done. In a sauce pan, add contents of tomato sauce. Let simmer on a low to medium heat. Do not cook the sauce fast, it will only burn it and become dry. Once all items are complete, mix all ingredients, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot. Yields about 4 servings.

Stuffed Shells in Tomato Sauce

Stuffed shells are an awesome way to make dinner out of pasta, cheese and tomato sauce. They are simple to prepare and can be cooked in about 20 minutes. Here is the recipe:

-1 16 ounce box of large pasta shells. (Make sure that the shells are already pre cooked and ready to be baked. If not, you will have to first boil them and then bake them.

-1 pound of ricotta cheese

-1 16 ounce jar of tomato sauce

- Side dishes that go well are spinach, green beans, mushrooms or a Greek Salad

Heat your oven to about 350 degrees. Fill the shells with ricotta cheese. Typically each shell can be filled with about 2 tablespoons of cheese. Once filled, place the shell on a baking sheet and cover the shell with foil. Cook for about 20 minutes. In a medium sauce pan with a low to medium heat simmer tomato sauce. Once complete spread shells with sauce. Other variations include adding meat to the sauce, spinach, etc.

Picnics and Backyard Barbeque - Plan a Healthy Deck Party

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Picnic and BBQ season is still going strong. There's nothing more fun than having a few friends or neighbors over for a barbecue. Don't think you can plan a healthy deck party that everyone will enjoy? Well think again. Use these simple steps for your next summer gathering and everyone will have a smile on their faces and want to come back next weekend!

Ten Simple Steps to a Healthy Deck Party

1. Use your grill. Grilling is a low fat cooking method since no fat is added, and the fat in the food item drips off.

2. Think outside the beef box. Sure, a grilled steak is great, but poultry and fish are wonderful on the grill too. Choose "meaty" fish such as salmon filets, shark, tuna steaks or swordfish. It's worth investing in a grill plate so that items such as fish don't disappear into the grill rack and into the fire.

3. Remove most of the skin from the chicken pieces. While a little bit of skin will add flavor and keep the chicken moist, the skin is high in saturated fat, which is not healthy for your heart.

4. Add lots of flavor. There are a number of grilling sauces and rubs available on the market today. Be sure to choose one that is fat free or low in fat. Keep an eye out for excess sodium on the label too. Some sodium is okay, but if the sauce or rub does contain sodium, be aware that you won't have to add additional salt.

5. Use the grill for the whole meal. Even if you don't have a side burner, you can grill the vegetables too. Grill them first, and then set them aside while you grill the chicken, fish or meat. Simply brush the veggies with some olive oil, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and grill. They only take a few minutes, so check often, and then remove to a platter. They can be eaten as is, or chopped into a salad or rice pilaf. Vegetables like zucchini, squash, eggplant, onion slices, and bell pepper halves work well.

6. Try some healthier options to the traditional side dishes. Instead of an old-fashioned mayonnaise-laden macaroni salad, try a pasta and vegetable salad that is tossed with a vinaigrette dressing; instead of baked beans, try a three bean salad; instead of chips, try pretzels or a cereal mix; instead of potato salad, try a mixed green salad tossed with greens, sliced strawberries, slivered almonds, and a vinaigrette; instead of cole slaw, try a mixed rice and spinach salad.

7. Include some fresh fruit. You do not have to be fancy or make a time-consuming fruit salad. Just serve a platter of sliced melon, a bowl of grapes, a bowl of berries or nectarines. Let everyone help his or her self.

8. Along with the fruit, include a dip with low fat whole grain crackers while everyone is waiting for dinner. Try the low fat artichoke dip recipe below.

9. Instead of a bucket of soft drinks for the children, purchase small water bottles or mix up your own lemonade. Lemonade can contain less sugar than soda, and a child may drink less of it when it is served in a smaller cup, and you will have less waste. For the grown-ups, summertime is a great time to try some lighter white wines. Try a Pinot Grigio, a Riesling, or a Sauvignon Blanc.

10. Don't tell anyone that is it "low fat" or "healthy". Just sit back, take the compliments, and watch them enjoy the meal.

Enjoy your backyard or deck, and keep your friends and family healthy this summer.

Light and Healthy Artichoke Dip

14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise

1/2 cup grated Romano or parmesan cheese

4 ounces light cream cheese, softened (Neufchatel)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon hot sauce, like Frank's (optional)

1. Spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Mix all ingredients in medium bowl until well combined.

4. Place mixture into prepared 3 quart baking dish and bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbly and slightly golden.

Elegant Egg Salad With Cashews And Curry

I grew up in Great Neck, Long Island, a suburb of New York City. When I lived there Great Neck was a small village with a dairy and a charming railroad station that looked like something from a toy train set. Many television personalities, including Perry Como, lived there because it was so close to the city.

Our house did not have air conditioning and sometimes the nights were unbearably hot. Yet I remember the steamy Long Island summers fondly. We often went to Jones Beach on the South shore. My mother would pack a lunch for us, sweetened ice tea with orange juice (she liked it better than lemon), some fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and egg salad sandwiches.

We always rented a large beach umbrella. After my brother and I had played in the water we would eat lunch in the shade of the canvas umbrella and wiggle our toes in the sand. Since then, egg salad sandwiches have symbolized summer and, if I close my eyes and think hard, I can almost taste them and smell the sea.

Where did egg salad come from?

