Umazon Blog

Dried, fruits, nuts, oatmeal and spices are my favorite ingredients for healthful desserts and snacks to satisfy the sweet tooth. You can vary these recipes endlessly by using different fruits and nuts.

Oatmeal Bars
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup powdered (dry) skim milk
1/2 cup Splenda (or use the sweetener of your choice, to taste)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 cups applesauce (or use 1 cup of applesauce and 1 cup canned crushed pineapple)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together. Pat into a non-stick 9×13″ baking pan. Bake about 20 minutes, or until a little brown on top. Let cool slightly and cut into bars, then cool completely before removing from the pan.

Yield: about 16 bars

You can make many variations of this basic recipe with other fruits, nuts, and 2 cups of any moist, sweet ingredient such as apple butter, fruit puree and so forth. For another delicious version try:

Mango-Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars
2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup powdered (dry) skim milk
1 cup bottled mango sauce (Trader Joe’s brand)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons buttermilk, milk or yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together. Pat into a non-stick 9×13″ baking pan (spray with Pam or line with foil if desired). Bake about 20 minutes, or until a little brown on top. Let cool slightly and cut into bars, then cool completely before removing from the pan.

Yield: about 16 bars

Fruity Pebbles
3 cups mixed dried fruits
1 cup finely chopped pecans
grated rind of 1 lemon
cup toasted wheat germ, plus more for rolling
teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons chocolate-orange liqueur (optional)

Chop the fruits in a food processor to blend. (If they are very dry, soak them in some water for several hours or steam them in a countertop steamer for about 15 minutes. Drain.) Combine the fruit mixture with the remaining ingredients. Shape into small (”) balls and roll in additional toasted wheat germ. If you have extra nuts, you can use finely ground pecans for rolling instead of wheat germ.

Yield: 40-50 small balls

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Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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Pinot Noir is a variety of red grape used to make wines. Although Pinot Noir has great popularity but it is very hard to cultivate and process in wineries. The wine lovers across the world have some passion for this grape.

This particular grape is being cultivated from ancient age. Its name was Helvenacia Minor in the ancient Roman era and it was used for wine making. Pinot Noir is harvested around the world with several alias names, such as Blauburgunder in Austria, Burgundac in Yugoslavia, Clevner in Switzerland, Sptburgunder in Germany etc.

Pinot Noir achieves reputation so much that it is harvested in France over two-mile-wide, thirty-mile-long stretch of hills, called the Slope of Gold.

Pinot Noir makes an ever-lasting effect on the wine lovers’ memory. Its flavour is very complex and it is very rich in texture. Sometimes cinnamon, sassafras, or mint is added to make it spicier than any other red wines. It is rich but not heavy or acidic in texture. The alcohol level is high in this wine. It is not tannic. The most attractive quality is the soft, silky taste of pinot Noir. It can be preserved in bottles for five to eight years after vintage.

The Pinot Noir leaves are smaller than cabernet sauvignon leaves and larger than Syrah leaves. The grape berries are small and cylindrical. It is believed that this grape is named after its pine cone-like shape. This grape variety is very sensitive in the vineyards and wineries as well. It is very low yielding and thin skinned, which causes fungal infection and branch rot. In wineries, this grape needs a delicate fermentation with yeast strains. Due to these reasons, Pinot Noir is supposed to be made by the evil whereas Cabernet Sauvignon is supposed to be made by god.

The wine tasters sometimes get confused by the wide areas of flavours, bouquets, aroma derived by the Pinot Noir. The Pinot Noir wines’ colour is lighter than other red wines as it has low counts of red pigments for its thin skin.

It is blended with Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier to make Sparkling Wines like Champagne. Pinot Gris, pinot Blanc and pinot meunier are the members of Pinot Noir family. Pinot Noir tends to mutation and as a result almost 50 clones of it are vastly used in France.

Pinot Noir is crossed with Cinsaut, a South African grape variety, to develop an exclusive type of grape called Pinotage.

