Food tips and guide

This quick and easy Banana Pudding Recipe is for busy people who want to make a delicious dessert but don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. This recipe is so easy a 10 year old can make it. In fact, my niece did just that and she loved it. It only takes a few minutes to put together, and the entire pudding can be ready in less than 10 minutes. Below are regular and reduced fat versions.

QUICK BANANA PUDDING RECIPE FOR BUSY COOKS

1 box vanilla or banana instant pudding mix
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 can eagle brand milk
8 ounces cool whip, soft
4 to 6 ripe bananas, sliced thin
1 ½ bags Vanilla Wafers

In a large bowl, combine pudding and whole milk, whisk together, add eagle milk and cool whip. Mix together until creamy. Set Aside. In a 9 X 13 inch dish, add a layer of bananas and cover it with a layer of vanilla wafers. Spoon half of pudding mixture over vanilla wafers. Repeat process with bananas and wafers, then spoon other half of pudding over wafers. Top pudding with wafers. Chill.

REDUCED FAT BANANA PUDDING RECIPE

1 box vanilla or banana instant pudding mix, reduced fat
1 ½ cups fat free or 2% percent milk
1 can eagle brand milk, low or fat free
8 ounces cool whip, soften, light
4 to 6 ripe bananas, sliced thin
1 ½ bags Vanilla Wafers, reduced fat

In a large bowl, combine pudding and whole milk, whisk together, add eagle milk and cool whip. Mix together until creamy. Set Aside. In a 9 X 13 inch dish, add a layer of bananas and cover it with a layer of vanilla wafers. Spoon half of pudding mixture over vanilla wafers. Repeat process with bananas and wafers, then spoon other half of pudding over wafers. Top pudding with wafers. Chill.

Regardless of which pudding you choose to make, both are quick, easy, and won't take up a lot of time in the kitchen. Try it!

Healthy Benefits For Preparing Your Own Meals

If you're looking for an easy way to achieve a healthy lifestyle for you and your loved ones, one of the most productive ways is to eat at home. Here are some useful tricks.

With our time being at a premium, preparing your own meals is very often exchanged with on the go meals at fast food or casual dining restaurants. Not only are these choices usually more cost prohibited than eating at home, but also not figure friendly. You can dramatically increase the health benefits by staying in to eat.

Eating at Home Puts You in Control Eating at home has many health benefits, but most importantly it gives you the options of what ingredients you decide to use or omit in your meals. Have you ever looked at what a hamburger at a casual dining restaurant is made with- there can be tons of ingredients, some with names you haven't heard of or are unable to pronounce. When you prepare home-cooked meals, you can keep your foods natural and whole.

Do You Have Special Dietary Needs? Another healthy benefit of eating at home is that if you have special dietary needs such as limitations on sugar in your foods, you can conveniently make dishes that fit your health needs. You don't have to worry if the dining establishment has a low salt dish or if there is any extra sugar used in a dish.

Portion Control One of the reasons that many people have gained weight is because the portions that many fast food restaurants give you. They are much larger than recommended. If you eat in, you can choose the appropriate portions for you and your loved ones, cutting down on excessive food intake.

Food Allergens When you eat at home, you can be more careful in preparing foods, especially if you or a loved one has a food allergy. Food allergies in many situations can be serious and possibly even deadly. Preparing food at home decreases the risk of an allergic reaction to certain foods.

Quality Time Another benefit to preparing meals at home is the quality of time spent with each other. We all like to be taken care of at times so it's nice to eat out occasionally. However, preparing home-cooked meals allows you to spend valued time with loved ones. Everyone can take part in meal preparation so it's a shared experience. By allowing children to participate in meal planning and cooking you are teaching them valuable self-sufficiency skills. The ambiance is more conducive to sharing stories.

Make a commitment to eat more meals at home. The benefits of eating in far outweigh the time it takes to prepare a meal at home. Your loved ones will appreciate it in the end.

