Beer is loved universally. Go to any baseball game, family picnic, or casual party and what do you see immediately? Happy people, talking and playing, holding cold, frosty mugs of brew. The enjoyment of beer crosses all gender and age lines, from 20 Somethings all the way to the retirement years.
Here is some beer trivia to enjoy as you drink your next beer. Cheers!
Germany serves beer ice cream in popsicle form. Its alcoholic content is less than that found in “classic” beer.
In 1962, Iron City beer was the brand used to test-market the concept of tab opening aluminum cans. By 1970, over 90% of all beer cans were self-opening.
Prohibition, beginning on January 16, 1920, lasted 13 years, 10 months, 19 days, 17 hours, and 32-1/2 minutes, and was rescinded on December 5, 1933, at 3:32 p.m.
Centuries ago in England, pub visitors used a novel innovation that enabled them to get their beer served quickly. They used mugs with a whistle baked into the rim, the whistle being used to summon the barmaid. It has been suggested this practice gave birth to the phrase “wet your whistle.”
A beer lover or enthusiast is called a cerevisaphile.
During the European Middle Ages and the Renaissance, beer was often a nutritional necessity and was sometimes used in a medicinal setting. It could be flavored with almost anything, from the bark of fir trees to fresh eggs and thyme. Everyone drank beer, including children.
President Theodore Roosevelt took more than 500 gallons of beer with him on an African safari. Must have been thirsty work.
Most saloons were owned by the breweries by the 1900s. The bartenders earned $10 to $15 per week, with Sunday bringing in the most business.
There is an Egyptian beer, called bousa, that is brewed from millet and has been a favorite drink of many for over 3,000 years. Modern Ethiopia has a version made from wheat. It has been hypothesized that this might have been the origin for the word “booze.” Other spellings used are boza, bouza, and booza. Take your pick.
Terry Kaufman is Chief Editorial Writer for niftyhomebar.com/” target=”_blank Niftyhomebar.com and niftygarden.com/” target=”_blank Niftygarden.com. For much more on stocking and entertaining at your home bar, see niftyhomebar.com/site/372135/page/823540″ target=”_blank Niftyhomebar.com Tips on Tending Your Home Bar.
We’ve seen Geoffrey’s a million times while driving up and down the Pacific Coast Highway. It is just South of Zuma beach on the West side of the road. For some reason we though it would be way beyond our reach financially. I guess it would have been too easy to call them up and ask for the prices. For this special occasion we finally decided to try this landmark (or so to speak). We made sure to get reservations in advance ….
Traffic from LA on this Friday evening was surprisingly light. We cruised through Malibu and arrived at the restaurant. There is free parking on the street, though a bit dangerous since cars whiz by at high speeds. We risked it and survived. Our table was very nice, right at the edge of the terrace, overlooking the Pacific. An amazing view and a certain serenity. It is a bit weird to see other people’s homes right below, but we were mesmerized by the ocean (as always) and never noticed that fact beyond that initial notice. Service was excellent at Geoffrey’s. Our server was informative, courteous, quick, polite and not overwhelming. Starter bread was really good and we had several servings. Our meal included a few glasses of Chardonnay, lobster bisque, lobster bruschetta, garden salad and the mussels. Even though the salad was not on the menu we were pleased with the offer to make us one. Lobster bisque and the mussels were very good. Salad was solid, as was the bruschetta. The meal was complimented wonderfully by the sunset and a quiet and pleasant atmosphere …. Ice cream with their signature chocolate topping ended it wonderfully.
Appetizers were in the teens and main dishes mostly in the mid-twenties (prices). This is not much higher than in most dinner destinations in Los Angeles. A perfect restaurant for a special occasion. We will definitely go back and enjoy the food and the surroundings. Recommended indeed …
Geoffrey’s Malibu
27400 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90265
T. 310.457.1519
Michael Philip is a contributor for the SeeTheGlobe.com SeeTheGlobe.com web site. SeeTheGlobe.com SeeTheGlobe.com is a travel information web site and community. Reviews of restaurants, hotels, airlines and other travel resources are provided from first hand accounts.
For some time now, debates continue on the health benefits of coffee. There are a variety of studies which found that indulging on certain amounts of coffee causes high blood pressure, heart ailments and even ulcers.
On the other hand, there have been an almost equal number of researches that proved the health benefits of drinking coffee. Let’s look more closely at the benefits.
Recent medical findings have shown that regular consumption of coffee reduces the risk of Parkinson’s, diabetes, and even lowers the risk of having colon cancer.
