Humor: My order

There's a little local restaurant here that I went to the other day and ordered a tuna fish sandwich on white bread. "I'm sorry, sir," the waitress said, "but we're all out of white bread. Can we put that on wheat for you?"

Sure, what the heck.

You know how you get when you just crave something? I was in a tuna mode all that week, I guess, because I was back at the restaurant the next day, again ordering the same tuna sandwich. Got the same waitress as the day before. I told her, "On white, please."

"Gosh, I'm sorry, sir, can we put that on wheat for you? We're out of white today."

Hurm. Sure. Go ahead.

The craving didn't subside. For the third day in a row, I was back at the local cafe. This time, I thought I'd save myself and the very same waitress some grief. "A tuna fish sandwich, please, on wheat bread."

The waitress looked up from her pad, "Aren't you the guy who usually orders it on white?"

Recipe: Smothered Chicken w/Mushrooms

This recipe serves 4 people.

3 lb. frying chicken, in serving pieces
Salt & freshly ground pepper
¼ C olive or vegetable oil
1-1/2 C chopped onions
¼ C flour
2 C chicken broth
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
¼ C chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Wash the chicken pieces and pat dry.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a large heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the oil over high heat and brown the chicken pieces, turning when necessary.
Adjust the heat so that the chicken browns quickly but does not burn.
Transfer the chicken to a shallow casserole large enough to hold the chicken in one layer.
Add the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until they are soft and lightly colored.
Stir in the flour and mix it in well with a spoon.
Pour in the chicken broth and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Pour the sauce over the chicken in the casserole, cover tightly, and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Scatter the mushrooms over the chicken, re-cover and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
Sprinkle the parsley over the top and serve.

Recipe: Poached Chicken

This recipe serves 4 people.

Chicken prepared this way stays juicy and moist for salads and sandwiches.
The broth may be saved and used for stock, for boiling noodles or rice, or for poaching another chicken.

3-lb. chicken, whole
Salt

Wash the chicken with cold water.
Truss and place in a large saucepan.
Add water halfway up to the chicken, with ½ teaspoon salt for every quart of water used.
Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour, turning the chicken over once or twice during the cooking.
Cool the chicken in the broth and refrigerate until needed.

Recipe: Rhode Island Chicken

This recipe will serve 4 people.

3-lb chicken, whole
1 stalk celery with leaves, in 4 pieces
½ onion, sliced
1 t thyme, crumbed
½ t freshly ground pepper
3 parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 carrot, sliced
3 T butter
3 T flour
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 T lemon juice
Salt

Wash and truss the chicken.
Place it in a large saucepan and add water halfway up the chicken.
Add the celery, onion, thyme, pepper, parsley, bay leaf, and carrot.
Partially cover and simmer for 1 hour.
Remove the chicken and keep it warm in the oven.
Strain the broth, return it to the pan, and boil until reduced to 2 cups.
Melt the butter in a second saucepan.
Stir in the flour and cook, stirring 2-3 minutes until smooth.
Slowly add the reduced broth, stirring over low heat for 3-4 minutes more.
Little by little, add ½ cup of simmering sauce to the egg yolks, beating constantly.
Return the sauce-egg mixture to the sauce remaining in the pan, and cook 1 minute more.
Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and then add salt to taste.
Serve the sauce alongside the chicken.

Recipe: Chicken w/Dumplings

This recipe serves 6 people.

4-5 lb. chicken, in 8 pieces
2 carrots, sliced thin
2 stalks celery with leaves, sliced thin
1 large onion, chopped
1-1/2 t thyme, crumbled
½ t rosemary, crumbled
2 t salt
½ t freshly ground pepper


Feather Dumplings

1 C flour
½ C fresh bread crumbs
2 t baking powder
¾ t salt
1 egg, well beaten
2 T butter, melted
¼ C finely chopped onion
1/3 C milk
1 T finely minced parsley
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Rinse the chicken pieces, put them in a large pot with a cover, and cover with water.
Add the carrots, celery, onion, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Combine the flour, bread crumbs, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl, and stir to mix.
In another bowl lightly beat the egg, melted butter, onion, and milk together.
Stir into the dry ingredients to make a stiff batter.
Stir in the parsley and pepper.
When the chicken has simmered for 20 minutes, drop spoonfuls of dough on top of the bubbling broth.
Cover and steam for 20 minutes without lifting the cover.

Recipe: Corned Beef Pokies

1 12-oz. can corned beef
2 T prepared mustard
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 t prepared horseradish
½ C diced American cheese
6 hot dog rolls

Separate corned beef into small pieces.
Combine with mustard, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish and cheese.
Mix well; fill rolls with mixture.
Wrap each roll individually in aluminum foil.
Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until cheese melts.