Over the years tea has become a increasingly popular drink with many health benefits. Many teas including green tea have antioxidants that help your body fight off free radicals and keep you healthy and strong. Drinking tea is much healthier then coffee and it makes you feel better and also prevents you from crashing off the tremendous caffeine levels that coffee contain.

If you are a cannabis smoking person who would like the same effects without the harsh effects of breathing in smoke, you can try preparing your tea with cannabis. This can be done by using the actual plant itself or using stems and seeds which both contains trace amounts of THC. Since cannabis is a fat soluble plant, you will not get "as high" as actually smoking the plant, or cooking it in food with butter and oil. The effects of drinking cannabis tea are very mild.

Another way to prepare the tea is by adding a little milk to it. By doing this you will feel a little more "high" because the milk has fat in it. Since the cannabis plant is fat soluble, the THC will infuse into it. Personally, I think the taste is a little rough and can sometimes burn your throat but by adding some sugar this can ease the taste and make it more drinkable.

Drinking cannabis tea can be a alternative for people who use marijuana for medical purposes and don't like to actually smoke it because of the harshness of it. Many people claim that drinking tea with cannabis helps them see better and relieves pressure on the eyes. Marijuana is prescribed to patients with glaucoma and tea can be another alternative for them to use.

Everyday people are coming up with new and exciting uses for combining cannabis with different drinks. Right now in various bars around the world a similar concept has been brought to the market which infuses cannabis seeds and vodka called cannabis vodka. It is quickly becoming a popular drink and is totally legal to buy. Now you can enjoy the feeling of smoking cannabis by drinking a nice warm cup of tea or sipping on a cold martini outside and save your lungs at the same time.

These objectives might stimulate you towards a fruit diet, weight loss, healthy diet, natural cure for obesity and weight control, healthy lifestyle, body cleansing! What more would you ask for? Why else would you have 5 to 9 fresh slices a day, organically grown as far as possible? Lets consider some facts:

1. Fruit mostly consists of water just like the human body does; 2. Fruit is one hundred percent cholesterol free; 3. Fruit leads to better memory; 4. Fruit has miraculous healing effects 5. Fruit has plenty of fiber 6. Fruit makes you feel better, naturally 7. Fruit is the most natural and tasty food

More often than not, fruit consists of water just like the human body. Just like 80% of our body is water is 80% of fruit. Come to think of it, it's logical for the human body to have foods that contain as much water as the body.

The nutrition that meets our requirements is fruit, hence there is no other food than fruit that contains on average 80% water. No doubt, vegetables contain a lot of water too and are therefore second best on our list.

Fruit is 100% bad-cholesterol free and there is no argument about this. Too much of cholesterol is bad for our bodies and fruit doesn't contain one bit cholesterol. On the other hand, animal products such as meat and dairy contain a lot of bad-cholesterol.

Besides, it is now proven that fruit stimulates the memory In case you did not know tit yet, fruit is the ultimate brain fuel. The way it works has yet to be discovered and a number of scientists are looking into it. But, we do know that if you have lots of fruit, your brains will be able to recall information faster and more easily.

The miraculous healing effects of fruit are doing the rounds nowadays. In fact, spectacular stories about folks that got cured from incurable diseases just abiding by a strict diet of raw fruits and/or vegetables are well known.

Then how about fibers? We all know now that a diet with lots of fibers helps against obesity, hypertension, and other things that increase the chance for a heart disease and cancers. The amount of fibers consumed could be an even more important factor than the amount of fat that people consume.

Finally, fruit is the most natural food. When you see a piece of fruit dangling from the branch of a tree it is telling you something: "Eat my fruits and help me spread my seeds." That is how nature works, humans eat fruits and vegetables and subsequently help plants spread.

Human beings use animals to work the land to grow the plants and trees that produce these vegetables and fruits. No wonder, fruit is the best human diet A healthy diet should comprise a lot of freshly squeezed fruit juices, raw fruits and vegetables. Here are some tips:

1. It is a good start to eat and drink more fresh fruits; 2. It is very simple, before you know it you will be feeling so much better; 3. Always remember to eat fruit on an empty stomach, not after meals

For many people, the fresh brewed smell of coffee is their morning wake up call and many a person savors a cup of coffee while looking over a morning paper or gulps it down as they hurry off to work. For some, coffee has been more than a morning ritual, but has also become a time to relax and enjoy exotic flavors while buried in a good book.

