yeah thats it..this blog is all about good food and great beverages, and the most important thing is that i put lots of easy recipes in this blog! i'm gonna update this blog with new recipe every week so be patient okay, because good food need patient too... =)

Feb 18, 2008

easy recipes : omelete rice

This is one of my favorite food. Why? Simply because its tasty and so easy to make. This one is truly an easy recipe. The ingredients is so simple too, I believe you can find it all in your kitchen. I saw many restaurant in Japan served this dish, and they decorate this dish so beautifully make it so appetizing and tasty. But if you can’t decorate the dish don’t worry, I believe its still taste delicious. Enough talking, start cooking !
The ingredients :
- 2 eggs
- Salt
- Pepper
- Onions
- Soy sauce
- Teriyaki sauce
- Ketchup
- Olive oil
- White rice, you must make sure that the rice is cold

How to make it :
- put olive oil on the frying pan
- chop some onions, when the oil become hot put the onions that have been chop into it
do this for about 5 minutes
- stir the two eggs in a bowl, put some salt, pepper, ketchup, and teriyaki sauce
- add this into the onions

- in the different frying pan put some olive oil
- after the oil get hot, put the rice into it
- put some salt, pepper, teriyaki sauce, ketchup, and soy sauce
mixed it well
- after all the rice covered with the spices put it into the omelete
- wrap the rice with the omelete, so it will looks like a football ball
- put some ketchup on top of the omelete
- served it while its still hot

Enjoy !

Feb 6, 2008

Satay recipes

hay hay... this week i'm gonna give you a recipes one of my favorites food, SATAY!!
yes i loved this food! its a barbeque grill chicken meat or lamb meat or beef with additional peanut sauce! believe me, its so delicious! so i recommended this food for you to try it..

Ingredients :
1 lb. meat- chicken, beef or pork
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup shallots
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 inch piece turmeric root
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon cooking oil
and about 35 bamboo sticks

How to make it :
Cut meat into small thin pieces.
Grind together until very fine: shallots, garlic, coriander seeds, cumin seeds & turmeric.
Combine ground spices with salt & sugar.
Season meat with the ground spices and let marinate.
When you are ready to grill soak the bamboo sticks in water so they won't burn, skewer the meat with the sticks, don't overcrowd.Grill satay sticks over a charcoal fire (barbecue grill), basting occasionally with evaporated milk combined with oil. Or, for the brush, use the head of lemon grass, smash and flatten to resemble a brush

And now the peanut sauce...
Ingredients :
8 dried chillies (soaked until soft). Remove the seeds if you do not like it too hot.
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup shallots
4 candle-nuts or substitute with macadamia nuts.
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 cup peanuts (finely ground)
1/4 cup thin tamarind juice ( get the tamarind paste, add a little warm water and squeeze the juice, strain)
1/4 cup evaporated milk diluted with 1 cup water.
1 tablespoon sugar
salt to taste

How to make it :
Grind together until very fine: chillies, garlic, shallots & candle-nuts.
In a wok or saucepan, fry ground ingredients in hot oil for 5 minutes.
Stir in ground peanuts and tamarind juice.
Bring to the boil.
Add diluted milk and salt to taste and bring to the boil again.
Serve with satay