Recipe: Brunswick Stew

This recipe will serve 6 people

A southern stew, originally made with squirrel or rabbit, that is traditionally long-cooked so that the vegetables become soft and the potatoes are cooked to a thickening paste.

4-5 lb. chicken, in quarters
Salt
1 C chopped canned or fresh tomatoes
2 onions, sliced thin
1 C green lima beans
3 potatoes, peeled & diced
1 C whole-kernel corn
1 t sugar
1/8 to ¼ t cayenne pepper

Rinse the pieces of chicken and put them into a large pot with 2 teaspoons salt and water to cover.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 40 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the broth, take the meat off the bones, and set aside.
Put the tomatoes, onions, lima beans, potatoes, corn, sugar, and cayenne pepper into the broth and boil gently for 30 minutes, covered.
Add the pieces of chicken and simmer for 10 minutes more, uncovered.
Taste and add cayenne pepper and more salt if needed.

Recipe: Chicken Parmesan

Will serve 4 people.

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 C freshly made bread crumbs
½ C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 lbs. skinned & boned chicken breasts
1/3 C flour
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 T lemon juice
¼ t nutmeg
1-1/2 C chopped cooked spinach, or 1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, cooked
4 T butter
2 T oil
1 C heavy cream

Mix the egg with 2 tablespoons water in a shallow bowl.
Combine the bread crumbs and cheese on a piece of wax paper.
Coat the chicken breasts with flour, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Dip them into the egg and then into the bread crumb-cheese mixture; set aside.
Add the lemon juice and nutmeg to the spinach and stir over low heat until it is warm.
Melt the butter and oil in a large skillet.
When it foams, add the chicken and sauté over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until just done.
Spread the spinach on a warm platter, place the chicken on top, and keep warm.
Remove all but 3 tablespoons of fat from the skillet.
Place it over high heat and add the cream.
Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the cream comes to a boil.
Spoon a little of this sauce over the chicken and spinach, and pour the rest into a serving bowl.

Recipe: Hot-and-Sour Soup

Makes 4 servings
Time: about 40 minutes

As taught to me many years ago by my good friend Peter Cheng, who made this daily for thirty years. All of the dried ingredients can be found in any Asian market and many supermarkets.

1 whole chicken breast, bone-in, about 1 lb, skin & excess fat removed
6 C chicken stock or water
5 dried lily buds, available at Asian markets
3 or 4 dried cloud ear or tree ear fungus, available at Asian markets
3 or 4 dried shiitake (sometimes labeled "black") mushrooms
½ lb soft or firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 T soy sauce
2 T rice or white vinegar
½ t freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
Salt to taste
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 T cornstarch mixed with 2 T water (optional)
1 T dark sesame oil
Minced scallions for garnish
Tabasco or other bottled hot sauce or hot sesame oil

Place the chicken and the stock together in a large, deep saucepan or casserole and turn the heat to high. When the stock or water boils, reduce the heat to medium-low and partially cover. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through. Meanwhile, soak the lily buds, fungus, and shiitakes in hot water to cover until soft, 10 to 15 minutes; if the water cools before the shiitakes soften, drain and add more hot water.
Remove the chicken and, as soon as it is cool enough to handle, strip the meat from the bones and chop it. Trim and shred the lily buds, trim and mince the fungus and mushrooms, and add all of this to the simmering broth. Return the chicken meat to the broth, along with the tofu, soy sauce, vinegar, and plenty of pepper---at least ½ teaspoon.
Taste and add more soy sauce, salt, pepper, and/or vinegar if necessary. Raise the heat a little bit and stir eggs into the soup, followed, if you like, by the cornstarch, which will thicken the already fairly thick mixture even more. Float the sesame oil on top of the soup, garnish, and serve, passing hot sauce or hot oil at the table.

What are the different types of olive oil ..

You can get confused between the different types of olive oil, so when you go to a store to get a bottle of olive oil, you will see a variety of types and colors and would certainly want more details. Here is an explanation of some of the typical varieties you might find.

Olive oils do not differ in the types or amount of fats they contain — all are pressed from tree-ripened olives. The differences lie mainly in the taste, aroma, and concentration of nutrients. Here's the breakdown:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil — This is the oil we recommend. It comes from the first pressing of the olives, so it's the least refined and therefore has the highest level of antioxidants. It's also the highest quality, most flavorful olive oil, with the lowest acid content.

Virgin Olive Oil — This comes from the second pressing of the olives and has an acidity of between one and three percent.