No matter what your reason is for drinking coffee, no one enjoys a bad cup of coffee. Making a great cup of coffee includes much more than merely stirring an instant mix into water.

Getting the Best Coffee Beans

One of the most important things, when brewing an excellent cup of coffee, is getting high quality coffee beans. Usually, purchasing coffee beans at the local supermarket is not the best way to get quality beans since many of these beans are actually quite old.

Arabica coffee beans are some of the best and you can often find them for purchase at specialty coffee shops. Usually, these types of beans are fresher and will help you make a better cup of coffee. While the best beans may be a bit more expensive, they will ensure that you get the best cup of coffee possible.

Grinding Your Own Beans

Once you have decided what flavors you enjoy in your coffee, you can purchase the beans in that flavor to ensure getting fresh coffee every time. After you purchase the beans, you can grind them fresh every time you want a fresh cup of coffee.

If you are going to grind your own beans, be sure that you purchase a coffee grinder that works well and provides you with the texture you need for your coffee maker. One type of coffee grinder that is recognized as one of the best is the Burr Grinder. This type of grinder is actually the grinder of choice in many specialty coffeehouses.

Picking the Best Coffee Maker

Having the right coffee maker is another key to brewing the best cup of coffee possible. Most people have found that drip coffee makers and single serving coffee makers usually make the best cups of coffee.

If you are considering a coffee percolator, forget the idea! Usually, percolators produce some of the worst tasting coffee ever made. One benefit to the one cup coffee makers is that they always make a fresh cup of coffee for you and there is very little mess to clean up.

Clean, Clean, Clean

Keeping your coffee making equipment clean is another important key to getting a great cup of coffee every time.

If you allow your equipment to go without cleaning, coffee residues can build up and it can cause your coffee to taste very bitter, making for a distasteful cup of coffee. Be sure to clean all of your coffee equipment after each use to ensure the very best cup of coffee every time.

A great cup of coffee is an experience that you can repeat over and over again if you follow the right tips. Although picking the beans, grinding the beans, cleaning your equipment and actually brewing the coffee can take a bit of time, it will be worth the work when you are able to sit back and relax with the perfect cup of coffee in your hand.

Since spring is finally here, sort of (it snowed here in Denver on Easter day, sigh), I thought I would share one of my favorite strawberry recipes with you. It is a pretty easy recipe that does not even require any baking. Start to finish, it takes about 20 minutes. As I do at my baking site, I am going to share with you here the story behind the recipe.

Cream Cheese Strawberry Pie

Strawberries are my favorite fruit. I always have them around when they come into season in the spring. It always brings back memories of going to pick berries with my family in the summer. We would all pile in the car with buckets and ice cream pails, eager to taste fresh summer berries. We would go to one of the nearby berry farms that had acres and acres of berries. I remember it seemed so huge to me as a kid and I could not believe how many rows upon rows upon rows there were. All of us kids of course ended up eating just as many berries as we picked. There is nothing that has quite as much flavor as a strawberry fresh from the field, warm with sunshine. Makes me want to go hunt down a local berry farm so I can share that memory with my daughter!

Closely guarded recipes from restaurants are now available. The copycat food recipes and drink recipes from famous restaurants are now unveiled in an easy to follow book that has just been released! Famous Copycat Recipes From Restaurants

The fascination with copycat restaurant recipes has taken a surge in popularity recently with the emergence of "information leakage". Many famous chefs who have worked at five star quality restaurants have now unveiled many of the recipes from famous restaurants to the general public.