And it seems that the high caffeine content of coffee is the one responsible for all these. The development of Parkinson’s for one has been found out to be indirectly correlated to the intake of caffeine. The more you take in caffeine, the less the risk you developing the disease. The same goes with type 2 diabetes.
As more studies are being conducted, the more they are moving towards making their studies conclusive, without any doubts whatsoever. It has been found that taking two cups of coffee a day can reduce the risk of developing colon cancer by as low as 25 percent.
Also an 80% drop in the risk of having liver cirrhosis was observed in people who drink at least 2 cups of coffee on a daily basis.
The antioxidants found in the coffee appear to be the ones responsible for reducing the chances of developing such diseases. It seems that the antioxidants control the growth of the cells of these diseases.
Also, antioxidants are great sources of chlorogenic acid which have been found to be able to reduce glucose concentrations in one’s body.
However, one important factor in all these studies is the quantity of coffee consumption. They have found a number of benefits from drinking a cup or two per day.
However, some of the benefits disappear once the individual drinks more than two cups of coffee in a day. The more you drink, the less benefits you will get.
Aside from the antioxidant contents, coffee’s caffeine also has some great effects on our body. Recent research from the University of Bristol found out that the caffeine influences our cognition and mood.
According to the study, caffeine from coffee can increase alertness and performance thus increasing one’s productivity especially in the workplace.
Still, coffee does have some not so good effects. Caffeine contains a mild addictive stimulant, coffee itself can cause an increase heart rate as well as an increased blood pressure. But as always, the key is moderation.
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This is a great summer recipe for cooking on the grill. You can use chicken, pork or lamb, whatever your preference. Our personal favorite is pork tenderloin, cubed and marinated at least over night but a full 24 hours leads to a very tender morsel. You can vary the marinade ingredients, according to your own taste. We usually add more garlic, because we are real fans of a lot of garlic flavor.
1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 t salt
1 t black pepper
1 T fresh mint, chopped
1 T fresh oregano, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs meat (pork or chicken or lamb)
wooden skewers, soaked in water at least 30 minutes
Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces and put into a ziplock bag to marinade overnight. Drain and skewer meat onto wooden skewers. Cook on hot grill turning until lightly browned on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with tzatziki sauce on pita bread adding tomato and lettuce, or alternatively, serve as a meat topping to a Greek Salad. This option is particularly good with marinaded chicken souvlaki.
Note: you can also stir fry the meat or cook it on a sheet pan in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes.
Anyone, even if one does not admit it is sure to posses a sweet tooth. Now, who would not want a cake?
Cake is the product when you combine primary ingredients such as flour, leavening agent, liquid, sweetening, eggs and flavorings and cook it by means of an oven.
Apparently, there are hundreds of cake recipes that we now enjoy. Many appear in bread-like forms while some appear more like sweet treats such as biscuits and cookies. And there are those that are elaborately decorated. Some cakes were just recently developed and some had been satisfying human taste buds for centuries now.
Though many innovations and techniques have provided lesser difficulties in baking cakes, we still cannot deny that there are procedures and methods that we cannot perfect. And these, though they seem to be only parts of a comprehensive process are essential in the completion of a good cake from a not so good one.
In this article, we have prepared tips that will help enhance the cake recipes that you are following. However, these are intended to apply only for general cases.
Preheating is essential in the majority of all cake recipes. In general, we follow a 12 to 15 minutes preheating time. If the heat of your oven is questionable, please invest on a device that would provide you more exact temperature (as indicated in the cake recipe). Since any alteration on the prescribed temperature may cause slight imperfections on your product.
The usual problem that any novice may face after baking is the difficult release of the cakes from the pan. This can be solved by greasing the cake pan first by means of shortening. Greasing must cover the entire surface to be followed by dusting flour. Knock any excess flour.
In most cases, 1 tablespoon of fat or solid vegetable shortening will do. If a pastry brush is available, you can make use of this to even out the spreading of the shortening.
For chocolate cake recipes however, you may use cocoa powder as substitute for the flour in dusting the pans.
If you still find trouble with this method, you can use a cutout wax paper that would fit the pan. However, you must still grease the pan including the wax or parchment paper and coat them with flour.
To avoid uneven baking, avoid putting too much batter into the pan and never crowd a single part of the oven. Cake pans must always be placed in the middle rack so as to receive even heat. These must not touch each other’s side nor should they touch the sides of the oven. Otherwise, premature baking may occur. It would be good if you use shiny pans as they would help conserve heat.