Light and Extra-light Olive Oil — This is simply a designation used by companies to market a less flavorful, more acidic type of oil. The term "light" means lighter in color and fragrance, not less fat or calories. These oils are generally between 90 and 95 percent refined olive oil and 5 to 10 percent virgin olive oil. They have had their color, taste, and fragrance removed by the refining process (using a chemical, usually hexane, and steam). This process also destroys the phytochemicals and antioxidants in the oil.

Recipe - Jingle Bell Fudge

12 ounces butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Combine butterscotch chips and peanut butter in top of double boiler. Place over, not boiling water until butterscotch melts; remove from water.

Stir until blended; add milk and stir just until blended.

Spread in foil-lined 8-inch square pan.

Press chopped nuts into surface, if desired, and chill until firm. Cut into 1-inch squares.

Recipe: Shrimp Soup w/Cumin

Makes 4 servings
Time: 45 minutes

1 to 1-1/4 lbs shrimp, shells on
5 C shrimp or chicken stock, or water
¼ C extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 thick slices French or Italian bread
1 t ground cumin
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Peel the shrimp and simmer the shells in a medium saucepan with the stock or water while you continue with the recipe.
Place the olive oil in a large, deep saucepan or casserole and turn the heat to medium. Add the garlic cloves and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are a very deep golden, almost brown, about 10 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.
Turn the heat to low and brown the bread in the oil on both sides, in batches if necessary; it will take about 5 minutes. Remove the slices and spread each with about ½ clove of the cooked garlic. Mince the remaining garlic.
Cut each of the shrimp into 3 or 4 pieces. Strain the warmed stock into the casserole, turn the heat to medium, and bring to a gentle boil. Add the shrimp, cumin, salt, and pepper, and cook over low heat for 3 or 4 minutes.
Place a piece of bread in each of four bowls, then ladle in a portion of soup with shrimp. Sprinkle with the minced garlic, garnish, and serve.

Joke: Rules For Thanksgiving Dinner At My House

(Print and give copy to each guest that enters your home.)

1. Don't get in line asking questions about the food. "Who made the potato salad? Is it egg in there? Are the greens fresh? Is the meat in the greens turkey or pork? Who made the macaroni and cheese? What kind of pie is that? Who made it? Ask one more question and I will punch you in your mouth, knocking out all your fronts so you won't be able to eat anything.

2. If you have kids under the age of twelve, I will escort their little butts to the basement and bring their food down to them. They are not gonna tear my house up this year. Tell them that they are not allowed upstairs until it's time for Uncle Butchie to start telling family stories about their mommas and papas. If they come upstairs for any reason except for that they are bleeding to death, I will tear their butts up and you better not ask why!

3. There is going to be one prayer for Thanksgiving dinner! JUST ONE! We do not care that you are thankful that your 13 year old daughter gave birth to a healthy baby or your nephew just got out of jail. The time limit for the prayer is one minute. If you are still talking after that one minute is up, you will feel something hard come across your lips and they will be swollen for approximately 20 minutes.

4. Finish everything on your plate before you go up for seconds! If you don't, you will be asked to stay your greedy butt home next year!

5. BRING YOUR OWN TUPPERWARE!! Don't let me catch you fixing yourself a plate in my good Tupperware knowing that I will never see it again! Furthermore, if you didn't bring anything over, don't let me catch you making a plate period or it will be a misunderstanding. And why are you making plates before you eat? You never bring a dish or offer a dime do you?

6. What you came with is what you should leave with!! Do not leave my house with anything that doesn't belong to you. EVERYBODY WILL BE SUBJECTED TO A BODY SEARCH COMING AND GOING OUT OF MY DOMAIN!!!

7. Do not leave your kids so you can go hopping from house to house. This is not a DAYCARE CENTER! There will be a kid-parent roll call every ten minutes. Any parent that is not present at the time of roll call, your child will be put outside until you come and get him or her. After 24 hours, I will call CPS!

8. BOOK YOUR HOTEL ROOM BEFORE YOU COME INTO TOWN!! There will be no sleeping over at my house! You are to come and eat dinner and go home or to your hotel room. EVERYBODY GETS KICKED OUT AT 11:00 pm. You will get a 15 minute warning bell ring.

9. Last but not least! ONE PLATE PER PERSON!! This is not a soup kitchen. I am not trying to feed your family until Christmas dinner! You will be supervised when you fix your plate. Anything over the appropriate amount will be charged to you before you leave. There will be a cash register at the door. Thanks to Cousin Alfred and his greedy family, we now have a credit card machine! So VISA and MASTERCARD are now being accepted. NO FOOD STAMPS OR ACCESS CARDS YET!