Is My Wine Real

Is My Wine Real by: Kenneth J McCormick
There are a lot of counterfeit items in this world. Just to mention a few, there is counterfeit money, counterfeit credit cards, counterfeit identities and from what I have been hearing lately about some of the Chinese cars, there may be some counterfeit cars also. When one tends to think of counterfeit items, I really don't think they give much thought to counterfeit wine. I know that I certainly don't give wine much of a thought, but on the other hand I am not a wine drinker so I can't speak for them. I was very surprised to learn that there are quite a few bottles of counterfeit wine on the market. I really shouldn't have been, because some of the really old bottles are worth quite a bit of money and when money is involved so is crime. I have to wonder though, if somebody plops down a couple of thousand dollars for a rare wine and he and his friends drink it, if most people ever really know the difference? I just have to wonder how many people have done this? The reason that I told you that I don't drink wine is that I don't want you to think that this article is being written from the point of view of a wine expert, since I am anything but. I just wanted to clear that point up. I was reading about wines the other day without really knowing why? In the article it talked about counterfeit wines and called them Château Faux. For some reason I felt that this was kind of intriguing. We all know about the big problems with Chinese imports that we have been experiencing, but how many people know that counterfeiting wine is also a big industry in China? Some of the wine bottles from as recently as 20 years ago are no longer manufactured the same way. In order to counterfeit some of these wines from that time, most counterfeiters would have to refill an original bottle. Here is the thing however, the bottle has to be perfect and the labels also have to be in order. One might not know that this was a counterfeit product even if he was an expert, until the cork was pulled. Most of the time, I have been told, that you can tell by the cork, if you know what you're looking for, if a bottle has been refilled. Here is something that I just learned, the corks in wine bottles may have a vintage burned into their side. I don't know if this exists on the older brands, but I do know it does exists on some. One dead giveaway is when you pull the cork on an expensive bottle of wine and this area has been smoothed out, if this brand usually had it burned into the cork. So here is the way that works, this type of wine would have the name and the vintage on the cork. .The particular bottle of wine I am talking about was said to have been purchased for $2000. Just like US currency, some of the makers of very expensive wine are using high-tech labels and engraving, hoping that this will make counterfeiting their product, much more difficult. This doesn't hold true if somebody gets a hold of an empty bottle. There are some people out there that collect rare wines. Can you imagine how many of them think that they have the genuine articles stored in their wine cellar, when they really only have a counterfeit? About the only saving grace in wine counterfeiting is that the people that usually buy these expensive bottles of wine can afford the loss. This does not make the crime any less serious however. I have always said a crime is a crime is a crime. It doesn't lessen the crime just because you're taking advantage of the richer segment of our society. The counterfeiting of wine has become so widespread in the United States, that the FBI is now involved in it. Some feel that some of the biggest wine auction houses in the world are turning a blind eye to the question of whether bottles are authentic, or they are not. Perhaps this is because nobody wants to have to pull the cork to answer that question, they feel they would destroy the value of the wine. The truth is that even if you opened a bottle or two from a large consignment of wines to be auctioned, this certainly does not guarantee that the rest of the wine is authentic. This is truly a huge problem for wine connoisseurs and collectors. When wine collections are auctioned from completely honest people, that doesn't mean that they unknowingly don't have counterfeits in their collections. So how much wine is sold at auction houses? Well, The Independent, states that last year Christie's is said to have sold about $58 million worth of rare wine from London and Paris to New York and Los Angeles. That's an awful lot of wine just from one auction house. It has been said that there is some kind of deal between the Italian Mafia and Chinese manufacturers of fraudulent wines. This problem is so bad that it is believed that some of the very old wines may have been forged many years ago and went undetected. I can see it all now, some multi-rich executive is hosting a dinner party and pops open a bottle of Château Lafite-Rothschild, which he paid thousands of dollars for and all his guests drink it and praise the flavor, but in truth it is a forgery and nobody has even noticed. I really don't know, but I do suspect that it just might be possible for a wine to be imitated in a lab. They may not get it exactly right, but it just might be close enough to fool many people. After all, if you gave a bottle of this stuff to somebody who had never tasted it, how would they know it was a forgery. So it seems to me that you would have had to have tasted the real thing at least once, before you could judge the next bottle. When we talk about wine counterfeiting in China, we are not saying that the Chinese government condones this practice. As a matter of fact, they are actively cracking down on wine counterfeiters. The problem in China is that there are actually whole factories there dedicated to this. So these are not small operations, they are more like wholesale wine counterfeiting operations. As I said above, many of these factories have ties to organized crime and are working hand-in-hand with the Mafia in Italy, the Australian mob and many other gangster organizations. I guess one of the real big problems will happen when they have perfected counterfeit wines to the point where you wouldn't be able to tell the counterfeit from the real without a lab analysis. In this technological world of ours this cannot be viewed as an impossibility. Looking at the art community for example, it is now possible for a computer-controlled machine to make an exact copy of an original painting so perfect that a law has been passed that states that it must say on the painting that is a reproduction. It may just turn out that the same thing will happen in the wine market in years to come. In a way, while this might be a bad thing for wine collectors and wine aficionados, it might turn out to be the beginning of a good thing for the rest of us. What I am talking about here is food that can be manufactured without using real animals and yet be so close in taste that we would not know the difference. We know that much of the foreign wine that is being sold in Beijing is not genuine.This is mostly a problem for the Chinese however. Europe has also been accused of high-end wine counterfeiting. Many believe that this is actually where wine counterfeiting began and that it is only recently that an Asian market has developed for it. You want to impress your boss so you got him a bottle of wine that cost a few hundred dollars. Later you begin to think about your purchase. You start to worry that the bottle may not contain the genuine product and that maybe you boss, who's coming to dinner at your house with his wife, has tasted the genuine article and will know the difference. What should you do? Should you take the chance and put this wine out on the table, or should you get something a little less exotic, that has less of a chance of not being genuine? This may be the choice that faces all wine drinkers in the future. It is nice to think that you have something rare, but it is not so nice when you have to worry about its authenticity. Well I have people coming over tomorrow. I guess I'll go out and get myself a box of wine, nothing is too good for my guests and I know for a fact that it is genuine Gallo.