Although the cake recipe may indicate the exact temperature, it is a rule of thumb to decrease 25 degrees Celsius from the heat if you are making use of glass pans.
In the absence of an 18-inch square pan however, a good alternative would be a round one or 2 8 X 4-inch loaf pans.
Before the cooking duration ends, see to it that doneness of the cakes is checked prior to the removal of the pans from the oven. For verification, check the sides of the cake for they must now pull away slightly from the pan or make use of a toothpick or cake tester.
With these being said, you are assured that you are one step closer to the perfection of your cake recipe.
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Just as Jack o’ Lanterns can inspire laughter, the heebie-jeebies, or a round of "Trick or Treat!" so can your sculpted Jack o’ Lantern cakes!
If you’re new to cake decorating or cake sculpting, you’ll find the Jack O’ Lantern cake is fun and easy. And, if you’re already experienced, you will have all the more fun by adding intricate details. Either way, this Jack o’ Lantern Halloween cake is sure to light up faces at your next Halloween party.
Jack o’ Lantern Cake Instructions
Before you whip up a batch of buttercream, take out a piece of paper and sketch some Jack o’ Lantern faces. If you have kids at the house, enlist their help. Searching “Google Images” for Jack o’ Lantern will also deliver lots of ideas. Once you’ve narrowed down your favorites to a final selection, practice drawing it to make the piping easier.
Ready? Here we go!
1. Bake 2 Bundt cakes. Coincidentally, pumpkin works like a charm for a Halloween sculpture cake because of its firmness (see recipe below). Butter cake works well too.
2. After releasing and cooling the 2 cakes, level the bottoms.
3. Ice the bottoms with orange buttercream (non crusting is best for this project). Place one upsidedown, and the other on top, so the iced bottoms fit together.
4. Now, cover the cake with orange buttercream. As you smooth your icing, you can work with the natural indentions left by the Bundt pans that mimic the vertical lines on a real pumpkin.
5. Using the orange buttercream, pipe the outlines of the facial features. If you make a mistake, just smooth it and start over. 5. Now for the fun part! Here are a few ideas for creating the details of your Jack o’ Lantern’s face.
a. Fit an icing bag with a small star tip and fill with chocolate buttercream. Fill in the eyes, nose and gaps between the teeth.
b. After completing the step above, add details such as pupils to the eyes with icing candies, like M&M’s and black licorice.
c. To make your Jack o’ Lantern glow, use yellow gel instead of chocolate buttercream (remember not to cover the teeth and other places that would be left intact in a real Jack o’ Lantern).
d. Instead of piping facial features, bring Jack to life by modeling eyes, nose, teeth and any other features you want to add (eyebrows?) with rolled butterceam icing or marzipan.
Just like a real Jack O’ Lantern your Bundt o’ Lantern will have a hole in the top. Here are a few ways you can put the lid on Jack.
a. Cover an ice cream cone with green or chocolate buttercream and using icing, adhere this upside down over the hole in the top. Then using a large leaf tip, pipe a few green leaves around the top.
b. Model the stem and leaves with rolled buttercream.
c. Save just enough batter from the recipe below to make a cupcake. Trim it for the stem shape you want and adhere with icing to the top.
And here’s your pumpkin cake recipe!
Halloween Pumpkin Cake
Note: This pumpkin cake makes a great treat for grown-ups too, and it’s even more devilishly delicious with a buttercream and chopped nuts icing.
4 cups canned pumpkin
6 cups sugar
2 cup vegetable oil
6 eggs
6 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour 2 10-inch Bundt pans. Blend the pumpkin, sugar, oil, and eggs. Sift remaining ingredients into a separate bowl. Mixing as you add it, spoon the pumpkin mixture into the dry mixture. Blend well. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middles comes out clean (around an hour and 15 minutes). Allow cakes to cool in pans for 5 minutes. Release, and after completely cooled, decorate.
Serving Tip: This is even better tasting and easier to work with after mellowing overnight, covered in the refrigerator.
The Homemade Pumpkin Cake recipe is adapted from "Cake Decorating Made Easy!" Here’s what one reader wrote about our Video Books:
"Incomparable! I’ve not opened my other books now that I have yours…don’t decorate another cake until you’ve seen these Video Books!"