The mouth watering copycat restaurant recipes that many treasure are now available at their finger tips, thanks to the chefs who have been so kind to release famous recipes from restaurants. This information is now available at: Famous Copycat Recipes From Your Favorite Restaurants

Within the past few months quite a few closely guarded copycat restaurant recipes have now become available to the average consumer. The incredible part of all this, is that each recipe is formatted in great detail, with an easy to follow step by step chart that allows anyone to whip up recipes from famous restaurants right from their kitchen.

The copycat restaurant recipes of famous restaurants such as Hard Rock Cafe, The Cheesecake Factory, Red Lobster, and even fast food outlets such as McDonald's and KFC are now widely available. Are the owners of these restaurants happy about this leakage of information? Probably not, but at this time the recipes are sweeping the internet at a feverish pace.

The website Famous Copycat Recipes From Restaurants offers many recipes from restaurants in a variety of categories. It also highlights "America's Most Wanted Recipes" which deals primarily with the secret copycat restaurant recipes of famous chefs. A strategic partnership with "America's Most Wanted Recipes" allows anyone to get access to hundreds of the most sought after famous recipes from restaurants in the world. You can visit the website below for complete information.

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If you are looking at the most famous and best gourmet coffees, then Jamaica Blue Mountain, Kona, and Costa Rican are most common trait. They are grown in volcanic mountain regions. Like the finest wine region of Italy and France, the best gourmet coffee have an areas were the coffee bean flavor thrives. The two most significant aspects of the best gourmet coffee are soil and altitude.

At higher elevations different factors come together in process of growing the best gourmet coffee. Late afternoon cloud cover defends the coffee plants from an undue amount of direct sunlight. The clouds comprises of moisture, which lightly waters the coffee plants through its leaves other than through its roots.

The best gourmet coffees are mainly rated with a SHB rating that means Strictly Hard Bean rating. The coffee bean full-grown at elevated altitudes is much stronger than those grown at lower elevations. This difference places the coffee bean in the group of the best gourmet coffee rating on world coffee markets.

The disadvantage of growing this coffee at much higher altitudes is the difficulty in agricultural process. Farms at this level are near the peaks of mountain formations that are very steep. You could even imagine the trouble of driving vehicles to these isolated locations with few paved roads. At times the ground is near about at a 45 degree angle making it very tricky to plant, farm, inspect and then pick the coffee beans from side of a mountain. More manual labor-intensive is necessary not only for farming but also for transporting the baskets important with the best coffee beans.

The distance of these locations also makes it a long and very difficult to transport them to the ports of allocation to world markets. The roads are frequently rough and stony winding up and down mountain sides and frequently beside an unsafe cliff. You could imagine the intrinsic danger concerned just in transporting a heavy truck load of the best gourmet coffee. The farmers would stride along side their ox drive cart dragging their payload. The farmers would paint multi-colored designs on the large wooden ox cart wheels that have become a sign of Costa Rican heritage even to this day.

Once you've decided to send somebody a food gift basket, make sure the foods that are put into the basket are suitable for that person. For instance you wouldn't give someone a food gift basket with alot of sweets if they happen to be diabetic. Setting up the basket is easy and won't take long to do, simply use common sense and think of who the basket is going to.

A food gift basket can comprise of just about anything one could think of. Freshly ground gourmet coffee beans works for a wonderful gift. Fruits and vegetables can be set up to make the basket beautiful. A few confectioneries can be suitable as long as they aren't over done. One could add dry spaghetti with a bottle of good sauce and a bottle of great wine. You could think of any theme for a food gift basket and present it personally.

Making a certain theme could save someone from receiving fifteen identical meals. Receiving baskets full of chicken is excellent for a couple of meals, but not for two weeks. A food gift basket doesn't even have to be a meal, just a few small items like cheese and wine, or some other small gourmet items are an excellent way to convey kindness to someone.

What to Avoid in a Food Gift Basket

There are some items that are great but not suitable for a gift basket. If the basket is filled with sweets, don't add too many chocolates. The biggest problem with chocolates is that they will melt if it is exceptionally warm. If it's a hospital room that the person is staying in, they more than likely won't have control over the temperature. A person doesn't like to open their favorite chocolate with anticipation and find that it's all mushy and melted.