Barley Wine and Cigars: A Dynamic Duo

Barley Wine and Cigars: A Dynamic Duo by: Jennifer Jordan
The saying, “it’s lonely at the top," is true for cigars. A type of smoke that makes the Marlboro man look weak rather than rugged, cigars have a way of excluding themselves from the group. Yet, you can’t fault the cigars. They might not want us to elevate their reputation and status by deeming them synonymous with luxury and sophistication; for all we know, cigars are standing in the background - looking lovingly at pipes and cigarettes - yelling, “Can’t we all just get along?" Luckily, cigars might have found something to relieve their loneliness: they just may have a lifelong companion in barley wine. Upon performing research, I was surprised to find how many websites laud the combination of cigars and barley wine. And, naturally, I was even more surprised to find these websites weren’t just the ones that sell barley wine. For those not familiar with barley wine, the simplest way to remember it is by the term “barely wine." Truth be told, barley wine isn’t really wine at all; because of its high alcohol content, it only thinks its wine (ironically, after a few too many bottles, I sometimes think this same thing about myself). With wine like characteristics, the big difference is in the ingredients: barley wine is made with grain instead of fruit. If it were cereal, barley wine would be Wheaties while wine would be Fruity Pebbles. Still, barley wine is not without some fruit flavor. It displays both sweetness and bitterness at the same time, giving it a unique taste among beers. While it originated in England, barley wine is available worldwide. However, when sold in the US, barley wines are required to be sold with the label, "barley wine-style ales," thus avoiding confusion for the wine-seeking consumer. Barley wine is sometimes aged, much like wine, and used for celebratory occasions. It is this last sentence that undoubtedly makes the ears of cigars - with their penchant for celebration - prick up. Cigars and barley wine compliment each other nicely. With a slightly peaty taste, barley wine does maintain some whiskey-like characteristics and, as most of us know, cigars have never found a whiskey they do not like. Unlike wine, barley wine doesn’t always go well with food, but, luckily you don’t eat a Churchill. Many cigars, depending on your individual palate, do well with barley wines, in particular Old Nick Barley wine, which, according to many consumers, is one of the best barley wines on the market. Overall, the key to pairing a good barley wine with a good cigar is to keep the tastes in cahoots, you don’t want the flavor of the beer and the flavor of the cigar fighting each other for your attention. It’s also a good rule to pair up beers of lighter color to cigars with lighter wrappers. This may help keep one from overpowering the other. When it comes down to it, barley wine and cigars are good friends, and you just might find yourself - as you beg to be included - asking the duo to become a trio.