Pia, Lynnwood, WA
Last but not least, here’s one more tip. The quantity of liquid food coloring needed to concoct Halloween brown and black will bring a bitter flavor to your buttercream. Here’s what you can do to keep the ghoulish elements in the design and out of the icing:
• Instead of liquid food coloring, opt for the more intense gel or paste forms. Can’t find these locally? Try candylandcrafts.com” target=”_blank www.CandyLandCrafts.com
• Use chocolate for brown and start with dark chocolate for black (and you won’t need as much black food coloring).
• Skip the chocolate and food colorings, and use instead candy and cookies. String black licorice works great for outlining. Crush, dark chocolate cookies or crumble dark chocolate cake to use to fill in large areas, like around Jack’s teeth.
Happy Halloween Cake Making!
If cake decorating sometimes feels more like a trick than a treat, sign up for our free newsletter at CakeAnswers.com CakeAnswers.com and receive devilishly delightful cake decorating tips, along with step by step videos (from the “Cake Decorating Made Easy!” Video Books).
For members of Alcoholics Anonymous, absolute alcohol sobriety is a must. But, for many of us absolute alcohol sobriety is a choice we make for all sorts of reasons.
Health issues tend to be the prime motivation for maintaining absolute alcohol sobriety. Alcohol does not mix well with pregnancy, diabetes, high blood pressure to name but a few. There are also the psychological problems that are worsened by alcohol consumption and for which absolute alcohol sobriety is desirable.
Achieving absolute alcohol sobriety can be challenging as drinking can become a habit if not an addiction. The occasional drinker may well be able to get to the point where they can achieve absolute alcohol sobriety without any help from outside sources. Others may need more help.
Alcoholism is an issue made worse by the fact that societies’ acceptance of the use of alcohol actually hides the problem. It can be incredibly difficult for anyone with an alcohol problem to achieve absolute alcohol sobriety.
For someone with an alcohol problem they need the help and support of family and friends to get to a point where they can say they have reached absolute alcohol sobriety. For those supporting someone on the road to becoming dry, there is a need for information on the best way to help and support the alcoholic on their journey.
On-line courses offer reliable, available help to anyone wanting to achieve absolute alcohol sobriety. It is a discrete way of getting the help and support and alcoholic needs and it is available when required.
There are basic steps you can take to help you achieve absolute alcohol sobriety. The most important one is to seek help and to get support. Next stay away from situations where you will be challenged by the availability of alcohol. Keep busy but avoid stressful situations.
You don’t have to go it alone to give up alcohol – there are resources available to help you.
If you’re looking to take control of your alcohol cravings or quit drinking altogether, there is a Step-By-Step resource available.
thecomputerguynetwork.com/info/Control-Your-Drinking-Today.htm Click here to find out how you can take control of your life in a matter of a few short minutes
– Always oil the meat, not the pan.
– Remove any excess oil and wipe off any marinading herbs as they will burn.
– Heat the pan as high as you can – don’t use a non-stick pan as you can’t heat it high enough without the possibility of it giving off fumes. Use a cast-iron skillet but don’t oil it. (If you use a stainless steel frying pan, you have no choice but to oil it lightly, as it will stick otherwise. However, you will find that the smoke goes everywhere.)
– If you want your steak rare, cook it over high heat to an internal temperature of 50ºC, then take it out of the pan and leave it to rest covered and measure the internal temperature with a meat thermometer again after 5-10 minutes and after that, until it reaches 60ºC. If you cook it to 60ºC in the pan, the meat will continue to cook after that and you will end up with medium-rare meat.
– For medium, cook the steak until it reaches an internal temperature of 61ºC and leave it to rest, covered, until the thermometer reaches 71ºC.
– For well done, take it off the pan at 67ºC and leave it to rest until it reaches 77ºC.
– If you find it does not reach the required temperature, just pop it back in the pan and sear it again on both sides quickly. Then take it off, cover it, let it rest and measure the temperature again.
– It is very important when you are cooking meat that you sear all sides of the meat. Just lift the meat up with a tongs and hold the edge of the meat against the pan until it is browned.
Testing done-ness by touch
– You can also test the doneness of meat with your fingertip. If the steak is rare, it will feel fleshy. As it turns to medium-rare you will see droplets of bloody juice appearing on the surface.
– When it reaches medium-rare, the surface will ’spring’ back when you touch it. The juices emerging will still be red.
– Medium-done meat is firm, and the juices are pink.
– Medium-well-done meat feels more sturdy, firmer to the touch and the juices are brown and pink.
– Well-done meat has a hard surface, and doesn’t spring back. The juices that come out will be brown.