Cancer research: Soyabeans good for you

For a long time now, it has always been suggested that food items containing soyabeans are essential food items to be part of a regular diet, such as having soyabean milk, and so on. Now, a research points out that soyabeans contain chemicals with anti-oxidants that help the body against cardiovascular diseases and cancer (link to article):

Soybeans contain high levels of several health-beneficial compounds including tocopherols which have antioxidant properties and can be used in the treatment or prevention of heart disease and cancer. It has been suggested that all tocopherols could play a role in cardiovascular diseases and cancer prevention.

Health tip - Burberries help keep the brain fit

It is a normal situation, where the human mind gets more tired as the day progresses. So, as a person goes from morning to afternoon to evening, the person gets progressively loses the sharpness of mind, and attention. So, people try all sorts of mechanisms to retain that sharpness during the day, with coffee being one mechanism, getting some siesta or sleep during the day being another. Now, in some research, it is being found that Blueberries can play a vital role in ensuring that memory and concentration remains sharp many hours later. Now, once such a product comes into the market, it would be a hot seller (link to article)

Researchers found that a large helping of the fruit - described by some as nature’s ‘superfood’ - boosts concentration and memory up to five hours later. The study, reported at the British Science Festival, also claims that blueberry can help fight dementia in the long term. British scientists who made the discovery believe the antioxidants in blueberries stimulate the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain - and keep the mind fresh.
The results were repeated with another group of 40 volunteers, this time pensioners. He said that he was now concentrating on the long term effects of eating blueberries and particularly their effect on the hippocampus, the part of the brain related to memory.

Imagine, getting a product advertised as a natural, smooth, and tasty way to keep the brain refreshed. It would become a natural addition to offices and colleges all over.

Ad: Click Here to learn how to make your mind sharper!

The Sharp Brains Guide to Brain Fitness: 18 Interviews with Scientists, Practical Advice, and Product Reviews, to Keep Your Brain Sharp (Paperback)

Foods that make you feel full

The most important control on how much you eat is an internal signal of the body. At some point in your meal, you will start feeling full, and that is the point when most people will end the meal (exceptions are when somebody is really enjoying the meal and eats more than the 'full' feeling, or when they are on a diet and eat less than the 'full' feeling). People who are looking to maintain a good health or to lose weight find it critial to eat more food items that seem to make them feel full faster. Here is an article (link) that details 10 such food items:
Fatty fish
Citrus Fruits
Green Vegetables
Popcorn
Oatmeal
Almond and Walnuts
Low-fat dairy products
Beans
Whole Grains
Apples

For many of them, you would have already heard about these items being part of a good diet.

Ad: Click Here to learn how to burn fat and grow muscle!

Places to eat in Delhi: Breakfast @ Café Style, Noida

It was a relatively free Saturday today, after few last weekends, when we decided to have breakfast outside. We have thought about having breakfast out of home earlier as well but there were not enough (read good) options for that in Noida. In Dehli, there are better breakfast and brunch options for the weekends but traveling to them and that too empty-stomach is not a good thing to do for me:)

But I have read about this place in Sector 18 Noida, where they have good breakfast menu. So, we decided to check it today. The place is near Superstars and called 'Café Style'. It is a new joint but has received good reviews wherever I have read about it. It is quite laid-back, spacious and 'stylish'. The first thing that you notice on entering the place is the whole concept. The sofas are comfortable and the chairs are more than spacious. The place is spread in two floors and they have some outside sitting as well. They have some old artifacts (mostly from UK of 50s and 60s) spread across these sitting area - a 1954 scooter, a 1962 car and more.

Since we were there for breakfast, we decided to stick to their breakfast menu only. The breakfast menu is available from 8 AM to noon and has well thought variety. There is a Punjabi style breakfast (Alloo parantha along with curd, pickle, butter and tea), a Mumbai style breakfast (Pao Bhaji along with tea), an English style breakfast (three egg omelette of choice - masala, mushroom, cheese, toast, salad), an Obama style breakfast (bowl of cereals with milk, fruit salad, sausages, croissant and choice of juice) or just plain old cornflakes.

We order one Punjabi style breakfast and one English style breakfast. All the preparations were well done - paranthas were not oily at all and appropriately stuff, toast were properly 'toasted', omelette was also wonderful. And this all topped with masala tea was wonderful. Overall, we had a good experience. We did not go further than the breakfast menu - something left for next time.

Contact Information:-
Café Style
K-1, Dharam Palace,
Sector 18,
Noida
Ph. 0120-4548472

Is there a wrong time to eat ?