Think of a few things your friend would actually like and arrange it in a food gift basket. Make sure that what they wouldn't like, have religious or cultural sensitivities or are allergic to is left out of the basket. Remember a meal you've loved at the recipients house and try to repeat that. It is actually that easy when putting together a food gift basket. Things to avoid would be anything that takes that extra time and effort to prepare.

Look at all of this information and use it to make a terrific food gift basket for someone who deserves it.

Steak is a dish which is hugely popular among the public. Well the reason for this are plenty but undoubtedly the top most reason is the taste of the dish. Combination of the food that one eats is vital if they want to get a feel of the real taste. side dishes steakhouse NYC that is served in different steakhouses can be the ideal combination for your dish, but you have to make sure that you find the right combination. Eating out is one thing in which we do not indulge on a regular basis but when this is done all of us want that we eat our favorite food at the best places where they are served. Different people have different choices and this is why we must make sure to indulge our taste buds from time to time.

So if you are one of those people who love to eat steak, then you must know very well that a steakhouse is the destination that all of them want to be in. If you have moved to a new place, you know that the task of finding out a good steakhouse is one thing you must become involved with immediately. Well eating out in a steakhouse is something which every steak lover enjoys and there is no reason for you to not find out about the best steakhouse. Most of the steakhouses serve wonderful side dished to go with the steak. You can find a good choice from pasta to potatoes for the side dish. You just need to make the proper selection for the side dish.

Side dish is that food which is accompanies the main dish. People have different tastes and it is no owner that their selection of side dishes and drinks differ a lot. Some of the most commonly loved side dishes in steakhouse NYC are baked potatoes, French fires, salads, soups, dinner rolls or bread of any type, pasta and vegetables cooked in different ways. So a typical side dish accompanying a meat based main dish like steak can contain a starchy side dish, a salad or some vegetables. It all depends on individual choice and the ones mentioned are the popular choices for side dishes in a steakhouse. All steakhouses have different combination to offer as side dishes, you just have to order what you like and it will be served to you.

Steakhouse is the ideal destination for any individual who has fondness for eating meat based dishes like steak. Cooking steak is a tough job and this is the reason why you must find out a steakhouse which services steak which is cooked just to your liking. In fact the entire taste of this meat based dish depends on the way this is cooked. Steak cooked in varying degrees of temperatures gives it the unique taste which many people favor. You just need to tell them what kind of steak you prefer, whether it is rare steak, medium steak and any other kind. Steak is one of your favorite dishes and you must make sure that you do indulge your taste buds once a while.

Dry beans are among some of the healthiest foods on the planet. Beans are not only a complex carbohydrate, which provides sustained energy throughout the day, but also have many important nutrients such as, calcium, potassium, protein and folate. Plus, you get these benefits without the fat and cholesterol that meat or dairy products might contain. Many Americans do not get the recommended daily fiber they need (25-30 grams a day) and beans are an excellent way to meet these requirements. A cup of cooked black beans contains 8 grams of fiber and a cup of cooked pinto beans contains 12 grams.

One concern when cooking beans is the amount of time they take to fully process. There are a few things that can be done to help with this problem. The first is soaking beans over night. Soaking overnight will help the beans absorb moisture and shorten the time needed to cook them. Another excellent idea is to cook beans in the crock pot over night on low. In the morning they are fully cooked and ready to use or store. They can be rinsed, drained and stored up to a week in the refrigerator or frozen for several months. When cooking or soaking beans do not add salts to the pot or bowl, as salt will prevent the beans from fully cooking and will result in hard beans.

What do you do with your beans? There is no end to the healthy, useful ways to use dry beans in your everyday cooking and baking. The traditional and most frequent use of beans is simply cooked and placed in soups or chili's, mixed with rice or used as a side dish. Although those are excellent ways to incorporate beans into your diet there are many other ways as well.