Abhijit Dey for http://www.buy-california-wine-online.com
Read more about Wines http://www.buy-california-wine-online.com/by_type0527.html
Copyright 2006 http://www.buy-california-wine-online.com

You will find hereunder 6 different baking tips that will allow
you to solve easily some problems that erase when you want to
start baking cookies. The tips have been arranged with subtitles
for an easier reading and understanding.

Make Chewy Cookies

The secret in making any cookie recipe into a soft and chewy
cookie is to use Butter flavored Crisco instead of butter. If
you want a crispy cookie use butter. Another trick to have
chewier cookies is to cut your baking time by about 2 minutes
(baked at the temperature stated on the recipe. Your cookies
should be baked through but not yet crispy. You can also reduce
your oven temperature by 25 degrees and bake for the time stated
on the recipe. Always bake one batch according to the recipe the
first time you try a new recipe and then make the adjustments
based on how it came out. Make a note of your changes and keep
your “customized” recipe for the next time.

Baking Soda or Baking Powder ?

Baking powder is alkaline and needs to be mixed with acidic
ingredients in order to react. Baking powder is baking soda with
an added acidic ingredient, usually cream of tartar. In cookies,
baking soda tends to make them spread out more and baking powder
tends to make them rise and become puffy or more cake-like. If
your recipe calls for baking soda, simply try to reduce it a
bit.

Make Chilled Dough for Better Results

Make sure the dough is chilled and the baking sheets are cool
before putting them in the oven. Otherwise the fat in the
cookies will melt too soon, resulting in flat cookies regardless
of the leavener you are using. Note that vegetable shortening
(e.g. Crisco) melts a higher temperature than butter. You can
try then to substitute half the butter with Crisco.

Beware of nutritional information

You might one day read a recipe that has, for example, 2 sticks
of margarine or butter. The nutritional information will read
‘0′ cholesterol. Why so? It is because the nutritional for
recipes are calculated using the first ingredient when two
ingredients are given. For example, when it says “margarine or
butter”, the nutritional are calculated using margarine. If
butter were listed first, it would be calculated using butter.

Dark or Shiny Pan?

Remember the darker the finish on the pan, the faster the sheet
will heat and the longer it will hold the heat. The shinier the
pan you use, the longer it will take to heat up. Dark absorbs
heat, so your bottoms will be done more quickly then the tops or
centers. By the time your tops and centers are baked, your
bottoms will be crispy if not downright burnt. Shiny reflects
heat and your cookies will bake more evenly.

How many trays in the oven?

Don’t try to crowd too many cookie sheets into your oven at
once.. Your best results will be one tray at a time on the
middle rack of the oven with plenty of room for the warm air to
circulate around the tray. Don’t keep opening your oven to peek.
Every time you do that, you loose warmth and your oven will have
to struggle to maintain the correct temperature.

The tips and answers that you just have read will give you a
better reason to start cooking your own cookies at home. You
will find all possible recipes in the various articles that are
n the author’s website. Before baking your cookies check the
website for new recipes and ideas.

Using proper food storage is very important to your health and your family’s health. It is up to you to provide proper storage solutions for every type of food that comes into your home. This is no easy task. If you plan to store large amounts of food, you need to have the room. It is also important to realize that foods go bad quite easily and quickly. Taking the time to find the right solution to your food storage needs can even help you save money.

Purchasing And Storing

It is quite important for you to purchase foods that are in good condition especially if you will have them in your home for a long period of time. This is especially true for foods that will not last for long, such as fruits and vegetables that are purchased fresh.

But, you can also package them to keep them lasting longer. For example, fresh produce such as vegetables and fruits can be canned or purchased and placed into a vacuum sealing to keep them fresh much longer.

For meats, it is important to use them within their date or to freeze them. You should freeze them properly without defrosting them more than once to use. You can also use a vacuum sealer to do this work as well.

Having Enough Room

One of the biggest problems that many have when it comes to food storage is that it is hard to find enough room in our kitchen cabinets for the products that we purchase. In order to have enough room, you can think outside the box. Using your fridge and freezer effectively is one thing. You can store canned goods in boxes in a cool location as well. You can add bins or containers to your kitchen as well.

Using proper food storage means keeping everyone happy and healthy!

For more information please see www.food-storage-shack.co.uk