For long, people have been told that you should eat properly, eat at correct intervals, give enough time between dinner and when you go to sleep, and other such health tips. A lot of them get dis-regarded like many other health tips. However, research is showing that the time periods when you eat can have an effect on obesity / the tendency to put on weight. Such research would be very relevant to people who work hours where their food timings are unbalanced, such as people who get off a late shift, and then have to compress their dinner and sleep timings (link to article):

Late-night snackers are more likely to gain weight, research suggests. A team from Northwestern University, Illinois, found that when you eat, not just how you eat, could make a big difference. Scientists found that when mice ate at unusual hours, they put on twice as much weight, despite exercising and eating as much as others.
The findings may have implications for people worried about their weight.
"How or why a person gains weight is very complicated, but it is clearly not just calories in and calories out," said Fred Turek, from the Northwestern's Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology, where the research took place. The scientists now hope they can find out more about how the process works. It is thought that sleep, hormones and body temperature all play a part in how we gain weight.

Given that the study was carried out on mice (even though mice are the standard test bed for such research), it would take more research to see the applicability of such a study on humans. However, overall, eating on a regular pattern has always been claimed to be beneficial to health.

Ad: Click Here to learn about a Healthy Cookbook!

QBA, Connaught Place, New Delhi

Some months ago, in the heat of Delhi's summers, I was in the CP and surrounding area and was looking for some good place to eat. Due to vegetarian people in company, we wanted to go to a place having good enough vegetarian options. Initially thought about going to TGIF but then figured out that TGIF at CP is closed. So, we went to QBA, in the middle circle (or is it inner - CP always confuses me).

The entry is quite hidden which is usual with most of the place in CP. You would search for the entrance, which is toward the rear of the block. You start walking in the dingy looking, narrow alleyway, almost tempted to turn back. But suddenly you would see the reception at the ground floor. Once you reach to the restaurant through lift, you feel a calm and soothing atmosphere inside - especially when are coming from hot Delhi summer outside. The place is in cool blue interiors with two levels and a terrace for sitting. The first level is more like a lounge with sofa sitting plus bar area while the second level is more formal sitting. The terrace would be a nice sitting option in the winters - to eat food and talk while the crowd at CP running underneath.

Food is not at all good - just okay. Although we were looking for vegetarian place but QBA did not turned out to be one :). The prices are surely more than they should be. Although I was quite disturbed there by some socialite ladies discussing their families - mom-in-laws and all that (and disturbing our talks in between) but it was otherwise quite silent in the lunch time. They have live band in the evening which I have heard is also not very bad. We had very little food - mostly appetizers only.

I would certainly recommend the place to relax and enjoy rather than for the food. The sitting is relaxed, ambiance is cool and the space they have with them is awesome right there in the middle of CP.

Contact Information
QBA Restaurant & Bar
E-42/43, Inner Circle,
Connaught Place
New Delhi
Ph. 011-41512888

Mediterranean diet helps in the fight against diabetes

What is a Mediterranean diet ? It is a diet in which olive oil is used for cooking, where there is a lot of focus on fruits, fish, nuts, and used by people who live around the Mediterranean sea. For quite some time now, such a diet has been stated to be very good for health, it is low in carbohydrate, and has been shown to help against cancer in the past.
Now, recent research shows that such a diet helps in the fight against diabetes, ensuring that people with diabetes lose weight more easily than even those people on a low fat diet, and were also able to avoid taking medicines for blood sugar for longer (link to article):

Compared to people on a low-fat diet, those with type 2 diabetes who ate a Mediterranean diet lost more weight and went longer without blood-sugar-lowering medication, according to a study published this week in Annals of Internal Medicine. "A Mediterranean diet isn't a magic diet, but it has a lot of features that we know are generally healthful," said Dr. Richard Hellman, an endocrinologist and clinical professor of medicine at the University of Missouri -- Kansas City School of Medicine, who was not involved in the research.
A Mediterranean diet includes vegetables, whole grains, fish, poultry, and healthy fats, such as olive oil. In the study, women on the diet were allowed 1,500 calories per day, and men were allowed 1,800 calories per day; no more than 50 percent of calories could come from carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are found in fruit, pasta, and other healthy (and unhealthy) foods, and are largely responsible for the rise in blood sugar after eating. People with type 2 diabetes can sometimes keep their blood sugar in a healthy range by watching their carbohydrate intake.

Being able to keep your diabetes under check through diet and exercise is something that every diabtes afflicted person would really desire, so if it means diet control, that should be an option that people should be willing to consider.