Anne Kennedy is a food writer, based in Ireland, who just loves food. She thinks there is nothing better than a rare steak served with french fries and mustard, her absolute favourite meal when she visits Paris. Thankfully she is the Managing Editor of a food and wine website, greatfood.ie greatfood.ie so she gets to cook it quite a lot, especially when she is testing a recipe or a cooking method. (After all, you can never be quite sure!)
The peppermint cookie recipe has a rich flavor and a great looking pink glaze. A great way to use up all those leftover candy canes!
Ingredients
Cookie:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1-2 tablespoons milk
2-3 drops red food coloring
peppermint candy canes, crushed
Hardware
Large bowl
Medium bowl
Cookie sheets
Plastic wrap
Mixer
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, and peppermint extract. With an electric mixer, beat at medium speed until creamy.
Step 2: Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour and cornstarch, beat until well mixed.
Step 3: Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (30-60 minutes).
Step 4: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 5: Shape dough into teaspoon size balls. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Step 6: Bake 12-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand 1 minute; transfer cookies to cooling surface.
Glaze:
Step 1: In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, peppermint extract, and enough milk for desired glazing consistency.
Step 2: Stir in a few drops of red food coloring. Drizzle over cookies.
Step 3: While glaze is sticky sprinkle with crushed candy cane pieces.
Makes 30 cookies.
For more information on baking procedures and hardware used in this recipe see our Baking Tips section.
Important: Feel free to republish this article on your website. However, you are not allowed to modify any part of its content and all links should be kept active.
For more great Christmas cookie recipes visit kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/christmas-cookie-recipes.html kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/christmas-cookie-recipes.html
For some great tasting biscotti recipes visit kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/biscotti-recipes.html kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/biscotti-recipes.html
For cookie baking tips and a wide selection of recipes visit kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/ kicked-up-cookie-recipes.com/
Simple and quick! These sweet treats are especially great for Valentines Day!
1. Celebration Cake — EASY, EASY! Looks beautiful and NO cooking at all!
You’ll need: 1 prepared angel food cake, 1 can pie filling and 1 tub prepared cream cheese frosting. Place cake on a cake plate. Frost it! Pour the pie filling in the hole in the middle of the cake. Serve slices of the cake topped with some pie filling. Decorate with added coconut, nuts, or candies! Cherry pie filling is perfect for Valentines Day!
2. Love Cakes — Extremely beautiful, yet simple to make!
NO cooking! You’ll need 1 prepared pound cake, 1 tub prepared vanilla frosting, some red food coloring, 1 tube chocolate decorative frosting with a plain tip for writing, 1 (14 oz) bag M&M’S Milk Chocolate Candies for Valentine’s Day.
Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper and top with a wire cooling rack; set aside. Cut pound cake into 1-inch thick slices. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cake using cookie cutter. Place the heart-shaped cake pieces
on the wire cooling rack. Spoon 1/4 cup of vanilla frosting into a zipper-seal plastic bag and set aside. Tint the remaining frosting to a light shade of pink using food color and spoon it into a glass-measuring cup. Heat the pink frosting in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds, or until it can be poured. DO NOT OVERHEAT. Pour the pink frosting over the heart-shaped cake pieces, covering the tops and the sides. Reuse the drippings and reheat, if necessary.
Refrigerate until set (about 30 minutes). Fill a zipper-seal plastic bag with frosting, then snip a tiny corner of the bag and use it to pipe lacy designs on the tops and sides of the heart-shaped cake pieces. Add candies to make different designs, then pipe messages on the tops with the decorative chocolate frosting.
3. Flavorageous Crispy Treats — Kid Tested!
5 T butter or margarine
9 C miniature marshmallows (16 oz)
1 envelope Kool-Aid, any flavor**
9 C Crispy rice cereal
Grease a 10×15x1″ pan. Melt butter; about 45 seconds on high in the microwave. Add marshmallows; toss to coat with butter. Microwave on high 2 1/2 minutes or until smooth; stirring every minute. Stir in drink mix. Immediately add cereal, mix lightly until well coated. Using greased spatula or wax paper, press into prepared pan. Cool. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters or cut into squares.
**Favorite Kool-Aid Flavors are Fruit Punch and Cherry
Leslie Sausage lives with her husband in rural Texas. She is the mom of four grown children, a freelance writer and an elementary school teacher! She is the author of several eBooks. For creative, practical and fun ideas please visit her web site at heart4home.net heart4home.net