Eggs are one of the oldest foods. Recipes for cooking eggs go back centuries. I have about 100 cook books and looked up egg salad in some of them. One book had a recipe for "Old Time Egg Salad," a true salad made with torn lettuce leaves, thin slices of red onion, sliced hard boiled eggs, tossed with a cider vinegar and oil dressing.

As the years passed home cooks added chopped pickles, black olives, green olives, green pepper, red pepper, anchovies and other ingredients to their egg salad. I have done the same. Sometimes I made "ordinary" egg salad, but I prefer Elegant Egg Salad with Cashews and Curry. Here is my recipe.

INGREDIENTS

4 large eggs, hard boiled

1/2 cup celery, diced

2 green onions, white and green parts, diced

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/2 cup salted cashew pieces

1/3 cup light mayonnaise

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon curry powder

shredded lettuce

METHOD

Hard boil eggs and chill well. Peel eggs, cut in half, and mash with a fork. Add celery, green onions, parsley, and cashews. Combine mayonnaise, salt, lemon juice, and curry powder. Pour dressing over egg mixture and toss gently. Spread filling on whole wheat, five grain, or Italian bread and top with shredded lettuce. Makes 5-6 sandwiches.

Elegant Egg and Shrimp Salad: Omit two eggs. Add 1/2 cup cooked, chopped shrimp.

Elegant Egg and Bacon Salad: Omit one egg. Add 1/3 cup precooked bacon pieces.

Copyright 2007 by Harriet Hodgson

How to Bake - Easy Sourdough Bread

A customer emailed us and said that her mother loved sourdough bread but had trouble making it work right. We shared the following recipe with her, which is our easiest, most foolproof recipe for sourdough bread.

Using this recipe for sourdough bread, a small amount of yeast is used in the starter. As the starter is used and refreshed with new feedings of flour and water, wild yeasts are introduced and cultivated. The sour flavor typical of sourdough bread that we love comes from the action of the yeast and friendly bacteria.

The commercial yeast makes an easier starter than culturing wild yeast from the air. Because it's easy, if you abandon your starter after a few weeks, you can readily start another when you're back in the mood or have the time.

Here is the recipe:

For the starter:

1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)

1/4 teaspoon yeast

1 cup high gluten unbleached flour

Mix the starter in a glass or steel bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set it aside at room temperature until it is doubled and bubbly, maybe 4 to 6 hours.

For the sponge:

1 cup of the starter

3/4 cup warm water

2 cups flour

Mix the starter amount with the flour and water, cover, and set aside to ferment until it has tripled in volume. At room temperature, it will take four to eight hours. You can put it in a cool place--about fifty degrees--and let it perk all night. Your garage may be just right. You can also let it ferment in the refrigerator overnight. At temperatures of forty to fifty degrees, the friendly bacteria will be more active than the yeasts and the flavor will be more sour.

To recharge the starter, add about one cup of flour and one cup of warm water to your remaining starter. Keep it in the refrigerator and use it or recharge it every few days. After a few recharges, you will plenty of complex wild yeasts in your starter.

For the dough:

All of the sponge

1 1/2 cups flour (more or less)

2 teaspoons salt

Mix the salt with the flour. Knead the combination into the sponge by hand until you have a smooth, elastic, slightly sticky dough, adding more flour as needed. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and let it rise again until doubled, about an hour.

Form the loaves. This works best as a large freestanding round or oval loaf or two smaller loaves. Place a clean cotton cloth in a bowl or basket with which to hold the loaf. Lightly dust the interior of the bowl with flour. Place each formed loaf upside down in a bowl on top of the dusted flour. Cover the loaves with plastic and let them rise again until doubled. This rising will probably take less than an hour.

To from the thick, chewy crust that is typical of artisan breads, follow these instructions: Place a large, shallow, metal pan in the oven on the lowest shelf. You will pour hot water in this pan to create steam in the oven. High heat is hard on pans so don't use one of your better pans. An old sheet pan is ideal. Fill a spray bottle with water. You will use this to spray water into the oven to create more steam.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. (If your oven runs on the cool side, set it on 500 degrees.) When the oven is hot and the bread is fully risen and is soft and puffy--being very careful not to burn yourself with the rising steam and with a mitted hand--pour about two cups of very hot water in the pan in the oven. Quickly close the oven door to capture the steam. With spray bottle in hand, open the door and quickly spray the oven walls and close the door.

Gently invert the loaf or loaves onto a slightly greased non-insulated baking sheet on which a little cornmeal has been dusted. With your sharpest knife, quickly make two or three slashes 1/4-inch deep across the top of each loaf. This will vent the steam in the bread and allow the bread to expand properly. Immediately put the bread in the steamy oven. After a few moments, open the door and spray the walls again to recharge the steam. Do this twice more during the first fifteen minutes of baking. This steamy environment will create the chewy crust prized in artisan breads.

After the bread is in the oven, turn the temperature down to 450 degrees and set the timer for about forty minutes. Check on the bread ten minutes before the baking should be complete. If the top is browning too quickly, tent the loaf with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking to keep it from burning. The bread is done when the crust turns a dark golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 210 degrees. It is important that the bread is well-baked to drive moisture from the loaf. If the bread is under baked, the excess moisture will migrate to the crust and you will no longer have the dry chewy crust of a great artisan loaf.

This sourdough bread is to die for. The prolonged rising gives the yeast plenty of time to convert the starch to sugars and the friendly bacteria a chance to impart their nut-like flavors.

Last winter, we made dozens of these sourdough loaves. Since this bread is best eaten fresh, we gave scores of loaves away-mostly to folks from church. Funny thing-we were never turned away.