Feb 2, 2008

Champagne, A Luxury Product – Blessing Or Curse

Champagne, A Luxury Product – Blessing Or Curse by: Laura Hope
Champagne has always been seen as a thing of luxury. Most commonly found at celebrations be they weddings or on the podium at the Monaco Grand Prix, Champagne's image has always been one of success. But perhaps that is where the brand that is 'Champagne' suffers. If Champagne is primarily associated with special occasions then it must alienate a large majority of wine consumers solely on this point. Herein lies the problem – Champagne's success is also its failure. The top brands dominate not only the UK market but also those in the USA and Japan – names such as Moët et Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Perrier Jouët and Mumm crop up time and again as the best sellers. Prestiges cuvées such as Dom Pérignon, Cristal, Krug lead the way in terms of value of sales with rappers such as 50 Cent and P Diddy endorsing their products in their music, again ensuring the image of Champagne remains one of wealth and success. The exclusivity of Champagne and the confusion surrounding the name does little to help the average consumer in their choice, however. As a retailer, there have been many occasions when I have been asked to advise on 'Champagne' for a wedding when the consumer has been talking about sparkling wine, especially Cava, rather than Champagne itself. In this way, as I mentioned before, Champagne has become associated with celebrations and is often used as a 'catch all' term for both Champagne and sparkling wine. Studies actually show that Champagne is an infrequent purchase in supermarkets with an average of 1.8 purchases per person, per year as opposed to five purchases per person, per year for sparkling wine as a whole (not including Champagne). The research also suggests that 60% of consumers drink Champagne for social or entertaining reasons and that the average age of a Champagne consumer is between 35-64, although there is a strong female following of Champagne too in the 17-24 year old bracket. In sum, it seems that Champagne retains an aura of exclusivity, although, in the market place, the word 'Champagne' often conjours up images of a sparkling wine drunk predominately on special occasions to those who are not au fait with the strict guidelines set by the CIVC to protect the name and image of Champagne. There is no doubt that the market for non-Champagne sparkling wine is increasing, especially in the off-trade where total volume sales increased by 8.1% in 2004. This is particularly pertinent when compared to Champagne sales by volume which were down by 2.1% in the same year. The statistics finally show that sparkling wine's share in the UK wine off-trade (by volume of sales) is currently 4% as opposed to Champagne's 1% and still light wine's 87%. One must remember that the 'volume of sales' is not the same as 'value of sales' as it is here that Champagne takes the crown with a market share of 6% compared to sparkling wine's 4%. The main worry that the Champagne industry has when faced with the increasing dominance of good quality sparkling wine is that, unless heavily discounted, Champagnes are not able to compete in the £7-£10 price point which remains the domain of sparkling wine. Cava is the most popular sparkling wine on the UK market at present with a total volume share of 54.6%. Two producers continue to dominate the market – Codorníu and Freixenet, the market leaders is Spain. They, like an increasing number of Champagne houses, own vineyards in the New World, California in particular to increase their stake in the global sparkling wine market. These wines are rarely seen on the UK market however, possibly as a result of the strength of their Cavas. New World sparkling wines from California, Australia and New Zealand are also increasingly important in the UK market, especially brands such as Mumm Cuvée Napa, Green Point by Chandon and Lindauer owned by Montana (another brand owned by the now Allied Domecq/Pernod Ricard conglomerate). It is interesting to see that traditional Champagne houses have diversified into these areas. They seem to bridge the price gap between non vintage Champagnes and cheap sparkling wines as they mostly retail at around £10-12 (discounts depending) without compromising on the quality of the product to which they lend their name. This seems to be an astute move in a market where deep discounting of Champagne is happening less and less and where brand image is so important. To say that the growth of sparkling wines in the market place threatens the Champagne industry would be untrue and the Champenois would certainly disagree with the idea wholeheartedly. Perhaps the key is to concentrate on marketing their Champagne brands at the sparkling wine consumer who purchases quality sparkling wine at a price point at which the Champagne houses are unable to compete.

Benefits of Green Tea

Benefits of Green Tea by: Kelly Hunter
We have access to more information about our health now than any time in history. It seems like everyday there is a new miracle, a new cure for the things that ail us, another pill or potion that will make us feel better. Green tea is the “now” nutritional supplement. It has enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years, but is it worth all the hype? What exactly are the benefits and are they effective enough to consider? The Food and Drug Administration has not officially approved green tea or endorsed any of its properties, but believers swear by them. One of the pros (or cons, depending on your side of the fence on the issue) of green tea is its caffeine content. The tea contains about have the caffeine as a regular cup of coffee. There are several schools of thought on caffeine’s effect on the body. It’s definitely a stimulant, and some choose to avoid it for that reason. Some dieters say going decaf helps them curb their sweet tooth. Others say the little caffeine boost helps rev them up for their workout. Another unsubstantiated perk of this beverage is its ability to delay and sometimes alleviate the symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Most such diseases involve the build up of a certain kind of plaque in the brain, which restricts blood flow and leads to the nerve damage that is characteristic of such illnesses. In a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the antioxidant EGCG has been shown to positively affect the amount of harmful beta-amyloid protein plaque in lab mice. The animals that were treated with a daily injection of EGCG exhibited a whopping 54 percent less of the harmful plaque than the animals that weren’t treated. If green tea is what it takes to stave off such dreadful diseases, why isn’t everyone drinking it? Simple, it’s just not enough. Other antioxidants found in the tea water down the effect of RGCG. In order to reproduce the same effect in humans that the lab mice experienced, the dose would have to be about 1,500 or 1,600 milligrams a day. The large amount has been tested on humans and found to be safe. Advocates of green tea also say it contains thermogenetic qualities that speed up metabolism and help with weight loss. To get the maximum health benefits of green tea, you’d need to drink the concentrated form of RGCG, which can also be found in vegetables. People who make a point to consume foods that contain RGCG keep themselves detoxified. Doing so reduces their chances of developing cancer and other diseases. Be aware that the health hype of green tea has aided its commercialism. Beverage brands have been quick to jump on the bandwagon and offer a plethora of variations on the theme. Just because it says “green tea” on the label doesn’t mean it has all the nutritional benefits you’ve heard about. After processing, it might not even be good for you at all. Always read the nutritional information on the back of the label and be sure of what you’re consuming.