One of the best kept secrets about beans is their ability to be ground into a fine flour. White beans are recommended as the best choice for bean flour. Bean flour can be substituted for 25% of flour in any recipe. For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup bean flour may be used. For those whose families might not be receptive to beans on the table this is a great way to sneak them in. All the benefits of beans will be received in every day items like cookies and bread and no one will be the wiser. It is not recommended to tell them either as this might influence their interest in the items prepared. Bean flour can also be used to make soups creamy without dairy. To make 4 cups of "cream" soup simply heat 2 cups of water in a pan (do not boil) and 4 tsp chicken bouillon (or bouillon of choice). Combine 2 cups cold water with 1 cup bean flour and whisk until there are no lumps. Combine this flour paste with the heated water and bouillon and simmer of low for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. To make a thinner soup use less bean flour. Spices, vegetables or meat may be added to the soup base for a delicious and nutritious creamy soup without the calories, fat and dairy, plus this creamy soup has all the health of beans. This recipe may also be substituted for creamy condensed soups in casseroles or other dishes.

The other best kept secret is the use of pureed white beans in place of shortening, butter or margarine in baked goods. After the beans are cooked simply drain and place in a food processor, blender or mash with a fork to create a puree. It should be about the consistency of the fat you are replacing and may be substituted cup for cup or simply for half the fat in the recipe. If the beans are too thick and/or dry, just add a little water and stir in completely. Many ask, "how does it taste" [in cookies, etc.] and the answer is, you can't even tell! The foods are delicious and nutritious!

Beans will be filling, satisfying and incorporate many necessary nutrients into the diet. Combined with rice they are a complete protein and provide all the 8 amino acids for the body. They are inexpensive and packed full of flavor. It doesn't get much better than beans.

The fact that beer has been with humans for a long time period is well known. As beer itself changed, expanded, and advanced, so did the way in which we got the beer to our mouths. The earlier receptacles man used for drinking beer included earthenware, pottery, carved out wood, and even sewn-together pieces of leather. The quality of the beer glass had little improvements as time passed on. During the black plague beer steins were popular because of their enclosed top to prevent bugs from getting in the beer and getting them sick.

The development of glass might have been the most crucial part of the way beer glasses are produced today. As consumers began to be able to see what they were drinking from the glass they started to demand a beer with more taste and a improved hue. Customers didn't want coarse chunks in their beer anymore so manufacturers started to filter their beers. With this new, improved wave of beer glasses, it seemed like beer steins were on the way out.

A variety of beer glasses were created and produced for the different types of beverages. The 16-ounce pint glass is the most popular glass in America. It was soon discovered that the shape let a part of the carbonation to be freed and let the aroma be more pronounced. It is also liked for its storage capabilities; pint glasses may be placed on top of each other and stored upright on shelves, quickly making them a favorite with the barkeeps who ended up having to rinse out each individual glass.

On the promotional and marketing front some unique and groundbreaking moves were developed by breweries to try and drive customers towards their beers. Giving out beer glasses to people was a way that manufacturers found to promote their products even though it was illegal. This led to the breweries creating beer glasses that were works of artistic merit unto themselves. The first were ornate and costly; they would often have gold or silver embossed on either side. Gradually, artists for the breweries started doing intricate etchings on either side of the glasses or steins and even developed a method of firing enamel paint onto the glasses. These painted glasses remain some of the most rare beer souvenirs, even though they were made more recently than the others. Today eager collectors all around the planet continue to collect these tin signs and memorabilia that are often worth thousands. Have you looked up in the top of Grandpa's dresser lately?

Consider the space you have to work with, the size and weight of the unit and make sure to add the additional weight for the wine which averages about 3 pounds per bottle. When building a new home the best time to think or install a wine cellar would be when the home is being built, make sure the specs include such things as a cooling system, shelving and storage, if you live in an existing house find a space and make sure you plan it out well.

The degree and the speed of the temperature change are critical to successfully storing and aging wine. Expertise lies in getting the temperature just right. Temperature is at the top of the list for the reason that it is the single most important factor to consider when planning or installing your own wine cellar.

Modular wine racks are a great investment because they can be modified to fit anywhere plus they are not expensive and they come in many different finishes and grains. Decorative racks are available in a number of different styles, ranging from metal racks to wrought iron racks. There are many different types of wine cellar racks to install in your wine cellar, the types are wooden, metal and there many others. It is extremely essential to carefully store the wine bottles in the cellars and wine racks seem to be the only possible solution to this need.

Having a system that can cool wine is very important especially in a wine cellar, if you don't have a wine cooling system the wine cellar is not worth the bottles in the cellar, the cellar needs to be cool to operate correctly. Wine coolers can be either free standing, built in with the wine cellar or can be hidden under the counter. To keep the correct temperature in your wine cellar you need to invest in good cooling system, the cooling system will maintain the temperature and humidity and keep the wine tasting perfectly. The coolers vary in size, some having the capacity to hold two to four bottles, while others have larger capacities of up to 50 bottles.

Wine cellars and racks for the home allow the individual wine lover to convert any space in their home into an instant cellar in a matter of moments. There are many different kinds of wine cellars, there are case storages, triangular shelves, curved corners, half weights and many others.

The advantage of having a wine cellar is that you don't have to go out and get a bottle of wine every time you are ready to sit down and eat, or want to enjoy a glass. Some of the popular wine cellar accessories are metal racking, kneeling butlers, wine chillers, wine coolers, decorative bottle corkers, corkscrews, wine tags, bottle openers, and wine markers.

The great thing about wine cellars is that you can sit back and enjoy a bottle of wine that you chose from you wine cellar. Bottles should be stored on their side so that the cork remains moist and they should also not be exposed to vibration or temperature change.

What's slow and steady and will fit right into your face-paced life? Would you believe cooking with that old crock pot?!

Going slower in terms of cooking can actually help you go faster in the long run. Make sense? Keep reading and it will. When you prepare a crock pot meal in the morning, the food will be ready when you get home. No more waiting for the oven to preheat or food to defrost in the microwave.

Fast and slow cooking entered American kitchens in a big way during the 1970s. Rival introduced the Crock Pot slow cooker in 1971 (the slow cooking appliance was originally called a beanery). Microwave ovens also became affordable during the 1970s. (They actually went on the market in 1952 for the price of $1,295). By the 1980s, most couples could count on receiving at least one crock pot as a wedding gift. While it's almost unthinkable to cook without a microwave today, many crock pots have been relegated to the closet shelf. It's time to revive the Rival!

Five reasons to dust of the crock pot and start slow cooking again. 1. Save money. Starting a meal in the crock pot in the morning can save you from the temptation of grabbing fast food during the evening family rush hour. Save those fast food bucks for a meal out at a nice restaurant on the weekend when you have time to sit and enjoy it. 2. Save money. This reason's so nice we said it twice. Crockery cooking can make less-expensive cuts of meat tender and delicious. 3. Save time. Cook when you have more energy and less stress. Have your food ready and waiting for you rather than the other way around. You'll also save time on clean up. After the meal, you'll have just one pot to wash. If you have a crock pot with the removable crockery liner (and you really should), clean up is extra easy. 4. Eat healthy. It doesn't take a nutritionist to know that a meal of meat and veggies with a green salad on the side is going to be better for your body than another frozen pizza. 5. Keep your kitchen cool and your food hot. You won't have to heat up the whole house just to roast a chicken or cook a pot of stew. The crock pot also frees the oven and stove for other foods when you're cooking a big meal. To make the most of your rediscovered crock pot, try not peek at the food while it's cooking. Every time you lift the lid, you add 20 minutes to the cooking time.

To convert regular recipes for use in the crock pot, reduce the amount of liquid by one-third to one-half, unless you're making soup, rice or beans.

I hope this all makes sense. The best part about crock pot cooking is all the recipes you can make with the same crock pot. Just cut up the ingredients, throw them in the crock pot, wait 8 hours and a delicious meal is ready!

Summary : Mix 1 Part Mom's ol' Crock Pot and 1 Part New Age Recipes and You'll Find Yourself with an Amazing Meal.