Coffee - Is It Good for You?

Coffee has been enjoyed by millions of people around the world for at least a thousand years. Apart from it's wonderful aroma, the attraction of coffee lies in its properties as a stimulant. In many people, coffee enhances alertness, concentration and mental and physical performance. This is due to its caffeine content. The average cup of instant coffee contains about 60mg caffeine while filter coffee contains about 85mg. For those who are sensitive to caffeine and prefer decaf blends, the decaffeinated beverage contains only 3mg. Some have worried that coffee is not good to consume during pregnancy, but there is no sound evidence to suggest that modest consumption of coffee has any effects on the wellbeing of an unborn infant. There is also no evidnece that coffee increases the risk of breast, ovary, pancreas or kidney cancer in women. There is also evidence that coffee protects against colon cancer and some preliminary evidence that it protects against male breast cancer. Some even use coffee for colonic irrigation. There is no evidence that coffee increases the risk of heart disease. Some have reported heart palpitations and a rise in blood pressure after coffee consumption, but there is no persistent hypertensive effect in the long term. Others have claimed that drinking coffee promotes indigestion, but this is not the case in the majority of people, although it has been known to produce heartburn in people with gastro-oesophageal reflux problems. But there is no evidence that coffee increases the risk of peptic ulcers and there is some evidence that it protects against gallstones. Evidence is growing that coffee might protect against developing Parkinson's disease and possibly Alzheimer's. Diabetes is still under investigation. Because coffee is a diuretic, it is important to drink enough fluid to replace what is lost. Coffee is rich in anti-oxidants, far moreso than other common beverages. This is due to compounds formed during coffee bean roasting. Anti-oxidants prevent free radicals from multiplying and are a major deterrent of chronic illnesses such as cancer and heart disease. In recent years the gourmet coffee industry has come of age. Discerning consumers have come to expect distinctive coffee tastes and aromas with all the passion of fine wine connoisseurs. Coffee lovers all over the world are discovering the experience of the finest gourmet coffees which can be ordered with a few mouse-clicks on the internet and delivered to your door or workplace shortly after. Boca Java gourmet coffee and teas are fast becoming one of the main players in the online coffee market.

Sauteed Salmon with Teriyaki Sauce

this one is my moms favorite dish..
its delicious and its healthy, and its easy!
The ingredients :
4 or 5 filets salmon
Cornstarch
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
DIPPING SAUCE:
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. sake (Japanese rice wine)
TERIYAKI SAUCE:
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. sake

How to make it:
Mix dipping sauce ingredients and steep salmon in the mixture for 1 hour. Pat salmon dry with a paper towel and coat thinly with cornstarch. Heat vegetable oil in frying pan and saute salmon until well cooked and take out. In clean frying pan, heat teriyaki sauce mixture to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute. Put the salmon into the frying pan and flavor with teriyaki sauce.

Chicken stock

The basis of a good soup is usually a good stock. Once you know how to make a good stock, you can use it for an almost endless variety of soups. This is a recipe I use for chicken stock that's easy to make, and tastes delicious.
The ingredients :
1 Whole Chicken, about 3 pounds
8 cups water
2 carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 stalks of celery, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2-3 sprigs of parsley
1-2 sprigs of sage
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 sprigs of thyme
2 tsp. salt

How to make it :
Cut the chicken up into pieces. Put the chicken, and the rest of the ingredients into a large kettle, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer for 3 hours. Remove the chicken, and place in a bowl to cool. Pour the stock through a colander lined with cheesecloth, and chill. When the chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove the skin and the bones, and freeze or refrigerate the chicken for another use. Skim the fat off of the stock, and refrigerate, freeze, or use immediately. Yield: About 6 cups of stock, about 4 cups of chicken. Don't feel constrained by the ingredients and amounts listed in this recipe. You can use other herbs for a different flavor. You could add ginger peels and lemongrass for an Asian flavor. Just let your imagination run wild. You don't need to use a whole chicken either. You can buy the bone-in chicken breasts, and remove the bones before cooking. Then just put the bones in a plastic bag, and put them into the freezer. Then when you're ready to make the stock, just take the bones out and use them in the stock.
Try it, and enjoy!

Me Back!

hi!! just like my promise i'm back to update my blog, to give you recipe and article about food and beverages..

so be prepared...hhehehe